5 Things I Never Leave Home Without

1. my day planner (a.k.a. my brain - just about everything I need to know is in there)

2. cell phone

3. Miche bag

4. a good book

5. my journal

Thankful Thursday

Today is my first meeting with my college advisor...I'm nervous, but I'm so excited too! I'm so grateful for the chance to return to college.

I dropped out of college after two years to marry my husband, and a few months later, I found out I was expecting my oldest. I've never regretted quitting - I was a straight A student on a full academic scholarship, taking 18 hours a semester, and I was so completely burned out. To add it, I really didn't know what I wanted to study or what career I wanted to pursue. I needed a break, but I always knew I wanted to go back. For years, I held onto the dream, but the time was never right...until now. So today I start a new chapter in my life, and it's one that I'm really excited about. College, here I come!

Another menu plan Monday

This is going to be a crazy week...work, training at work, church events, and my 1st meeting with my college advisor...this week the menu's all about quick and easy food!

Monday's Lunch: chicken ricotta bowls (new recipe), Dinner: piergoies with kielbasa

Tuesday's Lunch: tuna sandwiches, Dinner: baked chicken

Wednesday's Lunch: lasagna, Dinner: chicken and sausage sandwiches

Thursday's Lunch: tuna sandwiches, Dinner: pot pies with rice

Friday's Lunch: leftovers - lasagna, Dinner: leftovers - chicken and sausage sandwiches

Saturday's Lunch: taco soup, Dinner: baked chicken

Sunday's Lunch: Meal @ church, Dinner: leftovers - taco soup

Just a note...tomorrow is my first Tasty Tuesday - I'll be posting my taco soup recipe from this week's menu. It's really quick and easy, and my family loves it!

Mom on the Move

I've decided I need a new outlet, a new way to relieve stress, which I always seem to have plenty of! I work at a gym, so I already work out, but I need some variety in my routine. I've always been a wannabe runner...I've thought about it, dabbled in it, tried for a while and was doing really well, then fizzled. So I've decided to go for it again. I love the website Cool Running, and they have an awesome Couch Potato to 5K plan. It was the plan I did well with before, so I'm going back to it. Tomorrow is my offical start day (unless it rains). Hopefully blogging about it will keep me accountable! Any other runners out there...I'd love to hear tips!

Favorite Ways to Relax

1. getting lost in good book

2. horseback riding, grooming, or almost anything at the barn

3. a long hot bath

4. a good workout

5. journaling

Thankful Thursday

For my first Thankful Thursday, I have to start with what I am most grateful for, and that's my relationship with Christ. My faith shapes everything I do, and it's absoultely at the top of my gratitude list! I' grateful that I was raised in a Christian home, and that I had great role models to follow and to help guide me through rocky times, especially my teens. Without Christ, I am nothing, but through Him, I can do anything. I am so grateful for His love!

And it begins...

I am so excited about going back to college in January! I'm surprised by the fact that the stress has already started, though!

It's been almost 10 years since I quit college after my sophmore year to get married and start a family. It's a decision I've never regretted, but I always knew I wanted to go back and finish school. The time never seemed to be right...until this past summer when I brought up the idea, and my husband said, "Go for it!"

My first appointment with my advisor is next Thursday, when I'll register for classes and find out how much of my previous 67 hours will transfer to my new college in another state. I'm nervous but so excited! I feel like I'm starting a new chapter of my life...turning 30, going back to school...life is going to get even crazier when January rolls around!

Tasty Tuesday

One of the things I really want to do on my blog is share recipes and talk about cooking. I'll be posting recipes on Tuesdays...maybe not every Tuesday, but at least a couple of times a month. I'm putting together a family cookbook with all of our favorite recipes - for everything from special events to everyday meals - and I look forward to starting to share those with you!

I can't be the only mom...

- Who is fighting gray hair and acne at the same time.
- Who sometimes locks herself in the bathroom with a good book just to get a few minutes of peace.
- Who has days when I don't like myself as a mom or as a person in general.
- Who things bulldozing my kids bedrooms and starting over would be easier than cleaning them up.
- Who sometimes feels so overwhelmed by my house and my to-do list ath I want to pull the covers over my head and hide from it all.
- Who has found parenting is so much more awesome than I ever thought it would be!

My First Menu Plan Monday

Monday's Lunch: cheesy potato soup, Monday's Dinner: chicken and chorizo sandwiches

Tuesday's Lunch: Cuban chicken wraps, Tuesday's Dinner: slow cooker pot roast

Wednesday's Lunch: beef empandas, Wednesday's Dinner: leftovers (chicken and chorizo sandwiches)

Thursday's Lunch: stuffed chicken breast, Thurdsday's Dinner: hamburgers

Friday's Lunch: sandwiches, Friday's Dinner: spaghetti

Saturday's Lunch: hamburgers, Saturday's Dinner: salisbury streak

Sunday's Lunch: leftovers (spaghetti), Sunday's Dinner: sandwichs

Snacks and other goodies: cream cheese brownies, roasted red pepper hummus