Things that make me smile

 

To brighten your Thursday :)

 

 

 

 

 

Life as an aunt

 I am an aunt...to 9 precious kids! Did I just say 9?! Yup.

These squirts range all the way from 4 months to age 10. The funny thing is, I still having a sibling who isn't married and one married set without kids at the moment. And the siblings with kids still want more!

Well, today is one of my nephews birthday. He is 6. And he is the first one to make me an aunt. I know what your thinking - I just mentioned there is a 10 year old. Yes, well, I "inherited" 4 of them when I married Stephen from his sister.

 

Andrew is the child who made me an aunt. I was a sophomore in college finishing up my winter finals. I had one semester day left before I flew out to Arizona to see the little guy and his parents. I will never forget that phone call. It all felt so surreal, like I was in a movie. My Mom who was out in AZ helping my sister and brother in-law called and told me Andrew had arrived. I ran up my dorm room hall yelling with excitement!

I flew out that next morning and met the baby who stole my heart. He has been a blessing everyday since and I am smitten with his charm. Add to it, I live in the same city now as my buddy (and his 2 little brothers too).  Of all the titles I hold - wife, sister, daughter, friend, cousin, etc. - aunt is right at the top!

Meal Planning

This topic is one that has been discussed between my friends and me on numerous occasions. I started planning out our meals and lunches months ago, and it has made life so much simpler (and less stressful). At first, I was trying to scramble around at night or after work to make packed lunches and dinner, and that got old very quickly.

Meal planning sounds tedious, but I assure you, it makes all the difference during the week. At first, preparing my list took about an hour yet I've since figured out the swing of things and am much better at preparing.

My grocery shopping day is Sunday so I get enough food for the week to last us until then. I would suggest planning out for 2 weeks or even a month if possible. Planning out the week allows me to buy enough beef for 2 meals - one for Tuesday and one for Thursday.

For lunchtime we used to spend load of money eating out, but we now pack our lunches. On Sunday, right after grocery shopping, I make us both meals for the week typically leaving one open day for leftovers (or two depending on my meal plans).  I go ahead and makes all our sandwiches, snacks and pack it all in Tupperware. A good tip, place a damp paper towel over the bread or whatnot to help not dry out.

My suggestions:

Gather all your recipes for the week

Write down all ingredients needed (check your pantry and see what you already have to use)

If you have ingredients that spoil, plan those meals earlier on in the week

Enjoy your free time (cause now you have TONS of it)

Check out this awesome meal planning on a budget called food on the table. Its a great way to help get that plan, list and budget going.

Meal planning is easy and a great idea! If you put the time in up front, it will pay off in the long run and make your week easier. Enjoy!