Crunch Time

Once again it’s a little after 5 in the afternoon and I am scrambling do get dinner cooked and on the table. It’s the same thing almost every day, I have no idea what to cook and then it’s a mad dash to get something on the table by 6:30. I am one of the many women who want to be organized and on the ball when it comes to cooking for her family. I am instead one of the many who has no idea whets for dinner until she is done cooking. I make a plan each week of the meals that I am going to cook; I shop for said ingredients and even put a calendar on the fridge. It all seems so wonderful on Sunday, but by Tuesday my plans have gone out the window. In my defense it’s my job to cook everyday and to discover or make up as my kids call it some sort of breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it tends to burn a person out. I wish that my husband would have to deal with this kind of pressure on a daily basis, but his job is to wonder around and ask questions like; what’s for dinner, and didn't we have chicken yesterday? It’s all more than any sane women can or should have to handle. As I type this post, my ground beef is in the oven cooking and my baked ziti dish will only take a few moments to toss together and then it will spend a lovely 15 minutes in the oven becoming the amazing dinner that all will love. Every day the same exact thing and by now you would think that I would learn to be a more plan a head kind of women, oh well maybe in my next life.

Christmas blues

Its weeks away, but we have started our christmas shopping for the kids. This year is going to be a slim christmas for us because of the economy and we have decided to do what we can to make it special for each child. The little children will not notice the change, but the teens will. my husband and I utilized elayaway this year it was a real life saver that I heard about over a year ago. It has allowed us to get my daughters her big gife and also my sons without breaking the bank. It gave us the ability to pay montly on the item and they will be sent to the house in the next few weeks. We also decided to take advantage of lawaway at kmart as well as their christmas club card. We will not be able to put a lot on this year but we will have a huge amount my next christmas. They also have one for sears that we are considering so that we have more options. It might be a smaller christmas, but thanks to a few different programs we are able to get the items they want and also be able to make them a price that we could afford.

Rain, Rain...Go away

Today was the first day of serious rain for us here in the central valley. It was a blustery, windy, cool, and damp day. It was mommy & me day for myself and L2 and for the first time we couldn't walk to school. It was in a lot of ways sad for me because I really enjoy my little walk with my 3 year old. We talk about all sorts of things and play games and sing songs, its just our special time. Its the little time that I have with each kid that makes each day special, so I made time for her in another way. We sat down in the evening and watched two shows together and song all the songs with the shows. It was fun and I really think she still got her special time. Having 5 kids makes it difficult to have one on one time with each, but I remember when I had two it was still not always easy. In making a little special time each day for each child it keeps me close to them.

Mommy & Me

My 3 year old and I attend Mommy and Me classes twice a week. Its a special time when it just us two and I have to say that I really enjoy that time. Its only been a few classes so far but I do notice some things about her that I didn't before.

All of the kids in class tend to primarily play by themselves, they do not need or want friends right now. My dd is a loner even at home, but its normal for her age, she likes to do things in her own way and on her own time.

She is actually very independent when given the chance to be. She is the middle child of the younger girls and I tend to lump her with her big sister a lot because they are so close in age and this is not who she is. She did an art project all by herself yesterday and I have to say that I was very impressed.

She is not as strange as we think she is, she is actually a normal 3 year old. We have noticed that she has a very short attention span, but so do all the kids in our class. She tends to like to play a lot and doesn't always focus on things, but it really depends on the situation. I have noticed that at home there are task that she is wonderful at if left to preform them on her own.

Mommy and Me is about getting you child ready for school, but its also about giving you a better look at your child. Its a wonderful program for her and I cant wait to see how she blossoms as we continue. If you have a chance to join a program similar to this I suggest that you do it will let you see your child in an entirely new light.

Nobody puts baby in a corner

Well guess what her little behind is in a corner right now. I have opted for the classic punishment of the corner versus my usually of threats to end their life. I am working on patience with my children, even the teenage ones. I am actually considering putting my teenagers in a corner if they start to act up, which means my son will have to live in the corner. What form of punishment do you use, are you a spanker, a person who grounds, a time out person what is your style? I am from the south so you know that I received a spanking on a regular basis and it worked because I did not make the same mistake twice. I did however make a lot of mistakes, I do not fear my mother I have healthy respect for her and I am glad that she punished the way she did. Well its been a few minutes are up, don't worry she is not actually a baby she is actually a 3 year old and she has recovered and will be OK.

The run around

Does it ever seem like you need a clone in order to cover all the things you have to do in a day? It seems like mothers are always on the go and running around like crazy people. I myself have been in a hurry to get everywhere and then once I get there I am in a hurry to get somewhere else. I have been running and running all day and I am exhausted. Todays' schedules are crazy, I have my schedule, the kids schedule, my husbands schedule, and even my in-laws schedule to deal with. I find myself always with a calendar in hand or on the fridge but always forgetting to do something. I have found my salvation in to online calendar that have kept me on the ball for the past month which is saying a lot. Cozi is the first one its a free service that allows me to put my schedule along with everyone else and color code it, it also allows me to send reminders to cell phones. I love the fact that I can also do a grocery list or shopping list, send it to my phone or even call in and get it from the service. I also have it as an iPhone app so I am really covered. The other is the Google icalendar that allows you to email to yourself and its a basic calendar that I keep my school schedule on so that it sends me reminders for what homework is due the day before. I love both of these applications for there simplicity and for the reminder features on both. I myself still feel a little rushed and hurried and I know that its not always the best to have multiple calendars, but I usually update each on Sunday and if I have to add to them its just a few clicks on the computer. I have a great idea for my little kids, they each picked a color and we have a dry erase, magnetic board that we use pictures only for so they know when they are going to doctor, my 4 year old is pink and all her pictures are pink. I got the graphics off of the Internet and printed them on colored paper and used some magnet strips from Walmart. I really like the way this has help them also keep up with there school schedule so they know when picture day or a field trip is. Anyhow for those of you with the run around life I just thought I would give you a few suggestions and I hope they help. If you have any suggestions please feel free to drop me a line at queen73kai@gmail.com.

Cozi https://secure.cozi.com/Signup.htm
Goggle icalendar

QueenKai

Welfare who it really helps

In the last year there has been a large shift in the economy and for that reason unemployment is up and so are applications to state welfare agencies. I have noticed a large amount of post from mothers on various boards looking for assistance and acceptance with the choice they have made to utilize welfare program. I know that in our community a lot more people then usual are using a EBT card to pay for groceries at local stores. Welfare is one of those programs that has often been abused by those who did not need it or those who decided to milk it for all it was worth. There are people who use they system when they actually need it and those people are often lumped with those use take advantage of the system. Truth be told there are people who abuse many system in the country and who are always out to find the shortest way to do everything in their lives. Now there are people who were once living the American dream but who are now just scraping by and welfare is something that is helping them survive. I think before you judge the person in front of you using the food stamp card you should realize that this could be a person who's home was foreclosed on, a person who has a serious medical condition, or a person who is living in hard times like most of us are. It is not reasonable to think that all single mothers are going to be able to work more than one job, since its almost impossible for some to find one. There are young men and women who are raising their children, trying to go to school, and working who the system is helping. Its not always the person who is the abuser who is in front of you. Times are hard and people need to accept that its not going to get any better over night, so don't turn your nose up so quickly because you never know if it might be you or someone you love who has to take that assistant.
As always, my opinion is just that and I write what I observe. This was from an observation at a grocery store.