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Meal Plan Monday!

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Another Monday, yet again, but beautiful weather!  I’ve got the windows open and I love having the fresh air flowing in.  We reworked our budget last week and lowered our grocery amount so that we would be forced to use some random pantry items and things that are in the freezer.  I think that will make this week’s meal plan interesting, especially since I still try to eat on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.  Sticking also to having at least one meatless meal to save money that way, too.  Here goes:

Monday: Grilled chicken and Shrimp, corn on the cob, green beans

Tuesday: Eggs, sausage, biscuits (low carb biscuits for me!)

Wednesday: Quinoa, sweet potato, steamed broccoli

Thursday: Grilled chicken, zucchini, mac and cheese (for the kids)

Friday: Bean burritos

Saturday: Burgers, salad, roasted veggies

Sunday: Dinner at church

What are you making this week?

Meal Plan Monday

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All ready for the eclipse today?  I think we are!  We have our glasses, we have plans to view, and my husband has the day off so he can help me with the kiddos.  This past week, we redid our budget and have to work hard on sticking to it!  When things get busy, it’s easy to forget the budget, but…. yeah!  We need to get back on track!

With that being said, I’m hoping to do a meatless meal once a week, and planning that for Wednesdays.

Monday: Dinner at Chickfila

Tuesday: Trim Mac Salad

Wednesday: Mexican Quinoa Salad, steamed veggies

Thursday: Sweet potatoes, grilled chicken

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Chicken Fajita Casserole , salad

Sunday: BBQ Pork

What are you making?

To Eclipse or Not To Eclipse

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Source: http://www.sciencealert.com

This week my facebook feed has been flooded with articles regarding the eclipse and they all are extremely confusing.

On one hand, you see articles saying that it’s safe to watch with approved glasses.  On another hand, you see articles from eye doctors saying that you should only watch it on tv.

And then there is the chaos of having so many glasses out there that may not be approved for eclipse viewing!

We were planning to go to the mountains, but now I’m so torn about what to do!  I have one child that no matter what we tell her, she has to learn for herself.  I’m concerned she will try to look at the sun anyway and damage her eyes.  I’ve already decided our toddler will stay inside completely, but now what about the rest of us?  I’m honestly not sure.  We may just watch it on the computer, but I’ve also found a wonderful compilation of teacher approved videos about the eclipse that I plan on utilizing in our homeschool.

What are you planning to do?

Meal Plan Monday

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The above picture shows what happens when you don’t fix the toddler’s lunch fast enough.  He helps himself to the entire bag!!!

This week is another school week here at “Mountain Lane Academy”.  That’s what we decided to name our homeschool since we love the mountains and often go up to the mountains for school.  The kids are doing well and we are getting ready to go watch the eclipse next Monday.  Here’s our meal plan for the week:

Monday: Grilled Chicken, okra, salad

Tuesday: Dinner out for my nephew’s birthday

Wednesday: Taco Pie, salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Burgers, green beans, mac and cheese

Saturday: Cajun cream chicken

Sunday: Grilled Chicken, zucchini

What about you?

Meal Plan Monday

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Our first week of school went great!  I think everyone enjoyed it.  This weekend, we spent all Saturday cleaning out the garage and have 3 huge buckets of stuff to get rid of.  Next comes the closet with all the outgrown/to grow into clothes.  Clothes in a large family can be chaos and I really dislike dealing with them!  Oftentimes, I think about just tossing out everything and then just re-buying when the kids need clothes.  I know we save a lot by saving clothes in between kids and that’s what I keep reminding myself.

This week, we start Trail Life back up for my son, some homeschool co-op classes, and we celebrate my oldest’s 14th birthday!! How the heck are we already at 14?  Crazy!

Here’s the plan for this week:

Monday: Black Bean Burritos

Tuesday: Southwest Chicken in the Crockpot, brown rice, salad

Wednesday: Beef Enchiladas, salad

Thursday: Burgers, broccoli

Friday: Grilled Chicken, sweet potatoes, steamed veggies

Saturday: Create-your-own-omelettes

Sunday: Leftovers or fix your own dinner

 

Meal Plan Monday

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It’s Monday and also our first day of homeschool!  We started the morning off at breakfast and went to the Jefferson House.  We had heard that they have great food and we heard right!  First day of school breakfast is our homeschool tradition.

Curious as to what we are using for homeschool this year?  Head over here and find out.

Here’s what is on the meal plan for our family this week:

Monday: Zucchini Pizza Casserole, salad

Tuesday: grilled chicken, green beans, brown rice

Wednesday: Pizza

Thursday: Spaghetti

Friday: Poppyseed Chicken Casserole, salad

Saturday: Burgers, veggies

Sunday: Leftovers

What are you making this week?

Printable Scripture Writing Plan for Teens Self-Control & Purity

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My sister-in-law and I were part of a great Bible study recently with a few friends.  One of the ladies in the study mentioned that she enjoys writing scripture to help her remember to read and to help keep her mind on track and not wandering.  I have the exact same problem.  I’ll try to read and then my mind will start to wander toward the day’s to-do list or other random things.

Along this same time as our study, a friend of mine shared a website called Sweet Blessings that offers scripture writing printables for adults.  We absolutely love the ones that she has created.  I definitely recommend checking out her site as has a ton of great plans for adults to use.

Being a homeschooling mom, I thought about how this would be a great thing to incorporate into our school year for the older kids.  We could easily knock out Bible reading and handwriting simultaneously.

Together with my sister-in-law, we created a printable Scripture Writing Plan August.  Self-Control and Purity is the theme for this month.  This Bible writing plan is geared toward tweens and teens, however I think anyone would enjoy it.  It should only take about 5-10 minutes to be written nicely, but most likely less.

A Prayer Journal can be easily be used in addition to this Scripture Writing Plan.

Free Scripture Writing Printable: Self Control & Purity

To download and print, simply click on the image below.  Enjoy!

Scripture Writing Plan for Teens - Self Control & Purity

Using this printable with your kids?  Leave a comment and tell us how it went.  Also leave a comment and tell us which printables you would like to see in the future.  Our plans are to continue making them for a few months and see how it goes.  Press the share button to help others see it as well.

Meal Plan Monday

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Last week, we took a family week and spent it up in the North Georgia mountains.  I’m totally a mountain girl and will pick mountains over beach any day!  We swam, rode horses, made s’mores, played games, and had some relaxing time.

This is my last full week off from homeschooling before we start back up next week!  I think I’m just about ready, just need to finish getting the school room ready and picking up a couple deals on school supplies.  As summer comes to a close, I realize that we haven’t done nearly as much as I was hoping to this summer, and that’s okay.  We typically make a list and try to conquer everything, but time just didn’t allow it.

Here’s what we are making this week:

Monday: Black beans and rice

Tuesday: Eggs, sausage, veggies

Wednesday: Pork Chops, zucchini, brown rice

Thursday: Cajun Cream Chicken, salad

Friday: Taco Pie

Saturday: Salsa Chicken, brown rice, steamed broccoli

Sunday: Leftovers

What are you making?

Meal Plan Monday!

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I cannot believe summer is starting to dwindle!  I am not ready for school to start back!  We’ve been having so much fun and so many adventures with the kids this summer.  I’m glad we took a break from our homeschool to just live, love, and enjoy.

I’ve ordered and somewhat planned out our upcoming homeschool year, but still need to get the school room in order.  For this week, I think I’m taking a break from blogging.  Unless something fantastic comes up, I’m going to spend the time with the family and enjoy the little bit left of summer.

On to meal plans – again, it’s hot so will be cooking mostly outdoors!

Monday: Burgers, zucchini, salad

Tuesday: BBQ, green beans

Wednesday: Black bean burritos

Thursday: Brats, salad, mac and cheese

Friday: Dinner with friends

Saturday: leftovers

Sunday: Taco pie, salad

Helping Kids Prevent Cavities with ACT Kids Toothpaste

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This post and party were sponsored by ACT Kids Toothpaste, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

With 5 kids running around here, there are a lot of teeth to try and keep clean!  As a mom, I feel like I’m constantly chasing after one of them reminding to brush their teeth twice a day.  I know I’m not alone in that battle!  For us, the biggie is brushing long enough.  My children want to take about 10 seconds away from play to brush their teeth and that’s simply not long enough.

According to a recent survey, 35% of moms saying getting their kid(s) to brush their teeth is one of their most frustrating daily battles!* I completely relate to those results!

New ACT Kids Toothpaste is now available at a variety of retail locations, including Walmart, Walgreens, and Target locations.  ACT Kids Toothpaste is available for kids ages two years on up in fun bubble gum and fruit punch flavors.

We were recently chosen to host an ACT MommyParty as a way to share information regarding tooth care with a few of our dear friends.

ACT was very gracious and sent us a fun goodie bag for each child that included a toothbrush, ACT Kids Toothpaste, a tooth eraser, and a tooth brushing timer.  All the moms were thrilled with the toothbrush timer since it helps create a visual for the kids to know when they have brushed long enough.

   

During the party, we were able to have lunch with our friends.  Afterward, all of the age-appropriate children could try out their new toothbrush and ACT Kids Toothpaste and also the ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse.  The ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse is indicated for kids ages 6 and older.

We talked about keeping our teeth healthy and played fun games to remember which food items are good for teeth and which ones are more likely to cause cavities.  These kids were smart!  They know what foods are good and which ones could cause issues!  ACT had even sent a fun matching memory game for the kids.

For More Information:

For more information, please visit ACToralcare.com and check out ACTKidsSavings.com to download a product coupon.

*This survey was sponsored by Sanofi Consumer Healthcare and conducted online using Toluna’s QuickSurveys methodology between February 13, 2017 and February 14, 2017 among 1,150 moms with children between the ages of two and twelve in the USA.  Respondents for Toluna QuickSurveys are selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Toluna Surveys.

Toluna’s SmartSelectTM methodology was used to promote sample representativeness. SmartSelect relies on statistical matching rather than probability sampling to select survey respondents, based on demographic, attitudinal and behavioral characteristics that match those of the target population. Figures for age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, education and income are also weighted to bring them into line with their actual proportions within the population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in Toluna surveys, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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