Dinner Planner

Monday was a lovely, blustery day. I love the wind. It's fresh, clean, unpredictable, and nice and cool. I even like it when its cold wind--provided I have adequate warm clothing. XD

After picking up Everest at school, we stopped by Kangaroo Coffee because they had $1.00 16-oz. coffees and hot chocolates that day. The kids love going there. They even have "kids coffee," which is basically sugared up decaf. Then it was off the church for my staff meeting. (Don't even ask about the big hand clapper thingy in the senior pastor's hand.)




That night, I made the kids chicken noodle soup while Heath and I had pan-seared chicken and roasted veggies. Nom nom. The kids got to watch The Aristocats, a video we got from the library, and a classic Disney movie. Heath went rock climbing after the kids went to bed, which was very good for him. He's go to get out to exercise regularly or he doesn't function well. Sounds familiar...

Tuesday (today--look at that; I'm caught up!), we woke up to snow on the ground. I'd heard it was going to snow, but it was hard to believe because just Sunday, we had to turn the AC on in the car because it was over 80 degrees out and hotter inside the car. What wacky contrasts! I love this state. :o)



After getting Everest, we went to the library to pick up some holds and return DVDs. Then it was off to the grocery store. We did a major cleaning out of the fridge, chest freezer, and the pantry over the last couple days. I had clearance to restock some of our staples and get enough food to keep us from eating out for at least two weeks. I believe I have managed to do just that.

While Julie was doing her homework, I made eight breakfast sandwiches (egg, cheese and ham on an English muffin) to put in the freezer for quick breakfast. I'll show Julie how to heat them up, and she can get them ready for herself in the future. Also made eight meat and cheese sandwiches, ready to grab for lunch on the go.

Finally, I hard boiled some eggs and made two loaves of garlic bread, using a half-size French baguette split in two, butter, and crushed, fresh garlic. Those are in the freezer now, waiting for spaghetti or lasagna night. I plan on making some French bread pizzas for the freezer as well, but those will have to wait until tomorrow or Thursday.



Today, I devised a new system for choosing what we have for dinner. I wrote down a bunch of ideas that would use food we already have or that I was going to get at the store. Every dinner idea is on a sticky note. Each day of the week, someone in the family gets to decide what we're having from the choices and puts the note on the stovetop so I can prepare. Because Heath forfeited his day, the kids each get two, and I get one. The weekends are going to be a free-for-all with leftovers or whatever is around; there will be plenty!



Tonight was my choice. We had oven "fried" chicken, roasted bell peppers, and a rice/pasta mix. It was pretty delicious. Even Julie enjoyed the chicken, and she's not much of a meat person. Roasting veggies is SO the way to go. The method makes any veggie much tastier.

Tomorrow is Julie's day to pick, and she chose pancakes, bacon, and fruit salad. Should be pretty yummy!

Parting Shot
Tulips at the grocery store. So many colors and so pretty!

Playdate with Buddies

Saturday was a beautiful, warm, breezy day. We got up too late to make it to the gym, but the kids and I did manage to do some yoga together using a video from the library that we got for Julie. They really liked it--even Everest. Of course, flexible Julie could do all the moves. The stretches were great for me.




For lunch, we met up with Joy and her family at Chipotle. The kids always love getting together. I was hoping we could have made it up to their house over spring break, but it didn't work out. At least we got to see them at all! After lunch, we hit the park.






Big sisters pushing their little brothers on the swings.


Mom and daughters pictures. XD


They had to take off after the park, which was kind of sad. Our visits are never long enough. But I am thankful for the time we had together. I took the kids home to rest for a little bit, then we were off to Lowe's to get a new screen door. It's been literally years since we have had a screen door in the patio. I love wandering around a store like Lowe's. The smell of cut wood, all the shiny nuts and bolts and appliances... The kids had fun pretending they were trapped inside the model showers.



Thinking back, I realized that a few weeks before the 2007 CleanPlace Moot, I got fed up with the awful state of our screen door. It had been scratched up by the cats, run into by kids, and generally bent out of shape. I just ripped it off its tracks and put it out with the trash, unwilling to give such a bad impression to the teens and moms who only knew me online, who I would be meeting for the first time ever. Anyway, it's been ages now, and it is lovely having a screen door again! (Picture to come later.)

I took the kids to the Arc for a surprise since they were relatively patient through the whole screen door saga. (Which was unpleasant enough that I am attempting to blot it from my memory.) The store has a 50% off sale every Saturday, so it's one of the best days to go. The kids always have fun sifting through everything. I found a boxed set of all the Lord of the Rings books (including The Hobbit) for only $3.50. Now I can actually make an attempt at reading them.





We had dinner next door at Subway, always a healthy favorite for the kids. By time we got home, Heath was back from teaching a class up north all day. He helped get the kids in bed, and the rest of the evening is rather a blur to be honest. What a crazy busy week it was!

Busy Start to the Week

Sunday, March 18, we had our regularly scheduled dates. However, while Julie and I were at the mall, I got a call from Heath, saying that he unexpectedly had to drive up to Lakewood before the end of the day. He was going to finish what he was doing with Everest, then drop him off at the mall with us.



Julie received a Claire's gift card from my mom and was anxious to spend it. We looked at earrings for a long time, but got the text from Heath that he and Everest were going to be there in a few minutes. We hurried to the drop off point to get him, bid Heath goodbye, then headed back to Claire's. Everest was pretty good about not taking everything off the shelves and hooks. Julie got her first ear cuff, which she thought was so cool. We got pretzels afterward, then headed to the play area.






The kids had a fantastic time having an extended time to play there. I happily sat on the sidelines, listening to an audiobook version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I recently discovered that I can easily checkout quite a few titles (especially classics) from the library. They download to my iPod through an app, and delete after the checkout period. Very awesome indeed. I've found that I can stomach classical writing much easier through verbal narration than actually looking at all those semi-colons and lack of action tags.




Monday, March 19, after school, we headed to the library to pick out some new books and movies for the week. That evening, I went to Village Inn just to get out of the house and get some things done. Heath started teaching days that week, keeping him home in the evenings for dinner. Hooray!




Tuesday, March 20, we had busy day, which usually ends up meaning that we eat out for dinner. In fact, we ate in, getting Subway and bringing it home to dine while we watched a movie from the library.

Holiday Recovery

Monday, we took a day to recovery from all the activity over the weekend. We did make it to the gym in the morning, then swung by Target so Julie could spend her gift card from Aunt Heidi. She loved the doll her Aunt Heather sent her so much that she found another one in the series. She was also kind enough to get a set of superhero masks for Everest.




When we got home, we just sat around and relaxed. Everest played with his finger paints from Mike and Kate. It was rather an experience! Fun was had by all.



I made a simple dinner of mac n' cheese, and the rest of the night was spent just trying regain some energy that was lost over the weekend. It was a great few days with family but exhausting just the same. Still totally worth it. :o)

Shopping Dates

Oh yes. It's been another week of no blogging. The holiday season does that! And being on vacation too, I would guess.

Last week on Friday, we got a babysitter for the kids and went Christmas shopping. Yes, Christmas shopping on the eve of Christmas Eve. Ah well. It was really fun though! We haven't been out alone in months and months. The afternoon was kind of like a little date. We even had lunch together--just the two of us.



We saw a couple things that kind of made me gasp and laugh. For one, there is actually a toy based on the horror movie Saw. Then at Target, they stocked the Mountain Dew below the game Call of Duty. I guess they know their clientele well!




After we got back, Julie and I went grocery shopping because I knew there was no way I would have time with Christmas Eve and Christmas over the weekend. We actually had a very nice time together, and she was very helpful. There were another couple interesting sights while we were out. A Cheetos bag with retro-packaging and gas for under $3.00. It was a Christmas miracle.





That evening, I met with my Muse girls at Old Chicago. We were all extremely tired, it seemed, and our time together was fairly short. Still, it was great to see the ladies.

Mom the Shopper

Sunday, we had our usual dates with the kids. However, I took on the task of getting the kids outfitted for winter. Julie needed a new warm coat and both of them needed boots that fit.

Heath took Everest out to mini golf, and Julie and I hit the Arc to see what we could find. She found a wonderful, warm, AND cute. Because she was able to help keep the budget down, I let her scout for some long-sleeved shirts to help fill in her cold weather attire. Doesn't she look gorgeous in that picture?



We swung by Walmart to find her boots and got some perfect ones, then headed over to the mall to meet up with Heath. He and Everest had been mini-golfing for over 40 holes and were ready to be done! We got some cookies and did the switch. Everest and I left to return to the Arc because I'd seen some really good boots for him there.



While we were there, we found a puzzle and a board game for him too. We went back home and had a crack at the puzzle, then played probably 10 games of Hi-Ho CherryO. Heath and Julie brought pizza home for dinner. The kids did a good job with bedtime, and we've been sending the evening working and/or relaxing. It's been a good but busy weekend.




I should probably get some writing done before going to bed. I've gotten my fingers warmed, so perhaps it's time to get to started!

Parting Shot
Julie read her NaNo novel to Everest after breakfast this morning.

An Eventful Day

Saturday has been a day of events. The kids let me sleep in a little, so we made it to the gym kind of late. At least I got that workout in though! That makes three times this week, which puts me at two weeks in a row, working out three times a week. I feel like I am finally getting back on track. Wahoo!

When we got back, I had enough time to shower and get ready for the Young Writers Group that would meet in the afternoon. Nancy came over to watch the kids, which was great since they haven't seen her in awhile. She took them to the park and for a walk around the houses while I was gone.

Writers Group was awesome; we had a girl come by to test out the group and see if she liked it. She had such an amazing time that she was really bummed that she couldn't come for the rest of this current group! She is already signed up now for the one that starts in November. :oD We are a fun bunch.



When I returned from writers group, the kids wanted to play outside a bit longer. They rode bikes down the hill while I straightened up the house a bit with the dishes and sweeping.




We had a coupon that expired today for Boston Market--two free kids meals with the purchase of one adult entree. I had some cash leftover from haircut money, so we went there for dinner. The kids were famished after a busy afternoon with grandma and playing outside.



I had another Kohl's $10 gift card from the mail (also expiring today) and wanted to stop there to see what we could get for under $10. The kids played around while I looked at graphic tees. Found a cute one but I'm going to have to do some adjustments to make it a little more girly.



Everest went to bed first, while Julie worked on a poster she had to do for Student Council. Then she and I did some drawing together on the white board. Much fun! She went to bed, and I've been working on writers group stuff and now blogging. Heath should be home any minute, so I'm going to wrap this up. Goodnight!