Recipe for Meal Planning

In our home, I'm responsible for all the grocery shopping every week. Dan will help cook but I usually do all the meal selection and planning. We've been married over 5 years and I've tried and failed to do proper meal planning about 200 times. After Kip was born this process got even worse. I'd always wait until the last minute to try to think of the meals we would have that week and then write a shopping list. 3/4 weeks in a month I'd end up at the store with no plan and no list and it was a disaster. I would be annoyed but Dan never complained. Mandy started telling me that I made chicken pot pie too much or that she was tired of feeding Kip the same meals week after week. She was right.

So this fall I decided to try a different and terrifying approach to meal planning. Monthly. Gulp.

I could hardly think of 5 meals at a time how in the world could I think of 20+? But I needed SOMETHING to get it into gear.  I bought a dry-erase magnetic blank calendar on Amazon and put it on our fridge in September. I didn't think it would work and I kept silent about it because I was pretty sure it would fail, like all other attempts.

But, it's the end of January and I've stayed consistent for 5 months!! We've diversified our meals, never repeating anything during the month, and even been motivated to try new recipes as well. We have a rhythm and a flow and it's finally working!! I just look at the calendar on Sunday morning and write my grocery list quick because I already know what's on the menu. I can look ahead and pick-up other stuff if I know I won't be at a certain store (Trader Joe's) later that month. I can take a picture of the full month and look back for ideas later. It's working really well and I'm happy and actually excited to erase and create a new menu every month.

Here are my tips.
1) Have a pizza night. Or some dedicated night a week where you have a frozen meal you throw in the oven. We do pizza on Friday nights and alternate weeks of frozen or order-out. We change-up the place and the frozen type so it doesn't get boring. Dan and I will usually do our date nights on Friday as well so it's easy to just leave a frozen pizza for Mandy and Kip on those nights.

2) Cook a larger/more complicated meal on the night of the week when you have the most time. I cook something bigger on Sunday so we are guaranteed leftovers on Monday. That cuts out a whole night to come-up with a new meal. I usually do something with chicken on Sunday as well since Dan does not cook poultry (or rather I refuse to teach Dan how to cook poultry). It is also usually something that requires more prep and cooking + baking.

3) Get a Mandy. Mandy watches Kip on Wednesday and she makes us dinner!! She plans her own meals so I don't have to worry about planning something that night. She just tells me what she plans to make and I write that on the calendar. Wednesday is my favorite. She is a great cook.

4) Simple dishes. Like I said, I make one complicated meal a week. This is because Dan is in charge of dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays since those are his days home with Kip. He is great a following a recipe and we have some standard dishes that he makes but they are not complicated or time consuming. One night is usually something with ground beef (tacos, chili, hamburger helper) and the other is something like breakfast (waffles, quiche, German pancake). And he also does a lot of frozen meals from Trader Joes (fish fillets, pot stickers, meatballs). He is even getting adventurous and finding his own recipes to make. This month he made a cauliflower hash which was actually very yummy. Every other Tuesday we also host a small group. I have about 4-5 standard meals we make for these occasions and Dan can either prepare the whole meal or do all the prep for me to finish when I get home.

5) Keep fresh/frozen vegetables on hand or fresh fruit to use for standard sides. I don't plan out all our sides. If a meal needs something extra we cut-up an apple or steam some peas.

6) Get a big visual where you can see your meals every time you go to the kitchen. I like visuals and it helps that I can use fun colorful markers to write-out the menu. Seeing the monthly menu really reduces a ton of unknown stress for me. Worrying about what to cook is no longer a task. It's just one day a month of flipping through my recipes and picking what to make. Not 5 times a week, not even 5 times a month. Just once. Something that seemed like it would be more overwhelming is actually the opposite.

7) Give yourself a cheat day. On Saturdays we usually eat out or we do super simple "choice night" dinners where you fen for yourself. It's usually grilled cheese/tomato soup or blue box mac & cheese and it's usually not planned.

If I can do it, you can too!! Start with February, it's short month anyways. And may meal planning never stress you out again.

Weekending it

Sorry for my lack of posts last week. I know a lot of family look forward to the blog. Some weeks I just don't have time. Last week I was working on a deadline for another writing project and we were in the middle of Kip's big boy bed transition and by Wednesday night it felt like we had returned to the newborn days. I was having to lay in the bed with him for like 3 hours at 2 am while he rolled around and refused to sleep. It was feeling really awful but we didn't want to bail and have to start over.

Mandy came over Thursday night to lay down the law and had a whole plan to execute. But he slept that night and I'm not stating anything definitive at this moment, but things are going better.

This weekend we had blocked to do the 3-day potty training method but given the bed transition was not going well we decided to postpone. So we had a wide-open weekend.

On Friday night, Dan and I saw To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway. My uncle got us tickets for Christmas and this was the first play both of us have seen on Broadway. It was really excellent. Ed Harris played Atticus Finch but we were both really impressed by the three actors that played the kids, Scout, Jem, and Dill. All three roles were played by adults and I thought that would be weird and hard to get around but they really carried the show so well and the viewer completely lost sight of the fact that they were not children.

On Saturday it rained all day. Torrential downpour. After Kip's nap, we all headed over to Staten Island Mall to get Shake Shack for lunch. Kip did so well at the restaurant and at the mall.

We let him pick a little toy at the Lego store for sleeping through the night and as an added motivator. We all got soaked trying to get back to the car and stopped by Target to get a new baby monitor for a better view of Kip's full bed and then headed back to Brooklyn.

Kippy has so much fun with Auntie Mandy. She lets him wrestle her and do headstands.

On Sunday we skipped church since we had planned on missing anyways for potty training. Sometimes I feel guilty for missing but there was a time in our lives when missing a Sunday was literally impossible because of the amount of commitments we had. To be honest, it was a great Sunday. Keeping to Kip's routine really does make a huge difference. So although we wish it wasn't that way, we can appreciate this point in our lives when we are not wedded to showing up every week. Service does not equal salvation and God does not take attendance.

The weather was dry on Sunday so Dan and I took Kip to the park. We got all our chores done before Kip was in bed and that made for a really nice relaxing evening.

Weekending it

Recapping the weekend, even though it's nearly mid-week already.

This past Friday Dan and I went to see our first Broadway show for the year. I asked Dan for tickets to see Jagged Little Pill for Christmas and Mandy graciously babysat for us so we could go.

Now, I am typically highly skeptical of what is called a "Jukebox musical." This is a musical based on existing music by an artist or group. There are two varieties of Jukebox musicals. One, creates a fictional story that is woven together through the existing music (familiar examples Mama Mia with the music of ABBA or American Idiot with the music of Green Day). The other variety uses the music to tell the true story of the artist or group (Jersey Boys - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Ain't Too Proud - The Temptations, Beautiful - Carol King, On Your Feet - Gloria Estefan).

For me, the first variety, taking music and trying to create a cohesive story out of it is very risky. It often feels forced because the music stands alone, each song it's own story. So making something up to pull it together can get clunky. The first show I ever saw on Broadway was the jukebox musical, Movin Out using Billy Joel songs. In my opinion, it didn't work. To be fair, this was an odd show in general. The music was sung by a band while the performance was just a series of dances wherein the actors didn't actually sing. It was like watching a ballet performed to Joel's greatest hits.

Jagged Little Pill is a jukebox musical based on Alanis Morissette's album by the same title along with some of her later hits. Initially, when I heard about this becoming a musical I didn't like the idea of it. But, I was intrigued so I listened to the soundtrack and I LOVED it. I didn't know what story would weave it all together but the music on the album flowed and I thought it was worth a shot. Basically, this show converted me. I might give other jukebox musicals a shot after this one. The plot packed in a TON of current event issues but the acting was stellar and the dialogue was hilarious and the story actually made sense. Dan and I both really enjoyed it.

On Saturday, Kip and I had some old friends over for a play date while Dan took himself winter boot shopping. I didn't get any photos of the play date because it was three kids three years old and younger and both moms are pregnant. It was chaotic and one kid got their hair wound-up in a battery operated race car. Eeek! But I enjoyed being able to catch-up with my old friend and Kip loved having some playmates.

Sunday we had church and I was in the tiny tots class and Dan was doing youth. Sundays are hard and I feel like I always say that but there are just so many things that go into making the whole day an "event" that feels exhausting. I hate saying that because church should be uplifting and soul-feeding but I always leave feeling drained. It basically boils down to the fact that Kip does not get a normal nap on Sundays and all parties that intersect his universe when he hasn't napped feel the negative effects. It's never been pretty but now that Kip is a raging two-year old, it's a whole lot more dramatic and ear piercing.

But, we keep going. We keep trying. We keep trusting that some day this phase will end and it will be a positive experience for all of us.

Now, to end on a positive note, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl and Dan is really happy and that makes me happy. 

2019 Broadway Review

It's my annual Broadway Review post!

2018 Broadway Review
2017 Broadway Review 
2016 Broadway Review
 
In 2019, I saw six shows (Dan saw four). All of them were new-to-us and several are no longer playing.

Now for the ranking!

# 1 Overall Favorite show: Kinky Boots (no longer on Broadway)

This show had been on Broadway for six years and was closing in 2019 so we made a point to get tickets to see it in January. Mandy, Dan, and I all went and we all loved it. It was a really heartwarming and uplifting show about acceptance and being yourself. After the show I promptly got obsessed with the soundtrack. 

Favorite songs: Not My Father's Son and Charlie's Soliloquy

#2 Tootsie (no longer on Broadway)

This show was unexpectedly hilarious. Dan and I went this past fall for a date night and were pleasantly surprised. It closed this month after a short run which is disappointing because it was fantastic and the soundtrack is outstanding. It reminded me of some of the older more classic show-tune type productions with quick dialogue and fast-paced lyrics. Wish it was staying longer because I know my dad would have laughed the entire show.

Favorite songs: There Was John and Jeff Sums It Up [explicit warning]

#3 Ain't Too Proud

This show is based on the story and music of the Temptations. Similar to Jersey Boys, this musical weaves the story of the group with their actual music. It opened in March and won the Tony Award for best choreography. The show is wildly popular because of its familiar music and it was thoroughly entertaining. The only downside to a show like this is that people in the audience sing along basically the entire time. But, I appreciated how into the music everyone was getting even if I didn't rock out in my seat.

The soundtrack is absolutely packed with all the Temptation favorites and worth a listen. 

#4 Be More Chill (no longer on Broadway)

Mandy and I saw this on our birthday weekend on a bit of a whim. When Dan and I were at Ain't Too Proud in July I noticed the show was closing a few weeks later and I had just finished reading a book written by the author who also wrote the book, Be More Chill. The Broadway show was adapted from the book. Tickets were cheap so we saw it the day before it closed. I actually really liked this show even though it was totally geared towards high school students and the theater reeked of adolescent body odor. It's about a kid who is a loser and he takes a pill that makes him cool. It's a lot about being authentic. The soundtrack is surprisingly catchy. This is the type of show you'll see high school productions in years to come, I'm sure.

Favorite songs: Sync Up, Upgrade, and The Pitiful Children

#5 Moulin Rouge

Mandy and I were SO excited for this show. Dan got us tickets for our birthday and we had a sister day in the city. Unfortunately, while the show was amazing and the costumes and production were total knockouts, we were disappointed. I talked more about this when I recapped our birthday weekend here but we had set ourselves up for something that resembled the movie that we loved so dearly and it missed the mark in our book. The show was pretty graphic and we felt like there was zero chemistry between the actors playing the love interests. However, everyone sitting around us was balling so clearly there is an audience. If you aren't tied to the movie and love a good spectacular, spectacular than definitely see this show.

#6 A Band's Visit (no longer on Broadway)

Okay, so I admit, I don't understand the Tony Awards. This show won 10 Tony's in 2018 and so Dan and I felt compelled to see it before it closed in April. It was good, no doubt, but if it won best musical - why didn't it stay on Broadway??? I guess I have a sort of Broadway style and it is directed more at lighthearted shows with catchy tunes and subtle universal truths. I'm not sure how to describe what I love but this show didn't fit that category. We enjoyed it and I'm glad we saw it but it was a fast bottom of our list for the year.

Special award: Dogfight (ran on Broadway for only two months in 2012)

As an added bonus for this year's review I'm adding a show that I did not see on Broadway and will likely never see. I discovered the soundtrack this year and literally obsessed over the entire thing for close to a month, and I feel like it's worth sharing. Dogfight was not popular at the time and closed after a very brief run (I don't know why) but the soundtrack is unbelievable and I think one of my top ten favorite Broadway soundtracks ever (next to Wicked and Dear Evan Hansen). I discovered the music because I follow a couple of Broadway fan accounts on Instagram and one of them played a clip of studio recording of one of the songs. I liked it so I looked it up and there is literally only one song on the entire track that I only sort of like. The rest I could listen to (and have) on repeat. The show stared Derek Klena and Lindsey Mendez who are two of my favorite Broadway actors (I've only seen Derek in Anastasia but Lindsey won a Tony for Carousel a couple of years ago). Their voices are amazing together and if you care to listen to show tunes at all, check this one out. It also stared Annaleigh Ashford who is my real life friend!

Favorite songs: First Date/Last Night, Pretty Funny, Before It's Over, Give Way, Some Kinda Time

Don't forget: See my Broadway, on the Cheap post for tips on how to afford Broadway (recently updated)

Day in the Life

Last year around this time I did a Day in the Life post and I really like looking back and remembering how our routine changes as Kip gets older. So last week I took pictures all day to capture another random Monday in January.

See 2019 here.

Lately Kip has been going through a little bit of sleep regression/developmental leap/ornery toddler phase. Take your pick. He was regularly waking up at 5 am and coming into our bed while we tried to get him to go back to sleep until 6 am. This particular morning we ended up letting him watch a show around 5:30 and I got up and showered earlier than usual since it was obvious no one was going back to sleep.

Most mornings, Kip drinks his milk and watches a show in our bed while Dan and I get ready for the day.

Since we got an early start, we had time to relax a bit and watch some of Kippy's favorite "train show" with him before breakfast.

I got Dan a Sudoku book the weekend before so he started trying one of those while Kip played trains and we ate breakfast. This particular day it was leftover biscuits with butter and Christmas jam that Terri Mom sent us. Yum!

We said goodbye to Dada and got busy with our new race car track in the bedroom.

I got Kip dressed for the day and he begged for another cup of milk. I asked him to pick up this basket of stuffies he dumped on the floor while I got him milk and when I came back he had actually picked them up! Listening is hit or miss with him and I was surprised it was a hit in this instance.
 

He played around and I tried to get some quick chores done like empty the dishwasher, clean-up breakfast, take some photos of some clothes to post for pick-up.

It was about nap time so I asked him to put his tracks away and he did! 2 for 2!

Nap time! He is usually so happy to nap and it is such a blessing. Today since he woke up so early he went down around 9:30 am.

While Kip napped I picked-up the living room, did some work emails and other computer stuff and then read and took a small rest since I was up early too.

Kip woke up around 11:30. Not so cheery.

We had a bit of lunch to perk up!

Feeding Mama a bite.

I had a slice of pickle on my plate and he wanted to try it and LOVED it. He proceeded to request two pickles of his own.

A little light lunch reading - gearing up for potty training.

After lunch it was straight to trains!

A random snuggle with the bathroom rug.

And then back to trains!

He requested a diaper change for his doll.

Then he examined the wheels on his doll stroller.

Grazing on another pickle.

Then it was time for Facetime call with Marmee. I chatted with my mom while Kip made a mess in his room.

Then we sent some selfies while Mandy was texting me.

We usually watch a show or movie in the afternoon especially when it is too cold to go outside. Today, Kip picked one of his current obsession "train shows" which is just video of trains in various parts of the country or model toy trains.

More trains...

And yet more trains. While he plays I try to get stuff done like emails and blog drafts and tidying tasks. I dust and vacuum the bedrooms every Monday so I did that in between Kip insisting I fix his train or get him another pickle.

Mini Popsicle break.

He played in his room while I got dinner ready around 5 pm.

Chicken Alfredo pasta from Trader Joes. He enjoyed it.

Pre-bath nakey vacuuming.

Bath time!

Jammies and rocking with Mama before bed. Kip is still going to bed at 6 pm but we are going to start pushing that a bit latter due to repeated incidences of refusals to go to sleep.

Like this night! Kip threw all his stuff out of the crib and then screamed for me to come into the room. I thought I saw him trying to climb out of the crib while I was watching him in the monitor and cleaning up his dinner at the same time. It was unnerving so I let him out to play for a bit while I finished getting dinner ready for Dan and I.

Being a little rascal.

When Dan got home he put Kip to bed and, naturally, Kip didn't resist Dan like he does me. What is it with kids and their moms?? Dan and I had leftovers while we watched the monitor to make sure he didn't try to climb out.

We worked on the Sudoku while finishing dinner.

Normally I go to dance class on Monday nights but I was having a lot of knee pain this day and I was exhausted, so I skipped out that night and Dan and I watched a show while I tried to catch-up on drafting some blog posts. We headed to bed around 9:30 pm.

It was a long but ordinary day and a relatively happy one with Kip. I do enjoy being able to have one day home with just him and me and it truly is a blessing even though during this phase I often feel like I'm trying to do a million other tasks while he is demanding my attention and acting out at the same time.

The constant needs of a newborn are dramatically different than those of a toddler. I remember when Kip was just a baby other moms would comment about how easy a newborn is and I was shocked because I thought it was the hardest thing ever...well, nearly 2.5 years later I'm starting to see what they were talking about.

Newborns don't run away from you and think it's funny or throw things at you while screaming with the lungs of a banshee.