La Menu de los Castros

A little over a year ago, I found the most amazing thing at Target (I think). It was inexpensive and perfect for what we needed. It was a dry erase menu board, with magnets on the back, and an area for a shopping list. Plus, it was super cute with teal and orange swirlies. I fell in love.

So, we have used it for the last year or more, week by week, to plan our meals. Throughout that time, I began to think about it's shortcomings. We rarely need to plan lunch throughout the week because the kids are at school or the sitter's house. When we change our plan last minute, it's hard to erase just one small area. If someone walks too closely and slides across it, our menu is gone.

Then I saw some blogs about menu boards. Like this one. And this one. And I follow and love this blog...so ultimately this one gave me the idea...

Last week, I sprung the idea on Jose and then we decided to make it while the kids were at my moms. We had a whiteboard hung in the kitchen that was used for a to do list, but was rarely updated. By chance, we figured out that it was magnetic. So, we took a trip to the dollar store (stones) and Walmart (magnets).

First, we made a ginormous list of foods that we love...both main dishes and sides. We included desserts too! (Ya can't forget dessert!!!) Then, we used the larger round stones for main dishes. Cut the paper to fit the back, write/draw what it is, elmers glue, let it dry, then add magnets to the back. Super simple. We used the smaller oval stones for side dishes. Same process.

My photo isn't the best quality, but you get the idea.

And, T, do you see what we're having tonight?

Then, we did a trial run with the whiteboard. We waited a few days to see how it held up, if the magnets fell off, if the board fell off the wall, what size squares we needed, etc. Then, last night, I decided to paint the board. I got out my acrylics and finished up just before dinner. I snapped this photo as it was drying.

After dinner, I grabbed it to write the names of the days on. That's when I learned that acrylic paint and whiteboards aren't really that good together. The kids enjoyed spending the next chunk of time with me, peeling the paint from the entire board. That's when we decided to allow a slightly more ghetto approach: permenant marker. So, I colored the board with red and black markers. And the result was a little less pretty, but much more functional. And, viola!

The bottom area, is where we can stick recipes or notes to the board. The panel on the right side is a shopping list area to use dry erase markers. Plus, we made 2 Saturday's and 2 Sunday's - one for lunch and one for dinner.

We love the flexibility to switch things around, to have a reminder of things that aren't the same ole' foods, and to have an entire months worth of meals planned. We have another junkier board where the extra foods are chilling right now, but I think I'm going to convince Jose to buy a strip of flashing to hang on the wall and use it to keep them. Plus, we have enough stones and magnets to double our menus as we try new things or realize that we've forgotten something.



Plus, at the end of each week, we can just move the magnets up, and there ya be. Isa loves it because she can help us "make" dinner and know what we are eating ahead of time...she had a hard time with reading our old dry erase one. Jose hasn't stopped singing the boards praises this week, plus we've made meals that we've been forgetting about: sliders, calzones, chili mac, taco casserole...and haven't had to eat the same ole' meals like hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and PB&Js....

 In case the cool menu board wasn't enough to convince you, let me use my photos of our dinner to help.

Hehe...

Added bonus: If you have picky eaters, this way you can always arrange it so that at least ONE item on the menu is something they will eat and love.

Movie Night

Last Thursday, Isa wanted to "buy" her movie night with popcorn. I agreed, so after dinner, we packed Teo into the stroller, walked to Walmart (see, I'm serious about this walking stuff), and she picked out a movie from Redbox, which she has named Bluebox since it's blue.

We returned home with Gnomeo and Juliet in the basket of the stroller and with Isa too tired to walk, so I pushed both of them home.

Once home, I parked momentarily in front of the A/C to dry my sweaty body cool off and popped a bag of popcorn while Isa got the movie started. I pulled the recliners together so Jose and I could be side by side, and the kids crawled into our laps. About a quarter of the way into the movie, Jose was snoring. About halfway through the movie, Isa decided to lay down on the floor. About ten minutes later, she moved to the couch. Immediately after, she was asleep too. So, Teo and I stuck it out and watched the entire movie, then they headed to bed.

It was nice. I honestly don't remember a time when we stopped what we were doing here at home, put down the laptop and the cell phones, pulled together and spent time with one another. It was awesome!

I am loving the "No Bummer Summer" concept. And it has helped (slightly) with her attitude and mouthy ways. We'll keep working at it. What's your favorite family together time activity?

Sock Monsters.

One of the items on Isa's "No Bummer Summer" list was to make sock puppets.

So, we chose to make them last Wednesday.

We also were blessed with guests: 

My bff, Jamie, and my sister, Jillian, joined us in the sock puppet making.

Teo and Jose even joined in, momentarily.

Here Teo shows me how the buttons are eyes...

And here is my beautiful sissy, working on one of her puppets. 

Jamie taught Isa the dangers of squiggly scissors. 

And here's Teo's completed puppet... 

Jose made puppets too, but he didn't use a hot glue gun at all.

He just doodled. (He's so handsome though!) 

Isa drew on a sock for her puppet too.

She glued hair and stuff on though, so she is still more creative than her daddy... 

Ahhh! These two sock puppets, who were lovingly named after family members, were on attack. 

And they. kept. kissing. me! 

Isa's princess puppet gets to know Teo's puppet, who has been determined to be a prince. 

Here's one of Jose's creations... 

Jamie and Piggy Princess pose for a photo op.

(Sorry for the sweaty Jamie...did I mention that we don't have central air?) 

Here's Piggy Princess' close up. 

And my sister made a dancer from Vegas... 

This was my table during the festivities.

We are not organized crafters! 

This is Baby.

She's a baby puppet, in case you didn't realize... 

Here Jill attempts to match the facial expression as the puppet... 

And the award for coolest hair goes to this guy... 

It was super fun and I strongly encourage anyone to save their matchless socks

and spend a day making sock puppets!

Isa is already asking when we can do it again.

She has found a home for all of her puppets and is wanting me to create a stage of some type for them.

It was so cool...

No Bummer Summer!

First, let me apologize for the mental breakdown this weekend. Combine stress with PMS and that's the result.

And when you combine kids that are misbehaving and extra hyper, that was basically my day today.

So, by this evening, I was reminded of some blogs that I love and their summer lists/projects/crafts. So, I took that and gave it a twist. And we created Isa's Summer Bucket List...which has been named the No Bummer Summer list.



Many of these items, as you can see have a price attached to them. These are the costs that Isa has to pay in, what she has acutely named, "Mom Bucks." We have a second document that has the process to earn (or lose) money.

There is always the addition that needs to be remembered that Mom and Dad can add payment or fines at any time. For example, I was running around crazy this evening and told her that she would earn a dollar if she helped me find something I needed to leave. She found it. And she earned a dollar.

The dollars are actual tangible slips of paper. The one dollar bill has a cartoon of her mama on it. The five dollar bill has a cartoon of her dad.

I fully intend to make her a "wallet" out of duct tape. Hehe. But until then, she has found a metal pencil holder that I used to have on a desk somewhere to hold her dollars. Today, since implementing this project, she has earned $14. She also lost $2 for being mouthy. Overall though, it shows great potential. She had better dinner behavior than we have seen in months. She helped clear the table and do dishes. She helped clean up the living room and throw laundry downstairs. It will also be a great way to keep her working on her math skills throughout the summer.

Do you have any type of system in place like this at your home? What have you found that works? What doesn't work? What do we need to be careful of?

Card Tricks or Treats?

Isa spent like an hour this morning, telling my why Teo isn't allowed to play with her cards. [She is this, like, card collector - playing cards, baseball cards, pieces of cardboard tags of new clothes, domino game pieces, etc. You name it, she has it.]

Her reasons included: "He will tear them up", "He will put them in his mouth", "Teo will chew on them", etc.
She even stressed to me that Mamaw Sue said that Teo's not allowed to play with cards.

Finally, I told her to give Teo another chance to show that he's a big boy and that he won't tear them up. That lasted about 20 minutes, which was a success in my book. Then, I took his card privledge away.

So, can someone please explain to me why, about a half hour after Isa went through this whole ordeal to keep Teo from tearing up her cards, I look across the room where both kids are sitting, watching Hey Arnold! and see Isa, with a half eaten card in her hand and the rest of the card in her mouth!

Oy vey!

Coffee = Not Being A Hoarder

I think my biggest joy ever about having Netflix is the tv episodes. I have certain shows that I'm drawn to that we do not get on our television, mainly because I refuse to pay $30+ for cable or dish or whatever. So, there are some TLC, ABC Family, A&E kinda shows that I have caught when at a hotel for a conference in the past that I now have access to via Netflix. I'm really not picky. Old shows work perfectly fine. They are new to me.

Anyways, two such shows are "Clean House" and "Hoarders"....I love love LOVE them. And they leave me feeling inspired.

So, the other night was like any other night this week. Worked our butts off all day, then collapsed into the recliners around 10 PM and turned into tv zombies. Well, on this particular night, I drank a cup of coffee. Then, Jose headed to bed, leaving me to watch Clean House alone.

At least, until I hit pause. And began to clean. And kept cleaning. It was like midnight and I stayed up until about 1:30 or 2 AM. The crazy part is that it didn't even seem that dirty. I did two loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, the dining room and the living room. I went through some of our accumulating piles that have grown since we have been doing so much work outside.

Note to self: Do not drink coffee then watch cleaning and organizing tv shows.

Actually, let's revise that:
Note to self: Do NOT drink coffee after 6 PM. Ever.

Reminders

Often, nearly daily in my job, I see something or discuss something that makes me grateful for what I have. Today was no exception.

There is this family that I have been blessed to get to know. And, while they are easy to work with, the case has been one of most emotionally draining cases that I have worked. Long story short, I am very grateful that I can come home and spend every evening with my family. That I have my husband to fight with my kids along side me. That I have two kids at home that can drive me nuts. And, despite the fact that I am often a self-proclaimed failure of a mom, I am so thankful to be able to experience our daily life.

Today, I came home and couldn't wait to wrap my arms around my kids, to tell them how much I love them. To bury my nose in the crick of their necks and hold their hands. To cover them with kisses.

While there are days that I question my life decisions, today was a day that I was very grateful for them. For my kids. For an intact marriage that allows me to have the support of a husband and to have my children home every day.

And, today also gave me a greater gratitude towards my mom. So, mommy, if you read this one, here's to you: Thank you for raising me, and raising me on your own. I do not know where you obtained the strength that you did to be my mom, but I am glad that you never gave up, that you never stopped, and that you loved me through it all. If you ever questioned your decisions, you never let on and I am so happy to have had you as a mom.

Dining Junkies

I will not profess to have amazing budgeting or financial knowledge. Truth be told, the lack of that is actually what has created this post. Let me explain...

You know that kids song: "A Pizza Hut, A Pizza Hut, A Long John Silvers and A Pizza Hut. A Wendys. A Wendys..." Yea. You get it. Well, that was the theme song of our life recently, especially with all the work on the house. You name it, we went there to eat recently. And when I balanced the checkbook the last time, it was screaming in agony that song...

So, we implemented something for Isa. Restaurants at home. We told her that she was in charge of the menu this week and could choose her restaurants of choice, only catch was, we were making it instead of ordering it at these places. And we were not actually going out to eat anymore. Part of it was to show her that there was nothing special about dining out. Part of it was to show US that there was nothing special about dining out.

Monday night: Bob Evans. We had sliced turkey in gravy, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Just like we order for take-out from Bob Evans.

Tuesday night: Qdobas. Jose and I had chicken nachos (and they were delish...possibly even better than Qdobas!) and the kids had quesadillas.

Wednesday night: McDonalds. French fries, chicken nuggets, and apple slices. And it was nice knowing they were baked, not fried. I felt slightly less guilty.

Isa's loving it. Jose and I are loving it. My bank account is loving it. And by the clean plates from Teo, I'm guessing that he loves it too.

So, this may become a regular game for us. But hopefully, if nothing else, it teaches us a lesson. Convenience comes at a price....a price that may seem small but that adds up very quickly...a price that I don't want to pay anymore.

What other fun ways do you save money (or just not waste money)? What are other "restaurant" meals that we can make? I'm thinking we'll have Chinese at least once this week, and maybe some real Mexican (burritos anyone?)...

Super Frustrated

...I just need to keep repeating..."it could be worse...it could be worse...it could be worse"...right?

This last week has flown by, and while much has gotten done, sometimes, I wonder if it was more like the whole one step forward and two steps back kinda thing. It's been hard. So hard that today, I was a total grump and made everyone in my house miserable until they allowed me to take a five hour nap. Yes, seriously. I was in such a foul mood that I didn't even eat lunch. I hate feeling like that.

I'm just reaching the point where I'm not winning mom of the year awards, wife of the year awards, homeowner of the year awards, etc. You get the point. Honestly, I may be closer to the homeowner award than the wife or mom ones.

I'm in a mood to complain...complain about my husband, about our house, about the rain, about the projects, and the kids, and finances, etc. So, I'm going to log off now. It's late anyways.

I promise that sometime this week I will try to post something not so gloomy...if we don't end up outside until 11 PM each night this week, that is. Uh...

Two Loves

In my life, there are many things that I love, but these two are by far the ones that I love the most.

Tiptoed Running

This morning, before heading to church for Easter service, Isa and I watched Teo run across the living room. On his tip-toes.

Isa immediately shared me that there was a boy in her class, J, who ran like that, on his tip-toes. It just so happens that J is also African American.

She stated, "That means that Teo will be black when he grows up!"

Um, no sweetie. That's not quite how it works.

Hahaha!

You Have A Photo Message!

As a fun lil' diddy, here's some photos from my phone, for your entertainment purposes...enjoy!

When my hubby got his new phone and it's cool new case, he kept. taking. photos. of. me. So, I did it back. Here's Jose!

[Turn your head sideways.] One of the times we went to Chuck E. Cheese recently, I wandered around looking for Jose and Teo...and here's what I found. He is so cute!

Guess who learned to tie her shoes?! Finally!!! She's so proud!

Sometimes, I even surprise myself. This was so yummy that I sent Jose the photo to make him jealous while he ate crummy food at work for lunch. Hehe!

As I cleaned, this tote grew more and more full. This, my dear friends, is a tote full of fun glass pieces and other things to paint. Now, I just need to figure out what to paint on them.

My babies! I never guessed that I would be so excited to see these little sprouts pop up! Lettuce, peppers, and khlorabi, OH MY! Yay!!!

And, here's yours truely. :) Have a great day!

Accomplishment Friday?

Today, I accomplished:

• Making changes and updates to our budget
• Drinking 2 cups of coffee
• Watching 2 movies (both rather good: A Kind of Funny Story and The Devil Wears Prada)
• Got our cell phone bill reduced about $25/mo by removing some "extra" charges and got our internet bill reduced about $10/mo by signing a new contract for a faster internet since our "deal" was so old
• Finished a mural I have been working on forever and ever (or so it seems...photos can be seen here)

Today, I have not accomplished:

• Cleaning the upstairs
• Eating any real food
• Doing laundry
• Clearing off the landing of the stairs
• Taking garage sale stuff to the basement
• Fixing a friends' mug
• Working on any additional paintings

It's not quite 5 PM...I still have time, right?