I seriously needed a good laugh this morning and my two boys delivered!

All three of us zipped to our McDonald’s down the street and ordered some breakfast to bring home and eat together.  We rarely eat altogether in the morning but we made today an exception because Stephen needed to stay late at work tonight for rehearsals.  So we were all enjoying our food when Stephen expelled gaseous waste (aka fart). Immediately Paul, who has a very keen sense of hearing, looked in the direction of Stephen’s behind and with a low raspy belching kinda sound went “whaaaaaaah!” I thought, Did he just mimic the farting sound with his vocals?!! I looked at Stephen, whose face at this time was about ready to burst, and we started laughing ourselves silly to tears!    Meanwhile, Paul went about picking his pancake pieces off his tray to enjoy!

Oh madness!  What good laughter we had…a great way to start the day!

Paul is definitely more interested in copying sounds these days.  Just today he was making up sounds for the dog, duck, cow, and cat. Oh what fun days ahead!!

Thank you, boys, for a good laugh to start my day!

We shopped at five stores last week.  It is a lot of places but we had some great deals with sales and coupons combined.  I’m not about to pass that up!  Here’s how we did last week and spilling into this week:

Kroger – $ 38.48

Earth Fare – $ 10.65

Walgreens – $ 4.50 (2 cans of cream and mushroom, neutrogena face soap, and Palmolive liquid detergent)

CVS – $ 4.39 (2 boxes of Cheerios)

Walmart – $ 11.94 (I did not get a picture of the items bought but they are frozen corn, red onions, eggplant, gingerale, cheetos, chex mix)

Going into Week 3, we have shopped a few items here and there:

Walmart – $ 4.50 (Sprite and Cheetos)
Kroger – $ 4.51 (Garlic and Mayfield Ice Cream)
Asian Store – $ 2.00 (rice noodles)

Grand Total for August Week 2 and 3 = $ 80.97

Right on for two weeks!

After surveying our pantry, fridge and freezer, we decided that we have enough food to last us through this coming week so we have not gone shopping at all.  We may have just a few things here and there.  I will let you know by the end of this week how we’ve ended.

August Week 2 Menu PlanBreakfast:

Breakfast:
Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal
Rice, Bacon/Sausage, Eggs
Waffles, Eggs, Strawberries

Dinners:
Chipotle Ground Beef Tacos leftovers
Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce with Basil Green Goddess Salad
Eggplant Parmesan Napoleons with Pesto Pasta
Pansit Bihon with Rice
Basil Pesto Spaghetti
Grilled Chicken Legs with Garlic Green Beans and Rice

August Week 3 Menu Plan

Breakfast:
Blueberry Muffins
Banana Muffins
Eggs and Rice
Oatmeal

Dinners:
Chicken Adobo with Rice
Pesto, Pasta, and Peas
Hamburger with Basil Green Goddess Salad
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Margherita Pizza
Spaghetti with Basil Green Goddess Salad and Garlic Bread

Next week is Stephen’s birthday and I am excited to whip up a good old homemade meal for him!

‘Til next time.

Isn't he the cutest?

For another, it was the start of the No-TV-Month in the Ballast household.  What prompted this decision, you say?  Well, two things.  One, we want to see what difference, if any, a month’s non-tv consumption will do.  Two, we want to explore other things to do besides watching TV and intentionally do them.

We’re five days into our no-tv-month and so far, I can honestly say that we do not miss watching TV one bit!  Very quickly, Paul and I are discovering the sounds that keep our house running – the humming of the refrigerator, the clicking of the thermostat, the clunking of the air vents, and the swooshing of the air from the vents.  Every now and then I pop in a CD for a listen and we dance to the strings of a Celtic song or the beats of the African Children’s Choir.  Then there’s Ms. Judi Dench narrating for the King’s Singers and we sing along with them about going down to the woods in disguise ’cause every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain because today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic. In the afternoons, we’d wander out to the deck and get some sun while we listen and watch the birds chirping and flying by.  Sometimes, we’re lucky to see and hear our neighbors dogs saying hi to us by way of barking.  That always amuses Paul!  We’re reading more books from the library and his few collection thus far.  And at night, after his bath and right before he goes to bed, all three of us sit on the living room floor and Daddy reads from Narnia.

As for Stephen and me, we’re enjoying reading books, surfing the internet, and getting more sleep.  It is amazing how much time watching TV can suck out of a day and it’s refreshing to have a little more time to ourselves these days, not to mention the peace and quiet that envelopes our house at night.

We are now considering doing a No-TV-Month every Summer.  Actually, we’re thinking of extending one month to two months!  Call it crazy but somehow, we both felt it a good thing to do when we were discussing the matter.  Think about the endless possibilities of creativity and fun!  Already looking forward to next Summer.

But first,  Fall and Winter.  THAT will be a different story.  I don’t think I can give up football, 24, and House quite yet.  Ha!