Menu Plan Monday

I'm so excited to get back with Menu Plan Monday! I actually had a plan a few weeks ago, and then with Curt getting his appendix out, I sort of stopped planning the few weeks he was off of work. This week I've made a real plan and did real grocery shopping yesterday - so here is what I've come up with...

Sunday - Ravioli Lasagna - this recipe makes 2 so I was able to freeze one to have in the future.

Monday - Steaks on the grill, twice baked potatoes, veggie

Tuesday - Chicken and bowtie pasta (already made and in the freezer)

Wednesday - Roast, Emerald Rice

Thursday - Turkey Spinach cheeseburgers - makes 8 burgers so I will freeze a bunch for the future

Friday - Pasta with Alfredo sauce

Head over to Orgjunkie.com for more MPM ideas!

Busy, busy day

What a busy day we had today. This morning after Bodie got up we had breakfast (I was domestic and made homemade pancakes while Bodie slept in). Then we went off to the hospital to see Curt. I was afraid Bodie would be board, but there were just enough chairs and doors to play with to keep him occupied. After our visit we went to swimming lessons. I had though just about skipping them this week but I'm so glad I didn't. Bodie did awesome!! He didn't cry and hardly whined. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself. The only time he got a little upset was when we were practicing floating, because he wanted to be jumping in instead. After swimming we stopped to see Grandma, who graciously took us out to lunch (although I am pretty sick of take out food now). We came home and both Bodie and mommy took naps. I tried staying awake to make sure Bodie went to sleep but I was exhausted and could still hear him babbling as I drifted off. I do know that his nap was no longer than an hour and a half but that's okay, we were able to get a little longer visit in with Curt this afternoon than I thought we would. After our visit we stopped to pick up what hopefully is our last take out meal for awhile, came home where Bodie ate his pasta like he hadn't eaten in days. At least I feel better about him eating that than the french fry only lunch he had today. He then took a bath, had a snack and is in bed for the night. I might try to catch up on one of my old DVR'd Ugly Betty's and then go to sleep myself.

Curt is doing well today. He is off his IV and they did tell him if he was adamant about leaving today they would let him. He wasn't comfortable with that yet since the furthest he has walked is to the bathroom and he said he wouldn't feel comfortable going up and down the stairs at our house. We are hoping for an early release in the morning, and a quick stop by my parents for what was supposed to be an early Easter/Curt birthday lunch. Curt did get upped to regular foods at lunch today so if we get out in time he should be able to enjoy a little of the corned beef and cabbage my mom had planned to make for him tomorrow. If not he'll get to enjoy it later in leftover style.

Crappy wife Part II

So not only was Curt really sick, but he had an appendicitis. He had surgery this afternoon to get the little bugger removed. They were able to do it laparoscopicly which should speed his recovery time. If he is doing really well tomorrow (drinking, no fever, moving well - physically and his, um, insides) he'll get to come home tomorrow night. If not tomorrow than Sunday for sure. He had 2 co-workers come up and visit him all ready. They pointed out it was really convenient for all this to happen now since March Madness is right around the corner. Curt reminded them he already had vacation planned for next Thursday and Friday - part of his annual Tourney routine. Also he won't get to do anything fun for St Patty's Day or his birthday next weekend. He'll be off work the next 7-10 days recovering. I'm not quite sure how to balance the whole being a mom while your husband is in the hospital thing. I guess for now Curt and I have agreed that Bodie and I will come up for a visit in the morning and then go on to our swimming lessons, home for lunch and nap, and then back to the hospital for another visit. I feel bad leaving Curt alone so much but I'm sure he'll want to get plenty of rest. If he decides he really wants me there more I can always have my parents watch Bodie again (they were able to pick him up and keep him this evening until I left Curt for the night).

I'm officially a crappy wife

So after my last post about Curt having a little tummy ache, he called to tell me he still wasn't well and I should come up with a plan B for dinner, since he wouldn't be eating. He then told me he was only at work for an hour and a half today and went to the doctor this afternoon, where he nearly passed out! They gave him some Prilosec, did some lab work, and scheduled him for an ultrasound in the morning. Then the doctor's office called our house twice this evening to check on him, give him lab results (some elevated blood counts) and to tell him if he has severe localized pain he should go to the ER immediately. He was able to eat some crackers before heading to bed tonight and thinks he's feeling a bit better, which is good. It could just be a virus, but also could be something related to his gall bladder or appendix (although they said if it was the appendix he probably wouldn't have been able to eat anything today). I guess we will just have to see what kind of results he can get back tomorrow.

Dada Baby

Over the weekend we were talking about the baby, which evolved into us telling Bodie he was the baby. Well Bodie promptly said "Dada baby". Curt kept trying to get him to say "Mama baby" but more often it was "Dada baby". Well we now know that little boy speaks the truth! Curt was so crabby this morning because he wasn't feeling well. Not that he should act like he is in a good mood but why are guys such babies when they are sick? After he was so snippy with me I figured the best way to deal with it is just not to talk to him, it really is easier that way. Hopefully he will be feeling better tonight.

Stick a fork in me...

I know I've written in the past about Bodie's eating habits - loves fruit, pretty good with veggies, hates meat. Well last week we discovered the missing magic tool to help him eat...the fork! One night we were eating pork chops, broccoli, and a Parmesan PastaRoni side dish. I figured he'd eat the broccoli and nothing else. Since we were having a pasta dish I gave him silverware (usually I don't bother because he just uses it to toss his food around or put dents and scratches in our table - but if it is something strange textured I feel bad not offering him silverware). His toddler spoon was dirty so I gave him the matching fork. It was like a powerful new toy! He gobbled down his broccoli with the fork. It was kind of funny to watch because if he couldn't stab the broccoli to pick it up, he would pick up the broccoli and stick it on the fork. After the broccoli was gone, he asked for more (he ate all that I cooked) so I put a bite of pasta on the fork. Now I should say that he loves spaghetti with red sauce, but I've never seen him eat any pasta with a white sauce. The magical fork must have done the trick. He ate all the pasta I gave him, and then I ended up giving him half of what I had on my plate because he had eaten it so well. The fork couldn't bring any magic to the pork chop though. When I put that on the fork he gave me the big head shake.

The next night we ate Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta which I didn't think Bodie would touch with a 10 foot pole. That magical fork worked again though, and he ate about half of what we gave him. He still wants nothing to do with meat, but hopefully this is the beginning of him becoming a little less picky.

One note about the Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta...It was pretty tasty and I'm sure we'll make it again. It did taste like it was missing a little something though. Next time I'll experiment by adding some onion and possibly seasoning the chicken while it is cooking.

What a weekend!

On Friday Curt decided to stay home from work since he hadn't been feeling well all week. He went in to see the doctor and they suspect he has strep throat (even thought the test was negative). So he started on antibiotics and seems to be feeling much better. I've been still battling a cough all week, and I wonder if it is related to the dry air. I really have it when I wake up but seem to get better as the day goes on. I'm going to buy a humidifier to keep in our bedroom and see if it helps us out.

On Saturday Bodie and I went to his very first swimming lesson. On the positive side I will say he didn't cry the entire time. He started to cry when I took of his shirt in the locker room, although once I took my clothes off he must have decided it was ok, and he relaxed a little. When we got into the water he was fine, until I tried to hold him out in front of me a little. Then he broke down. One of the observers (I'm guessing it was someone sort of in charge that worked there) got him out some toys. I showed him how to splash in the pool (since that is so much fun for him in the tub) and those things got him calmed a little. He didn't want to practice front float or back float or do the hokey pokey. He did seem to enjoy "jumping" in (and wanted to practice this at home yesterday - even when no one was there to catch him). Hopefully after a few more lessons he will get used to it and we're hoping Curt will come to the last lesson and snap some pictures for us (he decided he wanted to enjoy "quiet time" while we go to lessons).

By the time we got home it was already 60 degrees out, so we played outside until lunch. After lunch Bodie took an awesome 2 1/2 hour nap during which I was very productive. I felt some inspiration from reading Kaci's post on freezer cooking. I haven't posted a Meal Plan Monday in several weeks because, frankly, I've been a little embarrassed about how we've been eating - quick, packaged, convenient foods. I've blamed a lot of this on my pregnancy - too tired to get up early to prepare dinner for that night, blah blah blah. I knew I wanted to get some meals ready before the baby comes, but why not start now. So during Bodie's nap I managed to go to the grocery store and make 2 different freezer recipes (each recipe made 2 meals). I took a risk and tried new recipes we haven't had before - Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta and Beef Enchiladas (which I can't find the recipe for online - if it turns out good I'll post it in the future). My hope is to make 2 recipes each weekend - main dishes or side dishes - and get a good stock of things built up.

After I finished my marathon cooking, my mom came over and we took the dogs on a walk. Bodie and Curt played basketball and in the sandbox outside. After all that activity I was wiped. I'd been on my feet literally all day and my body let me know I needed to rest. After dinner I lounged around, and Curt and I watched 3:10 to Yuma after Bodie went to bed. Yesterday I still felt pretty low energy. I took a nap in the afternoon while Bodie napped and accomplished nothing all day. I did manage to get up with my alarm at 5:30 this morning and tidied up the living room. I meant to be up, dressed, and ready to go before Bodie this morning but that didn't happen. He has been trading sleeping in for longer naps lately, and I'm not sure which I like better. If I kept accomplishing things during his nap, and could manage to get myself up and going in the morning, I'm sure I'll like this new arrangement better.