I obviously love food - love to eat it, go out to dinner, snack, etc. I've always had my regular menu of meals to make and would occasionally try new things or change it up. But now that I am staying at home, I have a lot more time to cook and it is great!
Nana and Papa came out to visit back in October and I wanted to try some new recipes out for them. My mom had been getting me a subscription to Taste of Home for years and I would look through them, but then either toss them or set them aside. This is where I got my ideas from for Nana and Papa's visit and it is what I have been cooking from ever since.
It's become a ritual: sit down with the magazines (usually the most recent one), my weekly meal planner, coupons and grocery list pad. Within in just a few minutes, the weeks dinner menu is planned. The meals have been so good. There have only been a few things that we did not like at all and a few that were good, but won't make again. Then there are many that we have already made more than once.
It hasn't just been dinners either. There have been some amazing deserts and snacks. All of the recipes are available online and I highly recommend them. They are relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive.
When Maddy had her first speech evaluation, I found myself searching through baby books, medical files, and even pictures trying to remember when she met her milestones so I could answer all of the questions on the mounds of paperwork I had to complete. Then when she had an evaluation with Gilbert Public Schools, it was the same thing but at least I had the majority of the information on the speech evaluation paperwork. It was at that time I decided I needed to have a binder for her that had all of these evaluations along with sections for her IEP (individualized education plan), school information, health information, emergency contacts, Matt's work address (I never remember that), and anything else I could think of. I knew putting in a little up front time would save me so much in the end and that it would be a valuable tool to take to all IEP meetings, doctor appointments, parent teacher conferences, and anything Maddy. Naturally, I did one for Peyton, too although his doesn't have quite the amount of information, but it is all relevant. I also carry their immunization cards in these binders but not their social security information or birth certificate. I would highly recommend creating one for each child or something similar. It is a great tool to have and it is nice to have everything in one place.
