Shopping for the family

So, it's Sunday and thus the shopping/planning day. Sometimes I just plan today and shop on Monday, sometimes I do both on Sunday. It is better to do it today so that there are no kids with me, unless it is my oldest because she is helpful instead of hindering - anyone who has gone grocery shopping with a child under the age of 10 can attest. Planning consists of using the internet to find the sale items and match them up with the coupons and making your menu for the week based on these two factors. Plus, about once a month, I will shop for meat at Costco because I can buy large quantities and freeze it in smaller sizes to use throughout the month.

I have a few rules of thumb that I have come to rely on with regards to my shopping. Sticking with these rules help us stay within the budget and make things easier during our crazy week. With kids coming and going from 3:15pm until 9pm and trying to have a semblance of a family dinner (sans one or two members), "the plan" is "the bible" (so to speak :)). Rule #1: I incorporate one egg dish and/or one vegetarian dish as a main meal every week. Whether this be "Southern Veggie" night complete with homemade cornbread (a particular favorite) or hash brown frittata with a side salad (or both on different nights), sticking to "no meat" nights a few times greatly reduces the grocery cost by allowing you to spread your meat budget further.

Rule #2: Thursday nights = Soup and Sandwich night. I have discovered that PTA and other similar school functions LOVE to schedule their meetings on either Tuesdays or Thursdays with the latter being the night of choice in most instances. When the entire family is rushing to get the 4th grader to the recorder concert at 6:30, and some of the others are either coming home from swim or going to swim, a traditional sit down dinner just isn't feasible. Hence the birth of "soup and sandwich night". By far, the most favored, most revered, most requested soup in our household is the famous Noodle Soup. This is something I invented many years ago when I was homeschooling my oldest child (many, many years ago) because it is relatively healthy, cheap, easy, and tastes good. It also appeals to most children because of the noodles. Basically it is fine egg noodles boiled in water with a Knorr chicken bouillon cube. Sometimes I add thinly sliced carrots for color and a vegetable. Pair it with a grilled cheese and kids are happy! Another favorite soup is Sausage and Kale soup; it is perfect for fall dinners and very healthy. I'll give the recipe for that in another post. Any kind of leftover or canned/frozen meal is also offered as an option for dinner on Thursdays.

Rule #3: I try very hard to never cook too much. This is much easier said than done. Fickle children and husbands like one thing the first time and hate it the next time I make it, plus, I have mentioned before my husband is not the leftover sort of guy. A family of my size requires somewhere between 2 and 2 1/4 lb. of meat when it is presented in solid form, like a roast, chops or kielbasa sausage, etc. When I can put the meat in something, like ham or sausage in mac and cheese, or ground beef in spaghetti or tacos, I can get away with much less; sometimes 2 chicken breasts (depending on the size) will make enough enchiladas to stretch to all 9 people when served with side items. I always, always opt on the "chintzy" side of this unless it is something I am SURE will be eaten leftover should there be any.

So, it is with this armor that I go forth to do battle with the grocery stores. What's for dinner tonight you ask? Hmm, what's on sale? ...K

Kid's cooking

So today, my husband and I are going to the UNC/Ga Tech game. Let me just say off the bat that my blood runs Carolina Blue. There are many things to look forward to this rainy Saturday: a date with my husband for one (although we might bring the baby, we still haven't decided), the Pig Pickin' tailgate party for Carolina alums for a second. One of the BEST things though, is that I'm NOT pregnant this year! I have been to two other match ups between these teams when they play here in Atlanta and have been pregnant BOTH times - and I mean REALLY pregnant, due within the month. People frown when you want to drink beer. I was even pregnant when I saw UNC play Maryland many years ago when we lived in Washington, DC.

Today will be different though. I will get to "relive" my college days - within my bounds of responsibilities, of course; ever practical and sensible. We are leaving the kids home to fend for themselves. With an almost 15 year old and 12 year old (both having completed the "Safe Sitters" program), in charge, I leave them without any regrets or worries - except for the cooking part.

My kids are VERY good about fending for themselves. I have heard stories on the news about situations where a two year old fed herself on ketchup packets and I have no doubt that my three year old could make himself cereal complete with milk if he had to. Thankfully, the circumstances are not the same as those stories on the news. My wonderful neighbors have been informed that we will be gone should my oldest need an adult for any reason. One of the rules that we will lay down though will be NO STOVE COOKING. We have a gas cooktop and there is something about the "open flame" that makes me nervous - hence the LAW being laid upon them again (this is not a new rule). My 12 year old is perfectly capable of cooking, and when we are here, she is allowed free reign in the kitchen. The worst thing that she ever does is not clean up. When we are gone however, George Foreman and the microwave will be their best friends.

What can one cook for oneself and one's younger siblings you ask when one can't use the stove? Hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheeses, chicken, can all be done on the "grill", soup, chili, frozen meals, etc. can all be done in the microwave. This is obvious to us grown ups, but how many times have you caught your child staring into the fridge or pantry with no inspiration about what to make or how to make it? Here comes "cruise director mom" with a list of options for them. That is how our family works, I will leave them a list of acceptable options so that there can be no confusion on what is allowed and what isn't. Kids like boundaries (unbeknown'st to them) and like being given choices. Make sure the choices are things that you can live with and all will run smoothly.

Wow! It's been a few weeks since the last blog. Funny how life sort of takes over, well, my life. Things have continued here in the absence of writing. School is in full swing, swim is in full swing, coaching and sewing are in full swing. We titled the blog "A Mom's Life" because there are so many different facets to it. Not only are we the "cruise directors" of our kids' lives (on every level), but we also have to figure out how to earn the money, spend the money and save the money. Since my husband took a new job last spring, money hasn't been as thick on the ground as it had been in the past. This is fine, as I welcome a challenge and I can truly say (and I REALLY mean this) that teaching my children about economy and priorities has been refreshing. As a parent, this is one of the MOST important lessons they need to know: the difference between need and want.

We have had some flooding here in Georgia; it is all over the national news. My mother has gotten at least 4 phone calls from long-time friends of hers all over the country checking on her and my dad. It is nice to know that when the chips are down, people care. My family hasn't really experienced any problems. At one point, water was coming in the basement, but it stopped and I cleaned it up quickly. In short, I feel very blessed and lucky as compared to some of the people I see on TV who have lost everything.

The kids have been out of school now for two days because of this. Cobb County was hit particularly hard and some of the roads are impassable and some of the schools are completely, and i mean up to the roofs completely, under water. The scary part is, is that the day this happened, there were children in that school until 2:30 in the afternoon, as only the middle school kids were released early. More than a couple of children (yes, children) have lost their lives because of this flooding - not in that school that I know of though. These tragedies put a whole new spin on one's priorities. Yes, we are operating on a less than adequate budget; but at least my children are home safe. Yes, we eat eggs once a week because they are cheap, but I have a kitchen to cook them in and a car to go buy more if I need to. I am not standing outside my house with a news camera in my front yard asking me how "I feel" about having just lost my two-year old when he was swept out of my arms in a torrent of water.

Priorities. The kids have had two days off from school. My high schooler is thrilled because she has more time to get her project done. My middle schooler is thrilled because she got to have a friend spend the night in the middle of the week. I have tried to, without being a "Debbie Downer" explain to them that we are very lucky and to tell them about the casualties so that they understand what is real. I think I will organize them to go and take things to the Red Cross shelter that has been set up here. Maybe this will impress the priorities. -K