Productive Monday!

So far, today has been a good day. It started out with a giggle because I, like many other parents I'm sure, checked the school board's webpage to confirm school was open. The school board kindly posted a message saying that yes, school was open. It just made me giggle that they actually did that.

Once I managed to pry the kids out of bed, they started getting ready for school. S was a little nervous about going back to school after being off for a week but as soon as she saw her buddies at the bus stop things got better. I then enjoyed a quiet breakfast by myself! It was very nice and quiet.

I could have just sat around the house enjoying the peace and quiet but I had things I needed to do. With the weather looking iffy for later this week, I wanted to make today as productive as possible. And I think I've succeeded so far. I found a pair of warm boots since my snow boots just weren't getting the job done. They were more expensive than I wanted, but when I tried on the cheaper boots I could tell they just weren't going to be good for my feet. I have trouble with plantar fasciitis so I have to make sure anything that goes on my feet is supportive or has room for insoles to provide support.

After buying boots, I had a good trip to the grocery store. I managed to get there early enough that it wasn't crowded but late enough that they had finished stocked the shelves so the aisles were nice and clear. We have food for the week, which is always a good thing.

When I got home I got supper started since tonight is hockey and soccer night which makes dinner time crazy. We're having beef vegetable soup made in the slow-cooker. I love my slow-cooker, especially on Monday nights. And the soup recipe is so simple - I'll stick the recipe down at the bottom if you are looking for a good, easy meal. After I started the soup I decided to use up the older bananas by making a loaf of banana-chocolate chip bread. I don't like bananas and won't eat the bread, but everyone else in the house will. I like to make special treats for them from time to time.

Once I got some laundry going and the dishwasher loaded and running I sat down and did some writing. I got a good solid hour of writing done and it felt good! I have more I want to write before I share it but time is growing short today. The bus will be here soon and then it's off to our Monday activities. I don't have anything on the schedule for Tuesday, so I plan on spending more time writing tomorrow while I finish up the laundry.

All in all it has been a productive Monday so far. It feels really good to be back to our regularly scheduled days. I'm afraid to look at the weather because I don't really want to know when we'll have another interruption in our days. Let's hope it's later rather than sooner!

Beef Vegetable Soup for the Slow-cooker:

1 lb of ground beef

2 14 oz cans of mixed veggies, undrained

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 can of whole potatoes*

1 carton of beef broth (about 4 cups).**

Season ground beef with salt and pepper; brown, drain and dump into slow-cooker.

Add undrained veggies, tomato sauce, and potatoes, cut into small pieces. Stir to combine.

Cover with entire carton of beef broth.

Cover slow-cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5.

*You can use fresh potatoes but parboil them first. I have a hard time getting potatoes cooked properly in my slow-cooker, so I tried using the canned ones this time. We'll see what happens!

**Use more beef broth if necessary to cover everything and have enough broth.