Meal plan for October 27th – November 2nd

Can we all talk about the 48 pound elephant in the room?

Thanks all for the thoughtful and civil comments yesterday about my post related to the morning Facebook shit storm.  I’d love to collectively answer some questions/comments that came up a lot.

1) Did you take Jack to the party, and did he have cake?

Answer: You bet your ass I did.  He went, behaved very well, and had a tiny sliver of cake.

2) Does Jack have ADHD (or any variation of implying it)?

Answer:  This is something we have been monitoring since he turned three, and every ped/expert we have spoken to says he absolutely does not have it.  They say that any medication they’d prescribed wouldn’t “cure what ails him”.

3) How are you holding up?  Don’t let those people get you down.  Don’t change how you post.

Answer (to don’t let those people get you down): my sister sent me a text asking if I was ok and letting me know not to be upset by the comments.  Here was my response: “I am seriously ok.  Only I have the power to let people make me feel shitty, and I reuse to let that happen”.

Answer (to how are you holding up?): Just fine!  By having a blog, I choose to put myself in the “public” eye.  It is a decision I have made, and some days the big girl panties are a little more uncomfortable than others, but always my skin thickens.  Also, when people choose to get low, nothing makes me laugh harder or better says “go fuck yourself” than refusing to sink to their level.  Truly I feel that civility is the biggest way to demonstrate that your behavior doesn’t mean you get to get me down.

Answer (to don’t change how you post): I absolutely won’t.  I’ve been an over-sharer from the time I could talk, and I don’t intend to change that because some people spent the morning forgetting what it is like to have civil discourse and treat people like a human being.  I am who I am, and the negative doesn’t get to win.

A few of my good friends texted me today saying they were pissed at many of the comments, etc.  I simply said “eh, don’t worry about it.  And it’s a great thing that so many people are perfect parents and never have their own issues”.  I’m looking forward to some new parenting books being written…

4) Have you talked with a doctor, counselor, etc.?

Answer: yes.  In fact Jack had a ped appointment early yesterday morning, and I asked for referrals to an occupational therapist and they also gave me one for a behavioral counselor.  I really want to give Jack the chance to prove his own idea (the FOCUS chart for his desk) has a chance of working.  If his reports are good next week, I’ll be happy, and if they’re decent moving forward, I’ll be thrilled.  But, if they’re not, I’m more than happy to look at external resources.

Let’s say next Saturday we start talking about politics, gun control, spanking, and religion, ok?  Seems like it would be less controversial than not letting your kid have dessert for two weeks!

Let’s move on and get back to what this blog is about, ok?  Fart jokes, frugality, and food!

I seriously have the decorating bug right now.  I can’t stop planning and visualizing what our space is going to look like at the end of this remodel.   To actually have ownership of something and get to turn it from beige, white, and tan to something fun and bright is so exciting to me!!!!  My friends have described my “decorating” style as “post Hoarders.  You know, how after everything is cleared out…”, and that is something I absolutely own.  Clutter is not my friend, so you will not see “after” shots of rooms of our house with pretty vases, and do dads.  Just ain’t gonna happen.  Not only do those things collect dust, but anything in our house must withstand the constant onslaught of Nerf attacks.

Every day I find something and send it to Troy, and I get a “surrrrreeeee…?” in response.  Not so helpful that one.

This week I became the proud owner of (at least) $150 Dansko boots, for the huge price of free.  Someone I work with purchased brand new Danskos on Craigslist, only to find out they didn’t fit her.  She didn’t feel like reselling them, and being something with giant feet, I was gifted some boots.  She won’t let me pay her for them, so I delivered the first of many dozens of eggs to her on Thursday.

They’re not exactly my style, and something I would never purchase myself, but the price tag (free), combined with the extreme comfort I felt when putting them on, was pretty fabulous!

Earlier this week, Troy’s back was sore, so I squirreled away downstairs to surprise him with a DIY backwarmer.  Troy has a huge broad back, so I needed to make this big as well.  We didn’t have any cheap rice, so this sucker is stuffed with lentils, and three kinds of dried beans.  If the zombies attack tomorrow, we’re cutting this thing open in a few months.  Tiny Roku remote there for size comparison.

A funny thing happens when you make a giant backwarmer…it ends up not fitting in the microwave!  We have to put this on a cookiesheet in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes.  It’s so nice and warm though, and I foresee using it for snuggling when it’s cold out this winter.

With the change in weather, I’ve found that I love having a hot drink in the car with me on the way to work each morning.  I get one fancy coffee stand drink per week, and have since the dawn of time.  I always get it on Wednesday, which is double stamp day, and bring my own mug for $.25 off the drink.  It’s part of my routine (and budget), and something I look forward to all week.  My current drink of choice is a “Chai Nog”, which is a spicy chai tea latte made with egg nog. It is exactly how it sounds – amazing and pure fat in a cup.  The local coffee stand I go to uses Smith Brothers Farms products, so the “nog” is essentially locally made, and oh so delicious!

But, for every other morning, I make my own tea “latte”.  I’ve been drinking Republic of Tea’s chocolate peppermint tea for awhile now, and recently ran out.  When purchasing more, I found this beauty, and you bet your ass I bought it.  And it’s delicious!!

Hot red velvet cupcake tea, with about 1/4 cup of creamy raw milk, and a teaspoon of raw local honey, almost makes my commute enjoyable.  ALMOST.

Our power went out last night thanks to a giant windstorm, so the lad took a long time to fall asleep. Don’t fear anyone (who already questions my parenting); those are battery operated candles.  Costco for the win!  Those things on his fingers are raver lights from Amazon that are always fun to play with, but especially useful during windstorms.  I purchased these for the kids at Jack’s preschool last Valentines day, and they were a huge hit with everyone.  And yes, my kid sleeps in the buff.

Jack was pretty nervous about how dark it was, so I ended up bunking with him last night.  Here is a live shot of blog writing, with one very passed out boy.

Are you ready to talk about a meal plan?  Let’s get to it!

Monday:: Beef stew, salad, and biscuits.  No, we don’t love this so much that we keep having it, it just keeps not getting made!!!!  We were supposed to have it Saturday, but things got shifted around last week, and that’s when we ended up having popcorn dinner.

Tuesday:: Troy’s fabulous hamburgers, grilled zucchini (the farm where I buy our milk still has fresh zukes for sale!), and chipotle sweet potato fries.

Wednesday:: Homemade Rubens, salad, and skillet spuds.  So fun to use the potatoes from the garden that I grew this past spring!

Thursday:: Breakfast dinner was so simple last week, and we’re repeating it again this week.

Friday:: Homemade pizza (and salad) before we set out on our candy hunt.  Jack is still deciding whether to donate his extras to the Candy Fairy, or a local dentist who buys back candy.

Saturday:: Popcorn and movie night!

Sunday:: Family dinner at my parent’s.  We’ll contribute a side, dessert, or appetizer per usual.

We have been getting the best organic red grapes from an independent fruit stand lately.  They’re super expensive, but a delicious treat for Jack’s lunch all week.  I paid $7 for some more this week, and I’m sad to say they’re TERRIBLE.  Ugh, what a waste!  I spent $24.91 at our local butcher for breakfast sausage, hamburger, and stew meat (I bought a lean cut of beef, and they nicely chopped it up for me), $3.50 at our local farm for raw milk, and $27.10 at the grocery store.  We’re hitting up Costco before my parents, and need a few items that will probably end up around $50 ish.

What are you having this week?