Terrific Tuesday

I have had my struggles lately keeping on task, I am working on finding a solution to help me stay motivated and busy during the day.  That being said I have a list of things to be done today, hopefully I can get them all done!  I have to finish my meal plans for the next two weeks tonight.  I'm looking for some more healthy and nutritious meal plans for my family so we can be a little more health conscious.  On the rest of my list for the day is:
~Laundry
~Dishes
~Wipe down appliances
~Clean top of fridge
~Clean microwave
~Sweep living room floor
~Wipe down couches
~Sweep laundry room floor
~Dinner - pork tenderloin, creamed potatoes, green beans, brown gravy

Daily Scripture:
    She selects wool and flax
         and works with eager hands.
                     Proverbs 31:13

Wow!  Looks like today's verse might help send me towards the solution I was looking for!

My Busy Weekend

My husband was off this past weekend, in fact he had almost 4 days off since he was sick.  This is the first time in a long long time we have all had that many days together, and it was truly missed.  When he started feeling better we got to work on the bathroom we have been renovating over the past month (pics to come soon).  We painted the walls and the linen closet and installed the vanity light.  Between handling the boys and working on that project I didn't get a lot done around the house, including cooking.  We ate out way to much over the last couple of days so I have to make up for it over the next few days.  I did manage to get my floors mopped and stay up with the laundry. 

We also had a really nice day here yesterday so we all got to play outside for a couple of hours.  My DH mowed the grass and I pulled weeds while the boys played.  I think it was a productive weekend just not when it comes to staying on schedule and getting all the housework done. 

It is yet another Monday and we still have lots to do, like every Monday I guess.  Tonight is spaghetti night so the cooking part will be fairly easy and will give me some extra time to play with the boys and get some more projects done around the house.  Like that recipe binder I've decided to add a little flare to!

I've been a little late on my scripture memorizing so I'm picking up where I left off on Friday.
     She brings him good, not harm,
         all the days of her life.
                    Proverbs 31:12

Activity Box

A few weeks ago I found myself looking for a better way for the boys to help pick what kind of activities we would do when we had some free time.  So I came up with the idea of turning an old wipe box into a storage container for little cards with different activities printed on them.  I printed little cards from this website for free!  They have all kinds of little cards from chores to daily routines and back again.  For my project though I printed all the ones that the little boys love to do, like paint or play on the trampoline.  After I printed them out I pasted them on to some scrapbooking paper to give them a little flare on the back.  I then to take it a step further

and laminated the squares to protect them from little hands.  I love the variety it gives us with our free time, but still keeps us structured plus the boys think of it like a game. 

Sick Kids + Sick Husband = LAZY DAY

A couple of days ago I noticed my kids were coming down with something, so like any other paranoid mother I carted them off to the pediatricians office to have their symptoms checked.  My concerns were confirmed by what the doctor calls a virus, I honestly think this is just a word they use when they know they are sick with something and don't know what.  My oldest son, who has had breathing problems in the past was promptly put on steroids and breathing treatments to help curve his cough before he gets pneumonia AGAIN!  Then my baby was told to rest and let it run its course.  So off we went to get home and wait for daddy to get up who was working the night shift.  I thought he would be able to help with the kids but when he woke up it was confirmed that he was sick too!  Great now I have 3 sick boys and only 2 hands.  Do you get where I am going with this?  That is right, I can't get anything done!  So now it is Friday and I am still trying to find the time to get yesterday's chores done.  I did get most of my cooking list done, everything except the waffles and pizza dough so the housecleaning shouldn't be to much.  It really is a big help now that the DH is home to help out too.  Then again, I might just take the day to rest, who knows what the time will bring.  Sometimes it is nice just to be lazy!

Today's Scripture:
    Her husband has full confidence in
                  her
        and lacks nothing of value.
               Proverbs 31:11

Thursday Chores

If you take a peak at my HMB page you will see that every day I have a list of chores to complete.  Recently I have added to this and I am trying to remember a bible verse a day.  I am starting off easy and going with Proverbs 31:10 - 31 for my first section to memorize since I already know some by heart.

My To-Do List:
~ Clean trash cans
~ Sweep living room floor
~ Wipe down couches
~ Sweep laundry room floor
~ Clean toilets
~ Clean bathtub
~ Wipe mirrors in bathroom
~ Dust bathrooms
~ Laundry (daily)
~ Dishes (daily)
~ Wipe bathroom sink (daily)
~ Sweep kitchen and dining room (daily)
~ Put away toys (daily)

My Bible Verse:
A wife of noble character who can find? 
  She is worth far more than rubies.
         Proverbs 31:10

A Marathon of Cooking

I have lots and lots to do today!  I have a ton of things to cook and decided to share with you before I get started.  Well the first 2 things are done, but I still have lots more to do.  Yesterday I put a pork roast in the crock pot so I could make pulled pork sandwiches for dinner tonight.  I have a crock pot that I can take off the warmer and then it is a serving dish, so I stuck it in the fridge last night and this morning put it back on low so I can shred it later.  I also made pigs in a blanket for the boys breakfast with the LAST 2 waffles out of the freezer.  Next on my list is breakfast burritos, I make a batch of 20 and freeze them so my husband can eat and I don't have to get up at 4 a.m. to make him something.  I also need to make more waffles for the freezer.  They are in high demand in my house and go quickly.  I still have to put a chicken in the oven; I will shred it to make chicken enchiladas and chicken salad sandwiches later this week.  Tomorrow for dinner we are going to have roasted chicken so I might cook 2 chickens today and get the other one out of the way.  I also want to try and make some pizza dough, I have never done this, so I'm hoping I can get it done in time to make pizza for lunch.  Wish me luck, I might need it!

Weekly Meal Plan

Today is Wednesday, and on this day I plan out my meals for the week.  I do my grocery shopping every other Wednesday so I find it really important to keep a stocked pantry and a menu planned for each meal.  If you want to find a great FREE printable for menus organized home has all kinds!  So on this weeks menu we have:

Wednesday: rosemary roasted chicken, garlic Parmesan orzo, steamed veggies

Thursday: pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potato fries

Friday: spinach chicken enchilada, guacamole, and salad

Saturday: pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, green beans

Sunday: Teriyaki chicken with rice and salad

Monday: spaghetti with Texas toast

Tuesday: garlic chicken orzo

I also will be cooking a bag of breakfast burritos for the freezer and waffles for the boys.  It is so easy to fix and freeze, then they can take them out on the mornings we are in a hurry or I don't want to cook breakfast.  If I get a chance I will also be making some pizza dough to freeze as well.  This makes pizza time way cheaper and my family loves homemade pizza!

A Day in the Life of Me

Before I decided to blog about my home life I was following a few different ones.  One was Mrs. Candy at joyfulchristianhomemaking, and she challenged others to record what a day looked like in their home.  Yesterday was my manic Monday.  I call it this because of all the laundry I know I'll have from changing all the bedding.  However this day was a little different.  First off, my son didn't have school and I decided to be a little more modest in my day.  I'm a jeans a T-shirt girl from my heart to my toes, but yesterday I adorned myself with a skirt and a knit top.  It was a learning experience, and maybe I'll try it again more often.  As long as I don't look "old" as my husband put it.  So here it goes a day in the life of me:
7:00 a.m. ~ The first critter, Logan, crawled out of his bed and into mine.  I love these kind of mornings.
7:30 ~ Critter two, Cason, joined in on the cartoons in Mommy's bed.(Side note DH left for work at 4)
8:00 ~ We all get up, I change the boys and they go play while I get dressed.

8:15 ~ Start breakfast, on the menu today is campfire donuts!
8:45 ~ We all eat Breakfast

9:00 ~ I jot down a few notes and the boys scurry off to play then I feed Marley, the puppy beast they call a golden retriever, then I start on breakfast dishes
9:30 ~ The boys ask to watch a movie that is coming on TV so I allow them so I can get started on cleaning the house.  On to laundry I go!
10:00 ~ By now I have one load in the washer, the dishwasher is going, I've changed Cason, vaccuumed, dusted, and tidied his room. 

10:15 ~ I start hanging up shirts from the dryer then move on to getting the rest of the kitchen clean.  My counter tops are a hub for junk!

11:00~ My kitchen is now clean and I pull out colors for the boys to color while I make lunch.  On the menu is tuna salad, cucumbers, and apple wedges.

11:30 ~ By now the boys have eaten and it is time for quiet time!  Cason takes his nap and Logan goes to his room to play and watch a movie (he is autistic and needs the time alone to unwind from his mornings) Then I start on my lunch and take a little break. 
12:15 ~ I change out another load of laundry, fold some clothes, and put clean sheets on my bed.  I also take the quiet time to fix my hair and put on some makeup for when my hubby gets home later.

1:00 ~ Change out yet another load of laundry (I usually don't have this much to do, I promise).
1:15 ~ Cason is up and changed, he had a diaper leak so now I have to change his sheets AGAIN! YAY more laundry, then I fold blankets and sheets.
1:30 ~ Take time to sit and jot a few notes
1:35 ~ Time to put away all the laundry and fix a snack for the boys, apples and granola bars.
2:00 ~ REST!!!
2:45 ~ I start cleaning Logan's room, vaccuum, dust, and tidy.  It needed lots of tidy today!

3:20 ~ Unload dishwasher, by now my DH has called and said he didn't want spaghetti for dinner (our usual Monday night cuisine) and opted for sushi instead, that ofcourse was fine with me!
3:25 ~ Laundry, the story of my life today!
3:40 ~ Play with the boys and wait for DH to get home early at 4!
4:15 ~ Daddy is home and the boys take advantage of it! Sorry my camera died about this point.
4:45 ~ Leave to go pick up dinner
5:30 ~ We all eat dinner then get the boys ready for bed.
6:00 ~ The boys go to bed, yes I know this is early but our autistic son can't handle much more after this time so they go to bed.  My husband decided to go to bed too.  I stayed up and watched TV, I was exhausted and elected not to do anything since everyone was asleep.
10:00 ~ Time for bed.  Goodnight!

Saturday Weekly Planning

On Saturday mornings I always try to lay out my week ahead.  It gives me time while the children are watching cartoons to get some quiet time to make a list of things that need to be done. This is mostly things that may have been neglected in the last few days.  Since I have had the flu this last week my list is very long this time.  This Wednesday is also my shopping day, I usually get all my grocery shopping done every other Wednesday (payday) so it takes me a few days to get all my menus lined out with grocery list and coupons in hand.  I start on Saturday with getting the menus down, on Sundays I will pull any coupons I need, and on Monday I will start making the grocery list.  I try to finalize everything on Tuesday and have it all ready, especially if I have to go to multiple stores.  I also go through my homemaking notebook (I hope to have this posted soon) and make sure everything is in order and all appointments and household things do not collide. 
My to-do list for today:
Change sheets on all beds
Laundry
Dishes
Wipe down cabinets
Clean kitchen sink (make it shine)
Dust hallway
Sweep floors in kitchen and dining room
Divide and conquer toys
Cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner
10 minute strength training
30 minute cardio
Bible study
I definitely have a lot to get done today, so I better get moving!