Making life easier

I used to be pretty good at setting weekly menus, making grocery lists, and preparing half-way decent meals. It seems that since I had Hannah, however, that I have just not been able to get my act together ahead of time. I finally got tired of it and joined e-mealz about a month ago.

Sometimes these sort of programs seem a bit too gimmicky, so I wanted to give it a good try before I posted my opinion. Let me tell you, my life has been so much less stressful thanks to this wonderful meal planning tool! You can choose a meal plan that best fits your family (I picked the weight watchers points system for 2. You can never be too healthy!), and each week a new menu is available with a full week's worth of simple recipes, complete with a coordinating grocery list! I print off 2 copies of the menu and grocery list - one to mark up and shop with, as we never seem to make all 5 meals, and the other to put in a recipe notebook that I'll be able to refer back to. Even Jason has noticed that we're once again having good homemade meals without me hounding him for ideas.

Sorry if this seems like a total commercial. I really don't mean it to be. I'm just so happy about how well this is working out for us that I had to share. Anything to make life easier is worth it for me!

Pictureless weekend

After a couple of very busy weeks, we finally had a relaxingly busy weekend (if that makes any sense). Unfortunately, I left my camera in my work bag, so I didn't get any pictures. You'll just have to use your imagination :-)

Hannah and I started off the weekend in Frankenmuth to attend (and help with) my cousin Matt's graduation party. The last of the grandchildren has finally graduation high school. My aunt and I had worked so well together hosting my sister-in-law Courtney's baby shower that she asked me to help out with Matt's party as well. The night flew by without a hitch. I guess that's what her 3rd graduation party and 2 great minds get you :-)

We headed home early on Saturday, so that we could spend most of the weekend all together. We spent the day without an agenda and filled it with fun odds and ends - a trip to Target, a stop at Flowerland to buy a lilac bush, a walk around (well, not ALL the way around) Reed's Lake, and dinner outside on the porch at Graydon's Crossings in East Grand Rapids. After we got home, Jason and I finished off the night with our "in-house" date night with a movie and a bottle of wine :-)

Sunday morning started with church as usual. We recently went to 1 service for the summer, so we had a little adjusting to do with the morning schedule. It was kind of nice to get an extra hour beforehand. We typically go out to breakfast after church, but since it ran late, we headed to Grand Haven to have some lunch at Snug Harbor. Since it was pretty breezy and chilly, we ate inside where we had a great table by the window. Hannah had a wonderful time watching all of the boats cruise past and the people (and dogs, or JJ's as she calls them) walk by. In fact, she had such a fun time that I'm pretty sure the whole restaurant could hear her shouting with glee! We walked off lunch with a stroll down the boardwalk.

Ah, I love weekends with nothing to do!

Fun filled weekend (warning - long!)

Heading up north for Memorial Day weekend with the rest of the lower Michiganders has been a tradition for both of us since we were kids. We're now continuing that tradition with our own family as we headed up to my parents' cottage for the holiday weekend.

We got a jump start on the weekend by taking off early on Friday. The car was packed and we were on the road before 10 - a record for us. We were all eager to get up north to enjoy the weekend, including JJ, who felt the need to be right up close with us.


(This habit was cut short after this picture!)

Since it's a 2 1/2 hr. ride up, we stopped at McDonalds for lunch on the way, where Hannah had her first Happy Meal!


One very nice thing about going up north is that there is no shortage of babysitters. We took full advantage of Grandma and Grandpa time and had a little date night - dinner and a movie. Jason loves the theater in Houghton Lake, an old log building, very retro and well maintained. He couldn't wait to get there to see Night at the Museum.

The building wasn't the only retro thing about it. They only accepted cash or checks. Somehow I actually had enough cash to get us in. However, we had to buy our snacks by writing a check! Pathetic? Yes!

Another unique feature in this theater are their "love seats". The seats are all original (or pretty close), and every few rows they have a double wide seat on the ends. The legend is that those seats are meant for two. We thought it would be romantic to try it out, and it did start out fun. However, by the end of the movie we agreed that it was similar to sleeping in a twin bed. A little too close for comfort!



The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of activity. Such is life with a toddler! We spent lots of time keeping Hannah busy:

...going for walks

...trying out the new picnic table Uncle Todd bought for cousin Kara

...swinging in the hammock with Grandpa

...and picking up pinecones with Grandma.

Hannah also made her first visit to the beach, and she loved it! I'm sure we'll be getting dirty a lot this summer.

Playing in the sand.

Mama and Hannah at the beach.

After playing in the sand, we moved to the boat to get a little shade. That is where Hannah discovered the new game of attempting to toss anything and everything over the side to see it splash in the chilly water below. Guess what she's looking at here.

Yes, that's her sandal floating in the water below.

Thankfully Daddy braved the cold water and saved the day!

We even managed to get a decent family picture!

(notice with Jason's boat in the backround).

It just wouldn't be a summer weekend without Jason's pride and joy.

The captain!

One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was meeting Hannah's new cousin Kara. She is such a tiny, sweet baby. However, Hannah wasn't quite sure what to think of her. The first time that Grandpa held Kara, she started to cry. Hannah didn't like that (neither the crying nor Grandpa holding the baby), and she started to cry, too! She eventually got past it. I'm sure that they will be the best of friends as they grow up.

Hannah checking out baby Kara.

Aunt Courtney and baby Kara are doing great!

Uncle Todd is a pro at carrying Kara in her carrier.

I think our little rag-a-muffin had a wonderful weekend. We can't wait to get up north again. Summer, here we come!

Sure sign of summer

We took advantage of the beautiful weather last week by eating dinner out on our deck for the first time this season. We had a perfectly summer meal of hot dogs, chips, baked beans, and asparagus (can't pass up this yummy veggie!)



To top it off, we had the ball (as Hannah called it), or watermelon, for dessert. So good!

Wild Kingdom

Apparently our yard has turned into a wildlife sanctuary this spring. As we were out on our deck last week, Jason spotted a turtle at the bottom of the hill in our backyard. As he seems to be our zoo keeper, he picked it up and brought it up for us to see.

After putting him back in his home, JJ made sure to "keep him safe." Good thing he has a hard shell!

Not Me! Monday

Last week, I posted about Not Me! Monday. This Monday has snuck up on me this week. Between working some longer hours, masters classes, swimming lessons, and just life, we've been really busy... maybe even doing a few things I hate to admit...

*I did not pick a beautiful bouquet of lilacs from our neighbor's bush (they weren't even picking them themselves!)

*I did not hold my daughter tight to my chest after leaving her swimming lesson b/c I forgot a key piece of apparel to change into that would hold the girls in check!

*We did not eat pizza, hot dogs, and McDonalds for 3 out of 5 meals last week - although they must have some nutrition, right??

Come on... you know you've been there, too!

Not Me! Monday

This is a new experiment for me. One of my favorite bloggers takes the time on Mondays to write about what she simply did not do in the previous week. In her words, "Not Me! Monday was born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!"

*I did not let Hannah go to bed without brushing her teeth 3 out of 7 nights last week. No dirty mouths in this house!

*I did not eat a whole box of chocolate chip Teddy Grahams, mostly while listening in on a conference call. No way!

*I did not use grocery shopping as an excuse to get a night out of the house by myself while Jason babysat Hannah. We just really needed groceries.

*I did not send Hannah to the babysitter with the same lunch every day last week. How boring would that be!

I'm sure there's way more, but that's enough for tonight. Ahhh.... that felt good!