Meal Planning

So, I've been inspired in more ways than one to try to meal plan better. I'm giving my first stab at a month-at-a-time meal plan today (yeah, someone who actually meal plans would probably know a better term for it;)). The plan: to have all the groceries in the house that I need to make all the meals for the month of November. The goals of doing the meal planning:

• Save money on groceries by buying only what we need, finding coupons on the foods we need, and wasting less food because everything we buy will be planned for a meal.
• Save on stress by having everything in the house to make the meals and the dreaded "what are we having for dinner tonight" thoughts and questions that we experience way too often around here
• Saving money by eating out less (good motivation in today's sermon)
• Trying more new recipes as I seem to collect more than I actually try
• Remaking more of the recipes that we love (this bullet and the previous will occur easier if I get myself organized:))

That's the plan...I'll try to remember to report how it goes as the month progresses!

Where Does the Time Go???

Newborn Luke snuggling with Daddy

February 2006

4 1/2 year old Luke snuggling with Daddy

October 2010

Blessed

This week at MOPS, we talked about understanding "Who I Am". As part of the topic, we did a personality profile online to understand our personalities and how they impact our relationships with our children and spouse. I love learning about what makes me tick, why I think the way I do, and why I don't get some people and why they don't get me:)

I am a Proper Melancholic (below). Not surprising to most of you I'm sure:) There were a few things that I think I've grown in that used to be bigger issues for me, but for the most part it's pretty close to how I would label myself.

I realized I am very blessed as we discussed our personality types and how they work in our home. Brent and I certainly have different personality types, but they must be pretty complimentary (either that or we've adjusted well to each other over the past 7 years:)) We also compliment each other pretty well as parents. Luke's young to identify his personality type, but I'd say he's a pretty good blend of Brent's and my personalities. All in all, I think our personalities blend pretty well as a family. We're all introverted and like to have time at home recharging between the other events of life and we're all pretty sensitive to each other's feelings and needs.

We certainly don't have it all figured out. Just in the past week, I can think of examples of each of us bugging one another and misunderstanding one another. But, I think it's important to find the blessings in life:)

On a similar note, the same day as MOPS, Luke and I had our semi-annual dentist appointments. If I remember right, this was Luke's third or fourth visit to the dentist. This week, I could tell he's gotten more comfortable at the dentist office. He was Chatty Cathy with the hygienist and the dentist. It was so cute:) The hygienist even mentioned that he did very good waiting for my teeth to be cleaned/checked and then to have his own teeth cleaned/checked. This got me thinking about some of the "preschool firsts" like going to the dentist, getting a haircut, and going to the doctor. All of which can be scary and intimidating for kids. I was reminded how blessed we've been with Luke in these events. He was a little apprehensive the first time at the dentist and had to sit on my lap while his teeth were cleaned/checked, but he complied and the hygienist was able to do all she needed. Luke still cracks me up when we get his haircut. He's been getting his haircut about every 5-6 weeks since he was two years old, but he still sits like a statue and will not talk during his haircut:) I don't think he's nervous, because he's always excited to go, but he seems to believe he needs to be completely motionless for the entire cut. He also does well at the doctor with the typical checkups and visits for ear infections, strep, etc throughout the year. He likes our doctor and never seems stressed to go for a visit.

Luke at the Dentist:

Perspective

As I've mentioned before, I started Weight Watchers in April of this year. I met my goal of losing 30 lbs in August and have maintained the weight loss for two months. But, I feel like I'm getting too lax in my eating and not putting exercise high enough on my priority list. SO...I'm am posting for myself today...to give myself perspective of where I've come from and how far I've come.


In April, I was concerned. I got on the scale to find that I was at the top of the 15 lb weight range I had been within since having Luke in 2006. (The pre-Luke weight story is even longer, and I don't think I'll get into that here.) I was frustrated with myself, but at a loss about what to do to make a change. I started thinking back to the times in my life that I had been successful at meeting a physical goal (running, weight loss, etc) and I realized that each time I had something I was committed to (a team or date). Around the same time I was thinking about my weight and what to do about it, a mass email was sent at work about Weight Watchers meetings that met at my building during one lunch hour a week. Honestly, I wasn't very excited at first. I didn't want to get all touchy-feely with a bunch of people who would have to know every thing I ate and every pound I lost (or gained). The reality was that I didn't have any other ideas, so I decided to attend one Weight Watchers meeting to see what it was all about. I remained skeptical the first week I was getting into the program, but I was pleasantly surprised when I lost 5 lbs the first week! My leader, Sherlyn, was a great encouragement and I learned that I did not have to share any details about my weight with the group. We were all there to support one another in the journey to our goals (which were different for each of us). So, I got hooked, got good at tracking my points, and got motivated to exercise again, specifically running.


Right around the time I started WW, they started a program to guide us toward either walking or running a 5K. It was just what I needed to get my rear in gear! I knew I could run from past experience, but I knew I needed to start from ground zero again since it had been so long. The WW 5K program was just the ticket! I started slow and worked myself up to running a 5K. It felt so good to have the "after run buzz" again. That is probably my favorite part of running:)


The rest is history (recent history:)). I learned to think in less "all or nothing" terms about eating and exercise. Even if I didn't make good food choices at lunch, didn't mean I needed to throw out the entire day and eat poorly. Or, even if I couldn't go for a 4 mile run, didn't mean it wasn't still benefiting me to run or walk 2 miles. It sounds simple, but it was an important break through for me.


Today, I find myself at the end of my "birthday week"...you know, the week when everyone wants to take you out to eat to celebrate and when you think "hey, it's my birthday" and give yourself permission to eat all of the treats. I haven't exercised all week, was feeling under the weather most of the days, and eating more than I should. Sounds like a recipe for disaster...if I kept it up...but the week ahead is a new week!


So, I am posting today to remind myself:

• that I have come a long way
  
• that it took a lot of work and commitment to lose what I've lost
  
• that I do not intend to lose the ground I've gained

I didn't take official "before and after pictures", but I have a couple pics that I think will show the progress.

Easter ~ April 4, 2010

October 5, 2010

Fire Prevention Week

We finally made it to Fire Prevention Week! Every year I've either heard about it after the fact or we were not able to make it. But, not this year!

We visited the station on the corner of South Broadway and Sixth Street SW on Tuesday with Luke, Daddy, Gramma, Papa, and Bridgy. We got there right when the open house started, so Luke got some undivided attention from the fire fighters who were geared up for the first night of their open houses for fire prevention week. For those of you that know Luke well, he was naturally intimidated by the fire fighters that he was so excited to see:) They tried to coax him into spraying the hose and putting out the fire with the extinguisher, but Brent and I pretty much ended up doing what was meant for Luke to enjoy.

Brent, I mean Luke, spraying the hose.

Me, I mean Luke, ready to spray the extinguisher.

After checking out the trucks in the garage and touring the inside of the station, we even got to see the fire fighters use the spreader and cutter to open and cut off the door of a car that had been in an accident. The spreader essentially pries the door open and the cutter cuts the hinges of the door to remove it completely. Pretty cool!



And yes, Luke did warm up to the environment after some more families came and he wasn't the focus of the fire fighters. He told us on the way home that he wants to be a fire fighter, so I'm thinking some of his shyness was pure awe that he was in the presence of such amazing men. He told me today that the plastic fire hat he got at the open house is very special to him and he insisted on wearing his "badge" sticker the next day at daycare:)

The special hat and badge on our future fire fighter.

All in all a great experience and a great night. I especially liked that we polished off the night with some Chinese food on the way home:)

Check out the pics on the October 2010 link on the left.

Memories - Old and New

My wonderful cousin, Steph, had the idea to have a hayride at my grandpa's farm a few years ago as an excuse for the family to get together (other than the typical holiday gatherings). Little did she know that she would begin a new tradition...one that I thoroughly enjoy! If my calculations are correct, we just had our four annual hayride!

Look at my peanut, at our first hayride. He was only 20 months!

In Luke's eyes, we're going to Great Papa's farm for a day of fun. For me, it's a walk down memory lane, remembering all the time I spent at Grandma and Grandpa Beckmann's house growing up. It's also exciting to bring Luke, a new generation, to enjoy the farm, spend time with extended family, and to create new memories.

We had beautiful weather this year (I think we've had rain or drizzle the past couple years), so I took the opportunity to walk around the farm to take some pictures and to reminisce.

The milk house I painted years ago in high school with my friend, Amanda...looks like it could use another coat:)

A shed that has been old in my eyes since I can remember behind the machine shed. (The old truck begged a photo:))

I remember when these blue spruce trees were planted as little saplings when I was a kid. Once they got big enough, I remember cutting one down every year for a Christmas tree. They've outgrown the Christmas tree stage.

My favorite tree, yep, I have a favorite tree, don't you?:) This old cottonwood is enormous! My dad calls it a landmark tree, and for good reason, you can see it clearly miles down the road and know it's Grandpa's farm. As kids we played a lot of softball in this front yard, and home plate was always right in front of the tree, then we hit toward the house.

The farm. View from the road. The huge cottonwood is just to the left of the mailbox.

The house. The large trees to the left are the blue spruce I talked about earlier...they're now taller than the house. Does that date me?;)

And finally, the basketball hoop on the barn door where I shot a lot of baskets. Simple, yet functional -- all a young kid needs:)

I've only scratched the surface of the memories I've made through the years at Grandma and Grandpa's, but it was fun looking back down memory lane. I can only hope that Luke has many years ahead of visiting Grandpa on the farm and that he has a wealth of fond memories like me.

Thanks to Steph for the great idea for an annual hayride, to Grandpa for hosting us all, and for our extended family for the new memories.

Check out the October 2010 link on the left for more pictures!

Days Like Today

Today probably won't stick in my long term memory, but it was a great one! We didn't do anything special, but it was a great day with my Lukey:)

I've been realizing that this time next year we'll have a child in school...in school! How did this happen so fast? So, I've been really appreciating our "days of nothing" together since I've been half time at work.

Today was a perfect version of a "day of nothing":) We got up to see Brent off to work, got ready, and headed out for some errands. We stopped at Weight Watchers for the final weigh in of my maintenance period (six weeks), so I am now an official life time member! Then we stopped at the grocery store and AMPI store, dropped some things at Salvation Army, got Luke's haircut, and stopped to see Brent in his new office. We spent the rest of the day at home doing "stuff around the house", just enjoying time together at home.

This may not sound like a day filled with quality time to most, but we had time to chat together along the way and had more fun during our "day of nothing" together than I would have had doing the same things alone. I love days like these with Brent too:)

I think Luke and I have similar personalities in that we are both introverted, we like accomplishing our "to-dos" for the day, and enjoy one-on-one time with those we love. I am so thankful that running errands and even doing mundane things at home are pleasant to do with Luke.

I hope to have many more days of nothing with Luke in the year ahead before school starts next year, though I'm sure we can find time occasionally on the weekend even after he is in school:)

Luke having his own fun during our day together...I found him trying to lie in the back window of the car before heading out for our errands this morning:)

Back to Blogging

I'm back! I don't know where September went, but here we are in October.

We kicked off September with a get away with my family to Timberbay in Babbitt, MN. It was a beautiful location for relaxing, time with family, and, of course, lots of eating! Brent, Luke, and I drove up the Friday before Labor Day weekend with Bridget, Ross, and their dog, Tommy, and my parents met us there late Friday night. We spent Saturday playing yard games, fishing, and shopping in Ely. Sunday, the weather got even nicer (it was pretty windy on Saturday) so the guys did more fishing, Bridge, Ross, Luke, and Brent did some canoeing, Mom, Dad, and I did some hiking, and we all hiked Kawishiwi Falls near Ely. We finished the day off with a pontoon ride while the guys made their final attempt at fishing. A perfect day enjoying the great outdoors! There are LOTS of pictures at the September 2010 link on the left, so check them out if you have time.

First night at Timberbay

Yard games with Tommy

The one, and only fish caught all weekend.

Canoeing with Bridge and Ross

On our pontoon ride...I just love that smile:)

We kicked off September refreshed and rejuvenated after our trip up north, and found ourselves at the brink of football season. Football season might not mark a "season change" at your house, but at our house it certainly does. Brent LOVES football and counts down the days to both the college and NFL season kick offs. In addition to watching football, he also plays any chance he gets. This fall he plays Monday and Wednesday evenings for city league touch football, and Saturday mornings for an FCA flag football league. It's been extra fun this year because Luke has gotten more interested. He's been doing picks for the NFL games, and he looks forward to making picks Sunday mornings during breakfast with Daddy.

Doing picks

Luke has also loved being involved with the city league team Brent plays on with Corey. Luke went to several of their practices before the season and even got his own water bottle from Corey who runs the team. Luke was so excited that he had Brent write an L on his water bottle so it would not be confused with Daddy's water bottle:) Luke also has fun going to the games, telling me all about what each player is doing, and playing football on the sidelines with anyone willing to play. I don't know if you've heard Kenny Chesney's song, Boys of Fall, but it makes me think of Brent every time I hear it. He is certainly a 'boy of fall" and we've reminisced about the days of high school football when we were dating that the song makes us both think of:)

Along with the football season, September brought schedule changes, as I'm sure it did for many of you.

September brought the kick off of MOPS at Hope Summit for me. MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers and this is my fourth year in the Hope Summit group. I have been on the leadership team since we started MOPS at our church, and we do a lot of planning in the summer prepping for the MOPS year (September - May). After all of the planning, it's always fun when we kick off the year in September! We've already had two meetings and we're having a blast with lots of familiar faces as well as several new:)

I also started watching a friend's daughter one afternoon a week while she and her husband's work schedules overlap. It was has been so much fun having sweet, little Audrey (17 months) to play with for both Luke and I. Luke looks forward to her coming every week and loves showing her around the house to toys he thinks she'll like and "helping" get her ready for nap:) He has such a tender heart, especially for those younger than him. And, Audrey demands nothing less than all of our affection...she is just so precious! As you can tell, we're having a lot of fun spending time with Audrey:)

Another major change for our family this September was Brent beginning a new job! After about six months out of work, Brent started at Think Mutual Bank as a banker on September 20. We are so grateful for the new beginning! Brent has really adjusted well to being back to a work schedule. He's a pretty busy guy, with work, football of course;), and his online masters program, but he is managing well and, yes, we do get to see him in between it all:)

This year, September has also gotten us thinking more about our family. It has now been two years since we started trying for another baby. Last year, around this time, we found out we were expecting our second baby, who we, sadly, never met. We lost the baby last October because of a ruptured, ectopic pregnancy. We're still hoping to add to our family and have been touching base with our doctor every few months this past year. We met with him in September and decided to move to another medication, Clomid, to hopefully increase our chances of pregnancy. It has been going well so far and I have not had any side effects, thankfully.

I think that about covers the past month, but I will have more to share soon as we have some fun things planned for October! I hope you're all enjoying the fall weather and colors as much as I am:)