The Life of a Working Mom

So after another week of a lot of sickness for my boys, we’ve decided to go light this week and focus on a healthier menu plan.  We are upping the veggies, as well as focussing on fresh fruits and fresh air.  The menu plan might be a little on the boring side, but its time to start gearing up for spring and getting off some of this winter weight.

Sun: Dinner at the In-Laws (Thanks Maggie!!)

Mon:  Grilled chicken breast lightly seasoned, served over fresh salad with romaine, cucumber, bean sprouts, celery, tomato and carrot

Tue:  Grilled strip steak, lightly seasoned, served over fresh salad with romaine, cucumber, bean sprouts, celery, tomato and carrot

Wed:  Pasta with fresh cut tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, olive oil

Thur: Black bean soup -or- grilled chicken, with salad

Fri: lovely leftovers (aka more salad

Sat: Out to dinner…friends coming in from Vermont

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I really need to stock up on my healthy veggie packed recipes, my recipe list is getting pretty redundant and boring!!

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Grocery List

This week we need little for us to make it through the week.

eggs
sugar
bread
chicken breast
steak
romaine lettuce
cucumbers
bean sprouts
tomatoes
carrots
oranges
bananas
apples

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Happy cooking!!

This is one of my favorite light pasta dishes.  Well…its not light in the low fat sense - it uses a good amount of olive oil and tuna, but at least they are healthy fats - but light in the light flavors, not a heavy feel to it.

This is also another easy one, where you can adjust it to suit your taste.  I make it as follows, but you can increase/decrease the garlic, tuna, and olive oil to your liking.

Also note that I don’t actually measure anything when making this so the measurements are a bit of an estimate.

1lb pasta (I prefer bow ties for this one)
4 tbsp Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 cans solid white tuna, drained
1 tsp salt
fresh grated parmasean
fresh ground pepper

Cook pasta following package directions

While pasta is cooking pour olive oil in small sauce pan, add garlic. Cook over medium heat until garlic just starts to brown.

Add tuna to the olive oil/garlic mixture and stir well. Continue to cook over low-medium heat until pasta is done cooking.

Before draining pasta add 1 cup of the pasta water and the salt to the tuna and mix well.

Drain pasta well, do not rinse.

Mix pasta and tuna mixture in a serving dish, top with parmasean and ground pepper, serve immediately.

Following the tutorial posted by Jill at Homemade by Jill I made myself a new tote bag tonight!!  Not only was it a fun project, but it was pretty easy too!!  The best part was the fabric.

This tote is created using tea towels as the fabric - what this means is little cutting of crazy big pieces of fabric.  Just a little trimming, a little sewing and voila - a tote is born!!

I definitely need to improve my technique - this was my first time ever putting piping on anything.  It definitely was a little rough.  The lining needs some work too - or maybe the outside does…I don’t know they didn’t match up perfectly in size…but overall I am calling it a success - it is definitely a tote that I will use, which I guess is the point of it…right?

I can’t believe I finally made it and I am going to show a picture….

One thing I really want to be able to do is make little fun stuffed dolls and stuffed animals for my boys and for my friends.  While on Etsy the other day I found these wonderful patterns for incredibly cute little stuffed friends.  I tried the elephant first (big mistake - probably the most difficult) and then I made a little owl.

Say Hello to Olivia!!

I am pretty proud of this little gal.  I am not sure that I absolutely love the fabric combos, but they were scraps I had lying around and I really didn’t want to use anything really special until I had her mastered.  I need to perfect her a little bit, but I am happy with the way she came out and I can’t wait to make a million more like her…and maybe some bunnies, and puppies and goats to go with her!!

Short and sweet this week.

Mon: Personal pizzas topped with fresh veggies
Tue: Corned Beef (well I did marry an Irishman), potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage
Wed: Meatloaf patties, broccoli, rice
Thur: Chicken Cutlets, corn, salad
Fri: Pasta with beans, garlic, oil, spinach
Sat: Dinner out
Sun: Artichoke/olive chicken bake, new red potatoes, green beans

The Grocery List:

Veggies -
Green giant frozen veggies (they are on sale this week - time to stock up)
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Mushrooms

Meat
ground beef
chicken breast
chicken drums & thighs

Dry Goods
5lb Sugar
Prince Pasta
Brown Rice
Bread crumbs
Pizza crusts

Canned stuff
Tuna
Hunts Tomato Sauce/paste
Canned corn

Dairy
Milk 1% & Whole (buy at CVS its cheaper!!)

Now I just have to get my butt in gear and actually go shopping!!

I mentioned the other day that I wanted to start posting about fun family friendly activities that were also wallet friendly.  As I drove to the mall with my birthday boy (well technically 1 year and 1 week) I thought about how today’s activity was a direct opposition to what I was intending this series of posts to be about.   My little Jackie boy and I were on our way to the mall to get him his birthday present…a stuffed toy from Build A Bear.  On the drive in I was counting the dollar signs, trying to guess how much money I would spend for my baby to have a stuffed animal.  However, once we got there I realized that Build A Bear didn’t have to be that way. My baby boy was overjoyed when he saw the sweet little panda I held out to him, it was love at first sight.  Again I started to do the math, but I stopped and looked around.  There were Red Sox outfits, Easter dresses, strollers and high chairs, sleeping bags…you get the idea.  A mommy could spend a mint at this place.  But I focussed, I came here to get him a stuffed animal, not a wardrobe and bedroom set for a stuffed animal.  And that’s what I got him.  Jack got his sweet little panda….naked.  Really how many pandas have you seen wearing clothes?!  We walked out spending $7.12 (I had a $10 gift card  ).  We then walked around the mall, chatted and laughed, and had a nice time on our little date. But this outing really got me thinking.  Why do places like Build A Bear cost us so much?  Why are our children becoming so ingrained to think that the stuff is as important as the experience?  I understand that it can be fun to spoil our kids sometimes, but when do we go from special treats to teaching our kids that it is important to have stuff?  I am really beginning to think that an outing, a trip, a childhood is as expensive as we make it.  Sure there are the necessities, the items we can’t get away from (diapers, formula) but how much of the expenses of raising children name brand new clothing and all the latest and greatest gadgets, and what does this teach our kids?I realize I am rambling a bit, but this is what I was thinking about today.  I am proud of myself that I only spend $7.12 on my boy for his new panda and that we had a wonderful day together.  I hope that if anything comes out of this recession, if there can be a positive from these hard economic times, its that we realize that the stuff just isn’t as important.  How much money we spend on our children is not as important as how much time we spend with them, and the quality of that time together. So that was our day…and I guess we could say that this officially kicks off my Frugal Family Fun series….stay tuned for more (I’ll probably start posting this on Fridays because…well…I like aliterations….and I really like my weekly recipe postings to be on Saturdays) Have a lovely night!! 

I am planning to start a new series this Spring.  I am trying to find things to do with my boys and family over the weekends that costs us little or nothing out of pocket.  I want to give my boys the benefit of experience, but I also want to show them that you don’t need to spend or have a lot of money to be happy.

The wheels are turning, hopefully.  Keep an eye out - If you want to know what to do in RI/Mass with your family I plan to have the info for you.  I hope that some of these ideas will give you ideas for what to do with your family, regardless of where you live.

But now I am throwing it to you as well.  What do you do with your family?  Are there any fun outings that you and your little ones go on that is kind to your wallet?  Is there something you want to try or have been thinking about?

Tell me what you do for fun!!

If you read this post (about my Etsy shop) you would know that I am trying to expand my sewing to beyond just a hobby.   The past few months I have learned so much about sewing and I have started making simple patterns for myself, but now I am struggling with what to do with them all.This is what I have come up with.  It is still very much a work in progress, but right now it is working for me. 

         So this is my pattern binder - tossed on top of some of my fun new fabrics and projects of course…space is limited…In the front pocket are some letter print outs that I will probably use for appliques and the like as the need arises, I am not cutting them out until I need them.    

       In the first page protector are a couple bib patterns.  There are two different sizes - baby and toddler.  I made these from paper grocery bags.  I found the paper may be a little stiff, but it can take the repeated abuse and holds up great.  Also the cost is perfect and once they get too beat on I can just add them to the recycle bin. 

 If you flip through the book you will find more page protectors containing other patterns I have collected recently.  I also have some directions put in the binder with the patterns, these have been printed out, I punched holes in them, and put right into the binder - no sheet protector needed. I do need to get more page protectors, and I am thinking that I will eventually split the patterns/directions up based on grouping (clothes, toys, accessories, etc).  But for now this is what works for me - especially in my tiny little sewing space.