My kid is a genius!

WOW! I couldn't even do this!

Just had to share :-)

Menu Planning Monday

This week went pretty well! So here are a few updates:

1. My "cash" plan is working extremely awesome for me. I pull out $100 cash to spend for all my grocery/gas/whatever needs and I have to make that work for as long as possible (goal right now is to even last ONE week!). I found ways to be creative. For example, I needed paper towels, toilet paper, laundry soap, dishwasher detergent... all this week! Now those are normally pretty big costs out of the grocery budget but I knew I had to be creative and savvy with how I was going to make it work. First of course, I cut coupons... then I used an old $10 Target Gift Card I had lying around, some Extra Care Bucks (ECB's) from CVS, and got to work. My total out of pocket (OOP) at Target was $1.90 for Electrosol, a big bottle of Tide, and a few freebies (i.e. bananas, ciabatta bread...) I learned about from here. Then on to CVS to get a few freebies there and used my ECB's to get big packs of paper towels and toilet paper. I didn't "roll" the ECB's but I figured I'd work out another challenge next week when I have a bigger budget. Total OOP for huge packs of TP and paper towels $3.10. Learn more about CVS and how to grow your ECB's with weekly $5 challenges here. Now to be honest... if I had used my debit card and my supposedly "infinite" amount that's in the bank, I would never have challenged myself to make this work. I have a lot of fun trying to beat the system and stay within budget so it's kinda cool! The best part, whatever that is left over can go to fun stuff like this week going out to eat with the Brody's and Turnbough's! Yahoo!

2. Ok so onto the Menu Plan!

Monday - Empanadas (YUM!) I can't wait to make this today! It's got my picadillo recipe and mashed potatoes stuffed inside some yummy fried crisp dough. Just thinking about this makes my mouth water!

Tuesday - Spinach pesto and pasta - So I bought a HUGE bag of spinach at Costco and as expected the almost 3/4 full bag will be expiring on Wednesday. We've never had Pesto so we are gonna give this a try. I guess afterewards I can freeze a huge chunk of the pesto and add to chicken, fish and sandwiches so let's see how that goes!

Wednesday - Vietnamese Chicken over rice noodles. Just thought this looked like a fun recipe to make only will change it up with some fish sauce.

Thursday - Carne Asada burritos - This is our church small group meeting night so we have to have something super easy to take on the go. The cool, cool thing is that I have already cooked the meat and now just have to defrost it and throw it into some yummy flour tortillas with salsa!

Friday - Arroz con pollo

Saturday - Dinner out with friends :-) I look at this as my reward for having a good week!

For more menu plans and ideas check this out...

3. Lastly, here is my laundry update... so since I was out of laundry soap for about a week I am behind on laundry again :-(
Oh well, let's see how far I can get today!

Menu Planning Monday

Whoa! So let's try this again! I keep trying to keep on track with Menu Planning Monday... but weeks will go by before I post them again!

Here's our plan:

Monday - Shrimp Scampi over Spaghetti noodles

Tuesday- Puerto Rican Arroz con Salchicha (Rice with weinies (sp?)), habichuelas (beans), and chuletas (pork chop). First time making so we'll see how that goes!

Wednesday - Baked fish with veggies and rice

Thursday - Pizza (got a good deal at Albertsons LOL)

Friday - Caldo de Res ( I know it's not Fall yet especially here in AZ but I am craving some good yummy soup!)

To see what everyone else is doing for Menu Planning Monday, go here :-)

Have a good week!

First week of Homeschool!

So far so good! I can say that it's going...well we are not doing too bad.

I ordered our curriculum from Sonlight and it was sooo worth the investment. Ira is doing the Preschool 4,5 level and Geovanni is doing the Core 1+2 History with the Mesa Distance Learning program. I've been supplementing some additional things here and there as I see needed, but it is totally rocking! Exhausting... but rocking. We have a memory verse each week, read a Bible story daily and are totally intaking a whole lot of stuff.

I feel so blessed to be homeschooling...I love it and can't wait until another successful year!

Love,

Fun night out!

Awwww I love this picture! This was taken over at the Blazin M Ranch Dinner Show. We went for my brother's birthday and had a blast!

Here are some more pics from the fun night!

More info here: http://www.blazinm.com/


Happy Birthday Bro!

Menu Planning Monday

It's time to get on track again! I've done a major grocery shopping spree and it's time to get things done right. I have some very exciting news. ANYONE who knows me knows I have a battle with laundry... it never seems to go away! Well... I have an annoucement... drum roll please.....

I HAVE OFFICIALLY FINISHED LAUNDRY! No, it doesn't mean that I have washed everything and that it is in a nice pile on the top bunk bed where it ends up messy in a few days... IT MEANS I HAVE WASHED EVERY PIECE OF CLOTHING AND IT IS ALL PUT AWAY! sorry about the all caps but i really am screaming here. This is victory! Wanna do the dance with me?

So now there is no excuses... it's gotta be done once a day. Ok, maybe every other day. But I want to keep it up. So here is the deal. I will post once a week where I am on the whole laundry deal cuz I don't ever, ever, ever want to be at that place again where the laundry creeps up on me and it's a whole big mess again. I LOVE challenges so let's see how it goes.

So here's my menu plan:

Monday - Arroz con Pollo (thanks mom for the recipe!)
Tuesday - Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken (yum!) with creamy mashed potatoes
Wednesday - Picadillo (Latin seasoned ground beef with chopped veggies) w/ rice
Thursday - Vietnamese Pork Chops
Friday - couscous with shrimp kebobs

Wish me luck!

Love,

So sad...

I anticipated this week would be terrible. I've been pretty depressed up to this day. I've been trying to focus and stay strong but I can't help it. It's been one year since I learned that my little one has went to heaven. It's been so hard. There hasn't been a time where I don't think about it or what it's been like to feel that loss.

I have faith that God will provide. I have faith that my Lord knows why. I trust that God will see us through this. As much as I say it, I hope I can eventually truly feel it. I know it takes time to heal but... if only.... it's so hard.

On the same day of my surgery, it was also the same day my grandfather passed away 4 years ago. I just keep thinking that he was there to greet my little one and hold her too. My grandfather adored babies and loved children very much. I know he is with her now and they are together in heaven watching over us. One day we will all be together again. Until then... I miss them very, very, very much.

Nani is back from CAMP!

This was the LONGEST week of my entire life. G left for camp on Monday and I was miserable. My sweetie took the week off and stayed with me and I am sooo glad he did. I was in a hole and didn't want to talk to anyone, or do anything at all! I kept praying without ceasing the entire time he was gone. I was so engrossed in the Palm Valley Kids Camp blog because it was my only connection with him!

Turned out he did awesome. This is my favorite picture of him while he was at camp. This is one where he is playing human foosball!

There were many lessons learned this week...

1. Never underestimate your children
2. Never overestimate yourself
3. Trust God... he hears your prayers!

My 30th Birthday!

So my mom and sweetie put together a 30th birthday party for me today. I still can't believe I've made it to the BIG "Three O" but you know, it's where i wanna be. I remember when I talked to my girlfriend Rachele last December and she told me when she was turning 30 that she LOVED where she was at 30. I thought about that and it stuck with me. I have two beautiful boys, an amazing husband who loves me very much, a loving mom and family... fantastic girlfriends who are always there... I just thank God for my blessings.

My mom made Puerto Rican food and we had a DJ and a WaterSlide! My goal was for the babies to have fun... and it seems like they did!

Field Trip to Phoenix Children's Museum

We got to go to the Phoenix Children's Museum yesterday. I took my nephews Andy and Alex too! Julie met me there with Hannah and it was so great! The boys had a blast and I know Hannah did too! Here are some pics from the field trip...

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Today my sweetie and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary (from our actual formal wedding ceremony). We went out to eat at Claim Jumpers without our babies. While it was so nice to sit and chat without the babies interrupting, believe it or not, we kept talking about them! Nani's leaving for camp soon so I am getting super anxious and nervous about it. This week, my sweetie and mom will be throwing me a birthday party so that's helping me keep my mind off things for awhile.

I love that after 9 years of marriage I still am still head over heels in love with my man! He is so wonderful and I am so thankful that God put us together. Sometimes it is work... and I really mean WORK, but it is sooo worth it! He makes me laugh, he is my partner and best friend, and most of all, he is an amazing father! I love you Papi Chulo!

Ira's Birthday Party

Ira's Birthday party was such a BLAST! We pulled it together well. Here are some pics from the BIG Day!

I cannot BELIEVE my baby is now 4! I am so proud of him. Thank you Jesus for my cutie pie!

Amazing Journey Begins

I am so thrilled. I know I haven't posted much..it's been an amazing couple weeks with ups and downs all around. Let's start with the downs:

1) I haven't menu planned in two weeks. Yup, after 2 weeks of perfection, I slipped. I ran dry of ideas and just couldn't come up with any more within me so we gave in to eating out a total of 5 nights in the past couple weeks. Maybe more.. I don't know I just don't wanna count! After Ira's birthday party tomorrow, I hope I will come back around again. I sure miss home cooked meals now!

2) My mama went to the ER last night and was admitted :-( I cried my eyes out and then went to visit her. I seem strong around my sisters and brothers but really, I am a mess. I just don't know how to be. I know I have faith but the thought of my mama suffering or even getting close to a heart attack freaks me out. I LOVE MY MOM. She is the world to me. I know I am who I am because of her and I NEED her. I so look forward to our Wednesday and Friday morning conversations where we talk about anything. I can't wait for her to get out of the hospital and be home. I am going to plan a girls' day out soon. I'll talk to my sisters and see what we can come up with. Mama needs her pampering, she works sooo hard.

Now the ups:

1) My honey and I decided after 10 years of a promise that it's time to move forward with the adoption process. I am so excited! 10 years ago before we got married, we stared in each other's eyes and made a pact with our Lord that we would do everything possible to adopt a child. As child advocates and working with children I can't tell you enough how many children are so hurting and longing for a family to belong to. So here begins our journey for a princess to join our home. We are hoping for a girl that we can spoil and the boys can protect. Lil Geovanni and Ira understand and are believing that we will bring home a new baby soon. I know there is a chica out there who will be our new addition. Lord, I pray that you protect her and send our precious angel Gianna to comfort her right now and let her know that she will be joining us soon.
In Jesus mighty mighty name, Amen!

2) Ira's birthday! Well if you know us, you know we do these birthday parties up BIG. We have a saying in our household... "We asked for our babies, they didn't ask for us." And therefore, we look at birthday parties as a way to show our babies how special they are to us. They love being part of the planning. We plan for months ahead... while nothing gets down on paper because I am just not THAT organized, we plan things like where we are thinking of having it and the theme. Then we start dreaming up the games and envisioning the whole thing. I will post pictures up after tomorrow's BIG day.

Well that's all for now... I've gotta run and get the last items for the party tomorrow.

In Jesus,

More found money!

After yesterday's success, I thought I would try TMobile today and see if there was anything we can do. I was able to lower my bill down by $10! Yes! That's right! I am soo psyched. That's $120 savings in a year! The best part of the whole thing is that I didn't even sacrifice any of my cool features. I still have my Instant Messaging, my email, and my web surfing. .. I've come a LONG way from my cheapie phone, I know!

I love being able to live a frugal life but still living it large LOL ;-)

If you have done anything to help cut costs in small places, I want to hear about it. Just jot me an email or leave a comment below...

Thanks!

In Him,

Cutting corners whereever I can!

So I made a phone call to Cox cable/internet/phone to see what they can do. I am afraid to give up our DVR (I just love that thing!) but I figured there HAS to be somewhere in that bill where I can cut corners and find some $$. After much persistance they found that I don't even use their long distance enough to compensate for the Unlimited Long Distance and further, they charge a whopping $5 just for voicemail. Hey, isn't that what answering machines are for anyway? So I was able to lower my bill by $11.08 per month. Let's see, if I multiply that by 12, I've managed to get almost $133 MORE for next year! Hey, those pennies add up and well... now that's got me all pumped up to find myself some more money!

Woo HOO!

Menu Planning Monday

Menu Planning this week:

Last week was sooo successful! Though I didn't make what I had planned every single night, (i.e. we had pasta carbonara on Wednesday night and burgers on Thursday night) we had all the ingredients and I had my ideas already on what I was going to make that we didn't eat out ONCE! Did you hear this? NOT EVEN ONCE! I even thought we were going to eat out on HomeTeam night on Thursday, but here was my thought process... all we were going to do was buy some burgers and no way would we eat take out burgers when I had all the ingredients at home so I made the burgers in a flash, wrapped them up like take-out and had them in the car! Whew! Amazing!

So here we go again! I am pretty psyched becuase they have chicken tenders for 1.67 pound at Fry's this week and we are going to try our this chicken tender recipe this week. It's going to be sooo much fun!

Monday - Free Pizza that my girlfriend Katrina gave me :-) Thanks girl no cooking tonight!

Tuesday - Picadillo with Rice

Wednesday - Home Team night, Chicken Tenders and Pasta Salad with veggies


Thursday- SteakFajitas

Friday - Pizza Night (Boys are going to have a sleepover so this will be fun!)

As always, for more inspiration and menu planning ideas visit: www.orgjunkie.com

Swagbucks

I learned about Swagbucks from other coupon blogs so I thought I might give it a try. I think the most inspirational posting about swagbucks is when Trina from http://fabulouslyfrugalicious.blogspot.com/ talked about getting this fabulous purse for free using swagbucks she earned. Mama wants herself a new purse too, so of course I had to give it a try too!

So here is the deal, you can sign up for swagbucks by clicking the above link (you and I will BOTH receive swagbucks for doing so!), then do your normal "google" searches by using the swagbucks toolbar or their homepage...it's powered by google anyway, so it's worth a try! You will need only 45 swagbucks for a $10 Amazon GC or even 50 Swagbucks for a $10 starbucks GC. So far I've earned 6 swagbucks in a couple days, so let's see how this goes!

Happy searching (and getting paid to do so anyway)!

Old Navy Shopping

I scored! Though I didn't get the $75 off $100 coupon, I did manage to score a few of those $50 off $100 coupons! If you ever think of shopping for clothes, make sure to check out www.oldnavyweekly.com first and go coupon hunting first. You might score some nice discounts before heading to the store.

Now let me tell you, everytime I walk into a store to shop for myself, I always walk out empty handed, sad and depressed. Nothing fits, or it turns out I am just one size bigger than I anticipated. But at Old Navy, their clothes run a little big so this time was totally different! I walked out with over $200 worth of clothes and spent $100. Not bad! Especially since most of the items were on sale! So it felt like the money was nicely stretched. I am dying to go again, but I know I must be careful... that store is DANGEROUS!

Here are a few things I managed to snag... aren't they cool?

Menu Planning Monday

After my record savings trip to Basha's this weekend, I got inspired to start Menu planning!

Here goes this week's Menu:

Monday: Pasta Carbonara

Tuesday: Pineapple shrimp kebabs with couscous (recipe with pics to come later!)

Wednesday: Cream Cheese Chicken with a side of summer veggies and rice (I'll post recipe and picture on this night... if successful!)

Thursday: This is our Home Team meeting night with our Palm Valley Church so we'll probably have a big lunch and do take out or something...

Friday: Orozco Favorite Burgers (burgers with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms) YUM!

To see more inspiring Menu Plan Mondays and to learn more check out: www.orgjunkie.com

Obsession

I am so amazed... couponing quickly becomes an obsession when I get down to it! This week Bashas is having Super doubles in which $1.00 coupons are doubled to $2.00. I did a Bashas run and managed to get a cartful... yes a cartful full of groceries for $40! Amazing. More on that later.

However what I really am obsessed about now are these hot, hot, hot coupons from Old Navy Weekly. As of today, Sunday there will be a coupon hunt in which you can snag a $75 off a $100 purchase. I've been up all night since midnight refreshing this page! We will be heading off to church soon, but I know I'll be thinking about that coupon!

If you don't get the $75 off $100, check it out anyway. There some other great coupons to be snagged like a $10 off $50, etc!

Pork Chop Recipe

I don't remember where I got this recipe from but I always loved making it for our family! The other day, my girlfriend Julie came over and she said she enjoyed it... good thing the Fish Sauce didn't throw her off! I always serve this with a side of white rice and a tossed salad of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with a side of fish sauce.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Onions (Suon Uop Hanh Toi Nuong)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 onion
4 Cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops

Combine salt, sugar, fish sauce, minced onion, chopped garlic and oil.
Pour over chops in a shallow dish.
Let marinate 3 to 4 hours, turning meat occasionally.
Grill or bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 60 minutes or until cooked.
Slice into bite sizes pieces before serving.

Easy Pasta Carbonara

One of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes is her Pasta Carbonara. I changed up a few things so here is our favorite family version:

Carbonara Ingredients:
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
· 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
· a few slices of bacon chopped
· 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· 1 large egg yolks
· Parmesan cheese

· Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish Directions: 1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bacon. Brown bacon for about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.3. In a separate bowl, beat yolk, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta. 4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan Cheese.

For the boys I serve up the Rigatoni (before adding the egg) with some pasta sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese. It's always a hit in our family and unfortunately I ended up eating this twice! :-)

Rellenos De Papa (Stuffed Mashed Potatoes)

Mom and I made these the other day and they are so awesome! First, you will want to make my picadillo recipe.

Then you will need:
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
water
salt
egg, slightly beaten
cornstarch (to coat balls and your hands)
vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Place water, potatoes and salt in a pot. Cover and boil at moderate heat for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain and mash. Add egg, salt and cornstarch and mix well. Cool to room temperature. Divide mixture in 12 parts. Cover palm of hand with the cornstarch and spread over hand one part of the mixture. Spoon the center with part of the picadillo filling and bring mixture over to cover filling. Coat lightly with cornstarch and proceed with remaining mixture until 12 balls are ready. Deep fry in fat, heated to 375:F, until golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.

I serve this with white rice or Puerto Rican yellow rice when I feel up to it. Enjoy!

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Remember the plain yogurt from the Curry Chicken? Had some leftover and made an awesome Ambrosia Fruit Salad! Here's what I whipped up as today's dessert... YUM! No measurements sorry, just a little this and that....

Some low fat Sour Cream
Some plain Yogurt
Some shredded coconut
1 can fruit cocktail, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
Some colored miniature marshmallows

Mix together and serve! Oh my gosh this was good!

Southwest Salsa Pizza

One of my favorite summer recipes is one that comes from Pampered Chef...I totally forgot about this one until I came across it!

Ingredients:
1
package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1
package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1
garlic clove, pressed
1/4
cup snipped fresh cilantro or parsley, divided
3
plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4
cup chopped green bell pepper
2
tablespoons chopped red onion
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1
ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll crescent dough and divide into 8 triangles. On Large Round Stone, arrange triangles in a circle with points in the center and wide ends toward the outside. Roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, pressing seams together to seal. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.
2.
Place cream cheese, garlic pressed with Garlic Press and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in bowl; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top of crust.
3.
Seed and dice tomatoes using Chef's Knife. Chop bell pepper and red onion using Food Chopper. Combine tomatoes, bell pepper and onion in Classic Batter Bowl. Stir in remaining cilantro; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon salsa over cream cheese mixture. Peel and slice avocado; arrange over top of pizza.
Yield: 10 servings Nutrients per serving: Calories 200, Total Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 320 mg, Fiber 1 g

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Amazing. 9 Years TODAY! As I reflect on these nine years of marriage, I think of how true it is that a Marriage takes Work, Patience, and a whole lotta Prayer! I can honestly say that what always kept me on check was that I always knew that my sweetie is the one I want to be with forever. Therefore, why in the world would I want us to be miserable? We do silly things like make fun of each other (in a nice way of course), crack jokes, squeeze each other's butt when no one else is looking... and so much more. Always making sure that it's the little things that count, like making sure to greet him at the door when he walks in (the boys and I run and hug him like he's been gone for weeks every single day he comes home) , he calls me daily for a lunch date to see how my day is going (even though sometimes my day is so hectic it seems like a chore), I always wake up early to prepare his clothes and make him coffee, breakfast and lunch before he leaves for work too (except when I am sick or the babies are sick of course, he always insists I stay in bed and sleep in)! This may all seem cheesy but I know it's what keeps our fire burning.

The mere fact that we have a passion for the same thing. Children. We have an strong desire to help children, to minister to them and to provide them the best education possible. We have lengthy conversations about our ministry, the who, the how, the when, and the why. There are so many hurting children out there. And we have that burning desire to make a difference together...

I love seeing "my man" grow. He is hotter, cuter, and so much wiser now... Toast to our Anniversary and the many, many years to come!

Breakfast for Dinner anyone?

Today was another 104 degree day here in the Valley of the Sun. Unfortunately our AC is not working properly as it did last year. Worse, we haven't been able to find someone who can accurately diagnose the problem! Please pray with me that we will find someone who can fix our AC before the weather gets close to the 115 to 119 range!

So I scratched off the idea of our Mexican fish dinner tonight. It entailed turning on the oven and that makes our house even more warm! So in a frantic, I didn't want to turn to fast food or restaurant (especially since I did already 3 times this week being sick and all *groan*), so we had breakfast for dinner tonight. We had eggs from the Bashas sale last week (.88 cents a dozen!), and made a couple fried eggs for me and my sweetie with toast, a slice of turkey bacon, and french toast with whole wheat bread for the boys. Such a light and easy dinner and no complaints at all! Knowing we have a busy weekend ahead of us, I knew we wouldn't be able to have a great sit down breakfast anyway (bagels on the run), so it was nice to have a sit down breakfast *ahem* dinner tonight!