UpDaTes

Well, we have been pretty busy since school started. The kids have settled into their new year of school and are doing quite well. The 1st half of the 1st nine weeks is over and Stephen brought home an interim report and he has all A's on it. (Yay!!) Many of you know that he is in a Center Based Gifted Program- so that is quite an accomplishment for him. Kacey and Bethany are both in Spanish this year (which I think is cool because their brother is on a Spanish Speaking mission so they can converse with him in Spanish). Kacey is in Spanish 3 and Bethany is in Spanish 2. Bethany will attend an open house this week to help decide which High School program she wants to apply for next year. She wants to go to a school that offers photography classes also. I am still trying to digest the fact that she will be in High School next year!!
David is doing very well on his mission. He writes home every week and emails on Tuesdays. He has matured so much over the past 8 months!! He is working hard and serving the Lord with all of his might. We are so very proud of him!! He has also learned to try new things and has learned not to turn up his nose at different foods.
I had the opportunity to attend a Time Out For Women this weekend. It was amazing. I am proud of myself that I actually was able to sit for that long. (I can't hardly sit through church every Sunday) It was exactly what I needed to help me refocus on what is really important in this life- My Family!!
Because everything has been so busy and fast-paced, things have gotten a little chaotic around here. I have been trying to come up with ways to help minimize the stress level and make things a little easier. There are a couple of blogs that I like to read. One in particular called "Moneysaving Mom" caught my eye this week. She took one day and did a "cooking" day. She cooked up a bunch of things to help make mealtimes easier. I decided to follow her idea and have done a "cooking" weekend (too much going on to try for one day). So far this weekend, I have cooked up pinto beans (12 quart sized bags), ground beef (6 quart sized bags- each holding 1 pound of cooked meat), cooked and shredded chicken (5 quart sized bags- each holding 2 cups of chicken), double batch of banana chocolate chip muffins, double batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and will make a double batch of whole wheat pepperoni rolls for lunches (my kids take their lunch for school and I like to make these up for them- it makes a nice alternative to sandwiches). I am also going to stir-fry some chicken so all we have to do is add it to veggies for a quick stir-fry. I am hoping that this will help us be able to maximize our time in the evenings and we won't have to order pizza as much as we have been!! It is pretty sad when the Domino's delivery person know you by name or makes the comment that she doesn't know why the neighbor's dog keeps barking at her- when he should recognize her by now!! Oh well, we shall she if this works.