Saturday, March 21, 2009

Menu Plan

I've never done this before, but I was a good girl and made my meal plan tonight. Here's what the Rileys will be eating this week:

Breakfasts:
typical breakfasty things. :)

My current favorite thing to eat for lunch is brown rice, black beans, and diced tomatoes w/ green chilis all mixed together with a little cheese on top. It's almost like Chipotle. Ok not really....
Devin just has leftovers. Addison...well let's just not go there. We are currently having a good vegetable week, so we'll just be thankful for that.

Dinners (I can't bring myself to designate a day for each meal. I hate being confined to something like that! What if I change my mind?! Here's my random list:

Pesto Shrimp Pasta w/ salad
Flavorful Crusted Pork Chops w/ roasted potatoes and green beans
Tacos, Pinto Beans and Mexican Rice
Red Beans and Rice, Cornbread and fruit
Italian Sausage Bow-ties and Salad
Spinach Artichoke Calzones and...something...

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On another note Devin and I have been having some major behavior issues (not the good kind) from Addison. I would really like to know what happened to my sweet, always wanting to please, non-sneaky, non-destructive child. I don't know who this new child is. Not only is she trying my patience (which I'm realizing doesn't consist of much to start with), she's making me realize that I am...:::sigh::: a yeller. I don't want to be a yeller. I really, really don't. I want to have a nice, soothing voice like Devin's dad. This is something God will have to help me with because I really stink at trying to fix myself. I need lots of help. The problem is I always try to fix myself before I ask for the help. I digress....

While we're on the subject of things that are scary:

My brother sent me a couple of those Twilight books a long time ago. I put off reading them because I don't like scary things. I thought it was going to be a scary vampire book, but he assured me it's not scary, so here we go. So far I'm at the part where Bella sees the "pale" kids in the cafeteria.

I have one more question before I go to bed:
Do you like to read the same book more than once? I do! One of my favorite books is Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner, and I read it at least once or twice a year.

8 comments:

Alisha said...

Dang girl... your menu sounds good. Can I come over to eat? :) I don't think I cooked for 2-3 months after emelyn was born. I sure hope Jake doesn't read this post and expect a menu this quickly if we have another one! On a side note, yes, I read books more than once. Weird, I know.

Michele said...

i don't think i've ever read a book more than once. i guess i don't see the point in that since you already know the ending. i RARELY ever watch a movie more than once either.

it's funny, because i was just having a conversation with eric about this subject today. i wanted to buy 'scratch beginnings' but couldn't bring myself to spend $20 for it when i can read it for free buy going to the library. the problem is that i hate reading used books. i'm really not a snob, it's just that i think about the germs that might be lingering on the pages. ick. i won't go into details, but i've seen quite a few page-lickers in my day and it grosses me out.

Edi said...

When Riley was 3 1/2 (I was literally at my wits end) I read "The Strong Willed Child" by Dobson. Completely changed my entire attitude and perspective on parenting. One of the biggest lessons I took away from the book is the power of praying for my child and asking God for help. A few nights a week for a month I went into his room and prayed simple prayers over him and within a month both he and I were different. People started commenting on his better behavior and just that he was a totally different kid. That was such a testimony to me and God power in actively being involved in 'helping' parent my son.
On a side note: Dobson's pendilum swings pretty far left when it comes corporal punishment. So prepare yourself for that if you decide to read the book. His perspective is biblical and I totally saw where he was coming from. But at the end of the day its a personal decision (we do spank on occasion as a last disciplinary measure). Anyway if you decide to read the book I hope it helps you as much as it helped me. :)

annaO said...

I read books over and over. I don't think I own a book that I haven't read at least 4 times. Justin thinks I'm crazy. The funny part is, he doesn't read books over and over, but he would rather buy them and I'd rather get them at the library!

Erica said...

Hey Marie. Hang in there with Addison, it's hard I know. I was having a rough time with the behavior issues a couple weeks ago. I am sure it's the beginning of many more tough weeks. Honestly I had to pray that I would love Calvin even when he was hitting me and throwing some nice tandrums. Several times I had to lock myself in the bathroom while Calvin was pounding on the dooor and pray that God with give me the strength to deal with it. Parenting is tough.

Oh and your menu looks awesome, do you mind giving me the recipe for the spinach and artichoke calzones, they sound yummy. Also I only have a few books that I can read over and over, they have to be really good or else I am completely bored.

Amanda said...

I read the title of your post and literally said to John "Marie is doing a menu plan??" Ha! :) I never stick to a certain night for certain meals either. I just plan meals for a week and then have them whenever I feel like it.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm having behavior issues with my children too. I'm sure having a new sibling is a big adjustment. Plus, they have to get used to not getting as much "mommy time" as they are used to. I agree, prayer is important. As I've told you before, I have to pray for patience every day but (if you aren't already) get Addison involved as much as you can. Have her pick out the baby's clothes for the day, help throw diapers away, etc. The key to this is to give her LOTS of praise while she is helping. It will maker her feel like she's really important and that you really appreciate her. Hope that works for you!

I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever!! Us both having newborns at the same time is putting a dent in our social time. :) Hang in there friend. It gets easier. I promise!

lgraves said...

hmmm, jaylee's been home from the hospital two days and benson is a new kid. he loves jaylee and is mostly nice to her, but he's testing the boundaries way more than he did before. hmmm, any thoughts?

Anonymous said...

hey lady, the menu plan looks great! i always feel better having them organized by day, and i'm going to take advantage of yours and amanda's bowtie and sausage pasta meal.

little earthquakes is a song by tori amos, so at first i thought maybe you were reading a book about tori amos! :) then i realized you weren't. :(

as for misbehaving babies, have you heard of the book 'raising godly tomatoes'? it has come highly recommended by many of my friends and has really worked to establish order by way of scripture and praise to God. i know you'll find what you need to help this situation through your prayers, and look forward to hearing how triumphant you have been!!

jenifriend