Freezer Meals and Anticipation

From the time of my last post on June 21st until July 4th weekend I was able to accomplish a lot. While the kids visited my parents, I finished making a little over 30 meals to stash in the freezer. Not the usuals like lasagna and plain ol' soup, rather interesting pizzas, enchiladas, quiches, various burgers (salmon, beef/pork) and so forth.

Spinach, mushroom, red pepper, feta quiches.

After reheating, the texture is a bit off but the taste is great.

Italian style mini meatloaves.

I'm usually not a meat loaf person, but John will ask for it on occasion so

I thought I'd give them a shot.

Spinach and feta pizza and fontina, kalamata olive, artichoke, red pepper pizza.

The goods in the freezer.

When the boys returned home from Camp Noni Pop Pop, my entire focus was on having good days and just being with them. We succeeded! It helped that I had everything finished (almost) on my list of things to do. I wasn't anxious for them to get to bed so I could do something or annoyed when things didn't go quite right with the day. I think that's how it's supposed to go, but when you're an over achieving stay at home mom it's hard not to focus on what you didn't get done.

The days leading up to the arrival of the ship were filled with more anticipation than two toddlers and a mamma could take. Turner was a bit more quite than usual and, if I asked if he was grumpy, he'd say "No, I'm just bein' quiet." It was a little sad to know he felt the anticipation and anxiety but I was happy to know he understood we were DONE! Eli had and still has no clue. Or last days of the deployment were spent with our wonderful friends, Grace and Cicely and I couldn't have been happier about that!

And *POOF* it's gone...

I've lost my invincibility force field. If you find it, please return it and I will send the Cleaning Fairy to your house! Fo' reals, I know her and we're like this. She said I can pimp her out any time...

I guess it's true, when you're eight months pregnant everything catches up to you, regardless of what shape your in. For me, the flights to New Jersey wiped me out. The trip, itself was perfectly fine! I got some much needed rest and Grandma was a great runner around of kids. I'm done, though. All the muscles in my back burn and I want to sleep for eight weeks but Eli is back to his old tricks and I'm so running on fumes!

To add fuel to that fire, I'm in full-on nesting mode. I didn't really have too much of that feeling with either of my first two, but, this time...I need stuff done, like YESTERDAY! I'm driving myself insane making lists of lists and doing things over and over (*coughs* like moving furniture). Cleaning has been my top priority. I don't know why, it's not as if things are dirty! It's a very odd, compulsive, feeling and it can go away any time.

I've also started the arduous task of precooking meals. I bought one of those little vacuum sealers and the bags to go along with and even a deep freezer (3 boys, one husband: it's an investment that will prove worthy!). I'll tell you more about all the meals on the list to cook in another post because now I feel the need to go make a list of the things I've gotten at the store (what?) and what I should cook first.

Great. Aaaand I've lost my invisibility force field. What's a married single pregnant mother of two toddlers and a deployed husband to do? Run around like a chicken with it's head cut off...see?!?

All I want is a beer, a book and a lounge chair...oh, and breeze like one felt on the beaches in Hawaii. Oh, and my husband. It's not hard.

Day By Day

by day, by day...

We're here. I have been trying to get Eli back to his crib but he knows how to play me like a fiddle. If he wasn't so irritable when he was in my bed, it'd be a fine situation to embrace sleep sharing. It's terrible, though. No one sleeps, and I even end up sleeping with one eye open so I don't get hurt.

Any way, the process has been emotionally and physically draining. If I were in any other situation than being a married single mother, I don't think it be so tough. I'm dealing, though. Just beating myself up...

It's been a week since we made it back from my parents' house. I can't believe it takes so long to get back in to our groove. Finally, today, I feel like we're cleaned back up and prepared for what the week might throw at us.

Since I don't concentrate much on a completely adult dinner, I've been focusing on finding things the kids like and making their meal plans. I've been using Weelicious for inspiration and recipes. The creator rocks at these sweet bento style lunches and I use that for ideas for lunches and dinners. Lots of times things are spit out, but at least the being exposed to lots of foods during their picky years. Today I made oatmeal-on-the-go bars (Eli LOVES them) and finally got around to making chewy granola balls.

They are great and the kids enjoyed them! As a plus, the rice cereal can be substituted. I didn't have any and used crushed up Total.

In other news:

The kids are super cute. Turner has grown an inch since John's been gone. I've been marking it on the wall. You-know-who won't stand still to let me measure him so I've got no record of how big he's getting.

Turner is pretty sure there are monsters in his room again. We are currently conducting counter-monster exercises every night.

I am trying every day to put aside my exhaustion and just enjoy my boys at the ages they are. It's tough and take a lot of lip biting and secret crying, but it's working. I think...

John was selected for an early command and I couldn't be more proud. He's such a balanced guy; I know he'll make a great CO!

We've decided that, when the slate comes out, to really try for the PC out of Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek. I found out the MCM tours out of San Diego and Sasebo are 30 months and that's no good for this family. I get the itch to move and 30 months is a loooong time! I really hope it works out and we'll be in Virginia by the end of the year.

I've settled on having baby Deacon in the comfort of our home. Well, it's not our home, but it is comfortable. It's, obviously, up to the midwives, but I don't see a reason for conflict. I'm a healthy low risk pregnancy and they deliver at home as well as at the birth center. Having the baby at the birth center, I'll return home just hours later at any rate -so why not just have him here?!?

SAVE ME! ...from myself...

I have never been frugal. Target (before it was cool) was never my thing. I wouldn't have been caught dead wearing Old Navy (before it was cool), or shopping for shoes at Payless (before it was cool). I like quality and I thought you had to buy brand name to get that quality. I grew up down a dirt road in a house my parents spent a life time saving for and now are paying off. Money was an object, the heft of which wasn't really conveyed to me. Until later...

My parents worked hard to save money everywhere else, except for groceries. No lists were made, lots of produce was wasted, weird additive-ridden kid meals were eaten. My dad liked quality food; lots of veggies fish and meat. It was not uncommon to spend $200 per week on groceries. He never brought home doughnuts, but we did try foods from around the world (his favorite was to bring home "different" produce) along with brand name drinks, cookies, chips, junk...

When college came around, I was stuck paying for food with whatever money was left-over after bills. Once, right when I met John, I went to the store with $12 and a -$43.27 in my bank account (I saved the receipt because I hated that feeling of being in debt). It was the first time I actually paid attention.

Fast forward to 2009. I still hate coupons and bargain hunting but I can finally admit why. I don't know where to start. We move, have busy kids, I buy organic, you can't eat healthy on a budget, etc. Excuses, excuses. Thanks to the lovely Christine I found Cheap Healthy Good and a light switch was flipped on. If my food bills have been close to $200 (we just moved so there's an excuse!) for the last three weeks, what's it going to be like when my boys are teenagers? Good Lord!

My Mission: To see how low I can go. It's going to take a lot of planning but thanks to Southern Savers and a slew of other websites, the wheels are a churnin' and I'm ready to save some cash (so I can buy out Anthropologie...whole different post, I guess).

My Plan: To make my meal plans around what's on sale (no, I don't even do that!) without compromising my families desire to eat lots of organic items. We adhere to the organic meats, milk, and "dirty dozen" idea. The rest of our groceries will be conventionally grown. I'm going to post links and my meal plans. Later, I'll start posting costs, etc. Instead of just being for two adults, it will be servings for 4 with kids in mind.

I'm off to work on my excel sheets and lists before John gets back to work!