Errands, errands, errands...

Today has been a very busy (but pleasant) day. We woke up super early so Ian could get in the shower and I could make breakfast and snacks for the kids. We left the house at 6am, I got Ian to work at 6:58 (almost late!) and drove the kids to my mom's house so she could watch them while I was at my OB appointment. My appointment ended at 9:15ish so I collected the kids, and drove way out to Happy Valley and Lake Pleasant Pkwy to pick up a prescription for Ian. I pulled up to Nationwide Vision, unloaded both (now unhappy) babies and walked in. They hadn't seen him since 2007. I was at the wrong place. I didn't have an address, just cross roads, so it took 20 more to find. Relieved I had finally found it, I unloaded the kids and walked up to the (now correct) LensMasters. I pulled on the door - locked. This location wasn't finished being built. So all of this for nothing. Ugh. The kids were both fussy and hungry so I came home and here I am. I still need to go to Mesa to pick up some jewelry orders and go to the store to pick up dinner makings. We are having Nancy & Jesse over for dinner tonight and having chicken tacos. It'll be nice to meet them I just wish I had time to clean the house before they see it. Looks like that's not going to happen in time though. After I get stuff for dinner I have to drive back to Scottsdale to pick Ian up from work, feed the kids, yadda yadda, the normal nightly routine. Somewhere in here I need to get some homework done. I wish there were more hours in a day.

Pre-Holiday Fun and Freezer Food

Oh dear blog page, how I've missed you! On September 2, 2010 my gmail account was hacked and the password changed so I could no longer log into it (nor this blog) and with the recent shut off of my cell phone service, I had no way of retreiving my password. I finally got that all worked out and am back in business! I have so many wonderful ideas to share during this blog so lets get started!

As part of my efforts to stretch my budget and my clock (since there aren't enough hours in a day) I am always looking for new, quick dinner recipes that are still relatively healthy for my family. Lately I have only been buying boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey from the grocery store, not only for the nutritional benefit over steak, ground beef, and pork loin but simply because it's significantly cheaper! (about half the price!) I use the ground turkey in place of ground beef in my recipes but what can I possibly do with so much chicken? We have our few family favorites which recently have been Hawaiian Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, and Marinated Chicken, however it does get old week after week. So this week I think I'll try some new marinades (a new marinade can completely alter the taste of a meal!) and sauces. I've already separated my chicken into 4 freezer bags. Today I'll be making sauces/marinades to add to the bags, then I'll toss them into the freezer for an easy meal. This doesn't have to be a painstaking ordeal. One of them only has 3 things added to the chicken: garlic, soy sauce, and honey. Another will have italian dressing added, and I'll come up with some clever mix of ingredients for the 3rd bag. The 4th I will leave plain to have the option of fulfilling any special dinner requests. With this done, later in the next week or so I only need to grab a bag, thaw it for a couple hours and throw the chicken in the oven on 350 for about 40 minutes. SIMPLE! Could serve over rice, pasta, potatoes, or with a side of veggies. Can't beat that!

I've also started working on my homemade Christmas gifts (loving frugality!) for this year. I'm taking the time to personalize a gift for my loved ones and am truly enjoying the task. Though I'm not entirely fond of the holiday season (purely because of the added stress it brings)I must admit I am excited to see the look on everyone's face when they unwrap these delightful gifts. I can't wait!

Meal Plan Monday for Many

We now have a household of 8 since the McCombs have bunkered down with us and of course, we'll still be cooking yummy, home-cooked meals. The key will be to stretch the penny just a little farther by adding more filler. One issue any family runs into is that with more people, it is harder to please everyone. This weeks meal plan is just a general idea based on what we have in stock. Naturally, we may switch meals on different days or replace one meal plan with leftovers from a previous night. Nonetheless, here's what is (might be) in store for the Casey/McComb house:

Monday: Marinated Chicken with Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday: Turkey Meatball & Barley Soup
Wednesday: Order out (pizza or chinese)
Thursday: Mini Calzones
Friday: Spagagna

Also, with me so close to delivering baby 3, there is the risk that I will be in the hospital with our newest addition to the family. If this happens, this meal plan will be significantly different.

Discharged and back in Charge.

I'm finally getting released from the hospital today after being here for 5 days. They have taken such great care of me but I am so homesick and miss my kids so much that I was going stir crazy in here. Unfortunately I have been restricted to bed rest with no privilages other than getting up to use the bathroom. I can't even stand long enough to shower. This is frustrating for me but I already have a list of to-do's started in my head to help keep me busy.

1) Sort Ambria's old packed up clothes by age and have Ian put them in a dresser
2)Take pictures and set up an Etsy account
3)Create a meal plan for the week
4)Write up a grocery list for Ian
5)Catch up on missed school assignments.
6)Love on my babies.
7)Work the books on household finances
8)Possibly sew a new mattress cover for the cradle

I'm also hoping to talk my dear hubby into giving me a sponge bath tonight. We'll see how that goes.

Meals, Deals, and Hospital Pills...

Goodness have I missed communicating to the world! I was admitted to Banner Thunderbird Hospital on Sunday because of preterm labor (again) which hadn't stopped Saturday night. When they admitted me I was dialated to 3cm and 50% effaced. I'm not sure why but my baby girls are always in a hurry to get out and start making demands. Little spit fires. So here I sit in this antepartum hospital room hooked up to 4 different IV bags, getting 2 separate shots a couple times a day and enough pills to clog even the most durable garbage disposal. My wonderful family has stepped up to the plate and are taking rotating turns with the kids (who I hope are behaving) and my husband has impressed me most of all. I haven't gotten to see him much since I've been here but I hear he's doing a great job with everything at home and that we have to take care of this week. My cousin Ashley and her husband Kyle along with their daughters Kaylee (2) and Lexi (1) are moving in today and he's been trying to get the house ready for a second family. If I would have forseen my hospital stay I would have left him a detailed checklist and calendar (which I keep neatly stored in my head) to help him with the household duties. My routine keeps things easy and low maintanence but I'm sure he's got it figured out. At least I know he's taking good care of his babies and feeding them (they get loud if you don't) which brings me to meals. I am enjoying being catered to for once. Banner Thunderbird has changed their meal system for their patients. Instead of a nurse coming in and giving you two or three meal options to choose from they now have a detailed room service list that I can create my own meal from and order whenever I like. My diet is unrestricted (thank you Dr. Koon!) so I can order as much of anything I like! Breakfast was a belgian waffle, two turkey sausage links, and an english muffin with some milk and a cranberry juice. Lunch I'll be ordering in about an hour but I'm thinking the glazed chicken and rice pilaf is definitely in the running on this one! It really makes me want to go home and cook. Sadly, if I am released on Wednesday, my orders are strict bedrest with minimal privilages. I can only get up for short bathroom breaks. I think that will be my biggest hurdle. I enjoy being a homemaker and taking care of my house and family. Being there and having someone else do it will be devastating for me. However, I am a mother first and a homemaker second. I will do what needs to be done to make sure baby three can be healthy and safe, even if it means relinquishing the reins on my house for a week or two.
The good thing about being bed ridden and alone is all the time I've had to bond with the Food Network Channel in the wee hours of the night. I have seen so many wonderful meals prepared that I can't wait to try. Robin Miller really has it down right: Chop all veggies and 3lbs of chicken for several meals during the week and store them until needed. Maybe I'll try that. Alex Guarnaschelli also made an awesome chicken soup that I am going to do my best to replicate from memory. Can't wait to get home and get healthy so I can start cooking again!