mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

Serve It Up Sunday - Chicken & Beef Week.

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This week's edition of Serve It Up Sunday is going to include chicken and beef dishes for the fam.  While our week isn't nearly as hectic as last week's, there'll be a couple of days where David will be graciously treating us to his fab cooking since I'll be running kids to and from activities.

As I mentioned on my initial Serve It Up Sunday post, I'm hoping you'll join me in this new Serve It Up Sunday meme and jumpstart your family's weekly meal plans.  There's just something about the peacefulness of going on about your day when you already know what your dinner plans are! 

Feel free to copy and paste the official Serve It Up Sunday button above and post it on your blog or website if you'd like to share your weekly meal plans! I'll be posting mine each and every Sunday and look forward to reading about yours!

• Monday:  One-Skillet Chicken.  I haven't yet tried this recipe but it combines chicken and stuffing  - who doesn't love that?  I'll probably serve it up with a side of baby sweet peas. 

• Tuesday:  Grilled Rotisserie Chicken.  I'll be carting Nathan to and from his group violin lessons this night so it will help to have David do the grilled chicken in time for us to get back home.  I'll be serving with my version of Houston's sunbelt salad and the kids will probably have with a side of mac and cheese. 

• Wednesday:  Baked Spaghetti.  This family fave always makes my kids smile!  It's become a true comfort food for them just as it was when my mom would make it for us as kids.  

• Thursday:  Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  My wonderful husband is treating us to his homemade lettuce wraps!  Need I say more?

• Friday:  Velveeta Cheeseburger Mac.  This easy to make Friday night dinner will prep us for the long holiday weekend.  Movie on DVD, along with popcorn, will likely follow!

• Saturday:  Dinner out! 

• Sunday:  Grilled hotdogs & hamburgers.  This will be a perfect start to celebrating Labor Day weekend.  David will do the grilling while I prepare deviled eggs and Ranch Style Beans.

I'd love to read about what you're serving up this week!  Be sure and click below to post your link!  ♥

   

One-kid outing.

Today Will and I headed out to Union Station for the one-day Disney's A Christmas Carol Train Tour event passing through.

I must admit I felt a bit guilty taking Will without Nathan.  It's the first outing ever that's been just Will & I.  While I was excited to take him, I coudn't help but wonder what Nathan was doing during his second day of full-day Kindergarten. 

But, I digress.

If the tour is coming through your neck of the woods, I HIGHLY recommend you make the trip to see it!  We had such fun walking through the train cars filled with costumes, props, and more all in celebration of the Charles Dickens classic!  Did I mention this event is completely FREE?!

Will & I enjoyed seeing our faces morphed into a few of the movie characters using the HP technology touchscreens.  But the best part was going out to the movie tent located near the train cars and catching a sneak peek at the 3-D movie coming out this November!

I can't wait to take the kids!  It's almost enough to make me want to skip Fall and go right into Winter, but .... not quite! The movie is so cinematic and the effects are unlike anything I've ever seen before!  Hope you'll get a chance to enjoy it with your family!  ♥

Serve It Up Sunday - Back in the Swing

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This week we're gearing up for a complete overhaul of our daily routine.  Nathan starts full-day Kindergarten Monday and starts back up with violin lessons.  Throw into the mix Will's preschool open house and Nathan's two football practices, and we've got one very busy week ahead! 

Back-to-school and back-to-life routines are certainly in full swing.  I've come to the conclusion that I've got to be

more organized with meal planning, etc. this fall, especially with baby #3 coming shortly.  I like to use the weekend (usually a Saturday afternoon) to do my meal planning for the following week.  It helps keep me from worrying what to serve come Monday morning and avoids mid-week grocery trips when the store seems to be busiest. 

I'm hoping you'll join me in this new Serve It Up Sunday meme and jumpstart your family's weekly meal plans.  There's just something about the peacefulness of going on about your day when you already know what your dinner plans are! 

Feel free to copy and paste the official Serve It Up Sunday button above and post it on your blog or website if you'd like to share your weekly meal plans! I'll be posting mine each and every Sunday and look forward to reading about yours!

• Sunday:  Spinach lasagna.  This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's Spinach & Proscuitto Lasagne.  I use ground beef instead of proscuitto (though when I first made this over a year ago, I did use it and it turned out great!) and use my favorite jarred spaghetti sauce instead of plain tomato sauce.  I absolutely LOVE serving this up.  Nathan is extremely picky and does not eat vegetables - EVER, but he will eat the spinach snuck into this lasagna without question!

• Monday:  BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches.  With football practice on Monday night, this is a great dish to have cooking all day long.  The secret is in the root beer!

• Tuesday:  Chicken fajitas & Spanish rice.  A standby in our household....everyone eats it and everyone loves it!  David and I love added guacamole on our fajitas while the kids just take theirs with cheese.  So glad I've finally perfected my mom's authentic Spanish rice recipe!

• Wednesday:  Such a busy night for us - we're eating out!

• Thursday:  Cheeseburger Meatloaf.  Have I mentioned I am meat lover?  And, a lover of all things Paula Deen?  Must be the Southern connection I have with her.  Can't wait to try this recipe I've had on hand for a while now.  I am thinking I'll serve it up with scalloped potatoes and baby sweet peas.

• Friday:  Korean Beef Bulgogi.  This is such a favorite in our house!  David and I love it with a side of spicy kimchi and the kids usually just eat fried rice (homemade by David, of course!) with a few pieces of the bulgogi meat.  I recently had a photo featured of this dish over on Culinary Snapshot.

• Saturday:  Beef crispy tacos.  The kids love the simplicity of this dish and it pairs well with our usual laid-back Saturday nights.  Movie and popcorn will likely follow! 

I'd love to read about what you're serving up this week!  Be sure and click below to post your link!  ♥

   

Perfect in Every Way.

Today I became an aunt!  My baby brother, CJ, and his girlfriend, Cassie welcomed their new little eight pound, fifteen ounce miracle, Xavier Marcelino into the world today.  I am so freakin' excited!  I would totally be driving straight to Dallas right now if I weren't pregnant!  But hopefully the X-man (yes, I've nicknamed him that - ever since I learned what his name would be while he was in the womb!) will make a visit to Kansas City as soon as his mama and he are up for it.

Here's to the miracle of life!  ♥

Men...and why can't they ever get it right??!

Let me preface this post by saying I love my husband very much.  I am true to the vows I spoke over 8 years ago.  But as I write this, I'm pretty darn irritated.

This day has been full of activity...only the third real day of school for Nathan, a Kindergarten outing at a local inflatables place (where Nathan got EXTREMELY sweaty!), and back home to deal with two very cranky (and tired) kids.  I then made dinner which was ready promptly at 5:30 p.m.  My darling husband then walks through the door at 5:37 p.m. after being out on the golf course all day long playing 18 holes and watching part of the Nationwide Tour which was rolling through town today.

Shortly after he walks in I let him know dinner's ready.  Good thing.  He's starved.  I serve dinner then rush off downstairs to print something out that I needed for a meeting up at church tonight.  My plan was to be out the door by 6:30 p.m., which I was.  As I was heading for the door, I reminded my darling husband (once again) that the kids need to be going upstairs to shower and get ready for bed by 7 p.m. so that they can be in bed falling asleep by 7:30.  With school having started this week, these early mornings are still something the kids are getting used to.  That's it!  Not much more to his evening than those two easy things which should easily occur within an hour after I leave the house.

So, you can imagine how irritated and disappointed I am when I get home from my meeting up at church at 10 p.m. only to find out from him that he didn't take Nathan a shower because he fell asleep on the couch watching Wipeout at about 7 p.m.!!!!

What??? Are you for real?? Where were YOU while he was falling asleep? How did you not notice and take him up right away?

.........Oh, you were too busy playing Bejeweled on Facebook and thus weren't really paying attention to what was happening on the couch??! Oh, ok.

Yes, that's why I'm fuming right now.  Not to mention the fact that since he wasn't able to take Nathan a shower, he decided Will didn't need one either.  Hello??? What is so hard about doing those TWO things while I am at my meeting?? Seriously....I've been with these kids ALL DAY LONG and you're with them for TWO HOURS max and you can't manage to oversee their shower and bedtime by 7:30???!!!

Darling husband then simply replies, "I'll just shower them in the morning." 

Wait, you're kidding me, right?  It's hard enough waking Nathan up at 6:45 a.m. to get ready for school....you think he's going to want to SHOWER at that hour??? 

Ugh. I am SO irritated right now, I can't even make myself sleepy enough to go to bed when I know I should.

Ok, I'm done.  For now. ♥

Officially a Kindergartener.

Today marked the first official day of Kindergarten - uniforms and all.  Of course there was no way I could resist the urge to take pictures - AGAIN!  But, good thing I have a pretty photogenic and cooperative boy!

Nathan began the day with mini-bagels slathered with strawberry cream cheese and OJ for breakfast.  He was pretty proud of himself for being able to do his own belt and tuck his shirt in all by himself too.  I almost lost it when I saw him all dressed and ready to go in his uniform. 

Will and I went to drop him off at his classroom and stayed for a few more photo opps, morning prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance.  I was hesitant about leaving of course, but didn't want to be the last parent left lingering in the hallway.

We got to the car and as I read the poem from the teacher that she'd given to all the parents, I felt completely comforted.  And then - I lost it.  Of course the pregnancy hormones don't help the situation AT. ALL.  Then Will catches me bawling and HE starts crying!  I of course kept reassuring him that I wasn't sad and that I was crying because I was happy.  That didn't help so much.  It was obvious he missed his brother too.  He just kept saying "Nathan's going to be lost!".
 
Finally we got back home and I began counting down the hours till it was time for pickup.  ♥

Kindergarten Hour.

Today was Nathan's first day hour of Kindergarten.  Despite the early morning hour, he was rather easy to wake up, much to my surprise.  We took the traditional pictures of him and of course, our ever-popular back-to-school interview. 

Kindergarten interview from Candy Tai on Vimeo.

School was only for an hour this morning - mostly just to acquaint the kids with their new school and surroundings and the parents with each other.  We hung out in the library and talked most of the time while the kids spent about half an hour in the class with their new teacher and classmates.  We mothers also spent most of the time hovered over the 'sign-up table' volunteering for library duty, class parties, and more.

Then it was off to the classroom to meet with the teacher and go over what she has planned for the year while the kids went on a tour of the school.  I am so unbelievably thrilled with Nathan's teacher!  I had heard LOTS of great things about her before and now I know why.  She had a few of the moms (including me) in tears at times when she spoke about her passion for our kids and teaching and how much it means to her.  Talk about putting my mind at ease! My tears were certainly tears of pride and joy because I have no reservations about her being the perfect teacher for Nathan.  ♥

Kindergarten Eve.

We celebrated 'Kindergarten Eve' here today as my Nathan gets ready to head off (officially) for Kindergarten tomorrow morning.  It's sort of a 'fake' first day of Kinder if you ask me, since he's only going for an hour!  But nonetheless, it's still THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN tomorrow!  I know, I know, people say this all the time but - I can't believe it!  My little guy is growing up so fast!

So today after our usual Target runs and a stop at Home Depot, we headed home to prep for the big day.  Then, after a dinner out at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, we came home to make our traditional celebratory 'day-before-school-starts' treats.  This year, cupcakes were in order!

And, I let Nathan have TWO!  Aren't I such a cool mom??

Then Grammy called and got to speak to Nathan before his big day tomorrow.  He kept exclaiming that he was 'an infinity google excited' about Kindergarten.

Shortly after the sugar fest it was time for bathtime, bedtime, storytime, and of course, making sure we're all prepared for what tomorrow brings.  I still am not sure that I am, though.  Excited and nervous and hopeful are all emotions that come in and out of my head and heart.  ♥

  

Mom Must-Have Printables for Simplifying Your Life.

Gearing up for delving into the world of becoming the mother of an elementary school student has consumed most of my days for the past few weeks.  I've been in a 'nesting' sort of mode - clearing out cabinets and storage areas, and rearranging areas in our house to accomodate homework, backpacks, papers, and more.

While I do still keep a paper calendar and utilize a fabulous (did I mention FREE?) online calendar & list-making organizer, I recently realized that I needed something that would stay in front of my face everyday to keep me on track.  As such, I decided to create my own printables to help keep my days organized and planned out.  I think a weekly schedule that is posted for the entire family to keep up with is also a good idea for several reasons.

For one, my kids love to know what we're doing and when.  With the start of Kindergarten for my oldest, our schedule will likely be more jam-packed as well, with trying to fit in football practices & games, violin lessons, school events, etc.  My youngest is also starting preschool next month which is really going to be an adjustment for me - two kids in school!  Not to mention, when baby boy #3 comes along in October, I will defnitely be in for a whirlwind of activities and doctor appointmets to keep up with!

It's also a good idea because it keeps us on track with our meal planning so everyone knows what to look forward to on any given evening.

Hopefully you'll find a use for some or all of the printables I created to help keep me sane this school year.  Simply click on each image or printable title below to print several copies and stick them up on your fridge, in your entryway, or other high-traffic place to keep you on task all week long, especially during this busy back-to-school season.

Feel free to share them with others and leave me your comments - I'd love to hear what you think or if you have any suggestions for future creations! ♥

Weekly Planner - Blank

This is a great blank weekly printable to use each week that will allow you to customize each day to the fullest.  Use blank spaces to write in daily to-dos, appointments, meal ideas, etc.

Weekly Planner - with Appointments & Meals

This version of my printable features an area to write in AM & PM appointments, snack & lunch plans, To-Do/Calls, and dinner plans each day!

This is great if you struggle with what to serve each day for lunch and/or dinner with your kids at home.  Plus, this helps keep the family all in-the-know with what's for dinner each night.

Weekly Planner with Appointments & Dinner

Similar to the version above, this printable features an AM/PM appointment area, To-Do/Calls area, and Dinner only (no snack/lunch planning area).  Ideal for your family if your kids are in school or you just want a space for appointments & dinners only.

Weekly Planner with Dinner Plan Area

Lastly, our "dinner only" weekly planner printable offers the most flexibility with open space for each day and a dinner area towards the bottom of each daily slot for easy dinner planning.

School Notes Printable

This is a printable that you can use to send notes to your child's school or teacher.  Pre-populated fields make writing a note easy and fast!  You can fit two notes on one 8.5 x 11 inch standard size paper by printing in landscape mode.  Print up a few ahead of time and have them ready when you need them!

Fabulous Michael's Coupons!

I received these coupons in my inbox tonight that are good at Michael's stores across the country!  They're great for some last minute summer crafting, school supplies, or any items you might want to pick up this week! The discounts can even be applied to sale items, not just regular priced item, which is a rare treat.  Enjoy!  ♥