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Date Night With My Sweet Girl
Eating dinner at Ryan’s Steakhouse
Recently, I was able to spend the evening with my Karlie Kool Kat. It was fun hanging out with her for the evening. We had a great time chatting over dinner, in the car, and on our adventures.
She had some specific requests of activities that she wanted to do that evening. While other activities were more spontaneous. Thankful for some time with my girl. We had a blast together.
She was excited to use her 2nd & Charles Gift Card from Christmas to buy some new books to read!
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Our family is recovering from a week with several family members being sick therefore we had to alter the menu a little more than usual last week. This week I plan to keep the menu simple. I want to be able to give everyone a chance to recovery yet time to catch up on items that we got behind on around the house. Thankfully everyone seems to be on the mend. Hoping for a healthy and productive week. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pork Entree): Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Bread
- Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook): Hamburgers, Tator Tots
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Chicken & Biscuits, Steamed Vegetables
- Thursday (Pasta or Seafood Entree): Poor Man’s Pasta, Fresh Leafy Salad
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or seafood entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
What’s for Breakfast: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Here is what our breakfast menu looks like this week (the items in parenthesis are examples of the extra items we will add and change from week to week):
- Monday – English Muffins (Egg)
- Tuesday – Toast (Cottage Cheese)
- Wednesday – Cereal (Spinach & Strawberry Smoothie)
- Thursday – Pancakes, Poptarts, or Oatmeal (Sausage)
- Friday – Bagel (Yogurt)
- Saturday – Family Brunch (a lot of times we make Saturday breakfast together and it is whatever sounds good that morning or a new dish we want to try out. It is not always planned in advance and could be an egg or breakfast casserole, omelets, hashbrowns, waffles, pancakes, etc… this is our big family meal of the day since Saturdays are often spent with extended family, friends, or doing other afternoon and evening activities) Since we make more complicated breakfasts on Saturdays it is usually between 8 to 10 before we sit down to eat therefore they have become our Family Brunch.
- Sunday – Make Your Own Breakfast (everyone makes their own breakfast before church which is usually something easy like cereal, toast, poptarts, oatmeal, smoothie, etc….)
We are pretty consistent with our week day breakfast menu. For each day of the work and school week Monday to Friday we have the same main menu item from week to week the only thing that changes is the “extra item” we add each day such as an egg, sausage, fresh fruit, cottage cheese, bacon, smoothies, or other items that we have in the kitchen. During the school week the girls always have their main breakfast, at least one side (usually fruit, sausage, egg, etc…), vitamins, milk (one has non-dairy milk due to allergies), and small glass of juice. When I am ambitious, awake, and my creative juices are flowing I will add a little extra silliness to make breakfast more enjoyable for the kids.
We first started doing a different main breakfast item everyday a few years ago because I have one child who if she eats the same thing too many times in a row she stops eating. Adding a little variety from day to day was enough to keep her motivated to eat breakfast. It wasn’t until several months later when the girls pointed it out that I realized that we do the same main item on the same day every week. “Mom, Tuesday is Toast Day…..” So now it has become our rotating breakfast menu which helps keep us on track because we know exactly what we need to prepare for the next breakfast. Plus the girls are sometimes still waking up when they come to breakfast and the morning menu helps them figure out the day of the week as well as prepares them for the upcoming activities they have that day.
There are times I will mix it up (just for fun) or Jake will get up first and make breakfast! The girls don’t hesitate to let him know if he makes a main food item on the wrong day….ha! Our breakfasts are not fancy, but it gets us up and started for the day. What do you make for your family breakfasts?
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It was a full week. We’ve all been fighting a cold so that made it seem even crazier since we were tired. There were several nights when various family members crashed early. Thankfully, we are all on the mend and back to our normal selves now. We are looking forward to being back to our normal schedule again too. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids– we were all in tears at the end of the story, but the kids loved itPlan one special activity with the family- Play a Game with the Kids – we spent extra time catching up on sleep, trying to get better from the lingering colds, and other activities this past week
Prepare for Upcoming Winter EventsSpend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePlan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids- Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit – their plans got altered slightly due to an unexpected death of a friend so we are hoping they will be able to come at a later time this month
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – I spread it out over a couple of days again this week
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – working our way through the goodies
- Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom) – made progress, got our new bed set up
Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen)- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves) – it somehow manages to rain about the time we are ready to do the leaves
Pet Care (Focus – Refill All Pet Containers)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsRespond to Inquiry – Business Relation EmailsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File Paperwork- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to more than one store this week
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Wonder’s Victory by Joanna Campbell to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
- Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
- Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
- Clean House (Focus – Dining Room)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet)
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Kids Outdoor Toy Storage Containers)
- Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up More Dog Food)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
- Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
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Set A Goal So Big…
Flashback Friday – Time Spent in the NICU
Karlie and Brina in their bed at the NICU!
Today’s flashback is to February 2005 when the two beautiful blessings were born – my daughters Brina and Karlie! After 12 weeks of permanent bed rest they came 7 weeks early and spent almost a month in the NICU. Thankfully, they spent the majority of their time in NICU sharing a crib. They looked so cute and all wrapped up together in their blanket. It is hard to imagine them being this tiny – Karlie was 3 pounds 15 ounces and Brina was 4 pounds 9 ounces when they were born.
At first they were not able to finish all their milk on their own so they had NG tubes. Jake had to hold up a syringe with the remaining milk and would drain directly into their little tummies! It wasn’t long before they were drinking their full portion on their own!
Sleeping beauties! Can you tell who is who?! Karlie is next to Mr. Duck and Brina is sleeping next to Miss Kitty
Teaching Our Children: About Solar and Lunar Eclipses
Jake teaching the girls about eclipses!
Recently the girls were learning about eclipses for their science unit in school. Even though we had studied that section for a couple days they were not consistently getting the concept. Jake came up with a great visual tool to demonstrate the solar and lunar eclipses so that the girls to remember it more easily. Thankful for a husband who is creative and invests time in teaching our kids! Thanks Babe!
The orange is the moon and the balloon is the Earth. We used a flashlight for the sun!
For kids who are visual learners this is an easy way to help them grasp the differences between a solar and lunar eclipse!
We shut off the room lights so they could see how the sun (flashlight), moon (orange), and Earth (balloon) aligned to make a solar and lunar eclipse.
Solar Eclipse:
During a solar eclipse the Moon will cast a shadow on the Earth. When a solar eclipse happens the moon is in between the sun and the Earth. You can demonstrate this by placing the moon (orange) between the sun (flashlight) and the Earth (balloon). When the Moon is between the Earth and Sun it will block some of the sun from hitting the Earth and cast a shadow. Only the people directly in the shadow can see the entire eclipse of the Sun.
Lunar Eclipse:
During a lunar eclipse the Earth will cast a shadow on the Moon, therefore no light will be hitting the Moon. The Earth will cast a shadow on the Moon because it is between the Sun and the Moon. You can demonstrate this by placing the Earth (balloon) between the Sun (flashlight) and the Moon (orange). Since the Earth is bigger than the Moon the entire Moon will be in its shadow. Anyone on Earth that is on the night side can see the lunar eclipse.
If you really want to “show” the kids more about the Solar and Lunar Eclipse you may be able to catch the next one depending on where you are located and if the weather cooperates for you!
Next Lunar Eclipse: Saturday, April 4, 2015 – It will be a Total Lunar Eclipse and will be visible before dawn from the Pacific Ocean, Americas, Asia, and Australia.
Next Solar Eclipse: Friday, March 20, 2015 – It will be Total Solar Eclipse and will be visible from Iceland, Europe, North Africa, and Northern Asia (unfortunately, we will not be able to see it in North America). It looks like the next one we’ll see from the United States will be on August 21, 2017 which will be visible from North America and South America.
