Monday, August 31, 2015

Meal Plan Monday 8/31/15

Can you believe tomorrow is already September!?  Crazy!  Anyway, the highlight of this past weekend was celebrating my dad's birthday with a skybox at the ICubs baseball game!  The whole family was there.  We had hot dogs and hamburgers, chips and dip, and even cookies and cake!  It was Rowen's first baseball game and she had a blast!






And for lack of a better transitional sentence...here's what's on our menu for this week!

{click for links}

Monday: {Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato, and Mozzarella}


Tuesday: {Crockpot Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches}


Wednesday: {Loaded BBQ Pork Potato Casserole}


Thursday: {10 Minute Mac N Cheese Pizza} - Rowen is gonna LOVE this!


Friday:  Not cooking

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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Toy Storage

A little over a year ago I posted my playroom reveal {click here to see it}.  For the most part, the playroom still looks the same except it's 10x more cluttered!


Now that we have Wyatt and he is six months out from crawling, I am really going to have to start going through everything to ensure that all of the small stuff is out of his reach.  

I’ve been scouring Pinterest like crazy trying to find ways to do this, and I think I’ve found some really great ideas I hope to use.  Check it out...

Small puzzles pieces, game pieces, and princess pieces are currently scattered everywhere in the playroom.  I LOVE the idea of using a combination of simple mesh bags and pencil cases to hold small items that can either be hung on the wall or stored in cubes! 



They are perfect - easy enough for a three year old to open and close, yet complicated enough for baby!

Along with puzzles and games, Rowen also enjoys art!  She loves her crayons, markers, Playdoh, etc, and I love the idea of keeping them in containers, up high and out of reach from both kids!  I like knowing that Rowen will have to ask to use these supplies (toddlers and markers can be a scary thought), and at the same time I won’t have to worry about Wyatt getting into something he shouldn’t! 



I love this entire set-up and plan to re-create it in our playroom! (IKEA trip!).



Easy and for the most part inexpensive!  I hope to have some updated playroom pictures in the coming months, so stay tuned!

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Let's Talk Mommy

Monday, August 24, 2015

Meal Plan Monday 8/24/15

Happy Monday!  The main highlight of our weekend was our annual trip to the Iowa State Fair {click for last year's post}.  I actually went twice this weekend, once on Saturday to work the booth for my employer and then back again on Sunday for a family day (minus Wyatt who is still a bit too high maintenance - thanks mom and dad).  We've all been sick the past couple of weeks so it was great to get outside and enjoy the fresh air!  We ate, played, and ate some more...








So much fun - can't wait to go again next year!

Now, I'll get right down to it...here are the meals we planned for this week!  I'm excited to try them...

{click for links}

Monday:  {Easy Chicken Fajitas}


Tuesday: {Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Meatball Sandwiches}


Wednesday: {Southwest Skillet Ragu}


Thursday: {20 Minute Easy BLT Pasta Salad}  *making this heartier on the salad side so that it's more meal-like!*


Friday: Not cooking

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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Back to School: Easy Breakfast Recipes

The first day of school is right around the corner!  This year Rowen starts preschool four days a week, which for us means a whole new morning routine.  Normally she’d eat breakfast with her friends at daycare, but now she’ll be eating breakfast at home.  I can almost guarantee this will cause mornings to be more hectic than before.  So, to help, I’ve been browsing Pinterest for easy, kid-friendly breakfast recipes to help get Rowen out of bed and start the morning off on the right foot! Here’s what I found and plan to try in the coming weeks...

Prep Ahead –





{No Bake Chewy Granola Bars} - 

                                   
5-10 Minute Prep -









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Home of Melones

Let's Talk Mommy

Monday, August 17, 2015

Meal Plan Monday 8/17/15

Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of fun to report from this past weekend.  Three out of the four of us have been sick for the last week.  Wyatt has a double ear infection and was tested for Whooping Cough (don't have the results yet, but praying the test comes back negative), Ryan has a sinus infection, and I have a nasty sore throat.  Rowen is the only healthy one in the house!  Let me tell you, nothing tests your patients more than a cranky infant and a toddler with a ton of energy when you're sick.   *sigh*  Luckily, I think we're all (finally) on the mend.  Just hoping to get some sleep this week! 

Annnnyway.  I did manage to meal plan.  Here's what's on the calendar for this week...

*{click brackets for links to recipes}

Monday:  {One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles}



Tuesday: {Raspberry Balsamic Meatballs (with rice)}


Wednesday:  {Enchilada Pasta}


Thursday: {Easy Baked Honey Mustard Chicken}


Friday:  Not Cooking.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Newborn Diaper Bag

Ah, the diaper bag.  It’s pretty much a necessity for any mom with young kids, especially a newborn!
About a year or so ago I did a post on our toddler’s diaper bag {click here to see it}.  Well, now that Rowen is three, we don’t really carry a diaper bag for her anymore.  Instead, we just carry one for Wyatt!  So I thought I’d give you a peek at my diaper bag, as well as talk about some of my favorite baby products I keep inside! 

*{brackets are clickable links}


OK, so I cannot even tell you how many times I get stopped by random strangers when out in public with this bag.  Most of the people that comment on it are other moms, but I’ve even had some teenage girls tell me “omg, your diaper bag is so cute”.  HA!  Needless to say, I LOVE this bag. 

We initially bought it because my husband refused to carry anything that looked like a purse.  We saw this bag when we were registering (back before Rowen was born).  He liked the pattern and knew that if anyone saw him with it in public; it instantly meant “hey, I’ve got a kid, not a man purse”, HA! 

The bag was a bit on the expensive side, but it’s totally worth it as it has seven pockets, is extra roomy and comes with a changing pad, three accessory pouches (perfect for holding extra cash, keys, cell phone, even dirty clothes) a pacifier pouch and a cooler – all of which we use!

Now on to the goods inside…
*{brackets below represent clickable links}

Diapering:

{Diapers} – We use Pampers for the first 4-5 months then switch to Target brand.  I’ve heard a good rule of thumb is to pack one diaper for every hour you are out and about!

{Huggies Clutch 'n Clean Wipes} - I am in love with Huggies wipes and their refillable Clutch case!  It’s so cute and VERY handy!

{Wet Ones} – I use these to wipe of my own hands and to wipe down the changing mat after using it!

{Desitin} – We use it at every changing

{Munchkin Pacifier Wipes} – Not really a diaper item, but for when that pesky pacifier falls to the ground (which is constantly).

Feeding: 

{Dr. Brown’s Bottles} – Love these, they are great for gassy/reflux babies

{Tommee Tippee Feeding Bibs} – Awesome!  Keeps clothes clean and keeps milk from getting under baby’s chin!

{Munchkin Formula Dispenser} – I use these anytime I know that I will need formula on the go!  Love that each compartment in the container holds up to three feeds worth for us right now!

Comfort Items:

{Summer SwaddleMe}:  Wyatt sleeps in these every night and they tend to soothe him when he’s really cranky.  He loves them.

{Avent Pacifiers}:  Also another comfort item for Wyatt.  I don’t plan on giving him one past 6 months, but for now we’ll keep it!

Spare Blanket:  Perfect for chilly days, stroller rides or as a cover while baby is in the car seat!

{Extra Clothes}:  You never know when you need these!  I particularly like this cute onesie, which is currently in the bag!

I know the contents of this bag will keep changing as he grows, but for now this is what is working for us! 

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Let's Talk Mommy

Monday, August 10, 2015

Meal Plan Monday 8/10/15

Hi!  First I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented on Rowen's big girl room (click here to see it)  So glad you like it as much as we do!

Now, on with the weekend.  Each year, the State of Iowa designates a weekend (usually before school starts) where people can shop sales tax free on clothes and shoes!  I took full advantage and decided to brave the crowds to find Rowen some new clothes for preschool!  I took inventory of all the stuff she currently has and decided she needed more pants (now in 3T size) and some warmer fall/winter shirts!

Friday night I took both kids (bad idea) and headed to Kohls.  I needed Rowen to go with me to try on a few pairs of pants to make sure they fit.  I knew right away she would be reluctant to try anything on, so to get her to cooperate, I bribed her with a bag of skittles.  Gotta do what you gotta do, right? HA!  It totally worked!

I ended up getting her a bunch of pants along with a few shirts and dresses for an awesome price...look at that total savings! Eeek, makes me happy just looking at it!



Then, Saturday, I headed out with a friend to do some more shopping.  The girl needed shoes and a few more warm items.  I hit up Carters/OshKosh and went a bit crazy!


This little girl should be set for school!


Along with clothes shopping, we also did some grocery shopping for meals, too!  This past weekend my local grocery store was having an awesome Fuel Saver sale, and we ended up saving .95 cents per gallon of gas because of it!  Yah! (previous fuel saver post).

Here's the menu for this week...

Monday:  Loaded Sweet Potato Skins


Tuesday:  Open Face Turkey Sandwich Melts


Wednesday: Cajun Chicken and Rice


Thursday: BLT Grilled Cheese Sandwich (I plan on adding avocado to this!)


Friday:  Not cooking

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