How Do We Do It All?

Just recently, our lives have changed. Hubby and I now have full time jobs and the kids are in school. The days of our laid back -work-work-for-ourselves- are gone.(boo,hoo) I have yet to figure out how people manage their time on a day-to-day basis.

I now realize, that people get up at about 5:00/5:30 AM! in order to get the kids ready and be at work on time. Here is the run-down..... correct me if I forget something....

5:15 am- get up and get Me ready
6:00 am- get the kids up and get them fed, make lunches and fight with both children about what they WILL eat for breakfast instead of the pop-tart they said they wanted
7:00 am - out the door to school (hopfully by no later than 7:10am, because that will cost me time sitting in line at the 4-way stop)
7:30 am- to work I go- eat breakfast in the car.
8:00-8:10 am - arrive at work)hopefully
5:00 pm- promptly, leave work so I don't get caught in too much traffic.
5:25 pm- Home! now it's time to really get busy. Start dinner for kids and then for Hubby and me. Because one kid only eats PB&J sandwiches- honestly- that is ALL he eats.
If we are lucky, dinner and Misc. Stuff is done by 7:00. Bath Time! 30 minutes for boths kids baths to have baby in bed by 7:30pm.
last kid in bed by 8:00pm- me asleep by 8:30pm !

I can't imagine what things will be like when we have homework... Crazy!

I'm on a mission to get dinner under control. As much as I can with an 18 month old holding on to my knees. LOL!

I know, the trick is planning, weekly menus planed and shopped.

Let me know if you have any good suggestions for me. I'm new at being a working mom and could use all the help I can get.

My Little Chef's Baking Brownies

One night after dinner, I was rummaging through the pantry and I found a box of brownie mix. Hey! Let's make some Brownies! We all love brownies. break out the eggs and oil, and heat up the oven.

Tyler got the big bowl and Lizzy grabbed a chair to stand on and commenced to combining all the ingredients. Lizzy asked"wats dat?" and "wats dat?" and Tyler stirred. It's been so long since we make brownies, I'd forgot how quick and fun it is. The only drawback is that I had to SHARE the bowl and spoon with the kids. HAHA!

Wow, How Things Change

I used to be Fun! I swear! What has happened to me. At 42 I am no longer interested in going anywere. We had a babysitter tonight and I opted to stay home and clean my bonus room.(ok it was way beyond disaster area) and Big Daddy went to a friends house to watch the Big ball game. I don't talk to anyone anymore. I don't Facebook. I am about tired of this stage in my life. OK enough griping. .........Nope, sorry! Too cranky lately to not gripe.

Ride the storm
Stay Grounded
It will not last forever
We will get through this
WHEN?!

Made In America

I received a wonderful e-mail the other day and I thought I might share it with you. ...

A physics teacher in high school , once told her class that while a single grasshopper on the railroad track wouldn't slow the train much, a billion of them would.

Keeping that in mind.....read the following, it was obviously written by a good American.

A Good idea.... one light bulb at a time.....

I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for something, and just for the heck of it, I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were USA made. Start Looking!

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else, - even their jobs. So, after reading this, I think the lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!

My son loves Hersey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it anymore. My favorite toothpaste is Colgate and is now made in Mexico. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. (This can be true for any store) I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled "Everyday Value". I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats. They were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money then the other, but the thing that most surprised me is that GE was made in Mexico and the Every Day Brand was made in USA, Cleveland to be exact.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find product you use everyday that are made right here.

So on to another aisle. Bounce Dryer Sheets.....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I have used them and they work just as well as Bounce and are HALF the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA- the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

** We should have awakened a decade ago....Let's get with the program.... Help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to say for the record that I would love to cook the Big Thanksgiving Diner. I've done it a couple of times, but since there is always something that goes wrong, Brian has refused to let me do it again. That and my kitchen is not big enough anymore.

So now we go out like so many other people do every year on this Thankful day. But none-the- less, we are still very thankful for the blessing that God has given us. Health, Happiness and lots of love.

To be honest eating out is not so bad. Carker Barrel is THE place to go. But they did run out of pecan pie:( bummer! But we ate well and laid around all day and watched the call games.... yes, a typical American Thanksgiving.

Yea, it's that time of year to start baking again. My little man and I sat down in the floor tonight and when through my cookie mags and I find some really yummy looking ones. But first I must figure just how many we need. Little Man wants to make, like , 30 different kinds... yea, o.k.:) Let's trim that list down just a little bit, ok?

Something that I must also consider this year is the packaging...cute boxes? or cute tins?

I'm getting excited, I have to take stock of my "tools" pastry bags, cookie cutters. Last year I had a real hard time finding nested trees. this year I'm going to try to find nested snowflakes. I've come across some georgous pictures of the "snowflake" cookie and want to try it. (It's late and I'm tired or I would put in a link). But the picture is inspiring.

I've been cruising around looking at some other baking blogs and as much as I love to bake and create, I think I might start doing a bit more- carve out a little bit more time out of the day. I'm not much for "cooking" but I love to bake. Cookies, pies, cakes... what ever. and I love the baking blogs... so cute! and the pictures are so much better and colorful.

Well, Happy Hollidays.... God bless and may He bring you peace.

Don'g Get All Stressed With Coupons

I have done like most women when they start to coupon. They go full force and non-stop to save their mighty dollar. And just like I have been warned on other blogs, I got burnt-out.

A little insight.... on some of the blogs I frequent, I see some woman buying 12 bottles of shampoo and 12 bottles of conditioner just because they were $.09 each. Well, some of us do not have the storage space and, I would not use 12 bottles of shampoo in 2 or 3 years.

The lesson is... if you don't need it, DON"T BUY IT! Just because you can get $165.00 worth of stuff for 20 bucks, doesn't mean you are obligated to do so. You should use your common sense and make informed decisions on what you are buying. I started with the BOGO stuff and using coupons on those products. Once you get your rhythm, then tackle the CVS Thing...... I'm still learning that one. There again.... lots of stuff on sale that I don't need and I'm not going to buy it just because I can get a "bonus buck" to spend later. That sounds like" the more you spend, the more you save".

Couponing is great if you have to time. I'm a mom of two small children who works full time. I have time to download and bunch of mfg Q's and then check the sale papers. But I don't have the time to go to CVS just because they have milk for $2.99 instead of $3.15 at the grocery. COMMON SENSE!

It is a invigorating feeling when I'm able to save $30.00 - $50.00 at the grocery. The check out lady even says "you did good" and that is very satisfying.