On the Menu 6-1-13

• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Beef Stew & Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Pineapple-Ginger Flank Steak & Garlic Green Beans
• White Bean Rigatoni & Herb Roasted Red Potatoes

Also note: The smallest flank steak package I could find at the store were two pieces totaling 1 3/4 lbs. This is definitely more than we need as a family, so I marinated both and we only had one tonight.  The other one I cut up and froze and am planning on using in Fajitas later this week or next!

On the menu 5-25-13

I didn't get to everything last week, so this week is a shorter list:

• Pizza and green beans with lemon & almonds
• Enchiladas
• Chicken Divan Casserole
• Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken (new to me)

This week's menu:

• Lemon Tilapia over Rice
• Shepherd's Pie
• Haystacks
• Lemon Cream Chicken & Pasta
• Italian Chicken Pesto
• Taco Salad

I went to a menu planning Relief Society meeting this week. It was fun to meet up with some of the women in my church and also to learn a few new tricks for menus.  I thought I'd post my menu here each week, mainly for my own benefit. But also, if you want any recipes, I'll be happy to post/email them. Especially Jennie, I know it's not always easy to think of dinner ideas when you aren't feeling like eating anything. All of these take 15 minutes or less to put together. Shepherd's pie is the only one that cooks longer than that.

Adventures in Mommyhood

I thought I could take a shower. Alone. With the door closed.  I loaded up Disney Junior so Kaity could play games and went upstairs to do so.  I came down to find this:

On the positive side:
1. she didn't cut her hair
2. she didn't decorate anything that wasn't specifically hers (the actual computer, walls, desk, chairs, etc)
3. great fine-motor skills on this kid
4. her 'puter is now much more pretty
5. I got to finish my shower in relative peace and privacy

The negative side:
1. not sure how she's going to see and/or use the screen

I'm going to call it a win!

Goal Update

Today is the first day of February, which means it's time for a goal update.  On New Year's I sat down and wrote the following in my journal:
"With a new year comes new goals.  This year I'm not making goals of how to clean my house. That is an ongoing battle. I want goals that will help me, personally, feel better about myself.  When I feel good about myself I have found that I am a better Mom, Wife, and Homemaker (home-cleaner, too)."
This year's goals are:

• read 100 books in 10 different genres (10 each).
• lose 50 lbs
• go to Disneyland and/or get pregnant
• read scriptures daily
• write in journal weekly
• hold FHE weekly

So far I have:

• finished 8 books and am currently reading 2 more that qualify in 9 of the 10 categories.
• started a new weight loss plan and have lost 5 lbs.  I am hoping to begin adding exercise to my days
• an appointment on Monday with a fertility specialist and sat down with Jared to put together a budget for Disneyland
• read scriptures/Ensign about 60% of the time - up from before but still needs work
• Um, wrote in it once. So, room for improvement
• twice out of four Mondays, so doing good!

Kaity learned how to pedal!

Kaity asked Santa for a bike, it's the only thing she would ask him for. He told her she had to wear a helmet whenever she wore a bike, so then she started asking for a helmet too.  Anyway, she got one for Christmas and has been riding it all over our kitchen/dining room.  She loves it! It took some time, but she can steer and pedal really well now.  We are just waiting for the snow to melt so we can go outside!

2012 Reading Goals

In 2010 I joined in with some friends who had set a reading goal for the year. They were going to read 10 books in 10 different genres during the year.  Sadly, I did not succeed in completing this goal, but in an attempt to read more books outside my comfort zone (and therefore find more good books), this year I am planning to try the 10 in 10 goal again.
This year's categories are:

• books I own but haven't read yet
• books by general authorities
• biographies
• young adult/middle reader fiction
• books recommended by others
• classics
• books with movie adaptations
• non-fiction
• award winners
• Authors I've never read

So we'll see how it goes :)