Week in Review

It’s the end of my second week of back to work.  I feel like I’ve gotten into a rhythm with daycare and going back to work.  I have a better idea of what I need to do in the morning, but I should wake up the girls a little bit earlier.  I’ve been enjoying some lazy morning time in the morning, but cutting it a little close arriving to my work.  I feel like I am transitioning out of the need to survive and into a place where I can plan for success.  Make a plan or plan to fail time.

• The meal plan has been going well.  This week I will be having Ravioli, Weiner Beaner Loaf (sandwich), Beef Stroganoff, and Italian Dunkers (Are recipe names capitalized? Do they need to be underlined or in quotes?  It looked odd if I didn’t capitalize it, but I wasn’t sure what grammar requires).  I’ve made all but one of the meals I’ve planned for the last two weeks.  I may make it this weekend or I may use the chicken for something else.  I am going to start a list of recipes to add to next month’s plan.

• I met with a personal trainer for a free consultation.  I enjoyed it.  He gave me some exercises to work on my stability and muscles that are out of balance from running or having kids.  He’s also going to send me a heart rate training program and gave me pointers on my running form.  I ran 2.75 miles at the Y on Thursday which is more than I have been doing lately. It wasn’t in a row, but hopefully I can keep it up.  I’m hoping this combined with my Corn Maze 5K will motivate me to get into a more consistent exercise routine and to push myself harder.

• The house has slipped so hopefully I can get back under control this weekend and get back into doing some of those cleaning tasks done so it’s not a sprint to get it done on the weekend.

• We are taking a road trip to one of my husband’s inline skate marathons next weekend.  They are fun to watch; he goes about 20 mph.  I am getting to know some of the skaters so its more fun to gab with them and cheer on the ones that I know.   So packing is on the to-do list for next week

Now to plan out my weekend and next week so I can make progress on all my goals and still have time to hang out with my girls, husband, and relax.  So hopefully I can find a balance and not neglect one area of my life or burn out.  Have a great day!

Survival/meal plan

Well I am half way through with my first week. Man I’m tired. I didn’t get as much as I planned done, but I did squeeze in a run, clean a bathroom, washed a load of laundry, and tidy the main level. Not a lot, but more than lying on the couch after a long day.

I’m trying a new meal system. I was reading an organizational book and they suggested rotating a total of 20-28 meals. That way there is minimal planning and you have each meal 12-13 times a year. There are some meals I probably have more than that just because I’m lazy. He also suggested having a theme night for each day of the week—chicken, international, leftovers, meatless etc.

I’m doing a modified version of the plan. I printed out a monthly calendar and planned for just 1 month at a time. I don’t know that I have that many meals that I love enough to have monthly. So far the themes are Mexican/Italian, Sandwich (pizza, wrap, sandwich, etc), and Chicken/fish (we a lot of beef in our house). I have one more day a week that I just pick a recipe and put it on the chart. The rest of the days are open to grab whatever looks good at the store, eat frozen meals, or leftovers. So far I’ve planned the week, and cooked a few meals from my list. I’m hoping it makes me more purposeful with my meals and reduces the time I spend browsing cookbooks and making grocery lists. I’ll update you as I try the system more.