Hello!
So you’ve noticed this spot is bare and never given the proper attention it deserves, eh?
Yeah, I’m aware of that problem too.
Do you want to catch up on my life happenings?
Pop on over to http://lifesapprobation.com and see what’s been occurring in my world!
Fabulous woman, amazing contest!
If you haven’t ever stopped by Healing with Raw Juices, I highly suggest it! Not only is Michele Tune an incredible woman and writer, she’s opened an amazing door to health through her blog.
Decorating Fun!
Since our wedding just over a week ago, my husband and I have set out to change the shape of our house. It was high time to create a warm and inviting home.
As a family, we spend the bulk of our time together in the kitchen. Whether we are baking bread, treats or whipping out one of our standard meals, that is our primary place to engage in conversation about the day and future scheduled plans of the week. As that room is most important to the well being and functionality of our family, we opted to spruce up that room first.
As I didn’t actually take before photos, I scoured through all the photos I’ve taken since moving in here in March and found a couple of the kitchen.
1/3 of the kitchen
The horrible fuse box that we still aren’t sure what to do with!!
We spent months discussing various themes for the rooms in our home. We ultimately decided upon a vineyard theme in the kitchen, which will tie into our living room down the road. We aren’t quite finished with decorating, but I’m loving how much more inviting the room has become.
What isn’t shown is the openness to the dining area that shares space in the kitchen, the back windows and the laundry area. Sadly, there’s no pictures including those spaces as we haven’t found the perfect curtains yet!
We are scouring the ‘net as well as all of our local stores to find something we can use to cover the fuse box that will match our decor. We are also accepting donations of wine bottles of various shapes and sizes to include above the cabinets, behind the ivy!!
As you can tell, it’s slowly becoming like home. I feel so uplifted every time I walk in the kitchen. It makes me want to be even more for my family than I was before. If that isn’t sprucing up your life, nothing is!
Simon’s needs – scheduling continues
Simon was born 16 weeks prematurely. For many, you’ve followed his blog since birth. For those who haven’t, I have neglected that one over recent months as well. As a preemie, Simon has many needs that typical one-year-olds don’t. In balancing all of our schedules, Simon’s is the one my own schedule is most dependent.
As a typical day, Simon will:
- 6:30 AM Wake
- 6:35 AM Change Diaper and Dress
- 6:40 AM Bottle & nebulizer treatment
- 6:45 AM – 7:30 AM nap
- 8:00 AM – 8:10 AM Oxygen switched to portable tank, packed in car seat
- 8:15 AM Take Jaden to school
- 8:45 AM Return Home
- 9:00 AM Eat and Play
- 11:00 AM Eat lunch, nap
- 1:00 PM awake, snack, nebulizer treatment, play
- 2:30 PM take a bottle, short nap
- 3:15 PM awake, loaded in car seat, pick up Jaden
- 3:45 PM home
- 3:45 – 5:00 PM play time
- 5:00 PM Dinner, Bottle
- 5:45-6:15 PM short nap
- 6:15-7:30 PM play, nebulizer treatment
- 7:30 PM bath
- 8:00 PM Bottle and Stories
- 8:30 PM Bed
His days are a bit more chaotic than I would expect for a child his age. He’s still running on about a 9 month level with his schedule and will fluctuate as he ages more. His therapy sessions will run between 9 and 11 AM and 1 and 2:30 PM as scheduled throughout the month. Those days mean for longer naps instead of a couple shorter ones. We will go with the flow there. It’s during Simon’s longer naps that I will truly utilize my time to be able to fit writing back into my life. As the kids will be sleeping by 8:30 PM, I will also utilize that time, until 10 PM to write.
Jaden – and special days
As I’m looking at combining all four of our schedules into one mass family schedule, I’ve had to break down the task by person. Jaden was the first on my list, as his is actually the easiest to work through.
School begins August 26, 2009
Labor Day Holiday September 7, 2009
Early Release September 21, 2009
No School October 12 and 13, 2009
No School/Parent Teacher Conferences October 29 & 30, 2009
Early Release November 11, 2009
No School November 25-27, 2009 (Thanksgiving break)
No School December 21-January 1, 2010 (classes resume 1/4/10)
I ended my quest to find the days off there. I don’t want to jump too far ahead of myself and believe that going through the first half of school will work best for me. I did bookmark our school districts website for easy access over the winter holidays to work through the end of school again.
Along with this, I’ll need a set day and time for Jaden’s counseling sessions. That’s on my to-do list for Friday as Jaden will see his counselor that morning.
Meal Planning
As part of my scheduling craze, meal planning has become a very important aspect. Wasting time trying to decide what to cook for supper (or lunch!) is not in my schedule. As such, I’ve looked at some of the more common meals we eat and have added a few recipes that we want to try. I’ve built the first two weeks and will build the second two weeks soon. The objective is to keep it simple, fast, cost efficient and different. We don’t like eating the same foods each week and rotation is definitely key. By rotating meals every four weeks, I think we’ll be able to work with all of our food tastes. I’ve not included breakfasts as Jaden and Simon are the two that generally eat breakfast. If I’m going to eat something that early in the day, I’ll grab fruit, oatmeal or toast with nut butters.
Week One:
Sunday
Lunch: Crock Pot Salsa Chicken, Tortillas, Salad
Dinner: Sandwich & Salad
Monday
Lunch: Meatloaf roll, baked potatoes, salad
Dinner: Salad, chicken tenders, fruit
Tuesday
Lunch: Left overs
Dinner: Homemade pizza
Wednesday
Lunch: Left overs
Dinner: Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad
Thursday
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Eggs, meat, pancakes/toast, fruit
Friday
Lunch: Salmon grill packs, salad
Dinner: Left overs
Saturday
Lunch: Hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries
Dinner: Left overs
Week Two:
Sunday
Lunch: Chicken & Noodles, Salad
Dinner: Left overs
Monday
Lunch: Tacos/Burritos, Queso, Chips
Dinner: Left overs
Tuesday
Lunch: Sandwich & Salad
Dinner: Loaded Baked Potato Soup & Chicken Tenders
Wednesday
Lunch: Left overs
Dinner: Chicken Teriyaki & Salad
Thursday
Lunch: Left overs
Dinner: Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad
Friday
Lunch: Tilapia fillets, steamed vegetables
Dinner: Left overs, salad
Saturday
Lunch: Homemade pizza
Dinner: Left overs
We enjoy having pizza a bit more often and I’ve included it once a week. We make our pizzas from scratch, dough included. They are a much healthier alternative to ordered in food.
I’m going to be editing this post to include recipes for various items. I hope you enjoy them too!
The Scheduling Continues
In the continuing efforts to work out a dynamic schedule, we will include:
* Meal Times
* Nap Times
* Therapy Schedules
* Writing Times
* Meal Plans by week
* Financial goals by month
* Special activities for Jaden (school related)
* Special activities for Rob (school/work related)
* Craft activities for upcoming birthdays
* Christmas gift making
I need to get a jump on birthdays and the holidays. The next two weeks before school starts offers a great time to include more of that into our schedules. After school starts, we will be able to move quickly and efficiently into our schedule for the school year.
A beautiful day followed by scheduling craze
Saturday, August 8, I became a married woman! The months prior to our special day were filled with much planning and very little time. The wedding was almost-perfect! We had a few minor issues, but managed to swing right through them into our vows, ring exchange and eventual introduction as Mr. and Mrs. I couldn’t be happier with my husband and look forward to many more years together.
Now that the craziness is over and we have the opportunity to get back into a routine, I’ve been busily working out the details of our schedules. Rob (my husband), Jaden (my kindergartener), Simon (my one-year-old preemie) and I all have different needs that need accounting. My husband works swing shift (4 pm – midnight) Friday – Monday and is also going to school. Jaden goes off to school August 26th and will be in school from 8:30 am – 3:15 pm Monday – Friday. Jaden is also in counseling after being sexually assaulted in April. Simon is still on oxygen and requires some special care. We have a few other lingering issues associated with his premature birth and also have to account for various therapy sessions throughout the month. Some of those sessions require time in the kitchen, and planning ahead for meals and activities. I am also working on getting back into the freelancing world. I miss writing and graphic design and want to allow time for those activities midst the schedules of the rest of our family. I also have to account for household needs and chores for us all.
While looking at everything there, it’s quite easy to say that we have little-to-no-time and balancing everything would be impossible. I don’t feel that we will have too much of a challenge, just so long as we all work at sticking to our schedules and ensure that routine is kept, especially for the children.
I’m setting out to build a complete daily schedule, Monday and Friday, Tuesday – Thursday and a seperate schedule for Saturday and Sunday. As we have fluctuations in our requirements throughout the week, we’ll be better able to tackle certain tasks on some days over other days throughout the week. I will also be incorporating a meal plan into the schedule based of the need for dinners. As Rob works Friday – Monday, I’ll be able to do some easier meals those days and bigger meals on his days off. I also have to account for homework time for Rob and the bulk of that will take place on his days off as well. Although, Tuesday – Thursday will offer me a bit more time to write, as I can steal an hour of his time during the day to care for Simon after his nap.
Balance is key in our scheduling plans. We need to balance the needs of our family with those of ourselves and maintain the house, too. We will adjust our schedule as needed over the coming weeks to work out the kinks and hopefully by this time next month, we will all be settled nicely into the new way of life, following months of craziness and constant running.
Until next time!
My name change meanings
Now that I’m married, I’ve had to make modifications to my name. I really struggled with taking on Rob’s last name at all as I have little to nothing tied to it, but have a great deal tied to my maiden name. In the end, I decided to drop my middle name and hyphenate my last name. I ran a numerology report on it and this is what showed:
Soul Urge Number 47/11/2
Peace and harmony is your desire. You are a natural mediator as you are genuine, tactful and adaptable. You tend to put your own will aside for others and it is difficult for you to make decisions. This may cause others to see you as shy, or lacking confidence. Your sensitivity and gentleness can be a great healing force bringing harmony and support to others.
You have a direct link to inspiration and can manifest the best life has to offer through your creativity and wise use of the imagination. You inspire others to dream and to make their dreams come true. You have clairvoyant and psychic abilities, which you can develop and use to help others. Sometimes you may feel like you could burst with all of the information and insights you are receiving.
Personality 65/11/2
You have a very neat, composed appearance to the outside world. Peaceful and unobtrusive, you are the one people go to for companionship and harmony. You seem to have a quiet, non-judgmental wisdom which attracts those needing advise and an objective point of view. Your ability to see both sides of a situation makes you appear indecisive.
Some may detect a glow around you and feel drawn to you by fate. The glow is a reflection of the refined and inspirational energy that courses through you, seemingly from other worlds. You may be an artistic genius or any other kind for that matter, but one thing is for sure, you have a powerful effect on anyone who enters your life. You are not afraid to recreate yourself as is necessary at your accelerated pace and other people follow your example becoming more of who they really are.
Expression 112/4
You are the builder of the world. With your organized, efficient approach everything gets done right the first time. You emanate security and would sacrifice your own desires for your family and anyone or anything else that you considered a responsibility. You have a relentless eye for value and quality and you have the patience and determination to work for it.
It always amazes me at how much your personality can change when something differs in your name. I am loving just how well this fits me; past, present and my future goals and plans.
Meatloaf Roll
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
1/4 c. catsup
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano leaves
1 pkg. smoked sliced ham
3 slices cheese (3 x 3 inches), cut diagonally into halves
Place on rack in shallow pan. Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven. Overlap cheese on top; bake just until cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute longer. Garnish with celery leaves on other greens.
NOTE: CENTER OF MEAT LOAF MAY BE SLIGHTLY PINK DUE TO HAM. Serves 6 to 8.
Cooks.com recipe
