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Asian Noodle Stuff

Please tell me that I'm not the only mom who's home turns into complete chaos at dinner time.

Fortunately almost all of my recipes are quick and easy and don't require any real measuring...

Boil whole wheat spaghetti noodles.


Then I tell him to get out from under my feet and go play.


I set out these ingredients.


"Ma!" (He calls me Ma.)


I tell him again to go play, then in the last few minutes of the pasta boiling I throw in a bag of frozen broccoli.


"Ma! Ma! Ma!" (now he's broken hearted.)


Oh yeah, those sauces above? Mix them in a measuring cup to equal about 1 cup of liquid. I do 1/4 cup of Italian dressing and eyeball the rest until I have 1 cup. Put it in a small pot and bring it to a simmer. I also throw in some garlic and ginger.

Now he's made a mess of the floor and has moved on to the dog's food and is throwing handfuls at me.


The dog happily comes to clean it up, The Baby is screaming at me again.


I drain the pasta and broccoli (somewhere in there I cooked some chicken too), then toss it all with the sauce.


Finally! I pay attention to the ultra needy turd Baby, make a dish of noodles for the big kids and we can all eat.

It's quick and easy and healthful! You can, of course, adjust as you need. Add pork or sliced steak instead of chicken. Add chopped mushrooms. Add a bag of stir fry veggies instead of broccoli. Whatever.

Dinner time wears me out some days.

Saving dough....

One of my hobbies is saving money. I'm not "cheap" to the point of being tacky, by any means, but if I can save a dime I get such a rush out of it! That means more money to spend shopping on etsy or to save for Disney.

So here are a few tips.

-When you make juice from frozen concentrate, add an extra can of water. You can't taste the difference.

-Tear dryer sheets in half.

-Use half of the suggested amounts on laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent.

-Do at least one meat free day a week. If you're cooking for a family this will create a noticeable savings!

-Hang your laundry to dry, if you can. If you need to fluff it, just throw it in for a few minutes when it's nearly dry.

-Cut out alcohol and cigarettes.

-Stretch meals with pasta (whole wheat), rice, and potatoes when you can.

-Shop thrift stores in nice areas of town. They'll likely have name brand items for dirt cheap.

-Recycle as much as you can.

-Create meals based on what food items are on sale that week.

What tips do you have for saving your pennies?

Ham_urger.

I went to this fine establishment the other day to grab a quick dinner for the family. (I know, I know... bad mom. We were working on our flip house and didn't want to go home and cook.)


We got our food, pulled away, I distributed it to everyone. I open my sandwich and reach in to pick it up and it felt SUPER wet and greasy on bottom. Gross! I wiped my fingers off and tried again. Same thing. Then I looked closer because I couldn't believe that suddenly after 31 years, I'd forgotten how to eat a burger. Well, there was no bun!! A big greasy patty and toppings were placed neatly in the box, without bread.

I'm no cooking expert but it seems like a hamburger should consist of two basic components - a patty and a bun. If you're missing one of those two, well it's not a burger.

A few more....

Like I said it's been crazy busy around here lately.

We are so fortunate to have a program offered in the public schools that is Bible School! I know, crazy, right? It's been around in our town for about 85 years and is run by volunteers. One day a week they go to the classroom and pull out the kids who've parents have signed the permission slip, then take them across the street to a church and do a little Sunday school/bible study thing. It's great! The school provides sack lunch for the kids on those days. For many of the kids, this is the only "church" they get.

At the end of the year they have a graduation ceremony and here is The Girl's graduation the other night.

Graduation, birthday parties, and sleep

The Boy had his Kindergarten graduation a few nights ago and was so proud!





His two beautiful teachers! Mrs. M on the left had a baby a few weeks ago so Mrs. E on the right has been the sub. They are both fabulous ladies!!


After the ceremony, there were cookies in the cafeteria. If only they'd had a booster chair!


Also over the past few days The Girl had a birthday and turned 8 yrs old!


Yellow and white daisies were a huge hit!


She had a sleepover and the kids all made cards and gift bags with scrapbooking supplies. It was a "scrapbook party" without actual scrapbooks.




The big kids thought it was hilarious to stick balloons to the walls with static electricity. haha!


And believe it or not, Hannah Montana even made an appearance!!


And after such a busy weekend, The Baby couldn't take anymore.