Pot Roast:) mmm

Now, if you are like me you have always done your pot roast in a basic simple manner. Not putting a whole lot of thought into it. My good friend first introduced me to this pot roast recipe and I knew I would never ever in my whole life make it my old way again. I used to (which is still good, just not this good) just put the frozen roast in the crock pot in the morning with a packet of Liptons onion soup mix, add some carrots and potatoes....close the lid and walk away!.....Now this recipe is from Ree Drummond, the author of www.thepioneerwoman.com. She has been featured on television shows, and written cook books. Totally check out her blog! I would highly recommend. The recipe is a bit more tedious then my prior recipe but oh so heavenly! And worth the little bit of extra work! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

Click on the above link for the best pot roast you will ever taste! Its very simple and very good! Below are my pictures of what it looked like when I made it! Enjoy!!(ps- you will probably be seeing a lot of links for her website!)

The first picture above is right after prepping the meat and carrots:) 

The Second picture is after it was all prepared:)

Now for the Mashed potato's I am always looking for ways to spice it up:) The Pioneer Woman has an amazing recipe for mashed potato's that can NEVER go wrong, and I will use that recipe for all special events and holidays, but for Everyday use, I use 2 Tablespoons of butter, and I use Plain Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream or heavy whipping cream. I then add Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning, I buy the Grinder. It is an amazing spice that I use in almost everything! Get it, you will not be disappointed!

I put the juice that the meat and carrots cooked in on top of everything to keep it nice and moist! ENJOY!

Homeschooling:)

I have been going back and forth with should I homeschool? Should I not? Private School? Public School? Well God kinda took control of that area. We moved and where we live there are very LITTLE options for actual good schools. As most people know Arizona is not very well known for their public school system.... I have looked into Charters but the closest option is almost 30 minutes away, which to me doesn't seem like far, but with three younger kids it is! My oldest daughter is only 4 but we had preschool screening done back in Minnesota and she scored end of Kindergarten/ First Grade as far as comprehension and understanding and learning abilities! That being said, I am going to do Kindergarten for her this fall. I get this all the time, Make sure they are socialized. BLAH! I think that is the biggest load of garbage anyone can say. Personally.... Kids are socialized if you live in a stable home and are an active family.Throwing a bunch of kids the same age into a room isn't socialization. Its peer pressure, no individuality, and the constant pressure to 'fit in' and be judged by everyone including a teacher and to be all put on the same page as far as learning. If anyone knows my second child, he has medical issues and doesn't talk well for his age. Why should he be held back for certain things because of others. He loves music and knows all his letters and their sounds! My kids will be involved in church and homeschool groups. Also, they will be in community sports! I would say that's enough 'socialization' in my book. And no they wont be weird or awkward......I was homeschooled! Can you tell? I wasn't homeschooled for all my learning years but I only have 18 years with my kids at home and then they go to College. I am fine doing this while we are living where we are living. I am not going to say it's forever. It could only be for a year! And then we move to an area with good schools! Who knows...but I know I want to enjoy my children for as much as I can..Hey I only have 14 years left with my oldest! EEK! I better get going:)

Ok, So I know its been months since my first post but I am finally having time being settled to do something! I decided I would blog about how excited I am about my monthly meal plan I made today! YIPPEE!!! I have not done a meal plan in a while because of my husband being gone and moving clear across the country...apparently it means you don't cook anything but PB& J and pizza..... So, looking forward I took the next four weeks and planned out our dinners for the whole month! I can honestly say I look forward to heading to Costco on Saturday to spend money on food! I am making quite a variety of foods but some of the ones I am most excited about are Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, Jalapeno popper Grilled Cheese, Asian Chicken wraps, and Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa:)  I will be taking pictures and posting on my blog as the month goes on what amazing food I am making;) With Recipes of course:)  8 of the Recipes I will be making this month are new ones from Pinterest! I am really excited to try some new stuff, and have some classic stuff too. Especially The Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast, Simmered with Rosemary, Thyme, Cooking Sherry and Onions...just to name some of it! Stay Tuned!