Meal plan for November 18th – 24th
So you know how I said I had been having Jack sleep in my bed when Troy was gone? Well, yeah, that is over.
The other night, I asked Jack if he wanted to sleep in my bed when I was ready to go to sleep. This is the standard conversation we have at bed time each night.
A few nights ago, Jack said “no mommy, I’m staying in my bed tonight”. When I asked him why, he looked at me in the eye, touched my face and said “mommy, I’m a big boy now. I’m growing up, and I need to stay in my bed all night now. I’m sorry, but I’m getting bigger”.
Ahem.
That’s what I get for buying him new cozy flannel sheets from Costco. Little shit is too comfortable in his bed.
And speaking of random things, I’ve realized, my Christmas cactus if actually a Thanksgiving cactus.
Also, see the photo in the back? Is that not the best Santa photo sequence ever? We could only afford to pay for the one picture, but the woman working the desk said that we needed all three of them, and so she comped us the other two. I am so thankful to this day for that woman!
On Thursday night, Jack picked out Love You Forever as one of the books he wanted to read before bed. I laughed when I saw it, and said “your grammy Q used to cry whenever she’d read that book”. He asked why and I said “because she is silly”.
Joke was on me, because two pages from the end, and I was sobbing. Jack looked at me and said “I guess you’re silly too mommy”.
So true buddy, so true.
This week Jack realized he could climb up on the counter. And that he could open the glass container containing chocolate chip cookies.
Three year olds are so kickable and frustrating, but man, four year olds are crazy resourceful.
Meal plan time! Reminder, I only plan dinners. My breakfast of choice has changed, and I’m now obsessed with homemade Greek yogurt with tons of cut up fresh fruit, and a homemade granola bar crumbled on top. It’s delicious and keeps me completely full and satisfied until lunch. Lunches are always leftovers. We rarely eat dessert during the week, and our dinner drink of choice is water kefir soda.
Monday:: Chicken gyros with Asian slaw on the side. Call it fusion. Call it lazy. I call it dinner that can be made the night before.
Tuesday:: Ham and cheddar strata. Found the recipe in some magazine; I’ll share it if we like it. Brussel sprouts on the side. Another night of fusion.
Wednesday:: The World’s Second Best Baked Potatoes, with tomato soup that I canned from this summer’s garden. Leftover Asian slaw on the side.
Thursday:: My in-laws feed us. My, how I love Thursdays. Someone else cooking and taking care of the details.
Friday:: Popcorn dinner. Yes, seriously we eat popcorn for dinner. It’s popcorn, leftovers, cheese slices, fruit, and cut up veggies. Everyone gets as much as they want, and no one leaves hungry. I adore Fridays because it is the easiest night of the week for making everyone happy!
Saturday:: Winging it.
Sunday:: Family dinner at my parent’s with extended family. The menu gets hammered out via email during the week – my dad makes the main dish, and we each contribute sides. Another day of the week that I love!
This week I blew my grocery budget. I know I spent $12 at Trader Joes, $3.50 for raw milk, $50 at Costco, and god knows how much at Central Market (I was getting stuff for myself and three other families, so I refuse to add up how much I spent for myself) because Central Market is the best store ever and is so far away that I stock up like crazy when I’m there. The store has stuff that I can’t find anywhere else in my hood. When I was in the bulk spice section, an older woman was next to me just staring at everything. I said “kinda like a candy store, huh”? She told me she was from Canada and they didn’t have such a store and she was a bit in awe of the selection. She kept saying “7 kinds of curries. 7”!!!
What are you having this week?
As a young mom, the book touched my heart. As the adult child with the mom that is getting a little less independent every day, even more so.
Tina, if you have a round crock pot a glass pie plaste works great AND doubles as a spoon holder!
That’s genius! Too bad I went and bought the big oval one. The website isn’t very helpful and it took forever to get a response back from customer service, but I finally know what part number to order so that will be happening this week.
Thanks for the great tip though!
Lovely cactus and photo ! : ) I like your Jack stories..my grandson is 4 as well and it is such a nice age 🙂
There’s a Central Market close to Amber’s house and I LOVE it!! Next best thing to HEB!
Your Jack is adorable! I look forward to his latest antics!
Love your story about the book Love You Forever. I used to cry reading it to my son too. My son always cried over The Velveteen Rabbit to the point where we had to stop reading it because he would get so upset. I get teary eyed just thinking about it. He’s 21 now and just had his first solo flight in aviation school. They grow up so fast. Enjoy every moment!
Oh, Sarah, you’ve got me all teary-eyed over here! The story about Jack and his bed killed me. My son slept with me until (Jeezaloo, I should be embarrassed to be sharing this!!) he was about 10 or 11. We were on our own before his 2nd birthday, so it was for completely selfish reasons on my part, I guess. Although, he started sleeping with me almost from the time he was born. Back then, his father was a policeman, and worked nights, so we were always home alone at night. There was an “incident” one night, while I was nursing him in my rocker, and I swear I dropped him. Well, not on the floor, but more like he rolled down my lap and legs, to my feet, which I always kept up on a step-stool while I nursed. I had fallen asleep (because he was the kind of infant who nursed every two hours, and mommy NEVER slept!!) and then realized he was at my feet. I jolted awake and picked him up, and that was the LAST time I nursed him in the rocker at night. From that point forward, I nursed him in bed with me. My mother still, to this day, swears that never happened, and that I dreamt the whole thing. Whatever, either way, it scared the crap out of me!
Love You Forever STILL makes me bawl uncontrollably. It was a book I got when my son was born, so I used to read it to him every single night. And, yes, I cried every single night. It’s my go-to for every baby shower I’ve ever been to since he’s been born (He just turned 20 last week!) I used to try to read it to my class every year, because I love it so much, but every stinkin’ time, I would start crying and have to stop. My kids probably thought I was nuts! Well, they’re probably right…. 😉
I have no clue for food this week. I have no meat thawing yet, but we still have a few leftovers from last weeks cooking marathon. I think I might make Hungry Man Casserole (as soon as I replace my crockpot lid that I dropped and shattered), some cod, and I don’t know. I’m tired of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, so I will probably pull some green beans from the freezer and steam those, and maybe some summer squash as well.
I don’t plan ahead. I buy a bunch of meats at the beginning of the month and spend the rest of the month planning around what I bought. It works for us. I spend, on average $400/month on groceries for a family of four, plus the occasional spare teenager.
However, I wanted to comment on the book! I LOVE that book!!!!! My girls have always had a love/hate relationship with that book. They each have (yes, HAVE, not had… at one-month-shy-of-twenty and fifteen, they have both kept that book) a copy with an inscription from Mommy (’cause Daddy thinks it is “stupid”). They both think that the mother is an insane stalker! I can’t disagree…. she does drive out with a ladder strapped to the roof of her car and climbs in his window….. So, now that book is a different kind of special to me. I WILL always love them forever, but we all giggle at how ridiculous she is.
I’ve blown the November grocery budget, and the month’s only half over. I just like free turkeys a lot! Also, a particular kind of canned soup that went on clearance. A ham might have to wait until December.
Sunday: chicken breast, baked potatoes; taco bowls, pomegranate
Monday: apple w/ PB, string cheese from work, leftover pomegranate; grilled cheese, fried egg?
Tuesday: tuna sandwiches, fruit; hot dogs, oven fries, veggies
Wednesday: [WORK LUNCH]; lentils & rice, veggies
Thursday: leftover lunch or oatmeal & fruit; lentils & rice, kielbasa
Friday: leftovers; eggs & bacon & potatoes
Saturday: eggs & toast; stuffed shells
Omg I love central market too. When we moved I limited my husband to certain neighborhoods because I got addicted when we lived in shoreline.
Sunday – Popcorn, Monday – Parmesan Chicken and Garlic Bread, Tuesday – Stuffed pepper soup and crusty bread, Wednesday – Leftovers, Thursday – Ham, veggies and cheese baked in foil pouches, Friday – Homemade Pizza, and I just can’t decide on Saturday. Maybe we’ll go eat somewhere.