Random Thoughts Today

I'm sure I will be back later to post something yummy. I just felt like posting on this fine Monday morning. I'm in a very peculiar place today, and it feels good. I am in the wierd position of not having any obligations to anyone other than myself and my kids. I am not in the middle of planning a big holiday event, I am not planning to cater a wedding for 100 people, I'm not beholden to anyone for my time. It's a place I haven't been for awhile. For anyone who was interested, a few weeks ago I was in a serious dilemma over whether or not to accept a job offer. Be assured averyone, I am not taking the job. I don't know why I would be doing it, and I don't want to spend time away from my kids. This last week I also did something unexpected. I officially resigned from my Assistant position for the High School musical. So they are going to have to find a new seamstress and set dresser. And I feel REALLY good about that decision. Andy still might be involved, but I won't be. No more stress for me. The only obligation I have right now is to church. And that's a little obligation. I can handle cleaning a building at my leisure for a few hours a week. So what am I to do with myself?

Well, other than the obvious of spending as much quality time with my kids as possible, and playing in the kitchen, I'm just not sure what is going to occupy my time for the next several weeks. I have several ideas floating around inside my head, I'm just not sure if the timing is right for some of them. So it will be a fun few weeks. I will likely focus a little more on my blogging. I really enjoy the daily conversations with myself, but there is so much more I could do with my blog. You may see a few changes coming up. One for sure change is that I am going to participate in a weekly event called "Weigh In Wednesday." Weigh In Wednesday is really a day of the week set aside for reflection. Like most people, I feel I could stand to lose a few pounds. Childbearing has not been as kind to me as I would have liked, and I would like to shrink a pants size or two. Wednesday will be the day that I discuss my diet and excercise (or lack thereof) and check in to see how I am doing on my goals. This Wednesday will be my first post on that subject, and I will share my personal goals, my plan, and my point of view on dieting in general.

Another goal is to do better in my weekly menu planning. Things have been a little hectic around here, and my planning has not gone so well. Careful tracking of expenses the last two months shows that we are spending way too much on our food budget. By being more careful with my menu planning, I can easily trim that down, and I intend to do that. Without getting into the dollar figures, looking at our grocery bill for January, you would think that we had been dining daily on filet mignon, fresh seafood, and rack of lamb. :-o Hopefully tightening my fist will not result in too much dissatisfaction around here. Because it would be nice to be able to occassionally dine on the aforementioned filet mignon, fresh seafood, and rack of lamb.

So to start of this week, I will share our likely menu plan for the week. I really do have it easy. Abigail likes frozen waffles for breakfast before school. Zander likes cereal. Check. Abigail has school lunch, Zander really just picks at fruit, cheese, and sausage. Andy likes luncheon meat and cheese sandwiches. Check. So my big menu plan is strictly the dinner hour every week. I'm sure if I set some kind of order to lunch time, it would help budget wise, but I prefer to focus my energy ont he family meal of the day. Here is this week as it stands right now:

Monday: Asian Salisbury Steaks, Brown Rice, and Chopped Salad

Tuesday: Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew, Corn, and Applesauce

Wednesday: Mustard Maple Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Red Potatoes, Broccoli and Tomatoes

Thursday: Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake, Mixed Vegetables, Pineapple

Friday: Homemade Pizza Night

Saturday: Out to dinner