Planning my weekly menu.

I heard that if you go to the grocery store with a plan you spend less money.

And tonight Isaac has the boys for a little while before bed so I can go grocery shopping childless!

Our breakfast is always the same.

Me: homemade egg and cheese on an English muffin

Linc: blueberries, grapes, and peanut butter toast

Bo: boob

And lunches are almost always leftovers or tuna

So dinners are what takes planning, so here is what I am thinking, prepare to be dazzled.

Monday:
BBQ chicken in the crockpot
Green beans

Tuesday:
Spaghetti squash with meat
Broccoli

Wednesday:
Turkey roast
Potatoes and green beans

Thursday:
Cheeseburgers on the grill
Tomato and cucumber salad

Friday:
Dinner out? This is my one childless night. I will either be ordering in, or going to dinner with friends.

Saturday:
Grilled steaks
Asparagus (market)
Potatoes (market)

Sunday:
Tilapia filets
Green beans

Snacks:
Cottage cheese
String cheese
Homemade popcorn

Desserts/Sweet treats:
Cinnamon and brown sugar steal cut oats with fruit
Apples and vanilla yogurt
Mocha protein shake

Eating like kings.

We have been eating healthier here lately.

And I have been cooking/grilling more at home.

Tonight we had tri-tip steak, asparagus fresh from the farmers market, and quinoa w/olive oil and tomatoes.

Linc loved it, and his favorite part…the asparagus.

I don’t know what it is about those spears of green, but he loves them.

Another new Lincoln favorite, tilapia.

He gobbled that up yesterday for lunch.

What a little healthy eater.

 

 

Frozen Blueberries: A healthy toddler snack

 

Lincoln could not get enough of these this morning.

We went to daycare three bowls in.

Life fail #1.8 billion or so.

I slept through my massage.

Not after I got there.

But on the couch.

After the dentist I laid my head down on sofa for just a few minutes…

4 hours later I awoke to some salesman at my door.

I missed.

My glorious indulgence.

And I spent it asleep in my living room.

Total life fail.

I am so sad.

And my back still hurts…stressed induced, when I am stressing I almost get these horrible neck/back/shoulder type cramps that give me pretty bad headaches.

Meh, I guess I needed the sleep.

Getting back to health.

I am going to take this summer to regain my health.

Emotional, physical, and everywhere in between.

I feel like lately I have been surviving, not living.

Just getting through everyday, and sure, there are moments that I deeply enjoy (my boys bring me this joy), but I feel like everyday is stress.

Racing around, figuring things out.

Where is the money going to come from?

When do I need to pick up the kids?

What else do I need to do at work?

The kids are sick.

Is my boss upset that I am missing so many days of work?

How will I pay for daycare next week?

The credit card is maxed out.

The bank account is in the negative.

Another kid is sick.

The house is a mess.

The laundry needs folded.

And over and over and over.

There is no peace.

And whenever I do have a moment to myself instead of doing something productive, I sit.

I watch mindless television, feeling unmotivated and lazy.

But I am done!

Life is what it is, struggles are a part of life.

And I can either take them for what they are, overcome, and live.

Or drown in them.

So I am turning over a new leaf.

I know it sounds strange but I think it starts with taking care of what I have.

Show a little pride of ownership.

In my home, in my body, and in my life.

I need to keep my house clean, keep up with the yard, watch what I put into my body, workout, read the Word, and engage in relationships that are positive and healthy.

I am excited about this summer.

I am excited to be healthy again.

Hospital night three.

I am over it.

We have been here much longer than I expected.

My little man has been pretty sick.

High fevers.

Dehydration.

Severe vomiting.

Difficulty breathing.

The tests came back, all 500 of them, and apparently he has 3 different respiratory viruses.

Now the doctors and nurses have to dress up in robes and masks to even walk in our room.

It is crazy.

The good news is he is starting to do better.

Which is great because I don’t think I could watch him get poked, prodded, and stuck any more.

They lowered his IV fluids by 50% and his breathing treatments are becoming less frequent.

I am praying that we can go home tomorrow.

Hippies like licorice and a few other random facts.

It’s true.

My mom said so.

You can always find good licorice at health food stores.

And that is where hippies hang out.

 

My feet stink.

Mike says so.

 

Vanderpump Rules is an amazing show.

And my parents and brother are not seeing it for what it truly is.

Magnificent.

 

I taught Mike how to Gangnam Style.

I registered for summer classes today.

A full load.

I’m feeling rather proud of myself and motivated.

 

It appears that I may get money back on my taxes.

Which will be nothing short of a miracle if it happens.

 

 

If you like this post check out these: He bit my nipple How to keep a baby occupied when remodeling your home Observations from my travels

Battle of the Brush…Okay, it’s not a battle (that just sounded good) but it does seem unproductive

Ugh…

Those tiny teeth.

That little tiny tooth-brush.

The Thomas the Train toothpaste.

And my sweet little boy.

It really doesn’t sound too menacing, and it’s not.

So I don’t know why it bothers me.

Probably because I feel like nothing is really being accomplished.

First I let him try.

Silly, he just puts it in his mouth takes it out, repeat.

Then I help.

Also silly, I struggle to get him to open, I try to brush his little pearly whites, but it really just seems like the toothbrush barely makes contact.

Ugh.

I am hoping that forming the habit is really the purpose of toddler tooth brushing.

They do, after all, lose these teeth eventually.

And he does look pretty cute trying.

Seriously, take the stairs.

I can’t stand this.

Lazy people taking up elevator space.

If you are a person under the age of 80, well bodied, and are not traveling around with a stroller or 5 kids in tow.

YOU SHOULD NOT BE USING THE ELEVATOR!!!

The elevator is not there for people you.

Seriously.

Now I understand the use of an elevator in hotels where you are lugging around luggage, or in buildings with more than two floors.

That is not my problem.

My problem is the mall or establishments that have escalators for people too lazy to walk up the stairs but they still choose free effortless ride.

Escalators were created because we are lazy.

Use that.

Don’t clog up the elevators for people who need them.

It is just irritating.

And we cannot do anything about it, but just know, when I am waiting for the elevator with my infant strapped to my stomach and pushing my toddler around in a stroller and four able-bodied middle-aged people tumble in before me making it difficult for us to fit and there is a perfectly good, working escalator five feet away.

That makes me not like you.

And life is too short not to by liked.

Get off the elevator.

Phys. Ed at Home: Dance Dance Dance

I teach elementary PE and this week we started our rhythms and dance unit.

This is one of my favorite units.  The Kindergartener’s love it and the fifth graders pretend they don’t but they actually do.

It is great.

But this year my little toddler is old enough to do some of these dances with me.

Here are a few that you can do at home with your young ones.  A few you may know and a few may be knew.

But kiddos love to dance.  Turn on that music and get some exercise in this snow!

Tony Chestnut

This song is great for toddler to about 3rd grade.  There is a motion for every word in the song and the song continues to get faster and faster.  I even did this with my middle school track kids just to be silly.  This is one of my favorites.

Cupid Shuffle

This one is easy and can be used for all ages.  I know that they do this dance now at Chuck-e-Cheese and the skating rink so it is pretty popular.  I couldn’t find a great video (it is actually the chuck-e-cheese one) to show you but the dance is four basic steps.  4 side slides right and then 4 left, 4 kicks, and then walk-it-by-yourself which is like a twist.

Gangnam Style PE Version

It is always awesome when other PE teachers do something awesome and they share it with the rest of us.  This is a great video of Gangnam Style that kids can do in class and at home for a good workout.  The kids love doing songs to new music and there isn’t a dance song much newer than this 🙂

A few others that are fun to do with your kids that you probably already know the steps to are The Twist, Macarena, and the Chicken Dance.

We do many more that I will post another day but these should get you started.

I have had fun all week with these and Lincoln has had fun trying them when I got home.

Have fun!