Slacking already!

Drinking right now:  COFFEE (Sumatra Nights, Wegman's “Pure Origins” line)

I promise I've been busy. Like really, really busy. The list above was written yesterday by the neighbor girl, Passion, who “helped” as I cooked and cleaned all afternoon.

“Ms Aimee! I'm using your computer, OKAAAAAY?”

Sure, not like I'm in the room to stop you! I immediately created a separate user account on my computer when she was done (she was playing flash games.) The account is labeled “Razi and Beorn,” but in my mind it actually says “for kids who come over and use my computer without asking first.” I enabled parental controls to block most programs, and everything that is run, played, or visited on that account is logged. I also stuck a password on my own user account, which I hate doing.

“Ms Aimee? I can't see what the password was, you were too fast.”

I know, hun, I know.

I didn't make a blog post the night before last because I was mopping the floors until 4:30 AM. Then I woke up yesterday morning, launched straight into cleaning the house, etc., and was up until 6 this morning working on my husband's résumé and planning how to spend as little of today's paycheck as possible. Oh, and then I had to mop the entire house again—at least not on my hands and knees this time.

To complicate things, I don't think Beorn is feeling well. Yesterday morning, he awoke whiny and clingy. After Akalee left for work, Beorn sat in my lap with his cheek planted against my chest for two hours. After I peeled him away to get things done... Well, Passion's list should really look more like this:

Note: I didn't let Beorn do any of these things, but he's a fast sucker and I was stuck at the stove.

Spreadsheets: Lists within lists.

My sister asked if I would share my spreadsheets for food, and I think that's a fabulous idea (I'll add my price/ingredient comparison spreadsheets later.)

I sometimes wonder if I make up for my lack of discipline through intense organization.

You see, I love lists. I love knowing what I need to be doing, seeing bullet-points all lined up neatly to guide me on to my next objective. In fact, my very first foray into coding a complete addon for World of Warcraft is an in-game, maintainable to-do list. Spreadsheets are wonderful because they are made of lists that relate to other lists, all wrapped up in an overarching list. Lists!

This is my current "things I can make that everyone likes" list. The green cells are the kids' favorites, the purple ones are mine. The yellow one is... Well, it was 5 AM, I'm not sure why I made that one yellow. The blank ones are things I've not cooked recently/yet, so I'm not sure how the kids will like them.

Obviously, I can cook and bake a great deal more than I have listed there, but this list is more to help me remember what is easy to do, nutritious, and enjoyable to all four of us.

In the bottom right corner is the dinner plan for this week. I don't really care if we eat those things on those nights, but those are the recipes I'm getting the ingredients for (I just typed "mats" and had to erase it. #WoWnerd)

Notice I have "microwave foods" for a night--that's because I have a wealth of nasty little canned Mac & Cheese and ravioli dinners. While I don't like the kids eating them, I'm not going to just throw them away. My pantry and freezer are slowly emptying;  for once, that's a good thing.

I'll post the Fried Tofu recipe (tomorrow night's dinner) soon, because it's incredible--little puffs of crispy deliciousness. It even got a "This is amazing!" and "Can we eat this on my nights off?" from Akalee, whose highest compliment is generally "It was ok." (What does that mean--it's passable? You'd eat it again? I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR RATING SYSTEM.)

Here's where you guys really get to judge me--my actual shopping list for today. It may seem like a lot, but there are a few things to point out (i.e, justify):

• I have three big eaters to feed.
• Two of us are extremely picky about our food and quality of food (and I'm kind of proud of that.)
• While I planned dinners only for the next week, this list will actually carry us two weeks.
• This is my first order with Amazon's subscribe and save program, so a couple of those items are only coming every two months (and those don't have tax!)
• Compare this total price ($137.40) to the $300+ shopping trip I mentioned in my first post. This is progress.
• This list also prevents us from spending hundreds of dollars a paycheck on ordering in, which was happening nearly every night.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get us packed up and headed out before my stores close!