Food and a large family.

With 4 teens and 2 adults in the home, the largest expense aside from rent/mortgage is...food.

How to budget food and make good meals for 4 hungry teens and 2 adults.  Processed foods are so salty, but so convenient.  Although, I do like several sites that I am going to try and make better use of:

Six Sisters Stuff, Yumprint, The Pioneer Woman and many books.  I particularly like Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals, The Convenience Cook by Finlayson, Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and Easy One Dish Meals by Cookbook Resources LLC.

Six Sisters have great ideas and with, well six sisters? Lots of input.  I first discovered them on Facebook with a posting about freezer meals.  Tried it, and learned a lot.  First I learned that order of items is (almost) critical.  Chopping is something you definitely want to do first, so that packaging goes more quickly.

I really have to say that having items in your freezer to just load into your crockpot is VERY convenient and takes some of the thought process out of your day.

The hardest part is finding recipes that don't repeat very often, although my husband and boys would be very happy with that, I like a bit more variety. Then add in seasonality of your eating habits?  It makes meal time a challenge at my house.  I have salad eaters and people who would consider being in a green room close enough.  I have found that fruits are a big hit with everyone and try to have them available for snacking and we even put the fruit bowl on the dinner table, so that there is at least a choice.

Yumprint is a great add-in for your internet window.  I like what they have done.  I browse the internet, stalking recipes and when it detects a recipe-like format on the page, it pops up a little tab.  The interface is easy enough, click the tab, review what it has pulled from the page, edit if need be, and then categorize your recipe.  You can make a menu, or simply track what you have tried and like.  The only real complaint I have, is their shopping list feature.  I have tried several times to use the menu planning and then click the shopping list, but it never seems to combine things properly.

Of the books, it is kind of hit and miss. I will recommend The Practical Paleo because she REALLY thought out the layout.  It is a good book to have even to just read about the tips and tricks of cutting and chopping, not to mention the recipes have been GREAT!  I loved the "Perfectly Baked Bacon" and several other recipes.  Yes some of the textures are different from what you would normally expect, but so far, I have not had any of my eaters, refuse anything I have pulled out of the book.

The next venture will be into window gardening.  I have been watching videos on making window growers out of plastic bottles.  You can buy something already made at WindowFarm.com, however I would like to recycle some items I already have around the house.

Well, that's my crazy for the day.

Have a great one everybody.

It's a crazy life (aka Thank God Summer is over!)

Back to the blogging now that I have time.

Summer was CRA ZY!  We had 2 kids in summer school, one in ESY (Extended School Year is for children with substantial learning challenges), a family visit, a family member moving into our area, and...I am sure that I have forgotten many things in that list.  I am however, very happy school is back in session.

Oh and on top of all of that, I have taken over the finances for the menagerie, and my husband was informed, very nicely, that "The company is going in a different direction, and while we think you are very talented and have great skills, they just aren't the ones we need right now."

I mean really.  They could have gone the scandalous route and called him in for an "early meeting" and while giving him the heave-ho, packed his office for him (I've seen it done), but they have given him the respect of letting him close things up, cleanly pass things on, and leave on good terms.  I liked the company before, but now I can respect them too.

On the child front:
Eldest daughter is starting college classes today.  She decided to take a year off from school and then go back.  Glad to see her following through on it, and very proud.

Eldest son did a class in summer school and passed with a B, to get ahead.  Kudos!  He is struggling a bit with school this year, but it is just the beginning and he just needs to get a routine down.  He also took an AP test just before school ended in June and got a 5 out of 5.  So woo hoo! A college credit for him!  

What I also like is that he is getting involved in school and making friends.  Aspergers can make that social interaction such a challenge and he is having a blast with his Improv club.

Youngest daughter.  She did really great this summer with her diabetes.  She brought her A1C down from over 14% to 10% in only 5 months time.  She has fallen off the wagon a bit, but I am trying to help her get back into the habit.  She also attended summer school to make up a credit and got a B as well.  She has also challenged a class and is taking 2 mathematics classes this semester.  Eeek! BUT, she is very smart when it comes to math, so if she applies herself, she will do very well.  Her favorite thing this year? Culinary Arts class.  She loves to cook and is having a blast.  I also signed her up for an after school exercise class and she seems to be enjoying that as well.  I know we are enjoying her class, since I had a very tasty classic English Scone for breakfast this morning.

What I am looking forward to for her, is the education presentation she is going to give at her school for staff, parents and students about Type 1 Diabetes.  It is a great presentation.  Very proud of her. I hope she is able to make a group that meets and supports each other.  It seems to be helpful for her.

Middle son.  ESY was fun for him, he had a blast.  The summer for him was go, go, go.  The boys mother and her family took all three boys to Walt Disney World in August and apparently, Middle LOVES roller coasters.  It figures though, he has little or no fear.  The picture his mom sent, had him smiling from ear to ear. 

During his time in Florida, mom forgot to give him his fluoxetine(Prozac which is used for OCD issues as well), and we didn't see much difference in his behavior, until it was completely out.  What most people don't know is that this chemical has a "half-life" and for lack of a better term, wears out of your system.  Well, 2-3 weeks later, his "self-soothing/stimulating" was becoming much more emphatic.  There was a bruise on his hip, the size of a large orange, more vocalization, more hand movement (not flapping per se, just more hand movements).  My husband and I decided to restart the medication and over the last week or two, his behavior has become much less emphatic, and less self injurious.

Now Youngest son, is just the baby of the family and is going into 1st grade this year.  He is still testing waters at the house, seeing what he can get away with and what he cannot, typical kid stuff.  His is whip smart and bores easily.  HOWEVER, our relationship is getting better.  We are interacting more and hanging out a bit more too.  It's nice.  Not use to having a small one around the house, and his battery is just on FULL all the time.

Other items: 

Budgeting. Hate it. Regardless, I am just going to have to get over it.  I am not looking forward to that part.  With 7 people in our immediate family and the ex-wife, we are basically supporting 8 people.  Something has to give and I think it is going to be my sanity.  

Me time.  I am going to have to start taking better care of myself, and that means, dare I say it? Exercising.  Guh!  I like the results of the actions, it just performing them that really drags me down, however the workout high, is great, and it will have wide spread affects for me.  Lower my blood pressure, lower my BMI, lower my anxiety, and help me sleep better.  Now. if I could only figure out how to exercise without having to actually do it.  I'd be a bazillionaire!


Well that's the crazy for today.

Have a great one.

Staying home...never thought it would be my kinda gig.

Quitting work:  So back in January our caregiver/nanny gave notice.  The move to the new house was too much for her and her family on a daily basis, considering she was on until 7pm at night. So, we went through all the places Husband had used previously to locate a caregiver, set up interviews, met people, read "Thanks, but no thanks" email responses, either had no response from Middle boy to the person, or the person didn't respond to Middle OR they didn't want "part-time" work.

When has having a profoundly autistic child, or ANY child for that matter, been a part-time gig?

Anyway, after much angst, debate, number crunching and MY all-time favorite, the Pro's and Con's list, it was decided that I would give notice at work to stay home and take care of the family.  It was a big decision.  I had never been a stay-at-home mom, and I really liked what I was doing and who I was working with/for.

So with much sadness/anxiety I gave a one month notice at the beginning of February and stayed home.

Staying home:  March came, I woke up the first week and went through the paces.

• Kids up.  Check
• Kids fed. Check
• Kids who needed medications, medicated. Check
• New alarms working, so I don't miss anything anymore. Check. (I may have missed the bus a couple times and had to drive to school for Middle)
• House cleaned.  Kinda check. (We still had boxes to unpack from the move 2 months prior)
• Some projects marked off the list. Check and check.

I was really starting to get into a routine, and even had time to do some short notice stuff too. Like taking Eldest boy to appointments when Mom couldn't due to a conflict.  It was nice.

Going back to work:  So I got a call the last week of March from my old boss.  Wanting to know where I wanted to go for lunch for my birthday, we discussed it and plans were made.  Oh, and by the way, would you mind coming back for a few hours a day to help with the work loads?  Would I?!?!  Heck yeah.  I love these ladies, and it is during the time that the kids are in school. 

I never thought I would like being a stay at home mom, but I really kinda like it.  I don't know if I could do it with small kids.  I like when they go to school and I can get some time to do what I want.

Well, that's the crazy for now.

Have a great day.

Santa Dog?

So back on Presidents' Day. My Husband had the day off and was home with the tribe. I get a phone call,

"Babe. You're not going to believe what just happened. (Youngest boy) yelled out 'Daddy come look!'

'What is it (youngest)?'

'Daddy...Willow(service dog) is in the chimney!'"

Yeah. Service dog decided she wanted to lie down in the fireplace-firebox we had not cleaned out or closed off. Did I mention she's a white Pyrenees?

Guess who got a bath?

Staying home?

So a couple of weeks ago our "full-time" caregiver gave notice. The trek to the new house was a bit much and causing strain on her other clients and home life. Well Husband and I advertised on Care.com and thought we had found some great candidates. One was a guy, big, athletic medic from the Army. Woo and hoo! Had him out to meet Middle and while Middle didn't completely ignore him, Middle didn't try and engage either. We were excited anyway for the prospect of having someone who could go to the YMCA with Middle and take him swimming, be out door and physical. Middle really enjoys walking and such. So we were going to have Mr. Medic come over and spend some supervised out time with Husband and Middle. But to no avail. Mr. Medic called and cancelled the outing, stating that it felt like the connection might be forced. Ok. I can respect that. 

One knew ASL and looked outdoorsy too. She wrote back, thanks but no thanks. 

Well two more phone interviews later, and I use the phrase loosely, still no candidate. 

I was lamenting at work and the girls I work with started giving me a bad time about becoming a stay at home mom. 

Went home that night and told Hubby how the girls were razzing me, which led to Husband and I starting to actually talk about my staying at home as an option. Like a plan C. After much discussion, angst, crunching of numbers and my all time favorite Pros and Cons list. It was decided that it made sense for me to take care of Middle. 

I have always worked outside the home, even when I WAS a caregiver myself (yes, I had my CNA at one point and was in an LPN program, but $10/hr is too much for help and not enough to support myself and two children on, so I went back into office work). 

I am scared to death. What if it doesn't work out? What if it does? Holy cow. Anyone who knows me knows, I DO NOT handle the "unknown" very well. I LIKE knowing what is going to happen and having back up plans with back up plans. Just in case. 

Not to mention. The girls I work with are AHmazing people, and it's freaking rocket science for crying outloud. I KNOW what I am doing, what is expected and how to get it done. 

This housewife taking care of the family full time thing? Totally nebulous in my world. And THAT scares me. 

I told Husband that I know how to run a business and projects, so we will have programs for projects, lists of tasks and projects for future accomplishments, weekly "team" meetings and the like. I guess we'll see. 

Well that's the crazy for today. 

Vacuuming Contest

One of the things that really needed to be done this evening was vacuuming the downstairs.  Willow, Middle Son's service dog, is a Great Pyrenees, which means she leaves a cloud of long white hair in her wake.  There were clumps and clusters of hair all over the place.

I'm trying to have Middle Son and Youngest Son involved in the housework where I can.  Middle will largely do what I ask, but for many tasks I he needs hand-over-hand assistance to understand what he is being asked to do and/or to stay on task long enough to finish.  I've had some success lately turning things into a contest with Youngest.  Last weekend I asked him to help mean clean the toilets, then said "Actually, that job is probably too hard for you, so I'll get someone else to help me."  So naturally he REALLY wanted to clean the toilets after that.

Tonight, I told him that after dinner we were going to have a vacuuming contest.  He, Middle, and I would each vacuum a room and see who did the best job.  He thought that was a great idea.

After dinner we were getting ready to start.  I asked Older Daughter if she wanted to be in on the contest.  To my considerable surprise she said yes.  Youngest vacuumed the family room.  My Beloved Wife and I helped Middle vacuum the kitchen.  Older then took the vacuum for her turn in the dining room.  I said I was very pleased that she had chosen to play along.  Beloved said that it was because I had engaged her competitive streak.

When we were done, Beloved, the judge of the contest, said that all the rooms were definitely much cleaner, so everybody won.

A look at our nights.

So it is Tuesday and this was our night, Monday night. 

Got home, no Nanny or Middle boy (who she is paid to watch and help with some daily things around the house to help out). It is an hour before dinner, so I recruit Eldest Daughter's help. 

Text from Nanny states they are stuck in rush hour traffic due to accident. Whatever. Dinner is under way ( irritation is a given at this point). 

So, meal gets made, people get full, dishes done(ok loaded into the dishwasher and turned on) and Eldest Son is now calling to be picked up from an Art Symposium he has been attending, just down the street. 

Apparently Husband is think of taking Middle with him because I get a shouted, "Hey babe. We have situation upstairs. Looks like someone forgot to either lock or shut the bathroom door to the kids bath and Middle is covered from head to toe," (luckily naked as a Jay Bird) in Fructis citrus something-or-other scented shampoo. And VERY excited about it because now that he has been discovered, he is squealing with delight at being in the shower. 

So I take over shower duty for Middle and have now come to L O V E my Delta hand held shower head that detaches to follow him around the shower to get all of this off if him. Now at the old house we had standard wall mounted fixtures and I would have spent a good half hour talking him into the stream of water and then resorting to a cup with water dumped over his head. 

Again love, love, love the handheld shower head. Now Middle wasn't too thrilled and was....yelling? growling? Well let's just say he is not as enchanted with the handheld as Husband and I are. :)

So, disaster has been averted, but he is clean, dressed(even if the pants are backward) and the world is safe once again, and now the evening is winding down and I want to disconnect for a little bit with some Minecraft. So, Husband is amazing and takes over and I get to disconnect and try to explain to Eldest Daughter what I am doing in the game as she tries to understand why I am enjoying it. She likes competitive games. 

Well I have disconnected for a little bit and Middle wends his way about the house and plops himself in my lap. Ok. I probably should take a break since my eyes are hurting anyway. We snuggle and "chat" and I ask Husband the time. It is almost 10pm. Well that would explain why I feel so tired. Pumpkin time for this girl. So I announce that and end with a, "Looks like its time for bed." Shoo Middle off and go about closing the house up on my way to bed, which includes:

Check the front door lock

Check the back door lock

Check the windows are locked (he'll sneak out one if given a chance)

Remind Husband to put the lock on the dogs kennel before he comes up for bed(Middle has been letting the dogs out of the kennel lately - unusual new behavior on his part)

Make sure the napkins and paper towels are locked up in the pantry

Lock the bicycle lock on the fridge (so he does pour stuff out, take bite of something and then change his mind and put it back, or decide to open a favorite of his, the Pilsbury Cinnamon Rolls and try to "cook" them)

Make sure all doors with keypad locks are closed and locks engaged

Make sure that the toilet paper is locked up

Which in the new house takes me on a nice little circuit around the first floor, which makes me realize, I haven't seen Middle. But ok. Dad/Husband is up so he'll watch out. 

I make my way up the stairs and see that Middles door is slightly ajar and lo and behold, he is in bed with his covers up to his chin just lying there. I smiled. Apparently my bed announcement meant that EVERYONE had to go to bed. 

He is such a joy and makes me smile so. 

Yes. His diagnosis is frustrating. 

No. He cannot "communicate" traditionally. 

Yes. He's smart as a whip.

No. He will never live on his own. 

Yes. I think I totally "get" him somedays.

No. I don't always "get" him. 

He is an amazing, intelligent young man trapped in there. One day we may be advanced enough to meet him. How amazing would that be?!  Personally. I have a sheep load of questions for him. 

Well that was our crazy for the day. Have a great one.