So you would think by now.........

that after living here as long as I have, that I would be used to this whole "preparing for a hurricane" routine. 

But frankly, I'm not. 

I mean...don't get me wrong, I'm all about knowing things in advance, and I would much prefer this than to have a good ole' midwestern tornado like I grew up with....(those things scared the life out of me), but with the level of media coverage we have these days, and the spaghetti looking mess on the track models  multitude of different tracks the storm could take, it leaves me feeling much like I did on a see-saw as a child.  Up and down....back and forth. 

And for those of you who haven't experienced this....well....if this gives you any indication....this was the Wal-Mart LAST FRIDAY NIGHT.....yes....that would be three days ago, and we just went under an official hurricane warning last night (Sunday) 

Yes, there is bread, but things were already starting to look slim.


And I really feel sorry for the folks that have not been through anything like this yet...
Truth be known, I think that they are the reason that the soup aisle is already pretty bare.

Bless his heart...he had just moved here from way north, and this was his first rodeo....

Yes, I asked....

Because that's how I roll....

And my kids love me for it....

Okay...I lied.  They don't love that I talk to perfect strangers in the store.  But I've embraced southern hospitality...and I'm way off track here. 

Now...call me crazy, but I'm thinking this would be a good time to assess what types of tuna people actually eat....and how to order in the future.

And apparently, Cheerios is the breakfast of champions when there's a storm impending.....







But I don't think I was prepared for what I saw when I turned down the water aisle.  Because remember.....this was FRIDAY....a few days ago.....

That's right....not a single bottle of water to be had.  Those are just a few random single serve drinks that folks must have laid down in their search for some water.


And the frustrating, yet inevitable part of this, is that you have to prepare.....and spend lots of extra money the week after you get all of your kids into school (please don't get me started on the "free" public education my kids receive....I would be wayyyy off track) way in advance, or there may not be anything left at the store when you go...or in my case...even five days before the possible storm. 

And please don't ask me why I don't just have a "hurricane readiness kit" already available.  That would be sooo not my style to have money tied up in something to actually plan ahead and be prepared.  Not to mention, I'm pretty sure my kit would include a lot more that water, batteries and flashlights.  Because I am here to tell ya' that I had a heck of a lot more than that in my buggy at Sam's yesterday. 

And while Wal-Mart was out of everything three days ago, Sam's Club had everything....and more fork lifts coming out of the back as we had flashbacks of last minute Christmas shopping crowds and struggled to get through the aisles without running over someone shopped for our supplies. 

I mean...come on....everybody needs a double pack of roasts, a rotisserie chicken, a four pack of deodorant, and 16 bars of soap....right?

And I don't think that anything could prepare me for the phone call I received at 6:30 last night.....when the school system made that dreaded, automated phone call to tell us that the kids were going to be out of school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the knowledge that our "week off for Thanksgiving" is no longer. 

And don't hate me if you're a local teacher.  I get that it's necessary to allow the school employees and teachers time to prepare for the possible storm.....I am just not looking forward to three days of quality, kids-hyped-up-because-of-storm, possibly cooped up in a dark house with no a/c. 

But as I have written this, the track has headed a little more west....so things might be looking up for us, and not so good for our friends in the New Orleans area. 

I'm just sayin'. 

So doubling the recipe seemed like a good idea at the time.....

but by the time we rolled meatball number 336 we were pretty sure that somehow I had mis-read the recipe.

No I'm not kidding....we really rolled 336 of them....I have pictures to prove it...and witnesses.

And so the question at hand would be, "Why did you need that many meatballs?"  And I am so glad you asked....

You see, I live in the south....the deep south....where football is, well...like a religion.  They take it serious here....and no I'm not just talking about the SEC...I'm talking about my boys that are playing this year for the first time.  Gulp.  (That's another post for another time.) But after signing up....I realized that we were looking at three nights of practice a week PER child.....and I knew what that meant....we wouldn't be home very much. 

So I began to entertain this apparently not-so-new-fangled idea of "freezer cooking" and decided that maybe I should try something new.  Not to use for our meals every night, but just to see if perhaps it could lighten my load a little, and allow for us to have a "home cooked meal" even when our schedule didn't allow for it. 

I scoured the internet for different tried and true recipes....I checked out books from the library paid my fine at the library so I could check out books on freezer cooking. 

Just keepin' it real.  

(and please don't get me started on that....I could write a whole entire post about how many times I could have paid for the movies and books that I was supposedly borrowing-for-free from the library until we realized we were a WEEK late in returning them and that the movies EACH were a doller per day late!!!!)

Sigh. 

Sorry...I am way off track. 

You name it, I researched it. 

I discovered that people actually cook for the entire month in one weekend.....and I knew immediately that wasn't for me. 

But in searching and reading, I discovered a website called www.moneysavingmom.com and I felt like the way she broke it down, it was do-able. 

So I decided to give it a try. 

And nothing is fun when you do it alone, so I enlisted the help of my dear friend, Audra who's husband is a head football coach....need I say more?  (I think it's safe to say that she needed freezer cooking more than me!!!)

But it's always better when you're reading about it.....you know....how "proper planning is key", and "shopping the day before and prepping ahead of time"...."never try to do it all in the same day"....

Well, our lives didn't exactly jive with that schedule so off to Sam's we were at 8am Monday morning....to shop...then prep...then cook....all in one day. 

And I think it's safe to say that whoever gave all that "don't do it all in one day" advice was probably a well seasoned freezer cook....because I pretty much was useless to my family yesterday after our cooking day on Monday.  I CRASHED into bed that night and could hardly gimp around the house yesterday...but we did it..and learned some things for the next time.

If there is a next time.....

Lesson Number One:

• It isn't necessary to double a meatball recipe the first time in your life that you decide to do "freezer cooking".  Especially when a single batch uses 6 lbs. of ground beef. 

Yes....I said 6 lbs.  So yes....we used 12 pounds of ground beef just for meatballs....the picture doesn't even begin to do it justice, but you get the idea.  Just envision about ten of those cookie sheets full...plus some.  I couldn't snap a picture...my hands were making meatballs!!!

What was I thinking???

And can you imagine my horror when I turned my oven on and instead of it coming on, it sat at 100 degrees forever....temperature not going up at all???  It had done this twice before....and then eventually started.  I think the igniter is about to go out.....but moments after we have rolled 336 meatballs is most definitely not the time to decide to die on me.  Thankfully.....it eventually kicked on!

Lesson Number Two:

• When a recipe says that you can take a boneless, skinless chicken breast and "simply press down on the thick part with the palm of your hand to flatten it"....they probably weren't dealing with the "chicken breasts on steroids" that we bought. 

Those suckers were so thick and slippery and messy and HUGE, that I was having to cut them in half and pound them with an old fashioned potato masher just to try to reduce them from three inches thick to a roll-able size.  Because yes....then they got stuffed and rolled... 

And no...I didn't get a picture of that work in progress.  I didn't want to risk getting salmonella germs on my camera.....you know...that whole cross-contamination thing?? 

Suffice it to say that Audra and I had a few good laughs, and a huge sigh of relief that we didn't have 336 of those to do!!!

Lesson Number Three:

• Redbox movies and theater candy IS the best way to occupy children on a marathon cooking day....

Good ole' Alvin & the Chipmunks....they never disappoint.

But don't let that picture fool you.....they did manage to get underfoot a few times, but all in all...they did great....while we slaved away in the kitchen.  Thank goodness for growing boys strong enough to take out the trash every thirty minutes as we filled it with garbage!!!

Lesson Number Four:

• This is probably not what they meant by "be well organized and have your prep work done the day before".....

And please don't ask me why only one window blinds out of the three are open.....it gets hot it my kitchen but the light was helpful....  I know it looks ridiculous, okay??

 
Lesson Number Five:

• Always keep a secret stash of sugar handy when freezer cooking....you never know when you're going to need a burst of energy... Can you see it? 

Lesson Number Six:

• Take more pictures!!!!

Me explaining the fact that we made 40 beef and bean burritos just doesn't do the trying-to-figure-out-how-to-roll-hot-filling-into-a-tortilla-without-it-squirting-out justice.  You just had to be there. 

Because believe me.....by 5pm....we were done.  Physically, mentally, culinarily.....(is that a word?)....DONE.  Until we turned around and saw the mountain of cookie sheets from those darned meatballs that had to bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes.  Yea....that wasn't exactly the easiest mess to clean.  I think it's safe to say that Lesson Number Seven was:

• Parchment Paper is your friend next time

But all in all....I think we could call it a success.  It wasn't organized....or pretty....or easy...or pre-prepped....but we did both end up with quite a few dinners for our freezers.

This is just my half of what we made.....she took home the exact amount!



• 3 gallon bags (28 meatballs each) in salisbury sauce
• 3 gallon bags (28 meatballs each) in comfort bbq sauce
• 2 bags of ready to use chicken ala king sauce (add rotisserie)
• 1 bag of teriyaki chicken
• 1 bag of honey glazed chicken
• 1 pan of mariachi chicken rolls (those cursed steroid breasts!)
• 20 beef/bean burritos (individually wrapped in foil)
• 35 ready to bake homemade chocolate chip cookie dough

Not too shabby for right around $100 each.....financial break down forthcoming.  I've been recovering from cooking....gimme' a break!

Considering we were newbies at this.....I'd say we didn't do too bad!!!!  Now where is that ibuprofen and a heating pad?? ;)

I'm just sayin'.

   

Day 1-It all started.....

with me curled up in my favorite spot on the couch, under my blanket, drinking my coffee, and reading an interesting post from one of my favorite bloggers and childhood friend, Mary.  


You see....my friend, Mary, (who happens to have ten children that she home-schools) posted recently about a very interesting project that she and her husband came up with to better prepare their teenage children for the real world.  You should go and read it!!!

  http://www.owlhaven.net/2012/02/01/preparing-teens-for-life/

She and her husband gave their older children $20 and they were to plan, shop and prepare all of their meals for one week, (with the obvious knowledge that she would not allow them to starve).


I found it to be very interesting, so I was reading all about it....and...in typical fashion, Destin was curled up next to me on the couch trying to wake up.  But when I began reading and scrolling down...it caught his eye too.  One thing led to another, and before I knew it, all of the kids were looking over my shoulder to read about how her teens were going to survive on $20 for the week, and all of them thought it would be so cool to try to do! 


So in talking it over with Darwin...he jumped on the bandwagon and said, "I'll tell you what....if they're serious....since groceries are higher here...I'll give them $40 and they can do it too." 


(Now let me just interject right here and say that the cost of groceries in Idaho seems to be considerably less than here in Alabama.  And....given the amount of time that my kids are at school, there had to be some consideration given to that.  They simply do not have the same time as if they were homeschooled, to do money saving things such as make homemade bread, etc., but they will still learn some valuable real life lessons, I'm sure.)


Well....who knew???  Who knew that not one, but all three of my children still left here at home would be so eager to try to do this on their own?  EVEN Jack...who is only 9. 


So last week....the boys sat down and began list making....amidst a table set for dinner and a pre-dinner snack of carrots and hummus.  (And please forgive the quality of these pictures....they are taken from my phone.)

(Notice the washcloths for napkins? :-) Another great money saving tip from Mary!)


And there's a handy dandy app for your iPhone that you can get....the Wal-Mart app.  You can look up prices on many items!! 


Listening in on the conversation was priceless, as they thought about different things they could buy.  $40 seemed like SO much money to them.... 


I was so impressed with all of them for wanting to do this, but was especially surprised at Destin....just being 12....and having such a good, common sense approach and plan for his week.

(And yes....I know his handwriting needs improvement, but I have found that boys find that less important than girls do, and in the broad scheme of things....who cares...this is just a grocery list!)


Now bear in mind that this is just a rough idea of prices.  Estimations mostly and a general plan of making a pot of beef stew to eat off of for the week and grilling chicken. :-)  ( I had my concerns, but that worked itself out later....read on.)


So after feeling like his list was complete.....we sat down together, and he calculated how much it looked like this was going to cost...based on the estimations. 


$56.00 !!!!  He just couldn't believe it.  He said, "Man!  I thought for sure I was gonna' have some money left over!!"  (Dontcha' just love when they see the reality of life!!)


So he immediately had to begin scratching things off the list and decided that even buying chicken legs from me at $2.50 (half a pack that I found marked down recently), might need to go.  He decided that grilling chicken and zucchini wasn't necessary and that he could live off of the stew. 


Well....a few scratches here and there off the list, and a couple of add-back-to-the-list items, and we were headed to the stores.....off to find the best bargain....with little brother Jack to make sure that he knew that "Great Value brands are just as good, Destin!" (smile)


Destin even managed to find a local ad for Wal-Mart to match so that he could afford some Doritos!!  My only stipulation was that they had to have a fruit and vegetable included in their purchases....but one bag of Doritos I could handle ;-) 

Now all we had to do was make a couple more stops (yes...Wal-Mart is a one-stop shopping experience, but I don't like to buy their meat, and Sam's has a better price on milk)

I don't think he did so bad for a first time shopper.  I let him purchase things like a stick of butter from me for .60 so he wouldn't have to buy a whole pound, and a pound of rice from me for .40 since I buy it in bulk from Sam's. 

The reality of how ridiculously over priced cereal is really hit him.  He was originally planning on a fried egg for his breakfasts, but then decided he wanted the convenience of something faster.  He searched the cereal aisle for what seemed like FOREVER looking for a decent cereal that wasn't completely laden with sugar....for less than $2.00....and he finally found some Great Value Raisin Bran for $1.97.

The receipts are shown below, and then he paid me for the groceries he bought from me as opposed to buying in bulk from the store. 

And I would say this list has been in and out of a 12 year old boy's pocket a time or two, but you can see on the right where he figures up what he owes me.  The total for all of his groceries came to $37.76 and he has $2.24 leftover for anything unexpected this week.

Wonder what he'll spend it on???  Time will tell....I'll keep you posted....but for now, he's got a mean batch of stew in the crock pot that he started before he left for school this morning. 

I'm just sayin'.

Can I just say......

that as much as I love my precious children, my cup overfloweth right now with quality together family time, and I think it's time for the schools to re-evaluate how long they give the kids for Christmas break. 

Oh don't get all feisty with me and make me feel like I'm the only one who feels like the house is closing in on me....because you know good and well that if you were honest....you are probably feeling the same way.  

And I'm avoiding the kids' rooms like the plague, because their rooms are a constant reminder that they have just been inundated with more "stuff" and that it's time for the annual "post-Christmas purge".  You know....the ole' "get-yourself-a-strong-cup-of-coffee-before-you-cross-the-threshold-of-their-doorframe" purge.  Because you know it's gonna' take more than coffee to recover after you're finished. 

Sigh. 

Then there's the whole "undecorating-the-tree-and-lugging-all-of-the-decorations-that-have-only-been-down-from-the-attic-less-than-a-month-back up-to-the-attic" routine.   And don't get me wrong.  I love, love, LOVE my keepsake ornaments that my kids have made over the years....you couldn't give me a million dollars for them, but the fact is...everyone gets excited about "trimming the tree" but not quite so excited about "un-trimming the tree". 

And did I mention the infamous "box-to-ship-to-St. Louis" that's sitting on the living room floor?    You know....the box with the gifts that no one EVER receives on time?  Sigh.  It's how I roll, unfortunately.  And I try to always tell myself, "It's okay, Leah....everyone loves to get a late gift....it just keeps Christmas going."  But I'm not sure if getting a gift in May can still count as a Christmas package.  :/ 

No....I have never sent a Christmas package in May.....

And ordinarily I would feel extremely guilty about the PILE of Christmas cards sitting un-sent in my kitchen that I "scrambled-to-take-pictures-of-my-kids-for-while-my-daughter-was-home-from-college,-and-braved-the-pouring-rain-to-get-to-Sam's-Club-for-them-to-develop-them-on-their-last-day-of-their-Christmas-card-special.  I mean...come on.....$15 for 100 of them is a good price.  No....I don't send out a hundred, but it's too good to pass up.  Unless of course you never actually send them OUT.....


Sigh.....


And I'm ashamed to tell you how behind I am on my laundry, but just suffice it to say that my husband has had to ask where some clean socks were a time or two, and I would be lying if I said that I had never had to holler from the bathroom for someone to bring me a clean towel out of the dryer...


Yep.  The holidays do it to me every year.  But throw in a sick daughter needing hip surgery the week before Christmas, and you've got yourself a stressful holiday season!!!  


So I guess I'm allowed to be pooped and ready for school to be back in session and things to get back to normal again.....whatever normal is.  


I'm just sayin'. 

You Might Be a Redneck......

So I come home from the second half of my grocery shopping for the day...(because after all, it was payday, so that means I'm rich for about....oh, I don't know....a couple of hours)...and frankly, this should be a post all in itself.

I mean, isn't spending multiple hours first at Wal-Mart, and then at Sam's how EVERYONE wants to spend their only day off? And since I'm already off topic from my opening line...I'll just go ahead and park here for just a minute. You see, I've gotten smarter. Why in the world should I rush to the store early in the morning, when I could time it just right to be home when all of the "scavengers that will raid the cabinets anyway", get home to help carry it all in!!!! See there???? I TOLD you I was getting smarter. Because let's face it. It's an act of congress to shop for two weeks for a family of six. Careful planning, budgeting, and VERY strategic turning of an overloaded buggy (sorry...that's grocery cart for those of you not from the south....they're buggies down here....and it took me a while to learn that too....so don't feel bad that you didn't know what that was.)

Anyway, I think you get the point that grocery shopping for two weeks is a big job. So suffice it to say that number one....I was not looking forward to the second half of my shopping which was at Sam's trying to beat their closing time of 8:30pm, and number two.....I was NOT prepared for what I would come home to.

So I come home from the second half of my grocery shopping for the day, only to hear squeals of delight and horror as my 10 year old comes rushing to the door with blood dripping out of his mouth, and my husband standing in the doorway laughing hysterically, and begging me to come look at the video he has just taken on the camera.

And that's where it gets ugly...or redneck, whichever you prefer to call it. Frankly, I think it would make Jeff Foxworthy right proud.

My sweet husband, (who has apparently seen way too many crazy videos on youtube, decides that instead of helping my son pull his loose tooth the conventional way (what a novel idea that would have been), that instead he's going to pull a stunt that he could only pull because I was not here!!!!!

And bless his heart, because he had so much fun doing it, but didn't realize that the camera was turned sideways, so now the video is sideways, and you will be forced to either turn your HEAD sideways to watch it or flip your whole laptop sideways! Either way, if you're a guy, you'll enjoy it....if you're a mom, you will be mortified, as I was.


Now for those of you wondering, yes, that was a cast iron skillet that you saw in the video. And yes, it was tied to his tooth. And no. I would not have approved if I would have been here.

And to make matters worse, we have beige colored berber carpet, which makes finding a tooth a wee bit difficult. Especially when you reach under the couch to see if you can "feel" for the tooth, and your hand runs across something tiny and hard, and you think you have it but instead realize that it is in fact a petrified crumb of....a Chihuahua's accident earlier in the week. (OMG can you believe I just typed that????? But I promised to be real.....and that is what REALLY happened!!)


And yes. We found the tooth, but not before finding a few more lost treasures under the couch, because that is how my living room really looks most of the time.

I'm just sayin'.