The end of last month and the end of this one feel feel light year’s different, in many ways. At the end of March, I was still thrown off by all that didn’t go as planned – our Florida vacation canceled, my potluck party canceled, lots of things on hold.
My April goals, though, were set with a much more realistic picture of what was ahead. Just knowing that gave me a huge burst of energy – one I rode most of the month. Interestingly, it actually looks like I didn’t get much accomplished, but almost everything was moved forward in at least a small way. And in between, not shown on this list, we had SO many sweet, sun-filled, slow moments together. I’m looking forward to the same in May.
On my calendar this month: — Mother’s Day! I think we’re going to make bookmarks for the grandmothers and great-grandmother this year. If you’re looking for ideas, we’ve made this artwork in the past (celery!). — Picking strawberries! Our local field has done a fantastic job of keeping everything super-safe and we are loving having a bucket of fresh berries in the refrigerator at all times.
What I’m loving right now: — This shirt from Target is very, very cute and in my opinion looks WAY more expensive than it is. The woven fabric is so nice, too! Most definitely order a size down from your usual – it is billowy and beautiful, but looks cute tucked in :) See a peek here! — I mentioned these gingham placemats in passing in another post, but they’re so sturdy and so cute (great colors), and they wipe off really easily. The perfect foundation for meals and coloring sessions! We have the green but I also love the blue. — Have you tried out Peloton Family yet? June really enjoys the 5-minute classes, and now she walks around the house curling her biceps and saying, “I am strong! I am confident! I’m going to make it a really great day!” ha! Also it is embarrassing how sore I can be after doing this with her – clearly I need to incorporate more strength training with my cardio. The app is free for 90 days right now! — I have poached so many recipes from my sister-in-law, including most recently these sheet pan pancakes. As the one usually standing and flipping while everyone else is eating, this is a revelation!
What I read in April: As a library and physical book devotee, I am really struggling right now! I did breeze through my fiction pick for April, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, after borrowing it from my neighbor, and it was really good. Hard to read at times, of course, but definitely a page-turner. Otherwise, I have mostly been catching up on my magazine subscriptions!
Revisiting my April goals: Finish printing out Pinterest recipes and rearrange boards(Done! Feels so good!) Clean out our garage (This is the one item we made no progress on! Just couldn’t find a time without another priority where John and I could both devote some energy to it.) Make spring recipe cheat sheet (With finishing my recipe binder, I actually decided this cheat sheet wasn’t needed, so I scratched it off.) Design and print our first family photo album! (While I didn’t finish this, I did take the next steps forward! It was held up when I realized I still had about 75 loose photos that need to be digitized before I can finish the layout.) Finish reading Matthew with John and begin Mark (Still ticking away) Connect with each of my 8 focal friends in a meaningful way (Got 4/8!) Roast s’mores in our backyard Make an Easter egg tree with June for our dining room table
May goals: — Clean out the garage — Digitize loose photos from 2005-2009 — Design and print our first family photo album — Finish reading Matthew with John and begin Mark — Complete gifts for Mother’s Day (for grandmothers and great-grandmothers) with June + Shep — Send watercolor hugs (My friend Kristy is making these and they are SO BEAUTIFUL! Such a win-win to support a small business and send love to dear ones. I bought the big bundle!) — Go camping in our backyard — Complete friend dossiers — Experiment with a custom Publix shopping list — Make a list of all our non-recipe meals for binder
Friends, I would love to hear: what are you doing for Mother’s Day this year? My sisters and I are going in on Lake Pajamas for my Mom as well as the aforementioned bookmarks. Wish I could hug her, though!
My 2020 goal of streamlining meal planning is ticking along nicely. It’s satisfying to feel like I’m making real progress on something when so much feels out of my control – AND it’s something that’s making my daily life better right now! Progress has taken all different forms, but today I wanted to share one simple hack that’s been so helpful for us with meal planning.
June school photos!!!
Emphasis on simple. We hung a magnetic dry erase board on the side of our fridge and use it to track inventory of our freezer stash. Now, I can easily see what we have on hand without rifling through our cold storage. This is helpful for both deciding on our meals for the week – what’s in the freezer that we can base a meal on? – and for assembling a grocery list – what do we already have that we don’t need to buy?
You could certainly do this with a pad of paper, but the dry erase board is a neat solution. To note: we don’t include EVERYTHING in our freezer on the list – mostly just ingredients that are relevant for meal planning. For example, you won’t see frozen cookie dough on the list above, but rest assured we are always well-stocked :)
That’s it! A simple meal-planning hack that’s helped us plan more efficiently and waste less food.
I’d love to hear: what meal-planning hacks do you swear by? Also, a question: with my recipe binder pretty much complete, I’m curious if a video flip-through would be of interest? I could give you some commentary on my favorite recipes? I’m not really much of a video person, but thought this could be fun. Let me know what you think!
P.S. If our dry erase board is sold out, this one looks very similar! Ours is fine but nothing particularly special, so don’t worry about going with a different one :)
Well, clearly my March did not go as planned. (You, too?) This is reflected in my goal progress last month, but instead of being frustrated, I’m feeling grateful for all that we did experience in this memorable and unusual month, especially when so many are suffering in so many ways.
In April, I’m choosing hope – simple moments of joy with my family, at our home, out in the sunshine. I’m wishing the same for you.
On my calendar this month: — Holy Week and Easter. This is certainly going to look different than usual, but I’m looking forward to making it special. — While our Florida vacation has been postponed, we’re still taking two of those vacation days as a family. Looking forward to getting outside and enjoying each other and the sunshine! — A virtual baby shower for a friend. My first one! :)
What I’m loving right now: — We planted our backyard vegetable garden and have been checking on growth every day! My favorite thing to plant is Super Sweet 100, a cherry tomato that has always been prolific for us. — We brought this sweet potato burrito recipe out of the vault last week and it’s delicious! A great meal option when meat is hard to find. — The Threshold by Shea McGee collection looks beautiful! It launches tomorrow – I particularly like this, this, and this!
What I read in March: — Southern Lady Code: This was my fiction pick for March, and sadly it did not live up to the hype. Not only did I not howl with laughter, I merely chuckled once or twice. Not my cup of tea. — How to Raise a Wild Child: I am loving how practical this book is! Such great ideas if you’re hoping to get outside more with your family and connect your kids to nature. — The Golden Hour: My Mom left this book at our house after her last visit, and since pickings are slim these days, I picked it up. It’s enjoyable and engrossing, switching between a woman in early-1900s Germany and one in mid-1940s Bahamas.
My reading list for 2020, if you’d like to follow along!Though my plans have been a little derailed with our library closing, I have a copy of The Tattooist of Auschwitz in hand and am excited to dig in this month!
Revisiting my March goals: Send invites for meal planning potluck (The e-invite has been designed, guest list inputted, and we’re sitting tight. The date we’d picked out is at the end of this month, but we’re not sure if that’s going to be possible.) Assemble friend dossiers and brainstorm ideas for get-togethers Book May camping trip (on hold for now) Finish craft table organization in the loft (More progress here, and still more to go!) Finish reading Matthew with John (We’re on chapter 16 of 28. There is so much packed in there!!) Finish planning our trip to Florida (postponed until next year)
April goals: — Finish printing out Pinterest recipes and rearrange boards — Clean out our garage — Make spring recipe cheat sheet — Design and print our first family photo album! — Finish reading Matthew with John and begin Mark — Connect with each of my 8 focal friends in a meaningful way — Roast s’mores in our backyard — Make an Easter egg tree with June for our dining room table
Friends, I’d love to hear what you have planned for this stay-at-home month ahead. Hoping you are all staying safe and well!
Friends, a big thank you to all who have taken my 2020 survey so far – more than 100 of you! If you haven’t yet, you can do so right here.
Thank you, also, for the birthday wishes! It was a sweet and low-key weekend with my people. John and I had a two-dessert dinner at Mothers and Sons on Friday, and yesterday we took a sunny stroller/scooter/walk through one of our favorite Raleigh neighborhoods, something that has become an early-spring tradition. I’m not the biggest “birthday person,” but boy am I glad to have been given another year to live, learn, and love with my sweet family. That is worthy of celebration!
Something to note: I recently organized all of the “things I’m loving” items more neatly on one page, so you can easily find that article/book/recipe I mentioned a few months back. You can always find a button leading you there in the sidebar, too. I hope it’s helpful!
On my calendar this month: — A local high school’s performance of Cinderella – June and I are going to go together :) — My favorite kids consignment sale — The Bachelor finale. This has not been a very good season, but I’m looking forward to watching the final installment with good friends (and chocolate chip cookies).
What I’m loving right now: — Do you have a CAVA near you? It’s a Mediterranean fast-casual chain that’s spreading rapidly in the South, and it’s very delicious. (Mezeh is a very similar concept – we went to the one in Reston, VA, while visiting family!) — Of course, I can’t mention quick Mediterranean without mentioning local hero Neomonde – we love taking a picnic from the Raleigh location to the next-door JC Raulston Arboretum! — Continuing with the food theme: this one-pot sun-dried tomato orzo recipe is SO good and really easy to make on a weeknight.
What I read in February: — Late Migrations: This was a Christmas gift from my Mom, which was so very thoughtful! It has all the hallmarks of a book I would love and some really beautiful writing, but the through-line of death turned me away a bit. — The Sound of Gravel: A fascinating memoir in the vein of Educated. Raw and heartbreaking and uplifting.
My reading list for 2020, if you’d like to follow along!I’m still number 94 on the library hold list for Just Mercy, one of my February picks, but I’ll happily read it when it comes in!
Revisiting my February goals: Clean out favorite recipes Pinterest board and print all winners Outfit sand/gravel table and get it ready for play Assemble friend dossiers and brainstorm ideas for get-togethers Organize the craft table in the loft (Progress made!) Brainstorm a family mission statement on our date night Decide on 2020 camping dates/locations (Progress made!) Go on our monthly forest school/family hike Decide on MS race and register Paint downstairs desk(Done! I chose navy!) Plan major details (date, location, guest list) for meal planning potluck (Progress made!) Decide on my quarterly date with June(Can’t wait!)
March goals: — Send invites for meal planning potluck — Assemble friend dossiers and brainstorm ideas for get-togethers — Book May camping trip — Finish craft table organization in the loft — Finish reading Matthew with John — Finish planning our trip to Florida
As a reminder, many of the goals above are drawn from my 2020 goals!
Keeping things fairly simple this month since it’s a busy one at work! I would love to hear: are you working on any goals in March? What’s something you’re working toward that has you really excited? Share below, if you’d like!
