an idea for easier meal planning

Hi Everyone--

Jennie's post about meal planning made me want to make my first post about something that really helps me out. Planning meals that are healthy and budget friendly is the absolute hardest thing about being a mom and a wife for me.

I bought a regular-sized notebook specifically for meal planning. On the back cover my husband and I sat down and listed all the stuff we like to eat for dinner. Every Sunday night I fold over a new sheet and start a new menu for the following week. I fold the paper the long way so I have 2 even columns side-by-side. On the left side, I write the days of the week and what we'll eat. On the right side I make my shopping list. When it's time to go grocery shopping, I just tear off the right side of the paper and my list is ready to go.

It's really easy and convenient and I don't have to make mulitple runs to the grocery store every week because I already know what we're having every night of the week. It sure does take a lot of stress out of meal planning!

Another Blog worth mentioning....

http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/

B-ball player interviews professional organizer

And you can listen HERE!

Meal Planning, Anyone?

Do you make a weekly, monthly, daily meal plan? It's something I really benefit from when I do it, but I don't seem to do it very often. I'm going to start weekly meal planning again. I'll probably do it on Mondays and just plan out one week at a time. The benefits to me are 1. Using stuff I have on hand. 2. Less wasted food. 3. Fewer grocery runs and impulse buys at the grocery store. 4. Less prep time if I can do the chopping etc for more than one meal at a time. 5. The house runs smoother. 6. I'm happier and less stressed to get dinner ready right when the kids get home and want my attention too.

So this weeks challenge from me to you is to make a meal plan for dinner only, I guess you could do breakfast and lunch if you feel so inclined, but that's waaaaay to organized for me! Post it by tomorrow afternoon. I'll do the same. Even if you don't stick to it 100% it will help to have somewhat of a plan. Happy planning!!

Wash, Weed, Tickle, Help, Hug, Hold, REPEAT!

Today has been a day of deadlines, deadlines, deadlines for me with my vinyl business. Seems like everyone wanted everything at the same time. I tend to be a girl that takes on too much and wants to be able to do everything! So, when it comes down to it, choices have to be made, not necessarily about what is most important because ALL of them are important, but about the TIMING of each task's importance.

So yesterday and today I have had to pick and choose and orchestrate when things needed to take place and multitask. For instance, I had some items that I knew would be picked up this morning, some items I had until 2 pm, some items that I was waiting on a fresh roll of media for, and items that would be picked up SOMETIME between 1and 4. Meanwhile, I STILL have to be a momma and a daycare provider for 437.5 random spare children. Okay... just 5 random spare children today, but it felt like 437.5! It's been a constant evaluation of what had to come next and what could be put off for a minute or 20. While weeding vinyl today, I kept thinking about how life in general is really made up of LOTS of considerations as to what is most important at what particular moment.

I was up until 2-ish trying to meet my deadlines. Luckily my Handsome Husband came to my aid and picked centers for me. He was nice company, and as we headed to bed, still unfinished with the task at hand, but very much realizing that SLEEP had become the most important thing at THAT particular moment, we had a conversation about "someday." I told him that SOMEDAY we would be able to go to bed at 8 o'clock every night and sleep as long as we wanted to. I added that I was sure that someday, we'd be done with late-night online-schooling, weeding or grades, and waking up to make bottles or take little ones to the potty. Then I added that when that someday occurs, our night's only interruption will likely include changing each other's depends, but that it would definitely include more sleep than right now!

So now, I have met all my deadlines and handed off 3 of the 5 spare kiddos. I have typed half of this with a grumpy Paxtonator on my lap and "Wonder Pets" mingled with kiddo conversation in the background. And now is the right time for me to get back to the next of the priorities on my list for this given moment. And I am grateful. Grateful for my role as a wife and mother and provider. Grateful for the opportunities my life affords me. Grateful for the Lord's help in all of the orchestrating and for a life that is full. Grateful for THIS time and season and all that comes with it, even the not-so-fun stuff. And I know that SOMEDAY there will be other things that have become the most important things for THOSE given moments. But for right this minute, I am so grateful for all the little things on my list today and for the ability to hug, weed, clean, love, kiss, change, format, type, rock, mask, weed, tickle, wash, help, care, smell, comfort, listen, call, send, answer, play with, empty, smile, hold, hug, repeat.

Whole- wheat bread recipe

Are'nt they beautiful!  And they smell like heaven!  So here is another good healthy wheat bread recipe you can try.  I got this recipe from Dana Thornocks recipe book.  If anyone who does not know who she is, she wrote the book "Lean and free 2000 plus"  An excellent book for anyone who wants to be fit and healthy the right way.   I did tweak this recipe a little bit to add more fiber.  I posted the recipe how it originally was and just added notes of my changes on the side.

Nutrition:

1 slice of this bread has 88 calories, and has 1 fat gram, I don't know the fiber content, but it should be at least 3 grams ( And it should be more if you add the flax meal and oat bran meal)

Ingrediants:

10-12 cups whole wheat flour ( I replaced 2 1/2 cups of the flour with 1/2 cup flax meal and 2 cups oat bran meal)

2 tablespoons dry rapid rise yeast ( I used the SAF brand)

1/2 cup wheat gluten

4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)

1/3 cup oil (I used canola oil)

1/3 cup honey ( A good tip I learned a few years ago is measure your honey in the same measuring cup you used for the oil.  That way the honey slips right out of the cup and does not stick because there is still an oil residue)

1 tablespoon salt

Place 6 cups flour into mixer bowl with kneading arm.  Add dry yeast and gluten; mix well.  Add water and mix for 1 minute.  Cover and let dough sit for 10 minutes.  This makes the bread lighter.  Add oil, honey, and salt.  Turn on mixer and quickly add remaining flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl . ( I added 2 cups oat bran and 1/2 cup flax meal in place of 2 1/2 cups flour.)  knead 7- 10 minutes in mixer and 12 to 15 minutes if  you are doing by hand.  Dough should be smooth and elastic.

 Preheat oven 150 degrees. Lightly oil hands. Divide dough into 3 or four equal portions.  Shape and place in oiled or cooking sprayed bread pans.  Place into warm oven for 15 - 20 minutes at let rise until about double in size.  Then turn oven to 350 degrees and bake about 20- 25 minutes until golden brown.  Turn out pans onto a cooling rack immediately. (I brushed the tops lightly with butter) When the loaves cool put bread in plastic bags. store  in the freezer if you are not going to eat with in two days.  ( my homemade bread is usually gone in two days so it does not usually make it to the freezer :-)

The Mormon Channel

I just wanted to share one of my favorite things with everyone. I LOVE the mormon channel. I find myself listening to this while doing chores and it has been SO GOOD for me! I listen to it streaming on my i-pod touch, but there's an android ap, iphone ap, or just listen to it direct from the website. There's a lot available online, too, where you can search through different previous programs, view transcripts, etc. I can't tell you enough how the Mormon Channel has blessed my life!

Daily routines

I am curious to know what everyones daily house hold routines are.  Post it and let us learn from eachother!

Here is mine, but sometimes it is not followed perfectly :-)

Everyday:
make bed, dishes, straighten main living areas, vacuum (sp?) and do a load of laundry.

Main daily chores I do a deeper cleaning job:
Monday-Laundry
Tuesday: Kitchen
wednesday: Living and family rooms
Thursday: bathrooms
Friday: bedroom

Sometimes also if the house is a mess and I have a lot going on that day and I don't have a lot of time I will set my kitchen timer for 10 minutes and clean like a mad women and see how much I can get done before the timer goes off. And I try to call it good for that day

Throwing Starfish

 I just finished reading an article in the BYU Alumni magazine we got today in the mail.   I am in tears and so inspired by this amazing women Amanda De Lange ( BYU alumni student from South Africa).

  She started a foster care foundation in China in 2005 for disabled Chinese orphans.  She litterally goes into the Chinese orphanages and picks out the Children who are the worst off and in the most need and takes them to their foster care center helps get  them healthy and  get the medical care they need so that they can be adopted to loving families. She named her foundation "Throwing Starfish" after the story about the little boy who is throws star fish back into the ocean one at a time. Like the story she is making a difference one child at a time.  I could not stop thinking of Lori Eastin while I read about these children.  I wonder  if we could provide service for this foundation somehow?   Or maybe if you are looking for a way to serve this is a perfect opportunity. Check out all the cute babies at the her website. It makes me wish that I could adopt one!   Amanda also has a blog. 
It may not seem like this post matches this blog, but I thought this woman might inspire you with the spirit of service like she has inspired me.

My new favorite cooking blog!

This could be bad. Look what I found today!

www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com

I get in these cooking phases and it's never good for my waistline. Do you have a favorite food blog? If so please share.

YUM! Cinnamon Rolls!

Tonight, my great friend Shauna was gracious enough to teach the art of making cinnamon rolls to our ward Relief Society. I typed up her recipe and included all my "Cinnamon Rolls For Dummies" notes that will help me be able to actually USE the recipe!!! Here it is! I've invited Shauna to author here, but she's going to need a lesson or 2 on blogging. I told her I would teach her about computers and she could continue to teach me bread making. We are going to have a monthly bread class and I will share all that I learn there here, too! Thanks Shauna!

Shauna Colvin’s Cinnamon Rolls!

BOSCH or Kitchen Aid Recipe (Heat oven to 400°)

2 cup warm water (about 100°)

3 large eggs

2/3 cup shortening (Crisco is the preferred brand)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

6-7 cups unbleached flour (Sometimes Shauna uses a small amount of wheat flour in place of some of the white flour.)

3 Tbsp. instant yeast (SAF brand)

(If using a hand mixer, mix all wet ingredients together in one bowl, all dry ingredients together in another, then combine them. Knead by hand.)

Add the above ingredients to your mixer in the order listed above using 6 of the 7 cups flour initially. Mix, adding up to 1 cup more flour a little at a time IF NEEDED to reach correct consistency. Once correct consistency is reached, allow mixer to knead dough for 5-7 minutes. Roll out onto floured surface to about ½ inch thickness. (NO NEED TO RISE PUNCH DOWN, ETC.!) Shauna rolled her dough into a circle, not a rectangle which worked great and was A LOT EASIER!!! Spread with softened butter over entire surface. Cover with 1 cup brown sugar (Shauna used just under a cup, so she put it on thicker than I would have thought). Then sprinkle with Cinnamon! (Surprise ingredient, right???) (I didn’t catch any measurements for the cinnamon, but you could SEE where she had and hadn’t been over the brown sugar!) Roll the dough into a big long roll. Cut into about 1 1/2 inch sections. Arrange cinnamon rolls onto a greased jelly roll pan or cake pan so that they are touching each other, but NOT squished! (If there wasn’t room for another roll without squishing, Shauna started the next row!) Let rise on the counter for 15 minutes. Bake for about 25 minutes (ovens vary so check it at 20 and gauge accordingly!) or until nicely browned on top. Take out of oven and dump entire pan upside down onto a cooling rack. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Flip them back upright onto a tray or clean pan to frost.

Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup softened (but not melted!) butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Enough milk to reach desired consistency, Add just a little at a time!

For cream cheese frosting add 1/2 pkg. cream cheese before adding the milk.

(I added SALT to the cream cheese frosting cuz Charlie says that’s the secret to good frosting!)

ENJOY!!!!

Odds and Ends We Learned

You want your hot water to be hot enough to activate the yeast, but NOT kill it.

One pkg. yeast = 1 TBSP yeast

When a recipe calls for an egg, it usually means a LARGE egg unless specified. 1 large egg= 1/4 cup of egg.

We had a lengthy discussion about raising chickens, too! Shauna raises Rhode Island Reds as layers.

Yeast should be kept refrigerated once opened and stores well long term in the freezer. Unopened pkgs. of SAF can be kept on the shelf, but would be even better off in the freezer. Macey’s currently has SAF yeast on sale for $2.99.

Organization ideas for games!

I am loving this idea!

One of my favorite blogs is Controlling my chaos.  She has the most genious ideas!  I got my schedule board idea from her.  Anyway this is her latest post.  Which stood out to me because I have been having issues in this area lately. 
What about those bigger games that have flattened broken boxes?  I moved mine into ziplock gallon bags.  I got the idea from a show I saw on HGTV a few years ago.  They designed  a basement game room and the decor was all game oriented.  The lady put velcro on the back of all her game boards like Monopoly, Life etc. and stuck them up on the walls as wall art and stored all the smaller game parts and instructions in ziplock bags that they stored in a big square chest game table.  When they wanted to play a game they would pull the game board off the wall and find the ziplock bag that went with it.  If I had a big enough house I would totally do that! 
Does anyone else have any good ideas on how they store and organize their games?

High Fiber flaxseed wheat bread recipe

This is a post I put on my on my other blog this morning and I thought it would work for this blog also :-)

I was helping my Dad clean his house last week and I came across a newspaper clipping he had saved that had blue ribbon 2009 Utah Fair winners recipes. He had saved it for a Spice cake recipe full of walnuts Yuck! (Sorry I don't have an issue with spice cake I'm sure it is very good. I just have a texture issue when there are hard things in soft things) Generally I don't like nuts in cookies and cakes except for some reason I can handle nuts on top like German Chocolate cake etc. Kind of weird I know, but anyway back to what caught my eye.
Because I have been trying to eat more healthy I have been looking for a good high fiber bread recipe. I saw this Flax seed wheat bread reicipe from Sharlet E. Braman of West Jordon Ut. I figured it must be good if it won a prize at the State Fair so I tried it :-) And it did not disappoint! The recipe makes about 5 loaves. I made a batch on Friday and my family has almost finished it off as you can see from this picture I took this morning. I guess I better make more!

I only made one change. I put in honey instead of molasses. Next time I may try to add some oatmeal too. Try it! You'll like it! And It is way healthier than store bought.

FLAX SEED WHEAT BREAD

• 3 3/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

•1/4 cup molasses

• 3/4 cup butter

• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt

• 3 packages Fleischmann's RapidRise yeast

• 2 beaten eggs

• 2 tablespoons wheat gluten

• 2 tablespoons dough enhancer

• 1 cup ground flax seed

• 5 cups whole wheat flour

• 5-6 1/2 cups white flour


Heat water to almost boiling and pour into large bowl. Add sugar, molasses, salt and butter; stir to dissolve and melt. Add 3 cups wheat flour, eggs, dough enhancer, gluten, yeast and flax seed.

Beat well with mixer. Add the rest of the wheat flour while mixing dough with mixer. Add enough white flour until you have a soft dough.

Pour out dough onto a counter and knead in enough flour to make the dough smooth and elastic for 5-10 minutes. Place in a clean, greased bowl, cover and let rise until double in bulk (about 45 minutes). Punch down, shape into loaves and put into a greased bread pan. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. While bread dough is rising, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake bread for 35 minutes. Remove from pans and rub tops of the loaves with butter. Cool on a rack and place in plastic bags.

Bragging Board!

Okeydokey, everyone! I want you to take a little minute and post a little comment just to BRAG! Tell us what you are doing RIGHT! What did you get done today? And I don't mean only housework! Did you read to your kids? Help an older child with homework? Did you exercise this morning? Did you tackle a trouble spot? Did you apologize to someone when you were wrong? Tell us what you deserve a pat on the back for! Nobody be shy! I'll even start us out!

Good Bathroom organizer

I have such a small house that I have to find creative ways to store things. And  one of my favorite blogs I follow is Meck mom.   She has a great idea on how she stores her girls hair accessories.  she hung a shoe storage holder on the back of her bathroom door.

But I use mine differently. I do use it for hair accessories, but I also store brushes, combs, hairspray, gel, curling irons etc. in the pockets as well.  I have one hanging in each of my bathrooms and all that stuff is neatly hidden behind the door and everything is conveniant to get to and to put away. And best of all  my bathroom counters are not cluttered anymore!

This is the system that got me through Iraq!

Okeydoke, I'm sure there is a better way to do this than to give you a link, but I'm not sure what that is, so here's my favorite, tried and true HOUSEWORK SCHEDULE!
I just went through and revised this to meet my current needs, but this is what kept our house in working order while Dave was in Iraq. It has changed a LOT over the years, but I always come back to it because for OUR family, IT WORKS! The new addition to the chart is that now there is a bold section at the bottom of each day with what I expect my KIDS to do. Dave knows it is his job to help check off the list when he is home as well.
Leave a comment if you want me to email you an editable word document version so you can change it to meet your needs.

TODAY'S CHALLENGE that probably isn't a challenge for most of you!

Here's the challenge of the day. Most of you probably won't have any problem doing this, and it is probably only a challenge for me! Here it is:

REFUSE to let anyone get you grumpy. Whatever it is that would ordinarily have you in a tizzy, DON'T overreact or freak out! Find a way to SMILE or joke with the people you love to get you through the hard moments. If all else fails, if you can't say something nice, DON'T TALK!

Good Luck!

Worst First

So I don't have anything truly insightful to say but I liked this idea that I found on the blog Sister's Stuff.

It was all about doing the worst first. Go to the post here. I liked the saying that she had on there...

"If you can do the worst first, you will just get it over with. It will not be hanging out on your to do list when you run out of time and energy later."

One of my worsts is Laundry...especially whites. I totally agree with Alish. I do my laundry on Mondays, whites first. Laundry is also the ONLY thing that I do on Monday...that makes it achievable for me.

I would also say that one of my other "worsts" is dishes...I very much despise dishes. The hard part of doing them is that they have to be done 3 times a day. I usually end up doing them at night. Tomorrow I will do them first...all 3 times they need to be done.

What is your worst?

Been in a Funk, But now I am READY to GO & DO!

First of all, I'd like to let you all know that you are NOT allowed to laugh at MY NAME or YOURS listed as an author on a blogspot titled The Well Functioning Family. Notice the little arrow on the header? That means that we are AIMING for the well functioning family. I dare say that our work as spouses and parents is like laundry. It's never ever ever done, for more than a minute anyway. We'll keep blaming, AND THANKING Adam and Eve for both of those dillemas. And for all the joy that comes with them... being a spouse and a parent definitely comes with joy. Laundry... not so much!

Oh, where do I begin... Have you ever found yourself in a bit of a funk? I have recently found myself there. I am starting to be able to see above the cloud of it, but let me tell you a bit about the funk I have been in and see if you can relate.

I have recently felt like all my best efforts for good have been thwarted. Like no matter WHAT I do it is just never going to be enough. Like as a wife, mother, business owner, care-giver, and CEO of this ever demanding household that I am failing miserably, not on one or two fronts but on ALL fronts. I have been grumpy with my husband and children and I've had lots of moments when the Spirit is NON-EXISTENT in my home.

Now I am NOT PROUD of any of this. I have LET SATAN have a presence here, even despite my best efforts. Sometimes the juxtaposition between what I WANT to achieve and what I am capable of achieving is just soooooo stark! Sometimes it feels like the harder I try to have peace in our home and for our family to function WELL equals Satan working all the harder. The saddest part is that sometimes he knocks me off-guard and succeeds.

I have recently been listening to a segment on The Mormon Channel called Unto All The World. This is where they interview Missionaries and mission presidencies about the service they provided, the places and cultures they served in, and the Spirit of missionary work. It has brought some discussion between Dave and I about how one day we would love to serve a mission together and how neat it would be to serve in some foreign land. About how cool it would be, as the church continues to roll forth, if one day we are able to serve in such a place as Iraq, where Dave, as many of you know, was able to serve with the Utah National Guard for a year, I can't tell you how neat I think that experience would be!

Then, this Sunday during LDS General Conference, one of the speakers (I'm horrible, I didn't keep notes! I'll give better references later after I have relistened!) stressed exactly what the description of this blog says. That the MOST IMPORTANT of this life's work will be the work that takes place within the walls of our own homes. That hit me so hard! No matter WHAT callings we will hold or what good we will do in the world... no matter if one day we are called to serve as a primary teacher or as a General Authority... no matter WHERE we serve in our community or in a foreign land... NONE of those acts of service, while all of them worth doing and magnifying to the best of our ability... NONE will be more important than the work we will do as spouses and parents, right within the walls of our own homes.

So I guess I am going to find a way to shake the funk off and to go thwart Satan's efforts. I'm going to GO and I'm going to DO the things that the Lord has commanded! For I KNOW that the Lord giveth NO COMMANDMENTS unto the children of man save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the things which he hath commanded.

And I GUESS I am also going to GO and do the laundry!

PLEASE! PLEASE don't be afraid to post here! NONE of us have perfect families and we all need each other! Please pray about what the Lord would have you share and then be bold enough to share it! PLEASE!

Best Advice and a Challenge

Want a well-functioning family? Here is the BEST advice EVER! Watch or listen to the conference of the LDS Church. I promise that as you do, you will feel the Spirit and it will speak to your heart, the things that you should do or should change to help your family function well. Here's the challenge part. Come back here and post a comment about what you heard or what you plan to do differently in your home because of General Conference. Now go get Spiritually Fed!