Something's gotta give

Whenever I write a post up for the Girl Guides Canada blog (which is almost as RARE as my posts that go here), I get back in the groove of writing and wonder I'm not making time for more of it.  And then I remember, oh yeah, that's because I do this and this and this and in the evening I absolutely MUST make time for Words with Friends because I now have another addiction to add to my list but this one is sort of good for me, right?, unlike the ongoing addiction to Coronation Street which also takes up part of my evening when I should be spending some time on things that make me grow in some way - such as writing or sewing - or eating.

And for an extra twist of irony, this is exactly what my GGC post was about and I'll post the link here when it goes up although I may have scared Talya off with it's verbosity.  It's quite scary.  Even for me.

Word of the day: loquacious.

That be me.

And now, I must go and change Henry's stinky and leaking diaper.  I've ignored it (and him) too long as I wrote my post for GGC because something must be ignored at all times if I'm to get something else done.  Unfortunately this time it was Henry.  And earlier this morning, personal hygiene.

Turning a new leaf: meal planning

This summer I've been thinking and reading about ways to be more frugal; ways that I can trim our budget (or, hell, even set a budget!) and pay down more debt and increase our savings. We have a big trip coming up - two months in Texas - during which time we'll be paying two rents. We need to be as frugal as we can leading up to that.

Aside from the obvious ways to cut spending - no snacks or meals out, buying only when we really need something and not when we WANT something, getting clothes on consignment, reusing everything we can - I am absolutely committed to reducing our grocery spending. I know we spend more than we have to. However, I also have two priorities that I won't compromise on: buying local as much as possible and eating as healthily as possible (lots of fruit and vegetables in season). To achieve this I'm continuing to shop at the local farmers' markets (there are two great ones to choose from in the K-W area - a blog post to come) and as of yesterday I started to shop at farm gates. This is VERY easy here as many Old Order Mennonite Farms are only a 15 or 20 minute drive from my door.

I've also decided to do something else; something many people do every week and I've wanted to do for some time: make a weekly meal plan. Up until now, we decide what we're having for supper the same day that we make it. If I'm lucky, I decide the day before. This has resulted in more meals out, more trips to the grocery store and more groceries bought for full price. It also sometimes results in vegetables going rotten in the fridge when I forget what I have or buy it at the farmers' market and don't have a good plan for it. All this changes as of today.

Last night I sat down and made a meal plan for us based on what we like, what is in season, what I already had in the fridge. I didn't have any flyers in front of me. I knew I was going to the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market today and I knew what I would likely find. I expect the result of this new ritual will be a lessening of our food budget but I've decided to also set a limit on what I spend each week. I'm starting with $120 and hope to reduce it closer to $100 over time.

Here is our menu for this week:

Tonight: Brocolli strudel and corn on the cob (brocolli and corn bought at farm stands)
Wednesday night: Chicken simmered in white wine and fresh herbs (from the garden), roasted beets and potatoes
Thursday night: Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and pecorino cheese (tomatoes bought at farmers' market today)
Friday night: Homemade pizza and salad
Saturday night: tourtiere (because Rose will be here and loves it) using beef and pork and apples from market, green and yellow beans (from market)

I'll let you know how it goes and I'll likely jump back into Shan's What's Cooking Wednesday (it's been a while!) and post one of the recipes from the week. Wish me luck. I'm not sure how I'll react to this much organization!

And now more on the same....

I just spent the last 10 minutes reading some of my favourite blogs and realized I should take some time to write my own post rather than just think how great everyone else's posts are. So, here I am.

Thanks for the encouraging words about my predicament: too much to do, too little time. I am going to stick with the course. I am going to stick with the physio. I'm going to figure out a way to be in Emily's class fairly frequently (calling in some favours for people to babysit). I'm going to get Children's Hour underway and then ask for more help through the rest of the year and possibly not do it next year. I'm likely not going to be knitting much in the next while or cleaning the house all that often. In other words, I'm just going to try to do it all and grin and bear it and try not to complain (much).

I'm motivated to get this certificate finished. The course I'm taking is on the path to getting a certificate to teach ESL. The reason I want this is so I can have a job that allows me to be at home when the kids are at home. Teaching ESL would do this. My current job does not. I'll still have to put one more year in with the government at some point but after that, I plan to go elsewhere. The pay won't be nearly as good but life will be better.

And so, now I have to get to one of those projects. Enough blogging, back to the grind.

I don't want to whine but....

and now I go on with the whine. I did warn you though.

I have committed myself to WAY TOO MUCH. I'm exhausted, slightly stressed, and fairly unhappy at the moment. While on paper it doesn't sound like much, the amount of hours required are way more than it seems on the surface:

• taking a course this fall - twice a week for 1.5 hours each class. Not too much reading but quite a bit to study and lots of assignments.
• coordinating Children's Hour at church. I thought this would entail a bunch of stuff at front and be clear sailing after that. Boy, was I wrong. I am currently putting at least 5 to 10 hours per week into this. That's too much. Also, I'm bitter. There are parents who bring their kids and then complain about helping (it is supposed to be a parent cooperative) or just don't show up on their days to teach. I find that deplorable.
• getting lunch on the table by 11:15 every day. I find this difficult so far.
• helping out in Emily's class. So far hasn't happened but it will and I want it to be a priority. So far, it is falling to the end of the list. Crappy.
• therapy for my shoulder. I've had to give up on massage therapy. It isn't working. I've switched to physiotherapy but my therapist wants me to come twice a week and doesn't have evening hours. How am I supposed to do that when I have two kids and John needs to put some time in at work, after all?

Do you see my problem? Way. too. much.

If I had my dithers (I love that expression), I would get out of Children's Hour. So far, not fun. But I've made a commitment for the year and there is no one else to do it. I hate to say it but I may have to drop my course, which I really don't want to do but I can't fit physio and my course in during the same week. I just don't know how to swing it all.

Oh, and it would be nice to play with my kids without falling asleep on the carpet.

A little girl time... cuz I haven't had enough of that lately

John left very early yesterday morning for his big annual conference "The Learneds." If you aspire to Homer Simpson then you'll be saying to yourself right now "The Learnds, Pepsi, The Learnds." Oh, that Homer.

Anywho, John is in Vancouver until Thursday evening. That's a whole lot of kid/mummy time. And we haven't had enough of that lately, right? I figure I'll need a big vacation, a trip to the spa or one of those margaritas the size of your head when he gets back. Maybe all three.

Yesterday, Day 1, my good friend Pam took Hope while Emily and I perused a giant community garage sale nearby. It was Emily's first garage sale experience. Unfortunately it wasn't exactly the typical experience one would expect: we drove between houses that were open for business due to the non-stop drizzle and occasional downpour. That did not diminish our spirit however! Emily loved scanning the garages for the things we were looking for and we came out the other side being able to check everything off our list for good deals to boot: sand box ($15), new bike for Emily ($10!), bouncy seat for Sofia ($5), small wood table and chairs for Emily's room ($15) and a bonus Thomas the Train puzzle for 50 cents. All in all, a good haul.

Today I was on deck to teach Sunday School with both kids with me. Normally Hope is with John sitting, most likely, at a Time Horton's stuffing herself gleefully with timbits. I was fairly prepared to hand Hope off to an unsuspecting parent in the nursery but she was amazing; she loved Sunday School (not that surprising really since she loves to do whatever Emily gets to do) and she sat better in the "Big Church" then Emily often does.

With another rainy day today I decided to borrow Shan's idea for movie day/night complete with thematic snack food. I loved Shannon's idea from the start and knew I would adopt it myself one day. I let Emily choose the movie. She chose Cinderella (she has not seen any of the classic Disney flicks yet but I can see it coming fast and furious) and I made sugar cookies that I decorated like pumpkins. They were VERY popular. I put the plate down on the couch and Hope, in a matter of minutes, was decorated like a pumpkin herself. Icing head to toe. Eh, it's a special, once-in-a-while treat so I let her go crazy. It was really fun and I'll definitely be doing it again some time. I may put a drop sheet on the couch first though. Thanks for the great idea, Shan.

The rest of my night is unfolding before my eyes. Hope is up there crying.... again. She has become the worst sleeper and I just want to scream... and sometimes do. I am so sleep-deprived and so frustrated. Last night she was up at 1:00, 4:00 and then for good at 7:00. I guess I could deal with that if I had an easy time getting her back to sleep but I don't. I also don't have an easy time getting her to bed initially. She wants me to sit in the chair in her room until she is asleep. I just don't want to do it anymore. I'm pretty certain that having me do that is leading us to the trouble in the middle of the night. I think she wakes up and wants me there for her to fall back to sleep because she is in the habit of having me do that at the beginning of the night. No more. I'm already losing a lot of sleep so I figure I'll write off tonight and just give her a dose of tough love and see where it gets us. So far it is getting her hoarse and me stressed out.

From here on in, it's all up hill.

A spare minute

Leftover stew reheating on the stove. Dumplings on top.

John playing with the kids.

Reading for my course halfway done.

Sunday school lesson totally not prepared in the least. (Yes, I'm teaching Emily's S.S. class but only once a month. Feeling a bit like a fraud. Luckily it is pretty much crafts and snack.)

Blog ignored. Wish I had more time. Can't even write complete sentences.

Hopefully more later.

Good week.