Meatless/MeatFree Monday

Tonight, for Meatless/Meat Free Monday, I am making Classy Chaos's Polish Pickle Soup.
I can't wait to try it!
I'll update later....

***UPDATE*** It was DELICOUS!! If you like pickles, you gotta try it. YUM!

Meatless/Meat Free Monday

Did anyone else participate in Meatless/Meat Free Monday today? Sometimes I almost skip it, but I really feel pulled to do this once a week (at least).

So today, we did breakfast again. Scrambled eggs & bagels. Yum! Last week I didn't post, but I made a delicious potato soup in the crock pot...actually John did all the prep work and I just finished it up.

It's so easy to skip meat one day a week. There are tons of great recipes available, or you can just do something familiar like breakfast. My kids really enjoy it.

If you are interested in linking in, I can start doing a McKlinky on this. Try it - you might like it! =)

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's Monday, time to wrap up our weekend.

~~~* On Friday, my husband took the kids to the homecoming parade. I was just too tired to go. Then Friday night, my oldest son Tim (16) cooked dinner! Totally voluntarily, we got home and he just started cooking. I felt very spoiled that day. He made chicken fettucini alfredo with garlic bread. Yum!

~~~* On Saturday, we went to my parents' house to watch the Florida vs. Arkansas game, which gave us wrinkles, gray hairs, and indigestion. The Gators won at the very end but OMG, what a close, nail-biter game!

~~~* On Sunday, we went to church, and then to our small town's Harvest Festival. It was on Main Street, which is just a couple of blocks from our house. When it was over, we all sat outside and watched the horse-drawn carriage ride by our house. Good times! Afterwards we went to "Small Group", which is what our church does on Sunday night. We meet at the home of a couple (who we both really like) and the kids all go to their own small groups. We discuss that morning's message and anything else we want to talk about. We really enjoy it.

I also got to experience a Keurig Coffee System for the first time. WANT!

~~~* Now it's the beginning of another week of work and sports every night! The temps have dropped quickly here; it's 50 degrees right now. I was freezing tonight at softball practice! DO NOT WANT!
So our Meatless/Meatfree Monday DysFUNctional Dinner was pancakes & hot chocolate. According to my kids, I am the best Mom ever. WIN!

Wishing everyone a good week!

Motivating & Meatless Monday, with a Weekend WrapUp on the Side

When I saw Amanda 's Tweet about joining in her Motivating Monday carnival, I just had to join in. I've been meaning to for weeks and finally got it together...although a little late of course. A Little Late is pretty much my middle name.

BTW, Amanda's Motivating Monday post is awesome....be sure to check it out!

So, here's my motivation...





I know, predictable and expected...but my kids have really inspired me lately. Every day I am reminded of how special each of them are. My oldest daughter is at an age where you can have a real, meaningful discussion with her. Sometimes she catches me off-guard with how grown-up she's becoming. Youngest daughter started softball today and I was so proud of how hard she tried and never complained, even though it was her first time ever and it wasn't easy.
My oldest son is basically growing up before my eyes...not yet a grown up, but certainly not a young kid. And my youngest son is so likable and friendly. He's also very caring and concerned about others.
And all of them are so well-liked. People compliment me on them all the time. They are all involved in the church, and other church members are very impressed with them. They consistently choose church events over other things, with no pressure from anyone.
Do they drive me crazy? Daily. But they also blow my mind, and motivate me to be the best that I can be, and lead them by example.

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Did you remember that today was Meatless Monday ? If I started a McLinky so that you could link in and share your Meatless Monday dishes with us....would anyone be interested?

Our Meatless Monday dish was roasted sliced potatoes with peppers, onions, & Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Garlic bread on the side.

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Just a quick Weekend Wrap-Up....Sunday was Andrew's "Friend Party" for his birthday, and during the party I realized that this was his first friend party. MIL sometimes hijacks makes plans for his birthday and in the past his "mother" had him some years, and we've usually just done family parties. So, I was really happy that for the Big 10, he finally had a friend party. And he had a BLAST. Those boys were insane. (I hadn't had a boy party in a long time and OMG. It was quite an experience!)

It was a Pirate Party, so of course they had to Walk the Plank.


Somehow, the innocent "Toss the Cannon" a.k.a. water balloon fight, turned into a water HOSE fight. I'm not sure which preacher's kid started it but they had a great time, especially chasing my oldest daughter and her very cute friends.



And of course, I had to make the same Hot Wheels cake that I made for his dinner. And he got to blow out 10 candles again!

Hope y'all had a good Weekend/Meatless/Motivating Monday!

No Meat!

Just a quick post to celebrate one month of vegetarianism for me!

I have been surprised at how easy it has been to go vegetarian . I have missed meat very, very little. Not enough to even be tempted to cheat or give up.

It's also Meatless/Meat-Free Monday. After our busy and exhausting day, we had bean & cheese burritos for dinner.

Did anyone else try a day without meat?

Monday Mish-Mash (I just made that up. heh)

It's the Weekend Wrap-Up, Meat-Free/Meatless Monday, Back to School post!
Wheeeee!



Weekend Wrap-Up~~
We went camping this weekend at a Springs located in a State Park. We really enjoyed ourselves. We saw turtles, fish, and deer up close & personal.
The highlight: Elayna saw shooting stars for the first time ever. This place is way out in the woods and you can see so many stars, it's truly amazing. We laid on the dock and watched the sky on Saturday night after dinner. She saw four shooting stars. She was thrilled!
The low-light: I had about 10 years taken off of my life on Saturday afternoon. I won't say the name of the backwoods hillbilly redneck town, we'll just call it ScaryLand. We went to the Super Walmart at ScaryLand to pick up a few things for our cook-out. We've been there before and it never fails to shock and disgust. We've seen people who literally look like they just walked out of a freak show, people whose parents HAVE to be brother and sister, and a man in the women's bathroom. So needless to say, we're cautious about going there. Halfway there, I turn around and look at Elayna, and realize she's wearing nothing but her swimsuit. Fantastic! A cute young girl in a swimsuit at the Super WalMart of ScaryLand. It's too late to turn around. So, we're rushing around, grabbing the things we need, and I turn around and don't see Elayna ANYWHERE. I said, "Where's Layna?" and STILL she did not appear. I swear my heart jumped into my throat. I just knew that a ScaryMan from ScaryLand had stolen my bathing-suit-clad baby. Thank GOD, she was just behind John the entire time! My heart still hasn't quite returned to its normal rate.





Meatless/Meat-Free Monday:
Did you remember to try a day without meat? Tonight we're having bean & cheese burritos with sour cream and salsa, and corn on the side. And, it's day 17 Meat-Free for me!




Back to School:
Today, I had two 3rd graders, one 8th grader, and one 11th grader start school. Old lady say WHAT? I swear I just blinked and this just happened! Don't.Blink. Shockingly, Miss Queen of Organization didn't remember to get fresh batteries for the real camera. *eyeroll* So I present to you, crappy cell phone Back to School pics!

Shelbie...13 going on 21. *gulp*

Andrew, a little nervous!

Elayna, with crazy eyes...(excuse the vacuum cord)

I have the coolest, Rocker Chick 3rd grader in the whole school. I LOVE her style!

my 3rd graders =)

(Tim was back with his Dad so I have no 11th grader pictures! But I talked to him and he had a good first day.)

ONE MORE THING!
Please pray For Ezra tomorrow.

How was your weekend?
Have a great week!

Weekend Wrap-Up & Stuff

On Thursday, things were very stressful in our world. Although things were considerably looking up by Friday, we were still feeling the stress. John and I decided that floating down a river would be a great stress reliever.

So, we went to Ichetucknee Springs. We pitched our tent at the campsite, rented our tubes, and commenced to floating. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We saw fish, of course; turtles; and two wild hogs!

Once we got back to camp, a storm came. Not just an ordinary Florida summer storm...a torrential downpour. But it was all good, because the campground has a tavern, with two gamerooms. I actually beat John at Air Hockey! Well, the first time anyway. We won't discuss the other two times. I may or may not have gotten my drink on at the tavern. Let's just say that a drink called Orange Dream tastes exactly like Orange Dreamsicles. OMWord.

Fortunately, they also serve food, since grilling was not an option. And we were very lucky to only have a tiny amount of water in our tent; some peoples' tents flooded. It turned out to be a great night!

Now we're back to reality, but refreshed and with a better outlook. The kids are home too, which makes me a happy Mama.

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Don't forget today is Meatless/Meat Free Monday! We are having pizza because I don't feel like cooking. Meatless pizza, of course! And I am at day 10 of eating no meat. So far, so good!

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One of my blog friends, Jesica, is battling cancer and got some very bad news last week. I can't even begin to imagine what she and her family are going through. Please visit her, offer support, and prayers, good thoughts, whatever you have to offer. Jesica's Journey

One Day a Week, Cut Out Meat!

I want to say right off the bat, in the spirit of Blogging with Integrity, that I have NOT been asked to post this, and am not receiving compensation of any sort for this. It's just one of my soapboxes. =)

For about a year now, my family and I have had "Meatless Monday" nearly every week. It was actually suggested to me by a vegan friend, as a way of improving our health and the planet's health. If every family in America cut out meat just one day a week, it would make a big difference in the demand for meat in this country, on the enviroment, and world hunger.

The Meatless Monday site is a website with great resources for recipes and information about cutting out meat for one day per week. There are also reviews, articles, & other information to help get started having a meat-free day.

When we started, we didn't know anything about the Meatless Monday website. But it still wasn't hard to come up with a meatless meal just one day per week.

As some of you know, I recently made the decision to go vegetarian. However, my family's diet will stay the same, unless they decide on their own to go vegetarian. But let me tell you, my kids LOVE having Meatless Monday. If I forget, they are quick to remind me. If something happens that we can't observe MM, they make sure we have another Meatless day that week.

There's also another movement called Meat Free Monday. This website has a great explanation of the environmental reasons to eliminate meat at least once per week. It explains how reducing our meat intake can help eliminate world hunger and reduce pollution. It's about animals, but it's also about so much more than that.

I really hope that you will join me in having Meatless/Meat-Free Monday! It's a fun way to add variety to your menu and your mealtime, a great lesson for your children, good for your health, and a big help to the environment.

Mindless Rambling Monday

~I went to the bookstore today. My favorite bookstore. A.K.A Heaven on Earth. The girls and I had a great time.
~I started reading a new book today that is wonderful and amazing. It's realling making me think.
~I have had a Grouchy Pouch today. This means that everything I put into my Pouch (my new, small stomach), did not please my pouch and it let me know that quite rudely. I didn't throw up, I've only thrown up twice since surgery, I'm lucky. But it kicked my butt!
~Good things are coming our way! No doubt about it!
~My sister is also losing weight. She's diabetic and is FINALLY no longer in denial, and following a diabetic diet. She's lost 26 lbs!
~T-bone is visiting my brother, his wife, and their son in Pensacola this week. He's having a great time!
~We had our first Meatless Monday. We decided that at least one night per week, we'll have a meat-free meal. Since Meatless Monday sounds so catchy, we chose Monday. Now the Princess has decided we should have Fruit Friday and eat only fruit, and Thirsty Thursday and only have drinks! Meatless Monday went very well and is definitely a tradition we'll keep. So if you have any good vegetarian recipes, send them my way!
~We had the most relaxing weekend. We did nothing. And we enjoyed every minute of it.
~We're getting a new foster Wednesday night. Pictures will be posted!
~I recently got props from THREE wonderful blogging friends. My Fantastic Firecracker & Sweet Beany shouted out, and Amazing Alison gave me an award! I will be sharing it soon, and I am also in the process of making an award of my own to pass out.
Wow! I feel special, I should disappear for a few days more often. :grin: