americanmama

Americanmama is back in action following a holiday hiatus…

‘Tis the season… but it’s a bit different this year. I’ve been leaning toward the frugal, and that is readily apparent this Christmas season. No doubt, we have kicked into gear the “Santa Grab Bag” or “Kids Only” at the various family venues for 2008… and normally at this time, I’d be in a frenzy hopping from store to store, checking the Excel spreadsheet for gifts I’ve missed, and in an overall tailspin. But as a result of cutting back on retail I’m finding myself in a nice place… focusing more on the true meaning of the season and enjoying the very simple things that make this time so special.

So today, we went to the Y to see Santa; then off to an afternoon of sled-riding. I’m enjoying this season now more so than ever, and I hope the same for all of you this year.

I assure you that one of these blogs will address my brand-new, high-energy fitness plan… but for now we will talk Smoothies!!

 I unpacked the Vitamix today and lo and behold, it is all it’s cracked up to be.  Within minutes I had produced a perfect Strawberry concoction, consisting of one cup of seedless grapes; one cup of frozen strawberries; and one small banana.  Didn’t even need ice!  I fired up the larger-than-life Vitamix, popped them in the machine in that order, and life was so very good…

 The Vita-Mix came with a binder of recipes, most of which seem easy and tasty.  Soups can be created and hot within minutes, given the friction produced by the high-speed motor.  This turned out to be a rather good purchase, all things considered~ next up, Vita-Mix sorbets and ice cream (with a few carrots and some cabbage thrown in for good measure!) 

’tis the season, almost… and that means dollar signs everywhere!  I must say, in the past I’ve been a regular Overgifter, sometimes a bit too generous.  This year, my outlook is quite different and I’m already planning ahead on the budget. 

 Surf the net for a few minutes and you’ll find LOTS of frugal Christmas ideas.  Here are a few of my favorites:

 * Skip the Christmas cards.  The cost of stamps alone will add up fast!  Send an email blast with photo attachments, or use Facebook or another social network to reach out. 

* Pick a favorite item (like a 4″ pizza cutter for under $10) and gift it to everyone on your list. 

* Start a family tradition… Write a piece of history from your favorite family memories.  Assign something different to each family member, and compile the various stories. 

* Give experiences / services rather than things:  Give a coupon for a home-made dinner for relatives at your house, or for an evening of babysitting services.  I would LOVE for someone to give me a few hours of housecleaning! 

* Bake cookies!  I love Biscotti, so I’ll take a day off from work and bake, bake, bake… then buy a few festive plates (try the dollar store or find them on sale during the holidays), and decorate.  Always a huge hit (but not on the budget!)

 It’s so easy to go hog-wild and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars over the holidays.  A big credit card bill in January can sure be a buzz kill… Happy Holidays!!

Well apparently most of my blogging will revolve around food…

It comes with the territory, having two constantly-hungry boys in the house.  The twosome, along with Daddy, consider themselves pizza connoisseurs and any deviation from pure pie perfection is a huge NO NO around here. 

Tonight we tried Police Station Pizza, and it won rave reviews from the boys.  Walk in, and you’ll be met with a very basic menu (pizza served by the square slice, with a choice of a handful of toppings.)  There is something very special about their recipe… it reminds me of my Nana’s… homemade sauce with a hint of sweetness; real mozzarella; and a thick, crunchy crust that’s soft on the inside.  We bought an extra take-and-bake version and ate that too! 

 Locations in the area include Zelienople, the original in Ambridge, and a  new store in the South Hills. 

I must say, I’m not a huge blender-user.  The occasional milkshake is about as far as it goes in my household.  So when I saw the Vita-mix demo at a Costco recently, I almost walked right by… until my 5-year old gobbled up two of the pseudo-”ice cream” cups produced by this larger-than-life machine.  We stood in the small crowd and watched the demo guy place a cabbage leaf, strawberries, squash, soy protein powder, honey, and I’m not sure what else into the Vita-mix and seconds later, ended up with something that looked like Strawberry gelato. 

 In my house, it takes every ounce of energy to fight the dinnertime-ritual Veggie War… so at the sight of this, I readied the AmEx for action… until I saw the price tag!!  Putting my impulse-buy emotions aside, I raced home to eBay hoping to find a gently-used, half-priced Vita-Mix and eventually navigated over to the http://www.vitamix.com/ site, where I located a refurbished, somewhat less-expensive Vita-Mix 5200 and promptly placed an order. 

 Now, my question for the masses is this… did I make the right decision?  And what are some of your favorite recipes? 

Wow, that stirred the pot a bit~

No matter your politics, if you’re like me you and your family are tightening the belt a bit.  Strange for us, as we’ve never really budgeted… but now I’m feeling compelled to take a very close look at the funds. 

One thing that really got under my skin when I got out the microscope (see my first blog) was seeing how much we can rack up in bank fees.  ATM charges, etc. can sneak right up on you (consider your bank charges you, and their bank charges you - yikes!!) 

We don’t buy the daily lattes, but going out to lunch is another killer.  I’m saving a bundle by packing a Lean Cuisine or a SmartOnes and my own drinks. 

 I suppose one silver lining to our financial crisis of late is that we might get a grip on living within our means… and instilling the same in our children. 

americanmama is just downright mad today…

I only heard snippets from the news this morning, but was appalled to hear Joe Biden et al attacking Joe the Plumber.  Comments like “I don’t know many plumbers in my neighborhood who make a quarter million a year”, etc.  OH DOES THIS MAKE ME ANGRY!  Joe the Plumber appears to me to be an average hardworking guy, hoping to buy his own business someday… but the Obama tax plan would prevent it.  This is exactly the type of business we need to keep intact, rather than tax to death, as these are the people who employ others.  Small business is at the core of our economy, and when I hear the politicos picking on Joe the Plumber, it becomes very apparent that they plan on redistributing your hard earned dollar.

Be wary, as this is socialism at its core…

On a lighter note… it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I’m prepping the crock pots for a big family birthday party tomorrow.  Here’s a really tasty salad I’m assembling:

Baby Spinach (about 1/3 of bowl)
1teaspoon sugar, salt, pepper
1pd Bacon cooked and crumbled
6 chopped hard boiled eggs
Half head of ice berg lettuce chopped
1teaspoon sugar, salt, pepper
Frozen green peas (thawed and strained)
vidilia onion chopped (about 3 slices)
use 3/4 small bottle of Hellman’s mayo (spread on top)
Shredded Swiss Cheese

 Assemble all the layers, in this order, in a big bowl (preferably glass) and refrigerate overnight.  You’ll get tons of compliments

Hi all~

A little about me… I’m your average working pulled-in-250-directions Mom, looking to share my daily trials and tribulations along with some great ideas and timesavers.  And a few laughs along the way~

 So first, I’ll share something that I found recently - Quicken online.  I read today that they are dropping their monthly subscription fee.  Pretty cool - you can load all of your bank accounts, utilities, credit cards, 401(k) investments, etc. and get a great snapshot of your spending and funds.  It’s a great way to get a handle on where the money’s going and track debt.  Kinda scary to see the big mortgage but hey, it’s the American Dream!

 Check out the pie charts too - I was amazed to see how many times we get dinged on “bank fees”.  Yikes!!