This week is my non grocery shopping week, so this is the week that I try to use up what is in the fridge, freezer and pantry.

Monday
Lunch – Birthday Celebration Lunch at Lone Star Steakhouse
Dinner – Cheese on toast or something light and easy after having a big lunch

Tuesday
Dinner – Crumbed Fish, chips and streamed vegetables

Wednesday
Dinner – Shepherds Pie and steamed vegetables

Thursday – Rob and Rileys Birthdays
Dinner – Rileys choice – more than likely McDonalds
Baking – Chocolate coconut friands with chocolate fudge sauce

Friday
Dinner – Spiced lentil & Vegetable Soup and Quick & Easy Dinner Rolls – I didn’t make this last week.

Saturday
Dinner – Cheese on Toast

Sunday
Dinner – Family Dinner at my parents house

Thanks to Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday. Go and check out more great menus!.

1. Email – I can contact family and friends no matter what time of the night or day and no matter where in the world they live.
2. eBay – Allows me to make a little extra spending money.
3. Blogging – Allows me to get stuff off my chest and out of my head, as well as allowing me to meet and connect with other great bloggers.
4. Facebook – Allows me to reconnect with old friends as well as keeping in touch with family and friends.
5. Forums – Helps me connect with other people that have things in common with me.
6. Recipes – I can always find the recipe for anything I want to cook.
7. Sharing photos with friends and family
8. Sharing videos with friends and family
9. Friendships – I have made many new friends over the internet
10. Instant Messengers – Allows me to talk instantly to family and friends
11. iTunes – Lets me download my favourite podcasts
12. Google – I can find everything about anything.
13. Kids Activities – I can find games and printables to keep the kids occupied and me sane

This weeks Works For Me Wednesday theme is the “Mum I’m bored” theme!

Every school holidays I get a huge packet of foam shapes – similar to the ones shown below. They can be bought really cheaply and they keep my kids entertained for hours. The younger kids like to simply glue them on to paper and the older kids like to make intricate patterns with the different foam shapes. I usually lay a plastic tablecloth over the table, poor the shapes in the middle, give them plenty of paper and glue and let them go for it. It keeps them occupied for hours.

Another idea especially good for when the weather is warmer is to give each child a small bucket or bowl of water and a paint brush and send them outside to paint the path or the fence. It’s lots of fun and there isn’t any cleaning up involved

Visit Shannon’s Blog for more Works For Me Wednesday Tips!

Today of all days I have Mt Washmore to take care of.

Why today of all days? Well today it is raining and miserable outside, not the bright sunny, slightly breezey day I had hoped for when examinging my overflowing washing baskets last night.

So far I have folded 2 baskets worth of clothes and put them into the rightful owners wardrobes. Washed, dried and folded another basket load, I have a load currently in the dryer and a load of towels curently in the washine machine. I think I’m going to be here for quite some time yet!

And now for my To-do List update:

Flylady’s Home Blessing Hour
Sort bedroom drawer (It’s full of papers that need to be filed)
Sort Sophie’s wardrobe (remove clothes that she has outgrown)
Mend Chloe’s school pants and Clare’s school dress
Weed the vegetable (or should I say lettuce) garden
Change Caitie and Riley’s sheets and quilt covers
Change mobile phone billing to paperless
Defrost the freezer

This week I am going to try something a little new and different. I’m going to write down my to-do list for the week along with my meal plan for the week.

My To-Do List

• Flylady’s Home Blessing Hour
• Sort bedroom drawer (It’s full of papers that need to be filed)
• Sort Sophie’s wardrobe (remove clothes that she has outgrown)
• Mend Chloe’s school pants and Clare’s school dress
• Weed the vegetable (or should I say lettuce) garden
• Change Caitie and Riley’s sheets and quilt covers
• Change mobile phone billing to paperless
• Defrost the freezer

My Menu Plan

Monday
Dinner – Meat Ball Casserole

Tuesday
Dinner – Pizza Chicken and streamed vegetables

Wednesday
Dinner – Shepherds Pie

Thursday
Dinner – Grilled Chicken and Oriental Rice

Friday
Dinner – Spiced lentil & Vegetable Soup and Quick & Easy Dinner Rolls

Saturday
Dinner – Cheese on Toast

Sunday
Dinner – Family Dinner at my parents house

Baking – Simple Savings Biscuits

Thanks to Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday. Go and check out more great menus!.

I heard of a great tip for smaller kids birthday parties when they want to have a sleepover party but are still to young.

Monday
Dinner – Foil-Pack Taco Chicken Dinner and Salad

Tuesday
Dinner – Shepherds Pie and Corn on the Cob

Wednesday
Dinner – Crumbed Fish, Mashed Potato and Vegetables

Thursday
Dinner – Curried Meatballs and steamed vegetables

Friday
Dinner – Crockpot Pumpkin Soup and Fresh Bread Rolls

Saturday
Dinner – Cheese on Toast

Sunday
Dinner – Family Dinner at my parents house

Baking – Chocolate ‘Yogo’ , Mini Banana Muffins with Cream-Cheese Icing and Choc Chip Cookies

Thanks to Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday. Go and check out more great menus!.

1. Pick a bouquet of flowers from your own garden.
2. Buy a single flower at the florist. The florist may even add a little baby’s breath and a bow.
3. Spend time with your Mum – just you and her.
4. Make your Mum’s favourite dessert and give it to her along with a gift certificate for a homemade dessert once a month.
5. Fill a pretty basket with things your Mum likes, like cookie mixes, dried herbs, a mug filled with a couple of specialty tea bags. Line the basket with a napkin, a tea towel or a piece of material, add a raffia bow.
6. Family photos always make a great gift, but they don’t have to be the expensive portraits made at a professional studio. Some studios like Pixie Foto offer very inexpensive portrait packages, just don’t be lured into buying extra sheets or it could cost a small fortune.
7. Homemade cookies in a pretty basket or simply wrapped in cellophane make a lovely gift.
8. Give your Mum a Free Car Wash. You could even vacuum her car and wash the windows.
9. Potted Flowers are a great idea instead of buying a bunch of cut flowers from a flower shop, potted flowers can be found for less than the price of a bouquet.
10. Take Mum out to lunch or dinner – This normally wouldn’t qualify as a frugal gift idea, but on Mother’s Day it can as long as you go somwhere that offers a free meal for Mum on Mother’s Day.
11. Buy a pretty coffee mug and fill it with coffee, exotic teas, or lollies, wrap it in cellophane and tie it up with a pretty ribbon.
12. Make your Mum dinner and don’t forget to do the dishes.
13. A pretty journal and a nice pen tied together with a pretty bow.