Rising Prices....Gas, Groceries and More!

I am sure you have noticed, if you have bought anything in the last couple months, that prices are on the rise.  It has been predicted, but I was sure hoping it wouldn't happen.  We live in the most competitive grocery market in the country, so our prices are probably still good compared to other areas, but we live on a very tight budget and I am having to increase the amount we spend on groceries and basic supplies.  I am feeling the pinch in our budget.  There just aren't as good of sales, not as many good coupons, and even on sale prices are higher than in the past.  I am very thankful for the past several years where we have been able to eat really well on a small budget and I know that God will provide all that we have need of, but I am sad that I am having to increase my "buy" price on so many items.  That just means that there will be less "extras" all around.  Plus, our costs have increased because we have more people living in our home for now.  I am hoping that our extra family member will soon be able to contribute some to the household budget by way of a job - that will certainly help!

And gas prices have just jumped from $2.99/gal that I paid a week and a half ago, to $3.23/gal being the lowest that I can find around here!  That is a 24 cent jump in just a few days!  How come the media is not all over that?  Why are people protesting and raising a ruckus about the huge jump in gas prices?  I guess we have been lulled into believing that it is inevitable.  Well, we are going to have to begin getting creative in ways to decrease our use of gasoline, too.  Perhaps bicycling will become necessary -couldn't hurt my personal "bottom line"! LOL  My husband already bicycles to work most days, so he is definitely doing his part.

So have you begun to feel the crunch of rising prices?  Share your ideas for saving money on groceries and gas.  We can all learn from each other and help each other out during this belt-tightening time!

When You Don't Know What Gift to Get

I have several nieces and nephews of all different ages that I don't know exactly what to get for Christmas or birthdays.  Amazon.com has such a wide variety of things, that I have found that a gift card for Amazon.com is the perfect gift!  Then they can just go online and select exactly what they want.  It is delivered to their door very quickly and so hassle of waiting until mom or dad can run them to the store.  You should try it!

Shop Amazon's Gift Cards - Perfect Anytime

Preparing for Thanksgiving

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is in a few short days!  This year has sped by and is almost coming to a close.  These last few weeks of the year are filled with holidays and get-togethers...so much fun!

So today I needed to plan out our meal for Thanksgiving so that I can make sure to pick up all the ingredients over the next few days and prepare the desserts ahead of time.  Here is our menu:

Turkey (Jennie-O 39 cents/lb - I got 5 this year)
Stuffing (I like Mrs. Cubbison's cubed herbed doctored up a little)
Mashed Potatoes (88 cents/10 lbs at Albertsons)
Sweet Potato Corn Pudding (our family favorite tradition)
Green Bean Casserole (already stocked up except for fried onion rings)
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce (on sale at Frys)
Horseradish (meal not complete without:-)
Pumpkin Pie (baking and pureeing the pumpkins today)
Pumpkin Roll (my son would never forgive me if I didn't make this)
Key Lime Pie (my daughter REALLY wants this)

That is our menu.  We just skip the salad type dishes to focus on the main events.   So what is on your menu for Thanksgiving dinner?  Are you hosting or going to someone else's home?  Feel free to share any family favorite recipes, too!

Salmon Patties

I have been wanting to make these for a long time, but I finally did make them today.  I had bought some chunks of salmon from the Mexican market a couple months ago.  I made some salmon chowder with them, but nobody liked it.  So I still had several pounds in the freezer and decided to take some out and try these salmon patties.  They turned out SO delicious and were quite easy to make.

I chopped up about 1 lb of salmon into little chunks and mixed with 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs (Italian seasoned), 2 eggs, 1/2 finely chopped onion, 1 T of Worcestershire Sauce, 1 teaspoon Chalula hot sauce, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, salt and pepper.  I mixed that all up and made into patties which I then coated in more bread crumbs on a little plate.

I fried these in about 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet - several minutes on each side until golden brown.

They are very yummy!!!

The Sports Saga Continues

Yesterday, my son had an MRI and then an appointment with his Orthopedic Surgeon.  Although they are still not absolutely certain what his injury entails, they believe it is a bruised nerve in his shoulder.  He has regained almost all of his range of motion, however, there is a lot more pain.  He also has diminished strength in his deltoids and triceps.  Every few days, his shoulder does seem to improve, but there is still a good deal of pain - it just comes about 5 minutes AFTER moving or using it a lot.  After reading some more information, I still believe it is a bruised nerve and that the nerve gets "riled up" when he uses it and then responds by flaring up with pain.

We go back to the ortho in 2 weeks, at which time he is hoping to be cleared to play the last 3 games of the season.  Right now, he is in too much pain to play, but we are hoping two more weeks will see that pain eased.

So, what do we "sports moms" do?  We support our children even through their many injuries, we encourage them as much as possible, provide the nutrition they still need even when sidelined, and be there for them when they need us.  Our role doesn't really change, just the different ways we fulfill it.  We love our kids and want them to fulfill their dreams, whatever they may be!

Would you like an opportunity to help fulfill some of those dreams with a $100 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card?  I thought you might, so go over to my main "Sports Mom" post and leave a comment for your chance to win!

More Ups and Downs of Being a Sports Mom

I though I might update you all on our sports journey these last couple weeks.  My son's MCL injury to his knee healed pretty quickly and he only missed one game.  He played the second half of the next game and all but a few plays of the third game.   However, near the end of that game, he got hit hard on the shoulder.  He experience pain for a few minutes, but it went away and he continued to play.  After the game, he realized that he could not lift his left arm at all.  There was no pain, but he couldn't lift his arm.  It took until Tuesday afternoon to get him in to see the orthopedic surgeon and he was completely perplexed.  The lack of pain made it impossible to diagnose the injury.  So he has ordered an MRI.  Unfortunately, it takes 7-14 days to get insurance approval for an MRI, so we are waiting.

I am happy to say that in the meantime, he has slowly regained used of his arm.  He can now lift it up over his head, still with no pain.  It is not quite normal -he says it takes extra effort to lift it - but we are greatly encouraged with the progress.  He has another appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on Thursday and we are hoping he is released to play for this Friday's game, which is the Homecoming Game.  Perhaps we will be able to forgo the whole MRI.

If you haven't yet entered, go to the original post here and leave a comment for your chance to win $100 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card.

If you are a sports mom.....

Cody is #56

If you are a sports mom, you understand the ins and outs of injuries.

If you are a sports mom, you are excited and worried every time your child has a game.

If you are a sports mom, you try very hard to make sure to provide your child with the nutrition he/she needs.

If you are a sports mom, you sacrifice your time to help with team activities.

If you are a sports mom, you will understand the frustration I am experiencing because my son is AGAIN dealing with an injury.  Doctors visits today to find out why he cannot lift his left arm.  Praying for something simple, that they can "pop" back into place or something like that.

If you are a sport mom, you need to come over and comment on The Ups and Downs of Being A Sports Mom to get your chance to win $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods!!