Friday, January 28, 2011

Life. It's What's for Dinner.

Remember when I said last week that Kyra was 2-3 weeks from being finished with her kindergarten curriculum for reading?  Well, I lied.  She finished it last night, the little Smarty Pants.

I'm not quite ready to move on to 1st grade, yet, so I think I'll have her continue to practice her helper words and rereading her kindergarten books until I have my end of the teaching stuff in order.  Besides, making sure she has everything down pat couldn't hurt, right?

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Each payday I plan 14 meals for my menu.  I take $300 out of the ATM and budget for two weeks worth of food, about $100 a week at the grocer and $50 dollars a week at the farmer's market.   Sometimes I go over, sometimes I go under.  Usually, and I'm not sure how, I managed to come within dollars or even mere cents to my by-weekly allotment.  It's not that I even walk around with a calculator or keep a running tab in my head.  It just happens.  I'm pretty sure it's magic, or something. 

This week on the menu:
Saturday: Sweet and sour ribs
Sunday: French Toast
Monday: Fruity Vegetable Beef Stew
Tuesday: Ham Steak
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thursday: Pork Chop Casserole
Friday: left overs

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I'm in the planning stages of another great big, month long road trip with just the girls and I.  With any luck we'll stay and visit with relatives in 3 different states, drive more then 4,000 miles and all come home without any visits to the hospital or looney bin.

My biggest fear, surprisingly enough, is not that Jeremy's going to have to check me into the hospital for crazy people when we return, but trying to figure out how to successfully feed little miss I Can't Eat Normal People Food But Must Have Grass Fed Grass Finished, Organic, Don't Give Me No Bull Shit, Lydia food without either (1) going broke, (2) having to watch her bottom break out in a dreadful rash, (3) witness her stomach distend and explode or (4) listen to her scream and cry all night, every night from some reaction to her giant list of Non Allergies.

This fear has kept me up at night for this entire last week and the trip is still MONTHS away. 

You see, I've finally become very comfortable in feeding Lydia without too much fear of poisoning her little system.  Sure, I might have to visit three grocery stores and a farmer's market on a weekly basis just to find Lydia appropriate foods, but still, I know what I'm doing and where I need to go here in the Arctic Tundra to feed my child.  This is not so easy in other cities and states, as I found out last year when we visited the Land of the CornHuskers and I don't have the luxury of returning her to a month long, formula fed diet once again. 

So, no, it's not checking into the looney bin at the end of all this, that I fear.  That should be a welcomed relief.

2 comments:

  1. Congratualtions Kyra! Good job Mommy, too!

    I wish we could go more organic, but with a grocery and consumable budget of $400 per month I am not sure how. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated, do yu participate in a CSA?

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  2. Thanks, Mary! I'm not sure I had much of a hand in it more then just guiding her in the right direction. She's picked it up just so much quicker then I was prepared for!

    Do you have an email address where I can respond to your question? You can shoot me a note over to slavetothemommytrade@gmail.com if you'd like. I started to write a response here but I'm long winded and it's easier explained in an email setting then here in the comments. I'd love to learn how you manage to spend less then a $100 a week!

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