Friday Favorites 6/29
Summer needs to slow way down! It's flying by but we are loving every minute of it. We're still doing swim lessons and the girls are doing fabulous. It only took Madi two lessons and she is swimming like a pro. Both girls are working on strokes now.
Meal Planning- July
After touching on meal planing in yesterdays post I thought I'd share my latest meal plan calendar with you and revisit some tips. Meal planning helps me to actually get a meal on the table every night and take the guess work out of dinner. Cooking isn't my problem, its coming up with what to eat. If I meal plan then I don't have to think about it.
If you want to create your own I have a few suggestions. First type out all the meals you make and your family likes to eat. I list them all on the side of the calendar and then start dragging them to the days. That way I can see everything together and then plan them strategically. Next, put things together that make your cooking easier. For example, rigatoni and taco salad are close together. This way I only have to brown ground beef once and separate for two different meals. Another example is chicken ranch tacos and chicken quesadillas. I just put in extra chicken in the crockpot for the first meal and save some for the next night.
This has also helped with grocery shopping and saving money. In one Walmart Grocery pickup I'm able to grab the majority of the items. Of course I can't buy everything at the start of the month because they won't last but this has helped so much for planning for the store.
Let me know if you have any questions or want a recipe. Also please share your favorite (EASY) recipes with me; I'm always looking for something new to switch things up around here.
Disneyland: The Place Where Dreams Really Do Come True
I'm just reminiscing about our Disney trip and I'm ready to go back. Overall we had a great time but it wasn't exactly all we had hoped for because Emily got sick on day 2. Luckily she was able to get a few hours each day in the park and thank goodness both grandmas were with us to assist with going back to the hotel for Emily to rest. I wanted to share all that we did so get ready for Disney and picture overload!
Sunday morning the girls finished their countdown and were so excited to head down to Disneyland! We left early that morning, made a stop right before the Grapevine for lunch and hit Anaheim early afternoon. We got in some pool time, settled into our rooms and then headed to Downtown Disney for shopping, sightseeing and grabbing dinner. One of our absolute favorite spots to eat is Naples. Not only is the food to die for but they have a great atmosphere and an incredible balloon artist who makes the best characters for the girls. It's a must on your trip!
Dark Places: Book Review
Well it's a miracle I learned how to read again!!! I used to be a book worm and loved reading a good book especially in the Summer by the pool. However, I don't know what happened but I seemed to set down the books and just run out of time. I became so tired that in my free moments or at the end of the day I chose to watch mindless television instead of feeding my mind. I'm happy to report I've started reading again and wanted to share my reviews with you.
All the books I've read recently came from recommendations from my girlfriend Rema of Jewelry and Jeans. Rema liked this book, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and I've loved other books from this author so I decided to give it a try.
It's a quick and easy read but I give it about a B. It's worth reading but not a page turner and not at the top of any list. It's about a troubled young woman who was the only survivor in a tragic shooting when she was a young girl. Her mother and two sisters were killed and her brother went to jail for the murders. Decades later her past is reopened and she starts to uncover that the truth may be far different than what it seemed many years before. The book follows her journey to uncover the truth.
The main character wasn't a very likable person and to be honest I'm not sure I loved or connected with any of the characters. What I did like was that the story was told from present day as well as from the past. It jumped back and forth which kept it a bit more interesting. Also capturing my attention was telling the story from several points of view.
If you have any book recommendations I'd love to hear them!
4th of July Outfits for Girls
As most of you already know I love any excuse for a cute outfit and the holidays are at the top of that list. Fourth of July is just around the corner and I've picked up some adorable looks for the girls that we are already sporting around town. I can't wait until next year when I'm also coordinating baby brother with these two cuties. Can you imagine how much he's going to love looking back on all the photos!
Click on any of the items to get shopping details and links.
Morning Routine for a Stress Free Morning
This post is sponsored by Natrol but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
1. Lay out Clothes the Night Before
It's amazing to me how much time this can take in the morning if I don't do it the night before. My girls are old enough now to have opinions about what they are wearing and somehow laying it out the night before almost eliminates the complaints. I also pick out my own clothes the night before which saves so much times especially if I have to try things on (super common now that I'm growing in all directions).
2. Pack Lunches the Night Before
The more that I can get done the night before the better. The mornings are too chaotic so packing lunches for the girls the night before is a necessity. I even have the girls help with them like grabbing their lunch pails and snacks.
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