Bossy has decided what’s on the menu this week…

Monday~ Spaghetti Bolognese

Tuesday~ Burgers and chips

Wednesday~ Burritos

Thursday~Sausage and mash

Friday~Chipper

Saturday~Chicken curry and basmati rice

Sunday~ Roast chicken dinner

Here are more Menu Planners

My Little Scribbles is back in business with a new theme and a new love!

Monday ~ Bacon and cabbage with parsley sauce

Tuesday~ Beef Stew and Dumplings

Wednesday~ Chicken Supreme and Rice

Thursday ~ Thai Red Curry

Friday ~ Chipper

Saturday ~ Enchilladas

 Red Thai Curry

1.  Brown chicken/mushrooms/courgette

2. Pour 3/4 can of coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

3. Add 2-3 teaspoons of thai red curry paste ( use thai gold, if you use blue dragon brand it milder) simmer for 3mins

4. Add chicken and vegetables to pot and return to boil

5. Add 2 tablespoons of fish oil and 2 tablespoons of sugar

6. Pour in rest of can of coconut milk, add juice of lime and bring back to boil and simmer

Serve on Basmati rice/noodles

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve made Beef stroganof (the cheat’s way) and it’s gone down a treat, especially with Chef who loves fillet steak. The children are just as fussy. If it’s not pasta carbonara tinned macaroni cheese or spaghetti bolognese, I’m stumped.

So, today, I’m scouring the recipe sites for a totally new menu, one I can use regularly. This looks like a good recipe for a start…

Cheesy One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore  

It’s day one and I’m still in bed. I’ve coughed so hard I may have pulled something. It’s so painful.

I know I’ve woken Chef a few times during the night, he’s had to be up by 5.30 each morning to go to work.

I’m following the Flylady’s Beginner BabySteps How hard can it be? If I stick to one small task per day, surely things will get easier in the home and I’ll have a good schedule by the end of the month.

And a good cleaner!

Well, I’ve had the worst Christmas ever. Money has been tight and I’m run down after the last three months of minding three children as well as my own, for a pittance. Maybe you could advise me here…

My next door neighbour but one, went back to work after maternity leave and asked me to mind her baby (4 month old boy) toddler (3 year old girl) and eldest girl (7 year old) I mind them from 7.40 am 3 or four days a week depending on her shifts, until 6.30pm or thereabouts. The eldest gets on the school bus from our estate at 8.30am and gets back at 3pm. She was giving me €50 euro a day.

A few weeks ago, she asked me would I mind them from 3pm in my home and then stay over at her house and would collect the children from my house the following day. I said yes and she asked me to text her what I would charge. Here was my chance to ask for more money for the day shift! So I texted back €100 for overnight and €70 per day for the three children. She called at my house and asked that while she was ‘getting back on her feet’ would I accept €60 per day, I said that I would. She said we’d come to another arrangement on the New Year.

So, here’s my rant…Creches charge €60 per day for ONE child! I want to stand my ground, but I’m not confrontational and wouldn’t like to fall out with the mother.

The baby is hard work. He screams when I leave the room or if he can’t see me!

It’s the time of the year where I always decide to turn over a new leaf, particularly on the housework side. My New Years’ resolution? A cleaner!

I had a cleaner before and would call her when I had a backlog of jobs to do. She was a Godsend. We would work together for a couple of hours. I would change the beds while she cleaned the bathrooms and I’d then go into the laundry room to put on a wash or fold clean laundry while she hoovered the bedrooms. then she would come downstairs and hoover the floors and polish. I’d then go off and do the shopping whilst she washed the floors and bathrooms. I’d come home to a lovely clean house. A great feeling!

It’s not easy trying to keep a house clean and tidy with four children, the eldest now being a teenager (she’s the worst) So as from next week, I’ll have my Plan of Action set in place. A good housekeeping routine with the help of a good Polish lady.