Menu plan Monday: Week of August 10-17

Menu

Sunday: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Monday: Roquefort stuffed Boneless Pork Chops

Tuesday: Tuna and Artichoke pressed sandwich

Wednesday: Pasta with zucchini
Thursday: Tamale pie
Friday: Leftovers

Reflections from the Backcounter

An inspirational story for Monday morning. Irene Sendler was a truly inspiring and heroic woman. Her story was unearthed by high schoolers. The power of one....read this. Hard to believe that I did not know about her. http://www.irenasendler.org/thestory.asp

Breakaway

Thursday: Chicken Tetrazzini

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108730

This is a great casserole that can be made ahead and popped into the oven on a work night. Truly comfort food, it is delicious and filling for teen appetites.

Reflections from the Backcounter

Thursday... almost the end of the week. A great day to plan a breakaway. Everyone needs a break from the routine, the mundane tasks of the week that are mind numbing and predictable. A weekend getaway is always fantastic but for most of us, the time, funding and opportunities to get away for an entire weekend are limited. Instead of a getaway, how about a Breakaway? A Breakaway is just that, the chance to break the routine and enjoy a brief respite from everyday life. It can be as simple as reading a book in the library or sitting on a lawn chair under an umbrella for two hours sipping an iced tea and leafing through a magazine. Anything that we do to change it up is refreshing and rejuvenating. Here are some great Breakaway ideas:

Take a drive and look at spring flowers

Take a short hike

Grab your camera and shoot a few pictures

Go to garage sales

Read a book

Take a bath

Take a bike ride

Take a walk

Wash the dog and have a water fight with the kids

Take a nap

Meditate

We need to embrace opportunities to refresh our spirit.

Peace,

Julia

Believe in yourself

Thursday: Artichoke Pasta

Reflections from the Backcounter

Find your center and stay there. Life can send you a series of challenges that seem overwhelming. Your center is your safety. Often a blow can seem crushing but the truth is that women are a lot like the old clown punching bags that we had as kids. We are hit, knocked over but we always bounce back. A good friend says" Hit me with your best shot" and she always gets back up. Stay centered, have faith and remember to count on your friends. They will always help you back up.
Peace,

Julia

Networking with other mothers

What's going on?

Thursday:
Grilled apple and chicken sausages (I prefer Aidell's)
Salad

Refelections from the Backcounter
Social networking sites abound in our electronic world. Our kids are much more attuned to the intricacies of such sites as My space and Facebook. Mothers may not be as technically savvy as our children but there are sites available for moms to connect with other moms who have similar interests and concerns. I have recently discovered CafeMom and think it has great groups and discussions for almost any topic. Another interesting site is Momspace.com. Interesting reading for busy women.

There is such comfort in commonality. We as humans need to know that we are not the only person to have encountered adversity or challenge. Discussing our concerns and seeking out advice from others who may have shared similar experience or who have overcome similar problems is essential to our own development and mental health. Social networking allows the opportunity to connect with others throughout the world and to learn from the trials and tribulations of others. Certainly, there are recommended cautions. Personal information should not be readily disclosed in any public forum and information about our children should be carefully guarded, especially pictures.

Check out these sites if you already haven't.

http://www.momspace.com/

http://www.cafemom.com/



Peace,

Julia