Let's keep things real around here, okay?
It's Sunday night and we are all going about our business in preparation for the upcoming busy week. It's a reading night, so no electronics here.
I took last night off from reading, the first night in awhile, and had a glass of wine. Of course, I had to start a new-to-me show, The Crown. I watched the first episode and I'm hooked!
Back to the books tonight! I have to admit, The Trespasser is getting interesting. Lil Monster is starting Stick Dog Chases a Pizza by Tom Watson. K2 introduced it to her and she's very interested in reading it. I'm excited because it's a twelve chapter book, each chapter is about twelve pages long.
K2 will be listening to Throne of Fire, Kane Chronicles book two. K1 still hasn't picked up a book, but it's okay. He will get his reading in when we start our family reading time. I regret to say we haven't finished A Wrinkle In Time yet. Those last two pesky chapters have been laughing at us. It will be finished soon, probably tomorrow or Tuesday.
As far as keeping things real? Let's talk about my week. For those of you that are always busy, this may not seem like a big deal. For a functioning anxious introvert, just thinking about this week is exhausting. Tomorrow, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is a day off for public schools and a lot of military. Not for us. We are knocking out some school work in the morning, followed by Lil Monster's sewing class after lunch, and at some point I will swing by the grocery store to pick up my order I will place in the morning.
Not too bad, right?
Well Tuesday will likely be our craziest day. All three kiddos have sports physicals and need their flu shots, if they want to play indoor soccer this season. The boys look forward to this day every year, insert sarcasm here. They wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't for the dreadful, but necessary, hernia check. The thought of dropping-trou to get the family jewels checked for lumps isn't at the top of my boys' list of annual high-lights. Lil Monster has made it known how she feels about getting her flu shot, or any shot for that matter. I only hope that she handles it as well as she did last year and the whole hospital doesn't have to endure her bloodcurdling screams, again. Then it's off to pay for indoor soccer. My bank account is already crying at the thought, and my soul has withered a bit. It's getting the kids, and me, out of the house and moving, so it will be okay. Hopefully.
Wednesday and Thursday are relatively simple: a science class for K2 one day, K1 the next.
Friday will most likely be our game and relax day. I also need to get progress reports started and work samples saved. Ideally I will get those submitted by the following Monday... My anxiety likes to come on full steam during those times, even though it's simple enough to get through. I just feel like I'm forgetting something. Thankfully our advisory teacher is amazing and encouraging during those stressful (for me) times.
During this madness that is our week, I will hopefully get some cleaning/organizing/purging accomplished. Let's not all hold our breaths on that, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. K2 and Lil Monster have decided that their goal is to get their rooms completely clean before Dad gets home. I'm not going to comment on this as I don't want to jinx myself. It is not beyond my realm of parenting to offer a cleaning incentive for that job, if they do it well. Lil Monster is easy enough to please, K2 on the other hand. Well, let's just say that as the boys get older they get harder, and a lot more expensive, to
Oh yea! I am planning on feeding the kids daily this week. Good call, right? I'm behind on the Instant Pot craze, but have had and loved my pressure cooker for years. I do have an IP...and a pressure cooker...and a kitchen gadget hoarding problem. Hey, it's on my list of things to purge, sort of. I promise to get rid of things I haven't used in two years. I say two years because there are some things I have that are for only one purpose and it makes life soooo much easier to have it. Like my pasta machine, that I am still planning to use more often. However, I could get rid of it and get one that attaches to my Kitchenaid. It would take up less space. Huh. I'll have to think on that some more. I did get rid of my bread machine a few years back. When I make bread I prefer to do it in the oven. Call me old fashioned, I just think it tastes better.
I digress. Yes, I plan on IP'ing dinners all week. I have a wonderful list of IP recipes to try, and hopefully we won't end up with a year's worth of leftovers. Another issue of mine: I haven't quite mastered not making enough food to feed several families at once. K2 and Lil Monster have been teaming up on baking, so maybe I'll convince them to whip up some good cookies for us to last the week. I also got my small springform pan in the mail from Amazon, finally, and I want to give cheesecake in the IP a try. I'll update with the results once I get to it.
Do you have an IP/pressure cooker recipe you just love? I'd love to hear about it! We have mainly stuck with spaghetti, potato soup, chowders, and the like for awhile. I have made it my mission to attempt other recipes. I do love my Crock-pot and use it frequently. The IP is phenomenal for those days when you don't want to torture yourself with all sorts of yummy smells throughout the day. For those of us interested in losing a few pounds at some point, the IP is a must over a slow cooker.
If you don't have an IP or other pressure cooker, I can not say enough about how awesome and versatile they are! This is the IP I have. My other pressure cooker, the Elite 8 quart, is still a love of mine. It doesn't have the steel insert though, which was a huge selling point for the IP. I use both because sometimes 6 quarts just isn't enough. Especially when you're making your Christmas ham.
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