Sorry about the late posting … it was Labor Day, you know? And, like a good American … I chose not to “labor”.

If you see some meals here that you’ve seen previously, it means that we skipped that meal and had leftovers. Therefore, I substituted it for a different week!

Monday (Labor Day) – Chicken Parmesan

Tuesday – Chicken Nuggets & chips

Wednesday – Bacon wrapped filets

Thursday – Hamburger Helper

Friday – **Pepsi Chicken

Saturday – Meatloaf

SCHOOL SNACK PLAN

Monday – No School

Tuesday – Popcorn

Wednesday – Chex Mix

Thursday – Popcorn

Friday – String Cheese

** PEPSI CHICKEN RECIPE -  contributed by my sweet friend, Erin.
1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pepper (green or red)
1 white or yellow onion
egg noddles or white rice
2 cups of coke (do not use diet, and i think coke tastes better)
1 cup of ketchup

*dice up chicken breasts, onion, & peppers; drop into crockpot
*in a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup and coke
*pour the sauce over the mix
*cook on low for at least 4 hours
*put mixture over egg noodles or rice, whichever your family prefers

It’s a Labor Day extravaganza at DisneyShopping! Free shipping all weekend with code “FREESHIP”.

I’d recommend starting here … and remember, if you are planning a trip to the Magic Kingdom anytime soon – buy ahead of time!

Remember this post from last year? Well … it’s back again and my sister-in-law is once again a finalist!

If you will, take a second to hop over to MyKirklands.com and cast your vote. You can pick 5 that you like – just make sure that Anthea is in your picks!

You can only vote once and you will get a confirmation email. Be sure to click on the link in the email to make sure that your vote is processed!

Thanks for your help

I love to shop, but I’m also extremely thrifty. It’s not a match made in heaven! The bottom line for my quirky combination means that when I do shop, I want quality and price.

As much as most women love to shop for clothes, I’d much rather shop for things in my home. I can’t wear an awesome new blouse everyday, but I can admire a beautiful picture on the wall of my family room each day. I can enjoy the relaxing candle set that sits on the ledge of my bathtub … ahhhh, it’s bliss just thinking about it.

There is one store that has provided both quality and price (in my book) for over a decade. It’s Kirkland‘s. They have stayed on top of and ahead of the trends which is helpful for my home. It allows me to replace dated pieces without having to redesign an entire room (see thrifty in the opening paragraph!).

I was so happy to be connected with Kirkland‘s by my sweet SIL. It’s a match made in heaven since we have a GORGEOUS Kirkland‘s store in my suburb. It’s in a great open-air mall that I love to visit as often as I can.

If your Kirkland‘s has recently moved out of your local mall, use the store locator on kirklands.com. There are 280 stores in 28 states! Chances are good that there’s another one nearby. They are moving from mall locations to stand-alone storefronts. The stores are much bigger and so much easier to visit since you don’t have to mess with mall traffic.

Now … for the main event. Kirkland‘s has provided me with this awesome jewelry organizer.

It is so cute! I love how it sparkles and gives off all the different shades of purple. And, it holds A LOT of jewelry. You can load up the posts, but see the little v-shapes on each post – you can clasp things on there as well.

First, I put some of my pieces on to see how they looked …

Love it … Love it! But, unfortunately, it may come down to an arm-wrestling event between me and my daughter. Look how cute it is with childrens jewelry.

Oh yes! She’s gonna fight me for this one!

The awesome thing about winning this giveaway is that you will be the ENVY of your friends. This product is not available online yet! (It’s always fun to have something unique.)

Here’s how you can enter:

(1) Leave a comment on this post for one entry.

(2) Leave a comment on my Facebook Fan Page for an additional entry. Comment under any status that I have regarding Kirkland‘s.

I’ll assign each person a number (in the order that you comment). Entries will be taken until noon (CST) on Friday. At that time, I’ll use random.org to pick and number and that person wins! Super easy and really fun!

Good luck!

PS – If you haven’t already, check out mykirklands.com. You can see how designers and people just like ourselves are using Kirkland‘s products in their homes! It can really help you find that perfect piece to finish your space or inspire you to do something different.

* Kirkland’s has provided me with a jewelry organizer to review and will provide an additional one to giveaway. I am not receiving monetary compensation and my opinions of this product and the store are my own. Here are the official rules from Kirkland’s.

You can get FREE dining when you book a full price Walt Disney World vacation package for check-ins most nights August 15 – October 7, October 22-October 28, November 12-18, November 27 – December 2, and December 10-21, 2010.

To qualify, you must purchase a vacation package that includes at least 3 consecutive hotel nights at an official Walt Disney World resort, plus at least a 2-day theme park ticket.

With this offer:

• Stay in a Disney Value Resort and and get the Magic Your Way Plus Quick Service Dining package for the price of a regular Magic Your Way package. This deal saves a family of four (2 adults, two kids ages 3-9) about $84/per day.
• Stay in a Disney Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villas Resort and get the Magic Your Way Plus Dining package for the price of a regular Magic Your Way package. This deal saves a family of four (2 adults, two kids ages 3-9)  about $108/per day — the cost of adding the regular Dining Plan to a basic vacation package.

If you are staying in a Value Resort, you can upgrade to the regular Dining Plan for just $10 per adult per night and $2 per child age 3-9 per night. (This represents the usual price difference between the Quick Service Dining Plan and the regular Dining Plan.) 

We upgraded from the Quick Service Dining Plan to the table service plan. Although I didn’t ask the price, I do know that we still saved just over $400 from what we were paying prior to the special being announced. After doing the math, for us, it’s like getting the Regular Dining Plan at 50% off. I looked at our dining reservations to see if we would be better off doing Quick Dining (free) and paying out of pocket for our reservations. No way. We’re going to break even on Day 4 and eat free on days 5 & 6.

Some important advice if you book a “FREE Dining” package:

• Be sure to set up Advance Dining Reservations as soon as possible. In past years all of the table service restaurants have been completely full during the “FREE Dining” promotion period. It was almost impossible to get a table for a full-service meal on a walk-up basis. To ensure that you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of the Dining Plan, you really need to pre-reserve every single table service meal during your stay.

You must book this offer by 8/14/10. The number of packages available is limited. Excludes gratuities and alcoholic beverages. Some table service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

My friend, Sarah, has done a couple of fashion haul videos and they are so fun. I love seeing what the clothes look like outside of the catalog or the website. It gives a much better vision for what you can expect!

I placed an order with Gymboree about 2 weeks ago. I knew immediately that I would Fashion Haul this purchase. What I didn’t know is that the box would come on a day when I stayed home from work with a sick child. So, I forewarn you – this is me at my absolute worst: hair in a nasty bun, shirt that’s 2 sizes too big, and no make-up. Focus on the clothes people … this is all about the clothes!

* I found a great link explaining Gymbucks. Basically, it’s 50% off of your next purchase.

I recorded this yesterday, but soon after, found out my daughter has strep. Thus the delay in hitting “publish”.

I’ve been wanting to do a lot more vlog’ing and yesterday, my friend Sarah, gave me the perfect opportunity! (She’s becoming quite the vlog’er!)

It’s called “Monday Mingle”. You can find 3 questions posted at Eighty MPH Mom … all you do is answer via vlog and link back. I’ve watched several of the bloggers who have linked up. It’s really interesting!
1. What is the hardest *physical* thing you have ever done? (Giving birth, running a marathon, etc.)

2. What is one of the hardest things you have ever done emotionally? (Saying goodbye to a loved one, watching your babies grow up, etc.)

3. Name one thing from your bucket list – something you hope to achieve before you die.

Here are my answers!

Yesterday was a big day for my little girl. Her first sleepover with a girlfriend from school. She was thrilled and had no qualms when we questioned her about staying at someone else’s home. Piper is our social butterfly – she loves her friends and everything to do with them. She’s visited this home frequently for playdates. I trust the parents (they have three other children) and I know that they keep a close eye on the girls.

There was a problem that made me anxious … and I couldn’t get it off of my mind.

These friends have a pool. A beautiful, in-ground, spectacular pool.

Piper can’t swim.

I can only think of one thing that I fear in life …. drowning. I have a real life friend who lost a child to drowning; I have an online friend who lost a child to drowning; I have a former boss who commited suicide by drowning himself. Although I am an expert swimmer … it scares me to the core.

Swim lessons is one of those things that isn’t super convenient to working parents. The sessions often begin earlier than we can get there, and/or the schedules are extremely stringent. Our careers aren’t always that flexible.

I had been referred to a place recently that did lessons every day for two weeks. Perfect. I called last Wednesday and they only had a spot for one of my kids. I called another private instructor and she didn’t have any openings until July. I’ve now called and left a message at our local Y about paying an instructor to teach both of my children privately and am awaiting their return call.

Satan saw his chance to climb all over my “drowning” fears last night, and he did so with a vengence.

I questioned myself (don’t we all) for letting Piper go for the night. But, I had spoken with the parents (who know she can’t swim) and they assured me that there would be no pool time. (Plus, we were having some pretty heavy thunderstorms.) I had no reason not to trust them.

I let her go. I don’t ever want Piper to miss out on an opportunity because of MY fear.

Yesterday, I prayed a lot about the difference between “better judgement” and “fear”. Better judgement to me is not letting kids ride their bikes on the road. The chances of getting hit are real … the probablity is high. Fear is letting my mind develop situations that are unlikely and expanding upon them.

I was up all night … or until 4:00 AM-ish, at least. It probably didn’t help that I was reading Angie Smith’s book “I Will Carry You” which is about the death of her daughter. But, there were some verses in there about times when you have to ask for God’s provision and protection, and then trust him to give it. I needed that.

So, here I sit, the following morning, pouring over what a fool I was for being up all night. I guess a mother truly can’t sleep without all of her ducks in the nest. And, I certainly know that this will only get worse as I add in different varibles like riding in the car with another teen driver and going on dates with people I don’t approve of. I’m hoping that I get better at this and I’m sure I will.

In fact, I know that I will. My want for each child to experience a full, fun, and extraordinary life is FAR greater than any fear that man or Satan can put in my heart.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b

Road Rage … What a concept. Did it exist 20 years ago when the speed limits topped out nationwide at 55 mph? Has it increased with our demand and insistance on being all things to all people? How has our need to be online constantly and always have plates overflowing changed our leisurely commutes?

Yesterday, I saw road rage firsthand. At an intersection one block from my children’s school of all places.

We were driving along, minding our own business, when I approached a four-way stop. I made it to my complete stop and a small SUV took his turn pulling directly in front of me making a left. About 5-10 feet from the crosswalk, he realized people were crossing and came to a stop.

I saw nothing wrong with what he did. Many times, I’ll begin to make a turn only to notice later that someone is crossing. With the intense landscaping and the wide intersection, it’s an honest mistake and many times is hard to avoid.

The next thing I know, one of the ladies crossing (pushing a stroller with a baby, mind you!) is speaking very loudly to the man in the SUV. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but she was definitely mad.

Whatever was said prompted the man in the SUV to roll his window down and “return the favor” to this gutsy mom.

By this point, I feel like I’ve been stopped — along with everyone else since the intersection was blocked — for a couple of minutes, but in reality, it was probably 30-45 seconds.

The confrontation between the man and the crazy mom continued and out of nowhere, up she comes with a LARGE coffee mug and throws the coffee into the window of the SUV and onto the driver!

What???

By this point, my kids are fully engaged in the argument and are asking “Why’s that lady screaming?” So, you can only imagine what they were asking when the coffee was thrown!

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Of course, the lady immediately realized what she had done and took off running … with a baby in a stroller! And, of course, the man in the SUV took off after her.

I mean really, lady.

Can’t we all just calm down? Flying off the handle is no way to live a life. The driver was no where near hitting the mom … it was a huge temper moment.

And, now, I get to answer questions from my kids about why grown-ups behave like kids.

Nice.

I am in true mourning over the loss of Dixie Carter. I absoultely loved every role she ever played. What a good, moral woman she seemed to be. Kept herself out of the tabloids and on the screen … Couldn’t modern-day Hollywood take a lesson in that?

I first remember Dixie Carter’s work on “Different Strokes”. I would come home from school every day and watch that show. It was my favorite. Many times, in that era, a sitcom would add on additional stars and change the story line as things were fading. Sort-of a last ditch effort to save the series. Often, I hated the changes … I’m a traditionalist, remember? When Maggie and Sam joined the series, I liked it. A huge applaud to the writers, of course, but also to her ability to create an engaging character.

Then, there is Designing Women. The greatest sitcom of all time, in my opinion. I’ve seen every episode at least one-hundred times! Really. I love that show. Several Christmas’ ago, Don got me an autographed picture of the women in the original cast. I treasure that picture … even more so now!

I’m a wanna-be Julia with Suzanne’s brain. Not a good combination most days

Julia and her speeches made this show a must-see. If I could put together words like this, I’d be yelling at people all over town. Here are my two favorites:

… Oh, Dixie Carter, we sure lost a gem when you passed. Rest in peace, dear lady. Rest in peace.