In which I am very transparent

Almost two months into life as a family of four, I do not have it all together. At all.

Having a second child has really thrown me for a loop with regards to my time management and housekeeping {some day, I'll look probably look back and chuckle at the fact that I thought TWO was a lot of work ;) }. There are some days when things stay relatively tidy and the day has a good flow but a lot of days I feel like I'm going-going-going all day long and don't have much to show for it at the end of the day: an unmade bed, a pile of laundry, toys all over the floor, dirty dishes in the kitchen...you get the picture.

I'm sure many of you have been where I am before, and you probably know how discouraging it can be! By the end of the day yesterday, I was sort of at my wit's end. Both kids were fussing, it was time to make dinner and the kitchen wasn't clean from earlier in the day (meaning I had to clean before I could even cook--ugh!). Over dinner, Ben and I talked about it. I told him how I really felt like I wasn't wasting much time during the day, but I didn't know how things could be so disorganized if I was spending my time wisely.

His advice was to spend several days keeping track of everything I do and figure out from there what needs to change. So, that's what I'm planning to do all week next week--look at exactly how I'm spending my time and figure out how I can improve.

I want to invite y'all to join me! Nothing official or anything, but if you feel like your time could be managed a little better, we might be able to encourage each other in this incredibly important area. Time is such a precious commodity--let's commit together to using it in the most God-glorifying way we can.

Menu Plan, February 14-20

Last week was busy and wonderful. We went to my Grandma's house in North Carolina Wednesday and got back Sunday morning just in time for church. My dad and his three sisters were there, as were my cousin and her little girl. It was wonderful to see everyone and introduce Benjamin to some more family! After some running around yesterday, we are getting back in the swing of things today.

Here's what's on our menu this week. What are y'all fixing?

Breakfasts:
Banana Pancakes
Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal with scrambled eggs (x3)
Biscuits and Gravy, scrambled eggs
Cheesy Potato Pie, Muffins (x2)

Lunches:
Smoothies, peanut butter toast (x3)
Southwest Dip with tortilla chips, fruit
Pinto beans with ham, cornbread
Soup (got some Muir Glen organic soup for $0.99/can this week!), homemade bread

Dinners:
Monday~Steak with Creamy Pepper Sauce, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes
Tuesday~Enchilada Rice, salad
Wednesday~dinner at the farm
Thursday~Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Casserole, salad
Friday~leftovers
Saturday~ham roll-ups with homemade cheese sauce, salad
Sunday~dinner at the farm

My Boy

Menu Plan, February 7-13

Benjamin is 6 weeks old this week! I have my last check-up with my midwife tomorrow until (Lord willing) I'm pregnant again! Amazing how fast time flies...this time last year, I wasn't pregnant and Katie hadn't even had her first birthday yet.

On Thursday, my dad will be flying up and we're going to pick him up and head to my Grandma's house in North Carolina for the rest of the week. Grandma's birthday is at the end of the month, so a bunch of our family is getting together to celebrate. I'm especially excited because Benjamin will get to meet his Great Grandma Katie for the first time! :)

Here's what's on our menu for this week.

Breakfasts:
smoothies
cheesy potato pie, yogurt (x2)
sausage and egg biscuits (x2--Thursday morning on the way to the airport, and Sunday before church)

Lunches:
clear out the fridge (today)
meatloaf sandwiches
grilled cheese, fruit

Dinners:
Monday~meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls (all leftover from Saturday night)
Tuesday~Italian Roast Beef over pasta, salad
Wednesday~biscuits and gravy, eggs, fried apples (wife fail! This was Ben's one dinner request last week and it was bumped to this week)
Thursday-Saturday~Grandma's house
Sunday~dinner at the farm

For hundreds of other menu plans, head over to OrgJunkie!

Two Groupon Deals

I know I said just the other day I don't post deals very often, but here are two we decided to take advantage of today! Groupon is offering a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card for just $10! It can be used in-store as well as on the Barnes and Noble website. Online, orders $25 and over get free shipping, so you can basically get $25 worth of books for $15! To make this deal even sweeter, you can access it through the Swagbucks home page and get 315 swagbucks for purchasing the Groupon. 315SB is almost enough for a $5 Amazon gift card, so this makes it an extra great deal!

Another Groupon  available today is a $25 voucher to Brighter Beginnings for $10. We decided to get this since Katie's birthday is coming up on the 26th. They have a lot of great Melissa & Doug toys. I'm excited to get such a great deal on high quality toys for her birthday! To get this deal, just select Erie, PA as your city when you go to the Groupon site.

Benjamin: One Month

Benjamin turned one month old this past Friday. I can't believe how fast the time is going by. It amazes me how much he's changed in the five weeks since we met him.

Playing on his blanket

He nurses every two and a half to three hours during the day, takes about three naps, and usually wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat. He's growing like a weed! His newborn size clothes are getting too small and he wears pretty much all 0-3 and 3 month clothes. He's also starting to show more personality, which is so much fun. He smiles and coos and is really a pretty laid back baby--though when he's hungry, he's hungry and when Katie's a little too in his face, he lets us know! ;) He's more attached to me than Katie was at this age--she always wanted Daddy!
 

Starting early! ;)

Katie loves Benjamin and is doing great at being a big sister (for the most part--I often have to remind her to be more gentle). She loves to read him books and talk to him and is also a great helper for mama. She loves to fetch things for Benjamin and throw diapers away (though there's not a whole lot of that happening now since we've switched to mostly cloth).
 

Katie beeping Benjamin's nose. Benjamin wondering what in the world she's doing. Ha!

Adjusting to two babies hasn't been a total walk in the park, but I feel like we're finally getting into a good routine and life is settling into the new normal. Both of them are such a blessing, and I certainly wouldn't trade this season of life for anything in the world!

My babies. {{heart}}