My little secret

Every Sunday I devote myself to meal planning for the family. It's a serious endeavor, involving creating a menu, cleaning out the fridge, list making, and heading to the store.  It's hard work. 

Ummm....yeah.

This is what I had in my cart after about 45 minutes into my last Target visit. 




Yep. Alcohol, dog toys, and an US magazine.  

Hey, there are books to be browsed.

Shoes to try on

 and a dollar section to peruse.

And when that's all done, I'll fill my cart with all the fruits, veggies, milk, and protein that my family depends on.  

Do you grocery shop at Target? Do you *extend* your visits?

Spring is not my favorite season.  It's not the allergies. I just love the other seasons more. The freedom of Summer, the coziness of Winter (and Christmas!), and the fresh start of Fall, just overwhelm little 'ol Spring in my book.

There are some things I like about Spring, and in an effort to be positive (my bum foot is literally dragging me down) : ), here are some things I'm enjoying right now.  Some are Spring related, some not.

Giants baseball! This is a game we went to the day before surgery.  Husband has made a fan out of me! : )

Swim Team. This is our second year. You know how you feel so much more comfortable once you know the ropes? That's us this year. We also have more friends that have joined the club and/or team.  Swim team forces me to leave work early and sit outside in the sun and chat with other moms, all in the name of supporting sportiness.  

New wardrobe options - bring on the sandals and sleeveless!

Source: susanapereira.polyvore.com via Jen on Pinterest

My kinder students are at their all time best. This is where my hard work all year pays off and they are a group of empathetic, resourceful, and creative workers who can work independently and with stamina. It's a dream.

Revenge - nope, this one has nothing to do with Spring. But Ed and I are finally watching a season and a half worth of tivo'd episodes. It's goood. 

So there you have it. 5 things I'm enjoying right now, in my least favorite season: Spring.  What are you enjoying? What is your favorite season?

My ultra glam Spring Break

This week Miss P and I are on Spring Break.  Ed has his break a different week, so it is always a fun opportunity for Paige and I to do girly things.  I love themes, so one year our we had a 'friends and fitness,' week filled with different types of mom/daughter workouts (hikes, parent/child yoga) and playdates with our fave mom/kid duos. (We renamed our home 'Casa Fitness' for the occasion.) The next year was 'frugal fun.'  Ed was a fan of that week.

This week? Fun with Foot Surgery! : )  I've had a foot issue for awhile that an initial procedure in December did not clear up.  So I decided to take the plunge this week.  I had laser surgery on Tuesday and the humongo bandage on my left foot to prove it. 

Back to the 'fun' part.  Miss P and I had lots of fun on Monday prepping for our 'stay home in style' week. (I'm supposed to be off my feet and icing as much as possible.)  

We did a lot of browsing at Target and stocked up on all of our favorite foods, with easy meals in mind.

 

And we hit Barnes and Noble for the book and magazine above. There was actually quite a bit on the shelves that I was interested in (maybe for another post).  I love books like the one above.   

I also made sure Tivo was stocked with this:

 

Paige had her own list of must-haves, including Lego Friends, a Moshi Monster magazine and her fave Disney shows.  We've been lucky enough to have some visits from friends and the week has flown by; I've barely delved into my stash.  (Partly because I've been uncharacteristically disciplined and have gotten a bunch of work done too.)

Did you have a Spring Break? How did you spend it?  What would be your must-haves for a week home of convalescing? 

Welcome to the blog party!

I love a party as much as the next person, especially one that I don't have to clean up after. So with that, I'm joining the Ultimate Blog Party Hop!

My blog is Life is What You Make it.  My title is inspired by the positive outlook I try to have about life.  I'm someone who likes to see the best in others and I'm a big fan of dreams and goals.


I have taught Kindergarten for 12 years and each day brings groans,laughter and sometimes mini-miracles as I navigate my 30 five and six year olds through reading, writing, math and play.
 

Each evening I go home to my bf husband of 13 years, E, my terrific 8 year old daughter, 'Miss P,' and our sweet 4 year old Pug, 'Cooper.'

After a  full day of teaching 30 little ones ('look at the first letter and make the sound,' 'sit down,' 'it's turn and talk, not turn and touch,') I love to indulge with HGTV, Real Housewives, books, chocolate, magazines, and of course, blogs. I also try to relieve stress by being goofy, laughing with my family, and occasionally running.

I'm hoping to meet some new blog friends!  Thanks for stopping by.
   

more peas

One relaxing morning in July of 2011, I was puttering around on my computer when I happened upon this blog.  I was charmed by the author's humor and sweet family.  I was also intrigued that her first cookbook was coming out that very day.  As soon as Barnes & Noble opened, I headed off to the bookstore to get my own copy.

A few months later I attended a FoodBuzz, foodblogger event, where Sarah Matheny herself was speaking at a roundtable.  Hey, some people are dying to catch their favorite baseball player up close, others would love to meet their most coveted clothing designer, I wanted to see my fav blogger!

Now, a year and a half later, cookbook #2 is out. I have it, and the personal stories are just as relatable and hilarious.  The recipes look even better.

I'm not a vegetarian, but there are plenty of pages I'm ready to stick a post-it note to.  Check it out!

It's been a sporty weekend! 

 

While I sometimes envy big families, wish Paige had a sibling, wonder about having a son, or miss the sweetness of a baby, having an 8 year old daughter is pretty FABULOUS.

8 year olds are ready to keep up with you, and, best of all, still want to!  Early Saturday morning the two of us met with friends for hiking.  We had three moms and six kids in our gang. The kids were running ahead, crossing creeks and scaling hills off to the side of the trail.  After our adventure, P and I stopped for lunch, and then went to my classroom to tackle my to-do list. P mostly played, but she did help some.  That night all of us (Ed included) went to see The Croods.  

Today was church.  Paige's wish each week is for me to get all my errands done while she is at Sunday School so we can have more time together, but that never works.  This evening though we got another workout in -- a run on another favorite trail.  We really pushed it.  Paige has grown so much as a runner.  Not only can she keep up with me, she is faster.  Either says a lot about her, or not much about me. : ) 

It's fun having a mini partner-in-crime! 

Happy Friday

I'm sitting here in my CLEAN house, courtesy of a service I talked Ed into....(Still trying to talk him into making this a regular thing.) Feet up and a glass of ice water.  (Now if it were a diet coke, we'd really have a party!)  Upstairs are the sounds of P and her playdate acting out dramas with their dolls.  Peace for about a half an hour.

Today in my dual role as mom/teacher I managed a late alarm, a student throwing his shoe over the fence, and an earthquake drill. After school, I surveyed all the work I had to do, and ended up grabbing Miss P and her friend for a play date.  We headed home and encountered the house cleaners who had come late. Yikes. I cannot believe that in a short while I have to head BACK to school for PTA movie night. All in the name of Miss P.   I must love that girl!

BTW - This is my 600th post!