Week #4 - Menu Planning in review

We had a wonderful weekend at the beach. Some time with family, then they all left and I had some peaceful alone time. The weather was great for the Oregon coast in January - sunny and 60 on my last day there! There's just something about the ocean for me - so peaceful and enormous and it reminds me what a HUGE God we have, to have made such an amazing thing. That's why the beach is always my choice for a personal retreat.

We did eat out a couple of meals with the family, but I cooked the rest of the time. A lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs, nitrite-free bacon, and hashbrowns. I even made homemade gluten-free clam chowder, which turned out better than I'd expect for a first effort.

So, menu planning seemed to really be helpful.  Unfortunately, I chose some new recipes that took a lot more time/effort to prepare than what I'm used to.  But it's a good experience.  And Megan helped me batter/bread the chicken nuggets and make homemade fries on Wednesday, so it was nice to spend the time with her, too.

Since I was at the beach this weekend and will be gone for dinner tonight (hockey game), I haven't planned this weeks' meals yet.  But I'll have it done by tomorrow.  It's definitely so much easier to know what we're eating and to have the food in the house!!!

So, the project for week #5 is a repeat of week #3.  Is that allowed?  Ah - my blog, my rules.  So, I need to fit in exercise most every day (at least 5-6 days per week).  I need to get back on track and to feel strong again.  I started early this week - a run on the beach on Saturday morning, and a long walk on the beach yesterday.  Plus hockey tonight.   Too bad those are the easy days, without family/stress to get in the way.  Tuesday through Friday will be more difficult.

Moving on...

Menu Plan Monday...er...Tuesday

I see so many people do "Menu Plan Monday" posts, so I thought I'd do mine, too. Although it may look a little weak, because I only have Monday through Wednesday planned. Which is not a failure in my planning, but because we'll be out of town Thursday through Sunday. There is a kitchen where we're staying, but I'm not sure yet what we'll bring/buy there - so I didn't officially plan those meals yet.

Without further ado -

Monday - Chicken and rice casserole (my recipe)
Tuesday - Baked ziti with sausage (recipe from Cook This Not That) - to use up some chicken sausage that Mark purchased a while ago - two batches: one with regular pasta for the family and one with brown rice pasta for me
Wednesday - Homemade baked chicken nuggets with baked fries and homemade ranch. A lot of new recipes for us, so I'm hoping they all go over well.

I do want to cook while we're away. I'm hoping for some seafood. Mark wants some clam chowder, I think (not sure if the kids will eat it). So I guess I'll look at recipes and see if it's too much of a hassle to take stuff with us and/or cook it there.

Between the meal plan and grocery shopping, it already feels more peaceful. Just knowing that there is food in the house and we don't have to scramble to feed everyone is wonderful!

Week #3 Project - Fail

My project for last week was exercise. I started off well. I had a hockey game Monday night and did a Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred workout Tuesday. But then reality set in. I was trying to work out in the afternoon/evenings so the kids could join in. Wedesnday was Allison's first swimming class - we didn't get home until 6:15 and hadn't had dinner. Thursday, dinner got in the way (no plans, had to scavenge, got too late). Friday, I think the same thing happened. Saturday and Sunday were mostly bad attitude about the failure all week. (I really am an all-or-nothing sort. Not a good trait when it comes to diet and exercise!)

So, I could plainly see that my main failure was MENU PLANNING (and grocery shopping, which is related). If I had planned meals and knew what was for dinner each night, I would easily have found an extra 30 minutes to exercise. Easily.

I had been putting off Menu Planning as a goal, because it seems so difficult to me. My family does NOT like the same foods, and I'm not going to plan multiple meals to make everyone happy. So I just haven't been doing it. Which, obviously, has not been going well.

So, this week's goal is Menu Planning! I will do it! And I will grocery shop for the required ingredients so I can have food on hand and not have to run to the store. It seems so amazing that people live like that, since I never have (or at least it has been so very long!). But I imagine there will be a great sense of peace this week with the menu in place.

I would post my menu right now, but it's not quite finalized. I have a list of 10 or so meals that I'm going to sort through with Mark when he gets home. Then I'll shop either late tonight or tomorrow morning (more likely, as I'm feeling very comfortable in my sweats right now).

And then I will get back on track with the exercise!

Project #1 - Closet organization

So, my first project of the year was actually conceived/planned by me, but executed by Mark.  Still - it happened, so I can count it!  (Plus, that was the week I was sick, so getting anything done was a miracle.)

I decided our entry closet was a hulking waste of space.  I failed to take a before picture, but I'm guessing it looks like 90% of the entry closets out there - one wood bar, one wood shelf above that.  There were two major issues that I was trying to rectify:

1)  Our closet door opened into our entry door.  So, if someone went in first and wanted to hang up her coat, then someone else came in, there would be a crashing of doors (and the person using the closet would get hit).  So, coats didn't get hung in the closet too regularly.  (Thankfully we have some pegs outside the closet for the kids' coats.  Or for whoever else was too lazy to open the closet.)

2)  The space just wasn't used well.  Under the coats, "something" could fit, kind of.  The coats were just low enough to get in the way of anything down there.  And the shelf was about 2.5 feet from the ceiling, so it's a huge space but only small things were stored up there.

The other reason I wanted new organization in the closet was because of I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog post, regarding an "I'm outta here" shelf.  Which is located in her closet, which looked handy.  A much better use of space than a shelf and rod!  And Mark desperately needed a place to put all of his items - so they wouldn't be all over the place and so he could find them!

So, without further ado, the after shots:

You can see the hinges from the old closet door - which opened into the entry door.  We intend to install bi-fold doors "someday".  It's neat enough that it doesn't bother me to not have doors (although some trim would be nice!).

And this angle shows the coat pegs outside the closet, too.  The shelves are getting filled up.  In particular, all of Mark's stuff that used to be all over the kitchen counters is now on HIS shelf!  Score!

The shoe cubby is store-bought, but the rest of it was made to measure by Mark.  Just some MDF (or is it particle board?  I can never remember).  I had planned to have the shoe cubby upright, which would leave about 12" on the side for the kids to have a low bar.  Or for boots.  But Mark made his own plan and ran with it.  I'm living with it for now, but the fact that the rain boots aren't IN the closet does irk me just a bit.

So, project #1 is done.  I think it will help immensely with organization and getting the coats hung up regularly.  Yay!

Resolutions...of a sort...

Well, I've come to a resolution about my resolutions:   I'm not going to make an official "beginning of year resolution list" this year.  I've decided to make more of a "project a week" thing.  Some weeks it might be a physical project.  Some weeks it will be something I need to work on - like an attitude or a habit.  It's just that writing so many things down is depressing, and I can't focus on everything at once.  So, there you have it.

Now, one might notice that it's already January 16th (or 17th, in most time zones).  And I haven't officially started yet.  But don't worry.  I have done some things this year.  I'll just post them as part of my list.

This week's project is going to be EXERCISING.  Not just to do it this week, but to get back into the habit.  I'll take this week to try to get a regular schedule established.  I need to figure out what time of day works best for me and my family.  Ideally, I'd do it on my own time - such as first thing in the morning, before the family wakes up (ugh - shoot me now!) or during my lunch break or something.  BUT, Megan begs me some days to please do a workout video together - which makes me think we should plan to do it in the evenings (which would be so much better for my attitude).  The only problem is that if we get busy, dinner's late, errands need to be done, whatever - exercise will be the first thing to go.  Hence, the need to get it all figured out.

So, that's this week's goal.  I'll need to update by next weekend (she says, optimistically), along with selecting my project for the following week.  Yay - let's get started!

To-do list...

I wish I could have a day (or several) off of everything so I can take care of my to-do list.  It's nothing serious.  But every time I turn around, I see things staring me in the face.  (Ah - maybe I should just hide everything - there's a solution!)  It's not even a written to-do list - just a bunch of items that call to me when I look around.  Right now I see:

1)  Megan's new dress that ripped away from the seam after she had it on less than an hour that we need to return
2)  CD to install the printer for my laptop (sitting there for months already)
3)  New medical/prescription cards that I need to figure out how they work and put them in my purse
4)  Papers to file
5)  Daughter's purse to sew
6)  Picture info from daughter's pictures - need to call about a missing class composite (from months ago)
7)  School pictures to frame/hang (would be nice to do before the school year is over!)
8)  Actual to-do list, including meal planning, some cleaning, and making a doctor appointment (already a month overdue)
9)  Desk to clean - sheesh - all of this is on my desk!

(And that's just what I see from this spot.)

I make smaller lists and accomplish tasks, but I just can't seem to get on top of everything.  I'd love to not have so many projects that call to me and distract me - especially when I'm supposed to be working.  Maybe my desk isn't the best place to keep everything.  But it's the only place that I know it absolutely WILL be dealt with (eventually) - since it's in my way.

Too bad the only time I really get "free" time, 100%, is when I'm too sick to deal with any of this.  Some days I'd really love to be a stay at home mom, so it was my job to take care of the house.  I mean, it obviously is, but maybe I'd be a smidge less distracted by crazy things like work.

2011 Smack-down!

I really wish that meant that I was taking it to the new year and really getting things off to a great start.  But...sadly...not so much.

I started getting a bit sick on December 30, was mostly okay on New Year's Eve, stayed out too late that night and was stricken down on New Year's Day.  I spent three days in bed - just a cold, I'm sure - but dizzy and miserable.  I'm still not 100% but I'm on the mend.

The frustrating thing is that I had such good intentions for the new year!  Work on resolutions (or plans, at least), make lists, start off fresh, and most imporantly - exercise.  But I couldn't do any of that.  I couldn't even think straight, let alone get to the rest of that.

So, it's now January 7 and I have no resolutions.  No plan.  And no exercise yet this year (other than one ill-advised hockey game that I should have slept through).  Which makes me feel like 2011 really has it out for me.  I can't remember a year ever starting off so poorly.

But, moving on, let's just stop being overdramatic and realize it was just a cold.  No one has it out for me.  I'm just a week late on getting into the 2011 game.  But I need to get to it this weekend and be ready to go by Monday at the latest!  Moving on....

New post!

Yes, I am mortified by my lack of blog posts.  Again with the perfectionism - I feel like I must have something significant to say, or it shouldn't be posted out in the world for all to see.   Not like many are reading, but still...

I need to get myself together and work on some resolutions or goals for this year.  I have so very many in my head, but I need to compile them all into a list.  Not because I can't make changes without a list, but seeing the list from time to time will do me some good.  And let me assess whether or not I'm making any progress.

But getting the list together isn't a lot of fun.  "Hey, let's look at all the things I'm currently failing at and write them down!  That sounds like a good time!"  Not.  But we do not make progress without assessing where we want to go.  So, off I go...