Monday, May 24, 2010

Menu Plan Monday

As Kat (from the blog Inspired to Action) says, it is May Madness. Tons of stuff to do and events to attend all leaving this mama feeling rather frazzled.

Although, as a teacher getting the stress and crazy-busyness at both home and work, I would like to amend her title to May/June Madness.

So it is suddenly Monday again and time for a new menu plan. On the plus side, TDaddy and I are trying out a CSA and this Friday will be our first delivery of fresh fruit and veggies from a nearby farm. Yeah!

Monday- chicken taquitos and salad
Tuesday- mini turkey sandwiches, mashed potatoes and broccoli
Wednesday- (grocery shop after school)cereal, toast, and fruit
Thursday- (tball practice and preschool graduation)fast food
Friday- (TDaddy leaves for Washington) waffles
Saturday- pizza at birthday party #2 for the day
Sunday- Salmon, mashed potatoes, CSA veggies

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The joys of parenting

It is truly amazing how far projectile vomit can travel!

(and where you can find it the next morning...)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Ballet Spring Concert

Last Saturday was Tgirl's ballet spring concert. Her ballet school did 3 different ballets so the concert had 2 intermissions. It was long! Nearly 2 1/2 hours!

First the big girls (7th-12th grades) did Peter and the Wolf. It was a fun one and nice to have the narration. Tboy really enjoyed it and was paying attention very well, asking questions mid way through about the different instruments that represented the different characters.

Then the big girls did act 2 of Swan Lake. There were 73 swans total. They were never all on stage at the same time but when they did run through and there were swans running simultaneously on the back and front of the stage it was very impressive looking. After Tgirl was done with dress rehearsal on Friday night Tboy, who was with us for that rehearsal, was very fascinated by Swan Lake and we ended up staying for the whole rehearsal of it. He kept asking questions about why the "bad bird," the prince, and the "beautiful bird" were doing what they were doing and was very impressed with how strong the prince was to be able to lift the "beautiful bird" above his head multiple times. He was less impressed with Swan Lake in the actual performance. I don't know if actually understanding the story and having seen it once before made it less fascinating, or if he was more antsy as he had to sit still and quiet during the actual performance, unlike dress rehearsal.

Finally, the little girls (3 year old - 6th grade) did The Seasons Op.67. Tgirl was a snowflake in Winter. She did an excellent job and it was fun to see some real growth and greater confidence in her dancing as compared to her last performance (Nutcracker). Tboy was very good (this was only his second ballet performance that we have bought him a ticket) but was more than ready for it to be done.

As for TDaddy...he is such a good sport and good daddy! While I know he will do anything for his girl, I'm sure he had no idea when he took me to the SF Ballet once when we were dating that the performance of Romeo and Juliet would be only the beginning of hours and hours of watching ballet. :)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Menu Plan Monday

When I am feeling overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done,like today (most of which should be done right now!! or preferably yesterday), it does make me feel a little bit more in control of things to have my menu planned out. It becomes the one thing in my day that I don't have to think about. Just follow the plan... :)

Monday: Hamburger Helper (with precooked meat from the freezer), green beans and salad
Tuesday: eggs in a hole, hash browns, and fruit
Wednesday: pot-stickers, rice and broccoli
Thursday: fast food on the run (t ball and ballet night)
Friday: pizza, fruit, and carrot sticks
Saturday: quick dinner of baked chicken nuggets before a friend's wedding
Sunday: BBQ chicken, potatoes, and salad

Friday, May 14, 2010

Sigh, She Has My Eyes

Tgirl that is. She has inherited my nearsightedness.

She has talked about how it would be fun to have glasses for a couple of years now. But thankfully, her eyesight didn't require them.

I started wearing glasses at the age of 6. Was thrilled to get them. Until I walked into my 1st grade classroom that first day and the first classmate I saw called me "four eyes."

Then I hated them.

And proceeded to go through countless pairs of glasses. I needed updates on my prescription yearly at least. And in between the updates, I'm sure my mother must have thought that I must have been lying awake at night planning new ways to lose my glasses. You know, the ones that were supposed to never leave my face.

I started wearing contacts at age 10 to slow down the deterioration of my eyesight and ever since have worn my glasses as seldom as possible.

Tgirl had some headaches last year so I took her in to see the eye doctor. When he dilated her eyes she freaked out. I had not realized that your vision gets blurry when your eyes are dilated (my vision is always incredibly blurry) and so hadn't thought to warn her. The doctor didn't warn her either. She threw up all over the exam room in her panic.

In then end, after practically pinning her down so the doctor could finish the exam, we left having been told by the doctor that she could use glasses, but her prescription was so slight that if she was his daughter, he wouldn't bother with them.

I breathed a sigh of relief and put the matter out of my mind. Until about a month or so ago when she started complaining about the words to the songs on the big screens at church being blurry.

So back to the eye doctor we went. This time, thankfully, she was prepared for the dilation. No throwing up! :) But, this time, the doctor said she was definitely nearsighted and needed to wear glasses all the time.

So we picked out some cute frames and waited, Tgirl with bated breath, for the glasses to arrive.

We picked them up on Monday after school. For the rest of the day, and into Tuesday, she was busy going back and forth between looking over the top of the glasses and through the lenses, commenting on how much sharper her vision was with the glasses.

"Look at the trees! Now it is just a green blob," looking over the tops of the glasses. Then looking through the lenses, "Now I can see leaves!"

I am trying to ease my mommy guilt for not getting the glasses sooner by keeping in mind how much sharper my vision is every time I get a new prescription.

Thankfully, no one has called her "four-eyes." Yet.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Menu Plan Monday

It is a busy week this week. (I know, I know, what's new about that?!?) :)

Trips to the eye doctor, Tboy's Mother's Day Tea (his last one :( at preschool before he starts kindergarten next year), and Tgirl's ballet spring concert is this weekend, which means blocking and dress rehearsals at the theater and then being at the theater all day Saturday for the last rehearsal and then the two performances.

Monday: meatballs, noodles, and green beans (ended up having grilled cheese sandwiches last Friday after helping to build the float for the parade Tboy's t ball team was in last Saturday)
Tuesday: scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, and peaches
Wednesday: hot dogs with macaroni and cheese and broccoli
Thursday: sandwiches on the run
Friday: fast food on the run
Saturday: out to dinner between ballet performances
Sunday: celebrating Mother's Day and Spring Birthdays at my mom's (my dad will be home from his travels by then - he was gone on Mother's Day) I will be baking the strawberry birthday cake

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Keeping Activity Equipment Organized

Laura, over on I'm an Organizing Junkie, had a great post today about packed activity bags. http://orgjunkie.com/2010/05/storage-star-packed-activity-bags.html

I use a similar system of keeping bags for Tgirl's ballet and bowling, Tboy's soccer or Tball (depending on the season), Tboy's days at Grandma's (she watches him 2 days a week and he goes to preschool 3 days a week), and our summer time pool bag. These all live in the kids' closet. The sports equipment bag (for example the Tball bat bag has his cleats, 3 mitts, balls, bats, and his correct team hat) lives in the back of my minivan. As it is currently off season for soccer, the soccer bag (with ball, soccer cleats, and shin guards) is in the garage.

It is great to know exactly where to put uniform/practice clothes when they come out of the laundry. Then the night before the activity, the bag gets laid out with the clothes, and nothing gets forgotten!

The only downside is when you are so reliant on the system and you do something crazy - like switch cars with your husband. Then you have none of the needed equipment when you arrive at practice. (sadly, speaking from experience)

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, so I am thinking that if I publish my menu every week, then I will definitely make one, right?

All part of the "getting my life organized" plan. :)

Monday: cheese ravioli with broccoli and garlic bread
Tuesday: eggs, hash browns, peaches, and toast
Wednesday: frozen bean and cheese burritos baked with enchilada sauce and Mexican rice
Thursday: tball and ballet day - fast food on the run
Friday: meatballs, noodles, and green beans
Saturday: my birthday - surprise me, family :)
Sunday: TDaddy-made omelets (yum!!)