Scattered Sundays and Meal Plan
Troy: we need to invest something that prevents toys from rolling under the couch.
Me: it’s called not having kids.
We’re at the tail end of summer and are a mere 16 days from Jack starting school. Bennett will start preschool back up the following week.
Remember those paper chains we used to make in elementary school and would tear off a piece every night as we counted down to Christmas?
I totally have one of those for back to school for these punks.
How Many Days Till Back to School
It’s very hard to tell
Take a link off every night
When Ambien casts its spell
And September 5th will be here
By the time I reach summer hell the bell.
Haha, just kidding.
I don’t actually take Ambien anymore. Not since I sent an email on my old blue brick of a Blackberry to half of the Los Angeles office at my old company in the middle of the night. Whoops.
I really want to be one of those moms who says things like “they’re only little once and I want to soak up every moment with them”. Instead, I’m the mom yelling “it’s not in my job description to entertain you, go figure it out” and “next year you’re going to be in summer camp every week if you don’t stop antagonizing your brother”.
We had my nephew this week while my sister was in meetings and prepping for the start of her own school year. Three boys screaming at all times who just freaking fight constantly is so draining.
I have no idea how people can deal with lots of kids. My friend is pregnant with her fifth! My hat is off to anyone who has the patience for that!
I love my car but seeing that Subaru now has a third-row vehicle, it is tempting to drive something where these kids can’t freaking touch each other. Maybe I just need some sort of taser?
At one point during the week I had the brilliant idea to take all three of them blackberry picking. It escalated instantly into whining about the thorns being sharp (no doy gentleman) and it being hard work.
It ended up being me picking blackberries while Jack ate everything he picked. My nephew would collect my little basket and then spend five minutes trying to get Bennett to dump it into the bucket. Because God forbid anyone else dump it into the bucket and cause a toddler meltdown.
Meanwhile, Bennett would be knuckle-deep picking his nose and ignoring my nephew. These two have a future in middle management.
The one-third of a gallon bucket I picked was obtained through sheer will to not drop them all off at a park for the day and tell them good luck finding their way home.
We did hit up the zoo on Friday and it’s sad to admit how much I love the cooler bag I bought at the start of the summer. It fits all four bento boxes (Jack and Bennett’s are YumBoxes. The red one is five years old and still looks brand new), cans of sparkling water, and snacks. I may need to get a life because it’s pretty much the most exciting purchase I’ve made in years.
Much like most of the West, Seattle was covered in a thick layer of smoke from wildfires this week. It finally cleared up a bit at the end of the week, but it made me feel so sympathetic for people much closer to the fires than us. Fire season is longer and longer each year. Stay safe everyone.
This summer has been very hot and I just haven’t been walking like I used to. I really miss that time and the exercise. I’m very much looking forward to getting back into that as school starts up and the weather cools down a bit. The exercise is great, but I love the way it helps clear my mind.
And um, walking is free.
My editorial/content calendar takes a pretty big seasonal shift in the next few weeks. I adore fall/autumn and would happily live in that world for 90% of the year. Less heat, more rain, and alllllllll the yummy and cozy foods.
I have lots of soups (obvs cause I’m obsessed) planned and many Instant Pot meals. And before your puckered butthole gets too tight and starts eating your underwear, yes, of course, I’ll include non-Instant Pot instructions for you in every recipe. As always!
One of my favorite podcasts ever, My Dad Wrote a Porno, comes back for season four in just a few days. Aaaaack I can’t wait to hear it!
Bennett got some mail this week from the nice people at Liberty Bottleworks. My readers know my Liberty love (my cupboard looks like the setting of waterbottle porn) and we were psyched when they offered to send me one of their new sippy cups in exchange for an honest review.
Little dude was so excited that when we picked up the package from the post office, he insisted I open it right then and there.
We’ve been test driving it all week (likely not washing it as much as we should be…) and it’s a hit. First things first, it fits in the cupholder on Bennett’s car seat. Because God forbid you mess with a toddler’s mode of drink retention. Two and three-year-olds could possibly be classified as crazy over the things they care about.
What’s great about this bottle is that it is a double-walled insulated stainless steel bottle. The vacuum seal means the little punk’s drink stays cold for 24 hours or hot for eight hours. How long does it keep the rage hot of a toddler who wasn’t allowed to buckle their own car seat? Debateable.
The bottle is BPA free and printed with awesome designs using food-grade ink and materials. They’re currently printed and assembled in the US (Washington State – booyah!) with foreign components.
As most of my fellow lovers of Liberty (name that TV show!!) know, their bottles are the only metal water bottles currently made in the US. These sippies are a slight detour from that but their goal is to bring production to the US just like all their other bottles.
These bottles are not 100% leakproof, but the only sippies that I have found (from another company) to be totally leakproof were also full of black mold when Troy took them apart (against their cleaning guidelines). So yeah, 100% leakproof makes me leery anyway.
I think they’re still in beta testing mode but if you email me I can make sure the appropriate people let you know when they are available.
Troy and I started a new series called Peaky Blinders. I mean, we started watching it. We didn’t like executive produce it or anything. And by new, I mean new to use because apparently, this show has been around forever.
It is super good, but we make the same commentary that we make during any show that is set 100 years ago. Anytime characters get intimate we’re like “gross, they didn’t have toilet paper or toothbrushes back then, you had to walk through horse crap to get to that house and EVERYONE SMELLS”.
So, check it out. But remember, they all super stunk in real life.
On Sustainable Cooks This Week
Dill Relish – Canning Homemade Relish – A simple and easy recipe for amazing homemade dill relish. This tangy dill pickle relish is perfect for anyone new to canning. Enjoy it on burgers, hot dogs, in potato or chicken salad.
Spicy Green Bean Stir Fry – Loaded with flavor, this healthy Spicy Green Bean Stir Fry is a veggie-lover’s dream. These addicting garlicky green beans are vegan, vegetarian, paleo, Whole30 compliant, and gluten-free.
Garden Fresh Tomato Bruschetta – An easy snack, appetizer, or dinner, this Garden Fresh Tomato Bruschetta recipe is a healthy and delicious treat. Packed with garlic and basil, and finished off with balsamic, bruschetta is the ultimate simple vegan dish.
The Five Most Popular Posts This Week
I always enjoy looking at the stats each week for this part of my Sunday post is. This week I could sense a theme; a tipping point between summer and fall/autumn. Seasonal interests are so fascinating!
- How to Bake Bacon in the Oven
- 10 Minute Instant Pot Roasted Garlic (there is a reason this post has been pinned over 6k times; it’s sooooo easy!)
- Canning Peaches – Learn to Can Peaches
- How to Make Amazing Refrigerator Dilly Beans
- 31 Amazing Make Ahead Breakfasts
Meal Plan
Monday:: BLTAs, grilled zucchini, and salad
Tuesday:: Chef salads. Yeah, we also had these last week, but um, laziness. And it is going to be eleventy billion degrees.
Wednesday:: Out/TBD. We’re meeting my mom’s best friend in Seattle for the day and we’ll probably eat on the run.
Thursday:: OMG it’s only going to be 72, so we’re having soooooooup! Grilled cheese and salad.
Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.
Saturday:: I’ll be at a baby shower
Sunday:: Family dinner
What We Bought This Week
Smith Brother’s Farms: $21.96 – no photo because Troy got the order when I wasn’t home. It was bacon, milk, and a dozen eggs. I have two broody hens (they think the eggs they lay will become chicks so they sit on them all day and don’t effing lay more eggs until this mood breaks) and all the girl’s cycles are off. It’s like a sorority house with feathers and no breakfast for me!
Fred Meyer: $11.98 (I had coupons and rewards so I don’t know what the original cost was). And yes, that is an opened banana. Fred Meyer gives all kid shoppers a free banana or orange while they’re there. And apparently, I lost my damn mind and peeled the banana like I always do and NOT like a monkey does it which of course caused toddler WWIII.
So I got him another one and then bought this offensively peeled banana. Not pictured: the wine I wish I drank.
What are you having this week?
I LOOOOOVE walking at night after work. Just me, Pandora and nature…SO relaxing and helps me sort my thoughts and be a better person…as someone who struggles with anxiety, walking works wonders for my soul!
Isn’t it the best Shelley? So calming and grounding and it’s an act that benefits our health. And it’s free!
“Drop them off at the park and good luck finding your way home.” That made me laugh. When I was growing up, my brother and I would fight viciously in the back seat of the car. Once while we were visiting in the state of Ohio my dad was so over it, he pulled over to the side of the road made us get out and drove away. We just stood there, nervously laughing at each other, assuming he would come back and get us. Of course he did, eventually. We totally deserved it. I think about it now and laugh really hard. God kids are assholes sometimes.
Oh my gosh, I love your dad! Today a parent would be arrested for that, but I do think sometimes tough love is what we all need on occasion.
We actually meal planned this week! Yes, that was a WE. Told the family $hit needed to change. We sat down and picked recipes from each cookbook we wanted to try in the near future. Friday’s are now family meeting night where we pick 2 new recipes to try the following week. We pick 2 other tried and true recipes then order our groceries. I picked them up yesterday morning and today is food prep day (though it’s after 4:00 and it hasn’t happened yet).
This week we are having fancy meatballs (not sure the real name) from the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook and Two-bite Pies from Feed Zone Portables as well as a beef roast and fish, rice, and veggies. I’m pretty excited.
I so want to order a new Liberty Bottleworks insulated tumbler with the better lid (I don’t love the kickstarter version), but I can’t really justify adding to the horde of water bottles I have right now. What size is the kids sippy cup? How leaky is it?
Not gonna lie, the older Emma gets the more envious I am of the parents who send their kids to school. Then again, I’d probably need to get a job if she was in school and that poops overrated!
Who-hoo so proud of you all Tina!!
And yeah I don’t love the Kickstarter lid either. It seems like the new design is much better and Bennett’s sippy lid is a screw on. His bottle is 12 oz and only leaks when the nozzle is flipped up and he is actively shaking it upside down. When the sippy part is closed it doesn’t leak.
Emma flipping you some tween tude these days?
Love Peaky Blinders. Took a little while to understand their accents, but oh the men ????.
Yes! Sometimes we do want the subtitles on when we have to rewind and listen super carefully to what they said. And the slang/lingo is different too so we’re not always getting the context of every situation.
I hate most of their haircuts though and can’t imagine that was ever considered an attractive style!
I am so glad that you reminded us about the green beans! I will have to make some this week. I LOVE stir fried green beans. I have been all about the chilled soups for lunch lately. I can have drinks and snacks at my desk but not a meal so I love making a drink for a meal so I can use my lunch break to get outside for a walk and some fresh air.
Today I am planning on gazpacho for dinner with hard boiled eggs and grilled cheese or quesadillas. Do you ever do chilled soups?
Those all sound so delicious Louisa! I don’t make any chilled soups but I should totally try some soon.
Do you ever put them in a pint canning jar for easy sipping?
I love canning jars! I use them as well as random glass jars that fit with canning jar lids. I hope you are enjoying your soup night!
Soup every night is my happy place!
Your comments on the kids make me laugh so much! Some day you will be able to snicker also. I mean I’ve never seen anyone walk across a graduation stage and start a tantrum over the way the diploma is handed to them.
I heard a phrase this week: raise your children, spoil your grandchildren: then you don’t have to raise your grandchildren.
You are doing a knock out job of raising your punks 🙂
That is an awesome phrase and one my inlaws are definitely following!
The butthole comment, I mean????♀️.
Lol, I’m not wrong though. So people get bent out of shape!
That’s crazy! Obviously it would be better to have both options (this coming from some one who does not have the insta pot) but to waste time being butt hurt about it? I ain’t time for that shit! If a recipe is not written in a way I can use it- oh well. It’s your blog, you can do whatever the fuck you want! I have more important things to stress about. You are amazing btw! ????
In my 8 years of blogging, I have realized that I can never understand which hills people are willing to die on. I’ve stopped trying to guess what people will or will not get upset about.
You just made my day! That shit makes gaffaw!????????
I love Pesky Blinders! And I always have those same thoughts.
I’m currently reading a book called “The White Princess” which is about Elizabeth of York (wife of Henry VII mother of Henry VIII) and every time she mentions him “coming to her bed” I just think “as the king of England he should be able to bathe nightly right?” I am fascinated by the time period but I’m so glad to live in the era of indoor plumbing!
I’m mostly certain they did NOT bathe daily so eeeeeeeew!
I’ve been drooling over the new Subaru too. Two kids and a dog plus snacks and whatever outdoor gear fill up my Outback way to quick.
I am due for an oil change soon and I plan to test drive one while I’m waiting on my car. It’s not in my budget but it’s so fun to dream, right?
I adore my Outback. Which year do you have?
2012. We live in Maine and I drive 15 miles to and from work, all after dark in the winter so the all wheel drive has been great
Oh yeah, you guys need AWD for sure!