Wit, Wisdom, & Whining

A Little Overwhelmed

You know those moments when you think through the recent events of your life and realize it would make a great made-for-tv movie?  Yeah, that is my life recently.  One of those need-a-lot-more-prayer-than-usual times. 

I wondered if we were biting off more than we could chew when we not only started Kyuki-Do as a family (and were going to classes four nights a week) but also signed the kids up for baseball and t-ball...Erin in dance...both Mike and I training for another marathon.....

When there is too much on the plate, because the things with the kids are just the tip of the iceberg, I tend to get short with people.  I tend to not be able to do things I want to do and know I should.  Things suffer.  Relationships suffer.  I suffer.

In a typical week, I: work on training with our dog/the trainer comes to visit, take Erin to dance in St. Charles (and we are getting ready for recital, so I just bought tickets, a costume, tights, etc and made plans for people to attend with us), Kyle has two baseball practices, Erin has two t-ball practices (and games start next week), we attend several Kyuki-Do classes (which I love!), I try to visit with a friend or two, lead a Bible study for moms, do a prenatal visit with a client, answer several calls/emails for doula services/classes/products, make an order for either diapers/detergents/slings, transfer funds around and do business banking, teach a childbirth class, do 7-8 loads of laundry, make 5 or so home-cooked meals, buy groceries, run errands, fill the car with gas, read books to kids, help with 5 nights of homework and projects, make a trip or two to the bank, make several trips to the school to drop off and pick up kids, try to have a play date or two, attend church and lead a small group of 8th grade girls, attend either an interview or professionally-related meeting of some kind, field phone calls and texts from expecting and new moms, and I know I am probably leaving something out of this as well. 

In the midst of things being just generally busy, my grandma has been very ill.  Congestive heart failure, an almost non-functional spleen, liver problems, difficulty keeping her sodium and potassium levels where they need to be (instead of too high or too low), blood and other bodily infections, digestive problems...you name it.  And the latest thing-- her tongue got really red and swollen (and sore) and now she can't taste anything.  As a result, she is eating less and has lost like 20 pounds in the last few weeks.  She is back in the hospital for the fifth time in just the past couple of months.  Even worse than the illness for a family member sometimes is the stress that it places on that person's care providers.  In this case, my mom and my aunt.  They are both run ragged and losing steam.  I worry about my mom a lot in this situation because she has medical issues of her own and doesn't need to be dealing with the additional stress.  She needs to be taking care of herself too, but she doesn't make herself a priority, like most mothers that I know!

A song came out last week that has really hit me-- the lyrics just speak to me.  It is Laura Story's song, Blessings.  Here it is.

I'd like to think that God is using all of this to shape me into the person I need to be to better serve him.  I'm sure some of this is also self-inflicted, so I am going to evaluate some options for freeing up some time.  Pray for us in the meanwhile if you can.

Feeding 5 for Under $10 in less than 30 minutes

With the kids being busy in sports right now (baseball, karate, t-ball, dance, etc) dinners have become more difficult.  I love to cook, but unfortunately, I don't have time to make a complete meal from scratch more than a couple of nights a week.  However, I do not want to sacrifice our health.  Things like artificial dyes, foods high in sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and over-processed junk is not coming into the house regardless of how much or little we are home.

Normally, I don't purchase very many frozen foods- but lately, a few of them have been finding their way into my cart, and they are not too shabby!  Tonight, I wanted to share with you some of my easy dinners, for less than $10 a family that can be made in 30 minutes or less...

First, tonight's meal. 

Carmelized Onion Quiche, Creamy Potato Soup, Fresh Salad, and Rolls- Costco is now carrying delicious frozen quiches.  A two-pack is only $10 and they are 9 inches in diameter-- enough to feed everyone a good-sized slice.  Aldi's store brand of Creamy Potato soup mix is only $1.69 and makes four servings, which when added to quiche and salad is plenty for my family.  Toss in a bag of fresh spring mix for $1.99 and dinner is served-- the rolls were not in my plan, but since the end of the tube of the crescent rolls popped off, and they started escaping their package, they will be made this evening, adding 99 cents.  : )  Total-- $9.67

On Wednesday, I have time to cook-- I am making spaghetti and meatballs served with garlic bread and a mixed green salad.  Since we buy our beef roughly 400 pounds at at time, there is plenty of it in the freezer.  I will take out 2 pounds to make meatballs.  My meatballs are hand-rolled with fresh parsley (50 cents), about 2 cups of ricotta cheese ($1.69 at Aldi), a couple of eggs, bread crumbs to firm it up, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.  Garlic, onion, and olive oil start the base of a great sauce, and with only a couple of cans of stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste-- they turn into a pot of tasty.  It may be closer to 40 minutes, but it doesn't take too long.  A box of pasta (79 cents for Barilla last week at Tampico Market) and we are good to go.  Garlic bread (pre-made-- I know, I am cheating) $1.69 and more greens $1.49...and it is on the table.  Total-- $6.16 (because I already have beef and other basic ingredients).

Thursday-- Panko Crusted Pork Fillets with Spatzle Noodles and Green Beans (surprisingly, another super quick meal!)  Pre-cut thin pork chops were $3.65.  Brush with an egg and coat in panko crumbs and season with salt and pepper.  Cook in a little butter or olive oil about 5-7 minutes until brown and crispy.  Spatzle noodles were a special feature at Aldi for $2.49.  I like to boil them as directed (which is about 8-10 minutes), drain, and add them to a few sauteed onions and then season with a few of my favorite herbs.  Green beans (going frozen on this one!) were 99 cents.  Total-- $7.13

Friday night-- Good Friday and while we aren't busy with kids' activities, we will be at church between 5 and 7 pm...so dinner has to be early and fast.  Nothing is faster than pasta.  Aldi is actually carrying a rigatoni that is stuffed with portobello mushrooms that we think is great!  It comes frozen with its own seasoning packet, so all you do is boil as directed, drain, and add the herb mix and a little olive oil.  You are done in less than 15 minutes, it serves my family, and is $2.99).  To go with it, I will grab a loaf of crusty french bread (2 for $1.50 at Tampico Market-- baked fresh that day) and some asparagus ($1.99/lb this week).  I like to cut the rough ends off of the asparagus, lay it in a 9 by 13 inch pan, and pour a few tablespoons of butter over it.  Then, I sprinkle a little garlic salt and pepper and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Yum!  Total--$6.48

Friday night, I will take the extra loaf of french bread and turn it into baked french toast.  A few eggs, some half and half, vanilla, and sugar-- and it is ready to bake when you get up in the morning and for about $3.00 total cost.  Great idea for Saturday mornings when kids have baseball and t-ball practices at 9 am.    Aldi also has a few of our other breakfast staples.  Their mini whole wheat bagels are $1.89 and a tub of whipped cream cheese is $1.59- and that lasts a full week for 3 kids (plus me, those mini bagels are good!) Cantaloupes are 99 cents right now and are a great addition to the other fresh fruit we have been grabbing at Costco.  The strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are awesome.  Thrown in yogurt-- even better, if that is possible.

Saturday and Sunday I don't have to cook because of Easter gatherings.  I do, however, have to make a tiramisu for 20 people....good thing Aldi had lady fingers for only $1.49 a pack!