Tumultuous Thursday

Wednesday was a horribly busy day here, most of it spent out of the house at various doctor appointments. I dislike those days. I didn’t even attempt to do the laundry because I didn’t have a chunk of time at home to even make sure a load was completed.

For those of you who don’t know I am a big fan of the follow it though method of laundry. I won’t start a load unless I know I can complete all the stages: wash, dry, fold and put away. That way I never wind up with a mountain of clean clothes sitting somewhere. That to me is an invitation to quickly become a pile of dirty laundry.

So Thursday will be a great day to try and get caught up. We are expecting the rements of Tropical Storm Nicole to hit. It looks like a lot of rain and wind with some possible flash flooding in certain areas will be hitting here tomorrow morning and through the afternoon. So I will have time to catch up on the laundry and figure out my main level organizational plan and maybe, just maybe try to get a start on it.

The upstairs is looking good. I am enforcing an evening room clean up after dinner so the children’s rooms are staying neat. The master bedroom is no longer a dumping ground. I have assigned each child a day to wipe down the bathrooms so the never get to the point of gross. I am pleased that the upstairs is functioning wonderfully.

Now I need to transfer that concept to the main floor. My nemesis remains the buffet. As much as I promise myself that I won’t let it get out of hand, within two months it is back to overflowing with papers to be filed, junk mail, and other “stuff.” Not to mention it is now the homeschooling hub so a lot of activity goes on around there daily. It is a work in progress to figure out what will work for us.

Here is hoping I can get something figures out that will work for us. You all have a wonderful dry day!

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

PrepWise Wednesday

This weekend was a major shopping weekend. I visited 5 stores and spent an obscene amount of money. (Well not really, but more than I usually spend at one time). I was restocking the pantry. With everything going on this summer I wasn’t shopping the sales and we were eating out of the family’s pantry. In a way I am glad we did this since some the items had been around a while and it cleared the shelves.

I was very thankful we had those supplies in the house. It freed me from having to worry about shopping in the midst of all the chaos. With the food was in the house, Richard or Mandy were be able to figure a meal if I wasn’t around.

Now I am restocking those pantries and freezers. My main goal is have three months worth of food in the house by November. Why November you ask? I am remembering this last winter:

Last year we started with the record breaking amount of snows in mid November. Having food in the house took away a worry. I knew we would be able to eat. We made sure we had the propane for the gas tanks full so we could have hot meals even if the power went out.

Richard and I are now talking about getting a generator. This would be used to run the pellet stove for heat. Of course that would mean having to store gas or diesel fuel so that we could run the generator, so we are looking for a safe place to store the fuel too. Not to mention finding a place to run the generator to the exhaust does not come into the house, while at the same time make sure it would not get stolen.

What are you all doing to get ready for the upcoming winter?

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

Traditional Tuesday Restart

Now that summer has come and gone and my life appears to be heading back onto a “normal” path, I am returning to my traditional foods lifestyle. We slipped into the convenience of the traditional American diet with all the crises and chaos this year. I am noticing this change, some in the children’s behaviors and attitudes, some with my behavior and attitude and mostly in how I am feeling overall.

I am inviting you to join me in moving your diet to a healthier one. Do some research and see if this will work for your family. I didn’t think it would for mine, but now I can tell it did make a difference.

The premier book on this topic is Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions. That book is packed with a lot of information and recipes. Another great is a Nina Planck’s Real Food: What to Eat and Why. I encourage you to pick up one of these books and read them with an open mind and see where can easily make changes and get started on the traditional foods lifestyle.

I would encourage you to join the Cooking Traditional Foods forum. This site contains a huge amount of information. The members are extremely helpful and friendly so don’t be afraid to jump in and ask questions. And if you are looking for some great traditional foods menus you can subscribe to the menu mailer. As a matter of fact if you are new to traditional foods now would be the perfect time to join since the mailer has started a Back to the Basics series to show you how to switch to a traditional foods lifestyle.

I look forward to seeing you all at Cooking Traditional Foods!

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

A favorite song of mine

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

Menu Planning

With the crazy summer, I had gotten out of the habit of planning the weekly menu. Life fell into OH NO What’s for Dinner Mode! And I really hate that. So I am back to planning the menu. It has taken a bit to get into the routine, but here it goes.

Sunday
Mass and Family Day
Chicken Breasts
Seasoned Rice
Roasted Asparagus

Monday
Doctor Appointments
Mandy’s Induction into the National Honor Society
Pork Roast (in the crockpot)
Baked Potatoes (in the crockpot)
Salad

Tuesday
Doctor Appointment
Meeting for Bookfair Planning
Spaghetti
Salad
Garlic Bread

Wednesday
Doctor Appointment
Patrick Speech Therapy
Fish Sticks
Macaroni and Cheese

Cauliflower
Applesauce

(Looking like a very white meal. LOL)

Thursday
Doctor Appointment
Boy Scouts Court of Honor
Leftovers
Fend for yourself

Friday
Many Doctor Appointments
Breakfast for Dinner
Pancakes
Bacon

Saturday
High School Homecoming Dance
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs
Baked Beans
Chips & Dip

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

Quiet Day

Not much happening around the Zoo today.

I did a little shopping. We did a little cleaning. I was a campaign volunteer at a local festival for the republican gubentorial candidate.

While I was out volunteering a certain group of ten year olds got into a heap of trouble with Dad. This is fundraiser season around here. A couple of girls were selling candy bars, and they wanted to buy one. Richard said no. Then he saw them eating candy bars. Needless to say they got to sit around and watch people eat birthday cake. Plus all of their money is now under mom and dad’s control. PLUS they lost all electronic items for the next week. I know, mean parents. But they need to learn no means no. One of the girls “borrowed” money from her brother. Her punishment is even harsher for stealing. She has lost all electronics until November 1st. I know mean parents.

I hope you all had a pleasant Saturday.

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

Full Moons and Attitudes

I have noticed something over the past couple of months. When the moon is waxing to full, attitudes flair in the house. Everyone becomes testy and snappy with each other, particularly the older three. Now that I have noticed this, I am going to see if I can make things run smoother next month.

Has any one else noticed this too?

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

This week was birthday week at our house.

Liz turned 19 on Sunday.

Douglas turned 12 today.

Happy birthday to both of you!

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

A calm week (so far)

I know I am going to regret saying this, but it has been a very calm week. Mom continues to do well. Dad is working hard in PT. They are going to try and get him moving with a walker this week. My brother is re-learning his way around Northern Virginia and realizing WHY he left. :o) Traffic was a nightmare 25 years ago when he moved to Georgia, and it has only gotten worse.

All of my children remain well. I was expecting the new school year illnesses we always seem to get. I am praying it stays that way, especially since the past year has been so rough.

Right now, Richard is working on the fire department in-service training, using a driving simulator. It is going to take about a year and half to get everyone in the fire department through the training. Richard was telling me since you don’t actually feel the motions, it is messing with every one’s equilibrium and people are feeling car sick. Good thing I am not having to deal with it, since I get sick at the drop of a hat in a car.

Patrick is thriving with home school this year. We have gotten into a great routine and we are usually done with all the major subjects by lunch time. The afternoon is reserved for things like art, physical education and music. For math this year we are using Teaching Textbooks, and he is loving it. At his grade level it is all done on the computer and the program even keeps the grades for you. Every couple of chapters there is an animated “Bonus Round” which helps drill the math facts. It is a timed program and you try to beat your score from the last time. He is having a blast trying to improve his score and speed. I love the program, because he can put in a CD, listen to the lecture and I can be working or doing something else. If he has a problem calls me and we go over it together.

Everyone else is doing okay in school, although I am seriously considering bring home the rest of the middle four. There are things going on in the schools that have me concerned. The teasing is getting out of hand for a couple of my more “eccentric” children and it hurts this mother’s heart. I am hoping I can convince Richard that it CAN work and will be much better for the family in the long run if I was homeschooling.

Everyone have a wonderful rest of your week!

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome

Trials and more trials

Dad has been doing great in rehab, working hard and slowly getting stronger. They are working on healing the pressure sore that had developed. Mom has been visiting him daily, plus keeping up with the house. She was not necessarily been taking great care of herself during this ordeal, not eating properly, not resting enough. You all know the drill.

Wednesday afternoon I received a phone call from the rehab center. Mom was visiting dad, but she was not doing very well. Her blood pressure was extremely high, she was very dizzy and light headed and feeling horribly sick to her stomach. She was refusing to go to the hospital and would I please talk to her. When I was able to speak with her, I told her she was going to the hospital and I would not take no for an answer. Once Richard was home I headed on off to Virginia.

She spent three days in the hospital. A large number of tests were run. Thankfully the primary concern of a stroke was ruled out. Her COPD flared up horribly and she is now on home oxygen therapy since any type of activity caused her oxygen saturation levels to plummet.

It appears that mom not taking care of herself has led to high blood pressure. So mom, I know you read this. You better be resting, taking your meds, and EATING! Love ya!

My brother has also moved back to Virginia from Georgia. He is living at mom and dad’s right now. He works for Advance Auto Parts as an assistant manager and thankfully a local (well semi-local) store had an opening so he will be starting there tomorrow. Personally I think it is a great opportunity since he will be at a much busier store and learn the commercial accounts part of the business. (This was actually in the works and he already due to arrive on Friday.)

I told him once mom and dad are settled and everything is back to its new normal, he should look up in my neck of the woods since they have recently opened two Advanced Auto Parts in our county. I want to keep him local, Georgia is too far away. 🙂

While I was out in Virginia sorting everything out there, Richard was informed by his mom that she has breast cancer. So prayers for Bea are needed too. Now that I am home, I will see what I can do to help her out too.

I hope you all have wonderfully blessed Sunday!

A married woman must often leave God at the altar in order to find Him in her housework ~~St. Francis of Rome