I previously discussed the convenience and cost efficiency of Once a Month cooking, but making it happen can seem overwhelming so here are some quick pointers on getting started.

Where to begin:

• Make your shopping list: Start by planning out your menu calendar for the month. Keep a copy because you would be amazed how quickly you might forget what was on the list for that month. Realize that within 30 days, repeating the same entree is not a big deal. It will cut your cook time in half and the meals can be spaced out by weeks. Watch the ads for the current sales and hopefully the upcoming week for the best prices. Most grocery stores start new ads mid week and alternate sales on meat (like chicken and pork on sale one week, ground beef and steak the next). So dropping into the stores twice in the week will not only get you the best cost, it will have you prepared for your cooking day by the end of the week. Also since your meats are going to amount to the highest portion of the expense its a good idea to plan your menu around these sales.

• Pick up your tools: You will need to work out a system of storage that works best for you. Freezer bags, aluminum pans, and disposable bowls (which are very much reusable) are my tops picks. Remember, you are also trying to do your best to consolidate space since you are going to cram 30 meals into your freezer at once. Freezer bags for sauces and marinated meats not only save tons of space, they make defrosting time way faster since they are flat.  Also for each pre-made dish you store in its own cooking tray (such as lasagna, enchiladas, ziti) all you literally have to do is pop it in the oven. This would also be a good time to try and get your hands on one or two crock pots. These will be your best friend not just on cooking day, but on work days as well. Ask around on your local Freecycle, or check out Thrift stores if you are working on a budget. My favorite slow cooker is about 30 years old, so new isn’t necessarily better.

• What else?: Your OAMC day is like a work day so set aside a dedicated 6-8 hours to get it done (it gets faster the longer you have been doing it). You will learn what works for you best, but if you if need shredded or precooked meats for recipes, these can be put in the crock pot the night before saving your space for your main event. Figure out your portion requirements per meal. Double your recipes so that you are only cooking it once but preparing 2-3 nights worth of dinners. Make your weekly trip to the store  for produce such as vegetable side dishes or salads, these will also stretch your entrees. Understand that many of your basic recipes can be tweaked to freeze then cook later. For example meatloaf. I make mine up, freeze it raw (as a loaf), then the morning of, I place it in my slow cooker for 6 hours on a bed of chopped potatoes.

Note: not all of your premade meals will be complete on cooking day, but the most time consuming part will be. For example, fajitas. Precut your meat in strips and marinate in freezer bag. Cut your produce and store in the fridge (this recipe is best made within a week of cooking day). Throw a can of beans in a pot and dinner is done in 10 minutes.

One of the quickest ways we have blown money in our house is dining out. The seemingly simplest  solution would be to eat out less, right? Well as the mom of three kids, with a nearly full time job, and continuing college education I am not always filled with much time or energy to cook after coming in the door. It doesn’t help that the family is ready to eat immediately after getting home and precisely when I am prepared to sit. So how do you make the impossible happen, as in, meals ready when you walk in the door and on a budget? Try Once a Month Cooking (OAMC).

I was originally turned on by this concept when a business came to town which offered up their spacious kitchen and prepared ingredients to make weeks worth of meals in a flash. The problem was that the standard meal for 3-4 people averaged $14. So where the convenience of walking away with 30 home made meals ready to pop in the oven was handy,  it was hardly economical. I started researching the notion of doing it on my own and was amazed to find many ideas and recipes which made cooking a full months worth of meals in one day seem doable.  I have now been doing this for over a year and have found many ways to simplify the project and maximize the savings.

Here is an ideal example of meals prepared on a OAMC day. Make up a huge portion of your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce. You can then pre-make up a couple of trays of ziti or lasagna with this sauce and freeze a homemade pizza dough to be thrown together on its dinner night. Your initial pot of sauce has now stretched to make spaghetti 1-2 nights, ziti or lasagna 1-2 nights, and pizza. That’s five meals in one core recipe but different flavors. To get a better idea of how to make Once a Month cooking part of your routine, look for Part II of this post, Once a Month Cooking.

Living in Southern California can have its perks. After all we are surrounded by many possible weekend destinations. However a simple trip to a theme park can still be quite pricey. Once you calculate the cost of gas, parking, meals, and tickets, even a party of two can amass a tab of a couple of hundred dollars, easily. So where is the hope for larger families in trying to plan out an excursion to a favorite amusement park?

Here’s how:

• Plan early. This way you can find deals and coupons for your destination either at local businesses or on in-store products (like coke cans and cereal boxes). Often times there are buy one get one free tickets which will cut your price in half.  If you can not find a local deal, look online. Many companies receive free or significantly reduced priced tickets for employees. The employees who can not use their ticket will frequently sell them instead.  If you are planning early enough you have time to scope out the best buys here. Bid on multiple auctions in smaller groups for better deals and don’t forget to calculate the cost of shipping into your final buy.

• Research your chosen amusement park’s website. When you think you have found an amazing sale on tickets elsewhere, go to the source first. Sometimes the parks themselves are running a bargain that is far better than the one you are currently scoping out. Deals like adults for kids price, buy one day-come back again for free, and discounts for local residents frequently appear. You also want to check the park’s website to know for sure the hours they are open (hours change seasonally), and policies on what you can bring in. Which brings us to our next topic of savings, meals.

• Meal Planning. Eating even a simple burger and fries can cost up to ten bucks (and that is not including a drink). Many theme parks will allow you to bring food in, so pack simple snacks. With bottled water costing about $4-$5 each at the park, bringing one per person in your party alone can amount to a significant amount. Throw in a few 100 calorie packs or fruit and you are good to go. Also by packing snacks you can eat before entering the park and after you leave. Plus by not wasting $40 on a lukewarm fast food lunch, you can splurge on a fun frozen lemonade or ice cream when it gets scorching hot out. Also most parks are offering free refills on their souvenir bottles the day you buy it. Though the initial purchase is $13 if your kids don’t mind sharing, you will have ice cold drinks all day for that price.

• Finding a cheap Hotel. If you are not local, or planning a multiple day trip you will also need to find a discount hotel. Once again this is where your online searching will find you the best buy. Sites such as Hotels.com or Priceline can get you into a room for sometimes 1/2 cost. Since most hotels price match, if your site is sold out for the night, call the hotel directly and they will usually honor the price you found elsewhere. Don’t forget  to plan to visit some of the cities other sites if you are staying overnight.

Here is an example of an economical trip I planned for my family two years ago. We wanted to visit Sea World in San Diego. However we needed two adult tickets and two kids tickets. To purchase tickets at the gate it would have been $235. However I was able to find tickets online almost 50% less, plus we qualified for the “Buy one day come back again free” deal. This turned our trip into an over nighter. However I was working within a $500 budget for the entire trip so with gas, meals, hotel, tickets, and parking all had to be covered within this amount. After finding that the cheapest local motel was $45 per night, I expanded my horizons and instead found a quaint KOA to stay at. Now before you think that this is not your idea of a fun trip, the San Diego KOA has a heated pool, large jacuzzi, two play grounds for the kids, a full outdoor kitchen (which is extremely nice I might add) and cozy showers. Plus a two night stay in a cabin for 4 was $55, and while we were in town we hit the local drive-in theater for a kids movie filling up any gaps in scheduling. Ultimately we had a three day all inclusive vacation for a family of 4 under $500.

I  just finished my last class until mid June. That means I can start reading books of my choosing. I can plan better dinners, get my shopping done, and maybe even keep the house a little bit cleaner. Now don’ get me wrong, I wasn’t so swamped with homework that I couldn’t accomplish these tasks before, but a teeny change of mind set can go a long way.

Let me explain. When class is in session I have a tendency to sit at my computer “planning” to do homework. Meanwhile I start Stumbling, browsing the net, and playing backgammon online. Dare I read a fun book? Nah, then I start thinking I should be doing my homework. Oh sure it wouldn’t hurt to pop up and do laundry during homework time, but then I might get swept away in mountains of clothes and never get back to the homework. It is amazing how the mind of an irrational procrastinator works, isn’t it?

On a recent trip out to the movies, I witnessed one of the funniest commercials I had seen in a long time. Where typically I am not a fan of these premovie commercials that are forced upon us, this one rocked! It instantly caught my attention with the Haddaway hit What is Love (made famous by Night at the Roxbury). Now if you can not stand that movie, read no further, however if you have ever caught yourself doing the head bob along to this music you’ll love the new Pepsi Max commercial. Please play close attention to the end of the commercial though because there is a cameo you don’t want to miss. (Make sure to have your sound on).

If you didn’t catch it, Chris Kattan was the guy walking out of the store saying “stop it”!

Here is a clip of some Night at the Roxbury scenes as well in case you are unfamiliar with the roots.

1. “Night-Night“: One of the most calming parts of my day is when these words are finally uttered by my kids.

2. “Lets go“: I love getting out of the house.

3. Lively music: Having waitressed for 11 years, I found myself driving to work with a scowl on my face way too often. Instead I would play my favortie tunes to lift my spirits. It still works! No matter what my mood, upbeat music always makes it better.

4. “Mommy!” (when said with enthusiasm) Mostly the girls call out for Daddy, but when I hear them call out for me I LOVE it!

5. Live Piano: When Damien first brought home his childhood piano I thought it would make a nice addition to our decor, but I never knew I would love hearing him play it so much. It is very relaxing.

6. “I Love You!” Who could get tired of hearing this?

7. Laughing: One of the best sounds ever, esp. when it is kids.

8. The final “schools out” bell of the day…awww sweet harmony!

9. Silence: This is actually quite the opposite of sound, but it tops the list anyways.

10. Running water (like rivers and streams)

11. Holiday Jingles: As soon as the time of year comes when they start playing Xmas music it starts to feel so magical.

12. Rustling Leaves: No explanation, just love it!

13. Anthony Hopkins & Morgan Freeman: These guys could turn the “books on tape” market in to a multi million dollar business with their calming voices.

Haven’t we all heard at some point in parenting our toddlers that old adage, “just wait for the teen years”? It somewhat dimishes the troubles we are facing at the time, but it is usually coming from a mother who knows and has been through both stages of development. Well here I am parenting one child with a light case of the horrible threes, another bouncing eagerly towards the terrible twos, and finally the subject of todays post, the boy itching to be a preteen.

See my 10 year old has always been the adorable, delightful type that everyone has wanted to be around. This is not a mom bragging here, I am just saying he has been almost abnormally good his whole life. In fact the biggest complaint we have ever received is that he is too friendly (meaning he is super talkative).

Recently however, this sweet little boy of mine has been perfecting his new role as a “know it all”. Whenever he asks a question, he is compelled to spout out , “I knew that, I was just checking”, after I respond. Or if he is asked to do something, before the request can be completed he feels compelled to abrubtly stop me to sharply say “I KNOW”!  Oddly enough you would think that knowing everything would be an advantage, oh like when I need him to find something he has lost, however this is when his career choice of “space cadet” shines through. See the child can find almost nothing! I mean it. If he was holding it seconds before or if it is directly in front of his face, he is oblivious. Also unless something is specifically asked of him, it rarely gets done. Like teeth brushing. Unless I say it, EVERY time, he does not brush his teeth, and when I say “do a good job” I get the inevitable “I KNOW”!

Now I am not saying that this previously angelic child of mine has turned completely over to the dark side of teens years as he is very much still in love with his sisters and can be super helpful, but I almost feel blindsided by the body language and attitude that I didn’t expect for a few years yet.

I have been gone for so long that it is quite possible that I no longer have even one reader but none the less I think I will work my way back in the blogging world slowly. To start off I have been tagged by my friend Marlo for a fun Fives Meme.

The rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3.
At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts
their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment,
letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the
player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

I was in my first year of marriage, working at Red Lobster for a short stint, and trying really hard to have another baby. I was also finishing my AA which took a gazillion years to get done.

What are five things on your to-do list for today? (the day is almost over so most of these should be on the “done” list instead)

1. Attend a water play date for the kids.
2. Go swimming.
3. Get a pedicure (traded this one up for new kids clothes that were too cute to pass up)
4. Catch up on emails
5. Go to a scrapbooking party

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1. Start savings accounts for the kids.
2. Get a personal trainer, cook, and house keeper.
3. Pay off all debt.
4. Take multiple trips around the world.
5. Become a regular contributer and volunteer for organizations like St. Judes.

What are five of your bad habits?

1. Cheating on my diet when life gets too busy (this happens daily).
2. Starting projects then waiting months to finish them.
3. Talking too much.
4. Putting off laundry til it is over flowing the laundry room.
5.

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Gardena, Calif.
2. Apple Valley, Calif.
3. Victorville, Calif.
4. (only 3 here, I’ve been in the same vicinity for 24 years).

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1. Taco Bell
2. Stater Brothers (bagger)
3. Texaco (which was actually Del Taco and A&W)
4. Waitress for a billion years (ok, so only eleven but it felt like a billion)
5. Substitute Teacher (best schedule ever)

Five people I tag:
Not really fair of me to tag anyone since I have been MIA for so long, but if you’re reading please leave me a link to your Fives Meme so I can check it out.

Someone I know decided they would write a sophisticated post on anger and our brains. Citing how we respond to anger and how it is linked to brain functions, blah blah blah. Funny enough what prompted this post was an argument with his wife. One where she got extremely angry and blurted out just about everything on her mind. The events preceding the argument however were such that this husband has dedicated his life to his computer. Oops, I mean his job and his computer. Meanwhile the wife is left to work, go to school, care for three children, dealing with new medical issues, and home business matters, AND packing a 2600 sq. foot home without any help from the above mentioned husband.

So here is my version of anger and the brain. If within a stressful situation you can count on no one to help you out, you are likely to have a mental break. Who might I ask will become the primary target? Probably the person who should be helping you  so that you do not break to begin with. In the event that you explode anyways, as that is the likely occurance when the brain is filled to capacity, all hope is that this will wake up the other person and get them to give you a hand. Caution however is advised here because what is more probable is the other party with snap back feeling justified for his/ or her anger as YOU have forced them to it. Do accept that this of course is all your fault, since that will be the only way out of this current argument.

In that case just sit down and blog about it since apparently blogging about it is better than actually solving the problem.