Saturday, May 30, 2009

And so It begins...

"The county employee notified the couple that the small Bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of County regulations, according to Broyles.

Broyles said a few days later the couple received a written warning that listed "unlawful use of land" and told them to "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit" -- a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars."


http://www.10news.com/news/19562217/detail.htm

l

Thursday, May 28, 2009

There's a NEW superhero in town...



When my mom used to ask us kids what we wanted for dinner, I can remember trying to out yell my brothers for fried chicken. Or pancakes. Or tacos.

Now when I ask my kids what they want for dinner I hear a list of restaurants. Chipotle! Subway! McDonald's! When I was a kid, eating out was a HUGE deal. It was so huge it was an 'outing.' It was stop and play outside on the giant purple Grimace huge. Except of course in the summer time when we were forbidden to play in the playland. We lived in Phoenix. That metal twisty slide was a life sized blister on the backside waiting to happen.
At the end of a long work day compounded by longer soccer game, I have no creativity or energy to cook, or even think of something to cook. I tried to instill a "you only need to eat a few times a week" law, but it was voted down. Having food on hand to cook would imply that someone went to the grocery store. I haven't seen the inside of a grocery store for any length of time since the fall of '07.

I loathe the mental task of meal planning. I have two reoccurring wishes in my life: smaller thighs and someone to plan my meals for me. My second wish has just come true. For a small fee.

For $5a month, I an log into http://e-mealz.com There, I can download a weekly menu based on my family's size and diet preference AND local grocery store. Then I print out the grocery list. Then I can print out the corresponding coupons that match the products I need to buy. I'm in heaven.

I love to save money and usually clip coupons. I used to do the grocery game thing but I got tired of the hunt and clipping EVERY coupon and categorizing them down to toilet paper strength and lice combatants. But I like stocking up because you never know when the world will make a run on anti-perspirant .

At E-mealz, they link you directly to the coupons you NEED. Then you can print out multiples and stock up and not jam a plastic organizer full of Kitty litter coupons. Plus, saving time, taking the thought out of meal planning and saving money? This can only lead to wish number one: smaller thighs. One less Burrito Bol a week has got to do wonders.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

100 Uses for Duct Tape, this is NOT one of them



Catch Phrase Clue:

Ethan: "What you take your eyebrows off with."

Dylan: "Duct Tape."

True story. Painfully true story. Before I could stop my ingenious little 8-year old, he slapped a strip of duct tape across his eyes as a makeshift pinata blindfold. Ugh. This could replace water boarding as a form of torture.

A family moment that will prove advantageous for years of game night fun. Plus, Ethan's eyebrows are growing back quite nicely.