How Many People Does It Take To Cook an Egg?

It's Friday, which makes me incredibly happy.  Not only is the weekend officially here, but it is time for the problem of the week as well.  After thinking about which torturous math problem I would send your way, I decided on this one.  It does require a lot of thinking, but not really any math skills, so this one would be fair game for anyone really.

Here it is:

How can you cook an egg for exactly 15 minutes, if all you have is a 7-minute hourglass and an 11-minute hourglass?

Feel free to post your answer in the comment section below.  I will post the answer on Sunday.  Happy Thinking and Good Luck!

Sincerely,

The Math Freak

Bursting At The Seams

The house I live in is on the smaller size.  In terms of living space, I don't feel crammed.  But when it comes to storage, we have a real issue.  We have no garage; instead we have a shed out back that is pretty full at this point.  We have no attic; instead we have two crawl spaces that run the full length of our bedroom upstairs which are now full of baby gear and clothing that I have put back for later use (possibly).  We have no basement (sort of).  We actually do have a basement, but it is almost entirely finished.  So while it gives us some much need living space, we lost storage space.

The whole point to all of this is that I have had to get creative with my use of space.  It has been challenging, but also kind of fun because I love to organize stuff (I'm just geeky like that).  One day while flipping through a magazine (it was either Family Circle, Woman's Day, or Parenting Magazine, I can't really remember which one) I found this idea.

I remember growing up, my mom would save one of those zippered bags that bedding sets would come in and throw all four of us kids winter gloves, hats, scarves, etc. into it.  When cold weather hit we would be scrambling to find mates to gloves and hats to go with them.  I can't say for sure, but I actually think my mother-in-law stores hers the same way.  What else are you supposed to do with all that stuff?  I was headed down the same path, until I saw this.

This, this is what your winter gear (amongst other things) was meant to call home.  I am totally in love with this thing.  The item itself hanging on the door is a hanging plastic pocket shoe organizer (you can pick one up from Walmart for I believe about $12).

We hung this on the inside of the door in our entry way, but you could put one on any door.  I initially hung it will Velcro, thinking that if we ever moved, removing the self-adhering Velcro would do less damage to the door than nails.  If you were putting nothing but hats, scarves, gloves, etc. in it (i.e. lightweight items), I think this would work.  But I started loading it up with other items.  It eventually fell down, and I eventually hung it with nails.  (Let's face it, we probably will be here forever anyway...)

Along with winter items, I also use mine to store summer hats, the kids sunglasses, umbrellas, and some of the kids shoes (because the things are so tiny it's easy for one of them to get buried in the closet with all the other shoes).

The picture of the shoe organizer in all of its glorious organization makes me smile, because I like being organized.  I like things to have a place.  It makes me feel relaxed.  But that's just me...

Sincerely,
The Organizing Guru

BBQ Jalapeno Poppers

My brother had an abundance of jalapenos from his garden, so he gave me some of them.  I also had some cream cheese in the refrigerator that needed to be used.  So I took the opportunity to try out these BBQ Jalapeno Poppers.  I got the recipe from Ree Drummond's cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  It is a great cookbook!

Here is what you need to make them:

18 Jalapenos

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

.5 C  Cheddar Cheese

18 strips of bacon, cut in half

BBQ Sauce

Here is how you make them:

1.  Wash the jalapenos.  Then slice in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno.  (Ree Drummond suggest seeding the pepper using a spoon.  I found it to be the easiest way to do it, especially if you haven't done it before, as it is quick and removes any risk of cutting yourself or cutting through the pepper while trying to remove the seeds.  Here is a link to a video if you would like to see how to seed a pepper with a spoon.  How To Seed a Pepper with a Spoon )

2.  Combine cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a bowl.

3.  Stuff peppers with cheese mixture.

4.  Wrap raw bacon around peppers, trying to cover as much of the pepper as possible.  Be sure not to wrap the bacon too tightly, since it shrinks as it cooks.  (Many recipes suggest securing the bacon with toothpicks.  I have found this to be unnecessary, but you are welcome to do it if it makes you feel better.  Just start the one end of the piece of bacon on the back of the pepper and wrap it so that the other end of the piece of bacon ends on the back of the pepper.  Then you lay the pepper on the baking sheet with its back down, thus holding the bacon in place.)

5.  Brush pepper with BBQ Sauce.

6.  Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour, or until the bacon is crispy.  (I cooked mine on a broiler pan, but any baking sheet should do just fine.)

View Printable Recipe

You can prepare these up to 24 hours in advance and then cook them.  You can also fully cook them and then freeze them for later use.  Simply thaw and reheat them.

Let me just say, these were INSANELY delicious.  Ree Drummond says in her cookbook that you should make 2-3 times as many as you think you will need because they have a way of disappearing.  I thought she was just trying to make a point about how delicious they were.  But she was not kidding.  I made a half batch thinking we would eat a few of them and then I would freeze the rest.  But somehow, before I knew it, every last one of them was gone.  They were that good.

She also suggests using them as a hamburger topper, and I cannot wait to try that!

Hope you enjoy.

Sincerely,

Jenni Miller

There's a Panty Snatcher On The Loose

That's right, I said it...there is a panty snatcher on the loose.  Now I know there is at least one of you out there that read the title and pictured some creepy middle-aged guy going around stealing women's unmentionables (Go ahead, admit it).  Have no fear, there is no creepy middle-aged guy going around our community stealing women's underwear (at least not that I am aware of).  Nope...the panty snatcher lives in my house.

I have come to the conclusion that all children do weird things.  At least, these things seem weird to us adults, but to children, well they are merely exploring their environment.  They are learning about all different things.  What does a leaf taste like?  I don't know, maybe I should eat one and find out.  What happens when I play in the pee in the training potty that someone forgot to dump out?  (My daughter totally never did that by the way...)  I don't know, let me splash in it and find out.  But underwear?  Hmmm....that's a head-scratcher.

When my son needs to go to the bathroom, he comes running to us so we can help him pull down his pants and underwear.  He insists, for whatever reason, on taking them all the way off.  So his pants and underwear generally lay on the floor, unattended, for some amount of time (usually until we can wrangle him in and put them back on him).

One day shortly after my daughter began crawling, we returned to the spot of my son's underwear, to find her playing with his underwear (i.e. smelling them, chewing them, and whatever else babies do with things).  We were, of course, appalled and disgusted by this.  It would not be the only time it would happen.  It happens quite often.

I cannot explain the reasoning behind her behavior.  It is completely inexplicable.  Though I do have a theory.  I'm certain it's like what dogs do.  You know, they sniff each other's nether regions as a way of identifying one another and getting to know that dog/person better.  Maybe she just wants to get to know her brother a bit more intimately.

Anthony once said that we could spread out every toy she owned in front of her, an entire basket full of laundry, and one random pair of dirty underwear, and she would likely pick the underwear every time.  In fact, one day we separated my son's shorts and underwear and waited to see which she would go for.  To our surprise she immediately went to the shorts.  But once she realized what she picked up, she dropped them and went for the underwear.

I should mention that I realize that boys underwear is not referred to as panties.  Anthony told me to stop calling them that because he didn't want our son to go around telling people he wears panties.  It is a valid concern.  Kids do say the darnedest things you know.  But underwear snatcher just doesn't have the same ring to it as panty snatcher.

Sincerely,
The Mother of the Panty Snatcher

Harmonious Disgruntlement

This past Saturday night was bath night.  Bath night is something that neither Anthony nor I look forward to.  It is surprising how much work it is to give two small children a bath and then get them ready for bed.

My daughter, in general, has been pretty grumpy lately.  I am hoping it is teeth...scratch that...I am praying it is teeth and not just her personality!  (It had to be said.)  ;)  Any who, she loves taking a bath.  Splashing in the water, chewing on bath toys, it is all just so much fun.  But somewhere in the middle of the fun she usually decides she's done with the whole bath thing and is ready for bed.  At that point, she starts crying...nonstop...until you finish her bath and take her out of the water.  This night was no different.

My son, has always loved his bath.  He almost never cries in the bath.  But this day was different.  Earlier in the day he had fallen down and scrapped his knees.  Have you ever had a fairly new cut or scrape and then ran it under water.  For those of you who haven't, it burns!  As soon as the water touched his skinned, raw knees, he started crying. 

First he said he wanted out.  After Anthony told him that he had to stay in until his bath was done he started saying, "I want my mommy!  I want my mommy!" (which is amazing because he never wants me for anything).  Unfortunately, he wanted me to kiss his knees to make them better and then hold him.  Well, I could do the first, but not the second.  Go figure, the one thing he wants me for in a very long time I can't even do for him.  Once I told him I couldn't hold him, he just sat there and cried...nonstop...until we took him out of the bath.

Let's pause here to talk about Sing-a-ma-jigs (there is a point to this, I promise).  Sing-a-ma-jigs are a toy.  If you are not familiar with them, feel free to play with them the next time you are in the toy aisle.  They are ridiculously infectious.  So when random people start glaring at you for relentlessly playing with them in the store, you can blame me.  I know of them because my parents bought some to keep at their house for the kids to play with when they come over.

Here is the thing with the sing-a-ma-jigs.  As there name would suggest, they are thing-a-ma-jigs that sing...hence, sing-a-ma-jigs.  You can play several of them at once and they will harmonize with one another.  The thing is, I'm not sure I would classify the strange sound emitting from them as singing.  I can't quite describe it, but I wouldn't call it singing.  (If you want to here them sing you can go to this website and play with some of them:  Play With The Sing-a-ma-jigs! )

Back to my bath story.  Both kids are in the bathtub, disgruntled, crying, and CRYING and CRYING!  Oddly, they were crying in perfect harmony.  And their crying reminded me a lot of the strange sounds the sing-a-ma-jigs make.  And that's when I began laughing somewhat uncontrollably. 

I'm a good person, and a good mother, and I did feel bad for both of them.  But there are two ways I could have approached the situation.  I could have become angry and frustrated at the utter chaos taking place, or I could laugh.  Looking at their sad, pathetic, puppy-dog faces, listening to them cry in perfect harmony, and thinking of how their crying strangely reminded me of a sing-a-ma-jig, I could do nothing but laugh!

Sincerely,
The Mother of Disgruntled Sing-a-ma-jigging Children

Solution To: A Weighty Problem

Here it is folks, the solution you all have been waiting for (or at least that's what I like to tell myself). 

Here is the original problem.

Here are the answers.  All three chickens combined weigh 12.4 kg.   The small chicken weighs 1.8 kg., the medium chicken weighs 4.3 kg., and the large kg. weighs 6.3 kg.

Now here is how you figure all of that out.

Looking at the problem, if you add the weights given to you in the first three illustrations, then you are adding the weights of two large chickens, two medium chickens, and two small chickens.  You want to find the combined weight of one large chicken, one medium chicken, and one small chicken.  So, add the weights given to you in the first three illustrations, and divide it by two. 

So you would have 10.6 + 8.1 + 6.1 = 24.8.   Then divided this by two.  24.8/2 = 12.4.  Therefore, all three of the chickens together weigh 12.4 kg (don't forget your units at the end of your answer...that's a no-no!).

Finding the weight of each individual chickens is a bit more complicated and you are going to have to recall some algebra skills.  I am going to label the large chicken L, the medium chicken M, and the small chicken S. 

This is what we know from the question we just answered.

L + M + S = 12.4

From illustration number 3, we know that     M + S = 6.1 .    So, we are going to substitute 6.1 in for  M + S  in the equation up above.  So we now have   L + 6.1 = 12.4 .  Now we just subtract 6.1 from both sides to get L by itself.  This yields 6.3 .   So the large chicken weighs 6.3 kilograms.

Using illustration number one, we know that    M + L = 10.6 .  We also know (because we just figured it out) that L = 6.3 .  So again, we are going to substitute 6.3 in for L.  That gives us,  M + 6.3 = 10.6 .   Then you subtract 6.3 from both sides to get M by itself.  That gives us 4.3 .   So the medium chicken weighs 4.3 kg.

Lastly, using illustration number two, we know that    S + L = 8.1 . We also know that L = 6.3 . So again, we are going to substitute. That gives us,  S + 6.3 = 8.1 . Then you subtract 6.3 from both sides to get S by itself. That gives us 1.8 . So the small chicken weighs 1.8 kg.

And Voila!  For the second question, you pretty much had to use substitution to find the weights of the individual chickens but you could have found their weight in any order that you wanted to.

Maybe this one was tougher than I thought it would be.  But hopefully you'll come back next Friday for a new problem of the week, unless you're too chicken.

Sincerely,
The Math Freak

A Weighty Problem

It's Friday, which means it is problem of the week time once again.  I have chosen a fun one for you this week...well, I think it's fun anyway.  We'll see if you agree.  This problem was given to 6th graders who did pretty well with it...so no pressure or anything.

Examine the illustrations below and answer the two questions in the last illustration.

You can post your answers in the comment section if you like.  I will post the answer to the problem on Sunday.  Good Luck!

Sincerely,
The Math Freak

Need A Pick-Me-Up?

Sometimes when I need a little pick-me-up, I like to go back and look at pictures or videos of my kids.  They never cease to brighten my day and make my smile.  Here are a couple of videos of my kiddo, doing what kids do best...being cute!

My daughter discovers the door stop.


My daughter shows off her dancing talents and her newly discovered clapping skills.


Don't you just feel warm and fuzzy all over now!

Sincerely,
Jenni

Potty Talk

Let's talk about...toilets.  Yep, that's right...toilets.  I know it's not a topic that many people are willing to talk about or read about, but I'm very excited to share about my toilet today.

This may not affect many of you, or any of you for that matter, but my family had a toilet problem.  Want to know what it was?  Stains!  Stubborn stains!  We tried every chemical we could think of to remove them without any luck.  Not only could we not figure out why we had them, we couldn't figure out how to get rid of them.  We thought for sure the toilet was ruined and the only way to rid ourselves of the awful stains was to get a new toilet.

And let's be honest, it was kind of embarrassing.  We only have one bathroom, and one toilet, and who wants a guest in their home to use a toilet that looks like it hasn't been cleaned for who knows how long.  I clean my toilet but you couldn't tell by the looks of it.  I didn't want anyone thinking I didn't clean my toilet and then start thinking I was lazy or anything.

Anyway, so I yahoo-ed "how to remove tough toilet stains".  I read a couple of ideas that maybe seemed promising but the one that stood out as most promising was also the simplest.  I bought a pumice stone from the drug store (they are found in the health and beauty section with the manicure/pedicure type stuff).  Soak it in water for 30 minutes prior to use to soften in a bit.  Then simply scrub your toilet with it to remove the stains.  I squirted some toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet before I scrubbed to aid in the cleaning process.*  Since I used the toilet bowl cleaner I wore gloves to protect my hands from the cleaner and well...potty germs.  And Voila!  I now have a clean, shiny, brand spanking new looking toilet that I would be proud to show off to anybody (not that I typically show off my toilet to guests, but that's not the point).

Sincerely,
Mrs. Clean

* The use of the toilet bowl cleaner was my idea and was not part of the instructions I found on yahoo.  It's hard to say how much the cleaner helped, though I don't think it hurt anything.  Although at one point I did start to wonder if the fumes were getting to me.  And you may well be wondering the same thing at this point since I thought cleaning toilets would be a great topic for my blog.  Which brings me to my next point, only use the cleaner in a well ventilated bathroom, especially because you are going to have your head down in the toilet.  You'll need all the fresh air in there you can get.  So anyway, the use of the cleaner would be totally your call.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe I got from my friend Hannah (though I have altered it slightly and am giving you the recipe I use).  It is a favorite of ours, so now I am passing it on to you.  The only thing my son loves more than the taste of this dish is the name of it.  He says it with gusto and with extra emphasis on the LADAS.  He says chicken enchi-LADAS! 

Here is what you need:
1 16 oz. can refried beans
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup sour cream
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded
3 cups cheddar cheese, divided
12 tortillas
1 16 oz. can enchilada sauce

Here is how you make it:
1.  Mix together the first 4 ingredients plus half of the cheddar cheese (the rest will go on top of the
     enchiladas).  I know, it looks like...well, it just looks gross.  But trust me, it will be delicious!

2.  Pour part of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of two 9 x 13 pans - enough to cover the bottom. 

*Here is an interesting story.  The first time I made this, I over looked a very important word in the directions - the word "two" right before the 9 x 13 pans.  I couldn't figure out why I had to struggle to cram 12 tortillas in a pan just to get them to fit when Hannah had so much room in her pan.  I actually made it about four times before I realized that you are putting 6 enchiladas in two pans, not 12 in one pan.  But, since I know I can fit all 12 in one pan, I still make it that way because I don't want to clean the extra pan nor do I have room in the refrigerator for the extra pan.  So the choice is yours, you can do it however you like.



3.  Fill tortillas with mixture.  Then roll them up and place them seam side down in the pan.

I score the mixture into 6 sections and then divide each section between two tortillas.  This just helps make sure each tortilla has roughly the same amount of filling.

4.  Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Add remaining cheddar cheese during the last few minutes of
     baking.

View Printable Recipe

There you have it.  This recipe is extremely kid friendly.  My son loves it and I actually fed the filling in the enchiladas to my 9 month old daughter (I steered clear of the sauce as it is slightly spicy).  I think I'm going to pitch the idea to Gerber.  "Introducing Gerber's newest flavor, Chicken Enchilada!"  I could totally see it.

Anyway, I usually make this with fat free beans, sour cream, and tortillas, plus I use the Healthy Request cream of chicken.  I have made it both ways (both full fat and less fat) and the less fat version is just as good, if not better.

Also, I often assemble this dish the night before I plan to eat it.  I just store it in the refrigerator overnight.  Then I pull it from the refrigerator and leave it out on the counter while the oven preheats to take the chill off the dish.  I usually add about 10 minutes to the cooking time if I do it this way.

I will leave you with a recipe that Hannah gave me for Homemade Enchilada Sauce.  I tried it but mine didn't turn out as well as the canned stuff, but maybe you will have better luck.

Here's what you need:

3 Tbsp. Oil

1.5 Tbsp. chili powder

1.5 Tbsp. flour

1.5 cups water

1 tsp. vinegar

.5 tsp. onion powder

.5 tsp. salt

.25 tsp oregano 

Simply mix all ingredients together and you have yourself some homemade enchilada sauce.

View Printable Recipe

Sincerely,

la Senorita loco por las enchiladas

I'm pretty sure that is not grammatically correct, but since I'm not Spanish I'm hoping you'll give me a pass.  I'm also assuming most of you won't have any idea what I said anyway.  And no, I didn't just say I have a large cat in my pants (it's a movie reference).

The Philanthropic Black Sheep

Anthony and I have always felt like we were made for each other.  We both say that each other is the only person who could put up with our weird-quirky-goofy-ness.  He understands and appreciates my sense of humor and he makes me smile and laugh on a regular basis.  We are each other's best friend in so many ways.  (I know, I'm getting WAY to mushy-gushy.)  The best part is, we are both so comfortable with each other that we are able to laugh at each other (without the other person getting mad) and ourselves when we say and do incredibly dumb things.  Hold that thought...

My son likes to sing songs and say nursery rhymes.  Yesterday, Anthony was trying to get our son to say Baa, Baa Black Sheep so he would sit still while Anthony put on his shoes.  In case you need a refresher, here's how it goes:

Baa, Baa Black Sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes Sir, yes Sir,

Three bags full.

One for the Master,

And one for the Dame,

And one for the little boy

Who lives down the lane.

He said it once through correctly.  Then he asked our son to say it with him.  Anthony said, "Baa, Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool?  Yes Sir, yes Sir, three bags full.  One for the master, and one for the lame...lame...lame?..." 

I butted in and corrected him.  Then I shouted out "One for the lame!?!" (the kind of shout like, "Did you really just say that?") and we both burst into hysterical laughter.  You know, the kind that makes your stomach and cheeks hurt from laughing so hard and makes you cry.  (I just want to clarify that we weren't laughing because we think "lame" people are something to be laughed at.)  And that is exactly what I was talking about earlier.  We are totally able to laugh at one another and ourselves.

The funny thing is, it rhymes and could easily make sense within the rhyme.  I told Anthony that maybe the Black Sheep is a budding philanthropist and gave a fourth bag to the lame.  They just couldn't fit all four bags into the rhyme, but the information was later released in "Black Sheep:  The E! True Barnyard Story".

Wow, it's time for this post to end.  The jokes are getting lame.  ;) 

Sincerely,

The Comedian

Solution To: Pattern, Pattern, Where For Art Thou Pattern?

Here is the original array:

7   4   2   6
8   2   4   3
5   3   5   7
9   ?   2   8


Looking at the first three rows, note the following pattern:

7   4   2   6            7 x 6 = 42
             
8   2   4   3            8 x 3 = 24

5   3   5   7            5 x 7 = 35

Following this pattern, you would have:

9   ?   2   8            9 x 8 = ?2

Well,    9 x 8 = 72 so the ? is a 7.  The answer is 7.

Voila!  Bada-bing, Bada-bang, Bada-boom.

Sincerely,
The Math Freak

Pattern, Pattern, Where For Art Thou Pattern?

It's Friday and that means it is time for another problem of the week.  I had so much fun toiling over all my choices for problems and pondering which math problem I should unleash upon you!  BWAHAHAHAHAHA!  (Perhaps that was overdoing it a bit.)

Anyway, I have chosen one for you in which you must identify a pattern.  In my experience, either you see the pattern right away and wonder what all the fuss is about, or you stare blankly at it for hours on end unable to identify the pattern (Pattern? I don't see no stinking pattern...).  Ok, so I would probably be the only one to spend hours trying to solve a problem, but you get the point.

So without further ado, here is your problem.

Pattern

Look for a pattern and then find the number that should be used in place of the question mark in the following array of numbers:

7   4   2   6

8   2   4   3

5   3   5   7

9   ?   2   8

Feel free to tell my what the pattern is and the missing number in the comment sections below.  I will post the answer on Sunday.  Don't you be cheaters and look at the comment section for the answer.  ;)

Sincerely,
The Math Freak

Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

Today, in preparation for our trip to Niagara Falls, Anthony and I went to apply for our passport cards.  We decided to make a day of it, getting our passport cards, going out to dinner, and doing some necessary shopping, combining business with pleasure.  We had looked online to figure out where we could get our passport stuff done at.  We decided on the Wooster Post Office as it was the only close place that would both take your passport photo and process your application.

I had no reason to believe that this process would be complicated, but I suppose I am hopelessly optimistic like that (or just plain naive).  I don't know why I ever thought anything concerning the government or government offices/institutions/employees would be quick, easy, or painless.  I don't mean to sound anti-government, but it has been a rough day.

We arrived at the post office and waited in line for our turn.  There were a few people behind us but the place wasn't overly busy.  When it was our turn, we stated that we needed to have our passport photos taken.  The lady who was helping us rudely said, "Well, I'm not going to do that for you.  If you want it done you are going to have to wait until it's not so busy, so you are going to be waiting awhile." 

Now commence the complaining (sorry, i need to vent).  The other post office employee was tied up with a woman that was doing who knows what.  She had a HUGE stack of something he was processing and was going to be tied up for awhile.  I understand her frustration.  But excuse me.  You advertised a service.  We have come here for said service.  We waited in line like everyone else.  We should be served, regardless of what service we are asking for.  We shouldn't be told to go stand in the corner and wait for a less busy time.  Everyone else will just have to wait their turn, just as we did.  That's life.  I mean seriously, have you ever been told at the grocery store that you have to go to the end of the line because they are busy and you have too many items.  Have you ever went to the bank with a bunch of transactions needing to be made and told that, after waiting your turn, they refuse to help you because they are too busy.  No!  It's just ridiculous.

She told us the BMV offers the same service and where it was located.  She clearly had no interest in serving us and was hoping we would leave.  So we decided to head to the BMV.  Well, the BMV wasn't exactly where Anthony thought it was (it had moved to a building behind the one it used to be in).  So when we didn't find it, someone thought the best solution would be to wander downtown Wooster looking for the street the post office said it was on.  I suggested asking for directions, but guys don't ask for directions.  He was sure he had seen the street before.

After 20 minutes of wandering aimlessly, we decided to go check out the building Anthony thought it was in, even though the BMV wasn't listed on the sign outdoor.  So we headed into that building to look for it.  Then we saw the sign posted on the door stating that the BMV had moved to the building behind.  So we attempted to drive behind the building and park closer, which would prove to be a dumb idea.  The street leading to the parking lot of the BMV was closed of due to the fair.  So we ended up spending 10 minutes driving in a big circle only to park where we had been, and walk to the BMV.

Once inside the building, we saw signs posted for passport stuff on the door of the Title Office, not the BMV.  Once inside the Title Office, we learned that the post office lady had wrongly told us that they did passport photos.  So we left and went to Discount DrugMart to have our photos taken.  Upon returning, we learned we would need to write three separate checks (one for the fee for each passport card and one combined check for the processing fee for each passport application).  Wouldn't you know it, we only had two checks in the check book, no cash on us, and they didn't take credit card.  So then Anthony had to run to the ATM.

Once all was said and done, Anthony looked at me and said "At some point it's just kind of comical, don't you think?".  NO, I do not think so.  I had had enough.  But I hope all of you reading this find the humor in the situation.  It took us two hours to get it all taken care of.  I'd like to think if had we stayed at the post office, we would have been done before that...but with that lady, who knows.

And don't even get me started on my trip to Kohl's to buy something off a registry for a bridal shower.  I would tell you all about it, but I have done enough complaining...and now I feel better.

Sincerely,
Grumplestiltskin

Howard Dean Reincarnated

My son, being the typical toddler boy that he is, is rambunctious and full of energy.  When he gets really excited, he tends to let out these screams.  We have to remind him frequently to use his inside voice.  So the other day, we were in our basement playing ball (i.e. my son was practicing hitting a ball with a bat, one of his favorite activities).  He got pretty excited about a particular strike out (because he just doesn't understand that strike outs are bad and he thinks it is funny when we tell him that he shouldn't want to strike out).  He let out this scream that instantly made me laugh, and then I said, "What are you, Howard Dean reincarnated?"  (I, ofcourse, don't believe in reincarnation, but that's not the point.)

Let's pause for a moment and reflect on Howard Dean.  Do you know who Howard Dean is?  I don't blame you if you don't.  He was a governor of Vermont for many years and a presidential candidate in the 2004 elections.  Remember him yet?  I really shouldn't remember him.  First, I don't follow politics that closely; and second, he is a democrat, I don't follow them closely either (no offense to you if you are one).  Maybe you will remember this.

Howard Dean is, unfortunately for him, best remembered for the "Dean Scream" a.k.a. the "I Have A Scream Speech".  Following a loss in one of the early primaries, he gave a speech meant to rally his supporters.  He had been suffering from the flu.  When he gave his speech, he was sweaty and red in the face.  Out of pure excitement and emotion, he let's out this crazy scream.  The media, being who they are, aired the scream nonstop, painting Dean as as someone who had either gone off the deep end, was three sheets to the wind when he gave the speech, or a couple of french fries short of a Happy Meal (gotta love euphemisms).  It would ultimately lead to his downfall.  I kind of feel bad for the guy.

But I digress.  None of the Howard Dean information really has an important role in this post except for the the scream.  So here it is for your viewing pleasure.  Now you can hear what my son sounded like.  The quality of the video isn't great, but who cares?  It's the sound that is important anyway.

So there you have it.  I don't know why, but when I think of my son screaming like that, it reminds me of Howard Dean screaming like that, and it makes me giggle every time.  And once I'm done giggling about it and realize how silly it is that I am giggling about it, I take time to contemplate whether or not I'm mature enough to be raising children (ok, not really), but that's a different issue.

Sincerely,

The Mother of the Dean Scream-er

Taco Soup

I was never a big soup person growing up, mainly because there was almost always something in the soup I didn't like.  I liked raw vegetables, but I was pretty picky when it came to cooked vegetables.  Any soup I would eat usually came from a can.  My tastes have changed over time.  Since Anthony and I have been married, I have put together a pretty delicious arsenal of soup recipes.  Here is one of my favorites, taco soup.  There are a lot of taco soup recipes out there, but this one (in my humble opinion) trumps all of them.  It's quick, cheap, easy, and flavorful. 

Here's what you need:
1 lb. ground beef
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, undrained
1 (15 oz.) can corn, undrained
2 (14.5 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 C. water
tortilla strips (optional)
cheddar cheese (optional)

Here's how you make it:
1.  In a large pot, brown ground beef; drain.
2.  Stir in taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix.  Cook for 1-2 minutes of medium-low heat.
3.  Add in tomatoes.  Use a potato masher to smash the tomatoes into smaller pieces if desired. (I don't
     like big chunks of tomatoes.)
4.  Add in beans, corn, and water.
5.  Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
6.  Top with cheddar cheese and tortilla strips if desired.

View Printable Recipe

The original recipe said to serve with tortilla chips, which I thought sounded uninteresting.  So as I was waltzing down the salad aisle, I found flavored tortilla strips (by the croutons).  We use New York Brand Chipotle Cheddar Flavored tortilla strips.  They make a lime flavor as well and other brands make various flavors.  I will never eat this soup without them, that's how unbelievably delicious they are.  So much so, it's hard to keep from snacking on them while I cook, but that's just me.  There are also some flavored tortilla chips that would go nicely with this soup.  Tostitos makes Hint of Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips that would be delicious as well.

I like dishes to look nice, so I usually buy 1 can of light red kidney beans and one can of dark red kidney beans to add some color variation to the soup, but I'm just strange like that.  Also, if you don't particularly like ground beef or you are a vegetarian, I have made this before without the beef and it was just as delicious.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Sincerely,
The Chipotle Cheddar Tortilla Strip Fanatic

The Fair and More

Yesterday we had a busy day.  We took the kids to the Wayne County Fair and then went to a church function.  Here is a look at all the fun we had.

This is the first year that our son was old enough to ride the majority of the rides, so he tested out a lot he hadn't ridden before.

Hi Mom!

I don't think I like this ride!

I think I am going to puke!

This ride is awesome!

I don't think I like this ride!

I think I'm going to puke!

This ride is awesome!

Driving a Jeep just like daddy's!  Well, except for the whole purple thing!

Hey!  What's the hold up?

Dad, this ride is lame compared to the other ones! 

Love the motorcycles!

Hi honey!  Oh wait, that's not my kid!  Oops...must have had an itchy trigger finger!

Riding Smokey, or as they call him Poky Smokey.  He kept holding everything up, not willing to keep going.  There was talk of strike.  Something about negotiations over hay.

So after the fair, we went home for all of two seconds.  The kids stayed in the car while I ran in and grabbed the stuff I needed for the church function.  It was supposed to be a group of parents of young children getting together at the church to have dinner and then talk while the kids played.

I had made Taco Soup and Peach Cobbler for this thing.  I put the Peach Cobbler on the floor of the car behind my seat and the Taco Soup on the floor in between my feet.  As soon as we left, we knew we had a problem.  The glass lid on the Peach Cobbler kept rattling.  I was afraid the noise would wake up my daughter or that the dish would chip, so I knew I needed to slide the lid off.  Problem was, the Taco Soup in the small crock pot in between my feet needed constant attention so that it didn't tip and spill. 

Not thinking, I made the genius decision to take my eye off the soup and reach behind me to pull the lid off of the Cobbler just as Anthony was turning.  The crock pot tipped over, spilling piping hot soup all over my leg and the floor of the car.  (Note to self:  Soup does not travel well.)  At that point, not more than a mile from home, we seriously considered heading back.  Anthony was going on 3 and a half hours of sleep (since he had worked the night before), the kids were exhausted, and I was pretty sure I had 1st degree burns on my leg.  But since we were already packed up and on the way, we continued on.

Once we arrived at the church, there were a decent amount of cars in the parking lot so we assumed there was a good turnout for this thing.  Once we got inside, we realized that there was only one other couple there, a couple who lives not even a block from us.  So we drove 20 minutes to have dinner with out neighbors. 

It was a really fun evening.  Our kids love playing together and we have a great time getting to know them and talk with them.  So despite the spilling of the soup, and the potty accident my son had (which I didn't mention and am trying to block from my memory), and the fact we drove 20 minutes to have dinner with our neighbors, it was a good night!

Where Were You On September 11, 2001?

I remember being told 10 years ago that this would be one of those moments that I will remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. And those people who said that were right. I was in the 10th grade, and had just walked into Mr. Fowkes' History class. There, he told us what was happening and turned the television on. We sat, in utter silence, as we watched the events of that day unfold before us.

Today, as you well know, marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Today we remember the countless innocent lives lost on that day.  Ten years later, it is still difficult for me to understand what happened that day, especially now that I have children.  As I look at my children, I realize that they are the picture of innocence.  We all arrive in this world, innocent and pure; and it is just so hard for me to understand how such evil can come about. 

I know that God works in and through all situations, and I have no doubt that this situation isn't any different even if I don't fully understand it.

You can share where you were on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news in the comments section below.

I Am A Math Freak

One of the reasons I went into teaching was because I love math.  I'm one of those people who would likely enjoy sitting around on a rainy day solving algebraic equations, simplifying trigonometric equations, finding derivatives and integrals...but like I said, I AM A MATH FREAK!  I wanted to have a career that involved math on a daily basis but didn't know what else to do other than to teach it.  A career in teaching, if you know much about me, what not one of my best decisions.  There were some aspects I really enjoyed about teaching, but the aspects I hated about teaching out weighed all those I liked. 

One thing I loved about teaching was "The Problem of the Week" I had.  I would put up a new problem each week for each subject I taught. At Kingsway Christian I had 7th grade math, 8th grade math, Geometry, and Pre-calculus.  So I had four "subjects".  Each week I planned out four of these problems for my students and I loved every minute of it.  (As an interesting side note, the janitor who cleaned my room always left her answers on my desk and asked me to check them for her.  She enjoyed the problems and wanted to know if she had the right answer.)  I was sad to pack up my teaching stuff and all of the fun problems with it.

So today, I have decided to use my blog to post a problem of the week every Friday for all of you out there in cyberspace.  Maybe, over time, those of you who never liked math will see its fun side, or maybe you'll just think I'm crazy (which is fine too).  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  You can post your answers in the comments section if you like.  I will post the answer to each problem on Sunday.  Here is today's problem.

One Through Nine

Can you use all nine digits from 1 through 9, along with any available mathematical operation*, to represent 100?

Here are two examples:

1 +2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6+ 7 + (8 x 9) = 100

123 + 45 - 67 + 8 - 9 = 100

*These include, but are not limited to:  addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square roots, exponents, etc.

**There is no one right solution to this problem.  It has an infinite number of solutions.  Can you find one of them?  Enjoy!

Sincerely,

The Math Freak



The E*TRADE Baby

Personally, this cold, dreary stretch of weather we have been having lately has done nothing for my mood.  Then today at work I say one of my favorite E*TRADE commercials and it made me smile.  I know not everyone appreciates them.  But if you need a pick-me-up, take a look at my top three E*TRADE commercials.

1.  Time Out

2.  Shankopotamus

3.  Girlfriend

Hope it made you smile!  :)

Stromboli

After my daughter was born, my Sunday School class brought us meals for two weeks.  One of my friends, Sherah-Leigh, brought us Stromboli.  It was so delicious.  So much so that I wrote a poem about Stromboli.

Ode To Stromboli

Stromboli, Stromboli, How I love thee Stromboli

Even though you make me Roley-Poly...

Ok, I didn't really write a poem about Stromboli, because that would just be weird.  And even though I would tend to agree that I'm a little weird, I don't think you need to know that.

Back to the food.  I immediately asked Sherah-Leigh for her recipe and I have been making it (often) ever since.  I have put my own little twist on it. 

Here's what you will need:

2 1/2 C. flour
1 C. warm water
1 packet (1/4 oz.) yeast
1 T. sugar
1 T. oil
1 tsp. salt
Cooking Spray
Ricotta Cheese *  (See below)
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Sauce
Your Favorite Pizza Toppings
Garlic Powder (optional)
Dried Oregano (optional)
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Here's how you make it.

1.  Combine the first six ingredients until you get something that looks like this.

2.  At this point, use your hands to form the dough into a ball.  Then knead the dough for a few minutes.  I knead the dough right in the bowl, because I'm lazy and don't want to have to flour my counter top and then clean it up afterwards.

3.  After a few minutes, form the dough into a ball.

4.  I spray the dough ball with olive oil cooking spray and then cover with a wet paper towel to keep the dough moist while it rises.  (I sometimes make my dough the night before and allow it to rise over night in the refrigerator.  If I do this, then I cover the bowl with plastic wrap.)  Allow to rise for at least 30 minutes.

5.  Spray a pan with cooking spray.  Then roll the dough into a rectangle.

6.  Spread pizza sauce over half of the dough.  Then top with ricotta cheese.  I just use my fingers to spread out little dollops of cheese over the sauce.  (I have tried putting the ricotta on first and using a spoon to spread it out evenly over the dough.  It just doesn't have the same effect, though I can't explain why.)

Then top with mozzarella cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.

7.  Fold the bare half of the dough over top of the half with toppings on it.

8.  Pinch edges of the dough to seal the Stromboli.  (You could fold it over and make it look pretty too if you like.)

9.  Now this is what Sherah-Leigh served us.  And it was delicious.  You could certainly stop here if you wanted to.  But being adventurous as I am, I wanted to take it to another level.  So here's what I do next.  Sprinkle the top of the Stromboli with garlic powder, dried oregano, and Parmesan cheese.  It just adds another layer of delicious flavor.

10.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

11.  Enjoy!

View Printable Recipe

This is a great recipe to have the kids help with.  My son loves helping roll out the dough and put the toppings on it.

If you haven't found a pizza sauce that you are totally over the moon about, you should try Boboli.  I didn't like any store bought pizza sauces until I bought this one (and trust me, I tried a lot of them).  One nice thing is that the sauce comes in little packets (sold as a box of three of them) and one packet is the perfect amount of sauce for this recipe.  Oh, and Orlando garlic bread sticks are delicious with this!  (Just saying).

FYI - I am only endorsing the products above because I personally love them, not because I am being paid to.  Neither of these companies have ever heard of me nor would they care if I fell of the face of the Earth tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Roley-Poly Stromboli girl

* If you are calorie conscience, try Fat Free Ricotta.  I have tried Whole Milk Ricotta, Part Skim Ricotta, and Fat Free Ricotta.  Honestly, you can't tell the difference between any of them in this, so I opt for the Fat Free stuff.

Why My Kids Don't Accompany Me To The Grocery Store

I was getting my list ready for my weekly trip to the grocery store earlier today.  My son, curious, asked me what I was writing.  Upon telling him, he immediately started saying he wanted to go to the store with me.  I had planned on going later in the day, once Anthony was up so that he could at least watch my daughter, if not both kids.  I have more recently started taking my son with me on short trips.  He's generally well behaved and he likes to throw items into the cart for me.  My daughter was being pretty cranky, I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to take her with me.  What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment. 

It's been a rare occasion for my daughter to come with me to the store.  But babies learn by experiencing new sites, sounds, and smells.  I began to feel like I was robbing her of something.  So today I decided I need to be like all those other "super moms" I see at the store and bring both kids with me.  It would prove to be one of my more questionable decisions of the day.

When we got there, my son wanted one of the race car carts.  It has two seats, so this way they could both ride in the cart together.  It seemed like a good idea.  My shopping trip was going great for about 1 minute.  My daughter didn't want to sit in the cart;  she wanted to be held, which made her start to cry.  If you have heard her cry, you would know that her cry is shrill, and loud, and she sounds like you are torturing her.  Once she began crying, my son started yelling (quite loudly I might add), "You have to hold her, you have to hold her!"  He apparently didn't want to hear her crying anymore than anyone else in the store.  I think back to my days before kids.  When I used to see people like me in the store with their kids I would think, "Can't you control you kids?" or "Why aren't you doing anything to make your kid stop crying?".  I was young and naive, and it's easy to judge when you don't have kids and haven't been in that situation.  I'm pretty sure this is my payback for all those horrible thoughts I had towards people way back then.

So anyways, as long as the cart was moving, they were both happy.  But the moment I stopped to pick up anything to put in the cart, she would burst into tears and my son would start yelling "Keep going!  Turn this way!"  Not long into our trip, I decided I had no choice but to hold her.

Have you ever pushed one of those large race car carts?  If you have, then you would know how large and awkward they are, and how hard they are to steer!  So imagine trying to hold a baby and steer one of these things with one hand.  Not an easy task!  After a while of this I decided to set her on the ledge of the cart, this way she could face me.  I think your purse is intended to go in this spot.  Whatever it is for, it's not intended for children as there are no safety belts.  I just kept my hand on her and picked her up whenever I stepped away from the cart.  It seemed to work.

Before we left the house, I had asked my son if he needed to use the bathroom.  He said no.  Then I reminded him of how hard it would be to get to a bathroom at the store but he insisted he didn't have to go.  We were almost done with the trip, finally making progress when we passed the restrooms at the back of the store.  Upon seeing them, he starts yelling, "I have to pee!  I have to pee!".  There was a part of me that wanted to ask, "Do you really have to go?" or "Can't you hold it?".  But you spend so much time potty training them and telling them how important it is to tell you when they have to go, I knew I shouldn't do that.  Annoyed, I scooped up my daughter and my purse, and then somehow managed to lift my son out of the cart.

Once in the restroom, our only option was the handicap stall, since it was the only one that would fit all of us.  Once in there, I didn't see a diaper changing station to set my daughter on (though I later realized it had a tiny seat you could buckle small children into), so against my better judgement, I set her on the floor.  Then, turning around to tend to my son, I found him playing with a plunger and asking "What IS this?".  I pulled his pants down and was about to set him on the seat when I realize the toilet seat is gross.  But what was I going to do now?  We weren't all going to fit into another stall and his pants were already down.  So I wiped the seat off as best I could and let him pee.  (Let me just say, he did actually go...but barely.  It was definitely NOT a dire situation.  He merely wanted to mess around in the bathroom.  I was not happy!)  After he was done and I pulled his pants up, I turned around to see my daughter basically rolling around on the floor.  As we left the stall my son started asking about washing hands.  I wasn't about to attempt getting all of us washed up.  So I got everyone back to the cart and gave everyone hand sanitizer.  It was the simplest solution.  It's moments like these that I wonder why I want more children.  But what can I say?  I am a glutton for punishment.

We finally got checked out, picked up our groceries, and unloaded them at home.  From start to finish (from the time I leave to the time I get back and put my groceries away), it usually takes me about 20 minutes.  It took us an hour.  At the end of it all, I'm pretty sure my duaghter neither enjoyed or appreciated the new experience.

This is an example of why I don't take kids to the store with me.  I'm glad there are "super moms" out there who can manage a hand full of kids at the store and have everything under control.  I, apparently, am not one of them.  I definitely have a new found appreciation for my mom who took all four of us kids to the store with her on a regular basis.

Bonding

Anthony was a bit apprehensive when I decided to start a blog...mainly because he was concerned I would write about him.  Well, he was right;  but I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog anyway so it will be our little secret.  ;)

One of the ways in which Anthony have fun and bond is through tickle fights.  I know, it probably sounds stupid, but it's actually a lot of fun.  Anthony and I are both pretty ticklish and both competitive (i.e. we both want to tickle the other one more the we get tickled), so it makes for a pretty good time.

Anthony definitely has the upper hand, as he is quite a bit stronger than I am.  If he gets a hold of both of my arms, there is no way I'm going to be doing any tickling.  The only way I ever have a chance to win is by executing my signature move.  I call it, "The Terminator", because it terminates any chances of Anthony winning the fight. (Ok, I didn't really have a name for it.  I just made it up.  But it's such a good move, I thought it was deserving of a name!)  My move is sitting on Anthony's chest and pinning his arms down with my knees so he can't use them.  Then I reach behind me and tickle is belly!  He is completely at my mercy at this point and has to beg me to stop!  BWAHAHA!  (Sorry, I got carried away there.)  It's probably the only time in my 25 years that carrying around the extra poundage has been a good thing!

So, these tickle fights can get pretty intense.  The other night one broke out on the couch and somehow we fell off.  Anthony landed on my upper left arm.  Pain instantly radiated up and down my arm and I was pretty certain it was broke.  Anthony felt bad for me and stopped tickling me.  (This time I actually was hurt, but I have been known to fake injury before.  Then when Anthony lets his guard down I attack him.  I know it's dirty, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.)  After writhing around on the floor in pain for a few minutes, it started to feel better. 

Then a few days later, we were having another "fight".  I was just about to execute my move.  Anthony, sensing this, knocked my knees out from under me.  Starting to fall, I instinctively tried to put both hands out to catch myself.  In do so, my elbow connected with Anthony's jaw.  The sound of his teeth banging together was quite loud.  He was pretty sure his jaw was broke.  He was ok, though.  Then this conversation ensued.

J:  Did you bite your tongue?
A:  No.  It's a good thing.  I probably would have bit it off.
J:  Well that would have been a funny thing to have to explain to people.
A:  (Jokingly) I would just say it was spousal abuse.
J:  I'm pretty sure had you bitten your tongue off you wouldn't be saying much of anything!

So, that's one of the ways Anthony and I bond.  Childish, I know, but oh so fun!  I do sometimes worry that one of us will break something at some point and be out of commission for awhile.  But you know what they say, "It's not any fun until someone gets hurt!".  What?  That's not the way the saying goes?  Oh well.  I like mine way better!

Sincerely,
The Terminator

Grocery Shopping

It's the beginning of a new month.  Do you know what that means?  Grocery shopping.  I have a confession, I HATE grocery shopping.  I don't know why, I just do.  When Anthony and I first were married, I planned meals for a week at a time and then went shopping for what I needed for the week.  I hated spending time every weekend grocery shopping.  I eventually started going every other week and then I went twice a month.  Now though, I go once a month (for the most part, I'll tell you more about that later).  That's right, I plan my meals for a month and then go shopping for them.

I know what you are thinking.  "I can't even decide what to have for dinner tonight let alone for an entire month at a time."  I bet if you give it a try, you might find it to be easier than you ever expected.  I hated planning meals just a week at a time.  I usually would plan the same things over and over, and I would get bored with what we were eating.  Other times, I wouldn't be in the mood to cook (or eat) any of the meals I had planned for the week.  Planning for an entire month and writing it all down helps me see what I'll be making and plan a better variety.  The worst would be when I would plan a bunch of time consuming meals and not have them time to cook them.  Then we would end up eating take out or frozen meals, neither of which are usually good for the waistline.

Two things I am good at and like are being organized and planning things out.  I use both of these to my advantage.  Here's how I make this work for me.

1.  I figure out how many days in the month I need to plan meals for.  For example, looking at the calendar, I'm going shopping September 3, 2011 and know the next time I will go to the store is October 1, 2011.  I don't cook Sundays, so I don't count any of those days.  I also take into account any days when I know we will be eating away from home.  This month, there aren't any.  So my total for the month is  24.  I know, it sounds like a lot.  Most of the meals I make, however, have leftovers and they feed our family for two days (so those meals get counted as two meals).  In reality, I only plan out about 12-13 different dishes.

2.  I start writing down meals I know I want to make.  To create a variety, I pull ideas from different categories.  Usually for a month, I try to cook 2-3 pasta dishes, 1-2 Mexican dishes, and a breakfast dish.  To fill in the rest, in the summer I tend to do more sandwiches and food on the grill and in the winter I do more soups and "meat as the main dish" meals (i.e. ham loaf, meat loaf, poor man's steak, etc.).

3.  Once my list is completed, I start making my grocery list.  I go down through my list of meals one at a time.  I look at my recipes and figure out off the top of my head what I already have on hand, and what I need to buy.  The things I need go right onto my grocery list.  If I'm not sure if I need something, I write it on a separate sheet of paper.  At the end, I go through my refrigerator, freezer, cupboards, and pantry to see if I have these items or not.  So I go through this process (being sure to write down any ingredients I will need for the sides for my meals as well) for each meal I plan.  Then I add any items I will need for breakfast, lunches, and snacks.  VOILA!  I'm nearly done for an entire month.

4.  The only exception to this, obviously, is fresh produce.  What I do is, next to each meal, I write down any produce I will need for the meal.  Once a week, I pick the meals I'm going to make over the next week and write the produce I need for them on a shopping list.  Then I go to the store, once a week, to get fruit, produce for my meals for the week, and milk.  I'm in and out of the store in about 10 minutes.  It's wonderful!

I realize this isn't for everyone.  Most people would say I'm crazy!  It does take some planning.  In addition to planning and buying for an entire month of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, I also buy any cleaning supplies, health care/beauty items, etc. for the month.  Since I only do major grocery shopping once a month, I go to three different stores (Buehlers, Save-a-lot, and Walmart) to get the best prices (I have learned over time where things are cheapest so this has become pretty easy).  It sounds like a lot, but in the long run I save time and money, and am less stressed.

Here is what I have planned for the month of September in case you are interested.  The two in parentheses means we are either going to have it two days in a row (because of leftovers) or it's a one day meal that I plan on having twice throughout the month.  The stuff that follows the meal is the produce I need from the grocery store each week for that meal.  This is how my meals list looks.

Stromboli (2), salad
Taco Soup (2)
Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches (2)
Soup and Sandwiches (2), salad
Stuffed Peppers (2), green peppers
Easy Ravioli Bake (2), salad, Buehlers fresh Italian bread
Chicken Noodle Casserole (2)
Breakfast Bake (2), green pepper, onion
Sausages (2), corn on the cob
Enchiladas (2), homemade salsa ingredients
Lasagna (2), salad, Buehlers fresh Italian bread
Chicken Tortilla Soup (2), garlic, cilantro
Hot Dogs (2), corn on the cob

Well anyway, it works for me.  Maybe it will work for one of you out there!

Sincerely,
The woman who everyone gawks at in Walmart because my cart is so full items are falling out of it .
a.k.a. Jenni

P.S. - For those of you who gawk at me, no, I do not have twelve children at home whom I am feeding, at least not yet anyway!  ; )