Less Gluten Journey w/ Meal Plan

Living a Less Gluten lifestyle can be very costly, just like eating organic or doing any other kind of elimination diet. Add to that wanting to lose weight, things can get out of control with the FOOD BUDGET!! Because I like knowing what is in my food, and saving money, I was already making a lot of foods from scratch, even before we were consuming less gluten. In some areas we did find however, that it was just worth it to purchase the premade item. For example, flour tortillas; we made those from scratch, and even though it was easy, it was a little tedious in the process, and so we decided to just buy them.

Now that we are a Less Gluten family, there are some things that we have found are just plain out expensive to buy!! Coincidentally, GF tortillas may actually be worth making now. Other things we are considering are crackers, GF all purpose flour mixes, muffin mixes, bisquick mixes, and more. I can’t justify spending $5 for a small box of crackers, which we use almost every day for lunch as our sandwich alternative, or $5 for a tiny box of bisquick mix.

I will say that I am very fortunate to live 20 minutes away from Bob’s Red Mill, and their bulk section for GF mixes and baking goods is phenomenal. I relish getting great prices on GF oats, cream of rice, Xanthan gum, Sorghum, and so much more. I will try to share things that we are making regularly, and if it helps even one person, I will be satisfied. Here’s a list of recipes that we made this week, which I have been enlisting the help of my kids on:

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour: http://glutenfreegirl.com/2012/07/how-to-make-a-gluten-free-all-purpose-flour-mix/

GF Bisquick Mix: http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-bisquick-recipe/

GF Crackers, we used a seasoning salt like salad elegance, but I think next time I will just make up my own, because I wasn’t too excited about the ingredients in it: http://theprettybee.com/2013/10/easy-gluten-free-cracker-recipe.html

Lastly, I have a favorite website that I used previously for helping me meal plan, and she keeps her meals pretty healthy and they eat a good variety, which is very important to me. I was kind of bummed to have to stop using her website for meals, and then it me, “Why don’t I use her meal ideas, and just make them GF!!” Duh, right? So, here is the link to this week’s meal plan, and then I will put the links to the GF alternatives we’re doing (We don’t necessarily do the meals on their corresponding days, but I will put them on here that way to keep it simple): Grocerybudget101.com: http://www.grocerybudget101.com/content.php/777-2014-50-Budget-Menu-Plan-Week-14

Breakfasts: We’ll do GF cereal, cream of rice, buckwheat oatmeal;I didn’t do fruit Kabobs, but I did cut up the fruits and put them in containers for lunches and breakfasts this week. Instead of muffins, I’m making cupcakes :-/ I just want some pre-portioned sweets ☺: http://theprettybee.com/2013/10/easiest-gluten-free-vegan-chocolate-cake.html

Monday: Stays the same
Tuesday: For dinner I am doing this recipe with GF noodles: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Greek-Chicken-Pasta/Detail.aspx?evt19=1
Wednesday: For lunch, we’ll do the egg salad on the homemade GF crackers
Thursday: For BLT’s we’ll probably do this as a lettuce wrap
For dinner, I am doing a pulled pork roast, so this meat will probably get used in the tacos with cut up napa cabbage, lime, and cilantro
Friday: Stays the same
Saturday: For lunch, I found this recipe, and I think we will just make the dip and have chips, red bell pepper, and celery to eat this with: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/artichoke-spinach-dip-with-roasted-red-bell-peppers-recipe.html For Dinner, I am making the given recipe with GF noodles
Sunday: For dinner, I will use my cooked pork for the given recipe.

Snacks: We usually have popcorn, fruit, and veggies on hand. I am going to start experimenting with the GF oats using the given recipe for granola bars, and can’t wait to have some great options there.

Well, I hope this is helpful for someone. Please leave me a comment or ask any questions. I love getting feedback. Thanks for stopping by!!

M&B's Babysitting Club Part 3

Ok, I have figured some of the things out from my last post. First being, we decided to change the name slightly, so we won't have copyright issues. M&B's Babysitting Club has arrived. There were a lot of ideas to process, and normally I wouldn't have started, due to being overwhelmed with the idea of what this could become. It has helped that I have had the opportunity to not only talk with families that would hire a babysitter, but I have also been able to talk to the mom’s of the babysitters themselves. It has been a very intriguing process, and a challenge to know how to care for both sides. 

So far I have been dealing with both families I already know and girls I know and trust. I am starting to see this grow, and am being very cautious with it. I don’t want to make a bad recommendation, and have it blow up in my face. I am already seeing that there are guidelines I want in place to help everyone use their best judgment in specific cases.

 Anyways, here are some of the decisions I made about the club itself, after deliberation and input. I will address each thought that I had in my last post, so you can see what I decided on each one:

 1) Application Process: I did a very vague application process with the girls I am using as of right now, because I know and trust each of them. However, I have asked them to feel free to invite friends to the club, and with these gals I will be putting them through a more thorough application, which will include a place to put references (I will post the application when it is finished).

 2) Introductions of the girls: I am still unsure how I am going to introduce each girl to the parent group, but will come up with that soon. I originally wanted to do a video with their mom’s introducing them, but that could get very time consuming, so I’m thinking about a way to allow them to put together some kind of a profile that I could keep in my Dropbox, which I could send out to parents as needed.

 3) Facebook Group: I did set up a separate Facebook group, where the girls can get information, ask questions, and just get overall communication from me. I am also glad I set this up, because last night in our first meeting, we were unable to cover everything, this way I can include additional training throughout the month, and I can post videos I would like them to watch, such as the Super Nanny Time Out Technique, etc.

 4) I am switching 4 & 5: 5) Monthly Meetings: I am definitely doing monthly meetings. In fact, I did my first one last night, and it was a blast!! This will be my typical format for it: a. Time for the girls to share babysitting stories b. Teaching about monthly topic c. Activity d. Questions & Comments time It is my goal to provide an environment where the girls can share with one another, get input, care, mentorship from older and more experienced girls, as well as receive continual training so they are on the cutting edge of the babysitting world.

 5) 4) Logistics: I created tiers of babysitters, because every girl is different in their babysitting experience, and with what they are comfortable with. This is good for both sides; it doesn’t put the babysitter in a position that she doesn’t know how to handle, and families can be assured that they get the best babysitter for the job with the best rates. I think I will probably put a tier rating on the babysitting jobs themselves as well, so the girls can accept a job, and know that this job requires a lesser rate. I will have to relook at that. In fact, I may completely change it to just a job rating system, and know which girls can handle which situations.

The process for hiring will be: I get the request for a babysitter, I send out a text to all qualified girls, they answer back as quickly as possible with their availability, I call the available babysitter with details to make sure the job is a good fit, then I call parent for same reason, and give parent the girl's phone number. They deal with it from there.

 6) Dues: The girls are paying monthly dues. But I am keeping it very cost effective, just having it pay for the cost of material in buying craft kit items, and refreshments. Obviously, the price for the CPR class will be a bit more, but I will be trying to keep that within reason as well.

There you have it. I can't wait to tell you how I have moved forward. I will try to get to it ASAP, but I have been busy actually implementing what I am talking about, so I haven't been as consistent with writing about it :-)

Babysitter's Club Part 2

Well, we made our official announcement; the Babysitter’s Club is a go!! We’ll have to come up with a name for it, so we’re not getting hit with any kind of copyright infringement.

We are starting from the ground up, so make sure to stay tuned to see how we build it. I have yet to figure out all the nuts and bolts of how we are going to run our babysitter’s club, but I definitely have some ideas.

First, we started with a series of videos that my daughter and I made both for the families and the babysitters. Here is the first one. I also have a form I created specifically with the Family Information, which you can see here, so that babysitters have as much information as possible, hopefully insuring a successful babysitting job, and the kids staying safe in their care. Some thoughts I have:

1) Have an application for both the families and the babysitters. Nothing too crazy, just so that we have as much info as possible. We’re keeping this to our local area, so for the most part, we’ll be dealing with people we know already.

2) Introduce each new babysitter with a video introduction. I think having the girl’s mom introduce her would be really cool. Something I really want to do is show that these girls are kids too, so that hopefully parents that are looking for babysitters can hopefully realize that this could one day be their little girl.

3) I will probably set up a separate page for the girls, where they can get information about our once/month meeting, post questions, concerns, etc, but I will have all the girls and perhaps even their moms in the parent group.

4) Logistics: I think I will have parents put their requests on the parent group page, and then I will send that off to the girls’ page, where they can respond if they are available. I am still trying to decide if this should be a first come, first serve scenario, but I will have to see how that goes.

5) Monthly meetings: I am contemplating having monthly dues to help cover materials. I want to create a monthly craft, offer training, I am even looking to set-up a CPR class for the girls (this would be at a separate cost though), and probably even mentorship through this meeting time. The only way I can think to cover those costs is to have monthly dues.

6) I am also contemplating a monthly dues or subscription for the parents. I haven’t decided here though. I know I am offering a very important service, and I could keep the fee very low, but I’m not sure that I want to take it that way for now. I suppose if I start doing more, and it grows, I may need to. I guess we’ll see.

Anyways, like I said, I don’t have everything figured out yet. I will cross that bridge when I get there.

Babysitter's Club Part 1

Here is a video to go with my blog post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl_74tXmfww

I am feeling quite nostalgic right now. I remember reading the Babysitter’s Club books and thinking how smart, organized and fun those girls were; wishing that I could start my own club like that. Well, I finally get to do it.

This stemmed from a need; the ability to feel comfortable referring a babysitter to a family, and vice versa, feeling equally comfortable with recommending a family to a babysitter. Now that I have the babysitter, and am not just looking for one for my own children, it has brought a completely different side of the coin to light. I don’t want to refer anyone, on either side-babysitter or family without knowing that it is going to be a good situation. There’s just too much at stake!!

So, I am going to keep this pretty simple. I will let you guys know how I’m going to run it soon. But I do know a couple of things that me and B are going to do: 1) We’re going to plan a once a month meeting with training, crafts that they can do with kids, and a chance to talk with their friends specifically about what did and didn’t work; 2) B and I are going to do a video series both to families and to babysitters with information and tips for both sides.

I am sharing this, to communicate what we are doing with B’s clients, so they can feel very comfortable with whom I refer, but also for my viewers. Perhaps you can start one as well. If you have noticed that there is a need in your area, this could be a great outreach and opportunity for fellowship and networking. Whether you have a teenager in your life you are trying to help, or you have children you need a good list of babysitters for, this could be a great option for either scenario.

How we're crushing the summer dulldrums!!

Do you get tired of hearing your children complain, “I’M BORED”, a million times throughout the summer? Why not create a day camp environment for your kids at home. I decided to do this, because my kids do much better with some structure. There are many themes that you could do each week that will allow for experiments, crafts, and places we visit (Just Google: ”summer day camp themes”. My favorite are: Parks and Recreation’s Camp Catalog, OMSI’s camp catalog. I got plenty of ideas from these two.)

I’ve chosen not to necessarily do a theme, but have a similar schedule each week, that will look something like this:

Monday: Smaller Activity.

Tuesday: $1 Movie

Wednesday: Larger Activity

Thursday: Possible Second $1 Movie, or Smaller Activity, plus Library Visit

Friday: Garage Selling

Smaller Activities: We will visit different parks around Vancouver, the Water Resource Center, & Blue Lake park, bowling, berry picking, etc. .

Larger Activities: We will be visiting places such as JJ Jumps, North Clackamas Aquatic Center, the Zoo, OMSI, Kid’s Club, Oaks Park, Enchanted Forest, , Bullwinkle’s Fun Center, Golden Skate, Ice Skating, Big Al’s Happy hour arcade games.

We’ll be trying to finish most of our activities right around lunch time. After lunch we read for half hour to ourselves, and then I’m reading out loud for a half hour while they color, or play with something quietly. Then the kids can have a half hour of video game time followed by free time to play whatever they wish.

On days that we're staying home, I'm giving them guidance as well. If we're not working in the yard or doing chores, or projects around the house, I've been giving them "playing tasks". They get to choose, they can either help with chores or do the next task. Total "no brainer" on which they pick, but this way if the task is one that they don't totally want to do, but I know they would enjoy, they're going to do the task. The way that I give these to them is in the form of riddles. For Example: "These have been made for girls and for boys, you sometimes forget to play with your ________" (toys). I keep them simple, and have them do them for about an hour, and then they can move onto the next task. I give them specific board games to play, movies to watch, places to go like the park, backyard games to play, etc. I keep it specific, so they don't end up spending an hour arguing over which board game to play, which is what happens when they are completely free to pick all the time.

I’ve got lots of incentives for the kids. I am giving the kids a roll of dimes each week (only ends up being $5). When they have bad attitudes or are complaining, I take one away. They can earn them back by participating and getting along. At the end of the week, we’ll cash in their leftover coins, and that is their money for garage selling. Of course I’ve also signed the kids up for the library’s summer reading program, and since we’re doing a lot of reading, they will be able to get lots of prizes from that.

I’m making sure to simplify as much as I can. I made out a meal plan for each week that we will follow throughout the summer. This will help my grocery shopping to be easy, and the kids will know what we’re having, and will hopefully keep the “I’m hungry”,” what are we having for lunch” comments at a minimum.
Lastly, I will be having the kids scrapbook our summer. I noticed last year that my kids quickly forgot what we did last summer, even though I was very purposeful in making sure that we did a lot!! So, I am going to be better about taking a ton of pictures, and letting them put together their own journals about our summer together. I am very excited about our time together.
These are my ideas for the summer, I would love to hear more ideas and thoughts about what your family will be doing. Thanks for stopping by!!

Bouldering!!

Once our family gets out of debt, we have several new goals to reach. One of those goals is to try new things. We were able to get a taste of that today. A few months ago, I purchased 4 bouldering passes from The Circuit Gym in Portland from LivingSocial! It was a great deal for trying something new!

Our experience was awesome! Quinn, the lady who greats you at the front door was very friendly and knowledgeable, and she pointed us in the right direction, which was the kids area. We got a feel of the fun atmosphere right away. There were children and adults. We even saw a couple, who were taking turns climbing, while the other stayed with their crawling baby. The "slack rope" was really cool to watch. We called it a tight rope, but were informed that we were saying it incorrectly. Basically, it's a rope hung at a low height from two walls that you can try to walk acrossed. Guys and gals alike were doing all kinds of tricks on it.

We ended up staying for about 3 hours, and have definitely agreed that we want to do it again! I would highly recommend this experience!!

Annual Target Gift Registry Date!

Our family has come to love this tradition!! We eat out. The kids scan. It's a ton of fun!

We started this tradition, because every year the grandparents would call and ask us what our kids wanted for Christmas. I would tell them what I thought, and often times was completely off.

I'd have them ask the kids, but Chrystian doesn't talk much, and Byanca couldn't always remember what she wants. Plus, when they would tell them, there were often times the grandparents would have no idea what they were talking about. "What's a PSP?" they would ask, and it's very difficult to explain. This was our solution.

We don't expect everyone to buy from Target, we just like that we can let the kids loose, and they can scan what they wish, and we can put sizes for clothing, and shoes. Our family is always happy to be able to pull this up online or print it out at Target. The kids know they're not going to get everything, but it's very fun to dream! For us, its all about the experience!

Here's the link we used for the recipe:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_a_gingerbread_house/