Ever have trouble trying to choose what to make for dinner? Maybe you know what you want to make tonight, but the rest of the week seems daunting. One of my favorite things is making weekly menus. I love deciding what my family is going to eat the week. Making a menu helps us save money and time throughout the week. We do not spend extra money eating out or buying things at the store on the weeks I make a menu. For the rest of October I am going to make menus every week, so we can save money from eating out.
Each week I will add a new menu on Thursday’s for the entire month of October. You can use the whole menu or pick and choose meals in order that suits your schedule.
Fall is my family’s favorite time of the year. The weather is finally nice after the hot, muggy summer. Everything is pretty and colorful outside. There are so many activities to enjoy. Whether you like being outdoors or indoors or both, I’m sure there is something on this list that you will enjoy.
Below are ten of my family’s favorite things to do in the Fall. We do these activities each year. These activities can be done with small children, adults and big kids.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch This is probably my family’s favorite activity in the fall. We love going to a pumpkin patch that has a lot of activities for people of all ages.
Have a Pumpkin Carving Contest With small kids have them draw the design and you carve it. If your older kids are responsible you can have them help in the carving process. Either way this is a fun activity for everyone.
Apple Picking Spending a day at an apple orchard is an exciting day. Afterwards make your favorite apple treat as a family.
Take a Hike Fall is the best time to take a hike. All the beautiful colors make sightseeing wonderful.
Campfire with S’mores Enjoy a night outside, under the stars. Take advantage of the cooler weather with a campfire.
Harvest Festival Many towns have Fall Festivals to enjoy. Take a day with the family and go enjoy yourselves.
Fall Crafts Run to your local Hobby Lobby or search Pinterest for easy DIY Fall crafts. Bonus if you can use these for decor around your house afterwards.
Family Dinner Make a family feast that’s just for Fall. Pick your family’s favorite soup, make some cornbread and add in your family’s favorite dessert.
Movie Night Take your family feast and eat it in the living room while you watch a movie.
Decorate Your Yard Pick out fun decorations as a family and then decorate your yard. Let your kids have a say in where things are placed. Your yard doesn’t have to be Pinterest-worthy to make long lasting memories with your kid.
Ever need something that can help make your to-do list seem doable? This simple “Get Organized” planner page helps me organize my day and makes my never ending to-do list seem simpler.
First, I use the right side to write everything that I can think of that I need to do for the day. Then, on the left column I organize my list into things I must get done, things I want to get done, and things that will be okay if they do not get finished today.
Below is the free downloadable “Get Organized” page. It will definitely make your day so much better!
Below are the lists for Mom, Dad, and Baby. These are basic lists of all the items you NEED. There still may be items that you want to take along with you to the hospital. As an over-packer myself, I urge you to take all the things that will make you feel comfortable during this time.
To Pack for Yourself
Comfy Outfits/Outfit to Wear Home: For my comfy outfits, I chose lounge outfits from Amazon. These are comfy, and not super expensive. Which is great if anything were to happen to them.
Nursing Bras: I love American Eagle sports bras instead of nursing bras. They are easy to just move down if you are planning on nursing, and supportive enough if you are not.
Slip on Shoes: I took Adidas slides to wear. You’re not going to need shoes for much, and I’ll wear these around the house during the summer.
Snacks: You will be starving afterbirth, and you never know exactly how long you are going to be in the hospital. Make sure to take 2-3 of your favorite types of snacks. One of mine right now is the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Granola you can get from Walmart.
Toiletries: I am normally a shampoo/conditioner snob. However, you may not even use these depending on your length in the hospital. I always just go to the travel section in Walmart/Target and get all of the essentials. I do fully recommend taking dry shampoo. It will be a lifesaver.
For Baby
Coming Home Outfit/Extra Blanket: I have always had a coming home outfit for my children. This is not a necessary item, but something I like to have. I normally order something from Etsy with their names on it. This time I did something a little different. I ordered a sleeper from Caden Lane along with a name blanket. I can’t wait to see the pictures we take in this outfit.
Extra Outfits: I always like to bring a couple of extra outfits/sleepers. This is absolutely not necessary, but with my first child we were in the hospital for a few days. I liked having something else to dress him in besides the hospital basics.
Car Seat: The most important thing to bring, of coarse! I am a fan of the Grace Click Connect. However, I have been eyeing the Doona.
For Dad
My husband is extremely simple. I packed him one extra outfit, shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in, underwear (of coarse), and socks and slides he wears around the house. The only other things I made sure he had were a pillow and blanket. This is probably the first time I remembered to pack those two things. He has normally taken whatever the hospital has given him.
This is the basics of everything I have packed to take to the hospital for our third baby. Again, this is a very basic list to help you get started. Add to it whatever you feel you may need! I hope it helps!
I LOVE snow days! I believe there is something magical about being able to stay home with your kids all day. There are so many things to enjoy from playing in the snow, bundling up and watching movies, drinking hot chocolate, all the snacks, and cooking with your kids. Being a teacher, I am glad I get to enjoy these days with my kids.
The Big But…
However, this snow day I can’t help but feel a little guilty. I am currently 26 weeks pregnant and exhausted. Also, I have been sick with some random virus for the past week and a half. While I enjoyed all of these things for the first four hours today, but then I was exhausted. So, I sent my kids to their rooms for “quiet time.” I have a two year old who still takes a nap everyday, so on days we aren’t doing anything exciting, I try to keep to his schedule.
Now, I’m sitting here a few hours later, feeling like I missed some extra fun times with my boys today. I keep feeling like we could have done more. I know we did a lot, and they enjoyed their day, but I just don’t have anymore energy in me to do all the extra things with them, or even pick up the mess we have made throughout the day. I keep seeing people’s posts on Facebook and Instagram, and I think to myself, “we should be doing that.” While I believe social media is great at times, it also adds to my mom guilt at times.
Thriving and Surviving
With this being a pandemic year, teaching and being pregnant with my third child “thriving and surviving” has been my motto since August. I have done the very best I can do at all times. However, between morning sickness, exhaustion, regular sickness, and just crazy times. Sometimes, I have not been happy with what my best was at that moment.
I think we as a society need to remember that it’s okay that we can’t give the same 100% others can at times. That as long as we can give our 100% at that time we should be satisfied.
So, here I am, cuddled up with my two-year old, while my oldest is playing outside with his dad. Sitting in a messy house, watching Paw Patrol, reminding myself that my 100% was good enough today.
This recipe is a family favorite. My husband and both of my kids love it. If you are looking for a healthy recipe, you may want to move on. However, if you are looking for a recipe that is simple and everyone loves, you have came to the right place.
Adaptable to Your Taste
This recipe can be easily adapted to make it however you want. If you dislike certain thing you can take them out. There are plenty of extras you can add as well. I will talk about those later in the recipe.
Begin browning your hamburger meat in a large skillet.
While this begins cooking, chop your onion and pepper in small pieces.
Once your hamburger meat is halfway cooked, add in the onion, pepper, and taco seasoning to finish cooking with the meat.
While you meat mixture is finishing cooking, chop you Velveeta block into 1 inch cubes. Place these is a large pot and cover with your two Rotel cans. Cook this on medium-low heat. Make sure to stir occasionally so the cheese doesn’t stick.
When your hamburger meat is completely browned, drain the grease from the meat.
Make sure to stir the Rotel until all of the cheese in melted.
When both the hamburger meat and Rotel are cooked, mixed them together in the Rotel pot.
Next, add the chips in a bowl, and add the Velveeta mixture on top.
My family LOVES French Toast. It is one of our favorite things to eat on a weekend morning. Over the years, I have changed my French Toast recipe a lot to make a recipe that everyone will like and eat. When we go on vacations with our extended family this is always a request for me to make. I am excited to share this recipe with you, and I hope you enjoy it, too!
Prep
This recipe is a simple recipe, and does not take much time to put together and cook. The first thing you need to do is put your ingredients together. You will have two bowls that you will be dipping your bread in. A wet ingredient bowl, and a dry ingredient bowl. I like to use the flat, wide bowls, because it makes it easy to dip my bread into. Regular bowls will work as well.
In the first bowl, I mix three eggs and a tablespoon of milk. I normally do whole milk, but you could use heavy cream, almond milk, or any other type of milk you prefer. I whisk the eggs and milk together. When finished, I set this bowl aside.
Next, I use my second bowl to mix my dry ingredients. I take 1 cup of white sugar and 2 Tbsp. of cinnamon and mix these two ingredients together. Set this bowl aside.
This last thing I do is cut my brioche bread. I have found this Vanilla Brioche loaf of bread at Aldi’s that is a favorite in my family. I slice the loaf in 1 inch sections. Then, I set the sliced bread aside.
Cooking
Now that all of my ingredients are mixed together. I like to heat my pan. Before the actual cooking, I like to let my pan on the stove heat up for a few minutes. I heat it on medium heat. You can also use a griddle. I normally set it to about 350 degrees and let it heat a few minutes as well.
Once heated, I make the French Toast. I first take one slice of bread, and dip it into the egg mixture. I make sure to get both sides covered. Then, I take the bread and dip both sides in the sugar mixture quickly. Next, I place the bread on one side in the pan/griddle let it cook for about 3 minutes, then flip. Assess your bread, make sure your bread is as done as you like. If so, finish cooking the other side and sit on a plate. If not, flip again until both sides are done to your liking.
Do this for all slices of the loaf.
When finished you can top with syrup, whipped cream, fruit and/or powdered sugar. My favorite is syrup and powdered sugar.
To see the full recipe, check below.
The BEST French Toast
Serving Size:
2 pieces
Time:
~30 min.
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients
Brioche Vanilla Bread (Plain Brioche Bread, if not an option)
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Set bowl to the side.
In a separate bowl, mix together the white sugar and cinnamon. Set bowl to the side.
If not already sliced, slice your bread in one-inch sections. Set to the side when finished.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Let is set for a couple of minutes so the pain is heated evenly. If using a griddle, heat the griddle at 350 degrees. Let the griddle heat for a couple of minutes so it is heated evenly.
Take once slice of bread, dip both sides in the egg mixture. Then dip both sides in the sugar mixture. When finished, set the slice of bread on the pan/griddle.
Let that side cook to your liking, then flip. Remove from pan once both sides are cooked the way you like.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 with all slices of the bread.
