Yay! & Ouch!

All of the errands we've been doing finally caught up with me. Couple that with leg, shoulder and back cramps from all the slicing and dicing yesterday plus bread dough kneading, and you can imagine me: not being able to do anything but sit today. In the car, on the dining table, on the bed, on the couch. I couldn't stand up for a long time. Hence, if you saw me on Facebook a lot today, it's 'cause that's all I managed to do. Ouch... *wincing*

We went to Barnes & Nobles this afternoon after we dropped off L-Infinity for her senior portraits and the lack of chairs at the kids' section made a dizzy, spent mom out of me. We did manage to see most of the books we collect and the series titles we were missing. The list is again updated and- longer! (just the way we like it!) No, we didn't buy anything but we did manage to see another "Free Book" program for grades 1-6 by Barnes & Noble Summer Reading the smallish kiddos can join and they only have to read 8 books per form, tell their fave part about it and submit the form by 9/7/09. They can submit all the forms they want between now and the last day!

Yay! Because Mr. Man said that the PC is now operating nicely with the necessary (ok, desired) upgrades of Windows 7 RC version (release candidate). I was even able to do a post on my other blog, albeit, visiting is still problematic. (I'll take what I can get while the hubby's home and in the fixing mode)

Next to be ramped up is my very own laptop! Sweet, can't wait for that! ouch...

Ok, back to wincing and pitying myself... ;-) ouch...

FHE: Twice A Year...

We've all heard of daily, weekly, bi-weekly and even the often forgotten monthly chores. I have those, too. But I'm sure most of us also have those "would rather not but very helpful "TWICE A YEAR" rituals. (don't deny it, you know it's key to your sanity; especially if you are *whispering* a M-O-M, MOM!)

Tonight, our FHE was making sure that the kiddos know we're back to "back to school" mode which meant that there are certain errands to be done like buying and portioning our meat for the first few weeks of school. Their treat, "Race to Witch Mountain" movie and a bowl of ice cream for enduring our other errands today. We also treated them to Wendy's for lunch (saved $10!)

So here are mine: (indulge me, plz...)
- Wash and sort my children's clothes according to size and wear damage. (Aug & Apr)
- Change out bedroom sheets and curtains completely for seasonal purpose (Apr & Oct)
- Sort through the children's library for books to donate or continue to collect
- Reassess our family's budget (yes folks, spending is seasonal, too!)
- Go to Costco for pantry refill (except the last 4 years in AZ, I had Coupon Sense) (Sep & Mar)
- Arrange a reading list for each of my children (Oct & May)
- Rearrange or "refresh" all my main living spaces (Mar & Oct)
- Get a lot of meat, cut and portion them for upcoming meals (Aug & Mar)

So, that means, I'm almost done with my August errands. *fingers crossed* I was so proud of myself, between the B1G1F and B1G2F deals on meat at Albertson's this week, I was able to get 15 lbs of steak, roast and chops for only $37.00! And... and... I was able to cut and portion them into 31 different meal ideas! That's a whole month baby! And since you can't eat red meat everyday, I also have chicken and tilapia fillets to further stretch our meal selection! *woot woot*

My friend Heather dropped off something for me and so she got to witness this ritual. She said, looking at the big pieces of meat, it doesn't seem like it can feed a family of five for a month. But I showed her different small cuts and simple recipes and she realized that it works. It helps that my fam was there to vouch for me. (hee hee)

Sample Meal:
Dinner:
1.25 lb of Beef Sirloin Tip Steak- 3 steaks bbq'd
Steamed rice
Tossed salad with grapes
Grapes
Ice Water

When Mr. Man cut meat for everyone, he started out with about 5-6 bite sized cubes. By the time we were all done, we still had a whole steak left and salad for leftovers.

Lunch:
BBQ Steak- cut into thin strips
Bread
Salad
Lemonade

or (if no bread):
Bbq beef fried rice with peas and carrots /bananas/ice water

I have been feeding my FAMILY OF FIVE this way since March 2002, when I-Dude was born. Most of my recipes, even the ones I get online, I reduce the meat to only about 1/2 or 1/3 lb; and just be generous on veggies/fruits, starches, grains and beverage! And they're still alive... ;-)

Don't get me wrong, because of our crazy schedule, I indulge up to 1 lb of meat for the fam when Mr. Man wants to grill so I don't have to cook anything the next day or have cooked meat to whip up a quick dish. I also, do often fumble and resort to deli fried chicken or Panda; and get the occasional run to McD's or BK. But most of the year, I cook 3x a day and even all day during the major feasting holidays. (We never really eat a whole pound of meat between the five of us. It just works out like that. Thank goodness the fam loves leftovers or "redos".) Now that I also know how to bake sandwich and french breads, I will start making one every three days for this school year. (wish me luck, I can sooooo use it!)

Ok, what are some of your "twice a year" errands? Do you even have any? (I hope so, I don't want to find that I'm odd or anything.)

Still Tired...

*panting* Cleaned smallish kiddos' room some more; rested, ate, cleaned some more. Watered plants. Folded clothes. Delegated. Organized books in kiddos' room (sell/keep/donate). More laundry (10 loads, probably more) and dishes. *panting* (when will it end?)

*panicking* Toys everywhere! Messy beds! More towels? Sunday tomorrow? *panicking more* Ok, ok, Facebook to the rescue- check on your produce and farm animals, that'll calm you...

Mr. Man called and reminded us that with all his OT, he'll be relieved (and VERY tired) when he gets home, so we headed to Kroger's for some milk, ice cream and more yeast. The kiddos love my bread better than store bought... *being calm* (ya right! woot, woot!!! Thanks again, Michelle!)

That's them, my babies... Just before we headed out. (Our "cloudy" forecast went out the window when yesterday hit 107 deg F!) Hot, hot today! (95 deg F!) This group shot was actually taken at almost 7pm. It's nice to see all three of them in one place again...

Two weeks before school starts for us! How about you?

Oh yeah, thanks for liking my new layout... (Psst... let me tell you a secret... I like it, too! LOL Made you "look"!)

The PC, still temperamental... Laptop, sloooowww intermittently... We think it's the net in this area since it's summer and all but not being able to click inside the site on the PC but ok on the laptop, just plain problematic.

A Little Bread, Flowers, Squirrel & Bird

Well, as you all know, life continues especially when errands abound! Yep! Errands do not take a day off or asks to wait when you don't have a car. Our day started out slow, but after a great breakfast of pancakes and milk, I baked us a loaf of white bread for some sandwiches! *thanking Michelle for finding recipe online*

Our friend Michelle made a loaf of this the first week she was here, but hers tasted different and came out smooth on top. I followed the recipe exactly, up to the point where it said, "stretch to a rectangle then roll to roughly the size of the pan." Mine came out rough, but I buttered the slit top and it's definitely a white loaf of bread!
The kiddos loved eating their plain cheese sandwiched against two warm, soft slices while we walked to Kroger's.
On our way there, we used the neighboring complex to walk through and since they have more mature oak and other trees, small climbing animals and birds are everywhere, but what caught my attention enough to take pictures, is this cute little squirrel who looked at us first before scampering off on this tree. It was rather humid so I think he's trying to "relax" and cool off. J-Pony said, "Mommy, he's probably dead or dying because he's flat." LOL
When we crossed over to the parking lot of the church on the other side, we couldn't help but notice all these bold yellow and orange lantanas. I love these, we have them in the Philippines and I love trying to grow them along with moss roses. *reminiscing*

So we reach Kroger and fulfill our errand. We bought some Dreyer's Dibs "Nestle Crunch" Flavor" ice cream, bigger but cheaper than the other tub we bought inside Blockbuster, a few weeks back.

On our way back to the church parking lot, I told the kiddos to stand in front of this tree for some pictures. (We always take pictures when we go out). I noticed some birds flying near it but hesitated so looking closer, this bird was relaxing on shaded branch! When I tried to have the kiddos stand in front of it, the bird twitched then flew away...

So they didn't get to have the bird on the background. Oh, well... Don't they look cute in their shades?

Further on, we took another route and noticed these great looking big trees and the little corner garden so I had them stand behind it. More lantanas!

At the other end is the sign for the other complex and it was flanked by two cool fountains. So I had J-Pony and I-Dude stand in front! Look at that garden!

Once inside our own townhome complex, J-Pony notice birds coming in and out of this small tree. So she looked and saw this nest! Albeit, it's empty, but what a great find!

For dinner, we knew we had everything we needed to make a great satisfying meal. We made Jasmine rice and I thawed the beef stew meat we had (1.33 lbs), sliced each piece smaller, halved it and the other half, I sauteed with onions, canola oil, garlic powder and pepper.
Added some frozen veggies, soysauce and water. Simmered on low for 10 minutes and "voila!"
... dinner is served! We made our own "Beef, Veggie & Rice" Bowls, for less than $3 for all four of us!

How you ask? Simple. We already had all of the ingredients, but remembering all the good deals we stumbled upon like B1G1F for the meat-$7 for two, veggies-$1, onion (1/2 lb-15 cents). The soy sauce and the rest we've had for at least two months. And I halved the portions, plus 4 of us ate, there you go!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Just Browsing and Planning...

Well, it's Wednesday again, that means, the day is crammed!

Mr. Man is back to work and August is lurking in the corner which means... School is at the top of our mental list. Isn't it yours?

Every year, we go to Costco twice a year to beef up our pantry for the school year and to get ready for Summer vacation. I go every February or March then again in September. In between, we visit Costco so I can "create a shopping list" that includes all the items we pick up, with those we want, round up the price to the next dollar so I can have a realistic budget set with what we actually should buy come time to shop.

(I took a picture of Michelle next to a stroller, but my cooky cell didn't save it though I saw it in there after I saved it! It's done that too many times! grrrr!)

Anyway, we went there because I haven't gotten a card, so after I pretended I was Cindy Crawford in front of the camera, I toured the whole store for my list. Michelle, J-Pony and I-Dude all went around reading books, looking at the Wii games and tasting all the sampler tables that they fancied. They had a great time and I finished my list. They even played "I Spy"!Wonderful. Thanks, Michelle! (Psst! Btw, the picture turned out like I have half of my face-melted off! Ewwww....)

Then off to...
For some Fall ideas! I love this iron frame set... I will wait for another sale in September. I don't really do "Before Season" sales. Just not my thing... (I'm more of an "After Season" Sale connoiseur; wait it out, buy real low and enjoy next year! Haven't failed me so far!)
Here's a "floating" frame for a project I lined up. But it'll have to wait...

I love these frames! It's exotic and classic at the same time. As Michelle would say, "Sa-weeeet!" ;-)

I saw three different ones of these combo centerpiece things and I chose this one and when I asked I-Dude which one he thinks I'd choose, he guessed this one! He knows his Mama! LOL

Michelle needed a shirt for an upcoming work interview so we also hit our local Target Superstore and since she loves babies, these caught her attention!

While she looked, I took the two smallish kiddos to the school supplies end of the store and they fought over a box of pens! ;-) (They posed like that. LOL)

As I went through the list, I was glad to realize that we have most of them already that I only had to spend $15! The best part, no whining about any "wanted" items! Both J-Pony and I-Dude were patient and just had fun trying out backpacks and looking at the supplies. Sometimes, I feel like I'm the luckiest mom on earth!

Only clothes and backpacks later. And... since we got rebate cards and a Target giftcard, our bank card got ignored today! *woot woot*

At Costco, the kids tasted baked potato with Michelle and I-Dude loved it! Well, Michelle and I ended up craving some, too! So, I used the red potatoes I have and "loaded" it with butter, cheese, tomatoes, bacon and cilantro! Yum! (Though, I have to admit, this is the first time, I've made one, good thing it was with red potatoes, it tasted lighter and fresher. Oh yeah, you have to microwave the red potatoes for 8 mins in High with water in the shallow bowl and the skin pricked all over to cook it.)

The kiddos enjoyed the bacon with rice, cheese and grape juice. They will feast on fruits tomorrow as I was too tired to notice that I didn't serve them veggies. Bad, mama!!! LOL

Full Friday For Four

After a breakfast(more like brunch) of eggs & bacon sandwich and juice, the four of us, with Michelle driving the van, headed to Half Price Books again to redeem some more books.

They are doing so well with their reading programs, that I got them these yesterday. We love the "Charlie Bone" series by Nimmo, so we'll be trying these. And we love Gail Carson Levine for "Ella Enchanted", so we added this, "Fairy Haven and the Quest of the Wand" to our library as well!

These are some of their choices, Bionicle series for I-Dude and Bunnicula series for J-Pony!
Right next door was Petland, so we spared about 2o minutes in there enjoying bunnies,

parakeets (Michelle's taking a picture, too!), even an English Bulldog pup, a white parrot, cockatiel and gerbils! I took pictures of J-Pony and Michelle in my cell's cam, but they weren't there! *arrrggghhhh!!!*
Then off to lunch at Taco Bell/Long John Silvers then off to our favorite Asian market, H-Mart. And look what I found! RAMBUTANS!!! I grew up with these. They are sweet and juicy! You squeeze them open and enjoy the fleshy fruit around the big seed. *mmmmm* Then I remembered that I signed up to do a weekly "Christmas in July" tablescapes on Saturdays at my other blog, "What Now?", so I had to do one while I was still coherent. LOL
J-Pony spent 6 hours at her friend's house, so when we picked her up and opened the door, we were greeted by one of the many "Jimmy's" at night. (yes, I do know it's a frog, but L-Infinity calls them Jimmy so we call them Jimmy.)
Say goodnight to all, Jimmy! "G'night, all!" (with a Texan drawl) LOL

The List is Longer than I Thought

I guess the errand list got cut in half yesterday since we were also everywhere today!

Apple Store- Mr. Man got a replacement I-Pod because the power button on his didn't work anymore.

Claire's- J-Pony has very sensitive ears, wants earrings but we can't afford a lot of the good ones. LOL Found some good ones for B2G1F!

Wet Seal- L-Infinity found an inexpensive top for her traditional "farewell" outfit gift from us each summer she takes off to Michigan to see family.

Panda Express-I was watching my neighbor's kid and she says, "I haven't eaten any breakfast or lunch yet." Great! Change of plans... (We were gonna wait to eat a late lunch at home).

Half-Price Books- the two smallish kiddos are on their "Feed Your Brain" Reading program. Read for 15 minutes a day and at the end of the week, turn it in and earn $3 off any book! They earned their first set of coupons and promptly found books! No surprise there!

Library- we had some books on hold. Again, no surprise...

Walmart- food for Mr. Man in Chicago and more yeast for me! I was also needing new flip-flops, but couldn't find any "non-crazy" styles for the cheap ones or too much for the nice ones.

I am exhausted!

New Errand Day

We found ourselves cramming every errand we had, today. It used to be Wednesday. Before that, it used to be Monday. I guess as long as things get done it doesn't matter when you do it, right?

After waking up, I remembered I signed up for an all-white tablescaping meme at my other blog. This is what I came up with.

Then I called to change appointments for L-Infinity so it wouldn't interfere with her trip to Michigan.

After, we headed to Costco to return this gorgeous recycled green glass lemonade dispensar jar that had a huge stress crack on the inside. We discovered it last night after everyone left and were feeling so blessed that it did not crack and flooded the carpet with lemonade! Talk about relief! Whew! Oh yeah, also socks; and soap to wash the socks. LOL

We then went to Fry's Electronics to grab a new power supply box for our "dead" computer. Mr. Man made a good call in swapping that since with the new one, the computer is alive again! (Mwah-ha-ha-ha!!!! What, too much? hee hee).

Right next door is a Home Depot. We needed some pull chain for the kiddos bedroom ceiling fan that kept on breaking. Since we needed two, each two smallish kiddos got to choose one. The verdict, a green swirly design and a... baseball! I've also been wanting to have something block the bottom part of our window ledge outside since we love to read and lie down on the couch. I chose some purple coleus (6 /$8.00) to start me off to a good mood each day I open the blinds. (Photo borrowed online)

And a new nozzle is needed. Can't be wasting water you know! Our current one, sprays backwards! (If you can see that, that's what happened!) We found something similar to the online pic below but green I think...
We treated the kiddos to lunch at McDonald's so that's their "vacation treat" today. We splurged with $20 plus change. (That's about $10 cheaper than our usual, yes!!!)

We hit Ross and Target for some items on Mr. Man's list. Last stop, Albertson's for some milk. Then home for some leftovers! Yep, in my house, leftover is a cause for celebration... (You got me, I'm as normal as you are, I don't cook everyday either!) LOL

The kiddos asked for the remaining lumpias, so I cooked them but I requested to take a few pictures for my cookbook that I can never seem to start! Here they are for your viewing pleasure...

A good dinner means a good round of a Wii game afterwards. In Fry's Electronics, we found a combo of game+wheel + another wheel + another game for a comfortable price for us. When we went to Target, we found out that we saved $20.00! (woot woot)
So now, Mr. Man and I-Dude have their Mario Kart racing game complete with the steering wheels while J-Pony & L-Infinity have their Agatha Christie mystery game! Mommy (that's me) is so happy to finally stop the noise of begging and whining and hinting for these games since they came out! Aaahhh.... silence.... ;-)

How are you enjoying your vacation? Btw, it was a sweltering 100 degrees today!