Weekly Dinner Menu

This week is another busy busy week for me. I am really relying on making meals that are fast, healthy, and somewhat kid friendly!

Monday:
Teriyaki chicken, salad, and rice

Tuesday:
Tacos with black beans

Wednesday: Herb Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients:

1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
4 medium potatoes, cut into quarters
2 cups fresh or frozen whole baby carrots
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions
Mix soup, water, 1 teaspoon oregano, potatoes and carrots in shallow roasting pan.
Top with chicken. Sprinkle with remaining oregano and paprika.
Bake at 400 degrees F 50 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir vegetables.

Thursday: Mahi Mahi with Quinoa, and a salad

Friday:
BLT's with homemade fries

Saturday:
Homemade hamburgers with chips, and baked beans

Quote of the Week

"Working mothers are guinea pigs in a scientific experiment to show that sleep is not necessary to human life."

~ Anonymous

Family Mailboxes

Kids love getting mail and as long as the mail isn't bills, parents love mail too. Add some fun to your family communications by making a family mailbox. Great for leaving messages of encouragement, love, and support for family members. It's also a great way for kids to "vent" and get some things that may be troubling them, and are unable to express verbally of their chests. A great activity for family nights. All of the supplies for this activity can be found at your local hardware and craft store.

You will need a steel mailbox. You can purchase a regular steel mailbox at your local hardware store for around $10-$15.

Wood cut out shapes (you can find these at your local craft store) one for each member of the family.

Acrylic Paints (don't use Tempera paint.) It won't stick to the steel.

Mini Wood Clothes Pins

Glue

Paint Brushes

Markers and Pencil

Directions:
Begin by having every family member choose a wood cut out shape. After they have chosen, let them decorate them with paint, or markers. (If more than one person has chosen the same shape be sure to write their names on them.)

Next using the pencil, pencil in the design for the mailbox, making sure to get everyone's input and thoughts.

Once the mailbox design is penciled in, paint over it with the acrylic paints. More than one coat may be necessary. Let dry overnight.

After the wood cut outs have completely dried, glue a small wooden clothes pin to the back.

Place the mailbox in a central location and begin leaving mail for each other. When leaving mail for a particular person in the family raise the flag and clip on their wood cut out. This gives notice that someone has mail!

This is a great and fun way to give the kids allowances, birthday cards, and small surprises. Don't forget to encourage your kids to use the mailbox when something is troubling them. Kids often have difficulty expressing themselves verbally and would feel more comfortable writing it down. Have fun with this family fun family project!

Bye Bye Smelly Kitchen Sponge

At work the other day, a few of us were in the break room for some much needed down time. I could smell this stale smell coming from the sink. Come to find out, it was the sponge. It doesn't get used that often, and it smelt really bad. One of the Dr's I work with suggested wetting the sponge and putting it in the microwave for 20 seconds. He stated that the radiation in the microwave would kill any bacteria on the sponge. We did it, and it worked. The sponge did not smell as bad any longer. I haven't yet figured out how often this has to be done, but I suggest if you are going out of town for a week or so, and you don't want a smelly sponge when you get home, try it!

The Art of Juggling

As a full time working mommy, I find it incredibly difficult to find time to really clean my home. After a hard day's work, my feet are killing me, and I don't really feel like scrubbing toilets. After working all day I miss my kids, I miss my husband, and I miss the comfort of just being home. Bottom line moms is this... you are not going to be able to do it all. I would love to vaccum everyday, but realistically I don't have time to do that. I would love to be able to eat off the floor, but that is not going to happen. Instead I do what my husband refers to as surface cleaning. I run through the house every night before bed like a Tasmanian devil, and put away everything on the floors, and counters that are visible to the naked eye. I make sure the dishes are done, and the laundry is at least in a hamper to be done whenever. This routine helps me manage my home, so that I am less stressed. On my Friday's off, I do the deep clean, so that I can enjoy my weekends at home with my family!

Pay ahead on your mortgage

By paying an extra $100 a month toward the principal on a $150,000, 30-year mortgage with a fixed interest rate of 6.5 percent, you’ll save more than $51,000 in interest and be able to retire your mortgage nearly seven years early. An extra monthly payment of even $20 or $25 can make a surprising difference. Granted, you’d stand to benefit more if you could invest that extra payment in an interest-bearing account offering a guaranteed higher rate of return than your mortgage rate. And paying off your mortgage early means you won’t have the tax benefits of home ownership for the same number of years. But if you’re after the psychological benefit of owning your home outright and spending far less on interest over time, then the extra-payment approach is the way to go.

Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/16369214/#ixzz0kO9JT3gp

Take Care of Yourself, Too!

While taking care of parental, relationship, household and workplace responsibilities, it’s easy for mothers to put taking care of themselves last on the list. However, not only is taking care of yourself a good idea for physical and emotional health, it’s a good time management tip for moms as well. When we’re tired or haven’t had enough healthy food to function at our best, we’re often less productive and organized, and this lack of clarity can translate into more time wasted throughout the day and less time available to get everything done that needs doing.Get quality sleep, eat a healthy diet, and find quite time for yourself, and you’ll be operating at your best, and be less stressed.
Mothers are so busy taking care of everyone else in the family, mothers often put themselves last on the list, or leave themselves off the list altogether! However, since the rest of the family relies heavily on moms, they need to take care of themselves, and accept help from others as well. The following are self care resources for mothers:

Body Care: Mothers need to keep their bodies in prime condition, or suffer some potentially serious consequences down the road. And aside from avoiding illness, moms who eat right, get enough sleep, and in other ways take good care of their bodies experience greater levels of energy, lower levels of stress, and good feelings of self esteem. In fact, some forms of exercise can be fun to do with kids, so everyone gets the benefits.

Home Spa: Moms deserve pampering, but don’t always have the time or budget to get away for some spa time. Fortunately, it’s easy to turn one’s bathroom into a home spa and enjoy the relaxation and beauty benefits of a sublime soak.

Time Alone: Again, while mothers usually have very busy schedules, fitting in even fifteen minutes a day for some quite time alone can bring valuable benefits. Taking time out for journaling, meditation, or just being alone with one’s thoughts are all important ways for mothers stay in touch with who they are outside of their relationship rolls.

Time for mom-Me: 5 Essential Strategies for A Mother's Self-Care