Meal Plan For An Entire Month!

Meal plan for an entire month!

What if you only had to think about meal planning once a month? 

What if someone did your grocery shopping for you? 

What if you were able to have your family help you prepare dinner a few nights a week?

You can do it! For real- it is possible!

Follow these steps to make your dinner planning so much easier!

1. Recipe Binder

2. Google calendar

3. Grocery lists using curbside delivery or home delivery (I used Fred Meyer/Kroger)

1.Recipe Binder

• Consider the meals that you and your family eat on a regular basis. What about family recipes that have been around for generations? Print out your tried and true recipes and place them in a binder using sheet protectors. I'm a huge fan of storing everything in the cloud so I never lose it and I can access it when I'm away from home. Consider scanning or saving your recipes in google drive or something similar. 
• A recipe binder makes it easy for other family members to prepare the meals chosen for the week. There is no guesswork about ingredients, cooking times or temperatures.
• A binder with a clear plastic covering is best for this. It will allow you to slide your google calendar into the cover.

2. Google Calendar

• Using your calendar app, create a new calendar just for meal planning. Also include your calendar for appointments, special events, and holidays. 
• Consider which days are your busiest. These are days to choose your easiest recipes or those that can be made ahead.
• Does your family enjoy, "Taco Tuesday," "Take-out Thursday," "Pizza Friday" or something similar? Place these meals into your calendar. Consider having themes for the other days of the week as well to avoid repetition and to make life easier. For example, I have chosen to have something savory and comforting on Mondays- because----Mondays! Tuesdays are Mexican food, Wednesdays are Asian food, Thursdays are easier and are usually sandwiches or salads and Fridays are Italian. This makes planning very easy!
• Fill out your calendar and don't worry if you repeat recipes! These are for you! Don't worry about making this fancy or about impressing your friends. 
• Set a recurring task in google calendar to remind you to order your groceries each week. You can also set this up as an appointment which will allow you to indicate which grocery list to load into your cart (more on this later).

3. Curbside Delivery/ Home delivery and in-person shopping

I discovered Fred Meyer's Clicklist a couple years ago. I have adored it ever since and even more so since COVID. I know that several other grocery stores offer this service but I prefer Fred Meyer because the service allows you to save grocery lists! Now, if you don't want to use curbside delivery, you can print off these lists and use them for in-person shopping. Kroger includes the aisles for your items which makes for easy shopping!

Print out your lists just in case your store decides to change their software.

Even though the created and saved lists will save you a significant amount of time longterm, it is a lot of work upfront. I'd hate for you to lose everything. I did all of my lists over a couple of hours. However, if that is too much or you don't have the time, do it each week and save your lists. This way, when your rotation is done, you can go back and use these lists again and again. Include these lists in your binder.

• Label your calendar by each week that you choose to include in your plan. For example, the first week of October might be "A", week 2 would be "B", etc.
• Create separate grocery lists for each week and save them by the label, the number of meals included in the week, and anything else that might be helpful to you. One of my weeks includes Halloween and we will have pizza that night, leftovers another night. I labeled this week as (4 meals) so that I will remember this if I choose to use this week/ list again later in the year.
• Create lists by logging into your account, scroll down to "lists" and click on "create list." To add items to your list, click on the small notepad icon- highlighted in yellow. 
  
  
  
• Set a routine to order your groceries the same day each week. On this day, log into your account, choose the list corresponding to the label for your week and add everything to the cart.
• Take inventory of what you already have or if you have decided to add or cut any meals for the week. Make adjustments to your cart (not your list). This way, your list will include everything you will need if you choose to use this list again later in the year. 
• I also created a list of frequently recurring household items that we order each week. Our list includes bananas, water, paper products, etc. We use a milkman but if you don't, include staples like milk, eggs, bread, etc. You can click on this list and add the contents to your cart with the previously added items for your week.
• Access to produce will change with the seasons. Your schedule and routines will change as well. Keep this in mind and give yourself grace. Nothing is set in stone with this method. It can be changed each week to meet your needs. 
• It might also be helpful to save your lists by recipe. For example, we love to have beef stew in the colder months. Since this repeats a few times within my 6-week rotation, it could be helpful to have a separate list to click on to add to my cart.

Again, this does not need to be done all at once. You can build these tools as you go. Not only will this save you a ton of time in the long run, but it will also allow you to buy in bulk when needed, search for coupons or deals at other stores and everyone will know exactly what is for dinner! Kroger provides the total cost for each list which can help you to budget and make tweaks as necessary. Shopping online reduces impulsive purchases and cuts back on waste. Don't forget to keep additional canned goods, condiments, and non-perishables on hand in the event of an emergency. You can always cycle these items out and donate them to the local foodbank or charity of your choice. 

A New Diagnosis For Our Family

Please view my newest blog about Type 1 Diabetes

http://t1dfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-did-you-know_27.html

Here I am, naked, broke, hungry and exhausted... but you matter!

On any given lunch break, I'll sit and scroll through facebook to see adorable pictures of my friend's kids.  I love facebook because in some shallow way, I have a clue as to what's happening in my friends' lives near and far.  It's sad... I'll admit it but I call it like I see it so there you have it.  Lately, I've been seeing a lot of posts that say something like:

It's 8:30 on a Tuesday night and I just had to turn down a weekend away with a dear college buddy for her very fun birthday party in Portland.  She was gracious and understood and for that I'm very grateful.  Missing her party on the other hand?  I'm so disappointed but... honestly... I'm really relieved too.  With one weekend left before Thanksgiving, I'm totally and completely overwhelmed.

I'm past my days of trying to create a meal that Ina Garten would brag about.  I'm done with having the house that Martha Stewart would showcase.  To be clear, I'm not talking about a prison cell.  I want my Thanksgiving to be fun, laid back and about family.  That said, I'd like the house to be warm, welcoming and clean.

I just spent 4 hours doing homework with my son.  His teacher is awesome... seriously awesome so don't go blaming him for my son's homework.  My daughter, at least another hour of homework... her teacher is wonderful too.  The dishes are piled to the ceiling, my laundry is almost caught up... believe it or not, my floors are covered in inches of dog hair and I'm pretty sure if Haz-Mat showed up, we'd be kicked out of our home.  My bills aren't paid, I haven't talked to many of my best friends in days and I had to cut my evening conversation with my dad short by quite a few minutes.  My husband hasn't seen much of me today and I just got a notice from my homeowner's association telling me I get to "donate" $50 to them because I had a patch of ivy growing my in my front yard that wasn't to code.  I worked all day in a job that I love and I really don't have many outside interests at the moment except Bible study.  You can imagine how seeing posts like these on facebook makes me stay up until the wee hours of the morning wondering if my friends feel this way.  Really??? I know at least 2 of them did because they aren't in my life anymore.

These messages are a bunch of garbage.  Do you deserve to be a priority? Yes!  Do you deserve love, affection, attention and whatever else your love language is?  Yes!  If your good friend isn't showing you this does it mean she/he doesn't love you with all of their heart?

I'm sorry.  I'm so very sorry.  I have said these same things, questioned friendships and had many conversations with God and my friends about whether or not I'm a priority in someone's life.  God answered with humility.  God showed me that there are so many hours in a day and far more tasks to accomplish.  Could I go to Portland this weekend? Perhaps.  I'd show up at my friend's party naked because I didn't have my clothes washed.  I'd be a complete wreck because the bills wouldn't be paid and I'd likely be facing collection calls while I was there.  My family would be hungry because there wouldn't be any food in the house... I'm lying here.  My husband would cover this one.  My husband... oh year, that guy that I share a house with that makes sure my kids are fed and that we have a roof over our head.  I should probably make time for him this weekend too.  My dear friends and loved ones, I write this for you.  I love you and I will spend time with you when I'm once again clothed and sane.

Dear Bank of America,
Today was a difficult day. I watched from above as my daughter remembered my death, 11 years ago to the day. She recalled losing me to a long battle with cancer. She grieved my loss and worked with her father to take care of arrangements.

My husband worked for you for over 40 years. He was loved by his co-workers and quite well known within the SeaFirst/ Bank of America community. When he and my daughter sat down in your Kirkland, WA branch to close out my account, they were surrounded by many longtime friends and colleagues. They provided my death certificate and closed all of my accounts.

I’m sure you can understand my frustration and confusion when I tell you that my daughter, *****, receives a credit card application from your bank at least twice a year. What’s odd is that I never even lived in her home. The address you send the applications to didn’t even exist 11 years ago when I made my move to heaven. *** has called the bank several times to get this stopped but she hasn’t had success. She has been told that she needs to furnish a death certificate and prove my death. Didn’t she already do that?

I do not need a credit card in heaven. I have everything I need and more. What I do need is for you to stop sending these painful reminders of my absence. I don’t need you to bother my daughter or my husband anymore by telling them this problem is theirs to solve.
Thank you ahead of time for taking care of this. I will appreciate a mailed response from this letter to my daughter,**** at the address indicated.


Thankfully,

*****
C/O ****

Speech Apraxia, Our story

Today is National Apraxia Awareness Day.  Have you heard of Apraxia?  The term was entirely new to me when my son Nick was diagnosed 8 years ago.  Back then, it was quite rare and the only resources available were related to autism. 

Apraxia of speech: A severe speech disorder characterized by inability to speak, or a severe struggle to speak clearly. Apraxia of speech occurs when the oral- motor muscles do not or cannot obey commands from the brain, or when the brain cannot reliably send those commands. Children with apraxia can be helped significantly with intensive speech therapy.-Medterms.com.

10 Signs of Apraxia

1.  Struggling to get words out

2. Underdeveloped muscle tone.  Drooling as a toddler, feeding issues, etc.

3. Small and gross motor delays

4. Social avoidance

5.  Clearly understands language but can't use it

6.  Displays greater speaking difficulty when nervous or anxious

7.  Sensory issues (hates loud noises, can't stand hair cuts, wears the same shirt every day)

8.  Hyperactivity related to sensory issues

9.  Seems to speak his or her own language

10.  Reading, spelling, and writing difficulties

 
Nick was an adorable, healthy 9 lb 4 oz baby that was always happy.  He came into this world just as my mother left... but that's a story for another time.  Nick had a normal birth history without complications and everything seemed to be going along very well.  At about 14 months, I walked into Nick's room one morning, flipped the light on and something felt different.  I couldn't quite put my finger on it but Nick seemed different... more reserved and not as easy going.

We'd go to playgroups and other baby/ toddler activities.  He'd play well with other kids but he wasn't talking like they were.  He wouldn't make eye contact and his motor skills seemed behind.  Well meaning moms would ask if I had heard about Autism.  They'd tell me about articles they'd read, they'd point out the milestones that their children were achieving and raise an eyebrow as if to say, "Do you realize your kid is different?"   

YES!  I realized and YES, I was terrified.

Having quit my job early on in my pregnancy, I found myself isolated and trying to find other stay at home mommy friends.  My mom had passed and very few of my friends were mothers.  Nick and I would drive many miles to meet moms and other kids but still... we just didn't fit in.

We put Nick into speech therapy at about 15 months.  We saw small improvements but we were still so far away from where we should be.  I was having lunch with a former co-worker one day when she hit the nail on the head.  She said, "Lisa, it's like he knows what he wants to say but can't get his mouth to form the words.  I know he understands you and wants to talk."

I've been known to create a disease or two after spending hours on google.  I'm sure my friends and family thought I had created a new disease when I told them I suspected Nick had apraxia.  I emailed the speech therapist to see what she thought.  She wasn't sure because Nick was so young.  We continued with therapy and wondered in the back of our minds if we were dealing with Apraxia or Autism or both... we seem to be straight A's when it comes to disorders.  Asthma, ADD, Arthritis, Apraxia.  After being asked time and time again be friends, strangers and even my daughter's pediatrician about a possible autism diagnosis, we consulted a neurologist.  She spent an hour with Nick, turned to me and said, "Nick does not have Autism.  He has a severe speech disorder called Apraxia which also impacts his gross and fine motor abilities."

I burst into tears.  The tears were tears of relief.  We finally had a diagnosis that was treatable.  Nick would get better.

The neurologist connected us with a social worker who got the ball rolling for speech, OT, special schooling, book lists, you name it!  The next few years we exposed Nick to every extra curricular and social experience we could find.  Of course Nick didn't want to make eye contact!  If he did, he'd be expected to speak.  We did it all!  Two preschools at once, gymboree, little gym, gymnastics, golf, soccer, t-ball, swimming, social groups, speech, OT, vision therapy, the list goes on.  We read every book we could get our hands on.  When one speech therapist would tell us Nick had progressed as far as he could, we'd politely move on to the next therapist.  Public school tried to slap an autism label on Nick even though every therapist and neurologist we saw said he was not on the spectrum.  Nick hated school and ended up in the ER with an anxiety attack because there was so much focus on what was wrong with him instead of what was right.  Our son is brilliant... seriously.  We pulled him out and put him in private school.  When that private school stopped working, we put him in another.

My shower became my crying closet.  I'd worry if Nick would ever speak a proper sentence.  I worried that maybe we had missed a really scary diagnosis.  Would his social skills ever develop?  Would his motor skills ever catch up?  Would he ever be happy or would he be consistently bullied?  Would I have to home school?  I cried out to God and asked him why He would take my mother and allow Nick to have apraxia.  It just seemed too cruel.  I was brought to my knees in prayer and my Sundays changed from "football and pajama day" to church... and then football and pajama day.  I started studying the Bible and found community with the women I studied with.  We began volunteering for a ministry outreach, Young Life, and found support from loving and caring friends.  Nick started to get better.  He'd make huge jumps and then plateau for a while.  

Nick was 8 and I found myself standing on the playground, talking to a new friend as we watched our kids run around and have fun.  I told her about the challenges Nick had experienced and she said, "Are you serious?  I never would have known!"  That's when it hit me.  Nick beat apraxia! I joke now that we prayed too much because the kid never stops talking. 

Nick is 10 now and doing wonderfully.  He has straight A's in school... the right kind of A's, has several close friends and he's very happy.  We occasionally deal with stuttering but that too shall pass. He writes as well as a ten-year-old boy can, reads at an 8th grade reading level, plays basketball and soccer and is insanely good at the hula hoop.

I share our story and our journey with you in hopes that someone might find inspiration for their own difficult road.  Early intervention was key for our son but it's never too late to get help!  

Websites:

http://www.asha.org

http://www. apraxiakids.org

http:/www.cherubfoundation.org

Facebook

Apraxia Mom

Apraxia Kids- Every Child Deserves a Voice

 
This journey has been incredibly difficult.  As much as I hate apraxia, it has blessed our family in ways we never would have experienced.  The tribe of people that support us is a miracle.  Therapists, friends, other special needs families, the list goes on.  I've lost a lot of friends along the way that didn't understand why I didn't have extra time.  I've angered more than one teacher, principal or school board member.  I'm pretty sure I'm on a few government lists for the phone calls and letters I've written demanding more resources for public education and special ed.  I've been called a barracuda mom, momma bear and a few other things that I can't share here.  It has been worth it!  Advocate for your children because nobody else will!

Top 10 Last minute gift ideas

Lisa's Top Ten Favorite Things

Looking for a last minute gift idea?  Here are some of my favorites.

10.  Sugar Lip Balm by Fresh
     Dry lips?  This is absolutely worth the money!  A must have in your nightstand, handbag and car!  Buy an extra just in case they stop making it!

 9.  Scentsy Plug In Warmer
     As if the wonderful scents of Christmas cottage and Apple pie weren't enough, this adorable warmer projects butterflies onto the walls. 

8.  Down Throw from Pacific Coast Feather
$80.00 marked down to $19.99!!!
Stock up on these!  I was unsure if we'd like these because they were a bit crinkly at first.  These relaxed and are the coziest, warmed throws you'll find.  It's big enough to throw over a twin sized bed but condenses nicely for a family room throw.  Think you'll like it? Buy an extra because these are almost gone!


7.  OPI Nail Polish (Vampsterdam)
GOR-JUS!!!!  Had to run out and get nails for this one.  The most beautiful deep purple with a subtle hint of metallic... wonderful!  This shade is from their Holland collection. Check out their Skyfall collection as well!





6.  Chloe Perfume
A beautiful blend of floral and amber scents for a light but wonderful perfume. 
Great for a signature scent!





5.  Geometric necklace from Nordstrom, BP
This fun necklace goes with nearly everything.  Subtle in color but enough to make an outfit pop




4.  Perfect T (Lush)
Oversized but flattering.  I bought this in 3 colors for layering.  Throw a cami underneath and a jacket on top. These are even on sale!

3.  UGG Adirondack Boots
No question these are a HUGE splurge.  However, they will keep your feet warm and toasty through out the next ice age.  Hopefully the last snow boots I'll ever buy, these are a favorite that was worth the wait!





2.  Donate to a charity that has special meaning for a loved one
"What do you want for Christmas?"  How many times have you counted your blessings and realized that you have nearly everything you could ever want?  Ask for a donation to your favorite charity.  Want to save lives? 

Consider Auburn Young Life, Saint Jude's, or American Cancer Society.




1.  Jesus Calling
This daily devotional speaks to my heart every day.  The greatest gift you can give is God's Word!


All of these gifts are fun to give and fun to receive.  Let us not forget that we give in the spirit of God giving his only son who gave His life for our eternal salvation.  Jesus is the reason!

Merry Christmas my friends!  Thank you for reading my blog!

What is in your heart?

Tonight, my kids got on stage in front of over 200 people. They sang, spoke and celebrated the birth of Jesus. This is heartwarming in and of itself but my tears seemed out of place to those that didn’t know me.

My son has speech apraxia. It’s a nasty disorder that makes people unable to articulate their brilliant thoughts and emotions. My son understands everything that is said to him but he can’t always speak his mind. Sometimes his motor skills are delayed because of this apraxia. I hate this disorder and we fight it with everything we’ve got everyday. Just when we thought we were out of the woods, a severe stutter plagued my son this past October. His progress has been steady but slow. I know God will fully restore his speech and give him a confidence that lacks arrogance.

Many people have insisted on labeling him. I have fought to keep him from being categorized as someone that should be pulled out of class and thrown into a “special needs environment.” Why? I have seen how people quickly pass judgment on children needing these services.

So imagine my rage tonight when I read a post on a friend’s wall.

"Remember the boy in our children's class last year with a mental/social disorder and his "violent" outbursts? Well, my oldest has another one in her class this year. He always has a Para following him, too. “Daughter’s name here came home last month and told us she almost got jumped by him. During class, she felt a pair of eyes blazing at her while listening to the teacher's lessons. She glanced to her left and all of a sudden he lunged towards her! Good thing she has quick reflexes and got out of her chair fast. Got escorted out with the Para. He had another episode during PE where he grabbed a girl and scratched her arm. And NOTHING is provoking this kid! I DO have a problem with the parents thinking that their child with "special needs" needs to be integrated with the public when the child has violent tendencies. I am all for meds if they need them. Private school is tempting and might have to research the high schools nearby. Not worried about the guns, but those "kids" with the guns and their future."

Our nation experienced one of the worst, most horrific tragedies ever this past Friday. We later learned that the shooter had aspergers. We learned that he had serious mental health issues and yet our nation decided to engage in a huge debate about gun control rather than how we help those with poor mental health. I don’t know this person so I can’t ask her questions to clarify exactly what she meant. However, I’ve heard so many people say things like this and have come to learn that their motives were hateful and ignorant.

The first boy mentioned in this post was a child I encountered quite often. He was scared, overwhelmed and out of control. The first time I experienced one of his outbursts, I went under a table because I thought a shooting had broken out. When I got to know more about his story, I tried desperately to help de-escalate his fears. It took courage but my heart broke for this young man. I felt that the school was taxed on personnel and resources to properly help this child but I never considered him “another one of those.”

America, wake up! Stop wishing that children with special needs would disappear into the back rooms of the school... or attend a different school entirely. All children are blessings. All have special talents and gifts. Many of the children with special needs have incredible gifts and talents that this world misses out on. Stop referring to children by their diagnosis. Your child is not an aspie, autistic, a stutterer, or bipolar. Your child is a blessing that might be afflicted by a disorder. This is not their identity! Children that experience spectrum disorders are not automatically a risk of committing atrocities like those witnessed over the past few weeks. The children at risk are those that are ostracized rejected, judged and made to feel that they aren’t good enough. The biggest problem in this country isn’t guns, a fiscal cliff or other political issues. It’s a lack of compassion and an unwillingness to help those at risk. Before you write to your senator, examine your heart and your actions.