Thankful

I am thankful tonight. I am thankful for a loving husband, thankful for my family, and thankful that we have our health and everything we need. I know so many that don't have all of these and it really breaks my heart when it is kids that don't have what they need. I know kids from school that don't get enough to eat, don't have decent clothes, and don't have anyone that pays attention to them or really loves them. Too many adults are into themselves and the children get overlooked. I also think about all of the poor people that don't have enough, and I think that we don't have alot of money, but we know how to take care of ourselves. We don't have lots of new clothes, but we have lots of great decent clothes from thrift stores and what people have given us. We don't have alot of money to spend on groceries, but we eat simple meals from scratch that are healthy and taste good. Most people if you gave them and bag of dried beans and a bag of rice they wouldn't know what to do with it. I am just saying that some people could be more resourceful than waiting on someone else or the government to help them. I am also thankful for these people:

These are my children and my niece and nephews.  My youngest nephew lives with us and the older two don't, but we think of them as ours.  They really don't have anyone else.  Even when it is crazy around here I love them to pieces.  

Busy Friday night

Out high school football team made it pretty far in the playoffs so they had to go four hours away to play. Ashley is in the band and i said that I would chaparone the girls on the trip. We didn't get back until 3 a.m. and I think I just recovered. Oh, by the way we lost the game. Most of the kids we good. One got on trouble and they didn't let her play. I hears some language I didn't like but these are public high kids. We did our second Christmas parade of the season so i guess it is officially the holidays. It is so warm today that it is hard to think about christmas. Well, we are going to church. Have a happy Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving morning and all is still quiet.  I have homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven, but we are just going to eat them when we feel like it.  Getting teens up for family breakfast is hard on vacation.  In addition to my five kids that are normally here we have my niece here from the children's home and her brother who is 19.  He lives on his own, but considers us his family.  I feel like I have some college kids home for break.  My niece used to live with my in-laws and then with us and nothing really worked out so she chose to live at the children's home.  She is spending holidays and some weekends with us though, so it is OK now.

We are going to my mom's for Thanksgiving.  She is doing the meat and stuffing and I am bringing all of the sides.  My sister is bringing dessert.  I thought that was fair sense I am bringing nine people.  I am making sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, squash casserole, and some sweet potato biscuits.  We should have plenty.  We always do.

I love having everyone home on break.  They fight and act crazy, but I love not having to get out the door in the morning and not having homework.  We did some crafts yesterday and tomorrow we are going to start getting my Christmas stuff out.  Saturday we will get a tree.

Well, I guess I better check on the cinnamon rolls.  I was going to go to CVS early this morning, but Steven is hunting and I am enjoying my coffee and quiet morning too much.

Try try again

Well, it is the end of the month and I really didn't stick to my $400.00.  I spent around $550.  I don't think that is too bad considering that I have teens and that there are 7 of us, but I really want to cut it more. I am doing some more baking and trying to find one meal a week that I can incorporate dried beans in.  Steven did kill a deer a couple of weeks ago, so that helps with the meat.  Well, we will try again this month.

Tomorrow is Halloween.  We don't trick or treat or any of that stuff.  We are having a fall festival at church and the little kids are dressing up for school.  I don't buy them any costumes,  we just put stuff together with what we have at home.  Emma is going to be a coygirl and Evan is going to be a hunter.

We are winding down soccer this week and I am glad.  The schedule has gotten a bit out of hand.  I hope we can slow down during the holidays. Ha ha.

Football Friday Night

Tonight is the homecoming football game with our school.  Steven and I will work the concession stand since the band gets the money, plus it gives us money off the participation fees for band.  It is alot of work, but I do enjoy seeing all of the kids and helping.  My feet will definitely be tired tonight!

We started getting calls from teachers that my nephew who lives with us was not behaving in school.  I then called the school and the counselor told me that they had already put him on a behavior plan.  What?  No one even informed me that there were issues until last week and he is on a plan?  You would think they would want to involve the parents.  So, now we have to work on our behavior.  I am taking him Monday to see about getting him some meds for ADHD.  He just seems so hyper sometimes and just talks and blurts out stuff all of the time that I don't know how much he can help, so maybe some meds are in order.  I guess we will see what the doctor says.

I haven't really been grocery shopping this week.  I spent $25 at Wal-mart the other night, but nothing else.  Tomorrow I will go to town and get some things, but not too much.  Evan shot a deer last weekend on youth day, so now we have lots of deer meat.  We grind it up and eat it like ground beef.  I also have two whole chickens in the fridge so that can become something.

Well, I guess I will fold a load of clothes and unload the dishwasher before we go to the game.

Camping

This weekend we went camping.  We went to a state park about 30 minutes away and had a great time.

This is Emma and Evan standing in the water.  We went to an animal park a few miles away.  We all love animals and this place is free.

This is us on a wooden alligator.  Steven was taking the pictures.  This is the baby squirrel that the kids found.



I was the mean mom and wouldn't let them keep it.  I love camping because their is no TV and we are outside. We have to talk to each other and we have to interact.  The kids play ball and hide and seek and at night we all sit around the campfire talking and drinking hot chocolate.  No, it is not all fun and game.  Kids will be kids and they fight and get on each other's nerves, but it is usually only for a few minutes.  I love that the kids all have to work together.  You might not know, but the older boy is my nephew, and it was the first time that we have taken him camping with us.  I think he had a good time.  He loves the outdoors.  We are all learning to live with him, and he is also learning to live with us.  I often have to remind myself of that.

The only bad part is the laundry that is so stinky when we got back.  I went ahead and made myself another batch of laundry detergent.  I was afraid that I would run out after washing every one's clothes and sleeping bags and blanket.  I also made a pot of chili, a batch of bread, and some oatmeal cooking.  I was just enjoying being in the kitchen.  That is what I miss when I work.  Just being at home and doing kitchen chores at a leisurely pace.  Now Steven can have the leftover chili for lunch tomorrow and the bread will start us out for the week.

Redoing the budget

I know that I am not the only one, but the continuing dragging economy and high gas prices have really been a drain on our family's budget.  The prices of our heath insurance, our taxes and everything else has gone up in price, but our income hasn't really budged.  Now don't get me wrong, I thank the Lord every day that my husband hasn't lost his job, and that I have a good job in our school system, but we have not really been saving any money, and that has to change.

We are currently spending about $600-$700 a month on food which I don't think is too bad considering that we have five kids and two of them are teens.  We rarely go out, but we eat alot and the kids love snacks.  Add to it that now I work full time, we are eating alot more prepacked stuff than we did in the past.  I have been buying individual bags of chips, fruit snacks, packs of crackers, etc when I used to bake cookies, granola bars and homemade snack mix all of the time.  Well, I have decided to make some more time out in the weekends to make some more of this.  I often make a double batch of muffins on the weekends and we can eat that for a couple of mornings or for snacks.  I also like to make banana bread or other quick breads.  My goal for the next month is to get us under $400 for the month.  I hope it is doable.

In celebration of this I want to post what we will be eating.  On school days we either pack a sandwich or eat at school, so I am not posting those lunches on my menus/

Monday:  Breakfast:  Leftover biscuits, scrambled eggs, fruit\
                Dinner : Cream cheese chicken in crock pot over pasta, carrot sticks

Tuesday :  Breakfast:  Bagels or cereal, fruit
                 Dinner : Chili and Frito's

Wednesday:  Breakfast:  Oatmeal or cereal, fruit\
                     Dinner :  Pancakes and sausage for a crowd before church (the kids bring friends home for a ride to church)

Thursday :   Breakfast:  Cereal (teacher work day, kids are off.)
                    Lunch: Sandwiches, chips, fruit (I will be working)
                   Dinner:  Tacos

Friday and Saturday we are going camping and I have not bought the food for that.  We usually will roast hot dogs and cook some beans one night and then do grilled chicken and mac and cheese another night.  We will make PBJ sandwiches for lunch with chips. Breakfast will be eggs and bacon one morning and sweet rolls another.  We will bring apples, bananas, and trail mix to snack on and we will have marshmallows and smores at night.  We usually bring lots of coffee and hot chocolate and I will get some cases of bottled water, Gatorade and some individually bottled juices.  Yummy!

I have already been shopping this week, but I am starting my $400 for the month on Friday.  I will post how it goes.