“Thinking of You” Star Balloon!
One of my daughters had a minor surgery (she got a set of tubes put in her ears) a couple weeks ago. Her sister wanted to pick up a get well balloon for her for after the surgery. We went to the Dollar Store and she picked out a balloon that she thought would “make her smile”.
Instead of the traditional get well balloon she got a star balloon because her sister loves anything related to space. The balloon was a big hit and is still floating above her bed even now. It amazes me how long the Dollar Tree balloons can stay up!
This little gesture of kindness, from sister to sister, reminds me of how thankful I am for kids who are thoughtful and loving (most days) towards their family members. Sometimes it’s the little things you do or acts of kindness that make the biggest impact on the lives of others. We need to do more acts of kindness to show we care for our family, friends, and those around us. It only takes a little effort from us, but it may go a long way in lifting someone’s spirits, much like this balloon lifted my daughter’s spirits.
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Thankfully, the girls get an extra day at home this week with the Martin Luther King Jr. Yay! The kids always enjoy an extra long weekend and they earned it with a full Saturday at STEM competition. This week will be packed with a lot of school, work, and other activities. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pork Entree): Lasagna, Garlic Bread
- Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook): Beef Burritos, Fresh Vegetables
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Chicken Pot Pie, Lettuce Salad
- Thursday (Pasta or Seafood Entree): Baked Tilapia, Steamed Vegetables
- 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
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It was a great week. The girls had a crazy schedule with Lego STEM Robotics competition (FLL – First Lego League) and extra practice this week on top of all the regular activities. They did a FANTASTIC job at their regional competition! Their team won the 1st place trophy for their project, research, and presentation. They also won the GOLD TICKET which means they are going on to State Competition! WooHoo! Very proud of the kids and all the hard work they have done this year. Go Solar SySTEM!!!
I had a few extra external activities this week, but was able to make some good progress on other projects at home. Starting to feel a little better so hoping to resume the majority of my normal activities and get a lot accomplished. Although, I over did it one day last week and I paid for it for 2 days afterward so hopefully I can make a lot of progress forward without over doing it with my neck. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids – continuing to read it to the kids (didn’t get to read every night with all the extra activities and homework)
Plan one special activity with the familyPlay a Game with the KidsPrepare for Upcoming Winter EventsSpend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforeSTEM Competition
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – narrowing down plan options
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 – it took me a little over a day with all the activities
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekUse up food items in our pantry and freezer- Clean House (Focus – Basement) – made some progress
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Pantry) – working on it
Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Up Old Storage Shed)Pet Care (Focus – Find a New Location for Skipper’s Doghouse)
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, and other debt)- working on it
Pay Bills & File PaperworkGo grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows 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
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 – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen)
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves)
- Pet Care (Focus – Fix the Goat Fence)
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
- Sale Some Items No Longer Using on Facebook / Craigslist
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
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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Keep Moving Forward…
Slumber Party Adventure With Cousins
Dinner time – kid friendly meal (chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, salad, blueberries, and oranges)
The kids were so EXCITED! We’ve been trying to get a slumber party on the calendar with their cousins for a few months now and we did it last weekend. The kids had a blast playing together – nerf, legos, relays, games, and so much more fun activities during their stay with us. Everyone was well behaved, full of energy, and went right to sleep as soon as they hit the sleeping bags that night. One of our girls got up a couple of times, but my nephews we never heard another peep out of them until after 7:30 the next morning!
After some play time the next day and breakfast we headed out on a science adventure. We went to Roper Mountain Science Center’s 2nd Saturday event on H2O Oceans which was a blast! The kids had a grand time together. Thankful for some fun with the kids.
Silly relay races….it was hard getting a clear picture with all the movement!
Lined up for their next relay round!
Lots of giggles and fun!
They played a few fun games while they were here. This was a favorite with the boys – Toy Story 3 Kerplunk game which they played well together!
Taking turns and helping each other!
Our living room was full of sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and giggling kids. It only took them a few minutes to wind down and go to sleep!
Kiddos playing with cars, trucks, planes, race tracks, and legos while Jake and I make breakfast!
Cinnamon Crumble Breakfast Cake, Scrambled Eggs with Extra Cheese, Yogurt, Pears, and Chocolate Milk for breakfast! My sweet nephew asked my daughters several times as we were setting the table “Can we really eat the CAKE for breakfast!?” Why not, it’s not every weekend we have a slumber party and get cinnamon breakfast cake in the morning, ha! While he did eat his cake first that morning, he also ate most of his scrambled eggs and other goodies too!
Van full of kids!
My nephews were not sure about Karlie holding a huge snake! Although they were a little concerned at first they did eventually pet the snake, however, they did not want to hold it!
Riding the school bus between buildings at Roper Mountain!
So excited to ride a bus! Sometimes the little activities provide the most fun and biggest smiles!
Our troop at the Planetarium getting ready to watch the show! The lighting in the planetarium made it hard to get a clear picture.
My nephew was amazed….all the fish swimming around in every direction. It was almost more fun to watch his expressions and hear his comments!
Checking out the turtle! You mean we can touch it?!
Petting the animals!
The bunny was so soft!
This one always grosses me out…..baby mice…..however, the kids love holding the baby mice!
What’s this Aunt Bridgette!? Can I touch it!? Lots of questions and fun exploring all the cool animals!
This was a highlight for my nephews! They loved digging around in the sand and water creating various lakes, rivers, dams, and more!
Building another one together!
Testing the items that they built to see how many golf balls they will hold before sinking!
Saying “Hi” to the animals!
Checking out the sting ray!
Recycled Bottle Top Tank
On her own my daughter decided to start recycling the bottle caps for a craft. The other day she pulled out the recycled bottle tops that she had been collecting and put together this bottle top tank . With a little bit of construction paper, tape, and bottle tops you can make a lot of cool items for fun!
She put this Bottle Top Tank in the living room so it can “guard” our front door (not sure it is the most welcoming sight for our guests, but at least it is harmless).
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Crafting Our Own Pottery
Brina learning how to work the pottery wheel!
One of the gifts Karlie recently got for Brina was a do-it-yourself pottery wheel. Since we like doing “crafty” things we decided it was time to try it out and see what we could create. Since it was Brina’s pottery wheel she went first, but she was kind enough to let all of do a piece as well (even Mom and Dad). While our creations are not anything fancy or perfect we had a blast creating neat items on the wheel. Maybe with a little more practice we’ll be doing master pieces!!!
Karlie trying it out too!
Having fun shaping the item.
Focusing on making her pottery piece
These are the pieces we ended up making with Brina’s pottery wheel. Waiting for the pieces to dry so we can do the next step….painting! It was a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing Brina!
We used the Kids Craft Pottery Wheel Kit which can be picked up at WalMart or Amazon (WalMart’s had a much better price on this item). We did have to mix in some water to get the clay soft enough, but once we got going the clay and the pottery wheel worked great! The clay was air dry so we didn’t have to worry about baking it. You can get more air dry clay at Hobby Lobby too if they want to do more projects.
Simple Cleaning Solution For A Dirty Microwave
Sparkly clean now (in a matter of minutes)!
Every once in awhile I open the microwave and about gag. Usually everyone is pretty good about covering up items that go into the microwave, but occasionally someone forgets or items over boil or splatter. Over time a splatter there and a spill here ends up making the microwave a gross sticky mess. Once it gets to that point it’s time for some deep cleaning.
By using a little bit of water, vinegar, lemon juice, and steam you’ll have your microwave gleaming in a matter of minutes! The best part about this deep cleaning formula is that it is super simple (the microwave does the majority of the work) and it’s made from items you probably already have in your kitchen.
Simple Microwave Cleaning Solution:
- 1 1/2 cups Water
- 2 tablespoons Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 wooden toothpick
Put the water, vinegar, lemon juice, and wooden toothpick in a microwavable bowl. The wooden toothpick will float and help keep the water from boiling over. Place the bowl in the microwave, close the door, and heat for 5 minutes. After it is finished let the bowl set for 2 additional minutes in the microwave before opening the door. The extra minutes setting will allow the steam to continue to work on loosening up the food particles. Open the door and pull out the bowl (use caution pulling it out because it will be very hot). Remove the tray, wash it in the sink, and set it aside to dry. As it is drying wipe down the inside of the microwave. Put the tray back in place and now you have a beautifully cleaned microwave! It only takes a few minutes, but it is super easy and makes the microwave look and smell so much better!
Needs a good cleaning!
Dirty microwave!
What a mess!
Even food splattered on the sides!
Love seeing a clean and shiny microwave! The best part it is simple and quick to do it!
