Baby Pictures

Forgot to say a HUGE thank you to Jessica Hanaumi!  She's a photographer who takes incredible photos of new babies with their parents.  Miss Jessica spent some time with the moms of Stevens Hospital New Moms & Babies group and gave us all a few pointers on how to get perfect photos of our perfect children.

Check out Jessica's work: http://hanaumi.com/

Oh yeah, and there's an app for that: iPhone users search jhanaumi

Yes. I AM that nerdy.

This morning I got to do something that I haven't had the time for in 2 weeks.  Something that I look forward to.  Something that I enjoy.

I planned this week's dinner menu.

I will post each weeks menu in the sidebar.  Occasionally, I will post the recipes and pictures of the meals (and I'm more than happy to share any of the recipes if you ask).

There is something so satisfying in putting together meals for the week and compiling the grocery list.  Or maybe it's a tad obsessive-compulsive.  But hey, it works for us!  I always feel like a detective: what ingredients do I already have on hand to minimize what needs to be purchased?  What will make enough for lunches the next day? 

The trick to successful menu planning and grocery shopping?  Buy when it's on sale.  Shop in bulk, if you have the space.  And be realistic.  It's only a good deal if it will actually get eaten.  For instance, tonight's dinner is wild mushroom and beef stroganoff.  My husband will ALWAYS eat buttered egg noodles as a side dish, so we keep them on hand.  We both like sour cream, so it's usually in the house.   The only items I need to purchase for tonight's meal: mushrooms and beef.  Tomorrow night's dinner: veggie burgers.  This came about because we had chicken patty sandwiches last week, and I needed to find something to do with the remaining burger buns.  Pick up veggie patties, freeze four of the buns, and magic!  Dinner on Monday.

I usually plan 5 dinners for a seven day period.  Saturday nights, I'm on my own since Erik is working.  And leaving one night up to chance leaves us room for dinner with family, eat up leftovers, or fitting in a whimsical craving (not going to lie, it's usually hot dogs).

The most important part of weekly meal-planning?  WRITE IT DOWN.  I keep a calendar on the fridge that lists all our family events (doctors appointments, birthdays, etc.) and at the bottom of each day is a note of what is planned for dinner.  I color-code mine, but that's an advanced skill....for beginners, you can just jot it down.  Writing it down will help you write out your grocery list, will help keep you committed to your plan, and will also give you a record of what you've had before. 

Yes, I AM that nerdy.

I can't believe I've devoted this much time and energy into groceries.

And so it begins...

So I'm finally going to do it: a blog. Isn't that de riguer for a stay at home mom?

Hopefully, this will be much more than that. My goal is for this to become a resource...recipes, humor, shopping (that's grocery shopping, who has time or money for the other kind!) tips, and much more.

I want to celebrate being a stay at home mom...yes, celebrate. Even though the invites from friends don't come anymore, "dressed up" is any outfit that matches, and your sense of accomplishment comes from getting a load of laundry in AND emptying the dishwasher on the same day.

So to you, the stay at home mom (SAHM) may be a creature to be pitied...but we know the truth. That this stepping stone in life, this path we have chosen, is truly just training for our higher calling: ninja. We deftly soothe the cranky baby and start dinner. Silently make appointments and (usually) get there on time. Swiftly save tiny fingers from plunging into hot (okay, lukewarm) coffee and baby food jars. Coordinate healthy dinners that transform into lunches the next day. Stealthily throw away that embarassing t-shirt the husband tries to wear almost daily.

It's true. You can't deny it. We are ninjas. Stay at Home Ninjas.