Christopher wanted tuna casserole for dinner tonight, so I ran to the grocery store real quick to get the ingredients and a few other things.
I ran into a lady I used to go to church with. She's always been very sweet to me and my kids, and was shocked when I told her I've been out of work since August. I've seen her several times and my dad, stepmom and sister see her regularly. I'm not sure how this piece of news escaped her, but that doesn't really matter.
As soon as I told her that she insisted on paying for my groceries. She said God told her to.
I tried telling her she didn't have to do that, but she insisted. I kept telling her I was okay, and she still insisted.
I don't know if God spoke to her. It's not for me to say. But God knows what I have in my food stamp account. God knows I get more in a few days. God knows I have enough food in my kitchen to last until then. God knows food is the one thing I don't need.
So I really can't say whether God spoke to her or not.
But He sure spoke to me.
I'll be honest, y'all. I have very little pride left in these matters. I've had to ask for a lot of help in my life. Asking for help really hurts a body's pride.
But when people offer, it stings the pride a little too. Have you ever noticed it's harder to accept help than it is to give it? Sure you have.
My church friend had to finish her shopping and asked me to wait.
Talk about hard. I didn't really want to. I didn't feel I needed it. I actually considered going straight to the checkout line instead of waiting.
But that wasn't the point at all.
My friend was so happy to help. As we checked out, she told me that she loves to help people. She doesn't normally shop in this store, she said, but God has a plan and look at this. She came to this store so she could help me out.
Like I said, I really don't know if God spoke to her. But He spoke to me.
She was so happy to be able to help that I think it would have been more unkind of me to deny her to spare my own pride.
Please don't think I mean that people (meaning me) should just take, take, take. That's not at all what I'm saying. Sometimes people offer help to be polite, but they don't really mean it. You can tell. What I am saying is if someone perceives you have a need and they genuinely want to meet it, it is also charity on your part to let them.
Sometimes charity isn't about the thing you are given. Sometimes charity is about not denying someone the pleasure of helping you.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
Apps and apples...and chips
I got a new phone Friday. I had to. My old one died.
Okay, it didn't really die. It just...well, it would have died. Once I threw it up against the wall. After it locked up on me. Again.
I was eligible for an upgrade, so I thought, heck yeah! A cooler phone for FREE! Now I can get rid of that stinking touch screen keyboard.
I love most things about my new phone. I found the COOLEST App! It's cool to me anyway, because I'm a nerd like that. It's called Out of Milk (go look it up. I'll wait.) It lets me keep a grocery list ON MY PHONE. No, really! No more running to the notepad on the fridge dripping from the shower in the mornings because I don't want to forget again that I'm almost out of dryer sheets. It also lets me keep a pantry list so that I won't one day find myself staring at five shelves full of McCormick spices and wondering if I still have...or ever bought...coriander. I will know with a quick check of my phone.
Now, I've had organizers and stuff before. Like on the computer. I'm pretty sure I had a notepad on my last phone that would have been great for making grocery lists. But it only works if you use it, and until now I've never seen any that were terribly user-friendly. This thing has a voice command. It's quite friendly, indeed. I can be flying down I-20, blaring Def Leppard and suddenly remember that the next time I go to the store, I need to make sure I pick up more coffee filters. I can add it to my list right then. Or better yet, when I'm in the check out line at Kroger with a slap-full buggy during the 6 p.m. rush hour and remember that I need barbecue sauce for the pork roast I'm about to purchase--but I don't feel like leaving the line to go get it--I can add it right there to my grocery list for the next shopping trip. True story. (Okay honestly...I typed it into my list. Speaking it would have made me look kinda stupid.)
The voice thingy isn't always very good at listening, though. Before I went Krogering, I spoke my list into my phone and then asked the kids what kind of snacks they wanted me to get. "That big bag of (single serving) chips you got last time worked out really well. Get those," Christopher said.
So I spoke "chips" into my handy dandy digital shopping list.
"Cats" it wrote.
Um....no.
"Chips" I said again.
"No matches found" it said.
Really? It's friggin' potato chips! Look again!
"Chips" I said.
"S***" it wrote.
You're kidding me.
That would be the exact lettering, too, by the way.
Catie took the phone from my hand. You know, before I could throw it.
"Chips" she said.
"Chips-potato
Chips-tortilla
Chips-chocolate" it asked.
What the heck??
Okay, it didn't really die. It just...well, it would have died. Once I threw it up against the wall. After it locked up on me. Again.
I was eligible for an upgrade, so I thought, heck yeah! A cooler phone for FREE! Now I can get rid of that stinking touch screen keyboard.
I love most things about my new phone. I found the COOLEST App! It's cool to me anyway, because I'm a nerd like that. It's called Out of Milk (go look it up. I'll wait.) It lets me keep a grocery list ON MY PHONE. No, really! No more running to the notepad on the fridge dripping from the shower in the mornings because I don't want to forget again that I'm almost out of dryer sheets. It also lets me keep a pantry list so that I won't one day find myself staring at five shelves full of McCormick spices and wondering if I still have...or ever bought...coriander. I will know with a quick check of my phone.
Now, I've had organizers and stuff before. Like on the computer. I'm pretty sure I had a notepad on my last phone that would have been great for making grocery lists. But it only works if you use it, and until now I've never seen any that were terribly user-friendly. This thing has a voice command. It's quite friendly, indeed. I can be flying down I-20, blaring Def Leppard and suddenly remember that the next time I go to the store, I need to make sure I pick up more coffee filters. I can add it to my list right then. Or better yet, when I'm in the check out line at Kroger with a slap-full buggy during the 6 p.m. rush hour and remember that I need barbecue sauce for the pork roast I'm about to purchase--but I don't feel like leaving the line to go get it--I can add it right there to my grocery list for the next shopping trip. True story. (Okay honestly...I typed it into my list. Speaking it would have made me look kinda stupid.)
The voice thingy isn't always very good at listening, though. Before I went Krogering, I spoke my list into my phone and then asked the kids what kind of snacks they wanted me to get. "That big bag of (single serving) chips you got last time worked out really well. Get those," Christopher said.
So I spoke "chips" into my handy dandy digital shopping list.
"Cats" it wrote.
Um....no.
"Chips" I said again.
"No matches found" it said.
Really? It's friggin' potato chips! Look again!
"Chips" I said.
"S***" it wrote.
You're kidding me.
That would be the exact lettering, too, by the way.
Catie took the phone from my hand. You know, before I could throw it.
"Chips" she said.
"Chips-potato
Chips-tortilla
Chips-chocolate" it asked.
What the heck??
Monday, August 15, 2011
We eatin' good! :)
Last night I fixed Cheesy Beef Casserole. It's kind of like lasagna with egg noodles, and it's one of our favorite dishes. I almost never make it because a) I rarely had the time to make it; b) I don't usually keep some of the ingredients on hand, things that are crucial to the dish and buying them extra costs extra money...which I wouldn't usually spend, and c) I keep forgetting about it.
I brought home salad the other day from Jan's. She'd cooked dinner and had tons left over, so we had that and garlic bread with dinner last night. Normally, it's just the casserole. We don't get very fancy 'round here.
Not only that, but I tried to make frozen pudding pops! (Lesson learned...it doesn't work in cheap popsicle molds. Stick to Dixie cups.) The kids are feeling pretty special because Mama's actually cooking stuff other than hot dogs and mac and cheese.
Know what's really awesome about it? Guess what I had for lunch? Heck yeah! AND...it's very filling, so I put enough leftovers in the freezer for dinner another night! :D I have teenagers, remember? I've almost forgotten what leftovers look like!
I've planned about a week's worth of all of our favorite dishes that we rarely have because I never had time to cook them. Like, I don't remember the last time we even had meatloaf. But you can bet your sweet bippy we will have it in the next couple of days. And maybe even some fried chicken and gravy! Oh, man. All this time to cook could be a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps I need to start walking in the mornings, too! LOL
If you're interested, here is the Cheesy Beef Casserole recipe:
4 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce (or 1 regular can)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 oz) small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sliced onions (I usually omit them)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, cottage cheese Parmesan cheese, green onions and green pepper. Drain noodles.
Layer half of the noodles in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Top with half the meat and cheese mixtures. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.
This freezes really well, so you could make two at one time and freeze one for later. :)
I brought home salad the other day from Jan's. She'd cooked dinner and had tons left over, so we had that and garlic bread with dinner last night. Normally, it's just the casserole. We don't get very fancy 'round here.
Not only that, but I tried to make frozen pudding pops! (Lesson learned...it doesn't work in cheap popsicle molds. Stick to Dixie cups.) The kids are feeling pretty special because Mama's actually cooking stuff other than hot dogs and mac and cheese.
Know what's really awesome about it? Guess what I had for lunch? Heck yeah! AND...it's very filling, so I put enough leftovers in the freezer for dinner another night! :D I have teenagers, remember? I've almost forgotten what leftovers look like!
I've planned about a week's worth of all of our favorite dishes that we rarely have because I never had time to cook them. Like, I don't remember the last time we even had meatloaf. But you can bet your sweet bippy we will have it in the next couple of days. And maybe even some fried chicken and gravy! Oh, man. All this time to cook could be a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps I need to start walking in the mornings, too! LOL
If you're interested, here is the Cheesy Beef Casserole recipe:
4 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce (or 1 regular can)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 oz) small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sliced onions (I usually omit them)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, cottage cheese Parmesan cheese, green onions and green pepper. Drain noodles.
Layer half of the noodles in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Top with half the meat and cheese mixtures. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.
This freezes really well, so you could make two at one time and freeze one for later. :)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Kidless...Day 1
It's so quiet, and I didn't have to kick anybody off the computer to use it!
It's funny how I missed them as soon as I got to work this morning. Like they're ever there with me. But somehow, 6 p.m. lost a lot of meaning.
I stopped at Kroger on the way home, and bought a loaf of bread, Ramen and stewed tomatoes. I figured egg sandwiches tonight, stewed tomatoes and rice another night, and there's Ramen for backup if I can't find anything better. So this is what being a college kid feels like! Now I'm trying to figure out what I'm taking for lunch tomorrow. I have no idea.
I still can't get used to the idea of eating just whenever I get hungry. Dinner first, as soon as I get home, before I do anything else.
I think it's official. If I'm still single when the kids are grown and gone, the house will be spotless and I will be skinny. Meals will be ready in five minutes or less and will consist of rice, noodles, vegetables and eggs. I mean really, what's the point in frying one chicken leg?
It's 10 p.m. The fridge has had it's semi annual bath, the counters have been scrubbed, laundry and the dishwasher's going, and I was just wondering why I'm sleepy!
It's decaf/movie time. Tomorrow....bedrooms! (Maybe.) :-)
It's funny how I missed them as soon as I got to work this morning. Like they're ever there with me. But somehow, 6 p.m. lost a lot of meaning.
I stopped at Kroger on the way home, and bought a loaf of bread, Ramen and stewed tomatoes. I figured egg sandwiches tonight, stewed tomatoes and rice another night, and there's Ramen for backup if I can't find anything better. So this is what being a college kid feels like! Now I'm trying to figure out what I'm taking for lunch tomorrow. I have no idea.
I still can't get used to the idea of eating just whenever I get hungry. Dinner first, as soon as I get home, before I do anything else.
I think it's official. If I'm still single when the kids are grown and gone, the house will be spotless and I will be skinny. Meals will be ready in five minutes or less and will consist of rice, noodles, vegetables and eggs. I mean really, what's the point in frying one chicken leg?
It's 10 p.m. The fridge has had it's semi annual bath, the counters have been scrubbed, laundry and the dishwasher's going, and I was just wondering why I'm sleepy!
It's decaf/movie time. Tomorrow....bedrooms! (Maybe.) :-)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Suppertime is party time....right?
Yeah...we think so.
In a superbly efficient moment of poor planning, I decided Monday night would be a fantastic time to make fried chicken...that I forgot to thaw first (a chronic flaw of mine).
Luckily, it was all drumsticks. Undaunted, I kicked off my shoes, popped open the windows, popped the chicken in the mikey to thaw, flipped on some 90s-era country music, and commenced to peeling potatoes, singing Randy Travis and dancing around the kitchen. (Have I ever mentioned I love to sing?)
The kids are used to it. Most of the time, they turn a blind eye. Bless their little hearts.
"Don't ever let anybody ever tell you your mama ain't country," I told Christopher, while I turned chicken legs and bebopped. He replied, "Oh, I never said you weren't."
Suddenly the lyrics to my old favorite "If That Ain't Country" by Anthony Smith ran through my mind and begged to be heard. I pulled it up on YouTube, shared it on Facebook, and....then the kids took over.
I'm stirring gravy, they're playing Big and Rich. They fix their plates and I counter with Trace Adkins. We're all dancing and singing and laughing and talking and eating.
Frankly, ya'll...that was fun.
In a superbly efficient moment of poor planning, I decided Monday night would be a fantastic time to make fried chicken...that I forgot to thaw first (a chronic flaw of mine).
Luckily, it was all drumsticks. Undaunted, I kicked off my shoes, popped open the windows, popped the chicken in the mikey to thaw, flipped on some 90s-era country music, and commenced to peeling potatoes, singing Randy Travis and dancing around the kitchen. (Have I ever mentioned I love to sing?)
The kids are used to it. Most of the time, they turn a blind eye. Bless their little hearts.
"Don't ever let anybody ever tell you your mama ain't country," I told Christopher, while I turned chicken legs and bebopped. He replied, "Oh, I never said you weren't."
Suddenly the lyrics to my old favorite "If That Ain't Country" by Anthony Smith ran through my mind and begged to be heard. I pulled it up on YouTube, shared it on Facebook, and....then the kids took over.
I'm stirring gravy, they're playing Big and Rich. They fix their plates and I counter with Trace Adkins. We're all dancing and singing and laughing and talking and eating.
Frankly, ya'll...that was fun.
Friday, April 8, 2011
It comes and goes....too quickly
It cracks me up how different the kids are. It's got to be a boy/girl thing.
Christopher turns 16 in two and a half weeks. Our conversations have been like:
Me: What do you want for your birthday?
Him: I dunno.
Me: What kind of cake do you want?
Him: I dunno.
Me: What do you want to do for your birthday?
Him: I dunno.
Catie had hers planned for months. She wanted cake with green icing, sugar free so her diabetic grandparents could have some. With neopolitan ice cream, so everybody could have their favorite kind. She had a list of things she wanted (if I could remember, I would share). She knew exactly who she wanted to spend the night, where she wanted to go the next day, and she executed every bit of it. We made a weekend of it.
I have Christopher's narrowed down to two or three things he wants for his birthday. That's it. I've been working on him for three weeks already. I wonder if I should just tell him when to show up??
*********
How lame am I that the best thing I can think of to do on a Friday night is pay bills and make a grocery list?
Actually, that's not true. I can think of a lot of better things to do. However, money is like water around here, but it doesn't even take sunlight to make it evaporate overnight. It's payday weekend. For most people, that means par-tay. For me, that means a mad dash to pay whoever I owe money to and buy whatever I think I might need for a month...quickly....before it's all gone. Which is usually the next day.
**********
I watched Extreme Couponing on TV the other night. I have to say...I'm inspired. I'm in awe at any rate. But what on earth would you do with 1,000 boxes of cereal? Some of these people's stockpiles looked like grocery stores. It was kind of cool, but I don't think I want that in my house. I'm cluttered enough as it is! LOL Although, how cool would it be to throw your garage doors open and let whoever needs to come and help themselves?
Anyway, I am inspired. So before I run off to the pharmacy to get Christopher's medicine, I think I'm going to wade through a stack of coupons and see if I can score a free bottle of lotion. No, I really don't need 47 of them. One would make me turn a cartwheel in the middle of the pharmacy. (It would really look more like a monkey-dunk, but I digress...)
I'll do it again before I go to the grocery store tomorrow. That's going to be an ordeal enough. I go through my cabinets, come up with meal plans, see what I need to round it out. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Angel Food? Yeah. I should be able to round it out for $100 or less. But since I have a huge stack of coupons anyway, I want to see if I can do it up even better. How cool would that be?
Christopher turns 16 in two and a half weeks. Our conversations have been like:
Me: What do you want for your birthday?
Him: I dunno.
Me: What kind of cake do you want?
Him: I dunno.
Me: What do you want to do for your birthday?
Him: I dunno.
Catie had hers planned for months. She wanted cake with green icing, sugar free so her diabetic grandparents could have some. With neopolitan ice cream, so everybody could have their favorite kind. She had a list of things she wanted (if I could remember, I would share). She knew exactly who she wanted to spend the night, where she wanted to go the next day, and she executed every bit of it. We made a weekend of it.
I have Christopher's narrowed down to two or three things he wants for his birthday. That's it. I've been working on him for three weeks already. I wonder if I should just tell him when to show up??
*********
How lame am I that the best thing I can think of to do on a Friday night is pay bills and make a grocery list?
Actually, that's not true. I can think of a lot of better things to do. However, money is like water around here, but it doesn't even take sunlight to make it evaporate overnight. It's payday weekend. For most people, that means par-tay. For me, that means a mad dash to pay whoever I owe money to and buy whatever I think I might need for a month...quickly....before it's all gone. Which is usually the next day.
**********
I watched Extreme Couponing on TV the other night. I have to say...I'm inspired. I'm in awe at any rate. But what on earth would you do with 1,000 boxes of cereal? Some of these people's stockpiles looked like grocery stores. It was kind of cool, but I don't think I want that in my house. I'm cluttered enough as it is! LOL Although, how cool would it be to throw your garage doors open and let whoever needs to come and help themselves?
Anyway, I am inspired. So before I run off to the pharmacy to get Christopher's medicine, I think I'm going to wade through a stack of coupons and see if I can score a free bottle of lotion. No, I really don't need 47 of them. One would make me turn a cartwheel in the middle of the pharmacy. (It would really look more like a monkey-dunk, but I digress...)
I'll do it again before I go to the grocery store tomorrow. That's going to be an ordeal enough. I go through my cabinets, come up with meal plans, see what I need to round it out. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Angel Food? Yeah. I should be able to round it out for $100 or less. But since I have a huge stack of coupons anyway, I want to see if I can do it up even better. How cool would that be?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Craving the Real Thing
Yesterday at 3:30 p.m. I wanted a real Coke soooo bad. It took tremendous willpower, but I conquered. It's still calling me. Today, I may succumb. Those things are soo good!
I'm weird. I don't drink anything that doesn't have caffeine until lunch. We're talking 2-3 cups of coffee, and I'm sipping soda by noon. Depending on the day and degree of sleep deprivation, I may have another cup of coffee after that. But after 2 p.m., it's all water, or Crystal Light. Or if I'm desperate, Sprite. I read somewhere that drinking caffeine too late in the day will mess with your sleep. That, my friends, will tick me off. Which will keep me from falling asleep. Which will tick me off even more, and so on. It could get ugly.
Normally I drink Diet Dr. K from Kroger. I'm trying to avoid the sugar and calories in an "un-diet" soda. These taste pretty close to the real Diet Dr. Pepper and they're like $2 a case. It hurts me to think of paying $4 a case for the good stuff.
My doc was thisclose to putting me on diabetes medicine on my last visit. I am happy to report that within the last three months, I've reduced my blood sugar level to normal proportions. He congratulated me on my accomplishment and said if I don't stay here, I will definitely become diabetic. I also have to keep my weight down. I was sure I'd gained, but Monday he told me I'd lost three pounds. I'm not at all sure that's not because I wore heavy boots, jeans and a heavy sweater the first time. I don't care. Three pounds is three pounds. I'll take it! But perhaps we won't tell him about the Krispy Kremes I ate this week, just in case. Shhhh!
So anyway...I don't know what it is about these migraines that make me crave a Coke. Maybe I just like having a good excuse for drinking them. Regardless, the headache still lingers. Therefore, I forsee indulging in a real Coke lunch today. I'm going with "It's a medically necessary."
I'm weird. I don't drink anything that doesn't have caffeine until lunch. We're talking 2-3 cups of coffee, and I'm sipping soda by noon. Depending on the day and degree of sleep deprivation, I may have another cup of coffee after that. But after 2 p.m., it's all water, or Crystal Light. Or if I'm desperate, Sprite. I read somewhere that drinking caffeine too late in the day will mess with your sleep. That, my friends, will tick me off. Which will keep me from falling asleep. Which will tick me off even more, and so on. It could get ugly.
Normally I drink Diet Dr. K from Kroger. I'm trying to avoid the sugar and calories in an "un-diet" soda. These taste pretty close to the real Diet Dr. Pepper and they're like $2 a case. It hurts me to think of paying $4 a case for the good stuff.
My doc was thisclose to putting me on diabetes medicine on my last visit. I am happy to report that within the last three months, I've reduced my blood sugar level to normal proportions. He congratulated me on my accomplishment and said if I don't stay here, I will definitely become diabetic. I also have to keep my weight down. I was sure I'd gained, but Monday he told me I'd lost three pounds. I'm not at all sure that's not because I wore heavy boots, jeans and a heavy sweater the first time. I don't care. Three pounds is three pounds. I'll take it! But perhaps we won't tell him about the Krispy Kremes I ate this week, just in case. Shhhh!
So anyway...I don't know what it is about these migraines that make me crave a Coke. Maybe I just like having a good excuse for drinking them. Regardless, the headache still lingers. Therefore, I forsee indulging in a real Coke lunch today. I'm going with "It's a medically necessary."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Ah...home!
5 hours + 2 teenagers + 1 car = 1 mom who's glad to be home!
Two days ago, I thought I'd bought too much food. How silly of me. I forgot I have teenagers. Too much food around teenagers is an oxymoron. There's just no such thing!
Quick quotes from our weekend trip (because my pjs and a cup of tea are calling...loudly)*:
Teen: "Sit up. Mom! Tell him/her to sit up. I'm trying to lay down!"
Me, sitting in the backseat, singing along to the Jason Aldean song blaring from teenager's ear, who is sitting in the front seat. Teen, removing an earphone: "What? Did you say something?"
Me: "Nope. Turn it up a little louder. You might have some hearing left."
"Are we there yet?" YES, this was actually uttered. At least she waited until we were within an hour of our destination.
My brother and his wife are showing us around their fair new city. Teen: "Where are we going?" Me: "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."
Teen: "Okay, but are we going to the restaurant now?"
Me: "I don't know where we are going. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!"
Teen: "I am. I just want to know where we are going. How long will it take us to get to the restaurant?"
Teen: "No, I'm sitting in the front seat, so I get to control the radio! You made that rule, Mom!"
Teen: "He/she won't quit touching me!" (Don't we outgrow this at some point? Please??)
Teen, in the car: "Mom! Tell him/her to stop singing! I'm trying to sleep!"
Teens, and mom, practicaly in unison: "I'm really glad to be home!"
*Disclaimer: While some of my quotes are genuine, my best responses came hours after the my kids' utterances, accompanied by "Dang it, why can't I think of this stuff quicker?"
Two days ago, I thought I'd bought too much food. How silly of me. I forgot I have teenagers. Too much food around teenagers is an oxymoron. There's just no such thing!
Quick quotes from our weekend trip (because my pjs and a cup of tea are calling...loudly)*:
Teen: "Sit up. Mom! Tell him/her to sit up. I'm trying to lay down!"
Me, sitting in the backseat, singing along to the Jason Aldean song blaring from teenager's ear, who is sitting in the front seat. Teen, removing an earphone: "What? Did you say something?"
Me: "Nope. Turn it up a little louder. You might have some hearing left."
"Are we there yet?" YES, this was actually uttered. At least she waited until we were within an hour of our destination.
My brother and his wife are showing us around their fair new city. Teen: "Where are we going?" Me: "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."
Teen: "Okay, but are we going to the restaurant now?"
Me: "I don't know where we are going. Just sit back and enjoy the ride!"
Teen: "I am. I just want to know where we are going. How long will it take us to get to the restaurant?"
Teen: "No, I'm sitting in the front seat, so I get to control the radio! You made that rule, Mom!"
Teen: "He/she won't quit touching me!" (Don't we outgrow this at some point? Please??)
Teen, in the car: "Mom! Tell him/her to stop singing! I'm trying to sleep!"
Teens, and mom, practicaly in unison: "I'm really glad to be home!"
*Disclaimer: While some of my quotes are genuine, my best responses came hours after the my kids' utterances, accompanied by "Dang it, why can't I think of this stuff quicker?"
Friday, March 4, 2011
Car food
What is it about trips that make you afraid you're going to be hungry? Like there aren't grocery stores, fast food joints and convience stores all along the way. We'll be gone two days. That's 48 hours...ish.
Vince and Erin used to live in Charlotte, a two-hour drive. By myself, I could take a water bottle and candy bar and be fine. With the kids, I think it was sodas and a bag of cookies. This time, it's a five-hour trip and I'm packing like we're spending six weeks in the Sahara! A 12-pack of bottled water, two boxes of Crystal Light singles, two 6-packs of sodas, chips, cookies of various assortments, crackers, sandwich stuff, bananas. Truthfully, we will be traveling through dinnertime, so I planned for us to eat sandwiches on the road. My reasoning is if we don't stop at Mickey D's tonight, we can have a nice dinner tomorrow night in Jacksonville, if that's what we all decide to do. But I could be going a bit overboard. We could have had a nice dinner for what I spent on traveling snacks!
Okay, I can rationalize this. We are probably not going to eat half of it, so next week the kids are going to have some bang up after school snacks. And I...am going on a diet.
Vince and Erin used to live in Charlotte, a two-hour drive. By myself, I could take a water bottle and candy bar and be fine. With the kids, I think it was sodas and a bag of cookies. This time, it's a five-hour trip and I'm packing like we're spending six weeks in the Sahara! A 12-pack of bottled water, two boxes of Crystal Light singles, two 6-packs of sodas, chips, cookies of various assortments, crackers, sandwich stuff, bananas. Truthfully, we will be traveling through dinnertime, so I planned for us to eat sandwiches on the road. My reasoning is if we don't stop at Mickey D's tonight, we can have a nice dinner tomorrow night in Jacksonville, if that's what we all decide to do. But I could be going a bit overboard. We could have had a nice dinner for what I spent on traveling snacks!
Okay, I can rationalize this. We are probably not going to eat half of it, so next week the kids are going to have some bang up after school snacks. And I...am going on a diet.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Land o' plenty
Wanna know a secret about me?
I love food. I don't mean I love to eat it. I love to collect it. I love to open my cabinets and have a bag of rice fall out. I love having choices. I think for me it represents security. There's comfort in knowing that if I didn't set foot inside of a grocery store for two weeks, we can still eat well. Not that that would ever happen.
I just got back from picking up Angel Food. Single parents, listen up! This is an awesome program if you need a little help. (Check it out at http://www.angelfoodministries.org/.) I'll tell you up front that if you're trying to eat healthy, this probably isn't going to be for you. Some of the stuff is processed to the hilt. But if you're trying to fill bellies inexpensively, you can't beat it. I paid $82 and ordered two of the large boxes. I've now got frozen soups, frozen beefaroni, boneless skinless chicken breasts, more chicken with the bone in, chicken nuggets, pork chops, ground beef, sausage, hamburger steaks, salisbury steaks, muffins, milk, eggs, frozen veggies and oatmeal, to name some of it. Times 2. It's enough to feed my little family for the most of month.
How's this for a perk? Right now I have probably 8 lbs of Chick-fil-A waffle fries (well, no, it doesn't say Chick-fil-A, but do you know anybody else who sells round waffle fries? In 5-lb brown, industrial bags?). And we have gotten the Burger King crown-shaped chicken nuggets in the past. A 10-lb box that I bought seperately, I believe. I thought I was just buying regular old chicken nuggets.
We never finished all of last month's boxes, so my kitchen freezer overfloweth, and my upright's getting that way fast. I love it! Another time saver? I don't have to plan a menu and then shop accordingly. Instead, I take what comes in the boxes, plan meals off of that, and fill in the gaps. (Which I can usually do for about a $100 a month). Most of the time, that means "I want chili, meatloaf and my own spaghetti and meatballs, and you didn't give me the ingredients for that!" Considering the program boasts that their signature box (which is a little smaller than the one I buy) feeds a family of four for a week, there's not a whole lot of gap-filling to be done. You can even order online, so I do it at the same time I'm paying my bills every month. Then I pick it up from my host church one Saturday morning a month. It saves me a lot of time as well as money.
Now, after putting away all of those groceries, I'm thinking one of my upcoming vacation days will need to be spent rearranging my kitchen cabinets. Maybe then the rice won't fall out!
I love food. I don't mean I love to eat it. I love to collect it. I love to open my cabinets and have a bag of rice fall out. I love having choices. I think for me it represents security. There's comfort in knowing that if I didn't set foot inside of a grocery store for two weeks, we can still eat well. Not that that would ever happen.
I just got back from picking up Angel Food. Single parents, listen up! This is an awesome program if you need a little help. (Check it out at http://www.angelfoodministries.org/.) I'll tell you up front that if you're trying to eat healthy, this probably isn't going to be for you. Some of the stuff is processed to the hilt. But if you're trying to fill bellies inexpensively, you can't beat it. I paid $82 and ordered two of the large boxes. I've now got frozen soups, frozen beefaroni, boneless skinless chicken breasts, more chicken with the bone in, chicken nuggets, pork chops, ground beef, sausage, hamburger steaks, salisbury steaks, muffins, milk, eggs, frozen veggies and oatmeal, to name some of it. Times 2. It's enough to feed my little family for the most of month.
How's this for a perk? Right now I have probably 8 lbs of Chick-fil-A waffle fries (well, no, it doesn't say Chick-fil-A, but do you know anybody else who sells round waffle fries? In 5-lb brown, industrial bags?). And we have gotten the Burger King crown-shaped chicken nuggets in the past. A 10-lb box that I bought seperately, I believe. I thought I was just buying regular old chicken nuggets.
We never finished all of last month's boxes, so my kitchen freezer overfloweth, and my upright's getting that way fast. I love it! Another time saver? I don't have to plan a menu and then shop accordingly. Instead, I take what comes in the boxes, plan meals off of that, and fill in the gaps. (Which I can usually do for about a $100 a month). Most of the time, that means "I want chili, meatloaf and my own spaghetti and meatballs, and you didn't give me the ingredients for that!" Considering the program boasts that their signature box (which is a little smaller than the one I buy) feeds a family of four for a week, there's not a whole lot of gap-filling to be done. You can even order online, so I do it at the same time I'm paying my bills every month. Then I pick it up from my host church one Saturday morning a month. It saves me a lot of time as well as money.
Now, after putting away all of those groceries, I'm thinking one of my upcoming vacation days will need to be spent rearranging my kitchen cabinets. Maybe then the rice won't fall out!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A quick thought on food
I know why women gain weight as they get older. In your younger years, you only have yourself to feed. Add a spouse and/or a child (i.e. another mouth to feed) and all you ever think about is food! What am I feeding them for breakfast? What are we having for dinner? What do I have to make for dinner tomorrow night, or do I need to go to the store? It never ends. And thinking about food makes you hungry!
On a related note, oatmeal doesn't taste so good when you're eating it with onion-scented hands. But oh, that pot roast is gonna be good!
On a related note, oatmeal doesn't taste so good when you're eating it with onion-scented hands. But oh, that pot roast is gonna be good!
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