Menu Plan Monday 4-26

Monday:  Sandwiches, Chips, Spinach salad

Tuesday: Balsamic roasted pork loin, Mashed potatoes, Beans, Arugula salad

Wednesday:  Leftovers (Hair appt for me)

Thursday:  Trader Joe's Ham and Gruyere Pizza

Friday:  Pot luck at Church for Drew's Communion Milestone (haven't decided what I am bringing)

Saturday:  Garlic lime chicken, Brown rice, Corn, Fresh fruit

Sunday:  Cheese manicotti, Garlic italian flat beans, Antipasta salad, French Bread

Menu Plan Monday 4-12

Monday:  Sandwiches, chips, fruit and yogurt parfaits

Tuesday: Glazed meatloaf (last time I made two so I just have to take this out of the freezer), Baked potatoes, Maple Roasted Butternut Squash (Barefoot Contessa recipe)

Wednesday:  Leftovers (Exec board meeting for me)

Thursday:  Chicken fried rice, Toast, Citrus fruits (fresh from FL)

Friday:  Pizza

Saturday:  Grilled pork chops, Grilled potatoes,  Salad,   Dessert:  Fruit pizza

Sunday:  Garlic lime chicken, Brown rice, Corn, Fresh fruit

We're home! Sunday To Do List

We had an absolutely fabulous Florida vacation.  The weather was perfect and we soaked up as much sun and fun as we could before heading back to WI.  Speaking of heading back to WI, the traffic on the way home was absolutely crazy.  So MANY MANY delays.  I thought I might go insane.  After all the fun and games it is back to reality and my rather unglamorous to do list for the day.  I cannot believe that April will be half over this week.  I guess that's what happens when you start the month on vacation.

I plan on getting back on track with Project Organize Now.  There will be TONS of organizing going on in our household this spring/summer as we get ready to host a family reunion of Greg's family (over 20 of us) that will go from Tues-Sun with a 50th anniversary party on Friday night/Sat for extended family (probably over 50).  Thank goodness I have months to figure this all out (and of course Greg's siblings are helping with the party).  His sister's family (SIX kids)  and his parents will be staying at our house.  God Help Me!  ;)

Needless to say there will be lots of painting and some decorating to spruce things up in certain rooms.  A new couch REALLY needs to be purchased for the living room and the basement needs to be decluttered.  Greg has been working hard on that.

In the spirit of full disclosure my 40 day lent trash bag challenge was a FAIL.  I probably through out 10 bags, so the effort was not for nothing.  There was too much to do to get ready for out trip to FL an that was the first priority.

Today is all about getting back to the reality that is my non vacation life.  Boo!   We invited my parents over for dinner tonight so we can give them the goodies we purchased for them on the trip home (lots of citrus from FL and some Georgia pecans).  We will cooks something simple for dinner.  Cooper has missed them much and we skipped church this morning so we could get unpacked and organized.

Sunday to do list:
1) Laundry, laundry, and more laundry
2) Unpack, unpack, and more unpack
3) Grocery shopping
4) Weekly menu plan (after a 2 or more week hiatus)
5) Straighten up house

Florida bound

I have been a busy busy girl for the past week getting ready for our trip to FL.  I have all three boys packed.  YAY!  Tonight I went through my clothes and put together five outfits and about 20 pairs of sandals.  I have a section of my closet devoted to possible clothes to bring on our trip and I need to keep whittling down what to bring.  I have my to do lists so I make sure nothing is forgotten.

I had a meeting after school today and decided to do some baking for our trip when I got home.  I had made the dough for some chocolate chip M&M cookies yesterday and baked them today.

I also made some Special K bars with some decorative sprinkles.

And also some rice krispy treats.  Everything looks better with sprinkles.  :)

I have all three boys packed up.  Holla!  I haven't had time to post any organization tips lately, because I have been focusing on getting packed up and organizing the house.

Planning for a road trip

We have an upcoming road trip planned to FL and I am starting the process of organizing for the trip.  We will stay at a hotel for one night on our way to visit my ILS.

Things to do before you pack:
~Make sure all laundry is clean and put away (this makes packing so much easier!) (√)
~Make sure the house is clean (no one wants to return to a messy house) (√)
~Make a shopping list for food/travel items/toiletries (√)
~Notify post office to have mail held (√)
~Cancel the paper while you are gone (√)
~Plan route on GPS or map (√)
~Get van serviced and fill tank with gas the night before you leave
~Make sure all bills are paid or set for auto pay while you are gone
~Download songs/shows to iPods
~Haircuts for boys (√)
~Get cash from ATM

Make a list of things you need to pack:
~We always pack our own pillows when we travel
~Each family member gets a list of things to pack (if your children are old enough have them make a list of the games/toys/books they want to make sure to bring)
~Each of our boys has a square carrier to keep their travel items organized in the van
~Food/snacks to pack
~Medications and first aid kit
~Pack one bag per person and then have one bag for all toiletries
~If you will be stopping at a hotel for the night pack one bag with jammies/clothes for the next day so you don't have to unpack every bag

Things to do before you leave:
~Change sheets the night before you leave so you come home to clean beds  (√)
~Make sure your house is clean.  It is so nice to come home to a sparkling clean house  :)
~Clean out the fridge before you go and throw out anything that will not be good when you return (√)
~Water plants or set them up in a water bath before you go
~Notify neighbors that are keeping an eye on your house (√)
~Set the furnace where you want it

PON Week #5 "Organize Your Personal Information"

I am following the weekly schedule found in the book:

The book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Week 5 is "Organize Your Personal Information" This is the first chapter of the section on Organizing Your Papers.

This Week's Goals:

~Decide where you would like to store this  information.  I have not decided where to keep my master list of where all information is stored.  If I get super organized I will leave a copy with my parents so it anything happens they have a copy of the master list.

~Label each category so it can be easily referenced.


These are the categories the book lists:  I added anything listed in blue
A)  Finances
     ~Credit score
     ~Credit/Debit Card numbers and phone numbers to call if lost or stolen
     ~Bank account numbers
     ~All budgeting information
     ~Net worth statement


B)  Health
     ~Allergies
     ~Blood pressure
     ~Health issues
     ~Cholesterol level
     ~Family blood types
     ~Insurance EOB forms
     ~FLEX receipts
     ~Immunization Records


C)  Safety
     ~Emergency contact info
     ~License plate and VIN numbers
     ~Current photos of family members with height and weight info
     ~ Photocopies of passports


D)  Just in case 
     ~Measurements and clothing sizes


E)  Other
     ~Children's report cards 
     ~Important school papers/info (I keep these in a separate binder for each of my boys)


Important Documents that should be kept in a fireproof safe:
     ~Marriage license
     ~Birth certificates
     ~Adoption papers
     ~Auto titles
     ~Stocks and bonds certificates
     ~Wills
     ~Death certificates :(
     ~Household Inventory List
     ~Valuable contacts
     ~Passports
     ~Home deeds and titles
     ~Insurance info
     

I need to get myself on track with paperwork.  It is definitely an area in my life that needs much improvement!

*Stay tuned for the chapter on "Organizing Your Trip" coming soon.  We will be a doing a road trip to FL in April and I plan on posting about getting organized for the trip.

Menu plan Monday 3-15

Monday: Pizza hotdish (recipe follows), green beans, fresh baked bread, pineapple, pear, cherry side

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Guinness Corned Beef, cabbage, red potatoes, marble rye bread, irish soda bread

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Garlic lime chicken (recipe follows), brown rice, corn, fresh fruit  We ended up having leftovers again

Sunday: Dinner at PF Chang's




Pizza Hotdish:
Brown 1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground chuck in an electric frypan. I season the meat with Mc Cormick's Pizza Seasoning Grinder and also add sliced mushrooms. Cook one 12 oz bag of whole wheat egg noodles al dente while browning meat. Once meat is browned drain any fat and then add one 15 oz can of pizza sauce and parmesan cheese to taste. Mix in drained egg noodles. You can also add sliced black olives if you like at this point. Top with 8 oz shredded mozarella cheese and cook until melted.



Garlic Lime Chicken

Mix together:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp thyme

Sprinkle mixture on both sides of:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In a skillet heat over medium high heat:
2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil

Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.
Turn down the heat, remove the chicken (keeping warm) and add:
½ C chicken broth
4 TB lime juice

Whisk up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly.

Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Serves 6. Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 55g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol; 612mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.