Last week we were out of town and I totally got away from my menu and once again, I regretted it! So yesterday afternoon I pulled out my favorite cookbook (which I got as a wedding shower gift 14 years ago) called In the Kitchen with Favorite Brand Name Light Cooking Recipes. The recipes are family friendly, quick, and use ingredients that we tend to stock anyhow. This week’s menu features some our family’s favorites from the book.

• Monday - Orange glazed chicken, mashed potatoes, tossed green salad
• Tuesday - Beef & broccoli with rice
• Wednesday - picnic dinner since we will be at “little fishie’s” swim meet
• Thursday - Pasta & vegetable toss (onion, garlic, italian seasoning, olive oil and a bit of bouillon sauteed with broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and bell peppers then tossed with cooked pasta noodles)
• Friday - Hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and ice cream for dessert

At the grocery store this week I saw some pretty cool looking pasta from the Torino brand that is really colorful - its almost to pretty to eat. I couldn’t help but to pick up a box of theTorino Designer Pasta Mother In Law’s Tongue out of sheer curiosity! I will be using it to make the pasta and vegetable toss this week.

Normally Laura from OrgJunkie.com hosts Menu Plan Monday, but she is having a computer free week and has handed the reins over to Heavenly Homemakers this week. Stop over and check out all the other entries!

We had so much fun on the Ride the Ducks tour this past weekend in Philadelphia. I highly recommend it!

Since Glucosamine is not available in human diet, it can only be ingested as a supplement. Glucosamine as a supplement is used by two kinds of people: older people with diseases like osteoarthritis, and sports persons.

In osteoarthritis in older people, especially knee osteoarthritis, the cartilage cushioning the joints becomes stiff and inelastic. There is also natural wear and tear of the connective tissue and cartilage. This makes the joint hurt, swell up and refuse to move easily. Research is pointing to promising evidence that Glucosamine supplement might help in these cases.

Use of Glucosamine decreases the natural wear and tear in our joints, and thus possibly reverses the effects of diseases like osteoarthritis. As we age, our body has a lower supply of natural Glucosamine, and a supplement becomes essential.

Including a supplement of Glucosamine for the treatment of osteoarthritis is better than exclusively taking pain-mangement drugs like NSAID( Non- Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug). This is because unlike the NSAIDs which simply trick the body into not registering pain signals, Glucosamine promotes the production of proteins, which help repair the damaged connective tissue.

In cases of joint pains for sports persons, Glucosamine could be helpful because it can work on the repair of connective tissue and cartilage damaged due to excessive workouts of certain joints.

The supplement Glucosamine along with chondroitin sulfate, another sort of molecule naturally occurring in our cartilage, is said to be more useful both for sports persons and older people suffering from osteoarthritis. Chondroitin restores some of the cartilage elasticity and is thought to prevent the destruction of cartilage by enzymes.

It is important that the Glucosamine supplement be taken while the cartilage damage is still limited, so you have to start with the medication at the early stages of pain to see fast improvement.

Glucosamine supplements usually have mild side effects like drowsiness or nausea. Those allergic to shellfish should avoid the Glucosamine derived from shellfish and only take Glucosamine supplements derived from non-shellfish sources.

Since Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, it is a godsend to those with osteoarthritis or joint pains, and a healthier alternative to other synthetic products.

I didn’t really plan on this Longaberger basket being used as a cat bed, but I’m thinking the cat had other plans!

For more Wordless Wednesday entries, check out WW and 5 Minutes for Mom.

Today is the first official week of summer for the kids. That means a new routine, new working hours for me, and more evenings at home - in theory! It also means I want lighter food, quicker clean ups and more creativity.

One of the things I was really happy to present my kids with this morning was their summer chore chart for this week. We are trying the allowance tied to the chores thing this summer - we’ll see how that works. Anyhow, I posted the customizable chart on one of my other sites, but you can get it here, too:

• Download the Summer Chore Chart as a PDF - ready to print and hang on your fridge!
• Download the Summer Chore Chart as a MS Word document - ready to customize first, then print and hang on the fridge.

And now for this week’s menu:

• Monday - We’ve had a big request for tacos again this week (this is a family favorite for some reason). I am going to make mine lighter by eating it more as a salad.
• Tuesday - Curry chicken salad sandwiches and veggies & dip. I will probably cook a few extra plain chicken breasts for a picky child or two.
• Wednesday - Swim meet night so I will pack a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, veggies, fruit, a few cookies and plenty of water and gatorade.
• Thursday - Pasta Carbonara - I have never tried this with the kids, but I think they may actually like it - it is one of my childhood favorites. Add tossed salad, too.
• Friday - out of town. The girls and I are going to go watch the Olympic Trials for Gymnastics - how cool is that?

What’s on your menu this week? Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie is the ring leader for this fabulous weekly routine and she always has great recipes herself, plus you can find hundreds of additional menus from all of the participants for the week.

PS - if you are looking for things for the kids to do, come visit me at Camp Weary Parent or check out my Printables4Kids site.

It’s the last week of school for the kids and the last week of evening sports schedules. Starting next week all of our sports activities will take place during the day.  I’m so happy that summer is here and many of our meals can focus more on fresh vegetables and fruits that are grown locally.

• Monday - Pizza and fresh garden salad
• Tuesday - Chicken fajitas
• Wednesday - Tropical grilled pork chops, steamed veggies, rice
• Thursday - Vegetable Pasta Primavera
• Friday - Sloppy Joes, Veggies & dip, Fruit smoothies

What’s on your menu this week? Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie is the ring leader for this fabulous weekly routine and she always has great recipes herself, plus you can find hundreds of additional menus from all of the participants for the week.

Now the rash has moved down her arms and onto her trunk. I also noticed some splotchy-ness on my other daughter’s face and neck.  The fact that I now see it on both of them really leads me to believe we are dealing with Fifth Disease.

Unless your kids have contact with someone who is pregnant (or if you are pregnant and have been exposed), there really isn’t much you can do about Fifth Disease other than to let it run its course. It is viral and has no lasting effects. As a matter of fact, once the rash appears, your child is no longer contagious and chances are you didn’t know they had it when they were contagious.

Now hindsight is 20-20 and looking back on the week, my youngest daughter was very tired on Tuesday and extra grumpy, but I had no way of knowing that it was connected to the Fifth Disease at the time.

For a complete description of Fifth Disease, pictures of the rash, and additional resources, visit the Kids Health site.

• Free From has a giveaway at the moment for Gluten Free Lipstick - this is a great prize whether you need the gluten free quality of it or not.
• Dr. Gwenn weighs in on the recent news that childhood obesity numbers have plateaued.
• There is a new study out that indicates that Vitamin D and sunlight may cut kids diabetes risk
• Teach kids healthy habits at every meal with the Healthy Habits Plate and check out the Super Healthy Kids site while you are at it.
• Father’s Day is next weekend - get the kids thinking about it with some fun Father’s Day printables.
• Stop in at Weary Parent for the first full week of Camp Weary Parent - ideas, projects, recipes and more to keep your kids learning and having fun all summer long.

Weary Parent is a site I co-author that focuses on parenting tweens and teens. Each week this summer, my co-author Christine, and I will be picking a theme and publishing daily activities based on that theme. We’ll have games, projects, crafts, recipes and field trip ideas. Here’s the best part - this camp is FREE! You can join us for a day or stop in everyday - we don’t mind.

Looking for even more fun for the kids over the summer? Here are some of my favorite resources:

• 94 Ways to Keep Kids Busy Over the Summer for Work at Home Parents
• Keeping Tweens and Teens Busy this Summer
• 13 Summer Survival Strategies for the Work at Home Parent
• Water Games for Kids of All Ages
• Printables for Kids
  
• Activity TV
• Crafts 4 Fun
• Crayola Activity Pages
• Doll Diaries
• Free Holiday Ideas
• Free Kids Crafts
• Free Stuff 4 Kids
• Printable Games from A to Z
• Seasonal Kids Activities
• Worksheet Maker

Of course, the other component of a great summer is getting outside and playing as a family. Whether it is a trip to the pool, a bike ride or even a simple walk or game of catch - get up, get active and stay healthy!

Did you think I disappeared? I haven’t, but without our menu plans the past few weeks, meal time has felt really disorganized to me. The good news is, we are back on track and ready to take on another week.

• Monday - Meatballs in the slow cooker to be made into meatball subs, fresh veggies and dip
• Tuesday - Baja Fresh in between swim practice and hockey practice
• Wednesday - Grilled chicken, steamed new potatoes, green beans
• Thursday - Breakfast for dinner - scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, toast
• Friday - Bratwurst on the grill, baked beans, corn on the cob, tossed salad

What’s on your menu this week? Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie is the ring leader for this fabulous weekly routine and she always has great recipes herself, plus you can find hundreds of additional menus from all of the participants for the week.