What's on the Menu

I hate cooking!  My kids are like finicky cats so what's the point of cooking?  If it were up to me I would have breakfast everyday for dinner.  Mr. Amazing won't go for that.  What's wrong with a big bowl of cereal?  It has milk.  Enough of my ranting...this is What's on the Menu for this week:

Monday:  Chili over white rice (Plain browned meat for my son)

Tuesday:  Fried chicken cutlets, broccoli, and roasted potatoes

Wednesday:  Hotdogs & fries

Thursday:  Roast Beef, baked potato, green beans (chicken nuggets for my daughter)

Friday:  Leftovers

Saturday:  Spaghetti & meatballs

Sunday:  Surprise party for Mr. Amazing's friend

I am a WINNER!!!!

I am so excited!! What a way to end my birthday week.  I haven't won a blog giveaway in a long while.  This past Sunday I was notified that I won 2 tickets to see Miss. Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, & Marriage starring Eve Plum (Jan Brady of the Brady Bunch) from Chic Sassy Mom. You can head over Here to see what the show is about.   In order to enter the contest you had to write in about a first date or the worst date you ever been on.  You can head over to here to see my winning entry (just scroll down.  So Mr. Amazing is coming with with this Saturday afternoon to see the show.  I will be doing a review and guest post on Chic Sassy Mom sometime next week. 

What's on the Menu

This is my favorite week of the year!  Turkey day and lots of leftovers = no cooking for a few days. Well actually we are going to cook a little.  I want Mr. Amazing to make turkey soup and turkey potpie.  So here is week number two for What's on the menu. 

Monday:  Eating out for friends retirement dinner

Tuesday:  Meatball Parm sandwiches

Wednesday:  Breakfast for dinner

Thursday:  Turkey with all the trimmings

Friday:  Turkey soup with some crusty bread

Saturday:  Turkey potpie

Sunday: Leftover tukey whatever!

It's my Birthday today!!!

Well another year has gone by and the list still goes on and on of all the things I haven't done.  For the first time ever I actually am not that excited about my birthday.  Usually I hint for days on end before my special day and I still make a list of the things I want ( I am such a child!) This year I think reality has set in.  Times are getting tougher and tougher, not just for my family but for alot of people I know.  I tried telling Mr. Amazing not to get me anything but that won't fly with him.  So instead of asking for things I probably really don't need, I asked for things I really could get use out of like a month of Zumba class.  I love Zumba and would go everyday if I could but I can't afford to spend $10.00 a class.  It may not seem that much but if I went 4 times a week that adds up.  I also asked for a membership to Weight Watchers.  I know I must be crazy to ask for something like that but it's not free and would save me money if it was gifted.  I need a swift kick in the pants to get me motivated to lose weight.  Anyway, I can't believe how many people already Facebooked me Birthday wishes.  I really feel special.

My 1st What's on the Menu

In an effort to save money and stop wasting food I decided to start posting my weekly menu and calling it What's on the Menu.  I have been trying to write a menu and sticking it to the fridge and then I just throw them out.  I think if I post the menu on my blog then I can go back to it anytime I want.  These past few months I really have been learning alot about how to save more money.  One of the biggest expenses I really need to cut back on is my grocery bill.  I spend anywhere between $900-$1200 a month for my family of 4 and 1 pet.  That does include personal care items & household cleaners.  It amazes me how some families like the woman on Grocery Cart Challenge blog can spend $50 a week for her family.  I can cook but I HATE cooking and I usually make the same things because my kids are sooooo picky(just like me).  Mr. Amazing does most of the cooking around here.  He is always watching the cooking channels and he is a phoenominal cook.  He should really be a chef.  He likes that I post a menu and then he knows what to make.  The only problem I have with him is that when he wants something particular or wants to try a new recipe he doesn't care how much it costs.  We can't shop like that and we should have never shopped like that.  It is a hard habit I am trying to break (for him).  I have tried to explain to him that we need to eat what's on sale and to stock up when it's on sale.  We can't eat beef everyday and the clan here doesn't really care for chicken too much.  So here is What's on the Menu this week for us:

Monday:      Breakfast (pancakes, sausage, and hashbrowns)  Mr. Amazing has a retirement dinner to go to so it's just me and the kiddies.  I love breakfast anytime of the day

Tuesday:      Chicken Marsala over noodles with a side of green beans (It's my birthday and that's my request)

Wednesday:  Chicken cutlets, yellow rice, and broccoli

Thursday:  Homeade Pasta Fagioli

Friday:      Leftovers

Saturday:  The kids and I have 2 parties to attend.....soooo Mr. Amazing is on his own for dinner  

Sunday:   Spaghetti and meatballs

My first attempt at making a dessert table

I can't believe I forgot to post this 2 weeks ago!  So I have been blogging now since January and I follow about 300 blogs.  Blogging for me has become so addicting for me, that I barely watch tv anymore or read my beloved magazines.  I have to say some of my favorite blogs are the ones who give free downloads of paper party decorations, freebies, and easy diy crafts.. (I am craft handicapped)  I see so many pictures of color coordinated party tables that it has inspired me to make my own.  Of course I am always a last minute kind of gal because money is always tight and I just can never find enough time to actually plan out something.  For Halloween I decided to make a surprise dessert table for the kids after school on Halloween.  They loved it!!  I would have liked to do a little more but I threw this all together that morning with what I had to use around the house.  I did purchase some things the day before and spent a minimal amount of money.  The look on their faces was priceless. 

My keratin hair treatment review

 

After the treatment



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   Before the treatment
   
   

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When it comes to my hair I did it all (to an extent)!  I have colored, highlighted, permed, teased, straightened, curled and braided these lovely locks.(one of my best features in my book)  The only thing I have not done is gone short.  Well maybe when I was 8 years old because I wanted to look like Dorothy Hammil.  The past few years I have noticed that my body has changed along with my hair. I styled and washed it the way I have always done but lately my curly hair just doesnt come out right.  I have tried every product under the sun to make my curls soft and frizz free.  I started straightening my hair with a flat iron because it looked better.  With straightening your hair comes heat damage and split ends.  So I decided to bite the bullet and get the Brazilian keratin hair treatment.  My husband had purchased a gift card for me last Christmas to get it done.

I decided on the Brazilian Keratin Treatment because it's a process that is suppose to leave your hair smooth, low maintenance and frizz free.  It's great for those with hair that tends to be frizzy and responds to humidity poorly, such as mine, and it also gives a lot of added shine to your hair, so it makes it look a lot healthier.

My hairdresser explained to me that it should last about 3-4 months depending how often you wash your hair.  This tratment gradually comes of the hair naturally. So I would assume that  if you are a person who doesn't shampoo very often, you may be in luck and it will last longer. The cost for this treatment which takes about two to two and a half hours will run about $300+ depending on the length of your hair.  You also need to purchase a special shampoo that is sulfate free.  Otherwise you risk the keratin washing out real quick.  You would be looking at spending close to $500 with tip.  I have long hair (not super long) and my bill came out to $476 with the shampoo.  I actually paid $75.68 with the tip out of my pocket thanks to that gift card I had.  Thank god!!

The Brazilian Keratin treatment I had, a very light smell.  It actually smelled like a really nice shampoo.  I did notice a dull smell for the three days following the treatment, but it wasn't that bad.

I got to the salon at 3:30. The hairdresser talked to me about what to expect, looked at my hair so he could gauge my hair's condition and it's texture, and told me that I would love my hair when she was done with it. He took me back to a shampoo chair where he washed my hair 2x with a clarifying shampoo, to make it more porous so the product can get penetrate the the hair shaft more deeply.

When my hair was clean he took me back to the styling chair where he thoroughly blow dried. He went and mixed up the Brazilian concoction and came back, pinning my hair in sections and painting on the mixture with a brush until it was thoroughly saturated.

He then set a timer for twenty minutes, and I sat there and tinkered with my phone and facebooked! He came back after the twenty minutes was up blew dry my hair again with the product still in. My hair looked amazing!!  So shiny and full and flippy.  BUT.....I was disappointed because he then had to flat iron my hair to set the keratin.  It was poker straight not exactly what I wanted.  He assured me it wouldn't be like this once I wash it and style myself in a few days. 

He also advised that it was very important that I not get my hair wet or wash it for the next 72 hours. 3 DAYS!!  That was killer. My hair tends to get oily after 2 days.  I also was advised to get it wet (but if I did then just to blow dry completely)  He also told me to try not to put in any clips and if I really had to then to use a scrunchy.  Oh I almost forgot...I can't color or highlight for 10 days.

When he was done flat ironing, I couldn't believe how amazingly healthy my hair looked. Plus it was straight - really straight! Too straight for me.  I just kept saying to myself it will look different once I do it myself.  Thank god I had no where to go for 3 days.

My hair really looked good when I left the salon, however, the flatness was really hard for me to deal with. And it looked a bit duller and even flatter the next day and by day 3 my hair felt so gross and oily.  So, the 4th day FINALLY came, and I washed my hair with my special sodium laurel sulfate free shampoo. By the way, sodium is what takes the product out of the hair faster, so you cannot use any products with sodium based ingredients in them either.

I wanted to see how my hair would look curly so I blew it dry. I was too cheap to buy any style product even though the hairdresser said I can use any kind and I didnt use anything except shampoo and conditioner.  Blow drying with a diffuser only took 3 minutes.  Can you believe it?  Normally that would have taken me about 12 - 15 minutes and I definately would have had to use mousse or gel.  It did look pretty good and wasn't poker straight .  It wasn't very curly either.  It kind of looked like tousled hair.  It was shiny, frizz free and it had a really healthy look to it and felt silky smooth to the touch.  As of now I am happy to say I am glad I got it done.  Next I am going to try to blow it straight to see how long it takes and how much body I have.  I will post pics in a few days to follow up with this review.

Wordless Wednesday

Random Act of Kindness

So I was dumbfounded tonight by a random act of kindness.  Little Lucy and I had went to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy some sheets.  As we were on line there was a couple paying for their items.  The gentleman was extremely happy and very talkative.  I had asked Little Lucy to pass me a book that I wanted to take a peek at when this man looked at her and asked if she liked to read.  I had told him that she loves reading and reads everyday.  He became even more happy, took her hand and put money in it and siad buy yourself a book!  Of course I told him ohh thank you but no thanks it wasn't necessary.  He insisted and then proceeded to say how reading is great and can you just let me hear ya say hoo ra.  Little Lucy and I just stared at each other in shock and she was blushing.  So I whispered to her to say hoo ra and she did.  As he was on the way out the door he said Happy Holidays and God Bless.

Bless his heart for being so kind and generous.  Although I thought it was strange and how do you explain something like that to your kid about taking something from a stranger?  As strange as we thought it was, it did put a smile on both of our faces.  Something like that makes me want to pa it forward to someone else to make their day.  I almost forgot....it was $9.00 he handed her.  Must have been his change from his order

Amazing Electronic event at Walmart this weekend

Head on over to Walmart this weekend for their Amazing Electronic Event.  You can grab a $50.00 I-tunes gift card for $35.00.  In store only and limit 2.  They also have other great deals on Tv's, Playstation, and laptops. 

Halloween pics & election day

It was a very chilly and windy day on Halloween but they both came home with a ton of candy.  I was going to post a picture of myself with them but I thought i looked good and I thought i felt good but when I seen the picture all I saw was a big ole MOOSE!  I need to find the will to stick to a diet & exercise but I am just stuck in this terrible rut. 

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween.  On another note...I just worked for the Board of Elections yesterday.  I am the coordinator of  the polling site I was at.  I put in an 18 hour day!  2ooo voters came out and I worked like a dog.  I had to deal with clueless poll workers, broken down machines, and angry voters.  Needless to say I am am exhausted today.  I thought I was going to have an easy day just watching the 2 & 3 YEAR OLD.  BUT NOOOOOOOOO!  The Universe seems to always work against me.  All was going ok up until I dropped off the kids at school.  The two boys I babysit jumped out of the car and then my daughter.  When I went to give her a kiss she had big crocodile tears.  She said her stomach hurt.  Ok lets go home with the other 2 year old I babysit and pick up the 3 year old from her mom (the mom is a teacher at our school)  The mom tells me her child is getting sick AGAIN.  OHHH  JUST WONDERFUL!!!!  I go home with 3 kids and we all get settled.  Then the phone rings "Hello Mrs. Amazing we have your son here in the office and he claims he just threw up."  At that point all I can say is ok be there in twenty minutes.  FML!!!  Load all the kids back up and pick up my son. nothing is getting done here today and I cant wait to go to bed.