28,229!!!

We're going up!! YEAH!!!!
Oh, BTW, that is my HCG level from today. I spoke with the nurse and we both happy that the number just about doubled. She said the number is going up and that is what we are looking for. Next up is the ultrasound on Wednesday. The nurse said we should be able to see something.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Thanks,
Judy

17,451!!!

That is my HCG level from yesterday. All I can say is WOW!!!! When the nurse called today to tell me the number I thought I was going to fall over when she told me. This is a very reassuring number to me. When I had my ectopic 6 years ago the numbers never got above 400 and that was over a series of 4 tests and about 2 weeks.

All week I have had waves of nausea but today....oh...I am sure you can imagine what happened. Lets just say, I have never been so happy to vomit in my life!!! I know that might sound gross to you, but for me, it was reassuring. You see, with both ectopics I never got sick. With CJ and Zachary.....sick-sick-sick.

I called my sister after I got the numbers in. She was excited to hear the numbers but even happier when she heard I puked. I think her exact words were "Oh, Thank God!"

Please continue to have us in your prayers. Tomorrow, Thursday, is my second HCG level. We are looking for the numbers to go up, preferable double.

Oh good, my honey just came home with sea bands. I am going to try them for the nausea.
Toodles,
Judy

Week 5--Update

Yesterday I spoke with the doctor's office. To my disappointment my regular doctor no longer does deliveries. Because I have to have a c-section, his partner will do it. I can see the midwife for all visit with the exception of 2. They set up my first visit for February 17th. I let the receptionist know I had some concerns regarding past and current medical history. She said she would pass it along to the nurse and I would get a call back.

To my delight, the nurse called me back within 10 minutes....talk about fast!! I went over past history (see previous post) with her. Because of it I have my ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday, February 4th. I have two HCG level checks this week, today being the first and again on Thursday. PRAY for my numbers to go up.

As far as current medical history, some things we will just need to keep a watch on. I was nervous before I spoke with her because my regular NP has been watching my blood pressure since October because it has been a little high. I am not on medication for it yet. The nurse told me they will watch it and if it starts to go up they can put me on something. In fact she said they have "lots of meds to chose from for it". I did take something for palpitations and a fast heart beat while pregnant with Zachary.

I did have to chuckle when I did hear that I was considered "Advanced Maternal Age". Are they serious? I am ONLY 35!!!!! They make it sound like I am grandma Moses having a baby here.

I am wondering how the fibromyalgia is going to be through this. I have flare-ups everyone once in a while, especially when I do too much. Rest, diet and exercises are going to be very important during this time. Since I found out on Friday I have been eating MUCH better. I am going to be looking into massage therapy and chiropractic care for myself. I have heard both can have great benefits during this time.

Thank you for your wonderful comments and prayers.

Emily's Big Announcement

This is how I feed a baby...

This is how I hold a baby.....

I'm Gonna Be a Big Sister!!!!

Yes, it's true. Talk about being shocked!!! All week I suspecting it but figured since Chris had surgery I would wait to find out. Sure enough... 2 lines showed up on the test. WOW!

It might seem early for me to be telling the blogging world that I am pregnant, however, I am telling you because I could use your prayers. I am down right scared.

I have had 2 ectopic pregnancies in the past (most likely due to endometriosis). The first one was a year before I got pregnant with Zachary. It was in my left tube and they had to go in a remove it and repair the tube. My second was about 6 years ago. They never actually saw the ectopic. They monitored my HCG levels and never saw a pregnancy in the uterus. Because of this the conclusion was an ectopic and they suggested methotrexate as treatment. We never knew which side it actually occurred on.

Almost 2 years ago I had a 6 cm cyst on my left ovary (do you see a pattern on that side?). I had to have the ovary and tube removed. When I did have this surgery the doctor said she did NOT see endometriosis.

Have you ever heard the saying "Ignorance is bliss"? Well that is how I feel. I was a little nervous when I found out I was pregnant with CJ and Zachary. But this time...I am down right scared and nervous. Between what has already happened to me and what I have seen in the nursing field I know there is so much that could go wrong. I don't want to spend the next 35 weeks like this.

With that I ask you would cover us in your prayers. I have been trying to think of scriptures to meditate on. If you have any I would love to hear them.

Thanks,
Judy

Finally, Surgery Update

Sorry it has taken so long to update you on my husband, Chris', surgery. He is still in pain. I hate seeing him this way.

As far as surgery day itself...it was a long day. We got to the hospital at 7 am with a planned time of 8:30 for surgery. The doctor was late arriving to the hospital and he had one small case to do ahead of us.

I use to work as a RN on a surgical floor for 5 years at one of the hospitals in the city. The hospital Chris had surgery at I did some per-diem work 4 1/2 years ago for one summer. I thought the chance of me knowing anyone at this hospital would be slim (compared to if he had it done at the 5 year hospital). I try not to mention that I am a RN. Sometimes medical personnel feeling that you are stepping on their territory, so with that my lips were sealed. Sure enough, 5 minutes after he gets there, one nurse comes over to put his IV in, she looks at me and says "Didn't you use to work here?" Busted! I told her I did for a short time (still leaving out it was as a nurse). Not 3 minutes after her another nurse (the patient advocate) came over to introduce herself, looked at me and said "Weren't you a nurse here?" The cat was out of the bag. The three of us started talking nursing while the first nurse was putting the IV in Chris. All-of-a-sudden, Chris says "I don't feel good" and starts passing out!!! YES HE DID!!! I looked over and all the color was gone in his face, his eyes were flickering and he was going. I couldn't believe it. I felt so horrible.

That was the start to the day. From there they gave him 3 doses of med to relax him....IT DID NOTHING!!! They gave him 2 more doses on the way to the OR (operating room). In the OR they had to give him double the med to put him to sleep and 1 1/2 times the normal does of a muscle relaxer (which they later told me they should have given him more). He had a lot of board.

I was told the surgery would take an hour. It ended up taking almost 2. The surgeon came out to see me after and said Chris' nose was a mess and not a surgery for a new or inexperienced surgeon to preform.

About 20 minutes later the nurse patient advocate came out to give me an update. Chris was in the recovery room swinging and trying to grab his nose. I was afraid that was going to happen. Chris was a Marine for 4 years and he has been in the law enforcement field for almost 10, I was afraid all his training was going to kick in when he was out of it. And boy did it. Thank goodness they were able to calm him down (I believe they probably game him pain medication to knock him out).

After 2 hours in the recovery room I got to see him. He was so pale and looked miserable. They had to put oxygen on him because his oxygen level had dropped to 85% (after surgery you want to see it above 95%). For the next 2 1/2 hours they would go back and forth between putting the oxygen mask on him and taking it off. He was very close to being admitted into the hospital overnight. Finally, he started waking up more and was able to maintain his oxygen level.

On Wednesday they removed the nasal packing and tubes. He has been feeling a lot of pressure around his face. I think he feels worse than he expected to.

Thank you for the prayers. Please continue to pray for him and our family. Lots going on.
Judy

Hubby's Surgery Update

Hi Everyone.
My hubby, Chris, had surgery yesterday to fix a deviated septum (nose). Yesterday was a rough day (details to follow later). Today he said he feels worse than yesterday. Could you please keep him and our family in your prayers.

Thanks,
Judy

Menu Monday

I am not sure what this week is going to bring. Chris, my hubby, is having surgery tomorrow. He is having a deviated septum repaired. I had this done when I was 18 and I was miserable. I had my tonsils out at the same time so hopefully that is what made the difference.

I have tried freezing some breakfast food that the kids can just grab and warm up without me. For lunches I picked things that I know CJ or Zachary should be able to handle. Tuesday nights dinner will be prepared today (it just happens to taste better the next day anyway). Wednesday and Thursday's dinners are in the freezer, with Friday being an easy dinner. So here's to the week!!!

Breakfast---no particular order
Cereal, muffins (freezer), French toast (freezer), Pancakes (freezer), LaMuffin's, Banana Bread (will make today), and Saturdays are OYO (Own Your Own)

Lunch--again, no particular order
Mac & Cheese (Zachary is a pro at making), grill cheese, L.O. Soup (L.O. stands for left over), Turkey sandwiches, OYO, and Thursday is co-op day--probably Subway sandwiches (I know, in no, way-shape or form organic).

Dinners--
Monday--Taco's (This is usually on Taco Tuesday, but since the surgery is tomorrow and I wanted to have it this week will have it on Monday and call it......Manic Monday : ) I do have names for the other days of the week we have tacos.

Tuesday--Portuguese Soup

Wednesday--Chicken Pot Pie already in the freezer and ready to go.

Thursday--Chicken and Beans over Rice. This is also in the freezer. All I will have to do is make the rice.

Friday--Pasta of some sort.

Saturday--Pizza

Sunday--Roasted Chicken

Head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Monday Menu Plans.

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Chris and I are celebrating our 17th Wedding Anniversary today, January 18th!!! I tell the kids, "This is the day we became a family."

Me with my Mom. She gave me away. Doesn't she look so proud.

Me with my brides maids. My sister is the beautiful lady one step below me.

Chris with the guys. My sister Glenda's husband is the first guy on the left.

This last picture is one of my favorites. We are leaving our reception to start our new life together. To me it says "We are outta here!!"
WOW, 17 years!!!! It is mind blowing. Where has the time gone. Sometimes I look around and I can't believe this is my life. I am the grown-up. I am Mom. I am Mrs. ___ (which I still get a kick out hearing). I not only have 5 children but one of them is 15. How did that happen (that is rhetorical of course ; ) It's just sometimes I feel like it was a blink of the eye and I was that girl in the picture above.

17 years brings thoughts, feelings, expectations and what is really important into focus. Here are some things I have learned over the hears:

1. Love is not a feeling but a decision you make on a daily basis to put someone else's needs above your own. (I hate when I hear people say "I love him, but I am not in love with him". What?)

2. Even the most expensive material possessions cannot compare to being held by Chris when being told we lost a pregnancy.

3. "I'm sorry" goes a long way.

4. A shatterproof ketchup bottle WILL break if thrown across a room.

5. Because of #4, I have learned never to throw anything again (or at least have better aim---kidding, of course I am kidding).

6. A bread machine is a great anniversary present.

I love it!!! Funny thing is, if he gave this to me for our, say 4th anniversary I would have probably cried.

7. A house is just a place to hold your possessions. A home is the love of your family, no matter what the address says on the door.

There is no one else in this world that I would rather go through the bad times with. Good times are easy. It is the bad ones that bring out the true character of a person.

I love you Chris. Happy Anniversary!!!!!

Room Do-Over

Last weekend Chris was going to wash the dining room rug. As we cleared out the room I said "uugg, I hate these yellow walls. I can't wait to paint them someday." The "someday" became "that day". Yes, that's right. My husband decided right then in there he was going out to buy paint. "But wait!!" I said "When I said I wanted to paint, I didn't mean today!". TOO Late. He had it set in his mind and I could either pick out the color while he did the taping or I could just sit there with my mouth open and watch him do it. I decided to go with the first choice. In all fairness.......I have had the paint swatches since July/August. To me, painting never fit nicely into the schedule.

So here's the before. As you can see, he already did the taping. 2 walls are yellow and 2 are white. That is how the house came. We rent, but the landlord, who lives 1,200 miles away, told us we could paint when we moved in.

This is me figuring if you can't beat him...join him!! Honestly, I did about 3/4 of the wall and then I had enough.

Bye-Bye ugly yellow. Hello Blue : )

The Love of my life.

Zachary and Alex watching the entertainment

And now, for the finished room........

Tah-Dah!!! I LOVE IT!!!

The blue brings out the furniture so much better. BTW, that is my $200 piano you can get a glimpse of and my $190 dining room set. Both from Craig's List.

Now it is my job to find decorations and curtains for the room. I have an idea of what I want for curtains. It is just a matter of finding them. Not sure what I want for decorations.

I do want to end with a big THANK YOU to my Honey. Even though I wasn't for painting "that day", I am so glad we, I mean He did.

Going Organic Part 1

This past week was my first week grocery shopping organically. I knew going into this it was going to be a slow process and I wasn't going to be able to switch everything all at once. I would love to get to the point that we are buying 75% organic and most of my food is from scratch. This is a TALL order for someone who this time last year considered her part of cooking was dialing the phone, pouring the bowl of cereal for the kids and popping the frozen pizza in the oven.

So where to begin......I had no idea really. I started doing research. Have you ever heard of Sara Snow? She grew up "first generation organic" and now has a t.v. show. I saw her on Jon and Kate Plus 8 and googled her. She has great information and suggestions on starting out on the road to organic.

The first thing Chris and I did was make a list of the top 10 foods we use. Sara suggests this because these food will have the great impact on us. Our list included
chicken broth
milk
rice
pasta
spaghetti sauce
salsa
butter
chicken
apples
eggs

I knew some of these things were going to have to wait like the chicken. I still had 2 weeks worth of chicken in the freezer left. Rice and Pasta are going to take a mixed approach. I will eventually buy them and then mix 75% white rice to 25% organic and build to 100% from there. This week I went with the salsa, spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, cereal for the kids and a box for Chris, turkey deli meat (I don't think this was organic, but it was hormone and antibiotic free)

Next, Sara recommends switching over animal products. Organic is best, with hormone free---antibiotic free being the substitute. With this in mind, I bought organic milk, organic eggs (can't use them yet---this has a story), organic butter, and hormone free mozzarella cheese.

On to Fruits and Veggies. Some F&V are considered "Cleaner" than others, meaning they have a lower pesticide or chemical residue. Sara recommends starting with the "Dirty Dozen" of F&V to switch over. Let me just tell you....not an easy task in January.

The Dirty Dozen include:
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Imported Grapes
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

The "Clean" F&V include
Onions
Avocados
Frozen Sweet Corn
Mangos
Pineapples
Asparagus
Frozen Sweet Pea
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya

Now I can tell you.....7 of the things on the clean list we usually don't eat and on the dirty list we eat 10. Talk about being off balance!!! I was having a hard time finding most of the "dirty" F&V. This week I did buy organic apples, salad mixture, carrots, zucchini, applesauce, and red peppers.

As far as cost, I found that since I was making such an effort to buy organic, it didn't make much sense to then fill up on prepackaged junk food. So I ended up actually spending less on groceries.

I have been trying to eat more F&V this week. But in spirit of full disclosure...my body wanted High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!! I have splurged and had an ice cream sundae one day and a dessert from The 99 Restaurant another----and boy did they taste good : )

Like I said....it's a slow process. We are moving in the right direction. Take last night as example, I made chicken fajitas and we had it on Whole Wheat wraps....this is a BIG deal for me. You notice I said me? That's because the kids have been eating whole wheat bread for years.

So I am up for suggestions. Is there anything you recommend we try or do?

I LOVE Target!!!!

When I was out last night doing groceries, I swung by the girls department at Target. I have to tell you, since Jessica became a size 7 I have found it harder and harder to find her modest clothes. I mean seriously. Up to size 6 you can find little girlie stuff. Starting at size 7, most of the clothes look like they belong on a 20something going to a night club. It actually disgusts me.

Because of this, Jessie's clothes have been....oh, lets just say we have downsized. She does not have mass amounts of clothes like she use to. In fact, she has gone from being the one with the most clothes to the least. So I am always on the look out......and what a deal I got!!!! All the clothes I got were not only on clearance, but it was take an additional 30% off!!!

Silky PJs --original price 19.99---my final price $3.49

2 Sweaters--each originally $12.99---my final price $2.27 each

Brown shirt--originally 11.99--my final price $2.09
Brown Sweater--isn't actually for Jessie. It isn't her size but I
think I know someone it will fit.
Original price 14.99--my final price $2.62

And finally, drum roll please.....
Pea Coat--I have been eying this all season....
Originally 34.99.....my final price....$6.12!!!!!

Total Original Price---$107.94
My Total----$18.86
Savings---$89.08!!!
Yahooooo!!!!
That's about 83% off there original price.

Living in New England she will be able to get at least 4 months out of these clothes.
Also, they are size 7/8 so I am thinking so of this may fit her still in the fall. : )

Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday

I don't know why I have brain freeze when it comes to making up my menu. I guess it is because I get worried that everyone will get sick of something I am making if I put it on the menu too much. Then there are the meals that when I do put on the menu I know I am going to get an eye roll over. I promised myself I would not go grocery shopping until it was done. Last night around 6:15 I was finally done and ready to head out the door.

Chris is having surgery next week on Tuesday the 20th. I planned next weeks menu too. My plan for next week during his recovery is to keep things as simple as possible. To do this, I will be doubling some of my breakfast meals this week and put them in the freezer. I will also double 1 of my dinner recipes to put in the freezer too. I already have a chicken pot pie in there for next week.

So Finally, with no further ado........

Breakfast (no particular order)
french toast (will make a whole loaf and freeze whatever we don't use)
pancakes (double batch---freeze some)
LaMuffin's
Bagels with cream cheese
cereal

Lunch--when I did my menu I just numbered 1-10 (for the 10 days remaining until payday) and put 10 things down. I will decide each morning what lunch is going to be. Zachary is getting pretty good at making mac & cheese and grilled cheese on his own. I am hoping to someday be able to give over lunch prep to the kids.

Dinner
Monday---I made a roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in the crockpot.
Tuesday--Chicken and Beans over Rice (I am making a double batch of this so I can freeze one for next week).
Wednesday--Chicken Chili over rice (this is an eye roll meal)
Thursday--Chicken Fajitas
Friday--busy night. I have my month homeschool meeting and hubby is going to bringing the boys to a hockey game. Sloppy Joes with fries.
Saturday--either Calzones or Pizza
Sunday---Happy Anniversary to Us!! The kids and my mother will be having Hot chicken with egg noodles. Chris and I will be going out to dinner.

I started buying some organics this week. I hope to do a post by tomorrow about how we are going about this. So make sure you come back ; )

Head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Monday Menu Plans.

And She Finally Sleeps

Like I am sure many of you, December seemed like a blur. It was very busy with excitement and activities. Each week for 3 weeks in our home we were getting ready for something special. Birthdays, one the week before and after Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and Day, snow storms, movie nights, people coming over, and people staying overnight all play havoc on a child's schedule. Most of the kids handled the change in schedule fairly well. For a 2 year old it can be overwhelming.

Normally Emily takes a nice 3 hour nap daily. I would put her down somewhere between 12:30 and 1 and off to sleep she would go. With the craziness of activities in December, Emily decided she didn't want to miss out on a thing. Naps became just about obsolete. If I was lucky, I could get her to take 1 nap out of a week. Now this was not from lack of trying on my part!! I would put her in bed. She would just find ways to entertain herself (like taking off all her clothes, or kicking the side of the crib into the wall). Most days, her not taking a nap didn't effect us.

But what would happen when we started the school year back up?!?!?! HELP!!!!

I NEED her to take a nap during school time. It is the time during the day I can really focus on teaching the kids without worrying that Emily is getting into something (does that sound mean of me). I had to figure out a way to get her back into her routine.

First off, I looked at the difference of her "normal" routine and what it had become. You know what I found? I was letting Miss Emily sleep until she woke. It was sometimes 9:30-10 before she would get up. I figured she was tired and needed the sleep. But then, I wanted her to go and take a nap in the afternoon (somewhere around 2-3). She wasn't ready or needed to.

So starting Friday, January 2nd I started waking Emily up. I started a little earlier, 8:30. She was a little grumpy face, but she got up. And you know what....she took a nap. Oh good. Saturday I got her up at 8. Same results. Oh, I think I am on to something. Sunday was 7:45...yahoo, another nap!!! On Monday, our first day back to school, I got Emily up at 7:30. And a great thing happened, she took her nap!! YES!! I got her back on her schedule!!!! Chalk one up for Mom : )

A New Adventure---Organic!!!

I have been thinking long and hard lately about the food my family eats, cleaning products and what it all means for the family budget. I have to admit first off that we have never been tried and true with a budget. We have never had X amount of money aside for groceries and when its gone that's it. It has been more to the effect of---I would like to spend X amount, that is our goal, but if things come up then so be it.

I have been using Shaklee now for over a year. I have to say, I love the products. They can be a little heavy for the wallet though. That is something I battle. When it is time to order I try to make a larger order (because of shipping). I get all anxious about spending that kind of money. It lastly usually until the products come in. Then, when I open the beautiful brown box I am thrilled, take a sigh of relief and go on until I have to buy stuff a few months later.

I was looking into making some products on my own. I did make my own knock-off of Clorax Anywhere spray (btw, Google is a great thing). I put 16 ounces of water in a spray bottle with 3 drops of bleach and tah-dah......Mom's Anywhere Spray ; ) I had looked into making my own laundry detergent but after reading that Borax can cause fertility problems or problems for an unborn baby I decided to pass (never know what the Lord has in store for us).

This is going to be an ongoing process. I know that overnight we will not become earthy-crunchy. It is going to take time. I just can't believe we are heading in that direction. I would LOVE to hear from others on things they do---recipes, tips, and saving money---all natural, organically. In fact, I was thinking of making this a weekly series. What do you think? I just have to figure out how to set up one of those Mr. Linky things : )

Mama Mia and Field Trip Fun

Sunday was a Sissy Day. Another words, a day for just me and my sister. I have been calling her sissy for as long as I remember and it has always stuck (even though I am 35 and she is.....well lets just say she is older). We both now use it when we refer to our daughters with their sisters.

So Sunday was just us. I met her at her house and then she drove us to Providence (Rhode Island. less than 40 minutes from my house) to go see.........MAMA MIA!!! Now I know we had good seats because she bought the tickets about 8 months ago, however, I didn't realize how FANTASTIC the seats were going to be. We were in the second row!!! If we were any closer we would have been part of the show : ) We could practically reach out and touch the orchestra. Talking about the orchestra, I could have sat there for the 3 hours just watching them. They were unbelievable. The music sounded like it had to be a recording, and in fact, if I didn't see them playing with my own eyes I might have sworn it was. But nope, it was live. This is us waiting for the show to start. I held out the camera and snap.

We have gone to see other shows before, never with too much luck. You don't believe me. How about we went to see Phantom of the Opera and didn't realize before hand that it ACTUALLY IS AN OPERA!!! I think we both left a little dumbfounded (or at least dumb). We have seen Grease (like the movie better), Phantom, Annie, Sound of Music, and Les Miserables (the sound was horrible). By FAR the best was Mama Mia. We went to see the movie when it came out and didn't really like it (of course she had already bought the tickets for the play). After we watched the movie my Sissy told me she really isn't a fan of Abba. Now she tells me! I was young when they came out. I thought this music was up her ally and brought back memories for----NOT. So I was feeling awful about dragging her to the play. But we both ended up having a great time. She even got up for a short while when they were singing songs at the end (noticed I said short while.) She said it was the best show we have seen and she would definitely go again. I told I would too but she needs to work harder next time to get us in the first row ; ) kidding of course.

Next month we are going to see Fiddler on the Roof. I need to do some reading up on it ahead of time.

After the show we went on a little field trip.....
FINALLY I got to Whole Foods!!! YAHOO!!! I have heard such great things about this place and I have been wanting to go for some time now but never ventured out to go. Since we were already in Providence we headed over there. That place has everything you can think of. If it wasn't for the fact that I was getting hungry I would have stayed longer, taking my time to go through all the aisle more carefully. I can't wait to go back. Sissy told me when I am ready to go back to just let her know. It will be soon.

After our adventure at Whole Foods we went and visited my niece at the restaurant she works at. She was definitely the cutest waitress there. It was slow so it gave her the time to come and sit with us for a while.

It was such an enjoyable day, just the two of us. I can't wait to do it again.

Oh, one more thing. I told my sister that I would publicly acknowledge the great job she did in getting the tickets and I will NEVER make fun of her again for being so anxious about getting tickets---even when the show is 8 months away. She deserves her props...Glenda, YOU DID A GREAT JOB!!! LYB!!! (She knows what that means. It's sissy code)

Menu Monday 1/5

Can you believe that not only is it a new week but a new year! December was a huge blur. I feel like I need time off from my time off : ) I know I can't be the only one who feels this way.

So here's the first step back to normalcy, my weekly menu.

Breakfast (in no particular order this week)--oatmeal, blueberry muffins, french toast, LaMuffin's, cereal, OYO (Own Your Own),

Lunch (again no particular order this week)--mac and cheese, L.O. (leftovers), Pasta, PB&J, BLTs, cheese with fruit

Dinner:
Monday--Tacos (Yes, I know I usually have Taco Tuesday but this week we are having Manic Monday and having tacos today), rice and veggies

Tuesday--Beef Stew (if you must know, I switched this morning the tacos and beef stew. I forgot to take out the beef stew meat).

Wednesday--Chicken Soup

Thursday--First day back to high school co-op. Chorico and Chips (fries). Chorico is a Portuguese sausage. I buy the turkey kind instead of pork.

Friday--Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti, salad or green beans

Saturday--Pizza night. I still haven't gotten around to making a homemade pizza from scratch. The closest we came was when Chris picked up a pre-made crust.

Sunday--Roast (a piece of chicken for me), potatoes, carrots, onions all thrown into my crockpot before church.

Head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Monday Menu Plans.

Polar Plunge 2009 : )

My 15 year old son and 4 of his friends decided they wanted to do the Polar Plunge. For those who don't know about this crazy experience let me explain. This is when, traditionally on New Year's Day, you jump in the water at a beach. Now this may be fine if you live in Texas or Florida...but this is New England!!!

One of the other mothers researched risks associated with doing this. It was then determined that is was safe (enough) to allow the kids to do. Honestly, the 5 kids really are great kids, and if this is the craziest thing they want to do than so be it. Sometimes in parenting you have to give a little.

So here's the weather breakdown of for the day. It had snowed about 6 inches the day before. On New Years day the air temperature was a whopping 16 degrees with a wind chill of below zero. Water temp was approximately 33 degrees. CJ is in the blue floral shorts. FYI, running down the beach he lost one of his shoes. The boys went under the water.

On Your Mark--Get Set---GO!!!!

No Looking Back Now!

In We Go!!

AWESOME!!! Refreshing.

I can't believe I just did that!!!

The kids LOVED IT!!! They all can't wait to do again next year. They did however all decide they are going to enjoy the year instead of wishing it away (pretty wise of them). The other 2 mothers said they are going to join the kids doing it next year. I on the other hand, will be more than happy to be a towel holder (due to my Raynaud's syndrome).

Funny story---after the kids did the Polar Plunge the 3 girls jumped in the van to warm up (the boys were in my hubby's car). Another group showed up after them. One of the mothers yelled "Hey look, there's another group doing it!" They she turned around and started yelling "OH NO!!! NO! NO! NO!! DON'T LOOK!!" The group that came after got down to their birthday suits (if you know what I mean) and jumped in. One of the guys from that group then proceeded to do snow angels in the snow on the beach.

2009 Goals!

Over at The Happy Housewife, Toni has listed her Goals for 2009 and encouraged others to do the same. She broke it down into 8 categories. It is a great way to evaluate what you are doing and what you would like to do in the future. I have been praying, thinking and mulling this over for days now. I have purposely not read others goals yet because I did not want to be influenced by what they are doing. But now I feel ready to give my list (and check everyone elses goals too). This list is of course, subject to change (including additions or deletions).

Books to Read---Most of these are books that I have either started reading already or I have on my nightstand just waiting for me. FYI, it just happen to come out to 12 books : )
Don't Make Me Count to Three---Ginger Plowman
Heaven at Home---Ginger Plowan
The Five Love Languages of Children--Gary Chapman
Captivating--John and Stasi Eldredge
Help for the Harried Homeschooler--Christine M. Field
Boundaries with Kids---Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
The S.O.S. for P.M.S. (thanks Kate : ) ---Mary M. Byers
Multiple Blessings---Jon and Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson
Harried with Children--Karen Scalf Linamen
Stop Dating the Church--Josh Harris
Mother Warriors--Jenny McCarthy
Pleasing People, How Not to be an Approval Junkie--Lou Prido

Homeschool Goals
Create and work off a doable schedule
Finally finish Algebra 1 with oldest
Set aside time weekly for Planning and right out work to accomplish
Visit library with children at least twice a month
Teach Alex to read
Learn how to make lap books (and do them)
Do more hands on activities with the kids

Personal Goals
Exercise 4-5 times a week
Get dressed every morning before staring school (more to come on that one)
Lose 20 pounds (I know I need to lose more, but I need to set a realistic goal to begin with)
Eat breakfast
Learn more about blogging (example--learn how to do a cool layout and how to cross words out)
Work on anxiety
Scrapbook or some other craft once a week (probably Saturdays)
Learn and do more sewing

Financial Goals
Dive into Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover and become DEBT FREE!!!
Find ways to save money (this weekend I am going to be making my own laundry detergent)
Christmas Club--will have Chris set this up to go in an account by direct deposit

Homemaking Goals
Try 1-2 New recipes every month
Cook 4 nights a week
Stay caught-up on laundry (do at least 1 load a day)
Room by Room organize

Family Goals
Family night 2 times a week minimum (games, movies...plan old fun)
Work on putting each others needs ahead of our own
Devotions daily

Places to Visit----Now this list may sound funny to those who know me personally and live in the same area. You would think from the list that I was either new to the area or a tourist. I am neither. I am just someone that has extreme anxiety about traveling out of my comfort zone. One of my goals this year is to overcome (or at least deal with) this anxiety. It has held me back for too long. Most of these places are actually within an hour of our home (yes, I know that is sad).
Cape Cod (Chris and I went there on our honeymoon. Can't remember the last time we went there.)
Boston Museum of Science
Boston Aquarium
Plymouth Plantation
American Girl Store (this is a whopping 1 1/2 hours)
Homeschool Convention (this is about 1 1/2 hours away but I feel safe doing this drive because we have done it 7 times already---unless it rains. Then the anxiety is back).
Camping--We have gone camping 3 times at a fantastic campground. We usually only go 1-2 nights because we tent it. I would love to rent something there this year and stay a week.

Spiritual Goals
Galatians 5:22-23. Fruits of the Spirit
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control

So this is it. Goals for 2009. Now here is the hard part, reminding myself these are goals for the WHOLE YEAR!!! I need to keep working on them and not get discouraged.

I also would like to use this list as a springboard for some blogging.

Happy 2009!!!!

Happy New Year!!!
Many Blessings to all of you.