The day went fast, but I didn't have the full mindset today...all day. Then, I looked at the clock and it was 4:45 and I realized I needed to hurry and get the boys. Thankfully today was a "no activities" day for the kiddos and we were able to come straight home.
I didn't make one of my freezer meals since it wasn't a busy evening. We made spaghetti, cleaned the house a little, did the dishes, and did the laundry. So, it may not have been a busy night for the boys, but it sure was for me.
I pulled the Lemon Pepper Chicken out of the freezer tonight and put it into the refrigerator for tomorrow. I hope it tastes as good as it sounds!!
Monday, November 16, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Sunday Night Football vs Food Prep.....
I finally did some food prep tonight. I have talked about doing it for years and never really have. I have heard how long the prep actually takes and that is what kills my mood for it. A friend of mine was nice enough to share a bunch of crock pot freezer meals that require no cooking prep at all (SCORE).
I truly had very little to even chop this go round. The shopping for all the food took much longer than any of the prepping and freezing did.
The recipes that I chose were strategic in the fact that I was pretty confident would be impossible to screw up, and that the family would like. As time goes on, I will try more and more.
I made my moms "famous" chili, lemon pepper chicken, BBQ baby back ribs, buffalo shredded chicken, 'Monster' Cheeseburger, and spicy beef and carrots.
I really hope this works out and I keep up on it. Using these on busy nights will be a huge help. Then the less busy nights we will just cook one of our easy go to meals that takes 30 minutes or less from start to finish.
I truly had very little to even chop this go round. The shopping for all the food took much longer than any of the prepping and freezing did.
The recipes that I chose were strategic in the fact that I was pretty confident would be impossible to screw up, and that the family would like. As time goes on, I will try more and more.
I made my moms "famous" chili, lemon pepper chicken, BBQ baby back ribs, buffalo shredded chicken, 'Monster' Cheeseburger, and spicy beef and carrots.
I really hope this works out and I keep up on it. Using these on busy nights will be a huge help. Then the less busy nights we will just cook one of our easy go to meals that takes 30 minutes or less from start to finish.
Happy Sunday!! Not really though.....rough day of football. Everyone have a fabulous week!
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Nikolas' First Grade Pictures
We finally got First Grade Pictures!!! I got them via email so I'm hoping to get some made and sent out with holiday cards. Wish me luck on that task.
I'm now hunting for an editing program so I can clean up the milk mustache and food particles on his face. Even with those, he is still a very cute boy!!! I can't believe how much he has grown!
Karate Testing Week Update
I last said that Nikolas had a little work to do with his Tenno Kata from Tuesday. He worked on it for 2 days and got it down! He didn't get distracted from the other kiddo that had to do it with him.
There are usually 2 kids showing their kata at the same time. They do not have to go the same pace but having 2 at a time helps cut down on time. Nikolas, in the past, was really struggling with this as he wouldn't rely on himself or have faith in himself that he knew it well enough. After many, many talks about it, he stayed focused on him and his kata. He would look at himself in the mirror facing one side or look out the window if he was facing the other side. I'm so proud of all the hard work he has put in! He is truly talented and I love watching him do his thing at the Dojo.
There are usually 2 kids showing their kata at the same time. They do not have to go the same pace but having 2 at a time helps cut down on time. Nikolas, in the past, was really struggling with this as he wouldn't rely on himself or have faith in himself that he knew it well enough. After many, many talks about it, he stayed focused on him and his kata. He would look at himself in the mirror facing one side or look out the window if he was facing the other side. I'm so proud of all the hard work he has put in! He is truly talented and I love watching him do his thing at the Dojo.
Kaden did amazing as well. I loved seeing how serious he was about his punches and kicks. He really has grown from when he first started 10 months ago. He used to be the kid that would just goof off. He now is focused and really listens. I love watching him grow. Nikolas is so supportive of Kaden too.
After Karate was over, Nikolas told Kaden how proud of him he was. He also told him that he really feels that Kaden will skip some belts just like he did and move to the Basic class. Kaden sat and watched Nikolas entire class on Thursday. He never does this as usually he has no interest. However, Nikolas told him to start watching his class so he can be better and move up to be with him again. It makes me so happy with how these 2 boys are so supportive and loving. (Then we get home and it all stops and the fights begin).
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Drama of the PTA and First Graders
I was running late getting off work today, and I get the daycare and the boys greet me with smiles. This made me so happy. I then hear Nikolas say "I got something for my little brother." I go get Kaden and he tells me that he made Nikolas some pictures. At this point I'm just so moved by the love they have for each other that I think nothing can break this.
The gifts/pictures are exchanged and the excitement flows through the air and I'm just driving home happily. I then ask Nikolas where he got the money to get Kaden this gift. He tells me from the PTA and that they gave him money. I'm so confused at this point. I told him that they won't give him money to buy things from the PTA, he has to have the money. So, he pulls money out of his backpack and says, this is the money they gave me.
I grab the money from him and see that it is $12. Trying not to scream and get angry, I asked where he got all this money. He keeps telling me that he got it from the PTA. I finally asked, Did you use the money you got from mama and papa in your Halloween package? He all of a sudden looks sad and says yes. Thinking to myself, WHAT THE HELL DID HE BUY...... I finally asked him what all he bought. He kept telling me that he only bought the toy for Kaden and that it cost $.50.
I gave Nikolas 3 different chances to change his answer if he was lying and that he wouldn't get in trouble if he just tells me the truth. He didn't change his answer. He continued to say that he only bought 1 thing and he didn't give any money to anyone. So, he successfully lost $7.50.
After all of this, I had to calm myself down. I'm not mad at Nikolas. He doesn't understand how much $20 really is. He is no longer allowed to ask for money for the PTA or to buy anything from there. I have never been a fan of this darn PTA store that they have. Nikolas has come home several times with $1 that his friends have given him. I tell him that he has to go give it back and that he is not allowed to take money from anyone.
Wow, I really started rambling on that. I hope that all makes sense. HA! Once we got home, the boys wanted to play a couple games. Kaden picked Uno Moo and Nikolas picked Go Fish. We had a lot of fun playing games, laughing, and just being silly. Kaden is so happy to finally know how to play his game. We have had it for a couple years and we just have never taken the time to play. It's so fun now that he is older and understands games more.
Happy hump day to all!!!!
The gifts/pictures are exchanged and the excitement flows through the air and I'm just driving home happily. I then ask Nikolas where he got the money to get Kaden this gift. He tells me from the PTA and that they gave him money. I'm so confused at this point. I told him that they won't give him money to buy things from the PTA, he has to have the money. So, he pulls money out of his backpack and says, this is the money they gave me.
I grab the money from him and see that it is $12. Trying not to scream and get angry, I asked where he got all this money. He keeps telling me that he got it from the PTA. I finally asked, Did you use the money you got from mama and papa in your Halloween package? He all of a sudden looks sad and says yes. Thinking to myself, WHAT THE HELL DID HE BUY...... I finally asked him what all he bought. He kept telling me that he only bought the toy for Kaden and that it cost $.50.
I gave Nikolas 3 different chances to change his answer if he was lying and that he wouldn't get in trouble if he just tells me the truth. He didn't change his answer. He continued to say that he only bought 1 thing and he didn't give any money to anyone. So, he successfully lost $7.50.
After all of this, I had to calm myself down. I'm not mad at Nikolas. He doesn't understand how much $20 really is. He is no longer allowed to ask for money for the PTA or to buy anything from there. I have never been a fan of this darn PTA store that they have. Nikolas has come home several times with $1 that his friends have given him. I tell him that he has to go give it back and that he is not allowed to take money from anyone.
Wow, I really started rambling on that. I hope that all makes sense. HA! Once we got home, the boys wanted to play a couple games. Kaden picked Uno Moo and Nikolas picked Go Fish. We had a lot of fun playing games, laughing, and just being silly. Kaden is so happy to finally know how to play his game. We have had it for a couple years and we just have never taken the time to play. It's so fun now that he is older and understands games more.
Happy hump day to all!!!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Karate Tuesday
Boys had there first day of testing for Karate today. Nikolas got coached a little bit on what to work on by Thursday so hopefully by then he will have it down and be able to show up strong to impress.
I wasn't able to get close enough during Kaden's class to get a picture of him, so I took one while we were watching Nikolas. He has grown up so much and is turning into such a big boy. Makes me sad.
Well, in light of the No Spend Month approaching, I have decided to do some DIY gifts that have been on my list for at least a year, if not more. Yes mom, this means that you most likely will get your long overdue gift this year, and more!! I will be staying busy with these instead of soccer practices, once those are over.
I found out today that Nikolas never got his school pictures that we ordered. Well, we only ordered a disc, but we never got it. Emailed the teacher, and she doesn't have it. Phone calls start tomorrow to the photo company to see what is going on. They cashed my check so I know they received it. Oh the joys!!
Both boys are still enjoying their new daycare. It truly is a much better fit for them than where they were last year, and I'm so thankful for that. It's also centrally located so it helps me out with their activities as well. Nikolas is still loving that he gets to ride a bus and Kaden is jealous and wishes he could ride one. Kaden does enjoy his Tuesday's with his Auntie Arwen and his BFF Wyatt. They go to basketball practice at the YMCA in the morning, a park if the weather permits, the library to get a handful of books, and then he gets taken back to daycare (oh, and with a picnic lunch in the middle of all of that). We truly are blessed with the people in our life that help us out with the kids.
Happy Tuesday and be thankful we are almost half way through the week!!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Dreaded Mondays
I woke up with a big case of the Mondays. I got to work and had an e-card from the Executive Vice President of US Bank for the work my co-worker and I did while our boss was away. That was a great feeling. Then to continue this day, the boys and I went to soccer practice and found out this is the last week of practice due to Daylight Savings time. That of course made my day!!
The boys and I will now have more time on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and I'm pretty darn excited about it. They still have about 4 weeks left of soccer games but that is only on Saturdays.
Tomorrow we have the first of the 2 day karate testing. The boys were talking about it tonight and I just love hearing the excitement in their voices. It will be insanely busy in there so I will try to get some photos.
Duane and I keep talking about going forward with the No Spend Month. Sounds like he is trying to get his mindset right so he can accomplish this huge task with me. I'm not shy or embarrassed about it, and the more I talk about it, the more likely I will be to stick to it. I don't like to fail so I will ensure that I do this 100% if/when we decide to do it.
Doing a No Spend Month will help with saving money for our long 2 week vacation trip next June to Texas and South Dakota. Our goal is to have it all paid with cash that has been saved up. No credit cards used. We already have a rough cost estimate laid out so we have doubled it and might try and triple it just to ensure we have plenty of money for extras.
Hope everyone has a great week. Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend, November 1st.
The boys and I will now have more time on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and I'm pretty darn excited about it. They still have about 4 weeks left of soccer games but that is only on Saturdays.
Tomorrow we have the first of the 2 day karate testing. The boys were talking about it tonight and I just love hearing the excitement in their voices. It will be insanely busy in there so I will try to get some photos.
Duane and I keep talking about going forward with the No Spend Month. Sounds like he is trying to get his mindset right so he can accomplish this huge task with me. I'm not shy or embarrassed about it, and the more I talk about it, the more likely I will be to stick to it. I don't like to fail so I will ensure that I do this 100% if/when we decide to do it.
Doing a No Spend Month will help with saving money for our long 2 week vacation trip next June to Texas and South Dakota. Our goal is to have it all paid with cash that has been saved up. No credit cards used. We already have a rough cost estimate laid out so we have doubled it and might try and triple it just to ensure we have plenty of money for extras.
Hope everyone has a great week. Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend, November 1st.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
End of 3 Day Weekend
Well, Duane is back home from his quick trip to Sacramento today. Boys were very excited to see him and spend some time with him. I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be this weekend, but I'm ok with that. I got some cleaning done, so better than nothing.
Duane and I have briefly talked about the No Spending Month. He is on board but we both know it will be very hard. We will have to make sure we have him stocked up with food for the day no matter where his job might take him each day. I will keep you posted if we decide to truly tackle this insane beast.
Boys had soccer games Saturday. Nikolas was on FIRE his entire game. It was a rough start to the game but then Nikolas didn't let that get too far out of hand. For his incredible game, we went and got slurpees to celebrate.
Kaden wasn't too interested in the game. Sadly, the team he played has really no interest in playing so it was no challenge. It was tough keeping all the kids focused after we were ahead by at least 10 scores. It was definitely a long game. I'm still proud of him though.
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!! This week is testing week at Karate so I'll try to get some photos to share of them doing their thing. Love to all!
Duane and I have briefly talked about the No Spending Month. He is on board but we both know it will be very hard. We will have to make sure we have him stocked up with food for the day no matter where his job might take him each day. I will keep you posted if we decide to truly tackle this insane beast.
Boys had soccer games Saturday. Nikolas was on FIRE his entire game. It was a rough start to the game but then Nikolas didn't let that get too far out of hand. For his incredible game, we went and got slurpees to celebrate.
Kaden wasn't too interested in the game. Sadly, the team he played has really no interest in playing so it was no challenge. It was tough keeping all the kids focused after we were ahead by at least 10 scores. It was definitely a long game. I'm still proud of him though.
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!! This week is testing week at Karate so I'll try to get some photos to share of them doing their thing. Love to all!
Friday, October 23, 2015
More on the No Spend Month Challenge
If you are at all interested in the No Spend Month, or just want to figure out how crazy I truly am, here are a couple links with a little more information.
http://thebudgetmama.com/2014/02/no-spend-challenge-march-2014.html
http://thebudgetmama.com/2013/06/no-spend-month-update-3.html
I know a month before Christmas will not be the best or easiest month for a No Spend Challenge, but I think it's needed and I think we can do it. I'm kind of scared to see how much we actually spend on daily food and little things that aren't truly needed.
http://thebudgetmama.com/2014/02/no-spend-challenge-march-2014.html
http://thebudgetmama.com/2013/06/no-spend-month-update-3.html
I know a month before Christmas will not be the best or easiest month for a No Spend Challenge, but I think it's needed and I think we can do it. I'm kind of scared to see how much we actually spend on daily food and little things that aren't truly needed.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
1 Week to Convince Hubby of New Plan.......
I'm going to try and get Duane on board with a No Spend Month. We need to reevaluate where our funds are going and I have heard good things about this. It won't be easy, but I believe it is doable. I first saw this from Budget Mama's blog....
http://thebudgetmama.com/2013/05/no-spend-month.html
I will continue with updates, especially if I'm able to get him on board. Wish me luck!!
http://thebudgetmama.com/2013/05/no-spend-month.html
I will continue with updates, especially if I'm able to get him on board. Wish me luck!!
Happy Friday to Me (Yes, I know it's only Thursday)
It's finally my Friday. I get a 3 day weekend and I'm so excited! I realized I needed to get some photos added to my posts. Pictures make everything better, right? HA!
This picture was taken at Hunter Farms Pumpkin Patch. These kids had so much fun. Well, they have fun no matter what we are doing. These 4 kiddos are like sister and brothers. I love that we have such amazing friends that all of us and kids get along.
Kaden is working on spelling his first and last name. I'm so proud of him with this. I was really worried he wouldn't know how to write before Kindergarten. If he continues like he is, he will be good to go by Sept 2016.
Kaden and Nikolas love to do work, busy work. It can be writing, drawing, coloring, math, or anything of that nature. This picture was taken about a month ago. Duane was having Nikolas doing an addition table. Needless to say, Nikolas figured it out REALLY fast and just flew through it without even looking at the numbers. Stinker!
Hope everyone has a great Friday. I know I will :)
Hope everyone has a great Friday. I know I will :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Happy Hump Day
We are finally halfway through the week. I'm trying really hard to not complain about working last weekend and not having a day off since last Monday, but boy oh boy am I tired. I get a 3 day weekend this weekend and Thursday at 3pm can not come fast enough!
Duane works weekends quite a bit and goes 14 plus days without a day off, and doesn't complain. He is such a trooper. In my defense, I'm the one running the boys to and from all their activities so that adds to my wonderful list of things to do.
The boys have really started adjusting at daycare/preschool. Nikolas is absolutely loving the fact that he gets to ride the bus every day. Kaden has made some friends, which made me really happy. He can kind of be a loner and it worries me. However, my worries continue to decrease day by day with both boys! Such an amazing feeling knowing they are taken care of and are happy.
I really need to start getting more pictures of the boys so I can be putting them up on here as well. Baby steps I guess. Writing is the first step. HA!
Duane works weekends quite a bit and goes 14 plus days without a day off, and doesn't complain. He is such a trooper. In my defense, I'm the one running the boys to and from all their activities so that adds to my wonderful list of things to do.
The boys have really started adjusting at daycare/preschool. Nikolas is absolutely loving the fact that he gets to ride the bus every day. Kaden has made some friends, which made me really happy. He can kind of be a loner and it worries me. However, my worries continue to decrease day by day with both boys! Such an amazing feeling knowing they are taken care of and are happy.
I really need to start getting more pictures of the boys so I can be putting them up on here as well. Baby steps I guess. Writing is the first step. HA!
Monday, October 19, 2015
Just Another Monday in the Books
I have been playing around with all of the layouts, colors, and fonts with this blog. I'm sure I will continue to change things up for a while, so just bare with me. I'm still working on some birthday trackers for the kiddos as well to make the page a bit more fun. It's now me against machine and machine is winning this round. HA!
The boys started a new daycare today. Like always, it broke my heart to leave them in an unfamiliar place with people they don't know. When I hugged Kaden goodbye, he looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes and said "please take me home." Knowing that that was not an option, I squeezed them tight, gave them kisses, and walked away. By the end of the day, they were both playing and had smiles on their faces.
Nikolas gets to now ride a bus from school to the daycare so he is happier than ever. He has been begging to ride a bus but hasn't been able to since we do not go to our "home" school. I feel that the adjustment to this new daycare will be fast and easy.
The boys started a new daycare today. Like always, it broke my heart to leave them in an unfamiliar place with people they don't know. When I hugged Kaden goodbye, he looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes and said "please take me home." Knowing that that was not an option, I squeezed them tight, gave them kisses, and walked away. By the end of the day, they were both playing and had smiles on their faces.
Nikolas gets to now ride a bus from school to the daycare so he is happier than ever. He has been begging to ride a bus but hasn't been able to since we do not go to our "home" school. I feel that the adjustment to this new daycare will be fast and easy.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Cool, crisp day in the great PNW
I know, I know, I start this blog every couple years. I do good with posting for about a week, then I drop off the face of the earth again. I'm going to try, yet again, to get this up and going.
I was ready my last post in July of 2013. WOW, have things changed since then. I no longer work at DaVita, I'm no longer in school, Devvin is in the Air Force, and Adiyana is about to graduate high school.
Since leaving DaVita back in June of 2014, I now work with US Bank as an Operations Specialist. It's a perfect job for me. I go into branches, and make sure rules and guidelines are being followed. I'm essentially the pre-auditor before the auditor comes in and inspects the branch. I enjoy it and have been with them for a year and a half now.
Duane just got promoted to E8, Master SGT on October 7th, 2015. I'm so proud of him and this promotion was long overdue. He has worked so very hard for it. He is currently stationed out of Lynnwood, north of Seattle, and his area is up to the Canadian border, San Juan Islands and down through Seattle to Kent. A very large area but he is making it work more and more each day.
Now to all the kiddos. Like I mentioned previously, Devvin is now in the Air Force. Has been in for a year now and stationed in New Mexico. I'm so proud of him and he continues to make us proud everyday. We are so excited to be able to see him and his girlfriend, Christina, at Christmas time. Adiyana is a senior in high school and just got sworn into the Navy. She leaves for basic training in July 2016. I'm very proud of her. She worked so hard over the summer studying for the ASVAB. Abrielle is now 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. She is a superstar athlete and likes to hang with her friends. Nikolas is now a first grader and is doing great. He is reading at a second grade level, and is excelling in all subjects. He is still very active with sports and currently in soccer and karate. Kaden.....what to say about Kaden. He is in his last year of preschool. I swear he thinks preschool will never end. He is also very active with sports; soccer and karate. Nikolas and Kaden are so used to being busy all the time, that when we have down time, they just don't know what to do with themselves.
Since I finished school earlier this year, I have had a little more time on my hands, yet I filled that time up so quickly it was like I never even had free time. I'm just now starting to get use out of my amazing bread machine that I got last year. Banana bread is a huge hit in this house and I just made my first batch of jam. Fingers crossed it turns out well.
I'm ready to bake tons of Christmas goodies for my friends and neighbors this holiday season as well as get into my craft room and start busting out some projects.
Happy Wednesday to you all and I hope to be back tomorrow.
I was ready my last post in July of 2013. WOW, have things changed since then. I no longer work at DaVita, I'm no longer in school, Devvin is in the Air Force, and Adiyana is about to graduate high school.
Since leaving DaVita back in June of 2014, I now work with US Bank as an Operations Specialist. It's a perfect job for me. I go into branches, and make sure rules and guidelines are being followed. I'm essentially the pre-auditor before the auditor comes in and inspects the branch. I enjoy it and have been with them for a year and a half now.
Duane just got promoted to E8, Master SGT on October 7th, 2015. I'm so proud of him and this promotion was long overdue. He has worked so very hard for it. He is currently stationed out of Lynnwood, north of Seattle, and his area is up to the Canadian border, San Juan Islands and down through Seattle to Kent. A very large area but he is making it work more and more each day.
Now to all the kiddos. Like I mentioned previously, Devvin is now in the Air Force. Has been in for a year now and stationed in New Mexico. I'm so proud of him and he continues to make us proud everyday. We are so excited to be able to see him and his girlfriend, Christina, at Christmas time. Adiyana is a senior in high school and just got sworn into the Navy. She leaves for basic training in July 2016. I'm very proud of her. She worked so hard over the summer studying for the ASVAB. Abrielle is now 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. She is a superstar athlete and likes to hang with her friends. Nikolas is now a first grader and is doing great. He is reading at a second grade level, and is excelling in all subjects. He is still very active with sports and currently in soccer and karate. Kaden.....what to say about Kaden. He is in his last year of preschool. I swear he thinks preschool will never end. He is also very active with sports; soccer and karate. Nikolas and Kaden are so used to being busy all the time, that when we have down time, they just don't know what to do with themselves.
Since I finished school earlier this year, I have had a little more time on my hands, yet I filled that time up so quickly it was like I never even had free time. I'm just now starting to get use out of my amazing bread machine that I got last year. Banana bread is a huge hit in this house and I just made my first batch of jam. Fingers crossed it turns out well.
Happy Wednesday to you all and I hope to be back tomorrow.
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