Breakfast: the fuel of champions!!

As soon as I finished posting this morning, it occurred to me that my opinions of what 'breakfast' is all about have changed drastically in recent months. Mainly out of necessity. Last year, when I was working and could afford it,the kids ate breakfast at school every day. I had to be at work between 7:30 and 7:45 every morning--after dropping the kids off at school. I was also going to college at the time and would stay up late studying every night, so I was in no shape to get up at 5:30 or 6 daily to fix breakfast. The little one went to work with me daily (preschool) and would eat breakfast there. So this year, I have had to get back into the groove of fixing a morning meal of some description, without it eating my lunch (yuk, yuk, yuk).

When most folks think of breakfast, conjured images of pop tarts, dry cereal with milk, or bacon and eggs come to mind. All of the above are well and good--and pricey. I do use eggs, but not generally as the main meal. I use them as an ingredient to muffins, coffee cake and the like. Feeding eggs to our family of 6 on a daily basis would require a whole dozen EVERY morning. Um, yeah. That gets pricey. Also, I hardly ever buy dry cereal. Why, u ask? Because unless I have a coupon and can get it for around a dollar or less a box, it costs a LOT of money for us. We could plow through a whole box each DAY. I also don't buy pop tarts for the same reason, with the exception of exceptional deals via coupons and sales. You may now be wondering what exactly I do feed my kids. So here is a small list: muffins (Jiffy muffin mixes are dirt cheap and very tasty!), coffee cake (there is a recipe for blueberry style on the side of the blueberry muffin mix box--yumm!), cinnamon toast (made with homemade bread I bake a few times weekly and freeze), fruit and regular toast, banana bread, malt-o-meal (lasts forever but they'll eat it gladly), and oatmeal. I will back up a little here and clarify one thing: I DO boil a dozen eggs periodically for breakfast and label that carton to keep in the fridge. Boiled eggs stretch farther than scrambled and seem to fill the kiddos up better. I know, I know, I'm a tightwad. But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. As long as we're eating well, who cares??? lol

Bah!! Monday :-(

I love these cold, rainy mornings . . . makes me wanna hop right outta bed. NOT!! My alarm went off at 6 this morning and hubby said he heard a horrible mumbling grunting noise coming from my side of the bed, lol. But, I got up and got his clothes ironed for him while he showered. Then I had to fix breakfast for the kids and get them ready for school. I am so thankful for my couponing on mornings like this. I picked up cinnamon rolls (the GOOD kind) this past week for about 40 cents after coupons. Woo-hoo!! MUCH better than fixing something elaborate when u just wanna crawl back into bed and lay there all day.

Oh, and I just wanted to add: I've only knitted 4 rows on my (1) dishcloth. Maybe I'll give 'em as Christmas gifts NEXT year . . . heehee :-)

Oh, and by the way . . .

tonight's menu is Taco Salad and cornbread, with oreo cheesecake for dessert. Heheee!! YUMMY :)

Knitting up a FIT!

I got this brilliant idea after church (and a nap) today. I haven't broke out the old knitting needles in awhile and christmas is coming up. I thought I would knit up a bunch of dishcloths for christmas gifts. . . Ahem. Apparently it's been awhile since I've knitted. Once again my ambition may have gotten the best of me. So here I sit, knitting up a fit. Literally. Yes, knitting needles and yarn are inanimate objects. Yes, they have no clue why I'm yelling at them. But you know what? It makes me feel better. So there!

It never ceases to amaze me how people go into complete panic mode during a 'tight' spell, financially speaking. I have been in this situation many, many times myself. It stinks; reeks, even. Granted that my husband makes a fair amount of money, and does get a V.A. check every month. I chose to be a stay-at-home mom this year. Long story short, it was MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better for our family that I stay home. The other addition is that we have four children. Four kids do not an easy, breezy budget make. You have to feed them, shelter them, and there are always things they need for school ( I said need, not want.) Also, my hubby is diabetic, among other health problems. Prescription medication is not FREE, but it is NECESSARY for him.

In the past (and recent times!), we have had multiple ways to get through financial hardships. Have there been times we have had to ask for help? Certainly. Am I proud of that fact? NO. However, there are a few strategies I have in place to not only help prevent things from getting too out of hand, but to pick up the slack when unexpecteds DO happen.
Here are a few:

1. Budget, Budget, Budget. I cannot stress enough how crucial this is to almost anyone who has to manage money. I HAVE to know where the paychecks are going, and what needs to be done with them. If you have to cut back in other areas when things are tight, DO IT. I have discovered that many utility companies, and other bills, have arrangements you can make with them to help you through a rough patch. Pick up the phone--it can't hurt to ask! Also, if you have to cut back a little on groceries, there are ways to do this without starving. I'll add this in next.

2. Menu Planning. Let me just say, the weeks I DON'T plan a menu, everything suffers. I don't set anything out the night before to thaw because I don't know what I'm gonna fix the next day. When 5:00 sneaks up on me (Wow--already????), I don't have a CLUE what to fix. Many times this has lead to getting take-out--another evil to us tight-budgeted people. When my menu plan is in place, I don't have the anxiety of 'what to fix'. I know what I need to get ready, which in turn gives me more time to do housework and other things that need to be done. Anything that gives me more time is a GODSEND.

3. Just say no! I don't care if everybody and their little brother has it, why do YOU need it? 'Nuff said.

4. COUPONS, YAAAAAAAYY!! I am fairly new to the whole coupon thing. I have discovered recently that it honestly is worth my time, and a few dollars for a Sunday paper and an All You magazine, to clip these suckers. I will also freely admit to doing my shopping at least 30 minutes away from home to save myself some money. I did the math, and I save more in groceries and supplies than I pay for the gas to drive where the deals are.

5. Pantry Challenge. Before you EVER leave the house to get groceries, take inventory of your pantry, fridge and freezer. ESPECIALLY if you are having financial trouble. I take a note pad and go through all these areas and start making my 2-weeks menu based on what I already have. There have been times I have actually got away with only buying milk, eggs and cheese to get us through because we already had a LOT hidden in the nooks and crannies. Once you make your list, STICK TO IT. It will eat your budget alive if you don't.

I will talk more on this subject later, but for now, this should suffice. Just these five little tricks have saved us a bundle.

Mmmm . . . seaweed!!

We, like many American families, live paycheck to paycheck. Generally speaking, the last few days before my husband gets paid again are 'lean' days in our household. So to be blunt, we're broke. This past paycheck we had more than the usual bills to pay so the pantry and fridge have been pretty bare the last couple of days. So what's a girl to do? Scrounge around in each location to find the hidden treasure that lies beneath, er, inside. Last night I fixed a supper that would've made my memaw proud: turnip greens with bacon, fried okra, pickled beets, and homemade biscuits. I was so proud of myself for finding such good fare when I originally thought things looked pretty bleak. I set the table with some of our nicer dishes, laid out the food, and stood back to admire how 'good I done'. I will admit to being a little nervous. My children do eat fairly well, but sadly, they are used to chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza and the like. However, they will usually scarf anything that is put in front of them. I called the kids to the table and they all took their usual seats. The older kids looked at some of the dishes and asked the usual questions of 'what is that', 'have we had that before', and 'why don't you fix biscuits more often?'. I was contentedly filling everyone's plates (feeling quite proud of myself), when above the usual din the four year old pipes up, points to the turnip greens, and says, "Mmmmm . . . SEAWEED!!" You could've heard a pin drop. I was sitting there with my mouth open and my fork in mid-air. Then the dining room exploded in laughter. The older kids and I were laughing so hard our sides ached. Through it all, the four year old sat in her chair looking quite confused at how we all found this so humorous. When things calmed down, I said, "No honey, those are turnip greens." She looked completely astonished at me. "Well, then, I don't want any." Her older brother pointed out that she seemed excited about it only moments ago. Her reply? "THAT was because I wanted SEAWEED." Okay, okay, so what I did next may not have been the right thing, but I couldn't help it. "Wait a minute. Let me check the label on the can again." So I did. And I fibbed. And I glared at the older children not to breathe a WORD. And we all happily ate our seaweed and called it a day.

Breathe in, breathe out

Gee whiz, looks like I've missed half a month of blogging! In our house, we have had 3 (count 'em: 3!!!!) rounds of the stomach virus. So, there have been a few things put on the backburner. Like blogging. And dishes. And laundry . . . you get the picture. The house and laundry are slowly getting back into shape. Hoping to have it back up to my slightly OCD standards by tomorrow. I may have set my sights too high however, because I have blinking lights going on in my peripheral vision. For those of you who are not savvy, it means a migrane in my very near future. Maybe I can get things mostly done by this afternoon.
The older kids had their first night of karate last night. They did really well for first timers. It's a really good form of self-discipline and exercise. I did it when I was little and really enjoyed it, so I hope it will be beneficial to them.
Ally brought home a note from school informing parents of the field trip on Friday. They will be visiting the Dale Bumpers Research Center. She will have a blast. She absolutely LOVES animals and farming stuff. Maybe someday we'll have a farm of our own . . . oh, who am I kidding?? Ed McMahon ain't showed up on MY doorstep yet . . .