What's For Dinner

Tips and Tricks #2

What's For Dinner

     I remember a time when I would stand in front of the refrigerator at 5'oclock in the evening of a busy work day wondering "What's for dinner?" With a looming 6:00 soccer practice  my brain would fight to come up with some sort of idea. Spaghetti? No noodles.  Meatloaf? No crackers.  Chicken? It's frozen!  You know that feeling..when you have spent a million dollars at the grocery store, get home, put everything away with a great deal of satisfaction only to be disappointed two hours later when you have no idea of what's for dinner.  A couple of years ago I was browsing through a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine when I came across this beautifully made magnetic menu board.  It had categories for veggies, meats, and carbs.  All you had to do was plug in your choices, make a list, and head out to the grocer.  Now, I am more of the immediate gratification kind of person.  I am also not very crafty and am cheap.  I was not about to make that magnetic board.  However, I did have  a million dry erase calendars hanging around the house. My Menu Board was born.  

     I simply use a note book with sections for chicken, beef, pork, and seafood to keep track of the different meals we eat on a regular basis.  I may get around to adding sections for veggies and carbs...maybe. Whenever I come across a recipe I like, I add it's title under the correct section in my notebook and a note of where to find it. At the beginning of the month I  write on my dry erase board calendar the menu for two weeks. It's not so hard because I have my notebook to refer to for ideas.  Using the calendar to make my grocery list, I buy only what I need. If you put the menu some place in your kitchen where everyone can see it, it will help to encourage pre-reading skills and discourage the, "What's for dinner?" questions.  One of the first things my youngest began reading was the home menu. 

     There are a lot of helpful menu websites out there as well as apps that you can use to make menus.  On another note, my dry erase board does not have ads and doesn't collect information on me to sell to a third party.   If you are a crafty super organized person, you can go the Better Homes and Gardens route and make the full on magnet menu.  I however, have no time for that!

If you have a Tips and Tricks you'd like to see featured, send me a message!  If you enjoyed this post please comment below and feel free to share!

Tina's Top Ten: Why I Don't Homeschool

This is a special shout out to all the Mommas and  Dads that home school their children.  You are selfless and a hero in my book! You're truly doing something that I know I can not do!  Enjoy

Top 10 Reasons I Don't Homeschool

1. We pay taxes. ( I don't go into McD's hand them $10 and at least not get fries!)
2. There's not enough wine in the world.(Seriously)
3. I'd only teach them to do chores.
4. I spent way to much time fighting the Separation Anxiety Battle. ( We just won with the youngest)
5. I need a break from them.
6. They need a break from me.
7. They don't take naps.
8. I can't afford to feed them lunch and snack everyday.  (They never stop eating when they're home)
9. There's not enough wine in the world. ( I know this is a repeat of number 2, but it's that serious)
10. I think they might kill each other.  (No! For real!)

Bonus:   I  don't want to end up in jail!

Got any reasons of your own? See if you can top my list in the comments below!

The Paths We Choose

     A week ago, Sunday July 12th, I was inspired to sit and write Boys and Turtles.  Although the events had happened some time ago they begged to be put down. A simple, and as my husband pointed out somewhat long post,  that appeared to be about taking time to help others was really a little bit deeper than that. 

     On Thursday July 16, 2015, four days after I posted Boys and Turtles,  a man went on a shooting rampage that has claimed the lives of four Marines and a Sailor.  

     For those that read and thought that Boys and Turtles was about being a Good Samaritan..., it was more.  The tiny turtle with his broken shell and smashed in head are the individuals in this world that we wait to help. The broken turtles are the girls who define their self esteem by their sexuality, the runaways, the misfits,  the children who spend hours playing first person shooter games until they become desensitized to violence against others, and  those who suffer silently with mental illness until they take their lives. The broken turtles are the Boston Bombers, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Fort Hood, Colorado Theatre and Charleston Church Shooters. The tiny turtles are countless Americans who hear the cry of Isil and believe in it. The tiny turtles poised to cross the street into danger ...are the individuals whose choice of the wrong path leads to their death or the death of innocents.  

     The boy on the sidewalk has not yet gone down the fatal road.   Face hidden and withdrawn from the world; he represents individuals before they descend completely into  darkness.  He is lost, despondent, but not yet completely broken.  We are not brought into this world full of evil thoughts and ideas.  We are shaped by our circumstances, by the nurturing or lack thereof throughout our life.  We have all been like that boy, sitting somewhere alone in danger of  becoming  a smashed turtle. We have contemplated paths that were not the right ones.  Some of us have been closer than others.  Some of us may be close even now, and our friends and family have no clue. 

     There are those of us who were fortunate enough that in our dark moments someone  noticed and took the time to care before it was too late. There are those us of us with a belief system so strong that the mantra "Jesus Saves" carries us through those rough patches.  My heart goes out to the family and friends of those lost this past week.  I vow to keep a watchful eye, to unplug and really look at people, to ask for help when I need it, and to be watchful of the whispered call for help from others.

    

if you or someone you know is in distress:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

http://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline

Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.