Giveaway Winner

The winner of the seventh generation diaper giveaway is......

Comment # 5

Tannis said.....
Follow your blog
entry 1

So congratulations the winner has been emailed and will have 48 hours to get back to me. Thank you everyone who entered and also thanks to seventh generation through myblogspark for sponsoring the giveaway.

Giveaway Extension

My Seventh Generation Diaper Giveaway has REALLY REALLY LOW entries so I'm extending the end date to July 20th.

Go now to enter if you haven't already done so Seventh Generation Diaper Giveaway

Strike It Rich with Pocket Change *Book Review*

 

Book Description:

In late 2007 a collector found a double die cast 1969 Lincoln cent piece in a plain brown roll of coins. That penny was auctioned in early January 2008 for $126,500.00. To the untrained eye, that penny might look no different than any other. But in their concise and informative book, Ken Potter and Dr. Brian Allen give you all the tools you need to spot mint errors and turn small coins - ones you may have in your pocket right now, or that big glass jug at home - into big cash. They distill their years of collecting experience into simple chapters like 'Age Does Not Equal Value', 'Tools of the Trade', and 'Where to Sell Your Coins' that show you step-by-step how to spot and sell these treasures.

My Thoughts:  

This book is so INTERESTING...the many different ways that a penny or other pocket change could be worth more than what we think is unbelievable. I however did not have any coins in my purse that would bring me the big bucks. It is also very fun for the kids to look at all their coins trying to find something that is in the book. If you have tons of coins laying around the house or in a piggy bank you might want to check this book out you never know when you are going to find the rare number or letter and STRIKE IT RICH.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Meal Plan Monday 7/11

Monday-Yogurt, Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches, Cheese Pretzels, Smoothie, and Strawberries (I let the kids choose the menu for today)
Tuesday-Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Wednesday-Chicken Burgers, Fries
Thursday-Chicken Fettuccine, Green Beans
Friday-Hot Dogs, Fries
Saturday-Mexican Strognoff, Garlic Bread, Salad
Sunday-Chef Salad

Seventh Generation Diapers Review and Giveaway

I was given the opportunity to try out some eco-friendly diapers and of course I couldn't pass it up, FREE diapers. With having 2 kids in the house in diapers we go through A LOT of diapers. So I was given a package of Seventh Generation Diapers through MyBlogSpark.

Seventh Generation diapers are FREE of chlorine processing; they are also FREE of fragrances, latex and petroleum-based lotions. So if you would like to help save on the carbon footprint you are leaving behind you should choose these diapers.

Now I have never used these kind of diapers before so I was a little shocked when I opened the package and discovered that they were a light brown in color this is due to the pigment in which Seventh Generation uses on their diapers. There is also no pretty designs or characters on the diapers, so in my case with my 1 1/2 year old I'm thinking it might help with potty training.

The other thing I was worried about was how absorbent they would be but to my surprise they held up to the test and they are super absorbent.

Now if you are interested in trying these diapers for yourself feel free to print this $2.00 off coupon out or you could try and win a package to try out. Thanks to Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark I get to offer ONE of my readers a package of diapers.

Mandatory Entry:What do you love about Eco-conscious baby products?

2 Entries:  "Like" Seventh Generation on Facebook

2 Entries:  Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter

3 Entries: Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect

5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway and leave link

Each of the following are only worth 1 entry:   

• Subscribe to my feed via email
• Follow me on Networked Blogs
• Post my button on your blog (leave link)
• Follow me on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post(leave live link) can be done once daily Use this hash tag #myblogspark handle name @SeventhGen

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

Giveaway ends July 14th, 2011 11:59 pm PST.

Disclaimer: I did receive the diapers for review from Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark, all opinions are 100% mine.

Summer Fun Ideas #3, 4 and 5

# 3 Pool Fun

Take your kids to a pool or play in one of your own.

 #4 Play Games

Yesterday it wasn't so nice outside so we played games.
Sorry
Pitureka
Yahtzee
Hi-Ho Cherry O

#5 Make Puppets

My kids are very much into doing crafts of any kind so today we made paper bag puppets and its been 2 hours and they are still playing with them, right now they are making each of their puppets their own houses.

Summer Fun Ideas #2

Take the Kids to a Park

One that you have never been to before would be fun, but we have checked out all the ones around us already so we went to our favorite.

Summer Fun Ideas #1

Make, Play and Eat


Edible Play Dough

1 cup Peanut Butter
2/3 cup Rice Krispies
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix together.
I doubled the recipe for my 4 kids and it seemed like just the right amount.

Meal Plan Monday 6/20

Monday-Beef Tenderloins, Salad, Watermelon and Rolls
Tuesday-Hot Dogs, Fries, Fruit Salad
Wednesday-Chicken, Rice, Salad
Thursday-Sandwiches
Friday-Fish Sticks, Mac and Cheese
Saturday-Turkey Breast Grilled, Salad
Sunday-Chef Salad

Couponing Trip: Week 5

So this week the total retail price of everything was $138.29 and I paid $75.83 only a 46% savings for the following items:

6 packages of diapers
2 bottles of Gillette Body Wash
3 bottles of Nivea Body wash
2 Gillette deodrant
1 Gillette Razor
2 containers of Colgate toothpaste
1 6pack pkg of Bounty Paper Towels
1 bottle of sunscreen
2 pineapples
4 pkgs of Chex Mix
2 Yoplait yogurt FREE
2 bottles of Comet FREE
1 bottle of Pinesol

and not pictured is
2 bottles of La Victoria Taco Sauce FREE $.06 moneymaker each
1 container of Carmex

Not the best savings this week but I did get a lot of diapers for only $6.49 a pack for Pampers and if you use diapers you know that is a good deal.

Meal Plan Monday 6/13

Monday-Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, Rolls, Cranberry Cream Salad
Tuesday-Baked Beans and Hamburger Casserole, Corn on the Cob, Salad
Wednesday-Sandwiches, Chips
Thursday-Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
Friday-Chicken Tetrazzini, Applesauce
Saturday-Lemon Chicken, Broccoli
Sunday-Sandwiches, Potato Salad

Lunches
Monday-Cheese Quesadillas, Chips
Tuesday-Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup
Wednesday-Salad, Grapes, Carrots
Thursday-Eat in Town
Friday-Sandwiches, Salad
Saturday-Sandwiches-We are going to be at garage sales most the day
Sunday- Sandwiches, Salad, Apples

Life

Today is day 2 of me by myself with 5 kids which is much better then it was yesterday.

Yesterday was the first day my husband went back to work so I was here by myself and I thought I might not be able to handle it. My 19 month old is very much a Daddy's girl and for the past 9 months it has just been her and I here during the day so she got a lot of attention and now she is having to share me with her baby brother and she doesn't like it very much, she was fine once her Dad got home because then she could go to either one of us and we could spend time with her. Yesterday was just horrible I tell ya. I decided I had to have some kind of structure to our day so that each one of the kids got some alone time with me, between getting the house cleaned, cooking meals, and feedings every 2 hours I knew it would be tough but they would have to have patience. Or I was hoping they would have patience.

Today went much better each one of the girls got alone time with me while we did some learning, and while the baby and my 19 month old slept this afternoon I got to do something the older kids like doing which is play games. Tonight we are going to have a camp out in the living room should be fun.

Its already been 2 weeks since I had our little bundle of joy, I can't believe it either. On a good note though I have already lost 22 pounds that I gained while pregnant with him which is just a ridiculous amount but whatever its gone now and never coming back, now hopefully I just keep losing :)

I had our little man's pictures taken yesterday too and they turned out so stinking adorable well the 2 I have got to see so far, I can't wait to see the rest. I also had my 19 month olds pictures taken too because when we went to have Easter pictures done it was so cold she cried the whole time so we didn't get any good ones of

Meal Plan Monday 5/06

I'm a little late in posting this but better late then never RIGHT?


Monday-Chili
Tuesday-Green Chili Enchiladas, Spanish Rice
Wednesday-Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad
Thursday-Sausage and Rice, Cranberry Cream Salad
Friday-Grilled Ham Slices, Twice Baked Potatoes, Applesauce
Saturday-Oven BBQ Chicken and Cheesy Biscuits, Baked Beans, Salad
Sunday-Meatloaf, Potatoes, Rolls

I'm also going to do a lunch menu since my kids are here now during the summer

Monday-Mac and Cheese, Hot Dogs, Fruit Cocktail
Tuesday-Ham Sandwiches, Grapes, Carrots
Wednesday-Tuna Sandwiches, Oranges
Thursday-Ham Sandwiches, Oranges, Carrots
Friday-Salad, Grapes, Crackers
Saturday-Cheese Quesadillas, Chips
Sunday-Grilled Cheese, Apples

Couponing Trip: Week 4

So I didn't think I would get out this week but I couldn't resist passing up on some good deals, plus we needed some of these things anyways because the girls were starting their summer break. So here is what I scored this week.

2 boxes of Lucky Charms
2 boxes of Froot Loops
2 boxes of Trix
2 boxes of Apple Jacks
2 boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch
2 boxes of Cocoa Puffs
2 boxes of Cherrios
1 box of Honey Nut Cherrios
9 boxes of Raisin Bran
2 75sq ft. of Reynolds Wrap
2 lunchables
4 pkgs of Hot Dogs
1 container of Newman's Own Lemonade
1 35pk of Band aids FREE
1 box of Betty Crocker Dessert Mix
1 6pk of Scott Natural Paper Towels (not pictured)

A total retail value of $99.80 and I spent $35.90 for a total savings of about 64%.

You can find coupons for cereal HERE

Our Little Guy-1 week Old

So we had our baby boy last week on May 24th he was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 19 inches long.

All my girls just love him so much. Jaedyn my 19 month old gets so excited every time he makes a noise or moves, she starts laughing and saying "Baby" its so darn cute. The older three the first thing they want to do when they get home from school is hold him. They only have 1 more day of school and then they are out for the summer so I hope everything goes good once they are home and I can manage taking care of Wyatt and Jaedyn while also doing stuff with the older three, I'm just worried that they are going to think that I'm not spending enough time with them, so I already have a list of things we are going to try and do, something fun everyday this summer.

Wyatt is already a week old, it went by so fast. He actually sleeps for a 4 hour period at night so that is really nice, we only had 1 night that he woke up every hour but it didn't matter to me, I love just looking at him.

1 week old

He has an appointment tomorrow, I'm anxious to see how much he has grown in such a short time.

Couponing Trip: Week 3

Well this will be my last shopping trip for a few weeks while I get adjusted to having 5 kids. But I did get some super deals this week.

 So the total before coupons would have been 55.35 and I paid 25.27 for a total savings of 54% not as good as last week but still better than full price.

2-2 liters of Soda
1 Bag of Tostitos
2 things of Softsoap Body Wash
Pantene Shampoo and Condition
1 toothbrush-FREE
10 pkgs of Certo
4 things of Deodrant
4 Lunchables
2 Ajax Cleaners
1 thing of Pure Silk Shave Cream
1-18pk of Hair Ties FREE
6 candy bars
1 Redbox Rental FREE

Meal Plan Monday

Monday-Fried Chicken, Potato Salad
Tuesday-HOSPITAL
Wednesday-HOSPITAL
Thursday-Chef Salad
Friday-Sweet n Sour Chicken, Rice
Saturday-Hamburgers and Fries
Sunday-Shish Kebabs, Corn on the Cob

Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Here is what we had this morning for breakfast.

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Extra flour to knead

Cinnamon mixture:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup crushed nuts (optional)

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine the dough ingredients: starter, flour and milk. Set aside at room temperature for 10-12 hours, or overnight.
2. Stir then add the remaining dough ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead until dough is no longer sticky. (I found I had to add at least an extra cup of flour.)
4. Roll dough into a rectangular shape 1/2-inch in thickness.
5. In a small bowl, combine together the ingredients for the cinnamon mixture.
6. Lightly brush softened butter over the surface of the dough and sprinkle on the cinnamon mixture.
7. Roll up dough and pinch to seal the seam. Cut into 1-inch slices.
8. Place on a well-greased cookie sheet and let rest for 30 minutes.
9. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 30-35 minutes.
10. In a medium-sized bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread frosting over warm cinnamon rolls.
11. ENJOY!

Once a Month Cooking

My husband and I just finished Once a Month cooking, I wanted to get at least a month of meals in the freezer before the baby comes in 2 days so all I have to do is pull them out of the freezer and have a good dinner to feed my family. It took my husband and I about 3 hours to complete and I'm exhausted but its well worth it. Here is the list of things that we prepared:

Chef Salad
Burgers
Sweet n Sour Chicken
Shish Kebabs
Pigs in a Blanket
Chili
Grilled Ham Slices
Enchiladas
BBQ Sandwiches
Sausage and Rice
Meatloaf
Marinated Steak
Hot Dogs
Sicilian Meat Roll
Lasagna
Oven BBQ Chicken and Cheesy Biscuits
Chicken Broccoli
Meatballs
Baked Beans and Hamburger
Sandwiches
Spaghetti
Chicken Tetrazzini
French Dip Sandwiches
Lemon Chicken
Fish Sticks
Mexican Stroganoff

Now when I pull these out all I have to do is make some rice or some other side to go with the main entree. I feel so relieved we got that done.

Beef Stroganoff

 Ingredients

• 4-1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the beef, mushrooms and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Remove and keep warm.
• In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Carefully return beef mixture to the pan. Add the sour cream, salt and pepper; cook and stir until heated through (do not boil). Drain noodles; serve with beef mixture.

ENJOY!

Couponing for Games

So I went to Walmart today to get a few things for the kids lunches and of course use some coupons.
My kids and I love games so I had 3 coupons for buy a Ratuki game and get another hasbro game for FREE (5.99 or less).

I got 3 Ratuki Card Games-which I plan on giving 2 of them away for birthday presents and I got a Life Adventure card game, a Sorry Revenge game and a Yahtzee card game. So the girls and I are set for a while on new games and I have two games to put in birthday bags. So it ended up being only $3.49 each which is great for hours of fun with my girls.

Meal Plan Monday 5/16

Monday-Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Tuesday-Tacos
Wednesday-Tator Tot Casserole
Thursday- Chef Salad
Friday-Enchiladas, Rice, Refried Beans
Saturday-DINNER OUT
Sunday-Baked Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Couponing Shopping Trip: Week 2

Wow what a week, I went out twice this week to do some couponing along with other errands. Here is what I got this week.

Lots of great stuff and all stuff that my family uses. I spent a total of $98.03  for all this before coupons it would have been  $243.87 so about a 60% savings.  How is that for AWESOME?

9 boxes of cereal 
3-6 packs of Propel Water
9 things of Gatorade
3 Kraft BBQ Sauce
4 Lay's Potato Chips
3-2 liter bottles of Sierra Mist  FREE
6-4 pack of Starbucks Frappe drinks
10 bottles of Powerade
10 bottles of Vitamin water
3 things of deodorant
2 things of Colgate toothpaste
4 things of Purex laundry detergent
8 jars of Pasta Sauce
8 boxes of Spaghetti noodles FREE
2-4 packs of women's razors I MADE $.03 each
3 containers of dish soap

Pretty soon I'm going to have to buy another shelving unit for the basement.

Pineapple Upside-Down Amish Friendship Bread

My pineapples kinda got moved to the sides

Ingredients


1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 can (20 ounce) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1-2 boxes French vanilla instant pudding



Directions


1.Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).

2.In baking pan, melt butter in oven. Remove from oven.

3.Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over buttered pan and arrange pineapple slices on top of brown sugar.Press gently into brown sugar.

4.In a large mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients as listed, including reserved pineapple juice.

5.Pour the batter evenly into cake pan

6.Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

7.Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan and quickly turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake for 5 minutes so the brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan and allow to cool.

ENJOY!

Productive Day

Finally the sun is shining on this beautiful day and it's the weekend, which means we got to do things outside for a change. I love the sun it got up to 81 degrees but with the wind we have here it really didn't feel like it.

We got our garden planted which feels so good, I started the plants in the house a couple weeks ago and they were starting to get pretty big. So now this summer we will have corn, sweet peas, watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers and pumpkins in the fall.  I don't know how the cantaloupe, or the corn will do because we haven't had those before but I'm assuming they will do just fine.

The kids love working in the garden and planting their plants. Jaedyn our youngest loves working the garden too but I don't think her Dad thinks she is much help, she pulled up some sweet peas a few times and she loves throwing the dirt around. The kids each got to pick something to plant and Madyson picked watermelon, Kyndal picked corn and Lyndze picked sweet peas.

Ok that is really all we got done today but that took a good couple hours, now my husband is outside grilling up some hamburgers and corn on the cob. YUM

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Tomorrow I'm organizing baby things.

Only 10 more days.....

Yes I only have 10 more days until I get to meet our little guy. I am so ecstatic I can't even believe we are this close.

I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER. I also am having this feeling of anxiety I guess, I just feel like I don't have everything done, maybe I am forgetting something that he is going to need, I'm dreading going to the hospital and knowing that they are going to be putting a needle in my back (for me that is the worst part, I hate the feeling) I'm hoping he will pee on his Dad before me.

On the other hand my girls are all super excited to have a baby brother, they have actually been arguing about who is going to get to hold him first, silly girls. I'm pretty sure it will be our oldest that will get to hold him first but I'm not telling them that until it happens just another thing for them to argue about.

These last 10 days are just going to drag on I think so I'm going to try and keep myself busy. I'm going to go and have lunch and get my hair done with a friend on Thursday, my husband and I are going to take the girls to watch a movie and out to lunch on Saturday then I think my husband and I are going to go out to dinner by ourselves Saturday night.

I almost feel like this is my first baby for some reason maybe because I know what to expect with girls.

I can't contain my Excitement!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Amish Friendship Bread

I have so much zucchini stored in my freezer from last summer I need to start using it to make room for this years zucchini. So I decided to make

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Amish Friendship Bread

Ingredients
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter


3 eggs

1 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1 cup grated zucchini, excess liquid removed

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1-2 boxes instant vanilla pudding


Directions:
1.Preheat over to 325° F (165° C).


2.In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. Mix well.

3.In a smaller bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Mix well.

4.Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly fold in the wet ingredients, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

5.Add the chocolate chips.

6.Bake for one hour in a well greased pan or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

ENJOY!

The Chocolate Diaries *Book Review*



Book Description:

Ready to Make Some Sweet Changes?

Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitch. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care.

About the Author

No stranger to good chocolate, Karen Scalf Linamen is a popular speaker and the author of fifteen books for women, including Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt and Chocolatherapy: Satisfying the Deepest Cravings of Your Inner Chick. Karen writes, entertains, cooks, and pursues the sweet life with her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 
 
My Thoughts:
 
I must say I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to read and maybe learn some things but I am sad to say that I didn't care for the book. The author provided some good stories about her life and others but I honestly felt like she just rambled on about things. I will say the best part of the book for me was the chocolate recipes that are through out the book. So some people may find the book interesting I on the other hand did not.


Disclaimer:I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah FREE in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Donuts

Saturday I made donuts for the kids for breakfast and boy were they good and super delicious.

Plain

With Maple Glaze

Finished with powdered donut holes

These are so simple to make.

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Biscuits (not flaky)
Oil

Directions: Heat oil on med-hi while heating cut out donut holes in each biscuit. Fry on each side about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar or glaze them.

Glaze Directions:
Powdered Sugar, milk and maple flavoring
Mix about 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 milk with 2 tsp flavoring, you might need to add more milk it just depends on the consistency that you want.

ENJOY!!!

Couponing Shopping Trip: Week 1

So Saturday I conducted my first couponing shopping trip with husband and kids in tow (that was lots of fun). I went to Rite Aid, Walgreens, Safeway and Walmart. Here is all the stuff I bought.

                                               
3 Rolls of Bounty                    
3 bags of Kitty Litter               
3 containers of Salt                  
2 Speed Stick Deodrant          
1 3pk of Ivory bar soap            
3 Tropicana Juices                   
3 things of Dawn dish soap      
3 pkgs of Crest toothpaste    
                                   
Retail value for the things above is  $47.69 what I paid was $ 15.45

How is that for savings? I think it's pretty good for my first time trying the whole couponing thing. Stay tuned for my next shopping trip.

Meal Plan Monday 5/9

I hope everyone had an awesome Mother's Day yesterday, I know I did.

Monday-Elk Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Tuesday-Sandwiches, Chips
Wednesday-Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
Thursday-Pork Chops, Stuffing, Broccoli
Friday-Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Green Beans
Saturday-Waffles, Sausage and Eggs
Sunday- Skillet Beef Tamales

Meal Plan Monday 5/2

Monday-BBQ Ribs, Mac and Cheese, Fruit Salad
Tuesday-Taco Soup
Wednesday-Elk Steak, Baked Potatoes, Corn
Thursday-Chicken, Rice, Green Beans
Friday-Chili
Saturday-Elk Steak, Mac and Cheese, Salad
Sunday-BBQ Pork Chops, Potato Salad, Fruit Salad

Amish Friendship Bread Waffles

I had Amish Friendship Starter that I needed to use so I decided I would try the waffle recipe from the website Friendship Bread Kitchen.

Waffles

Ingredients:

1 cup flour


1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup oil

2 cups Amish Friendship Bread Starter

1/2 cup milk (plus 1/4 cup if needed)

1 egg



Directions:
1.Preheat waffle iron.


2.Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.


3.In a smaller bowl, combine oil, Amish Friendship Bread starter, milk, and egg.


4.Add ingredients of smaller bowl to the ingredients of larger bowl and mix on medium speed.


5.Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

Oh my gosh these were so delicious, they are by far the best waffles I have ever had. So try them and ENJOY!!!

Couponing continued....

So this weekend I went out and bought 3 papers which isn't even close to how many most people buy to get the coupon amount that they want.

So here all the inserts I went through.

And these are all the coupons I cut out.

Now I only cut out the coupons of the things I knew we would actually use I don't think there is any point in buying something that you aren't going to use just to get a good deal. Now I have all the coupons to organize which will also take sometime so that will probably happen tomorrow.

Wednesday will be the day I will try this method out and see if I do a good job or a bad job being a Coupon Virgin (that's what the ladies over at The Krazy Coupon Lady call beginner couponers).

Couponing

I started watching the show Extreme Couponing awhile ago and I'm addicted.  I'm in amazement on how these ladies (sometimes guys) get so much for so little. And having four kids almost 5 it would be awesome if I could learn how to accomplish this.

For the past couple days I have been doing research on how to coupon. I have found lots of ideas and websites to print coupons and I have ordered 2 books that are supposed to explain it in more detail. Well today I came across the website The Krazy Coupon Lady which is actually two ladies and one of them I remember from being on the Extreme Couponing show and really I only remember her because she is from my hometown Mckinleyville, CA and I just remember thinking that is such a small town I'm surprised the show found her lol.

So this weekend I will get my coupon binder organized and start collecting coupons. My first shopping trip from couponing I will post on here just so you can see how much I saved.  If you are interested in couponing you should check out The Krazy Coupon Lady website it is very informative.

Animals

We have a dog, and two cats which are all supposed to be taken care of by my girls and that never happens. I'm always the one feeding them, chasing after them, cleaning up their messes and it drives me crazy. So what do my girls bring home from Awana's last night?.........

GOLDFISH

Each of them brought home one goldfish, so I was thinking to myself just great another animal I have to take care of. And then to top it off we had nothing to keep them in, no food for them which meant I had to go to town today to buy that stuff.  We ended up putting them in a bowl last night and I figured they would be ok for a night in a bowl on the kitchen counter. Well, my husband checked on them right before bed and our cat was up on the counter with its paw in the water trying to fish the fish out. So we had to move them to a room that cat couldn't get into and now I'm thinking I should have just let the cat get them.

So I have decided I'm not taking care of these fish, its going to have to be their responsibility to clean and feed the fish. So I'm sure it will only be a matter of days before we are flushing them down the toilet. Am I just being mean or what?

On another note-remember my story about Easter day and the weasel in my car?  Well I'm pretty sure when I screamed I scared the weasel too and it peed in the car because there was an awful smell (I can't smell it now in my car) but I think that smell is keeping the mice away because I haven't had a mouse in my car since then.

What's For Dinner???

Italian Sausage Rigatoni

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (19.76 oz.) Johnsonville Italian Mild Sausage Links

1 pkg. (1 lb.) rigatoni pasta

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lg. sweet red pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp.Italian parsley, chopped

1 jar (26 oz.) Ragu (or your favorite kind)

Directions:

Cook sausage links according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot.

Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds or until golden.

Add red peppers; sauté for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Cut sausage into 1/4-inch coin slices; add to skillet. Stir in pasta sauce; heat through.

Add pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve immediately with salad and garlic bread. 

YUM YUM

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Weekend Fun

We had so much fun this last weekend, I know I already told you what our plans were but it was so much more fun than I expected.

First of all we didn't have any family up here to celebrate with us so I wasn't sure how the holiday was going to turn out but it went great.

We played the games the kids received from the Easter Bunny :)

We had an Easter egg hunt with the next door neighbors and their kids.

We participated in the rubber duck race at our friends house and my husband and his submarine placed 4th :)

During all this fun while we were in the car to go to do the rubber duck race I was sitting in the passenger seat and I felt something run across my foot (I had flip flops on) I screamed and had my feet up on the dashboard in no time (not easy for someone who is 9 months pregnant) but I did it. I made my husband stop the car so I could jump out and he could find it. (now as most of you know I talk about the mice problem we have around here and how I catch the mice in my car) so I thought it was a mouse. 

So later after the race we headed to the church and on the way to the church while driving down the road I spot something by my windshield wipers and at first I was sure it was the mouse and of course I yelled at my husband to get it and it pops out more and I'm like OMG its not a mouse its a rat but no it ended up being a stinking weasel (at first we thought it was a ferret) My husband slammed on the brakes jumped out the car and smacked it off the car, the whole time the girls and I are pretty much screaming and all I could think about was that was the thing that ran across my foot.

Now this was the first time I have ever seen a weasel and I guess I have always had in my head that they were big like the size of my weiner dog but we were informed that no they can be pretty small and they are not nice. The good thing I found out was that they eat mice so that must have been why the ugly little thing was in my car. And the funny thing is we caught a mouse in my trap in my car that morning. So that was my excitement for the day.

Amish Friendship Bread Finished

Here is the finished product, I got this loaf and the rest I made a cake with.

YUMMY

The Weekend Ahead

This weekend it feels like we have so much to do.

Saturday- We need to dye Easter eggs with the kids, I need to shampoo 3 rooms upstairs and we are going to be taking the 3 older girls to watch Hop which means the shampooing and dying of eggs needs to happen before 2 in the afternoon which is when we need to leave for the movie. And thanks to my friend Leslie who is going to watch Jaedyn for us while we are at the movies otherwise we wouldn't be able to go.

Sunday- Get to wake up and see what the Easter Bunny left for the girls and I'm sure we will be setting up their gifts so they can play with them. This year I decided to get the older 3 games they would be able to play outside this summer so I got: Lyndze a animal croquet set, Kyndal a ladder golf set and Madyson a tether ball set and of course I didn't leave Jaedyn out but all she is getting is some stuffed animals and rubber duckies for her bath. Is that bad? And of course an Easter egg hunt. 
We haven't found a church to go to up here yet so that means no Easter Sunrise Service. But we will be going to a local church around 6 on Sunday night because the Awana's kids are going to be singing a song and my 8 year old has a solo part in it. Can't wait to hear her.
We have also been invited to join in some Easter activities at our friends parents house which sounds really fun. They do some kind of rubber duck race down the creek. And a birthday party crammed in there as well. 

What are your plans for the weekend? What are your Easter Day traditions?


HoPpY EaStEr!!!

Amish Friendship Bread

On Monday I was given a Amish Friendship Bread starter, so all this week I have been mashing my bag and adding ingredients and today I get to bake it and its going to be so YUMMY.

If you have not ever had this bread you have got to try it, I will also be giving away 3 starts to my friends here and keeping one for myself that way I can bake bread again in 10 days.

For those of you that would like to start your own starter here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. In a 2 quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added.
3. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture.
4. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions for Amish Friendship Bread.

Now here are the simple instructions I had to follow this week.

NOTE: Do not refrigerate starter. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. If air gets in the bag, let it out.
Day 1: Do nothing.
Day 2: Mash the bag.
Day 3: Mash the bag.
Day 4: Mash the bag.
Day 5: Mash the bag.
Day 6: Add to the bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.
Day 7: Mash the bag.
Day 8: Mash the bag.
Day 9: Mash the bag.
Day 10: Follow the directions below:

1. Pour the entire bag into a nonmetal bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup milk.
3. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into 4 1-gallon Ziploc bags.
4. Keep one of the bags fr yourself, and give the other bags to 3 friendship along with the recipe.

REMEMBER: If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking in 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the Amish know how to make a starter, so if you give all the bags away, you will have to wait for someone to give you a starter back.
Should this recipe not be passed onto a friend on the first day, make sure to tell them which day it is when you present it to them.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. To the remaining batter in a bowl add the following:

a. 3 eggs
b. 1 cup oil
c. 1/2 cup milk
d. 1 cup sugar
e. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
f. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
g. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
h. 1/2 teaspoon salt
i. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
j. 2 cups flour
k. 1-2 boxes instant pudding (any flavor)

i. Optional: 1 cup nuts and 1 cup raisins

3. Grease 2 large loaf pans

a. In a bowl mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
b. Dust the greased pans with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

4. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top.
5. Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
6. ENJOY!

 I can't wait to bake it, I will post a picture of this delicious bread when its done.  Thanks again Leslie for the starter :)

Unsinkable *Book Review*

Book Description:

The stirring narrative of Unsinkable tells sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland's remarkable true story of attempting to become the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world.
More people have flown into outer space than have sailed solo around the globe. It is a challenge so immense that many have died trying, and all have been pushed beyond every physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual limit. In Unsinkable, readers follow Abby Sunderland into those depths. This biography delivers a gripping and evocative firsthand account that starts prior to her departure, travels through her daring (and sometimes near-death) encounters on the open sea, to her dramatic rescue in the remotest corner of the Indian Ocean, and the media explosion that happened upon her safe return to dry land.
Along the way, readers discover what it means to boldly face any challenge, to strive after something great, and to plumb the depths of faith, fear, and desperation only to emerge changed, renewed, and emboldened. In this day and age, when the most productive thing a teenager may do is play videogames, Abby's ambition and tenacity is a real-life parable of what can happen when we choose to exceed our own limits, embrace faith, and strive after what all the naysayers say is impossible.

About the Author

Abby Sunderland is among the third generation in a family of sailors and adventurers. In 2007, at age 13, Abby discovered her dream of sailing solo around the world and was inspired by her brother Zac’s successful circumnavigation in 2009. Her own journey, in 2010, ended in the Indian Ocean when a rogue wave rolled her sailboat, Wild Eyes. Abby now shares her story of tenacity and courage with audiences everywhere. Lynn Vincent is the New York Times best-selling writer of Heaven Is for Real, Same Kind of Different as Me, and Going Rogue: An American Life. The author or coauthor of ten books, Lynn worked for eleven years as a writer and editor at the national news biweekly WORLD Magazine covering politics, culture, and current events. A U.S. Navy veteran, she teaches writing at colleges and conferences around the country. Lynn lives in San Diego, California.  from Amazon.

My Thoughts:

 

I loved this book, there are basically two different people telling the story Abby herself and then a narrator. Abby's version is almost like reading her journal of the things that she went through getting ready for the trip as well as the things that happened to her while out in the open sea. I actually learned a few things too while reading this book, some of the words I have never heard of before and they were explained what they meant and of course they were words that dealt with sailing. I would definitely recommend this book to every one, if my kids were older I would even let them read it.

Disclaimer: I received this book Free through Book Sneeze in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Canary List *Book Review*

 

Book Description:

Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?
 
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
 
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
 
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.

Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.

My Thoughts:

I actually really loved the story line of this book, it's one of those books that you don't want to put down because you have to know what happens next. I love reading books like this. The only thing I didn't care for about this book was how when you finished one chapter the next chapter would jump to a totally different subject so it kinda made it hard to follow along but other than that it's a great book.

 Disclaimer: I received this book FREE from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Meal Plan Monday 4/18

Monday-Chili
Tuesday-Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Wednesday-Spaghetti, Salad and Garlic Bread
Thursday-BBQ Chicken Legs, Mac and Cheese and Corn on the Cob
Friday-Italian Sausage Rigatoni and Garlic Bread
Saturday-Taking the kids to watch Hop so dinner in town
Sunday-Easter Dinner, Spiral Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Fruit Salad, Chocolate Pie, Rolls, Broccoli

The Last 2 Weeks BLAH

Wow it has been such a long time since I have blogged, I just have not felt like getting on the computer at all which is so odd for me. As most of you know I am 34 weeks pregnant now and expecting our first boy and boy this last 2 weeks has been pretty trying.
Hopefully I can start feeling like blogging again but I can't promise anything, I do have a couple reviews I need to post this week, so stay tuned.

Meal Plan Monday 3/28

Monday-Mac and Cheese, Hamburger Patties with Mushroom Sauce, Green Beans
Tuesday-Beef Stew and Rolls
Wednesday-Chicken, Stuffing and Corn
Thursday-Chicken Fettuccine and Garlic Bread
Friday-Chili and Corn Bread.

Weekend

This past weekend my friend and her 3 kids came up from Oregon to visit us, we had so much fun the kids especially. Friday we kinda just hung out and let the kids play all day then we went out for some Mexican Food and watched Yogi Bear. If you haven't seen this movie you have too its so funny.

Saturday I had Easter Pictures scheduled for our family so I decided to get some with my friend and her kids as well. Not sure how they will turn out, it was nice and sunny outside but it was cold and the wind was blowing so it just made it that much more cold, my youngest cried the whole time so I know all the pictures of her in them aren't going to be perfect but oh well it will just add character to the pictures. The photographer also took pictures of me and my belly which was a huge thing for me to do because I hate pictures of ME anyways I love taking them of everyone else so I am really nervous about seeing them. After the pictures we of course did some more hanging out and played games and it was nice enough that the kids all got to play outside.

Sunday my two oldest had a day camp to go to out the high school called Junior Miss "Be your Best Self" they get to learn about community service, nutrition, public speaking and exercise. Its such an awesome thing for them to do. It was 4 hours long and during that time they picked up trash, learned a exercise routine, made a little speech and learned about healthy things to eat. Then after it was over the parents got to go and watch and listen to what happened. Both of my kids had the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
My oldest said " I want to be an artist because you get to be creative and no one can boss you around." and my 8 year old said "I want to be a gymnastics teacher because I enjoy doing gymnastics." Well I think both of these things are fantastic ideas but I'm sure they will change many times over the years to come. Now at the end of April they actually have to go in front of a gym full of people and perform the exercise routine and the question at the Junior Miss Program.

My husband had an exciting night last night too, our washing machine decided to quit working at like 8 last night right in the middle of washing some of my friends clothes, so luckily I had a backup washing machine and being the awesome husband that he is he switched them out last night. I think it must have taken him about an hour. Then to top his night off one of our smoke detectors batteries started going dead so he then had to bring in the big ladder because our ceiling are so tall it's not just a matter of jumping on a chair and dealing with it, so he brings in the ladder and you still have to stretch to reach it but he fixed that too.

Now today I get to clean the house or at least start cleaning the house because the girls and I are leaving on Saturday to head to Oregon to enjoy their Spring Break down there, so I like to have a clean house when I get back (Wes if you read this remember that)

Vacation-I want to go back.

This past weekend I went to Redmond, OR to enjoy "Girls Weekend" and boy was it relaxing.

Before we headed to the cabin we did some shopping at the outlet mall in Bend, I might have went a little overboard at Carter's on baby boy clothes but it was fun, then we headed to the cabin and played some games, read a little and had a great dinner.

Saturday we headed to Sisters, OR to do some more shopping and just enjoy ourselves. We again played games, enjoyed the hot tub and had so much fun. I must admit it was nice not having to change diapers, cook dinner, clean and hear kids arguing :) I can't wait to do again next year.

Now I am getting my house ready for my friend and her 3 kids to come and visit us on Thursday to Monday, my kids know we have company coming but they have no idea who and they are going to be so excited.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Here are my little Lucky Charms.

So usually on St. Patrick's Day I make the kids green eggs, green mint flavored milk and a shamrock shaped piece of toast but this year they all wanted to eat breakfast at school for some reason (maybe they are getting too old for this kind of thing I don't know) and then we usually have an Irish Themed Dinner but this year that isn't going to happen either because I will be on my way to Girls Weekend as soon as their Dad gets off work today so I think he is making them corn dogs and french fries lol. I did get them some shamrock shaped cookies for snack today after school. 

I hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's Day. 

 

Doctor Wrong

So I took my daughter to the doctors yesterday because she had a fever of over 101 for the 3rd day in a row and I could not figure out what was wrong with her: she didn't have a cough, runny nose and she wasn't acting like her ears were hurting her either so off to the doctors office we went.

We get to the doctors and she is just so cranky and all I could think about was how they were going to take her temp and it was going to be normal and then they would be looking at me like what are you talking about lady. But no she had a fever of 101.6 there and she pretty much cried and whined the whole time while in the room. The doctor checks her over and says he doesn't see anything wrong with her and asked if I had noticed anything and I said no just the fever and she seems to have a heat rash from the temperature. So then he is like well I think she has Roseola.  And I'm thinking ok what is that?

Roseola (also known as sixth disease, exanthem subitum, and roseola infantum) is a viral illness in young kids, most commonly affecting those between 6 months and 2 years old. It is usually marked by several days of high fever followed by a distinctive rash just as the fever breaks.

He explains everything to me and that was that. So at about 10:30 last night I took her temperature and it was normal thankfully and we got up this morning and her rash that she did have was GONE. So I am thinking that the rash was a heat rash like I had said. Thankfully my baby girl is pretty much back to normal today still a little cranky but I think that's from lack of sleep the last couple of days which would explain why I am cranky too.

Vacation

So every year just about since I have married my husband I have been able to get away for a weekend with his mom and grandma and sisters we call this Girls Weekend. I can not even explain in words how excited I am for this time of the year when I know I get to get away and just relax, but it wasn't always like this.

Years ago we would actually take the kids or at least one of them and it was fun but it just wasn't relaxing at all. They loved going to get in the hot tub but some where along the way someone came up with the rule of NO KIDS and it works perfect because then it is actually a nice relaxing weekend.

So we go to Eagle Crest and spend the weekend in a very nice cabin, which if bigger would be my dream house. It has log accents, knotty pine walls and the decor is lodge cabin stuff which I love, we are right on a golf course (I'm waiting for the day we see a golf ball come through the windows) there is a hot tub and miniature golf which I can play lol.

While there for the weekend we always go shopping in Sisters, OR which is so much fun. They have such unique stores and fun things to see.

So in exactly one week I will be on my way to this fantastic place. I leave Thursday night and drive for about 2.5 hours with my friend to her moms house (yes I am bringing a friend because she needs to get away and I don't want to drive by myself) and then we will get up the next morning and drive another 4.5 hours to Bend where we will shop for a while and then head to the cabin.

My husband will be keeping all 4 kids this year which I have a feeling he is going to find out what its like to be MOM for a weekend. He has to drop our 17 month old off at a babysitters and take the older three to school on Friday to go to Donut and a Book with our 8 year old and then he has to pick our 17 month old from the sitters and spend the day with her. Then Saturday he has to load them all up again and drive our 10 year old to a birthday party and then pick her up again on Sunday. I have a feeling he will be ready for me to get home on Sunday, he never really has had to take our 17 month old in the car by himself before (you have to have super arms to get her sippy cup when she throws it down while you are driving down the road) lol

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

What a day!

So yesterday I had such an exhausting day (ok for me it was exhausting)

I had an appointment at the hospital to take my glucose test for this pregnancy, so I had to drive my daughter out to my friends house which is a 45 minute drive before hand and while dropping her off try and stomach the nasty "orange soda" drink YUCK. Then drive back into town which is 20 minutes and be at the hospital by 10:10 get my blood drawn (which is not a big deal) and then head to my next appointment.

Next I had an eye appointment which I have never had one before although I keep my kids all checked up on a regular basis I have never been. What made me decide to go? Well when I went to go and get my Idaho drivers license I had to take the vision test and I thought that the images seemed a little blurry to me, so I made an appointment. Unfortunately I do need glasses but only for driving, I can see the road signs but with the glasses I will be able to see them further away and since I do A LOT of driving I figured it would be a good idea. Then I had to decide on a pair of glasses, which was very hard for me I think I must have tried on like 20 pairs and didn't like any of them the doctor was like you aren't going to like any of them because you don't like the idea of having to wear glasses I was like ya your right but I finally did decide on a pair.

After the eye appointment I had to run to Wal Mart to pick up a few things and then back out to my friends house to pick up my daughter. Then back home in time to get the kids off the bus.Then I decided I had to clean out my car because I noticed a few little presents from a little mouse in my car. Now for a little back story:
When we first moved into our house, no one had lived here for almost a year so mice had taken over everything, although we never seen any mouse droppings in the house when we looked after we moved in our trusty wiener dog sniffed them out and got rid of them for us. So we have struggled with them in our garage and around the yard. We have 2 cats now and the dog and usually between them they kill about 3 or 4 mice a day. So anyways when we moved in I was getting mice in my car too and I couldn't figure out how to keep them out so I went back to my trusty mouse trap (which is a iced coffee cup with the dome lid and a little bit of coffee inside) and I would get a mouse just about every night using this method, so it has been about 6 months or more since I have had a mouse in my car until the other day. So I got everything out of the car, vacuumed it out and left a coffee cup out there, actually let me check it right now......Yep just like I thought I caught the little pest, not one but two hahaha. So really if you have a mouse in your car you should try my trick.

So after cleaning the car out and everything I then had to cook dinner and get my daughter ready for gymnastics and drive her into town another 20 minute drive and sit there for an hour and then back home by 7:30 and by then I was literally dragging my feet. Got the kids in bed, read for a little bit and then off to bed for me as well.