Meals for a Month (October) * Updated *

I don't know what it is about it, but I hate grocery shopping!  Thankfully, Mike tries to go as often as he can, but sometimes the timing just doesn't work out and I have to go.  

So, I have decided to do more planning & prep ahead of time, so that I only have to go ONCE a month.  Sounds crazy I know, but I was inspired by this family's experience, which I found through Pinterest.  They are a family of 8, so it takes a lot more work, so I think that our small family of 3 can handle it.  I talked it over with Mike and we are going to give it a try for the month of October.  

The Prep:

* Organized the pantry, cupboards, fridge & freezer.

* Set up cork board inside the pantry for the monthly calendar, grocery list, receipts & coupons.

* Searched Pinterest & other sites for freezer/crockpot meal ideas.

* Set up an October calendar with meal options.

* Created a HUGE grocery list based on the meals & items we need.

The Plan:

* Join Sam's Club in hopes that by going once a month we can get better deals on bulk items.

* Go shopping at Sam's Club & Hannaford.

* Prep and label any food that needs to be put in the freezer.

* Do some baking ahead of time & freeze items for lunch snacks or dessert.

* Mike can stop on his way home for items like milk, eggs & fresh fruit.

Below I have included the meals for the month with links. I found many of the freezer/crockpot meals on Pinterest as well. Having them organized here will help when I go to prep them all.  I'm sure we will end up being very flexible with the days, depending on what is going on (guests, trips away from home, busy days or unexpected events).  But, here is the plan...  (*written recipes we have at home, but I have linked recipes that are similar,  (new) - new to us recipes).

1 - Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil*

2 - Beef Tacos

3 - Pulled Pork Sandwiches

4 - Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

5 - Baked Scallops & Greenbeans

6 - Leftovers

7 - Order Out

8 - Lasagna

9 - Omelettes

10 - Leftovers

11 - Meatloaf & Carrots

12 - Homemade Pizza

13 - Cheddar Broccoli Soup* & Beer Bread

14 - Ravioli (new) & Veggie

15 - Quesadillas (recipe is for shredded chicken) & Rice

16 - Leftovers

17 - Chicken Casserole* & Greenbeans

18 - Stromboli*

19 - Teriyaki Chicken (new), Veggies

20 - Leftovers

21 - Chowder & Grilled Cheese

22 - French Toast

23 - Chili (new)

24 - Spaghetti 

25 - Leftovers

26 - Order Out (Happy Birthday Mike)

27 - BBQ Chicken & Broccoli

28 - Cilantro Lime Chicken (new)

29 - Fajitas (new)

30 - Leftovers

31 - Pancakes

The plan is to also have enough groceries for breakfast & lunch.  A few baked goods will work for lunch snacks & dessert (muffins for breakfast).  I will also make and freeze some breakfast wraps & buffalo chicken wraps which will be available for the month.

Who wants to come over for dinner?

*Update*

The goal was to spend around $300 and I went over just a bit.  I ended up with about 186 at Sam's and 166 at Hannaford for a total of 352.  But, I have 3 bags of spaghetti sauce and 3 other meals bagged for future months.  Also for future months I will stagger the big items we need like toilet paper, dog food, etc.

As far as the prepping is concerned it took a full day.  Some of the meals I could only freeze the meat and will have to prep them on the day of, because I just did not have the freezer space for casserole dishes.  Instead of freezing baked goods I decided I will make a batch of muffins and cookies each week.

So, far things are going well.  I missed a few things that I had not put on the list, but I just adapted the menu to make it work anyway!  This week so far as been great, because I already know what will be for dinner and most of the work is already done!!!

Mess Free Painting

After a few finger painting attempts I have discovered that Braden does not enjoy getting his hands dirty.  He cries and screams any time I attempt a crafty project using paint or stickers.  He is fine with eating messy things like applesauce, yogurt or oatmeal with his hands - so I am not sure what the issue is.  

So, that is why I was excited to discover this blog on Pinterest which is geared towards toddler activities.  There are a few great mess free painting activities that I decided to try last week. 

First we attempted ice cube painting - the inspiration here. I used red paint and intended to cut the paper into little apple shapes for Fall.  At first Braden enjoyed shaking up the bag, but once he felt the ice cubes he wanted nothing to do with it.  I tried getting him to shake it again and he would either cry or just crawl away.  

The second attempt involved putting finger paint, paper, marbles and in a box.  I cut the paper into little pumpkin shapes and used orange paint, but the options are endless.  The Pinterest inspiration found here involved yellow paper & black paint to create bumblebees.  I put everything in a medium sized box & sealed it with tape.  Braden loved shaking it around, drumming on it, sliding it across the floor and throwing it.  Finally, a successful, mess free painting experience!  

Pinterest Challenge

As I mentioned in my home update post, my most recent Pinterest project is the styrofoam art piece.  I have decided to use that project as one of my entries for the Pinterest Challenge (five days left if you would like to join in the fun).  

We recently repainted our living room, which inspired me to work on the styrofoam art piece.  I wanted some new decoration for the one blank wall left in the room.  I have had no luck finding artwork that I like, so I decided to create my own.  

My inspiration came from a few different pins, but ultimately I decided to go with the more abstract option. The tutorial was great and really easy to follow. The one problem I had was with cutting the styrofoam - I could not get nice, clean, straight cuts.  So, I was little disappointed with the uneven pieces, but you have to look really closely to notice.  

I think the final product looks good, and I absolutely love the fabrics and how they pull the room together.  The only problem is that the piece looks too small on the long, blank wall that it was intended for. For now it works above the mantle. But, during the holidays I like to put up new decor on the mantle.  So, I think it will end up on the wall to the right.  It will balance out the room with the TV being mounted on the other side. 

Who is going to join me?

DIY Cake Decorating

As most of you know I am addicted to Pinterest!  I had so many pins last month that I received an error message telling me I would have to try again later (basically Pinterest was telling me to take a break).  Now, I have found a Pinterest Challenge blog to help motivate me to actually complete more of these wonderful little projects.

Up first is Eva Marie's 2nd birthday cake.  Last year the theme was Winnie the Pooh. Using a nice picture of Pooh bear I was able to use the Wilton Cake decorating techniques and it came out great.  However, this years theme was Dora and I chose the picture below, which is much more detailed so I needed to try something new.    

That is why I was so excited when I found this tutorial, which takes you step by step on how to transfer any design onto a frosted cake. 

Creating an outline and carefully filling in the small details first, because that will be the top of the design.

Starting to fill in the frosting.  Then it went in the freezer for about 15 minutes, while I finished frosting the sheet cake.  Once it was placed on the cake it easily peeled away from the wax paper.  

 The finished product at home (top) and at the birthday party (bottom).

Want to join me in the Pinterest Challenge?

Turning a House into a Home

We have been in our house for 3 years now. I am still slowly working on new decorations & project ideas to give it that added touch to make it feel like home.  Just in the last month we have finished a few things that I love! 

Upstairs in the hallway - I finally used the Oslin sign given to us as a wedding gift!  The birth art project I found on Pinterest, but have since found a MUCH easier way to do them.  

This is all directly across from Braden's growth chart. 

Over the last 3 years I have shopped around for some art/decorations for both the ktichen & living room.  Finally, I decided to try a different approach and create my own art.  In the kitchen (again inspired by Pinterest) I made some clothespin wreaths and created a space to display Braden's artwork.  

Today we finished some apples & pumpkin crafts that will be displayed soon!

In the living room I asked Mike to build a shelf for the electronics & mount the tv to the wall, so we could have a little more space (for Braden's toys).  As a result of this project we ended up painting the living room (grey with the one purple wall).  

I was looking for some decoration for the long blank wall and so I created this art piece using styrofoam & fabric.  Unfortunately, the piece looks small, because the wall is so long.  So, I am not sure what I am going to do with it.  I like to leave above the mantle open for different holiday decor.  

Up next: I am still looking for ideas on the long, BLANK, grey wall in the living room.  I am contemplating something like this: 

or again create my own art:

We'll also need new, brighter curtains because the new colors make the room darker. 

I am thinking about something like this in the entryway (although it is a pretty small space).  Mike? 

Fourteen Months

A little summary:

* constantly imitating sounds and actions

* stops crawling to do little head stands

* signing "more", "dog", "eat" and making progress on "up"

* scoots backwards across the floor on his belly 

* loves to talk, random chatter

* scrunches up his nose when he smiles

* mommy's first night away while he was on Peaks Island 8/21

* had his blood drawn for the first time (allergy testing) 8/24

* gets so frustrated with stickers (or bandaids) being stuck to him

* says "mmmm" and "hi"

* allergy testing was all negative so started more dairy 8/27

* visited Storyland and went on a few rides 8/30

* uses pillows, rocking chair to climb up onto things (couch, beds, etc)

* loves turning lights on and off
* reverted back to hating going down for naptime & bedtime

* turns himself around to get down off of the couch or bed

* practicing going down the stairs (backwards)

* will respond "wroof" to "what does the doggy say?"

Summer Update

Summer has been so busy - a quick update of our summer festivities!

End of June - 

I convinced some of my Portsmouth field hockey team mates to play in an all day tournament with me.  Unfortunately, it was 90 degrees outside and much more competitive than we expected (so we lost every single game).  But, everyone was great about it and we made the best of the experience.

July - 

Oslin family Fourth of July celebration.  We survived our first tenting experience with Braden.  He loved crawling around inside and all over the air mattress.  I did have to nurse him to sleep at night and for naps, but he slept through the night!  He did go in the water for a bit.  He didn't want to swim around (a little too cold) but he enjoyed cuddling and actually ended up falling asleep while on a float with dad.

Braden turned ONE! We enjoyed celebrating Braden's first year with friends and family.  We had a The Very Hungry Caterpillar themed party - more details to come in a separate post.  We also celebrated many of Braden's friends birthdays as well!

Friday the 13th/swimming play date with our mom & baby friends.

We attempted to go biking, but Braden did not like the helmet.

We visited the Portland Children's museum with Amanda B, Amanda W, Owen & Liam.

Dubay family reunion.  We enjoyed a nice week in Bridgeton Maine with the whole Dubay clan.  We enjoyed great food, company and entertainment.  We spent some time in the lake, the pool and played lots of games.  On Thursday the 26th everyone was together for a big breakfast.  Then we took many family photos.  There was some down time for individual games and then we we enjoyed a nice slideshow and some Dubay family trivia.  There was never a lack for delicious food - as we enjoyed some delicious appetizers and a BBQ lunch.  Hopefully less time will pass before the next reunion is planned!

We visited the Maine Wildlife Park with Heather, Jaden & McKinli.

August -
We enjoyed a few beach dates.  Some with our mom & baby friends and others just B and I.  

Megan came home to Maine for a visit!

We spent some time on Peaks Island.

We visited the Deering Oaks splash park.  The water was a little cold, but Braden seemed to be fine after a while.  

We visited Storyland with Mimi, Auntie Ashlea & Eva.

We ended the summer celebrating some fun events with family and friends.  Eva's 2nd birthday party and the 4th annual Oslin Labor Day BBQ!!

Potato Sack Races!

September - 

Although I am not looking forward to the cooler weather (still hoping to get a few more beach days in) I am excited about a few Fall festivities.