Parenting – Page 183 – Pollywog's Place Blog

Tortilla Bowl Taco Salad

Published on January 17, 2017November 16, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog7 Comments

This is a meal that my special needs son enjoys helping me with. He really likes to eat it as well. I try to let the kids help with certain meals and this one is ‘his’ meal. It helps them to feel a sense of accomplishment when they are able to do things independently. I do have to supervise with a lot of the oven part but other than that he really enjoys helping to put the bowls together.

You can add your favorite toppings to it and make it the way you like it. With individual bowls, each family member can customize their own bowl. Serve it with rice and beans.

Note: We do have a set of ovenproof bowls that we use to shape the tortilla bowls themselves but you can check out this link for ideas to make them without a bowl. Continue reading “Tortilla Bowl Taco Salad” →

Momma, come sit with me.

Published on January 16, 2017January 11, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

‘Momma, come sit with me.’ That’s what my 3 year old said today at lunchtime. He had been picking at his sandwich and sticking around the table after everyone else had went to their rooms for lunch. He gave me that sweet smile with those little blue eyes just a sparkling. Who could resist that smile?

Not me! The neverending To-Do list can wait. The basket of unfolded laundry can wait. The dirty dishes in the sink can wait. The chores that need finished can wait. The millions of other things running through my mind,at any given moment, can wait.

Right now he needs me and he is asking me for my time. I admit that sometimes I feel like I am spread pretty thin. I feel like I just can’t do anything more than what I am doing right now. It’s hard being a Momma.It’s hard being a single Momma. It’s hard being a special needs Momma. It’s hard being a single special needs Momma! Yes, I said it’s hard. It’s almost downright impossible on some days. But then there are the good days or the little moments like this.

The house is quiet-ish as everyone is settling down for naps and/or quiet time. The school work has been finished and put away. He continues to nibble at his sandwich while I grab my glass of watered down iced tea. I sit in the chair next to him and he smiles. A genuinely lit up ear to ear kind of smile. Those little eyes are just dancing with ideas that he wants to tell me.

So he begins by informing me that my feet are in the water. I laugh and pull my feet up and sit cross legged in the chair.

‘Is that better?’, I ask.

‘Yes, Momma, now the sharks can’t get you.’

‘Well that’s a good thing! Thank you so much for warning me.’, I say.

He laughs and then he proceeds to explain to me how a T-Rex would catch a fish. He imitates the T-Rex while eating his fish (peanut butter sandwich) and he laughs a lot. He tells me what he wants for snack later, a dinosaur cupcake from yesterday, and he asks if he and ‘all my friends’ can go outside after naps. He always refers to his brothers and sisters as ‘all my friends’ and he draws a big circle in the air when he says it. It is so cute!

He eats a few more bites and declares he is full. Then he grabs his napkin and attempts to wipe the peanut butter off his face. I help him and he takes off running back to his room before I can finish. He jumps into his bed and curls up with a stuffed toy and his favorite dinosaur toy. Then he closes his eyes and pretends to be asleep. I lean over and give him a quick kiss on the cheek and he giggles.

These are the moments that make my day and give me the momentum I need to get through the tough days. I get a little sad as I know they are all growing up so fast. I know that before long he won’t be asking me to come sit with him anymore. I want to take the time to cherish these little moments and enjoy them while I can.

I walked back to the kitchen to jot down this post so I will have it to look back on in the future. I think about how blessed I am and how precious life is. I am so thankful that God has put me where I am right now. He has given me more than I ever deserved and I know He has so many plans in store for me and my family.

He always knows what we need and when we need it. This morning I read Proverbs 13:4:

It reminds me that I need to keep pressing on towards my goals. I can’t give up and let myself get lazy. I can have hope in knowing that if I stay diligent there will be a reward for all of the hard work I put in here on earth. This little moment with my son was just a taste of that and it was so beautiful! I can’t even begin to imagine what the future may hold for us.

Thank you Lord for your blessings on me and my family!

January Pantry Challenge Grocery Trip

Published on January 14, 2017January 21, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

I wrote about the Pantry Challenge in an earlier post. This upcoming week is the next Pantry Challenge I have scheduled. I thought I would break down what my grocery list was and how much I ended up spending for the meals that I came up.

Below are the dinner meals and the ingredients that I had to buy and the costs.

Meal #1: Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken w/Rice and Cole Slaw

Cole Slaw Mix $2.00

Meal #2: Popover Pizza, Salad

Romaine Lettuce $3.29

Tomatoes BOGO $2.99

Meal #3: Tortilla Bowl Taco Salad, Rice, Beans

Will use the extra lettuce and tomatoes from Meal #2 and I had some extra pintos from last week that had I put in the freezer also.

Avocado $1.00

Sour Cream $1.75

Meal #4: Boston Baked Beans, Mac n Cheese, Fried Cabbage

Cabbage $2.05

Meal #5: Cheesy Chicken and Potatoes Casserole, Salad

Will use the extra lettuce and tomatoes from Meal #2 & 3.

Meal #6: Free Day (I will probably make some Chicken Stir Fry, Chicken Fried Rice, and maybe some fried ramen noodles. (These are links to other recipes as I can’t locate mine at the moment.)

**UPDATE: I found my recipes 🙂 Chinese Fried Rice with Veggies, Easy Fried Noodles, Japanese White Sauce. I had everything in the pantry and freezer to make all of these.

I had some stir fry veggies and chicken in the freezer. I also had some ramen noodles and rice in the pantry. I won’t be adding as many veggies to the noodles as this recipe shows either.

Sweet and Sour Sauce $1.99

Meal #7: Breakfast for Dinner

Krusteaz Pancake & Waffle Mix BOGO $2.79

(This is my favorite brand and I grab it when it is on sale.)

Aunt Jemima Syrup BOGO $3.89

So altogether I spent less than $25.00 to complete the meals from the pantry.

I also had to buy some staples that we buy every week like:

Milk x 4 $14.76

Bread x $4.00

Sliced Cheese $2.00

Margarine $1.00

Apples $3.49

Bananas $4.72

Creamer $3.00

Eggs $2.00

These came to about $35.00.

We had a few miscellaneous toiletries to buy for less than $20.00. I also found a BOGO meat sale and stocked up on some things that we will need later on in the month. I did spend around $50.00 0n the meat! Eeek… well I don’t feel too bad because I know that I am saving money in the long run and I won’t need to buy much more meat for the rest of the month.

You can see my totals below and the savings from the store card, sales, and coupons. Plus at Winn -Dixie you can also earn Fuelperks. Right now I am at $0.55/gallon which is about $11.00 off my next 20 gallons of fuel. I also did the survey at the bottom of the receipt to save $5.00 on the next trip.

If I had been tight on money or if I had decided not to spend any extra I could’ve left the store spending a little under $80.00. I could have also cut back on a few other things and stayed under $50.0. I do try my best to catch certain things, like peanut butter, on sale and grab them whenever I can.

By using what I have in the pantry and freezer I was able to save money and use it towards the sales I found for the meat. It also helps to prevent waste and helps me to set a good example for the kids about being frugal. This can be a very useful tool in any household.

30 minute Rolls

Published on January 13, 2017November 12, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog21 Comments

This is my go-to recipe for hot fresh rolls in a hurry. They never fail me! Continue reading “30 minute Rolls” →

January 15-21, 2017 Meal Plan

Published on January 13, 2017January 11, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

NOTE: This is a Pantry Challenge Week for me.

Sunday

Breakfast:

French Toast Roll Ups, scrambled eggs, sausage

Lunch:

ramen noodles, grilled cheese

Dinner:

Cream Cheese Chicken, Rice, Cole Slaw

Snacks/Desserts:

Easy Banana Pudding

Monday

Breakfast: