Menu Plan Monday...the Tuesday edition

We're doing well at eating more fruits and veggies these days.  I've kept a good supply of watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, and bananas in the fridge for my little ones' favorite time of the day...SNACK TIME.  I believe my kids think they are supposed to have snacks all throughout the day.  I don't mind giving them all the fruit they want, so if it's a snack they want, fruit they shall get!  Because of the holiday, I won't be cooking as much this week.  Here's what we're eating this week:

Breakfast
Pumpkin Muffins, Watermelon
Baked Oatmeal X2, Mandarin Oranges
Pancakes, Turkey Bacon, Watermelon
Homemade Granola, Cantaloupe

Lunch
Tuna X2, Crackers, Fruit
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrots and Ranch
Leftovers
Out to eat Birthday Lunch

Dinner
BBQ Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Broccoli
Baked Ziti, Glazed Carrots, Italian Bread in the Breadmaker
Out to Eat (Kids eat free at Earth Fare on Thursdays)

Check out orgjunkie.com for more menu plans

Our Newest Family Member

1999 Chevrolet Suburban

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!! 

We are now the owners of a car big enough to transport our family of 6 safely together!!  Hallelujah!  We have been driving 2 cars to get everyone around.  On Sunday mornings we drive 2 cars to church.  Throughout the week the kids and I stay home because all 4 of them can't fit in the back of our other cars.  (Note:  I didn't have huge dreams of taking everyone to run errands because taking 4 kids to the grocery store is a bit much for even supermom, but hey it would be nice to have that as an option if I ever lost my mind and in an act of pure foolishness decided I wanted to take them all out somewhere.)

We paid off the loans on our Escalade and Pick up truck a few weeks ago and planned to trade them both in at Carmax to get a my dream car...a Honda Odyssey.  LOL!!  So what, I'm a mom of 4, my dreams have changed.  We worked with a guy for about a week to make this deal work and on Saturday it finally happened.  He traded his SUV for our pickup truck.  The value on our pickup truck is about $3600 in good condition (but our truck needed brakes, A/C work,  tires, not to mention who knows what else).  The value of the SUV was nearly 2 times that!  In the end we paid him an additional $500 and now this is ours.   And get this, we still have our Escalade that we can sell to pay off some other small debts!  God is good!

The story is quite dramatic, so I'll save you the details.  However, I just have to let you know that getting this car was a real answer to prayer.  Eddie went out and hunted for the fish and I cleaned it, cooked it, and set the table.  He and I really worked together to get this done and for that I'm so thankful.  I used a tip I learned from a blog that I stalk in negotiating.  Hood MamaMel said that when negotiating a deal, after you make your offer, you must be quiet.  The first person to talk, loses.  I used this tip to a T- if I do say so myself. 

I called the seller several hours after the deal fell through (while sitting at our dining room table filling out the bill of sale of all things.  Talk about a nail biter) to see if we could make something happen.   After I asked him if he would take $500, I SHUT UP.  The seller just kept talking and talking and I just.remained.silent!  Finally, he said, "Yes, $500 will be fine.  I don't want to lose the deal over such a small amount."  Whew.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief and asked him to be here early on Saturday morning so that we could sign the papers.

After he brought the car to us, we took our maiden voyage to Chick-fil-a with a few friends.  Then on Sunday we drove to church together.  Halley started VBS for the first time this week.  It has been such a blessing to put everyone in the car and drop her off at the church.   Here's what I see when I turn around from the front seat.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY - GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!

  

Abide in Me

I am the vine, you are the brancehs; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

This verse keeps coming to my mind lately.  In my interaction with our children, I constantly think about how I'm not abiding in Him.  It's so easy to let the pressure of the moment and my impatience rule my life.  Yet, if I'm truly abiding in Christ, He promises to give me grace.   As a believer, I choose to sin or not (Rom 6:5-7).  I have died to sin and therefore have the power to walk in the Spirit.  This is so much easier said than done.  Regretfully, my flesh often wins and before I know it I am responding in a sinful way to the people that I love most.  By God's grace and with His help, I want to walk in the Spirit so that I will not carry out the desire of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

Menu Plan Monday

I've been cooking, but not planning our meals like I had been in the past.  This lack of planning has my kiddies eating hot dogs and fries far too often.  I really want to increase our intake of fruits and veggies, so I took matters into my own hands and sat down to write out a menu.  I also went to Sam's and Publix and stocked up on yummy fruits and veggies. 

Also, since I'm tired of hearing the little ones say, "I wan sum cannny" (I want some candy), I'm putting us on a candy fast.  Though I hate it, I know they get this bad habit from me.  To keep us from the sweet stuff I did something super smart...I didn't buy any!!  Now how's that for growing a brain?!  Candy will only be consumed on Saturdays and Sundays around these parts.  However, I reserve the right to sneak the Red Rageous Mike and Ike's in a pinch!  (Hey, I'm grown...don't judge me)

I found a nifty menu planner page on 5dollardinners.com.  You can print one out here. 

Here's what we're eating (along with some random pics because hey...this is my blog):

Breakfast:
Overnight Oatmeal with chocolate chips X 2
Pancakes and bacon
Pumpkin Muffins
Egg Quiche, Turkey Sausage
Oatmeal, Fruit
Cereal

Lunch:
Tuna, crackers, fruit X 2
Leftovers X 3
Grilled cheese, Fruit

Dinner:
Chicken Pockets, Fruit
Chicken Fettucini Alfredo with Broccoli, Salad, Bread
Tacos, Spanish Rice
Eddie's Kung Pao chicken, rice, glazed carrots
Fried Fish, Spinach, Corn Bread
Pizza, Fruit

For more menu plans, check out orgjunkie.com