My Summer Reading List
For most of my life, I have been a list maker. I loved making lists. I loved checking things off. Almost 2 years ago, I sold a business in which I was far too busy for far too long. It took a toll on me. When I sold the business, I stopped making lists, and for the most part, I also stopped accomplishing much of anything. So, in the spirit of trying to move on and grab a piece of my old life back, I am making a summer reading list- a rather ambitious list with 14 books included- and I worry that I am making it too big or that I am not leaving enough room for spontaneous reading or gems that I come across over the summer, but guess what? This list is not written on a concrete tablet and neither is it a binding contract. It is simply a way for me to remember the books I want to read so I don't forget any of them and for motivation to try to complete a list so that I can jump up and down and say, "yay for me" and "yay for lists".

Fiction (including fluff- don't judge)

1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
2.The Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
3. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
This is the fifth book in the City of Bones series. It is teen fiction and I enjoy it. Sue me.
4. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
6. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
7. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Non-fiction

1. 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp
I find Ann's blog and pretty much anything she does incredibly inspiring and also envy inducing because she just knows her way around words, feelings, and thoughts like nobody's business.
2. The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of De-cluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
I saw this book mentioned on a blog. I think it was Apartment Therapy. I put it on hold at my local library and I am something like 200th in line for it. With a wait like that, I'm hoping it's a miracle maker.
3. Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World by Tsh Oxenreider
Tsh is a blogger at The Art of Simple.
4. Hold onto Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers by Gordon Neufeld
So many people have been recommending this book for so long that, even though my youngest is 14 now, I feel like I have to read it or there will be some profound piece missing from my life.

Books I am reading aloud to my 14 year old

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I never read this book as a child. My oldest read it and loved it. We started reading this aloud with another girl that I invited over to join our homeschooling one day a week, but she hasn't been able to come for awhile so we will be continuing on our own.
2. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
I never read this book either, but I love, love, loved the little tv series that used to be on when I was younger. I even named one of my dolls Samantha after the doll of the little girl on the show. I am hoping the book will be as good as the show and plan to watch the show again after as well.

Recipe Books

1. Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon
Essentially I have already "read" this book. Putting it on this list means that I want to make as many recipes as possible from the book and experience the book. This is one where I discovered the book first, which then led me to her blog instead of the other way around.

Cheap Grocery Shopping

I don't spend very much on groceries. Most months it is about $300. Many people are amazed and want me to "give them my secrets". The following is about the best I can do for that. I am sure that many of you have children who need to eat a lot more than mine do. Many probably wouldn't be happy cutting down their meat. I live in a big centre, and many live in smaller places that don't have access to the big chains that might give them cheaper prices. Also, there may be differences in prices in different areas. (It should be interesting for those of you from the states to compare some differences in prices, as I live in Canada).

Here is an example of a cheap grocery day shopping trip (May 6,2008)

Key
Red = sale price
Blue = my comments

First Stop: Save-On Foods

Alfa Sprouts $1.28
Asparagus ($3.70/kg) $1.59
Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot $3.59
(Note: I would normally never purchase the above but I had a coupon to get it free)
Baby Carrots (bag of) $2.98 x2
Bakipan Yeast (pkg of 3) $1.99
(for Cinnamon Buns I plan to make this month)
Bassilis Lasagna (frozen 2.27 kg) $9.99
Breakfast Sausage (bulk) $5.99
(This is 24 sausages in total, which I split up into 8s for 3 family suppers)
Canada Corn Starch $2.89
Christie Ritz Chips $1.69
Classico Alfredo Sauce $2.99 x2
Cream Cheese $3.59
(for the cinnamon buns again)
Dare Cookies $2.00 x2
(Note: Again I would not normally buy cookies, but dd missed an opportunity to have cookies of this certain type at a church thing, and so I told her I would get some on cheap grocery day – they turned out to be on sale 2 for $4- yay!)
Dairyland Whipping Cream $2.79
(again for the cinnamon buns)
Dairyland Sourcream 500ml $1.99 (store coupon)
Dairyland 4L 2% milk $3.29 + 0.02 recycle fee (store coupon)
Five Alive frozen juice concentrate $0.80 x10
Garlic x2 ($2.82/kg) $0.30
Golden Delicious Apples ($2.60/kg) $1.85
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal (bulk) $7.69
(the girls have “sugar cereal day” on Saturdays and the family fave is cinnamon toast crunch :0) )
Gold Seal Flaked Tuna $0.79 (store coupon)
Green Pepper (x1) ($4.39/kg) $1.12
Lean Ground Beef (bulk, approx. 4.5 lbs) $9.16
(This was my best deal, although it wasn’t on sale, so maybe I’ve discovered something that I can use all the time! Regular packages were priced more than twice as much. I took this home and split it into 5 pieces and froze it in sandwich bags for use during the month. )
Hamburger Helper $2.00 x4
(We don’t eat this very often, but it was on sale and this is how I got that free Fruit by the Foot above – buy 3 Hamburger Helper, get a free Fruit by the Foot)
Honey Ham (from the deli, 150 grams for sandwiches) $2.78
Strawberries (907g) $2.99
Lily White Corn Syrup (35 bonus points) $3.69
(normally I would buy this at Superstore for a better price, and stock up because it is the favourite of 3 out of 5 house members, but I was surprised by an outage and needed to get 1 “emergency” bottle. :0) )
Caribbean Chicken (from the deli, 150 grams for sandwiches) $2.65
Maple Sausage (375 g, 14 sausages)$3.99
Onions (x2) ($1.30/kg) $0.49
Minute Rice (bulk) $9.99 x2
Olafson Whole Wheat Pitas (pkg of 6) $3.99
(for homemade mini-pizzas)
Parsley $0.59
Cheemo Perogies $2.49 x3
Sliced Pepperoni for Pizza Making (from deli, 100 g) $1.32
Red Pepper (x1) ($6.57/kg) $1.68
Scott Paper Towels (pkg of 6) $4.99
(I also used a $1 coupon on the paper towels)
Shredded Mozzarella (400g)$7.49
Shreddies (620 g) $2.49
Sugar Peas (200g) $1.68
V8 Splash $2.46 + 0.20 deposit +0.02 recycle fee (store coupon) x2
(I buy V8 splash for my 2 younger, but mostly my middle who don’t like most fruit, it is hard to get their servings in)
Capellini pasta (450g) $1.99
( normally I won’t pay more than $1, but I needed it for a recipe)
Western Family Bathroom tissue (24 rolls) $9.99 (store coupon)
Western Family Creamed Corn $1.19 x2
Western Family granola bars $1.50 x2
Western Family sliced mushrooms (fresh, bulk pack) $3.99
Western Family Jungle Pals pasta $0.99 x2
(think Zoodles, we have this for lunch about once a month)
Eggs, large (12) $2.29
Western Family Linguine 900g $2.89
Western Family low salt bacon $3.99 x2
Western Family Peaches and Cream Corn, Frozen 1 kg $2.99 x2
Western Family Petit Peas, Frozen 1 kg $2.99 x3
Western Family Pineapple chunks, canned $1.09 x2
Western Family Rice Cereal (Rice Crispies) (700g)$3.49
Western Family Sierra Mix (trail mix,1 Kg) $7.69
Western Family tuna, canned $0.99 x2
Western Family white mushrooms, fresh $1.99
White Potatoes (5) ($2.16/kg) $3.05

Subtotal $239.01
Minus 4.59 coupons (fruit by the foot and scott paper towels)
Minus $35.16 (15% off Tuesday)
Balance Due $200.79

Second Stop: Safeway

Safeway soda crackers (900g) $3.67
Generic Frosted Flakes (bulk, in bag, 1 Kg) $4.99
Pecan Pieces (75g) $2.92
(once again for those cinnamon buns)
Trophy Munchie Mix (bag of dried fruit, I Kg) $4.99
Canada Dry Club Soda 2L bottle 3/$5.00 + 0.60 deposit +0.09 recycle fee
(this is hubby’s thing, I usually buy him 2 or 3 bottles at cheap grocery day for the month. Normally I get them at Save-On for $0.80 per 2L (no-name), but they were out this month)
Dare Bear Paws (banana bread) 2/$5.00
Dream Whip ( box with 4 envelopes)$3.69
Lean Cuisine frozen dinners 2/$7.00
(I stock up on these when they are on sale. I use them for the times when I am home alone and in a hurry and there are no leftovers – about once a month. Ie. When the kids sleepover at Grandma’s)
Snow White Large Eggs (12) $2.11
Lucerne Skim Milk 4L $4.23 +0.02 recycle fee
Lucerne 2% milk 4L x2 $4.23 +0.02 recycle fee
Imperial Soft Margarine $6.98 x2 (1.36 Kg each)Buy One Get one Free = 2/$6.98
Fantastik Brush $6.69
(Again not something I would normally get, but I had a coupon to get a free one)
60% whole wheat bread $1.69 x4
Olafsons Bagels $3.29
(I wouldn’t normally get bagels either but I needed something to use up the extra cream cheese from making the cinnamon buns! :0) )
Maple Leaf Country Kitchen Ham 800g $10.99
Imitation Crabmeat (454 g)$3.99
Bananas ($1.48/kg) $1.04
Red Seedless Grapes ($2.84/kg) $1.12
Seedless Watermelon($1.08/kg) $6.46
Romaine Lettuce 69 cents each x3

Minus $6.29 fantastik brush coupon
Minus $10.08 (10% off Tuesday)
Tax $0.45
Balance Due = $85.59

This month was kind of a “splurge” month for me somewhat. I am trying some new recipes this month and I find that that always makes the bill a little higher because until you have decided to use it as a “regular”, you don’t know how much to buy, how often, what the good prices are for those ingredients and you haven’t stocked up on them at best prices. I also haven’t spent very much in the last three months because I was too busy and therefore my stores of food at home were depleted so I had to spend a little extra this month. I won’t be able to keep it under $300 this month, because these two bills total $286.38. I will still need to buy about $64 more dollars on milk for the month and there will probably be another $30-40 in other items that are on sale when I make my milk trips

What I will likely feed my family this month:

Breakfast: we almost always eat cereal for breakfast. My mom comes for about one weekend a month and she makes pancakes or cream of wheat for breakfast while she is here. My oldest dd makes crepes about once a month.

Lunch: We often have leftovers for lunch. About 5-10 days we have sandwiches. Once a month we have Zoodles. Once or twice a month we have soup. About 3-6 times a month we have a “snacky lunch” (ie. Trail mix, crackers, fruit and veggies, etc.). My oldest and I will sometimes eat fried mushrooms on toast or make a crab-melt (artificial crab and cheese on toast) for lunch.

Suppers: Ham will last for three suppers. Hamburger Helper for one supper. Sweet and Sour Meatballs with rice for two. Meatloaf for two suppers. Sausage with Perogies or other for 3 suppers. Spaghetti with tomato sauce (no meat) for 2-3 suppers. Mini- pizzas for one supper. Fettucine Alfredo (no meat) for 2-3 suppers. Chicken Fingers for 2 suppers. Lasagna for 2-3 suppers. My mom comes once a month and puts all of my odds and ends together and makes fried rice which lasts us about 3 suppers. She also usually makes a Stir Fry that lasts us for 2-3 suppers. One supper is usually at my in-laws house. One supper the girls are gone and I will eat my Lean Cuisine.

I have mainly listed the meat above. With the meat, I usually serve rice, noodles, or perogies for the starch. For veggies, I serve whatever there is fresh, salad, or frozen or canned veggies. We have milk with every meal (my daughter would like to add, “This is probably why none of us have ever broken a bone”. :0) )
( I don’t have it on this month but most months we also have salmon for one night and we have stuffed chicken breasts one other night. Other things that we occasionally have that aren’t on this month are tacos, wraps, BBQ burgers in the summer, quiche, chicken wings, Shake n’ Bake chicken drumsticks, and very rarely also tuna helper).

New Recipes I am trying this month: This month I am making grilled potato fans as a side dish for one meal. I am making Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns as an extra. Mushroom Bacon Bites as a side/appetizer. Mushroom corn Casserole as a main dish. Oven Parmesan (potato) chips as a side.

How to save money on food:

1. Eat out rarely to never (you get used to it and then you don’t miss it)
2. We only order out about 2-3 times a year
3. Buy the majority of your groceries on customer appreciation/ discount day
4. Know your prices!
5. Shop around- when making my lists for cheap grocery day, I go through the flyers of all 4 grocery stores near me and make lists. I go to the 2 grocery stores that have the best deals for that week.
6. Also as cheap grocery day prep – clip coupons and go through them before you go ( I spend about 3-4 hours on cheap grocery day prep and the actual shopping part in total. The rest of the month is just short 20-30 minutes each time (about 5-6 times- every time we need more milk).
7. When there is a good bargain, stock up!
8. Always keep your eyes peeled for things that you will need, even if it is down the road (ie. sometimes I plan birthday parties for the kids for the weekend after cheap grocery day so I can get all the supplies at a discount or if you know there is a pot-luck or special occasion coming up, remember to include needed items on your cheap grocery day list.
9. Eat meatless suppers a couple times a week
10. Limit portions of meat on other nights. No-one truly needs to eat 9 oz. of meat or more in one sitting- blech!

It's been a while...

I wanted to share this great link for ideas for writing.

91 Ways to Respond to a Book

Early Childhood Checklist For the Child Who is Not Yet Peaceful

This is a list that was being passed along through one of my email lists. Love it!

Early Childhood Checklist For The Child Who Is Not Yet Peaceful

* Someone to behold the child's face with joy, hold her, hug her, and treasure her for herself alone.

* Someone to read chapter books aloud for twenty to thirty minutes a day, at a level three years beyond the child's reading level.

* Someone to recite poetry every day, a new poem each week.

* Someone to sing every day, a new song each week.

* Someone to tell delightful stories of the child's own life.

* An atmosphere of open curiosity and inquiry, in which everyone in the family treasures learning.

* Responsibility for caring for himself and his own things as well as contributing to meal preparation and the care of the house, garden, and pets.

* A two-hour weekly limit on all screen media - movies, videos, TV, and computer games - combined.

* Freedom from being dragged around on errands.

* Freedom from the cynicism and sarcasm appropriate to later years.

* Parents who say no cheerfully and mean it.

* Parents who wait until their children are in bed to listen to music, watch movies, play computer games, and watch TV programs, even the news, that are not appropriate to the children's ages or that would give children more media hours than is best for their development.

* Parents who establish and uphold a family child-rearing culture that is appropriate to the child's age and who support age-appropriate independent thought and action and age-appropriate role in decision making in as many areas and as often as possible.