End of the Week

Postcard number 71 arrived from Switzerland today. My dear high school friend, Ricky, a foreign exchange student I knew in 1990 sent us a card today. This week was a little light on cards, I am hoping that next week brings more cards for our project.

Our puppy found his voice today. He is loud! I was concerned he was sick because he wasn't acting like a puppy, until tonight. The puppy in him has been found. He is trying to become top dog. It just might happen, Stella doesn't seem interested in fighting for the position, until a Kong filled with liver paste enters the scene. Then the hairs rise and she is interested in a fight. The next few weeks should be interesting as these 2 dogs fight for the coveted position of "Top Dog". I am hoping Stella wins, she is after all older and had to wait for several years while Max was still with us to rise to the top.

The grocery bill remains low in this house. As of today our total grocery bill is $150.00. We are going out of town for the weekend, so we can bide our time for a few more days. However, we are out of food for the most part. We will be coming home on Sunday, I think that the grocery bill on Monday will likely exceed the $250.00 minimum required to keep our budget. The upside to this experiment has been that we have used up nearly everything in our pantry. I found instant oatmeal I did not know we still had and the kids finally ate the packages of microwave popcorn I have been collecting but never cooking. We can start fresh next week with "fresh" food.

I need to organize the closets and cabinets in this house. So, I have decided to take my experiment in using up all the food to the next level. The objects that take up space in the closets and cabinets are consumables. So, I am going to use up everything I can that does not need to be replaced for the next 2 months and then organize. Of course, some of those things have to be replaced, toilet paper is the first thing I can think of. But, I have 5 bottles of fabric softener on hand. I am confident that I can use that up before stocking up again.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer school for my kids. Next week will be a week without a routine for my daughters. My son has soccer camp in the morning, but the girls are going to be without plans. It could either be a disaster or a blessing. I guess time will tell. Well, time to sign off for the night. I will be out of town for weekend, look for a new blog on Monday.

Weekend Updates

Postcards received so far, 70! Over the weekend the kids received 5 more cards from Poland, 3 from Pennsylvania, 1 from Wisconsin and 1 from Jamaica. As of today, we have received a grand total of 19 cards from Poland alone. If the trend continues, I can assume that Poland will win the prize for most postcards!

It was a busy weekend, for me that is. Saturday I had to work and Sunday I went to a wedding. My dear husband had to be a single, full time parent this weekend. Not only did he do a great job with the kids, but he also made dinner both nights. He used ingredients on hand, utilizing the vegetables from our CSA box. In fact, he deserves some kind of award for being a great cook this weekend. This week's box had kale in it, we HATE kale. My creative husband found a recipe that called for crisping the kale on the grill with sea salt. The result was delicious, almost addictive like potato chips. My kids were even impressed, leaving no left behind kale on their plates. An amazing accomplishment in my opinion for children. Good job, Eric. He was also able to make beets edible. I will not compare the beets to the delicious kale, but I was able to eat the beets without gagging. I must sound like a picky eater, I am not in fact. I just do not like the following: beets, brussels sprouts, kale, swiss chard and peas. Otherwise, I like vegetables. It just seems that these vegetables always arrive in the same box and I find myself forced to cook with an ingredient I hate. It is very hard to do that because I don't want my kids to pick up on dislike. However, I draw the line at brussels sprouts, I won't eat them, period!

The kids had another weekend at home. They swam in our pool and played with the kids in the neighborhood. When Sunday night arrived, all 3 of them fell in to bed, ready for sleep. This week is going to be busy. We end summer school, start gymnastics camp and will be preparing for a weekend at a friends cottage next weekend. No complaints from me though. This is week number 6 without hearing "I'm bored".