TIme Saver: Meal planning

  With our busy schedule, I am always up for any way to save time. One way I have found to save time, is planning our meals for the upcoming week. Normally ever Sunday night instead of reading or watching TV while in bed, I do my menu plan. I first started to this when I got tired of having to try to come up with something for supper. I could never come up with anything and normally when I did I was always missing at least 1 needed ingredient. Since doing this, I know days in advanced what is for supper, and I always know I have everything to make a great nutritious meal. To make meal planning simple, and time saving I follow the follow system.
    1. First thing first purchase a Notebook or binder designated for Meal planning. Keep recipes, Meal ideas, Menu plans,  grocery lists, and other meal planning ideas in this.
    2. Purchase a white board for the kitchen. Each morning write down what is for supper that evening. That way everyone knows what's to look forward to. I also write down anything that can be prepped before supper (cutting, slicing, preheating oven), so that way if I or someone else in the house has time they can get stuff prepped ahead of time to cut down on prep and cooking time.
    3. On your designated menu planning day ( mine is Sunday) Sit down and write down Menu Ideas. Include main dishes, side dishes, and dessert if you like. Coming up with ideas can be difficult so search online and in cook books to get ideas. Also trying things you have never tried making or things you have never ate before to keep it new and interesting. I also keep a list in the front of my meal planning binder of meal ideas. If I come across a new recipe I want to try I either clip it out or write it down a put the recipe in my binder and write it on my menu ideas list.
   4. After coming up with menu ideas, Pick out a different meal for each night of the week.
    5. After picking out your meals for the week, Go over the recipes and decide what you need to pick up at the store and write it on a grocery list. Then pick a day or days  to pick up your items at the store. If you pick to go to the store more then one day a week, make sure to write a list for each trip.  Don't forget small things that you normally don't have like certain spices.
    6. Enjoy an easy meal planning and making experience.

The excitement of Christmas

     It is officially Christmas, and I am sure shortly I will have 2 excited little kids jumping on my bed asking to open up presents. How things have changed !! It seems like just yesterday that I was a little girl who couldn't sleep waiting for 6 am ( The time my parents told us was the earliest we could wake them) I remember laying in bed being so excited at times literally counting down the minutes. Now I am up all night not because I am to excited to sleep but because there are gifts to be wrapped, and last minute details to be worked out for the big morning. Christmas is still exciting for me, but for different reasons. I can't wait to see my kiddo's faces when they open their presents, and watch them enjoy playing with them. This year is a bit different since my hubby wont be home to celebrate with us. But we have decided to have another "Christmas" this next Tuesday. So I am looking forward to getting to enjoy watching the kids twice in one year. Boy how things change as we get older. 

Oilfield and Holidays

   Being a oilfield family definitely has its ups and downs. But the one we are dealing with right now is Daddy not being home for holidays. With Christmas only a day away Joel is away at work and won't be home until Monday. This is the first year we wont be together for Christmas, but we are determined to make this work for our family. So our solution...... Have 2 Christmas mornings. We plan on doing Christmas on the 25th and the 29th. I did one round of Christmas shopping for the kids this week and picked out a few things. Then on Tuesday after Joel gets home we plan on going out and doing a second round of Christmas shopping. This way daddy can pick out some of the gifts that he wanted to get the kiddo's. Then on the 29th we will have another Christmas with Daddy. This isn't the first holiday we have had to rearrange due to Joel not being home, but we try to make sure that daddy doesn't miss any special events and sometimes that means doing them on a different day or maybe having more then one special day. Honestly I think the kids enjoy it, it makes a holiday or a special event last a lot longer ! I will definitely miss my hubby this Christmas, but am looking forward to "our"christmas together.

Let me introduce you to our family

     Hi there !! I am so excited to finally find a decent blogging site !! This blog is a look into our lives as a oilfield and ranching family. But let me start by introducing our family.
    Our family consists of my hubby Joel, Myself, Our 4 year old son Wyatt, our 20 month old daughter Autumn, 2 cats Diesel and Sassy, Our dogs Pretty girl, Hank, tuff and bella, 2 chickens, and our horse silver. We just bought an 80 acre ranch in our small home town of Carr Colorado. Both Joel and I grew up here and plan on raising our children here for at least the next couple of years.
  Joel currently works for a oil and natural gas drilling company in Wyoming. He has now been in the oilfield since mid 2008. On his time off he farms his grandpa's land and he is now starting his own herd of cattle.
   I am currently a stay at home mom, but plan on either going back to work or going to school next fall. But for the time being I spend my time caring for the kids, the house, and the farm. I enjoy participating in rodeos but have put that on hold why my kiddo's are little.
   Wyatt is 4 and is a typical 4 year old boy. He is nothing but energy !! I keep saying I need to find a way to bottle it and figure out how to use it for myself ! He enjoys being outside and helping working around the farm.
  Autumn is a very smart 20 month old. She already counts to 3 !! She also loves being outside and loves animals. Her favorite thing this summer was riding our horse silver.
 I am excited to start this blog, as the new year approaches, and cant wait to see what this next year has in store for our family !!