Mealtime Rut

Last summer J.T. started getting serious about losing weight, so our dinners at least 5 nights a week have consisted of baked chicken and one of those sides you just steam right in the bag like this:

I also make J.T. baked chicken, rice and broccoli for his lunch to take to work.  He has lost 20 pounds- which is awesome!   I have also loved how easy prep, clean up and meal planning has been. However,  not surprisingly after 6 months, we (especially J.T.!) are chickened out.

In trying to maintain the same level of ease, I think we are going to try a meal rotation that changes up the protein without adding a lot of extra work.  I know he wants to switch up his lunches too, but for now he is just going to have to live with some different chicken marinades.  

After doing some digging I think we are going to try this schedule.   

Sundays:   Pork loin (prob in the crock pot) with mashed carrots and sweet potatoes (microwave side)

Mondays:  Pasta with meat sauce (ground turkey)

Tuesdays:  Abridged sheet pan dinner.  I used to make this a lot with asparagus and turkey sausage.  To make life even easier  (i.e. no veggie prep)  I think I will do the sausage in a skillet.  Then I will do the microwave potato trio and green beans add them to the skillet with the Italian seasoning.  May not work as well but we will give it a shot!

Wednesdays:  Salsa Chicken (in the crock pot) & corn

Thursdays:  Add shrimp to one of the microwave veggie pasta options

Fridays:  Pizza (this is a given in our house)

Saturdays:  I don't cook:)

I can't believe I didn't think about breaking out the crockpot until now.  We used to only use it on the weekends because we were both nervous having it run all day without us being home.  Well now that I am home all day time to put that puppy to use.  Also, leftovers may break up the chicken for lunch monotony.  Hoping this solves our mealtime rut without my having to exert any additional effort!

Weekend Round Up

We finally busted out of this joint Friday when we went to my friend Amy's for a playdate.  She has two little girls (2 years and 8 months).  Isabella had fun and I got some insight into "this is 2" as I prepare for the little girl I watch A crossing the threshold.  In the last few weeks she has begun saying "no" quite a bit (to Isabella, not me) and has begun doing some fun mini-screams when she is upset.  For some reason I thought 2 was the magical age when you got to start time out, but watching Amy and her daughter attempt to the timeout dance and doing some more digging when I got home turns out for some kiddos 3 is the better age to start.  I promise I am not trying to speed Isabella's babyhood up any faster than it already is going, but I am looking for the day these kiddos turn 5 and I have better clue as to what I am doing!

Saturday we had lunch with Uncle Mark at a really good pub near where he works.  Isabella did well even though she has upped her game.  It used to be that I would just keep chucking her toys and as one accidentally fell on the floor she would get a new one.  However, now throwing things to the floor has become a fun past time.  At home I will usually just let them lay there, but since I had to keep her entertained the servers, the girl sitting behind us, and I got a good work out picking things up:).  Oh, we also learned that rolled up silverware is fun!

Saturday night was our first couch date using our new system.  I got to draw and we spent the evening in a blanket fort watching Transformers and the Smurfs.  J.T. is one serious blanket fort maker which resulted in a much better structured fort than any I ever made back in the day...

In 2017 we not only stopped going to church, but also stopped watching online.  2018 we picked back up with the online watching and will hopefully make our way back to attending in the coming months.  The current series is on Jonah which is making me wonder what is my current Ninevah?  I am definitely working through some things (idolizing day to day events, searching for continuous calm here on Earth and getting overly upset when the calm is disrupted, traversing the current political climate...), but can't quite put my finger on where God is calling me and where I am trying to go instead...

Snow Day Part Deux

Yep, 4 inches shuts this place down for a while.  In my effort to streamline by adding an inclement weather policy, I only saw the one obvious downside (no money).  I failed to account for the fact that the other kiddos by their simple presence entertains my child for a healthy part of the day.  So we were now on day 2 of mommy as primary source of entertainment.

The day started out well.  After she played with her toys for a while I busted out some Pinterest inspired sensory and motor skills activities:

This kept her entertained for a while, but then I had to do some schoolwork so had to improvise which led to the non-Pinteresty "Post it note pull down"  and "Shoelace slurp".

  

Thank goodness her jogging stroller is amazing and made it over the snow and ice that continues to linger in our hood so we made it out of the house later in the day for walk.  After a walk, some books, and some songs things kinda took a nose dive from there...

Tomorrow schools are closed again, but it supposed to warm up.  We are blowing this popsicle stand for sure!!!

Snow Day!

Snow days have a new connotation now that I work with people who are not affiliated with schools.  I had one kiddo today and another family made an attempt but couldn't get out of their hilly neighborhood.   Four inches of snow is a big deal in these parts! 

As a result of today's events I have created a child care policy that aligns me with the local school district.  If they are delayed, I delay opening.  If they are closed, I am closed.  Half of my families do work with the school district and one of the others have school aged kids as well so instead of living in a "Who's going to show up?" mindset, I have decided to make it clear.  Our school district is huge though which means that sometimes they close and our part of the world is absolutely fine so I may end up modifying later, but for now I have a game plan.

We took Isabella out in the snow and she was pretty not impressed.  She especially did not like it when we gave her a taste.  Frozen flip flop ice cube things?  Yes!  Frozen washcloth?  Yes!  Snow?  "That is where I draw the line, mommy and daddy!"

We had no sled and the good hill is a fair hike away so we will save that experience for when she is older.  That means we got to spend most of the snow day from my favorite vantage point--inside:).

Couch Dates

Other then our gym "dates", J.T. and I went out on two actual dates since Isabella was born.  Both in December.

For a little while at the end of the summer we made an attempt to do regular couch dates.  Now these couch dates were not code for "Netflix and Chill", rather it was an attempt to spend time together and actually talk which not surprisingly became tricker once you add J.T.'s new job, plus my night classes, plus Isabella's arrival.  Also, currently our babysitting budget is being zapped up by going to the gym and the hour between when I leave for class and JT is done with work so going out is not generally an option, so we landed on the Couch Date concept.

Our intentions were good, but our follow through was weak. 

It ended up becoming a:

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know...what do you want to do."

Cue one or both of us randomly searching ideas for couch dates and tossing out ideas which may or may not have been met with much enthusiasm and our enthusiasm waned rather quickly.

So in 2018 we are attempting to resume our couch dates; however, after exhausting our go to last Saturday night (playing a game) I found an idea to streamline the process.    The Date Night Jar.

Last week I ordered the craft sticks via Amazon prime (still waiting on the jar) and last night's date night consisted of us filling out the sticks for future list.  The rule starting next Saturday is whatever is selected we must do.  We also went ahead and ordered any of the necessary items (for example a Star Wars model and puzzle to put together) right then from Amazon.  

I like that we already have things set and also, as lame as it is, like the mystery/surprise element.  Looking forward to next week's date...wonder what it will be?

9 Months

"This is my supermodel pouty face"

"Or I can dance for you"

"Come on up puppies"

"Don't mind if we do!"

Oops

You know how new parents in a fog of activity and sleep interruptions/deprivation make minor error in judgement.   You know like forgetting return the video to the RedBox or failing to pay a bill.  Well I think I may just committed my biggest new parent induced oops yet.

I took four classes last semester and made it out alive by the skin of my teeth.  At least that is how it felt. 

So this semester I was looking forward to only taking three classes along with my comprehensive exam (comps).  A classmate who is trying to complete the program in the same timeframe told me that her advisor suggested taking a required course called "Dissertation Proposal" along with comps.  I had it slated for next Fall, but figured I guess I should follow the advice and signed myself up.  I guess I didn't give much though to what a dissertation proposal WAS.  I assumed it was some kind of outline or extended abstract.  Assumed is such a dangerous word!

After attending class tonight I learned that Dissertation Proposal means drafting the first 3 CHAPTERS of your actual dissertation.  Cue nervous laughter and heart palpitations.

So the lightened load I dreamed about last semester suddenly just got a pretty health dose of reality and it ain't pretty.  In looking at the up side- one of my courses is an independent study for which I am writing a literature review so I will attempt to write it in a way so that it can stand in for or possibly even serve as chapter 2 of my dissertation.  Other than that I got nothing in the way of positive prospects.

Is it May, yet?