Saturday, March 31, 2018

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for April 1 - April 7)

We are at the tail end of spring break here and we've had both a relaxing and productive week off from school.  We have one more day off (Monday) although we still have some commitments that day and then our regular schedule picks up.  All three boys will have soccer practices and games this week and every week for the next 6-8 weeks.  It will be busy and feel like a marathon to get to the end of May, but it will also be fun.  I'm hoping the weather will start to cooperate and warm up and stop raining so much!  We need some outside time soon!

Last week I mostly kept to the meal plan until the end of the week.  Then Adrian and I realized we had a lot of leftovers and a lot to do and wanted to have some fun watching movies and playing games with the boys.  So we decided to just eat what we had on Friday and Saturday and move our planned meals to this coming week.  Our eating wasn't super healthy last week, but boy was it tasty!  This week we are getting our butts in gear and will be eating healthy for the next 5 weeks.  That will take us to Adrian's birthday and Mother's Day which will mean we take a weekend off.  Then I'm hoping to get right back to it for another big push before all of our summer activities.

This week is kind of thrown together from things I know I already have the ingredients for and things that sound good and healthy.  We have a bunch of veggies to use up so I may swap out one of these meals for salads, but I also want to have those for lunches and a girl can only eat so much salad.  I'm hoping to do very little grocery shopping this week and next and use up everything that we have.  This week the focus is on the two carryover recipes from last week and using up all of the ham that I'm making tomorrow for Easter.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Happy Easter!  It's only the 5 of us so it's a small meal for us.  I'm doing a ham in the instant pot (probably slow cooking it), roasted potatoes, asparagus and green beans.
Monday - Chicken Taco Casserole - I'm making this tomorrow so we only have to heat it up
Tuesday- Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Fish Tacos (carry over from last week)
Thursday - Ham & Broccoli Rice Skillet - using up the ham from Sunday
Friday - Ham & Kale Soup - using up the ham from Sunday
Saturday - Steaks on the grill with whatever veggies need to be used up

Water Flavor - Pear.  I made this last week and it's delicious!  I think I really need some sweet flavors after all of that citrus the past few months.

Overnight Oats - We took the week from these last week and it was nice but I was also hungry earlier and more often all week.  Then again, I was really far off my normal eating so that could have been why I was so hungry.  We'll be back to these this week and I'm planning on chocolate with butterscotch chips, peanut butter with chocolate chips and apple cinnamon.  If we need more, I'll use some of the flavored yogurts that I have.

Lunches - Salads all week as part of the refocus and part of the use up the veggies before they turn plan.

Use it Up - Eat all of the veggies before they go bad!  I overbought and then we started eating poorly so we have a full fridge and need to use them up ASAP.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/23 - 3/29)

Friday (3/23) Last day of school before spring break!!  We were all dragging to get up, but we made it to school and work on time.  I was subbing a full day today, for a 4th grade teacher in the morning and the same class I was in all week in the afternoon.  I enjoyed being in the 4th grade class much more than I expected to, they were all really good kids.  Then I headed down to the class I've been in all week where we teachers had a taco bar for lunch.  Everything was so good, I ate so much and it was wonderful!  We watched a movie and had a pretty calm afternoon, other than another fire drill, my second of the week.  We finished up the day and I headed home with Daniel and Zak for our week off.  We came home and found out that AJ got all A's this quarter and received a gold card!  We are very proud of how hard he has been working this school year!
I relaxed a little at home and got everything set up for a busy night, then I headed out to work at the church for a few hours.  It was a pretty quiet night at the church and I got a lot done while I was working.  I also sat, a lot, which was awesome after a super busy week!  When my group left for the night, I headed to Chuy's at Easton to meet up with some Zumba instructor friends outside of a gym.  We had a great dinner together and we laughed a lot!!  I'm hoping we get to do it again very soon!  When I got home I was so tired that I pretty much went right to bed while Adrian stayed up watching college basketball.
Saturday (3/24) I slept like a rock last night and was shocked when my alarm went off to wake me up to get ready for Zumba this morning.  Everyone else was already up when I got up.  I got ready for class & took Daniel and Zak with me to the Y.  I had a great class, lots of energy from a huge crowd!  Then on the way home, the three of us stopped at an egg hunt at a local church.  We enjoyed hunting for eggs, playing games, eating lunch and meeting the Easter Bunny.  It was a great afternoon together.
 
 
While we were out doing that, AJ and Adrian were also very busy.  AJ had soccer practice in the morning.  He did a great job with all of his drills!  While he was there, Adrian ran to Kohl's to pick up some new clothes for work.  Then they came home, warmed up, had lunch and headed back out to do a service project with AJ's Scout troop.  They helped to build a raised flower bed at the local elementary school for one of the other Scout's Eagle Scout project.  AJ said it was fun but hard work!
When we all finally got home from all of that, we got a few things done around the house and then settled in for a family movie night.  It was AJ's pick and he has been asking to watch the Indiana Jones movies since we saw the stunt show in Disney in Dec.  So we watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and everyone loved it!  Even Zak watched the full movie and gave it two thumbs up.  We are all excited to watch the rest of the series together.  After we calmed down from the excitement of the movie, the boys headed to bed and went right to sleep after the busy day.  Adrian and I finished up a few things and then he watched basketball while I headed to bed as well.  Super full and fun family Saturday!

Sunday (3/25) We all slept in a little and then got up and got ready to head to church as a family.  We went to first service together and then Adrian took the boys home and I stayed to volunteer for the second service.  They had lunch and got ready to head to swimming for the afternoon.  While they were at the Y for swimming, I got as much done around the house as I could.  Just before they got home, Carl, Sarah, Isabelle and Vinnie arrived to celebrate my birthday a few days early!  We enjoyed a nice visit together including lots of cousins playing time, basketball, delicious pizza and three birthday cakes!  They left and we were all pretty wiped out from another busy day.  The boys cleaned up then headed up to bed.  Adrian and I did a few more things, watched a few comedies and headed to bed ourselves.  I'm very glad I don't have an alarm for tomorrow morning!!
Monday (3/26) It's the boys' first official day of spring break!!  They honestly don't want to do a whole lot this break, lots of resting and video game watching.  Since the weather forecast isn't great and I'm working a lot this week I'm mostly OK with their decision.  I'm mostly looking forward to sleeping in a little, which I did today.  We had a lazy morning, then we got ready and headed to the Y for my Silver Sneakers class.  The boys were thrilled that Kids Time was opened and they didn't have to "go in with the babies."  After class, we came home and hung out all afternoon before heading back to the Y for my Zumba class in the afternoon.  We played outside for a while since we probably won't be able to the rest of the week.

After we got home from Zumba the boys decided they wanted to ride their bikes for a while, so they did that while I was cooking dinner.  The last lap Zak was taking forever and we weren't sure what happened.  Then we saw him round the corner pushing his bike instead of riding it.  Turns out one of his training wheels broke!  We told him that means it's time to learn how to ride a two wheeler.  He doesn't agree.  After dinner, Adrian and AJ headed out to his Boy Scout meeting while I hung out at home with the other boys.  When everyone got home, we got the boys to bed and then enjoyed a few comedies before heading to bed ourselves.
Tuesday (3/27) Happy Birthday to me!!  I got to sleep in a little this morning before waking up to the boys all singing and screaming happy birthday!  Unfortunately we had a full day so we had to get up and moving right away.  We headed to Harcum where I taught two Silver Sneakers classes and had a small birthday party with all of my students.  The boys loved hanging out and eating cupcakes with everyone.  Then we ran to pick up lunch and head to the Y where I taught a third Silver Sneakers class for the day.  After class we headed to the pediatrician for well checks for Daniel and Zak.  They are both doing great, growing a ton and looking great.

When we finally got home after a long day, Adrian surprised us by already being home from work.  We relaxed a little at home and I started reading thru the tons of Facebook posts and messages from friends.  I really enjoy birthdays and hearing from a lot of the people in my life.  I certainly felt the love today!  After a little relaxing, we headed out to Red Robin for dinner.  The food was great as always but the service was just OK.  But we made the best of it and had a fun night.  After dinner we came home and the boys gave me my birthday presents - a bunch of new shirts.  I got 3 for subbing and 3 for teaching exercise classes.  After we digested a little, we had more ice cream cake and then got the boys to bed.  Adrian and I watched the Roseanne reboot.  It was OK, I laughed a lot but a lot of it seemed forced.  And there are a lot of questions that they didn't answer.  We'll keep watching.  After that we headed to bed since we have an early play date tomorrow for the boys.
Wednesday (3/28) Today started super early when Daniel woke me up at 2:00am and we never really went back to sleep.  I took a few short naps before finally getting up at around 6:45.  He did the same but only stayed in bed until 5:30 when he went to find Adrian "because this is what time Dad normally gets up."  The only good thing about getting up so early is that we were ready when AJ's friend David came over to hang with us all day while his parents were at work.  The boys all had a great day playing together and all got along really well!  I barely knew any of them were here and I was able to get a bunch of stuff done around the house while they played.

After David left, we took some time to get some homework done and then we headed to the Y for my Zumba class.  It was a rough class for me since I was so tired, but we had a great time anyway.  And I was sweating like crazy so that means it was a great workout!  After class we headed back home and had a delicious dinner together.  Then Adrian took over with the boys while I went out to run a few errands.  I went to Giant Eagle, Kroger, Krispy Kreme and Dollar Tree before I was too exhausted to do any more.  So I headed home, helped put the boys to bed and unloaded all of the groceries.  When we finished cleaning up, we settled in to watch Survivor and then headed to bed. 

Thursday (3/29) Thankfully we all got a great night of sleep last night!!  Unfortunately, I had to wake AJ and Daniel up so we could get ready to go since I was working all day today.  We quickly got up and moving and headed to the Harcum Center so I could teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  When we were done, we picked up my free omelette from First Watch and ran home for a quick lunch.  Then we headed to the Y so I could teach my third Silver Sneakers class of the day.  After that class, it was finally time for some fun!  We headed to Glow Putt (Zak has been asking to go for weeks!) for a round of mini golf.  The boys had fun playing & since they didn't want me to play, I had a great time observing and cheering for them.
After a fun round of golf, we headed to the library so the boys could get some new books and movies.  We surprisingly found Cars 3 on the shelves so we'll be watching that soon as a family movie night.  After we loaded up on library items, we headed next door to Dairy Queen to redeem coupons the boys had for free ice cream cones.  We all enjoyed our ice cream treat!  Adrian met us there and took the boys home while I ran to Meijer to pick up a few things and then to teach class number 4 of the day, a Zumba class at Alliance Data.  When I finally got home after class, I was sore and exhausted.  I enjoyed a delicious dinner that Adrian had made and then we just hung out and relaxed the rest of the night.  After we got the boys to bed, Adrian and I enjoyed a few of our favorite comedies (Bill Gates on Big Bang was hilarious!) and then headed to bed.  He is off tomorrow so we are excited for a three day weekend together!

Monday, March 26, 2018

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/16 - 3/22)

Friday (3/16) We survived the week and made it to Friday!  This past week was a long and busy week and we did it all on very little sleep.  We got everyone up and out to school and work on time this morning, despite Daniel and I being up for a while overnight.  After I got everyone dropped off, I headed to run a bunch of errands to hopefully set us up for the next two weeks.  I went to the apple sale at Lynd's, Aldi, Meijer, Costco & Cooper's Hawk.  It took all morning and I was exhausted when I got home.  And then I had to unload and put away everything that I bought.  When I finally finished all of that, I got to work on catching up on stuff around the house that I wasn't able to do this past week.

Before I knew it, it was time for everyone to come home from school.  AJ's friends David came home with him today to "hang."  They informed me they are too old for play dates.  All four boys had fun playing together for about two hours before his mom came to pick him up.  Then my boys continued to play Minecraft together while I worked around the house for a bit.  Adrian got stuck at work super late so our dinner was really late and our evening plans for a family movie night were scraped.  We let the boys stay up playing a little later, then got everyone to bed.  I was so exhausted that I also went to bed early while Adrian stayed up watching the basketball tournament.  Hoping for a good night of sleep for everyone!

Saturday (3/17) Happy St Patrick's Day!  We don't really do anything to celebrate, other than wearing green if we remember.  We had plans this morning for Scouts and soccer for AJ and an egg hunt for the other boys.  But it all got cancelled when we got an ice storm overnight.  So we had a relaxing morning around the house together.  Adrian and I got some stuff done while the boys played.  We also had them finish up all of their homework since we have a super busy week starting tomorrow.

After lunch, I headed out to the Y for a Zumba jam session, my third one this year!  I'm having so much fun going and learning choreo every month and being with my ZIN friends.  This jam was no exception, a ton of fun and I learned a lot.  I even got some practice with a new to me rhythm, kizomba.  I probably won't be using it in class anytime soon, but it was fun to learn something new and my legs and hips were feeling the workout.  While I was at the jam, Adrian took the boys to get haircuts and to buy some green donuts from Krispy Kreme.  All four of them got their hair cut and they all look great!
 
I got home to dinner on the table which was awesome.  Adrian used the instant pot to cook messy lasagna again and it was so good!  I ate quickly and got changed to head out on a date with AJ to see the high school production of "The Sound of Music."  We both enjoyed the show, especially watching our friend (and babysitter) Ashley as one of the nuns.  While we were there, Adrian watched the OSU basketball game with the other boys.  Unfortunately they lost, but it was a great season for them!  And now we get to watch the rest of the games just for fun.  We all stayed up way later than we should have and fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
Sunday (3/18) After the late night last night, we all slept in a little today.  Of course that meant we missed first service of church and with the boys swim schedule we can't do second service.  So we had a relaxing morning eating our Krispy Kreme donuts and then I headed into second service to volunteer in childcare.  I had a great time hanging out with the kids!  Then I came home for a quick lunch and to get a few things done before heading to the Y to meet everyone else there for swim lessons.

When I got there, AJ and Zak were done already.  Adrian took AJ and headed to soccer practice while Daniel got in the pool with Zak for about half an hour until it was time for his class.  Then we went to his lesson while Zak swam and I watched.  When Daniel was done, we all headed home, grabbed a quick snack and picked up AJ then headed to Martial Arts.  The boys did great practicing their hand strikes and participating in relay races.  When we finally got home, Adrian grilled steaks for dinner for us and we finished up a few things around the house.  Then we got the boys to bed and watched a little basketball before heading to bed before a very busy week.
 
 
Monday (3/19) One more week of school before spring break!  Everyone got up and out to school on time this morning.  I dropped everyone off, then came home to get a few things done around the house before heading to the Y to teach my Silver Sneakers class.  After class, I headed back to school to sub for the afternoon.  I have the same class every afternoon this week and I'm excited to work with them all week.  After school, I picked up the boys and we headed to the Y for my Zumba class.  After a fun class, we headed home to have a quick dinner before AJ headed out to Boy Scouts with Adrian.  He was super excited to share that he made rank tonight at Scouts!!  We're on to the next rank now.  We got everyone in bed, watched a few comedies and then headed to bed ourselves.  Pretty good start to our week!

Tuesday (3/20) We all got up and out to work and school on time again.  After I dropped everyone off, I headed to the Harcum Center to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We have so much fun in these classes and I love how much I laugh with everyone.  After class, I headed to school to sub again in the afternoon.  When school was over, we headed out to bring a meal to our friends and then came home to eat a quick dinner - it was taco Tuesday, everyone's favorite!  When we were done with dinner, we headed to school to see Daniel and his classmates perform in the 3rd grade musical "Swamped."  He was the sound engineer and did a great job of starting and stopping the music before and after each song.  We are super proud of him for doing the musical as it is not his favorite thing.  But he did great, as did all of his class mates.  When it was over, we came home to have a quick snack and show and got the boys to bed before enjoying our own quick snack and show.
Wednesday (3/21) We were dragging but we managed to get up and out on time this morning.  After I dropped everyone at school I ran a few errands and then headed out to Harcum to observe a class for training to sub it in the near future.  I enjoyed seeing a different format and meeting some new members.  When class was over, I ran my last errands and then headed into school to sub again.  It's nice to be in the same class for a week, I'm getting to know the kids pretty well.  When school was over, I picked up the boys and we headed to the Y for my Zumba class.  I was tired, but I still had a great time dancing with my friends and celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Day.
After class, we headed to drop another meal off to a different friend and then got home to deal with homework and dinner for my boys.  Adrian got stuck at work pretty late so I was on my own for most of the night.  The boys did a great job and were rewarded with some rare mid-week video game time.  Adrian got home just in time to help put them to bed, finish cleaning up the kitchen and then watch Survivor with me before we headed to bed too.

Thursday (3/22) Started a little rough for us.  We were all dragging in the morning and AJ's bus came early so he missed it.  He got to relax at home for about 40 minutes while Adrian got ready for work and then dropped him off at school on his way.  Then while I was getting the other boys ready for school Zak informed me that there "are way better mothers than you out there."  Because I was forcing him to wear shoes and socks to school.  He's right, I am a terrible mother.  Ha!  After I got them dropped off at school, things got better.  I went and taught my two Silver Sneakers classes and we laughed a lot.  Then I went in to the school to sub in the afternoon and we laughed a lot there too. 

When school was over, I picked up the boys and we went home to get ready for our busy night.  Unfortunately Adrian got stuck at work late so I had to cancel my Zumba class tonight.  But it actually made the night easier because we all ate together and then Adrian came home and picked up AJ and Daniel to take them to the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game.  While they were there, Zak and I went to Sonic for milkshakes and played a few games at home.  Everyone had a great night, although it was very late when they got home from watching the Jackets win.  We got them to sleep, finished up a few things around the house and headed to bed ourselves, hoping for a calmer morning tomorrow.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Mar 25 - Mar 31)

We were super busy last week and I ran out of steam on Thursday.  We also had a few nights where people didn't eat at home so we switched up a few things and postponed a few things to this week.  Adrian took the boys to the Blue Jackets game on Thursday night so we had pasta that night so everyone was full before the game.  Then Friday night I went out to eat with friends and Adrian got pizza for the boys, one half price one from Papa John's from the hockey game and one from Pizza Hut for Daniel's Book It program.

This week is spring break for us.  It's also my birthday and then Easter is next Sunday.  There are lots of special things going on and probably lots of bad eating.  Our menu plan is very easy, lots of casseroles and things I can throw together quickly.  Also lots of things that produce leftovers so that if we run late one day, we can just have leftovers.  I'm not sure what we're having for dinner for Easter, but it is only the five of us so we'll keep it pretty low key.

For spring break each boy got to pick one thing they want to do so we're trying to get all of that in during the week.  They want to go to COSI, the zoo, Glow Putt, roller skating, hang with friends, play video games and have two family movie nights.  I'm also working all of my normal classes, plus subbing two extra classes.  And we have pediatrician appointments.  Plus we have coupons for free ice cream at Dairy Queen, donuts to pick up at Krispy Kreme for great report cards and a few birthday freebies I want to use.  It's going to be a busy and fun week!!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Pizza and Ice Cream Cake with my brother to kick off my birthday week
Monday - Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Tuesday - Red Robin for my birthday
Wednesday - Sour Cream Noodle Bake (carry over from last week)
Thursday - Fish Tacos (carry over from last week)
Friday - Pasta with Vodka Sauce (I'll probably add sausage or chicken to this for us)
Saturday - Chicken Taco Casserole - I made this for two friends last week and both said it was great.  I have enough for us to have a tray of it and planned to do it last week but ran out of time.  So I'll do it sometime this week and heat it after a very busy Saturday.

Water Flavor - I did not enjoy the lime water from last week at all.  And I actually still have a bunch of it left in the pitcher.  I will probably do pear water this week, or I may take a week off since it's late on Sunday and I have a bunch of lime water to finish up.  We'll see how the next day or so goes.

Overnight Oats - I'm taking a week off from these.  We got bagels yesterday so that will be breakfast for a few days.  I also have a few servings of oats left from last week that we will eat this week.  And I may make pancakes one day since everyone loves them.  We'll just be fending for ourselves this week for breakfast.

Use It Up - I'm taking a break from this too.  I am hoping not to go to the grocery store at all this week so we'll be using up whatever we have in the house all week.

Lunches - I'll be having salad all week using up lots of lettuce that we have as well as the hard boiled eggs I have from last week.  I want to finish them all this week because we'll be coloring two dozen next week so I'll have a lot to eat after that.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Mar 18 - Mar 24)

Last week we had way more leftovers than I thought we would so we decided to scrap our meal plan and pretty much eat leftovers all week to get control of our refrigerator.  The only night we cooked dinner was yesterday so that we could start restocking the fridge for this week.  It was nice to pretty much have the week off from cooking and we still had a pretty good variety of food.

This week is super busy for us but I am determined to stick to our plan this week.  I have already shopped for the whole week and will be doing some prep today to get us in a good place for the week.  We have something pretty much every night this week since soccer is starting up for the boys.  And I'm subbing every day this week since I took most of last week off and will be off all of next week for spring break.  My eating hasn't been great this month so I'm trying to reign it in for this week before next week of birthday/Easter/spring break fun.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Steak on the grill, leftover asparagus and green beans
Monday - Sausage Lentil Soup (carryover from last week)
Tuesday -Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Korean Style Lettuce Wraps
Thursday - Tortellini Soup
Friday - Sour Cream Noodle Bake for the boys, I'm going out to dinner with friends!
Saturday - Fish Tacos


Water flavor - Lime.  While I loved the sweetness of the mango water last week, I'm back to citrus because I have a few limes to use up.  This is the end of my citrus overload so I'm hoping to go back to more sweet water after this week.

Overnight Oats - I haven't even thought about these yet so I'll do it on the fly.  I have enough for two days leftover from last week because I made a lot and we had a few days that we didn't eat them.  For the rest I will use my normal recipe and then added flavors to it.  I still have homemade applesauce so that will be two batches this week.  I will also do two batches of chocolate with butterscotch chips because it's Adrian's favorite.  That will probably be it for this week and I'll watch how quickly we eat it this week to see if I need to make more later in the week.

Use it Up - Last week was all about leftovers and we did a great job of cleaning out both refrigerators.  I spent Friday shopping to refill them so I don't really have a plan to use anything up this week.  But I'm hoping to not have to go shopping until after spring break so there will be a lot of using up what we have next week for sure.

Lunches - I'm planning on having salads this week because I accidentally bought too much Romaine lettuce this week.  I didn't know we had 3 heads & I bought my normal 6 heads at Costco on Friday.  So I'll be using that up this week.  I also volunteered to bring dinner to two different friends this week so I'll be making them Chicken Taco Casserole.  I decided to make a third tray of this for us too.  This will be for lunches or if I just can't get it together to cook one night!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/9 - 3/15)

Friday (3/9) Finally, we all got a good night of sleep!!  We got AJ up and out to school and then Adrian headed to work.  The other boys slept in a little, then got up and go ready for school.  Zak was super easy to get ready because it was pajama day for him so he got dressed last night.  After I dropped everyone off, I headed home for a rare day off.  None of the subbing jobs really fit with my schedule so I decided to stay home and get some stuff done around the house to make the weekend easier.  I was super productive while everyone was at school!!  Before I knew it, it was time to pick up everyone for the day.  I finished a few more things around the house while they played video games and we waited for Adrian to get home from work.

I decided early in the day that I didn't feel like cooking dinner, or eating what we had planned.  So we ordered Jets pizza and Adrian picked it up on his way home.  The boys were super excited to have it tonight, it was a surprise for them.  After dinner, we got ready for our date night.  When our sitter got here, we headed out to see "An American in Paris."  It was just an OK play, we didn't love it.  The dancing was great, but a lot of the dancing scenes went on for a long time.  The scenery was amazing, we enjoyed watching all of the creative things that they did.  We still think a bad night at the theater is better than a great night at home.
Saturday (3/10) We slept in a little but then I had to get up and get moving to teach my Zumba class at the Y.  I had over 30 people in class again this week and we had a great time!  After class, I quickly ran to Kroger to pick up a few things and then headed home to get ready to head to my brother's house to visit with him and my parent who are in town for a quick weekend visit.  We spent the afternoon hanging out, playing games, eating and drinking.  It was a very relaxing day and so nice to be with family.  We stayed a little later than we expected and the boys were ready to go straight to bed when we got home.  I also went right to bed, probably because I had a lot of wine during the day.  It was a great Saturday!!
Sunday (3/11) Daniel had a rough time sleeping again so he ended up in bed with me around 4 in the morning.  We were up for a bit but he finally settled down and we both went back to sleep.  Then he and I slept until 10am!  Although with the time change our body felt like it was only 9am.  I hate this time change every year and I'm sure this week will suck because of it!  We missed church since we all slept in and didn't get moving very quickly.  I made chocolate chip pancakes for everyone for breakfast and then we started to get a few things done around the house and prep for family dinner with my brother and parents at our house today.

In the afternoon, Adrian took the boys to the Y for their last swim class of this session.  They all did great and both AJ and Daniel will be moving up a level next session.  They came home right around the same time that everyone else got here too.  We had another relaxing day chatting, watching sports and watching the kids play together.  We had a delicious dinner and awesome crumb cake for dessert.  The boys were upset when my parents left, but understand that this was just a quick trip.  After everyone left, we got the house back in order and relaxed a little before heading to bed at our normal time in hopes of starting the week well rested despite the stupid time change.
Monday (3/12) It was back to our regular schedule today.  It was rough getting everyone up and out to school because they were all tired because of the time change.  I finally dragged everyone out of bed and got them to school on time.  Since I was tired, I decided to skip Body Pump and take some time to work around the house.  Then I headed to the Y to teach my Silver Sneakers class and then headed up to my brother's house to pick up my parents.  Since everyone else was at work and school, we headed out to Melt for lunch.  My sandwich was delicious & so filling!  I ate half for lunch and half for dinner.
After lunch, I dropped them off at the airport before heading back to pick up all of the boys from school.  We relaxed for a little bit and then had leftovers for dinner before heading out to Scouts for the night.  I took Zak to his Lions meeting where they made tote bags for their scout stuff and practiced tying knots with Twizzlers.  Adrian took AJ to his Boy Scout meeting where he helped set up their calendar for the next few months.  He is super excited about all of the things they have planned!  As soon as we all got home, we got the boys ready for bed, watched a few comedies and headed to bed ourselves. 

Tuesday (3/13) This morning wasn't quite as rough as yesterday, but there was still some complaining and dragging feet as we got ready.  Everyone got up and out on time and after I dropped everyone off, I headed to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  I got upsetting news when I got there that one of my participants passed away.  I will be praying for his family, especially his wife who is also a student.  After two great classes, I headed out to run a ton of errands.  I got a bunch done and got home just in time to get AJ off the bus and pick up the other boys from school.

When I got everyone home, I unloaded all of the groceries and then relaxed for a bit.  Then I got the boys through their homework which including deciding on AJ's choices for his first year of middle school next year!  He is super excited to join the band and learn to play the trombone.  We had leftovers for dinner again tonight before I headed out to the church to work as the facility rep for the evening.  I got home just in time for bedtime for the boys, then Adrian and I had a snack, watched a few shows and went to bed.  This time change sucks!

Wednesday (3/14) The time change hit hard today!  We were all cranky and exhausted today.  But we managed to get up and moving and get everyone where they needed to be on time.  After I dropped everyone off at school, I ran to the grocery store to finish up the shopping for the week.  Then I came home to have a quick lunch before heading in to sub as the music teacher for the afternoon.  I had all kindergarten classes, including Zak's class.  They were pretty confused about why I was there, but they pulled it together pretty quickly.

After school, I ran home with Zak and Daniel to pick up AJ and get ready to head to the Y for my Zumba class.  We had an awesome class and I felt great when it was over, ready to take on the rest of the night.  We ran to the library to return a few things and then headed home to get thru dinner (more leftovers) and homework.  Adrian had Bible study so he headed there after work.  He got home just in time to help with bedtime.  We finished cleaning up the kitchen and then settled in to watch Survivor before heading to bed for the night.

Thursday (3/15) Everyone seems to be in better spirits after a great night of sleep.  We all got up and out on time this morning.  After I dropped everyone off at school, I headed to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had so much fun in both classes, lots of laughs this morning.  After class, I had a meeting with my manager there where I got a great report on my classes.  I have a few opportunities to pick up some subbing there so I will be doing that in the future.  After that, I headed to see my friend Bridget who is in cosmetology school.  She needed some practice so I went in for a new haircut.  And she did a fantastic job!!
After that, I headed home to get a few things done and get ready for a busy night.  Adrian came home early so that he could watch the OSU basketball game and  I left soon after he got home to go teach my corporate Zumba class.  Then he fed the boys and took them all to the park because Daniel had his first soccer practice tonight.  He did great with his new team and coach and is super excited about the season!  Zak and AJ played on the play ground until I got there when AJ and Adrian headed home to watch the end of the OSU game (they won - yay!)  I finally got home with Daniel and Zak and had my dinner and then we started our night routine.  We got the boys to bed and watched a few comedies while checking on the basketball games.  We both were ready for bed early!

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for Mar 11 - Mar 17)

We had another great week last week sticking to our plan.  We did veer off on Friday because I didn't feel like cooking so we ordered pizza.  We went to my brother's house on Saturday and enjoyed a delicious pasta dinner with him and my parents.  Then they all came over here today, which is why this post is so late tonight.  We had a big family dinner and I showed my brother and mom how awesome my instant pot is.  I roasted a full chicken in it and it was delicious!

This week is another busy one for us.  And it starts with us having overstocked refrigerators so we're starting with at least one day of leftovers, possibly two.  We have stuff from last week, pizza and stuff from tonight.  I do have chicken thighs out that I was supposed to cook on Friday night so I will make those tomorrow with some of the sides from today.  And then after Tuesday I will reevaluate where we are with leftovers.  If we're back in control, I'll follow this plan.  If we still have a bunch, I'll have a third night of leftovers and bump something to next week.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Roast Chicken, Brussels Sprouts Salad, Baked Ziti, Bacon Ranch Potatoes (from a box) and Roasted Asparagus and Peppers
Monday - Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs with leftover sides from today
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Sausage Lentil Soup
Thursday - Fish Tacos
Friday - Out to dinner because the boys will be at parents night out at the high school
Saturday - Messy Lasagna - Adrian will be cooking because I have a Zumba jam until 5pm.  He made this and wants to make a few tweaks (using sausage instead of ground beef & adding a little more spices)

Water Flavor - Mango!  I'm so excited to have something different than orange.  I finally used them all up last week.  I have some limes I need to use, but I'm going to take a break from citrus for a week and pick up some mint to go with the limes for the next week or two.

Overnight Oats - I already have these set up for the week.  I used my normal recipe and then added flavors to it.  I did one batch of regular which I will add strawberries to in the mornings, two batches of banana chocolate chip, two batches of apple pie and two batches of chocolate with butterscotch chips.  We should have enough for this week because we didn't eat them today.  I made chocolate chip pancakes for the family instead and they were delicious!!

Use it Up - This week is all about leftovers.  I also used up all of an open box of pancake mix today as well as two boxes and bacon ranch potatoes that I got for free over the holidays and didn't know when I would be able to use.  Other than that, I'm also not buying any fruit in an effort to use up what I have.  And I have some celery that I need to use which will go into the soup on Wednesday and then I hope to use the rest as snacks since I don't have a lot of fruit.

Lunches - I hard boiled eggs and made protein ranch dressing so I can have salads all week.  I also have some chicken left over from today that I will probably throw in salad all week.  And some taco meat that I will use up if no one else does.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 3/2 - 3/8)

Friday (3/2) Whew, we made it to Friday!  We barely got up but we did manage to get everyone to work and school on time.  Once I dropped the boys off to school I headed to the Y to sub two classes for my friend.  I taught Zumba Toning & a quick 30 minute Zumba class.  Both classes were super fun!  Then I quickly got changed and headed back to the school to sub for the afternoon.  It was wear your favorite super hero shirt day so I decided to participate in the fun:
After school, I picked up Daniel and Zak and we headed home to meet up with AJ.  The boys immediately started playing video games and I allowed it so I could sit down and rest for a bit.  I cooked a quick dinner then headed to the church to work as the facilities manager for the night.  I was regretting agreeing to work until 9pm, but I survived.  When I finally finished at work, I ran to Meijer to finish my food shopping for the week and then came home to watch a few shows before heading to bed.  I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, which never happens.


Saturday (3/3) We all got to sleep in a little this morning since we didn't have any commitments.  I was thinking about going to a class at the Y but decided my body needed rest instead, so I rested.  I spent the whole day catching up on stuff around the house that I needed to do while the boys played together.  In the afternoon, Adrian and Zak headed out to his first Pinewood Derby.  He didn't do very well, but he had a blast and thought it was the most fun day so that's more important.  After the Derby, Adrian dropped Zak off at home and then headed out to the All Star celebration for his Crossover basketball team.  I'm glad he was able to coach this season even though none of our boys played.
When he got home, we continued working around the house and trying to finish up the boys' homework.  We had a nice dinner together and then settled in for family movie night.  It was Zak's pick and he picked "Aladdin" (with a little help from me).  None of the boys had ever seen it and it's one of my favorites.  I found out halfway thru the movie that Adrian had never seen it either!  Everyone loved the movie, I'm so glad we watched it!  I'm hoping to sneak in a few more Disney classics this year on our family movie nights.
Sunday (3/4) Another morning sleeping in for all of us!  Adrian and I actually slept later than anyone.  Daniel came up around 8:30 and asked us to get up because "they have been downstairs alone for a while."  It's so nice that they can get up on their own now!  We had a relaxing morning and then headed to church for second service.  The kids were in service with us this week and Zak freaked out and would not go into service.  So after fighting with him for a while, I left and came home with him.

We went back to pick up the other boys after service and all came home and had a quick lunch before Adrian and the boys headed out to swim lessons.  I worked like crazy around the house while they were gone and just about finished up my list.  When the boys came home, they finished up their lists and then played video games for a little bit before I headed out with them to martial arts.  I enjoyed watching them practice tonight.  Adrian finished up his list while we were gone and then cooked delicious crab legs for dinner.  We finished up the night with some TV time, a little bit of the Oscars and early bedtimes so we're ready for another busy week.
Monday (3/5) Today we thought we were getting back to our normal schedule but AJ woke up and got sick.  So Adrian decided to take the day off to spend with him so that I could still do my full day.  I got the other boys up and ready for school and dropped them off.  Then I headed to the Y to take Body Pump and teach my Silver Sneakers class.  After class I quickly changed and headed to the school to sub for the afternoon.  I had a fun time with my class and finished a little early so I grabbed the boys and dropped them off at home.  Then I headed back to the Y to teach my Zumba class which was a ton of fun!  I came home and Adrian was cooking our dinner so I got to relax a little before enjoying a delicious meal.  AJ was feeling better so he and Adrian went Boy Scouts while I stayed home to do homework with the other two boys.  When they got home, we got everyone to bed, watched a few comedies and headed up to bed.  Hoping for a more normal schedule tomorrow!

Tuesday (3/6) We all got up and out on time again today.  Daniel and Zak both had special days at school so they had special things to wear.  Zak is celebrating Dr Suess week and today was "Green Eggs and Ham Day" so he wore a green shirt.  Daniel had a field trip to AEP (our local electric company) and he wanted to wear a shirt that had to do with energy.
After I dropped everyone off at school, I headed in to teach my Silver Sneakers classes.  We had so much fun, as always.  Then I headed in to sub an afternoon at the school.  When school was over, I picked up the boys and we headed home to meet AJ here.  They started a game where they do all kinds of exercises everyday so they headed upstairs to play that and I enjoyed 30 minutes of blissful silence.  Then as soon as Adrian got home, I headed out to do our grocery shopping for the week.  I was in and out in under an hour which was awesome!  I came home to taco Tuesday dinner cooked by Adrian, that's three nights in a row that he has cooked and not me.  We enjoyed dinner together, did a few things around the house and then settled in for a little TV before bed.  Everyone seemed pretty tired tonight so an early bedtime was necessary.

Wednesday (3/7) Today started very early when all three boys were up with AJ getting ready for school.  We got AJ out the door and then we relaxed a little before I got the other two boys ready.  After I dropped them off at school, I headed into AJ's school to sub for the afternoon.  I actually was subbing for his homeroom teacher so I got to spend some of my time with his class.  They were super well behaved and I enjoyed spending time in the classroom with them.  I had another class as well since they switch classes and that one wasn't quite as easy, but still fun because I knew about half of them.  After school was over, I drove AJ home and we relaxed a bit before it was time to pick up the other boys.
We picked up Daniel and Zak and Daniel was excited to share that he had clipped off the chart for the fifth time this year and was recognized by the administration with a medal and a picture with the Vice Principal.  We are super proud of how well he's doing in 3rd grade!  We headed to the Y so I could teach my Zumba class, while the boys hung out in childcare.  After a fun class, we ran a quick errand, then headed home.  When we got home, I realized I had set up the timer on the slow cooker wrong this morning and our dinner wasn't ready.  So Adrian and I threw pasta together for dinner and then I made leftovers with the chicken when it was finally done.  After dinner, Adrian headed out to Bible study while I got the boys thru homework and ready for bed.  Adrian got home in time to help with bedtime and after we got them settled, we watched Survivor together then headed to bed.
Thursday (3/8) Another early morning for us when everyone was up early again.  Daniel had me up before 5am, he just wasn't able to go back to sleep.  So we had a lazy start to our day before getting everyone out to school and work.  Shortly after AJ and Adrian left, I saw that the roads were super icy and traffic was horrible.  Thankfully they both got to school/work safely, although it took Adrian over an hour to get downtown.  I got the other boys to school on time and then headed in to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  They were smaller today, probably because of the weather, but we still worked hard.

After class, I rushed over to the school to sub for the afternoon.  I was two different teachers this afternoon and both classes were a little rough, but I survived.  I picked the boys up after school and we headed home to meet AJ.  I rested for a few minutes and then got ready for a busy night.  I had a Zumba class to teach and then a Scout committee meeting.  I got everything together and headed out when Adrian got home.  It was a busy but productive night for me!  Adrian had a great night playing with the boys and also got them thru homework and did some clean up around the house as well.  I got home just in time for bedtime for the boys.  After we got them down, we were both so exhausted that we made a quick snack, watched Big Bang Theory and headed up to bed.  It has been a long a busy week!

Monday, March 5, 2018

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 2/23 - 3/1)

Friday (2/23) We finally reached Friday!!  This week was long and exhausting but we made it.  We all got up and moving and everyone got to work and school on time.  I dropped everyone off at school and then came home to do a few things around the house before heading into school to sub an afternoon assignment.  I caught up on some laundry since I was way behind on that from the week!  After we all got home from work and school, we got ready for a busy night that had us all going in different directions.

I left first and headed to the church to work for a few hours as the facility manager.  While I was there, Adrian got everyone else ready.  AJ was picked up by his friend David and went to an event at his church called Christians vs Romans.  The adults hid a glow in the dark cross and the kids had to try to find it in the dark.  He had so much fun and I'm thankful his friend invited him to the event.  Then Adrian got everyone else ready and he headed out to Zak's Cub Scout pack lock in at the church.  He dropped Daniel off to me and headed to Zak's event.  They had a blast playing with the other kids until the wee hours of the morning (I got a text at 1am of them trying to sleep!)  They had snacks, video games, movies and board games.  I'm so glad they were able to do this event!!
While everyone else was out, Daniel and I had a date night.  He hung with me at the church until my shift was over, then we headed to Red Robin for dinner.  We had so much fun talking, laughing, doing the hidden picture on his place mat and of course eating!  When we were finished we came home and watched a movie together, Monsters vs Aliens.  It was pretty cute.  Daniel really liked it!  He liked it so much he wouldn't go to bed until is was over.  It was a late night for us as well, but well worth it for some time together.
Saturday (2/24) Adrian and Zak got home super early and everyone else woke up soon after.  We relaxed for a little bit and then I had to get ready to teach a Zumba class.  While I was there, Adrian went to coach his last basketball game for the Crossover season.  The boys went and hung out with him at the church.  After we all got home, we had a quick lunch together and then I headed out to a Zumba jam.  I had so much fun dancing with my Zumba friends and learning 5 new songs!  They were all high energy and I was super sore and tired when we finished, but also so happy.  I came home and made dinner and then pretty much lounged around the house for the rest of the night.  We watched some TV, I ate a lot and we headed to bed early.  Such a fun Saturday!!
 
 
Sunday (2/25) We all slept in today, the long week finally caught up with us.  We had a relaxing start to our morning and then headed out to the second service at church.  I was volunteering in childcare so I hung out with Zak and Daniel in their room while Adrian went to service.  We came home and got ready to head to swimming together as a family.  All three boys are doing great and both Daniel and AJ can move up a level for the next session.  We came home after swimming and did a quick change to get the boys ready for Martial Arts.  I stayed home to get dinner together and do a few things around the house.  The boys were super excited to come home and show me they finally got their uniforms tonight!  We had a family dinner of meatballs subs, finished up the rest of our stuff for the weekend and got ready for another busy week.  We all headed to bed early to try to stay rested for the upcoming week.
Monday (2/26) Back to our normal routine today!  This will be the first full week we've had in quite some time between holidays and snow days.  We all got up and out on time this morning and headed to school and work.  After I dropped everyone off, I headed to the Y to take Body Pump and then teach my Silver Sneakers class.  After the two classes, I ran a few errands and then came home to set up dinner since we had a busy night.  I picked up the boys and we headed to the Y for my Zumba class.

We ran home after class and had a quick dinner before heading out to Scouts.  Adrian took AJ to his Boy Scout meeting where they set up new patrols for the next few months.  I took Zak to his Cub Scout pack meeting where all of the boys learned about people with disabilities.  I was able to teach all of the boys the Scout Oath and Scout Law in sign language as part of the lesson.  Daniel came with us and played video games during the meeting.  When we all got home, we did our normal night routine and headed to bed.

Tuesday (2/27) Another day where everyone was up and out on time.  It was hat day for Daniel and Zak and they were both excited to wear a hat to school.  After I got everyone else out and where they needed to be, I headed out to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes and then did a quick change and headed in to sub in the school.  I was supposed to be off for the day, but they really needed help so I went in and had a great day with my class.  I picked everyone up from school and we headed home to finish some homework and have dinner together.
After dinner, we headed up to the school for the district wide art show.  Each boy had a piece in the show so we had fun trying to find their art while also looking at the other art from friends and other students in the district.  We were successful in finding all three boys' art work and soon after we did, Adrian met us after his final basketball practice for the season.  The boys showed him where their art work was, as well as some of our favorites, while I snuck out to do some grocery shopping.  Adrian took the boys home and started getting everyone ready for bed.  When I got home, we got them settled in bed, watched a few comedies and headed to bed for the night.
 
Wednesday (2/28) We were all up and moving early today because I was subbing a full day today.  Adrian and I got AJ out on time and then I got myself and the other boys ready.  We got into school a little early so I could get set up for the day.  I had a great day with my class, they were very well behaved and I got thru everything the teacher left for us.  I also got to see AJ at the school because his class came over for a field trip to the art show.  He was there while my class was at lunch so we go to walk around for about 20 minutes together looking at the art.  It was a fun treat for both of us!
 
When the day was over, I picked up Daniel and Zak and we rushed home to pick up AJ and head to the Y for my Zumba class.  It was a full day so when we got back from the Y, we had dinner, finished homework and just hung out.  Adrian had Bible study so he headed there straight from work.  He got home just in time to help put the boys to bed and then we watched the premier of the new Survivor series.  We already have favorites and were happy with the people who were eliminated first and second!

Thursday (3/1) We all got up and moving on time again today.  I got everyone out to school and work and then headed to teach my Silver Sneakers classes.  Unfortunately my busy week caught up with me and when I got there I realized I forgot my music.  Thankfully I had some Zumba music downloaded and we were able to use that to workout.  After class I once again headed to the school to sub a half day.  I picked up Daniel and Zak and we headed home to meet AJ.  They had a relaxing night at home while I went out to teach my Zumba class.  Adrian made everyone dinner, mac and cheese in the instant pot, and did a great job.  We were all exhausted so after dinner we watched some TV and all headed to bed pretty early.