Sunday, January 31, 2010

January Goals Check In

Personal
1. Read 1 book I read 3 books: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. 1760 pages!
2. Scrapbook 15 pages I completed 14 pages.
3. Cook I made 4 slowcooker meals, which is a huge time saver! I also made 4 recipes from a magazine or cookbook. I would have made more, but so many of my recipes are desserts. Eating dessert does not equal weight loss.
4. Journal daily 31 days!

5. Savings My goals was to spend $100 a week on groceries. Unfortunately, with a family of 6, that is a hard goal to make. So, I have focused on saving 50%. I saved $496.27 this month.

Family
1. Read We did some reading, but need to work at this more.
2. Eat Emma beat the boys by trying more new foods. She is really the only one willing to try anything new. Cooper sometimes will try, but Carson, he only tried 1 new thing.
3. Exercise We lost track of how many times we each went, but we are making great progress considering how little free time we have.
4. Family We had 1 family night. We need to improve in this area also.
5. Starbucks While I wasn't able to get to 1 trip a week, I did manage to cut my trips in half. When Josh has days it is no problem avoiding Starbucks, but the weekends and when he has swings, it is just too tempting.

Month 1 of 12

January went by fast. We had 1 case of the flu and 1 round of colds in the boys. It was a rainy month, which is unusual for us. This month has been all about the Wii, Super Mario Bros and Lego Star Wars. We are down to only 1 little one in diapers. I can't believe it!

Carson

- He celebrated his 100th day of school
- He has been waking up at 6:15 so he can play the Wii before school.
- He looks forward to Pizza Fridays every week.
- He turns bright red when you mention Abby.

Cooper
- He enjoys the days when Carson has to go to school because he gets the Wii to himself.
- He has been playing with his superheroes more and organizing them like he used to.
- He is excited to go on Splash Mountain again.
- He is loving peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. He would eat one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let him.

Emma
- She is finally potty trained, both during the day and at night!
- She is really into the Disney Princesses, especially Cinderella.
- She is an excellent eater and would eat all day if I let her.
- She loves to clean and pick up. She is a very good helper with the laundry and dishwasher.
- She is sleeping in her room for half the night.
- She loves following you around the house.

Parker
- He has gotten many more teeth.
- He makes the silliest faces and has crazy eyes all the time.
- He runs very fast.
- He loves pretending to talk on the phone.

Josh
- He won two awards at work
- He hurt his big toe pretty bad. He is just waiting for the toe nail to fall off.
- He cleaned up the side of the house.

Shannon
- I started working out.
- I read 3 books.
- I finally got some scrapbooking done

Day 31 of 365

Today was a sunny day. Josh washed both cars. The Suburban was a disaster. Now, its all clean inside and ready for our trip. I went grocery shopping and saved $160, over 50%. We watched the Grammy's. We even put on our 3D glasses for the Michael Jackson tribute. We are just dorks!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Day 30 of 365

Today we had our usual weekend breakfast. Josh had to go into work for a few hours. Then he made two trips to the dump to get rid of all the boxes and garbage from Christmas. Josh and I had date night.

Friday's Accomplishments




Friday, January 29, 2010

Day 29 of 365

Today was Carson's 100th day at school. They had a big celebration. He said it was really fun! Josh got two awards at work today, Controller of the Year at Beale AFB and Watch Supervisor of the Quarter. He is up for Controller of the Year for the entire Air Force!!! We are all so proud of him! We got our taxes back today, woo whoo. We treated ourselves to takeout, On the Border.

Pictures from this Week





Thursday, January 28, 2010

Day 28 of 365

Today the kids were up by 5:45, way too early for all of them! So, you can imagine the afternoon was not exactly pleasant. Today was Carson's 99th day of school. He is getting really excited for tomorrow's 100th day celebration. He also has a little crush on a girl named Abby. He turns bright red when you mention her name, and he doesn't want Josh to know anything about it. How cute! Cooper has been playing with his superhero guy box more lately. Emma has been playing with Legos and Parker has been bugging all 3 of them, trying to be a big boy and play along.

Scrapbook Pages

I got 3 more done. These are from February 2009.


Day 27 of 365

Today was another regular day. Everyone's colds are getting better. It was finally sunny after a week of rain. I finished "Eclipse". I liked it better than "New Moon". I think Eclipse will be a great movie. So, this month my goal was to read 1 book, and I have read 3.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Day 26 of 365

Today Parker's cold was much worse. Carson is doing better and so is Cooper. It seems to be turning into a cough. At least we are getting colds now, and not when we go to Disneyland. I went to the gym when Josh got home. He finished dinner and put all the clothes I folded away (7 loads!) The kids, especially Emma, are getting so excited for Disneyland!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Day 25 of 365

Today was a long day. Cameron came over after school until 7. All 3 boys have a cold, but not Emma yet. Emma is officially out of diapers!!!! FINALLY! She is getting so excited to go to Disneyland. She has a whole list of characters she wants to see, with Cinderella at the top of her list. Only 2 more weeks to go!

Monday Links

- Very cute new baby scrapbook line by Teresa Collins
- Another new collection by one of my favorite companies Basic Grey
- More Super Mario Cakes which Cooper LOVES here
- Be on the lookout for this coupon book at Safeway
- A beautiful layout here
- Sign up for a free $10 coupon book from Betty Crocker

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Day 24 of 365

Today was football day. I went grocery shopping. I saved $170 and only spent $135! I stocked up on some cheap snacks to take to Disneyland in 2 weeks. Josh cleaned the house. He had some friends from work over to watch the playoff games. I made yummy beef fajitas for dinner. Carson has a bad cold and by the end of the day Cooper was getting it. Hopefully it doesn't get to everyone.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Day 23 of 365

Today was a very lazy day. We watched movies and played the Wii. It rained off and on. I cut the back of Parker's hair. I also finished "New Moon". I liked "Twilight" a little bit better.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Day 22 of 365

Today Carson was up at 5:30, asking if he could play the Wii before school. I told him to go back to bed for a few more minutes. He was up at 6:00 ready to go. After school we played Wii for a little bit. We had pizza for dinner then played Legos. At bedtime, Cooper watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in our bed. Carson read to his animals in his room. Emma fell asleep in Cooper's bed.

Scrapbook Pages

Last 2 layouts of January 2009.
Parker at 5 Months Old

Kids running at the Forestry Center
(I dropped the stamp, bummer!! Oh well, I still think its cute.)

Pictures from this Week

Carson scrapbooking, so cute!!

Our stormy, stormy week

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Day 21 of 365

Today was a calmer weather day. A very cloudy morning and rain showers all night, but not much wind. Nicole watched Cooper, Emma, and Parker while Josh and I worked out together again. I wish we had more time together, just us, oh well, someday. The kids helped each other clean their rooms. (To earn the Wii of course). Josh hurt his toe pretty bad playing basketball. Its all bruised and swollen under his toenail. I have read about half of "New Moon" already. We are excited for the weekend so we can just hang out.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Day 20 of 365

Today was a very stormy day again. So stormy in fact, Josh didn't have to go to work. We spent the morning wondering if his work would call or not. Nothing, until 10 minutes before he was leaving. The power only flickered for a moment, but we got nervous. We spent the afternoon playing the Wii and playing in the "kitchen". We finally finished Josh's movie, "The Hurtlocker". It was really good. I started reading "New Moon".

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Day 19 of 365

Today was another very stormy day! This morning I took Carson and Cameron to school. Nicole came over and watched the other 3 while Josh and I went to work out together! Josh kicked my butt. I'm so out of shape, but that will soon change. We picked the boys up from school. It rained hard all day and was very windy. The kids love the stormy weather. Josh has swings this week. The kids and I did some scrapbooking together. Josh got off work early because of the weather, no flying!

Monday with Cameron

Watching Josh play Super Mario Bros.


Feeding 5

Ice Cream Night



Scrapbook Pages

Pictures all from January 2009


Monday, January 18, 2010

Day 18 of 365

Today we enjoyed an extra day off. We watched Cameron from 9 to 7. The kids played all day. Josh took Emma to buy new big girl underwear. It was very stormy today. Lots of rain and wind.

Monday Links

- A very cool Van Gogh cake here
- Cute Valentine's ideas from Skip to my Lou
- If anyone finds this glow in the dark thread, let me know
- 10 quick bread recipes from Joy the Baker
- Someday I will be here

Goals Check In Week #2

Mine
Read: 200 pages of Twilight finished the book!
Scrapbook: 4 pages, photoshop & print June 09 finished 3 pages
Cook: 2 recipes, 1 slowcooker 1 recipe, 1 slowcooker
Journal: 7 days all 7 days, only 2 late
Save: spend $100 on groceries I was over, but I did save 48%, or $114

Family
Read: 1 book didn't happen, oops
Eat: try 3 new things Emma tried 3 new things
Exercise: Josh- 4 times, Shannon- 4 times Josh-3, Shannon-4
Family: 1 family night, 1 family walk 1 family night
Starbucks: Josh- 3 times, Shannon- 1 time I only went 1 time during the week!

Day 17 of 365

Yesterday we had a relaxing day. I went grocery shopping. I saved $116.87! Not bad. We watched football. The boys played Wii. We went to Cold Stone Creamery for a special treat. Last night Josh and I watched "Twilight".

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Day 16 of 365

Today we all slept in until 8! I'm sure Parker was up at his usual time. However, he never cries to get out. He just waits and plays with his toys until someone comes and gets him. The kids had their weekend donuts. We had chicken pot pie for lunch, yummy! I ran a few errands this afternoon. The kids had a special dinner, McDonalds. Emma eats hamburgers now instead of chickens. 4 happy meals cost $16.10! That is why we only have McDonalds once in awhile!! Tonight the kids had movie night. We watched "Alvin & the Chipmunks". Josh is out with the guys. Parker is asleep and the other 3 are getting ready for bed. I will be watching a movie and getting my grocery list together.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Day 15 of 365

Today is finally Friday! After a long week, we are looking forward to having 3 days off. After school the boys played the Wii for awhile. Josh brought home pizza and I headed off to the gym. The Blazers are playing right now, so you know what Josh is doing. At school Carson has been learning about MLK. Today he had to fill in the blank, "I have a dream ____" He wrote "I have a dream to be nice" and he drew a picture of his family. He said his dream was to be nice to his family. What a sweetheart! (He has had a little bit of attitude this week, so it was wonderful to hear his "dream") Cooper is looking forward to his birthday. Emma is working on the whole potty thing. Believe me when I say, no fun! Parker's favorite game is to play with cheerios. He likes to put one on the table and use his finger to flip it. He thinks it is so funny! I finished Twilight today. Not bad, 500 pages in 2 weeks! It was a really good book. I can't believe I didn't read it sooner!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Day 14 of 365

Today was another normal day. Josh and I both took turns at the gym. We had some yummy cornbread and shredded BBQ chicken for dinner. I got the boys room cleaned which of course is a neverending task. Parker was WILD tonight. He ran around in circles yelling, laughing, dancing, and spiting. He was full of energy!

Day 13 of 365

Yesterday was a good day. Nicole took Carson to school again, so Cooper got to sleep in. We played the Wii for a little bit and finally beat level 5 on the Star Wars game. Josh went to the gym. I got some scrapbooking done. I read another 100 pages of Twilight. That book is addicting! I was up until 11:15 reading.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Emma, Emma, Emma


Scrapbook Pages

Finally, I have gotten 3 pages done. The pictures are all from January 2009.


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Day 12 of 365

Today Cooper got to sleep in. Cameron's mom offered to take Carson to school. Cooper spent the morning playing Star Wars Wii. Emma played with Parker. This afternoon the boys played Wii for a little bit then colored. When Josh got home I went and worked out. He made dinner. It rained today off and on. Other than that, a pretty normal day.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Day 11 of 365

Today everyone woke up happy and rested. We all took Carson to school. Cooper and Emma played grocery store. They helped get dinner going in the slowcooker. We had lunched and then played Transformers for awhile. When Josh got home I went to the gym. Josh cleaned up the house and finished dinner. While the boys, Josh, and I were playing the Wii, Emma and Parker got into Carson's markers. Emma colored all over her whole body. At least they were washable!

Menu Plan- Week #2

Monday: Brown Sugar Chicken in the crockpot, brown rice, broccoli
Tuesday: Shredded chicken tacos
Wednesday: Biscuit topped chicken pot pie
Thursday: BBQ chicken & cornbread in the crockpot, carrots
Friday: Pizza night
Saturday: Skillet Pasta bake
Sunday: Homemade chicken and noodles

Weekly Goals- Week #2

Mine
Read: 200 pages of Twilight
Scrapbook: 4 pages, photoshop & print June 09
Cook: 2 recipes, 1 slowcooker
Journal: 7 days
Save: spend $100 on groceries

Family
Read: 1 book
Eat: try 3 new things
Exercise: Josh- 4 times, Shannon- 4 times
Family: 1 family night, 1 family walk
Starbucks: Josh- 3 times, Shannon- 1 time

Goals Check-In

Mine
Read: 1/4 of Twilight I read 1/3 of the book
Scrapbook: 4 pages, photoshop & print June 09 I only finished 1 page.
Cook: 2 recipes, 1 slowcooker 1 recipe, homemade rolls from Cooking Light
Journal: 7 days all 7 days
Save: spend $100 on groceries $42 over budget, should be able to make that up next week

Family
Read: 1 book 1.5 books
Eat: try 3 new things Emma is in the lead
Exercise: Josh- 3 times, Shannon- 2 times Josh-6 times, Shannon- 1 time
Family: 1 family night, 1 family walk 1 family walk
Starbucks: Josh- 3 times, Shannon- 1 time Josh- 7, Shannon- 7

Monday Links

- Beautiful spring cakes, especially the Daffodil cake at CakeWrecks
- Top 10 Cookbooks of 2009 here
- Mudslide Cupcakes at Cupcake Project
- Fun Dates to Remember here
- Links to lots of Food Blogs here
- Mocha Hot Fudge from Joy the Baker
- Super Mario Bros cake from CakeWrecks (Carson and Cooper both want to make this cake, right now!)
- This week's Target deals here
- I have to make this

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Top 10 on the 10th #1

Top 10 Foods Eaten by the Kids
1. Cheese pizza
2. Breadsticks
3. Chocolate milk
4. Apples
5. Mandarin oranges
6. Chocolate chip pancakes
7. Bananas
8. Donuts
9. Chicken nuggets
10. Pepperoni's

Day 10 of 365

Today we had our morning donuts and coffee. I finally made it to the gym. Josh of course went. The kids played most of the day. They were cranky and just kept fighting with each other. We had spaghetti and asparagus for dinner. Emma was the only one that tried it, oh and Parker of course. This weekend went by so fast!

Finally, some recent Pictures

The Squinting Brothers
Playing with Big Sis
Emma loving her Barbies
Morning Waffles
My Cooking Buddies
Parker so excited that he gets to play with markers!
Mario Time

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Day 9 of 365

Finally . . . Saturday! We slept in until 7:30ish. We had our usual weekend donuts and coffee. Josh went to the gym. I spent the morning cooking. I cooked 4.5 lbs of hamburger, cooked 3lbs chicken in the slow cooker to be shredded and cut up 3lbs of chicken into chunks. Josh has 2 lbs of chicken breast to grill. For less than $20 we have 6 bags of cooked hamburger, 6 bags of shredded chicken, 6 bags of chunked chicken, and 2 bags of drumsticks in the freezer. That is enough for 20 meals! Not bad I think. My goal of spending $100 on groceries was not met this week, however we won't need meat for the next few weeks, so I should be able to make up the difference then. I spent $140.57 but I saved $152.83, over 50%! The kids and I went on a walk today, well they rode their bikes. I went to Michaels and used my gift certificate from Christmas (Thank you Caleb!). For dinner we made homemade rolls, baked chicken nuggest, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Emma earned 2 points, Cooper earned 2 points, and Carson earned 1 point. They all freaked out and cried when they saw the 2 green beans on their plate. Cooper was the only 1 that took a bite, which of course he spit out. Parker ate everything. Anyway, it was a pretty good Saturday, it just went by too fast.

(I will at some point post some pictures. I never seem to take many pictures in January, but I will try tomorrow)

Friday, January 8, 2010

Day 8 of 365

Today is finally Friday! Everyone is very excited! I went grocery shopping. We had pizza for dinner. We played the Wii and the kids watched "Up". We are all looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Day 7 of 365

Today was another difficult morning getting up. Josh went to the gym. We played grocery store all day. We made some yummy brownies with chocolate chip frosting. That is about it.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Day 6 of 365

Today morning was not much better. I would pay anything to have 1 day to sleep in. Josh made it to the gym, again. He is up 3-0. I need to get my butt in gear! Carson had a good day at school. This afternoon we watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". It was cute. The kids really liked it. Cooper and I read books together. Emma had another semi-successful day on the potty! Parker is still a little out of it. He has figured out where we hide the M&M's. He stands there screaming, holding up 1 finger until you give him one. Then he squeals and does a little dance. He is our little chocolate monster!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Day 5 of 365

Today we dragged ourselves out of bed again. Carson got to school on time. Josh made it to the gym again. Cooper and Emma helped make lunch, Mexican Casserole. Emma finally had a break through using the potty! Maybe, just maybe, we are making progress. Parker is feeling better and is much happier. Cooper is looking forward to his birthday next month. I finished up our taxes. We are getting a little more than I previously thought, so we are looking into a family trip next month. Carson has a 5 day weekend right around Cooper's birthday. We just might be visiting the big guy at the happiest place on earth! (Anyone want to join us?)

Monday, January 4, 2010

Weekly Goals- Week #1

Mine
Read: 1/4 of Twilight
Scrapbook: 4 pages, photoshop & print June 09
Cook: 2 recipes, 1 slowcooker
Journal: 7 days
Save: spend $100 on groceries

Family
Read: 1 book
Eat: try 3 new things
Exercise: Josh- 3 times, Shannon- 2 times
Family: 1 family night, 1 family walk
Starbucks: Josh- 3 times, Shannon- 1 time

(Our week is Monday-Sunday)

Day 4 of 365

Today we all dragged ourselves out of bed. Oh how nice it would have been to sleep just a little longer! Luckily, Josh has swings this week so I didn't have to get ALL the kids ready and out the door by 7:30. Carson had a great day at school. They celebrated his birthday. He wore a cute little birthday hat. When he got to school, the first thing he told Cameron was, "Guess what?" "My dad beat Super Mario Brothers"! Clearly, this was very exciting to him! Josh made it to the gym today, so 1 point for him. Cooper played with his Transformers. Emma played with her castle. Parker is still pretty cranky because of his teeth, hopefully tomorrow is a better day. Cooper and Emma both earned 1 point for trying cucumbers. Tonight the kids and I started reading, Knights of the Kitchen Table, a Time Wrap Trio (Carson's pick). We read 3 chapters (there are only 8). We will probably be able to read more books this month than I thought.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Day 3 of 365

Today Josh beat Wii Super Mario Brothers. This was very exciting for the boys. They just love watching him play. That game was a great Christmas present. The boys finally got their haircuts. They look so much older. I will try to get a picture taken tomorrow. Parker has been out of it, not because of the flu or anything, just teething. He has some molars coming in, no fun! Carson earned 1 point for trying blackberries. We made cupcakes for Carson's birthday celebration at school tomorrow. Today was our last day of vacation, so sad! Now, back into the swing of things and onto our New Year's goals.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Some Great Links

I have been going through my google reader and clearing out my favorites. Here are some great links to check out.

20 Questions for a New Year's Reflection at (In)Courage
Best of/ Worst of Lists from 2009 at Giving Up On Perfect (some are very funny)
Walgreens Deals 1/3-1/9 at My Frugal Adventures
I really wanted to do this, but I just wasn't organized enough to commit fully Read the Bible in 90 Days

Day 2 of 365

Today Carson is feeling much better. So far, no other victims! Josh took down the Christmas lights and we packed up the ornaments. Time to decorate for Valentine's Day. We decided on our goals for the year and plan on working hard to achieve them.

2010 Family Goals

1. Read
The kids have a great collection of books. Carson loves reading and listening to me read. The other kids, not so much. However, I think reading is very important. Our family goal is to read 1-3 books together a month.

2. Eat
We need to eat more veggies around here. Dinner usually involves making 2 or more different meals. Parker eats almost anything. Emma eats a lot and will at least try a bite. Cooper will sometimes try something new. Carson will NOT try anything new. I would love if we would all just eat the same thing. Our family goal is to try what mom makes and eat healthier. The kids will earn stickers for trying what I make. When they get 15 stickers they will receive a reward.

3. Exercise
Josh and I are members at 24hour fitness. We both have been 1 time in the last 3 months. Our goal is to go as much as possible every month. The person that goes the most during the month will receive a reward. Our goal is also to go on 1 family walk a week.

4. Family
The kids love having movie night. Our goal is to have 1 family night a week. We may watch a movie, play games, or bake something. We also need to talk nicer to one another and be better helpers.

5. Money
We are going to try to save more money. Our Starbucks spending is OUTRAGOUS! I got a new Frappaccino maker for Christmas. I will be able to make my drinks at home. Our goal is to go to Starbucks 1 time a week, instead of 7 times a week at $8 a visit. Also, we want to stay on our monthly budget and pay off debt.

2010 Personal Goals

1. Read
I love to read. However, I never seem to find the time. I have a list of books I would like to read but I could use a few more suggestions. Any books I should read? So far on the list is the Twlight series and Julie and Julia. My goal is to read 1 book a month.

2. Scrapbook
I miss scrapbooking. I haven’t created a page in a long time, nor have I gotten any pictures printed. I still have some of 2008 to finish. I haven’t even started on 2009. So, my goal is to work on pictures from the current month. At the end of each month I will also print out the pictures from that month. Hopefully, at the end of the year I will have completed 2008, 2009, and 2010 up to December. My goal is to scrapbook 1-2 times a week.

3. Cook
I love to cook. I love to read cooking magazines. I have a large pile of recipes I would like to make. The pile seems to grow larger and larger. This year, my goal is to cook 1 recipe from a magazine a week. I would also like to make some recipes from my growing cookbook collection. So, my goal is to also make 1 recipe a week from a cookbook. Finally, dinner time is always crazy around here. I just started using my slowcooker. I love how easy it is to make a meal without a lot of work. So, I am hoping to use my slowcooker 1 time a week. So, 1 time a week I will cook from a magazine, a cookbook, and use my slowcooker.

4. Journal
The kids are always saying the funniest things. I always mean to write them down, but I always forget too. My goal is to create a family journal and write in it daily.

5. Savings
I have been using coupons for 7 months now. I am finally into a system that works and it easy to keep up. My grocery budget is usually $125 a week. This year, my goal is to get that down to $100 a week.

January Scrapbook Goals

2008- none
2009
1. Multnomah Falls
2. Emma in the Sink
3. Parker on his Tummy
4. 3 Running
5. Trikes
6. The Puddle
7. Cooper's Cookie
8. All 5 Together

Friday, January 1, 2010

Day 1 of 365

The New Year has brought the flu into our house. Poor Carson is one sick little boy! We spent 5 hours at the emergency room. No fun!