My New Grocery List, Part II

Okay, here's the third way I plan on making grocery shopping easier: a family meal planner.

It's not my idea. I got it from another girl's blog, Brown Paper Packages. (Doesn't that make you start to sing the "My Favorite Things" song from the Sound of Music?) Kierste has five kids including two sets of twins, which alone proves this is an idea worth entertaining! Here is the exact link for this project.

 

Here's what she did. She listed all of the ingredients for all of her favorite go-to recipes on a small sheet of cardstock. Then, she takes this planner with her to the grocery store for when she's not able to create a menu ahead of time. Voila! No more forgotten ingredients!

Isn't that clever?

Isn't this great? I haven't made one for our family yet (the boys teething has gotten in the way of a lot of new projects around here lately,) but I hope to very soon. Mine won't be as nearly as cute as Kierste's, but I do love the idea. This, as well as my grocery list and my vow to actually sit down and create a menu for the week have me very optimistic about meal times again!

My New Grocery List

It is very difficult for me to get out the house to go grocery shopping. So, when I do, I need to be quick and focused. But what I'm finding lately is that I'm just not forgetting one or two things, I'm forgetting a BUNCH of things. Consistently. So I either have to wait until I'm able to go back a week later, or ask my husband to pick it up at Dash's on his way home (which usually means we pay almost twice what we would at the grocery store!) I'm just not good at thinking on my feet, scrambling in my mind for menu options and then grabbing every ingredient I can think of. But this is what I've been doing since the boys have arrived... and I've been failing miserably.

So, I've devised a plan with three separate steps. The first step is to actually sit down and write a menu for the week!!!!! I don't even know why I put that one off like I do. But I'm going to describe my second step here. I'll share my third one tomorrow.

This is actually an old idea I resurrected from when Andy and I were first married: I made my own grocery list skeleton and then wrote specific groceries under each section. Here's what I mean...

I printed out a sheet of paper with the sections of the grocery store listed in three separate columns. I did it on the computer so I can just print it out each week. My list says: Prescriptions/Photo, Baby, Dairy, Drinks, Snacks, Cleaning Products, Paper products, Juice, Cereal, Meat, Baking, Pasta/Rice, Breads, Frozen Foods, Fruit, Vegetables, Deli and Other. I list them in the same order I would make my rounds in the grocery store, especially since I generally follow the same path. Then, I post this paper on my refrigerator. Every time I think of something I need, I write it under that column (i.e. if I need Swiss cheese, then I write that under "Dairy." Cheerios goes under "Cereal." Diapers under "Baby.") Then, when it came time to plan my menu for the week, I would write the ingredients I needed under each particular section of the grocery list. If I have a coupon for something, I write a *star* next to that item and paperclip any coupons to the list. My menu is written on the back. Fold the list in threes and then in half to easily put in my purse.

When I do get to the grocery store, I don't need to scramble through every aisle, making sure I have everything on my list and consequently, over buying or forgetting half of the things you had hoped to get. This has made menu planning and grocery shopping a LOT easier.

This is working for me. I hope it makes sense! I'll share my other idea with you tomorrow!

They're Naturals

Jack and Ben, playing my old piano at Nana's house.

Notice how Ben isn't actually playing the piano; he's trying to pull down the cover over the keys. Leave it to my babies to find that their first time on the bench!

A Love Story

In honor of my husband's birthday today, I am telling the story of how we met almost five years ago!

I was setting up my classroom, waiting for my sixth graders to arrive. It was my third year teaching, so I was a lot more comfortable in my own skin, but still had the beginning-of-the-year butterflies in my stomach. I knew it was going to be a good year. For the first time, I had my own classroom, was half-way through my Master's and lost some weight that summer. I felt thin, tan, and confident. I just heard the first bell and knew the eleven year olds would start piling into the halls with the scared looks that I have grown to love.

I heard someone at my door. Definitely an adult's voice. A manly, yet polite voice. "Excuse me," he said. I turned around. I have a feeling I smiled, pleasantly pleased by the masculine and handsome figure that stood leaning in my doorway. "My name is Andy Sauer," he said and extended his hand. I immediately walked over and shook it. His broad smile and sparkling eyes had my attention. Honest eyes, I thought.

"Hi, I'm Mindy Albrecht." Parents were roaming the halls, ushering their nervous children to their lockers. My first guess was that he was a father - a very young father - looking for something.

"I'm new here," he continued. "A teacher's aide. Do you know where the library is?" I laughed and gave him the (curiously easy) directions to the library. He thanked me, gave me a "Thanks, nice to meet you," and then went on his way.

I turned away from the door and stood there a moment, trying to remember what I was working on. I felt as though a fresh breeze just came through my room, the kind you see in a movie when you know the girl just met the man of her dreams and doesn't know it yet. I know it's corny, but I really did.

Every few days, I would see this Andy Sauer passing my classroom on his way to third period. That was when I was MOST diligent with hall duty, when I knew he'd walk by and say "Good morning," or "Hello." That was my favorite part of the day. I'd check my hair in the mirror and apply lip gloss before going out to wait for my new friend to walk by.

But gosh, what are the chances that he'd know the Lord? I mean, how likely is it that I would find my perfect mate walking the halls of the middle school? Still, I enjoyed his friendly smile and looked forward to his pleasant hellos without trying to expect anything more.

A few days later, he stopped at my classroom door on his way by. I thought my knees were going to give out. "Do you go to Eastern Hills Wesleyan?" he asked.

My heart stopped. "Yeah! Do you?" I couldn't believe it. Our church is so large that even after years of attending, we never knew eachother! I realized that I knew his brother and his family, but never knew of Andy. How neat is that? My first cousin, Chantel, who he currently had as a student, must have liked him and started asking him questions, including where we went to church.

"Eastern Hills?" she asked him. "I think my cousin goes there."

"Who's your cousin?" he asked.

"Miss Albrecht." Then he remembered that he had MET Miss Albrecht a few days earlier! We chatted for a little bit about the church and his brother's family before we realized the bell had rung for the next class.

He went on his way and I felt sick to my stomach. But a GOOD kind of sick to my stomach. I just knew this was it! This was the man of my dreams! Thank God, I had a free period next so I picked up the phone and called my mom. I had told her the week before about this guy I had met, but how crazy it was to assume we'd be compatible. I described what he looked like and she said, "You know, Min, I could see you with someone like that." That was last week. How funny to have such a crazy turn of events!

I invited him to my Bible study, so he'd help me in my classroom after school until we drove over together, talked, and enjoyed eachother's company. (My 15-year-old brother even came to 'check him out' and he passed with flying colors!) Our first 'date' was October 10, 2005. He proposed a year later on that same day and we were married in May 2007.

We would tell our story throughout our engagement. I asked him if he really needed to know where the library was that day. He just smiled (the same charming smile that I see in my boys!) "Well, I had to think fast! How else would I have gotten you to talk to me?" And that, my friends, is one of the many reasons I love this man so bad.

I have LOVED being married to my best friend. Here's to many more years of bliss! Happy Birthday, Andy!

Doing it All

Have you seen the commercial with Kelly Ripa for Electrolux appliances?

Kelly praises her washer and steam dryer for allowing her to be "even more amazing." She comes home from work to beautiful and happy children, puts the laundry away by just throwing it in the air, feeds the dog, dresses the children as she walks by, does the laundry, makes cookies and her kids then catch the freshly-made chocolate chip cookies as she falls into the couch. This is all done in a matter of 30 seconds, with perfectly saloned hair, cute outfit and a great body. Did I mention her high heels and the "I Dream of Genie" music in the background? This commercial has her grocery shopping, preparing to entertain a houseful of guests, and then ending the night by looking for monsters under the bed.

The perfect woman.

Work full-time, have a beautiful and happy family, amazing house, great dinners, a nice social life, all while maintaining control and sanity. Perhaps this is true in Hollywood, but it's rarely true in the Real World.

Don't get sucked into how the media defines success. Being a hero in your house doesn't mean juggling two dozen activities while wearing Stilletos and a pearl necklace (no offense, Kelly Ripa and Mrs. Cleaver.) It doesn't mean you make a three-course meal every night and keep your house immaculate. It probably doesn't involve you finding a cure for cancer or stopping world hunger. I have a feeling that it has more to do with being the one to nurse a scraped knee, hug a crying child, or praising your child's newest Lego creation. The one to remember your birthday, ask about your day and put a note in your lunch.

It's not any ONE thing, but a million little things.

After all, you are a mother. You couldn't be any more amazing.

"Taste of Home" for $3.75

Best Deal Magazines is offering Weight Watchers Magazine, Taste of Home and Parents Magazine for $3.75 each. This deal is only good through the end of this week. Just use code WKLYSPEC to get this price on these magazines.

Taste of Home is my all-time favorite go-to cooking magazine! The cheapest I've ever seen it was for $10/year, but $3.75 is a steal! I love how they have recipes from cooks all over the United States, using most ingredients I have in my house and with pictures of every single recipe. And unlike other cooking magazines I've tried, all of these recipes taste great! I highly recommend it. Your husbands will love when that little magazine arrives in the mail almost as much as you will.

Oooh, the Activity

Here's a "picture book" of the activity that's been going on at our house, now that the boys have finally rid themselves of their horrible colds!

These highlight Benjamin tonight, only because Jonathan had his mind on chasing after me and my camera whenever he saw the opportunity! Here, Ben uses the diaper container to prop himself up his feet, standing on his own (without holding onto ANYthing for about seven seconds!) and climbing over it. Geez. How did my babies grow up so fast?

Our newest game and entertainment for hours on end (well, more like twenty minutes, which is like an hour for 9 month olds!) is when the boys pull the blanket over their head and wait for mommy to say, "Wheeere's Benjamin?" or "Wheeere's Jonathan?" Then, when he's ready to reveal himself - which can be up to ten seconds at times - he pulls the blanket off to hear me say, "There he is!" Repeat. Repeat. Over and over. Most times, two babies at the same time.

If I fail to acknowledge a hiding baby, they'll squeal or scream to get my attention, wait for the magic words, then excitedly pull the blanket off. I love it! (Though I do have to admit the difficulty of occupying two babies this way, not wanting to spoil the 'surprise' on the other brother ;)

People always say how fast it goes. They're right. It's amazing. But it's also amazing how slow things seem to go at times, too. Namely, when things are difficult. Believe me, I was in a MUCH different mindset five days ago and I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. One day at a time. I'm doing my best and honestly, that's the best I can do. That's the best any of us can do.

Free Busy Mom's Bible

Register here for your free copy of the Busy Mom's Bible, available to the first 5,000 that sign up. The front of the Bible says, "Daily inspiration - even if you only have one minute." Sounds like MY kinda devotional! Thanks for passing this along, Kelly!

Nearing My Goal

Do you know how the last few steps are the hardest?

It doesn't matter how many flights of stairs you're climbing, how many more steps to the top of the mountain, how many more loads of laundry you still have to fold. The last few are undoubtedly the hardest.

Life has been difficult for this mommy lately. My boys are teething, have colds, are extremely clingy and ONLY want mommy. I suppose that's cute... at first. But when you have four little hands grabbing at you all day, demanding your attention and not allowing you to leave the room for fear that you might not return, it's tiring. Add to that the fact that I have a cold, too, and you have a recipe for pure exhaustion.

Since the boys were born, we decided that the best way for me to feed them was to pump breastmilk. I just couldn't get the breastfeeding thing down with two and we struggled knowing how much they were actually getting. They were losing weight fast and the doctor said they would have to be hospitalized if they didn't start gaining weight. So, pumping became our best option (for us and our checkbooks) and I haven't looked back. They're getting the majority of The Good Stuff and then two bottles of formula a day. And they're gaining weight like champions!

Every day, 5-6 times a day (more when they were waking up through the night,) I pump. It's a commitment. I don't necessarily enjoy doing it, but I feel like I'm doing something good for them. My goal was to do this for a year. When they turned 9 months, I celebrated... yeah, only 3 more months to go! As much as I love my boys getting The Good Stuff, this was a less-than-enjoyable process for mommy. I was tired. Exhausted. Pooped.

So when the pediatrician said we could start introducing whole milk into their bottles at 10.5 months, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Wow. Are you serious? Am I that much closer? I wondered if I had to travel the last leg of my journey. Perhaps I could quit now and just supplement with more formula.

Then the boys' colds flared up, sleeping was interrupted and teething threatened my sanity. I looked ahead at the last few flights of stairs I had left. Three months. I had already come 3/4 of the way. That's good enough, right? I mean, how much more good could breastmilk actually do? If I wasn't pumping, then I could take Sudafed which would otherwise dry up my milk supply. Gosh, how I've missed Sudafed. And NyQuil. Advil. I could wear a real bra, be comfortable when I lay down and not need to attach myself to this darn pump an hour and a half of my life everyday. I could get more sleep. Oh, how I've missed sleep.

I talked to my husband about quitting. He knows that he walks a very fine line when it comes to me pumping. On one hand, if he says I should keep on going, I'll be mad that he's pushing me to do something I don't want to. On the other hand, if he says I should stop, I'll be mad that he was excusing all of the work I had done in the past nine months. Why do I even do this to him? But thank God, my husband knew me better than I knew myself.

"Mindy," he started sympathetically, "I'll support you either way." Hmm, good answer, Babe. "The boys have already flourished because of everything you've sacrificed for them. We need to take care of you first. If you'd like to stop, I would support you one hundred percent." 

He let that sink in a bit. That was a good answer, huh? This is where he shows just how much he knows me. "At the same time, I know how much you like to achieve your goals." Yeah, he's right about that. I won't start any project I can't finish. "Would you be disappointed with yourself later for not making it to a year like you had planned?" Yup. I would. And he knew it.

Nothing's really changed since that conversation. Except my perspective. It's a renewed perspective. I dusted myself off, tightened my shoelaces and took notice of the finish line ahead of me. I've decided that I'm not going to put more pressure on myself than I should. I'll do what I can, when I can. If I need to pump, but my boys are clingy and require mommy time, then it'll have to wait a bit. This might be a naturally transition into quitting, but I'm not looking for that. I'll do what I can, when I can.

Because that's the absolute best I can do.

Here's hoping their teeth come in quickly and pain-free! (Yeah, right. But a girl can dream, can't she?)

Love Is In the Details

My mom has always been an excellent homemaker. Growing up, she always enjoyed making our home a place we all loved to be. It was in the small things, too. Putting candy in dishes, setting out the breakfast bowls the night before... and making little flower bouquets.

 

Whenever she received flowers (or bought her own at Aldi's for $3.99 a bouquet) she would cut the stems short, place them in small glasses and then put them on display throughout the home. The kitchen, bathrooms and the backhall entrance way were some of her favorite places.

Now that I have my own home, I do the same thing. This was a bouquet that I received from Andy this weekend that I cut up and put in the kitchen and the bathroom. Pretty, huh? The glasses are shot glasses I bought at Walmart for $4 a few years ago for just this purpose. Now, I can enjoy my flowers all throughout the house - when I'm washing the dishes, rinsing my hands, cooking at the stove - rather than just in one place.

Love is definitely in the details.

Thanks, Mom.