Month: March 2008

  • Chicken in Cream Sauce


    4 chicken breasts, skinless
    1/3 cup flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon pepper
    1/4 cup butter or margarine
    8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
    1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
    1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
    3/4 cup whipping cream

    Serves 4

     

    In a bowl mix flour, salt and pepper

     

    Coat chicken well, shake off excess

     

    In a large skillet melt the butter, add the chicken and cook until brown on both sides and fully cooked through.\

     

    If you're using thin breasts they should take about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.....I'm using pretty thick ones so I let them cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

     

    Remove the chicken and set aside, add the mushrooms and wine or chicken stock to the skillet, cook for about 2 minutes

     

    Add parsley and the whipping cream, cook over low heat stirring continually until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

    Serve sauce over chicken.

     

    From: Full Bellies, Happy Kids!  http://fullbellies.blogspot.com/2008/03/chicken-in-cream-sauce.html

  • mpm

    Menu for the Weeks of
    3/30/08 - 4/13/08

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    SUNDAY - Chicken in Cream Sauce - Mashed Potatoes

    MONDAY - Tater Tot Hot Dish

    TUESDAY - Spaghetti -3-Cheese Garlic Bread  (Prep/Total Time: 15 Taste of Home S&D - pg 22)

    WEDNESDAY-  Grilled Cheese and Soup

    THURSDAY - Slow Cooked Pork Chops -  Pasta - Green Beans (Crock Low 6-8 Hours)

    FRIDAY - CrockPot Sloppy Joes - Chips and Dip

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    SATURDAY - Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

    SUNDAY -  Easy Chicken and Feta Bake - Broccoli - Wild Rice

    MONDAY - LEFTOVERS

    TUESDAY - Cheese Broc Soup/ Salad/ Crusty Bread

    WEDNESDAY -Chicken Salad Sandwiches

    THURSDAY - Hamburger Helper / Veggie

    FRIDAY - Mushroom Bacon Burgers - Oven Fries

    SATURDAY - Easy Crockpot Meat Loaf with Carrots and Potatoes

    SUNDAY - (GROCERY DAY!) - Roasted Chicken/ Stuffing and Veggie

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    FRIDAY NIGHT  IDEAS

    Basil Burgers

    WANT TO TRY

    Chicken Casserole

  • I am so very tired.  I think it is time to call it a night and head home from work.  I can't wait to reread what I worked on tonight as I don't think I am making much sense anymore.  Hopefully sleep will cure that!

    Good Night!

  • I am finally getting a start to our day.  Not so good considering it is 11:30.  But it is Spring Break, Right???

    YESTERDAY

    It was a pretty good day and I completed only 2 loads of laundry done.  Oh Well...I will work on some more today.    Tommy had 4 neighbor boys over to play with him.  I headed off to work at about 4:30, when hubby got home from work and made it to my 5:30 homevisit on time!  It is the last home visit I needed to complete for my CSG plans!!  Yeah...now to just write all 24 plans.  I made it home last night around midnight. 

    I did make a little mistake in haste as I was leaving for work.  Erik came back with staff from the YMCA and I was in a hurry to get out the door and on the road.  Erik asked me if he could go to buy the movie, "I am Legend".  I asked what it was rated and he said PG-13.  I told him he couldn't get it right now since he was still grounded, but if he was good the rest of the week I would take him to get it on Friday.  ARGH....mistake made.  I tend to forget once in a while that Erik isn't a typical teenager.  Just because the movie is rated PG-13, it doesn't mean it would be something that his therapist would like that I let him buy.   The problem when Erik buys a movie is that he will watch is over and over.  It is not rare for him to watch it at least twice a day.   So if it is violent, then he will be exposed to that numerous times.  He actually gets so overly involved in the movie that it will be in this thoughts every moment.     

    So this morning I did a little backtracking with Erik and it seemed to go over ok with Erik.  I told him that if he is good, he can rent the movie "I Am Legend" and watch it with Dad when I go to work on Saturday as Tommy will be with me.  If Dad decides it would be an appropriate movie for him to own, he can go and purchase it with his gift card.  Sometimes you just forget and want for him to be like every other teen.  But luckily we have many professionals that keep us on track and we continue to make progress so that someday, he can do those things successfully.  Some things just because of his PDD-NOS diagnosis, I am not sure he will ever really understand.   Understanding emotions and caring about others feelings is very hard for him.  At times it is hard for everyone to remember that he isn't hurting your feelings on purpose, he just doesn't have very good social skills.

    It seems that I am always blogging about what is new with Erik.  This is why I never work on the weekends that he goes to his mom's house.  That is my time to spend with our other two children.  They never get as much attention as Erik.  

    TODAY

    I am so very tired today.  My hubby was snoring a lot and I could not fall asleep.  So the baby puppy and I went to sleep on the couch.  It really wasn't until about 3:00am that i feel asleep and I woke at 7:00 when hubby got up.  I went back to sleep in our room until about 9:00 or so when Tommy woke up.   

    I am afraid that I will be too tired to work enough hours tonight.   I really need to be able to work at least 5 hours this evening.  I am going to try to get the new VPN client set up at home here so I can use remote access to check my email at work and things.   I hope to maybe do a bit of work this afternoon as well. 

    The boys and I don't have much planned today.  I started Erik's money budgeting goal today.  We will be going to the bank to turn in his change and then he will fill in his worksheet.  We are working on planning our week and he is going to make Friday his outing/shopping day.   I am trying to get him to learn to think ahead and plan and not be so impulsive.  This is a big feat!!!   It is actually a good start that he asked to go buy the movie yesterday and he agreed to wait until Friday which is his shopping day.  

    We also planned our budget for vacation.  We are going on a three day weekend to Duluth and he wanted $60.00 of spending money.  So when our neighbors come home from Florida and pay him for shoveling this winter, he will put $60 in the savings for our vacation.  I asked him if he planned on going on vacation with his mom and stepdad, but he said he didn't want to.  

    We might plan to go to my sisters trailer at the lake for a weekend as well.  We will see.  We are just going to try and do some smaller outings this summer. 

    TOMORROW

    I have to have both boys up and out the door by 9:45 or so.   Erik is hopefully getting his braces off tomorrow.  He has not done very well in putting the rubber bands on so his correction isn't perfect, but it is the best it will be.  He has an appointment at 10:00 and another appointment at 2:00 to have his temp retained put in or something. 

    Well the boys lunch is almost done, so we are going to eat and head to the bank.   Hope you are all having a great day!!

  • Discovered on Cherylyn_p's Blog :

    Your Spelling is Perfect
    You got 10/10 correct.

    Your spelling is excellent. You also have a great memory and eye for detail.

  • No longer quiet at our home, but it is good noise.   The neighbors boys ages 8 and twins age 4 came over to play Wii with Tommy.  Erik went with staff to complete his application to sign up for the YMCA and will play basketball for a while.  I made a deal with him that he had to put going there once a week into his weekly schedule.  We will see how that goes.  We just want him to find a hobby to fill his free time. 

    Well the phone jsut rang in the other neighbor also wants to come over.  So I best get back to hanging out with the boys. 

  • The house is quiet and that is so nice.  I have been trying to keep our days pretty structured as the boys do better with that.  Erik tends to sleep in until later so I let him do that.   I let the boys watch TV until after lunch and then I have been turning off the TV and getting them busy with some sort of activity.   Yesterday we made silly putty, today....lego building. 

    Erik's staff came yesterday and again today at 2:30.   I had them go to the YMCA and get info to sign up etc.  We are going to get Erik a membership so he can go there with staff once a week.  It is hard to keep him busy and I think this will be very important for the summer.  Today I will give him the check and look over the forms he filled out with staff and have them turn then in etc.   The staff will be taking the rest of the week off.  That will work out ok since I am home anyways.   Right now Erik is outside shoveling snow.  He is almost done.

    Tommy has been outside and built a snowman with the neighbor boys.  Now Tommy is playing with Legos at the table chatting away with me.   I guess I am going to go and mop the kitchen floor and start thinking about going to work.  Hubby is coming home early today so I can leave earlier as I have a home visit at 5:30 and it is about 45 minutes away or more. 

    Maybe I can even make myself sit down and read some of my book.  I have really been struggling with relaxing, but then again I always have a hard time with that. 

  • Day # 2 - Spring Break

    I am moving a bit slower this morning.  It takes a bit more out of me than I thought it would to work nights and have the kids all day.   Today I slept in so I would be able to work until 11:00 tonight.   I slept in until 8:30, which was great.   I got up and took care of the animals and started our day.  

    So far this morning I have done one load of laundry and shower/dressed.  Tommy and I did a couple of drawings out of a step by step drawing book together.  I will make lunch soon.    I am not going to take on any major cleaning projects as I had planned.  I am going to do laundry and dishes and that is it.   I need to rest a bit to be able to work evenings.  

    Hubby and the boys loved the Corned Beef and Cabbge I made for supper for them last night.  Well I am off to read a bit until lunch time.  Hope you are having a lovely day! 

  • THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO......

    MARCH

    • Spring Break - time with the boys
    • Easter Dinner with Family at Lowell Inn in Stillwater.
    • MN Social Service Association Conference - work hours that don't have to be filled with putting out fires all day.  Just get paid to learn........

    APRIL

    • Mom's Retreat -  I am going to Duluth for the Children's Mental Health Conference.  It starts on a Sunday afternoon, but I will go up alone on Friday and enjoy a weekend filled with splurges.  I look forward to this every year!   Room service and reading in bed all day...Here I come!

    MAY

    • Fund Raiser for a friend's grandchildren.
    • Our 8th Anniversary
    • A wonderful Man's retirement party - I am sad about this.  He is the best!!   My work won't be the same without him.  But I am very happy for him. 
    • Josh's 20th birthday - Yikes I have a child almost in his 20's!! - I don't think I am going to do too well with that one!

    JUNE

    • Last Day of School - Summer Begins

    JULY

    • Tommy and I are going to South Dakota for a long visit with my family and friends. 
    • Paul's Birthday

    AUGUST

    • Family Vacation in Duluth with my brother's family and mine!
    • Block Party???

    SEPTEMBER

    • Girls Only Cabin Get Away
    • Boys Back to School
    • Erik's Birthday

    OCTOBER

    • Halloween
    • Tommy's Birthday

    NOVEMBER

    • Hearts-At-Home Conference in Rochester MN - A nonwork conference, but a conference a couple of friends from church went to and really liked.  I would like to check it out this year. 

  • My Evening.....

    I just finished up a lovely dinner of warmed up leftovers.  Actually it was the Ravioli casserole I made for the guys to eat when I was working late.  It was good!

    It is now 7:00, I have my mail, email and phone messages done for the day.  Now I will do an hour of time entry and then complete a couple of budgets before going home!  

    I hope I can keep up doing this every evening this week.  I might need to take a day or two off.  We will see.  So far....so good!

    UPDATE:

    8:14 - time reporting completed for one week