7 Things that Happened Last Week

1. Chloe turned 18 months old.

2. Mom and her boyfriend broke up. She's moving in for a little while.

3. Friday was a day off for my entire family.

4. Made a beef roast of some sort in the crock pot. Yummy.

5. Boyfriend took an awesome video of the girls dancing in the car.

6. I've felt pretty 'meh' about life.

7. We celebrated Easter on Friday morning since the girls would be with their other parents Sunday morning, and boyfriend worked early Saturday morning.

Tried and Loved Pinterest Recipes

I skipped Meal Plan Monday, so to make up for it, I'm sharing some of my favorite Pinterest recipes that I've personally tried and enjoyed.

Bread & Side Dishes

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

A little time consuming, but some of the best potatoes I've ever had. 

Pizza Biscuits

Pizza Cupcakes

Use lots and lots of cheese! 

Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Stew

I added in a bunch of potatoes, an extra 2 cups of broth to make up the difference. Left out vinegar, then later had to add at least 1 cup of water because it was getting too dry. It still ended up with almost no broth, but tasted great though!

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken

I left it in a little longer than it said, so it ended up a little dry, but still yummy. Will definitely be using this cooking method for chicken again! 

Meals

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Doritoes Casserole

Good, but not as good as leftovers so make sure you have someone to share it with!

Sloppy Joe Casserole
If you like Sloppy Joes but are getting a little sick of it, this is a great way to spice it up.

Bacon Cheeseburger Eggrolls
Added a bit of Worcestershire to give the beef more flavor, as well as onion powder and garlic powder. We had just these as a supper - a hit with both of us, but would be better with a side dish as well. It left me with a 'greasy belly' feeling.

Lasagna Cupcakes

These are pretty much amazing. You can throw in whatever you typically like in lasagna. Each time I make these, I have all the ingredients ready in the fridge and quickly throw together a few (three typically fill me enough) and make them fresh for a couple of days. They're so good that I don't care that I'm eating the same supper for three nights.

Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches
Time consuming, because I made my own meatballs. Much quicker if you use store bought. 

Muffin-Pan Meatloaf
Use any meatloaf recipe you want, really, but it cooks much faster in muffin tins.

Pizza Casserole
The pepperoni makes it so yummy. And the more cheese, the better.

Taco Stuffed Shells
Boyfriend and I both liked them. I had them the next day for leftovers and they tasted great, but by the end of it I was so sick of ground beef and salsa.

Dessert & Misc

Cheese sauce

I've never found a cheese sauce recipe that worked, but this one turned out almost perfect - I mis-read and did double the hot sauce.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

Read some of the comments for some helpful tips. I always add extra cocoa. It's such a chocolate cake, without being too rich and over powering. A huge favorite of mine.


What are some of your favorites that you'd like to share?

Random Stuff, and a Video of my Babies

Today is a better day than yesterday.

When I finish work today, it'll be the start of a 3-day weekend. A 4-day weekend for the kids, who have no daycare on Monday, but Mama still has to work. Luckily boyfriend has the day off so I'm not missing time this time around.

So I'm excited about a long weekend, and potentially taking the girls swimming tomorrow. 

I'm sure you've all heard that Google Reader is kicking the bucket in July or something. So instead, you can follow A Life Of Our Own on Blog Lovin'. I can't say 'Blog Lovin'' without thinking of Superbad and McLovin'. I don't know about you. But follow me there anyway. I switched my subscriptions over, but will still use Google Reader until it's death. It's all organized the way I like it. 

I don't know why, but my post about New Year's Eve has been one of my most viewed posts this week. Also, a search term that brought someone to my blog? "is redneck nessa sick?" That one made me giggle a little.

I don't post videos often, but since this one was uploaded to YouTube, it makes it easy to share. Chloe is now a huge fan of dancing in the car, and Gangnam Style seems to be her favorite song. She's just as into it every time.

* If you're bored with the toddler dancing and want to skip ahead, start at 0:50 *

If you're really observant, you might've noticed that by posting that video, I'm letting you in on a little secret. Not really a secret, because it isn't, but something I haven't revealed on this blog. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I might just reveal it in an upcoming post anyway.

Hope you have a holiday tomorrow too!

Life is Blah

Lately I've been feeling 'meh' a lot. 

'Meh' is such a descriptive word, isn't it? 

Now please don't tell me I'm pregnant, cause I'm not, and if I was you guys would be the first to know. And by first, I mean last. Sorry. 

Lately mornings have been hard. 

The last time I got a good night's sleep was during our weekend away. I've been so tired since then that it's hard to get up. Because I'm so tired, it makes me feel... not sick, but icky... every morning. And I have very little appetite and zero energy until close to lunch time. Some days it's even hard to force down my coffee, but I'm pretty sure that's the only reason I wake up at all. 

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm not a fan. 

I've also been feeling a little crappy... emotionally... lately. I never want to do much, and don't get excited about a whole lot. Except Chloe. That child is amazing, but that's another story. 

Or some sleep. Maybe that'll fix everything. 

I doubt it. 

Chloe is 18 months old

Every time I open up a blank post to write about Chloe, I feel like so much has changed since the last. I thought time was flying by before, but toddler time just goes by so much faster. She's learning new things faster than I can even keep track of them. So let's go through some stats first, shall we? 

Weight: A little over 20lbs. 

Height: About 30cm

Diapers: Still size 3. And size 4 overnight diapers. If I don't put you in overnight diapers, you're a mess in the morning.

Clothing: Still 12-18 month pants, mostly from Old Navy. You've outgrown all 6 month clothing, and almost all 6-12 month clothing. Some 12-18 month stuff is huge on you, and some fits well. For that reason, it's hard to know what sizes to buy, especially for summer. Right now you're in size 4 shoes. 

Feeding: You still love pasta and tomato sauce. And any vegetable I hide in there you'll eat except green or yellow beans. I need to really much those up or you'll find them and spit them out. You seem to really enjoy toast, oatmeal apple cinnamon baby cereal, yogurt, fresh blueberries, and regular old saltine crackers (minus the salt). You still don't eat great, but you eat more than before. You're on homogenized milk now, have been for a little while. You have a bottle for your nap, and at bedtime. Usually about 5oz for nap and 6oz for bedtime. You'll have more through the night if you wake up. I'm trying to get you to drink more water out of a sippy cup, but you're still not in love with that. 

Teeth: You have a ton of them. You recently popped out a bottom left tooth. I can't wait until teething is done for good. It's not a fun process for anyone. 

Sleep: You're usually in bed from 7:30-8pm until 7am. You sometimes sleep a little later on weekends, but through the week I have to wake you up at 7 about half the time. You wake up through the night a lot more often lately. Usually just once a night, sometimes more. Sometimes you just want to play in the middle of the night. That's hard on me, but you're so happy that it's not so bad. When you go back to bed, you usually sleep until morning. 

Personality: You are little miss personality. You absolutely love waving to people. You do it all the time, even when people aren't paying attention to you. Although you do grab peoples attention pretty quickly by doing it. You're really good at making strangers smile that way. You love to talk, whether its gibberish or actual words. 

Your words these days: hi, bye, mama, cracker, no, go, baba, baby, Pepe. You tried to say 'thank you' once or twice. It was adorable. 

Lately you love climbing up on the chairs, then getting on the kitchen table. I am not a fan. You like to play with dolls (babies) a lot, and especially love sitting in the doll play pen and pushing your baby around in her stroller. Once I even caught you trying to put your baby in your play kitchen's microwave. 

You're really smart. You know how to identify these body parts: nose, mouth, eyes, hair, fingers, ears, toes, belly button. When I tell you to go get something, you seem to always know what I'm talking about and bring it to me. You can put your own hat on most of the time. You try really hard to put your socks and shoes on, but can't yet. You can sometimes put your sunglasses on. You like to dance and wiggle. 

You're absolutely hilarious, and a ton of fun. I wish time would slow down because I love this age.

I can't believe you were 18 months old yesterday. Stop growing up so fast!

Weekend Fun and a Great Recipe

The weekend was a pretty good one. I pretty much finished my Easter/summer shopping for the girls when Toys R Us had an amazing sale - both things I was considering getting were 50% off, so I bought both. I don't think the wagon is the exact same one, but closest I could find online. 

I can't wait until summer to play with the new toys. 

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I also went to visit my mother and her new puppy. My brother and his girlfriend even stopped by. It was like a family reunion. We looked at a discount furniture store and I ended up ordering and paying off more than half of a bedroom set: headboard, footboard, boxspring and mattress, night table, dresser and mirror. I am beyond excited to get it paid off and delivered. 

Chloe and I spent the day alone together Sunday. We played, we shopped, I cooked, I cleaned, she napped. Overall a pretty great day. 

Here are just a few of the (bad quality cell) pictures I took between Friday and Sunday night. 

Photo 1 - Hair styled with potatoes
Photo 2 - This Little Piggy

Monkey-see monkey-do shaving her legs (without  a razor, of course)

I love weekends. 

Ps: I'm skipping meal plan Monday again because I'm lazy and don't feel like planning, but if you want a great supper (and leftover!) idea, taco stuffed shells are super yummy. To save money, I used salsa instead of taco sauce, and didn't use sour cream because boyfriend hates it. It's a pretty customizable recipe. He hates cheese too, but I snuck some into the beef mixture when it was cool, and put a lot less of it on top of his side of the shells. Mine could've used more cheese. I ate the leftovers today at work and they're even better then yesterday. Maybe because I threw more shredded cheese on top when I put it in the storage dish. 

Silent Sunday

Blurry, iPhone picture but this set will soon be mine.

Things That Make Me Happy

I am cranky today. Just ask my boyfriend. 

Why I'm cranky? Well because it's our second snow storm of the week, but I made it to work this time. It's supposed to snow all weekend, so my plans for the weekend are probably ruined. Oh, and money. I have money. So now, instead, it's time to list some happy things. 

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- I made a half coffee/half hot chocolate at work with my own hot chocolate powder. It's not as good as Tim Horton's, but I almost drank it all so I'd say it's good enough. Maybe I'll start saving money that way. No coffee = pretty bad headache. 

- It's almost the month of April, and that means real spring is almost on its way. So far, I don't like the spring that we're getting. Two huge storms during the first week of spring? Unfair. 

- I love Instagram. I don't always upload daily, but I like seeing what other people upload. It seems so much more personal than just reading a blog sometimes. Sometimes I post things on there that I don't on the blog. Simply because if there's a way for me to save my Instagram photos from the website to my computer, I still haven't figured it out. 

- Madi let me try almost her entire summer wardrobe on her Wednesday night. It was to the point that she wanted to keep trying stuff on when we were done. Mostly just to rip the tags off, but whatever. I got a few cute pictures, but this one by far is the best. She is too stinkin' cute. All the clothes fit, except one pair of brand new shorts that I'm going to exchange for the next size up. They fit, but barely. Chloe isn't as interested in trying on her summer clothes, but we're getting there. 

- Summer. The idea of summer coming makes me so happy I could cry. Walking barefoot in grass. Beaches. Swing sets. The smell of sunscreen. Baby hats. Flip flops. BBQ. Sitting on a deck after dark listening to the crickets. It all sounds so amazing. 

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- Coffee is good for me. And I love coffee. 

- Boyfriend and I have somewhat of a hobby together now. Next project? Our daughters' names. 

- Chloe. She's cute and I love her. 

What are you happy about right now? 

I had a snow day with a couple of toddlers

Yesterday we woke up to a bit of a storm. Still, we got the girls ready and I tried to take them to daycare. We almost immediately went back home as soon as we hit the highway. It wasn't fit to drive. It cleared up around lunch, but by then I'd already let the daycare know the girls wouldn't be in so we just stayed home. 

So it was a snow day, and since I wasn't at work I missed out on doing I'm Wondering Wednesday. But I'm sure no one really cares about that. 

Boyfriend left for work shortly after lunch, and Chloe for a couple of hours, Madi for one hour, so the day wasn't too bad. 

We had some meals, some snacks. I baked some blueberry rice muffins for Madi. We built a fort, read a book and watched some tv. The girls played together really well for the majority of the day. Very few fights and violence. 

I hung out alone with Madi for awhile after her nap, before Chloe woke up from hers. She refused to nap when her father tried to put her to bed, but fell asleep on her couch shortly after he left for work. She barely moved when I carried her upstairs to her bed. 

Overall, I'm sad that I missed out on a day's pay, but it was a pretty decent day. Toddlers can be a lot of fun. 

Old School Blogging: A Little About Me

I found this little questionnaire on Shell's blog, old school blogging style. I thought it looked like fun so I'm doing it too. It says to tag people, but I'm not going to do that, so if you want to, answer the questions yourself and let me know so I can visit :)

What were you doing 10 Years Ago?

I was 15 so I would've been in my first year of high school. So I was busy being a lame, dramatic high school kid.

What 5 things are on your to do list?

- Make a meal plan for the next week
- Figure out the best, most useful thing to spend my taxes on
- Finish our grocery shopping
- Organize the girls summer clothes
- Bake muffins for Madi

 What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

- All things chocolate!
- Cookies
- Spicy hummus and pita chips
- Dill pickle chips
- Cheese

 Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire

- Pay off all my loans
- Build or buy a house
- Go insanely overboard on clothes shopping, more than I already do

 Name some places you have lived

I've lived in a few places in NB and PEI, Canada.

 Name some bad habits you have

- Overspending, especially on food and baby clothes

- Being too easily distracted at times

 Name some jobs you have had

- Burger maker at Wendy's
- Sandwich maker at a factory
- Cashier at a grocery store
- Front desk clerk at a hotel
- Meeting coordinator at a hotel


Fun times :)

A baby's birth and a weekend away!

At approximately 5:30 pm on Saturday night, boyfriend and I were left with no plans. I got a hold of a couple of friends, we packed a bag, and hopped in the car to leave the province. We had to make a couple of stops along the way, but arrived at my friends' house shortly after 8pm. 

That, by far, was one of the most spontaneous things we have ever done. 

We hopped in the car and took a two hour trip, complete with bridge fee (almost $45), gas, food. We didn't think much about it, we just did it. Because we had no expectations at all, it was an amazing time. We went out for appetizers and drinks with my friends, watched a movie, and slept over. 

Nothing quite compared to the sleep you have when you know a baby won't be waking you up through the night. We slept for less hours than we usually do, but woke up feeling so much more well rested. 

The next day we hung out for a little bit then went to the mall. We didn't buy anything exciting, but it was nice to browse around together. 

I had so much fun. 

We got groceries then got our girls home and life went back to normal. 

Boyfriend said he was glad we made the trip, since I've seemed so much more, uh, affectionate since we got home. Yeah it might be true. It feels like all is right with the relationship again and we finally spent some real time together. It was so nice. 

The topic of my blog came up over the weekend, since the friend I was visiting reads it. I told boyfriend the only reason I don't go out of my way to give him my blog link is because all I do is bad-mouth him on here. 

So whatever you do, don't tell him about this post. Cause I actually quite like him. 

<3

We are not photogenic

Ash and me

My favorite married couple

Mmm mmm Arby's. 

And I don't know any details yet, but finally my friend had her baby - the first of my close friends to have a baby. It's about time someone joins me in motherhood. This is baby Emma and her mommy. I can't believe my friend has a baby. It's so exciting. I'm just sad that she lives on the other end of the country so I won't be meeting this little one until July. I cannot wait. 

And?

As soon as I find out how big or small she really is, let the shopping begin. 

Screw Meal Plan Monday today. Other things are more important. I'll meal plan tomorrow. 

Last Night

Less crazy than it looks

10 Things I Did This Week

1. I followed my meal plan a little bit. We had Monday, Thursday and Friday's meals, just not on those exact days. 

2. Took Madi shoe shopping. I got her a pair of sneakers and sandals for the summer. I left Chloe and boyfriend in the car and took her in the store to try them on. 

3. I crock-pot cooked a chicken. I'll definitely be doing it again, but I did overcook it a little. I was too scared to undercook it. 

4. I felt sad, cause I couldn't dress the girls up in honor of St. Patrick's day at daycare on Friday. Neither of them own anything green. I'm going to keep that in mind the next time I'm shopping for them. 

5. I've been watching Big Brother Canada since it started. It's entertaining, but so many flaws. They play repeats, which is awesome when you miss an episode, except they spoil the major parts in the commercials anyway. 

6. Got a bunch of hand soaps from Bath and Body Works that my boss brought back when she went away on a work trip. 

7. Window shopped for spring and summer clothes for the girls. I could spend thousands on clothes for them. There are so many cute things. 

8. I loved the sunny weather we had on Thursday. I was stuck inside all day, but it was nice to drive home in. 

Eight. I only have eight. I can't think of anything else I did this week. 

Zzzzzz ZzzzZZzz

I'm too tired for blogging today. 

That's just life

This is the sequel to the earlier post "We Lost a Little Sleep". Last night we lost more sleep. 

Madi was up on and off starting around 11 pm, and waking up for the last time around 5:30 am. We are tired. We think (hoping and praying!) that she's growing some molars. I'm going to try to take a peek into her mouth tonight to see what the deal is. Drug her up with some Tylenol if needed. At least she's in a good mood in the day, this morning included. 

Pretending to sleep and snore in the car

While I mentioned before that things have been easy with the kids lately, things have also been busy. The girls have a slightly later bedtime than before. That, combined with boyfriend's work schedule and the girls waking up through the night, leaves us not only tired, but with a lot less time to spend together. 

Things have been getting boring and routine by the lack of quality time. I know it's a rut all parents get into. It was getting the point where we were together a lot, but it still felt like I hadn't seen him in awhile. We're working on it, and hopefully this weekend we'll have some uninterrupted time together. We might even get out of the house. We might even sleep through the night. Here's to hoping and praying. 

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I'm Wondering Wednesday

I missed this last week because I was sick, so let's get back with it. And just  for the hell of it, this is the St. Patrick's day version. So answer in comments, or in your own post and link up. 

1. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, if so how?

I have before, but it's not a big thing with me like it is for others. Around here, it's just a huge drinking holiday. I like drinking every now and then, so if I drink on St. Patrick's Day it's more for the social aspect of it, rather then being huge on St. Patrick's day. 

2. What's your favorite thing that's green? 

Laying in the grass on a cool summer morning. Does that count? It sounds wonderful. 

3. Do you believe in luck? 

Sure. Good things happen and bad things happen. I don't think that really has much to do with being lucky or unlucky. I think of luck more as a feeling, like knowing that you're lucky to have someone/something. I'm not superstitious at all. 

4. If you're a Pinterest user, have you been pinning any St. Patrick's day food/crafts? 

Not really. And if you don't believe me, here's my St. Patrick's day & Valentine's Day Pinterest board. 

5. Do you like themed questions?

Nope, not at all. Especially not for something like St. Patrick's day, 

Now link up! 

We lost a little sleep last night

Sunday afternoon I was putting away laundry. Chloe disappeared and I found her sitting in Madi's bed looking at a book. Then we played some peek-a-boo. So much cuteness. 

I'm exhausted. To the point where I can't think of anything to even say. 

Madi was up from the time we went to bed, 10pm, until about 1:30am, crying, whining and banging her sippy cup against her door. I didn't sleep. Boyfriend didn't sleep. Chloe got woken up twice, and by the time Madi went to sleep for the night, Chloe was wide awake. 

That was apparent when I heard her crying, went to her room and changed her bum. When I was finished, she got up, walked around to the side of her crib, peeked through the rails at me, said "bye", then giggled happily. So we got up to play for a little while. 

I got to bed finally around 3am, and was rudely awakened by my alarm at 7:30am. Which was a luxury, because I'm supposed to be up at 7. 

Oh. So. Tired. 

And since I was late this morning, I didn't stop to get coffee, even though I have a 'free coffee' ticket sitting in my wallet. 

THAT was a mistake, because now I find myself randomly staring at the wall all cross-eyed and such. 

I'm tired. And emotionally drained. 

There is just too much lately that I can't control. Oh so much stress. 

Meal Plan Monday

I'm not going to lie - I haven't been following my meal plans at all. Although I finally made the rotisserie chicken from two weeks ago. But hey, all failures aside, let's do this again. 

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Dinner:

Monday: Pork chops and potatoes (Boyfriend's choice - his day off)

Tuesday: Chicken quesedillas with leftover chicken from Sunday night

Wednesday: Baked spaghetti

Thursday: Beef pies and fries

Friday: Frozen pizza

Saturday: Meatballs and rice

Sunday: Who cares?

I'm tired of food. And planning. And life. 

10 Things I Did This Week

1 - Chloe and Made watching tv
2 - Madi pushing Chloe around in a doll playpen
3-4 - Baby bedtime toys always left in our room in the mornings

1. I forgot to mention last week, but we did take the girls swimming last Friday and they both loved it. Madi was a little more scared of the deep water, even though we were holding her. Chloe, on the other hand, was ready to dive right in. We will definitely be going back. 

2. On Saturday I went to a children's stuff flea market. It was small, but I managed to find at least 3 summer outfits for Madi, plus some cheap stuff for the girls to wear now. I spent less than $30 but got a ton of stuff. 

3. Wednesday I took a sick day. 

4. I started getting more caught up on Gossip Girl. I just started season 6, so no spoilers please! 

5. I tried baking gluten and dairy free for the first time. Blueberry rice muffins. I didn't taste them, but sent them all right to daycare, because Madi needs snacks more there than at home. I hope she likes them, but I'm sure daycare would tell me if she didn't. I'll probably try to bake something else with her rice flour this coming week. 

6. I didn't do very well following my meal plan, but we still managed to eat with only minimal stress all week. 

7. I was up very very very early Tuesday morning with Chloe for a few hours. Girl just wasn't tired. I, however was insanely tired. But she was in a good mood and being cute so I didn't mind it too much. We don't get much alone time anymore. 

8. I filed my taxes online. I really hope I didn't mess up. And I can't wait to get the money. With this being our first month with Madi, money is a little tight, and I still want to get something for the girls for Easter. Preferably an outdoor toy for the summer. 

9. Chloe was teething (I think) for awhile so feeding was a nightmare for a few days. Feeding is almost always a nightmare with her. 

10. I gave boyfriend his birthday present earlier. Perler beads. Not really a grown man present, but no one ever said I was dating a man. (Hah). I got him a few things, one being a bin of 11,000 beads, which we sorted from Saturday-Tuesday I believe. I never would've guessed bead sorting could be fun, but it was. If we ever actually make something, I'll be sure to share. Even though I'm sure no one cares. 

What did you do this week?

Week One of Being a Mother of Two

Thanks for the well wishes. Luckily it was just a one-day thing, and now that I'm past the 'hangover' portion that was yesterday, I'm feeling fine again. Although there's nothing like a sick day to make a week feel like it just flew by. Stick around for the recap tomorrow.

Today marks the end of our first full week of having Madi in our care.

The results? 

It wasn't that hard.

Luckily, boyfriend has been working a lot of early shifts lately, so he's been around to help almost every evening. And he's always there in the morning to help with dressing and feeding and buckling in the car. And when I leave with the  girls in the morning, he always does the dishes.

Last night I managed to give them their bath by myself, plus their dinner and bedtime snack. There were no major tantrums. We read a book. We talked to my mother on Skype. The girls watched a little bit of tv.

So things have been relatively easy.

I hope I'm not jinxing anything.

On another note, I really need to start taking more pictures, because I have none at all to post.

I took a sick day

Yesterday I took a sick day from pretty much everything - work, parenting, blogging. 

Not to get in much detail, but I spent a good part of the morning thinking if I moved, I was going to be sick. I didn't. But I didn't leave my bed until noon. When I left my bed, I put on some Boy Meets World, got a cup of apple juice that I barely took a sip out of, and closed the curtains. I slept on and off on the couch until about 3pm. 

Boyfriend got up in the morning with the girls and took them to daycare on his way to work. He requested to leave work early so he could pick them up, and was able to come home around 3, hence me waking up then. I didn't move from the couch until it was time to pick the girls up. 

I have never spent so much quality time with my bed and couch in the span of 24 hours. 

I made it to work today, but I want nothing more than a nap. I'm having the hardest time focusing, and even reading some things. I just need more sleep. And food. 

But sleep. I really need sleep. More of it. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I've never known how to answer that question. There has never been a clear answer. There's the 'where I want' to be answer, and then where I actually feel like I'll be. And then there's what really happens. And while it might sound insanely negative, there are no happily ever afters. There's just reality. Whether or not it's your happily ever after is really your choice, or your option to change. 

Let's look at how '5 years later' really ends up. 

My answer when I was in high school

I see myself either in college, or just graduating college. Looking for a job related to my education. Doing everything I can to make a better future for myself. I'm going to save money, and not end up living like my mother did - low income, living from paycheck to paycheck. 

The reality:

Five years later, I graduated from college. I was certified to be a legal secretary, but I doubted my education. I didn't feel in any way prepared. I worked at Wendy's. I lived in another province, and chose to move back home. I couldn't find any kind of full-time job, and struggled to get by with the help of my grandfather as I lived with a roommate. 

My answer when I was in college: 

I'd like to say my answer was optimistic - that I was going to find a great job and go on to do great things, but I was terrified. I didn't see everything as working out. I wanted to find an amazing job and live a great life. I was starting to feel like I was just a mess. No guy would ever truly like me. What a sob-fest. 

The reality:

Five years later, I was single after a long relationship, and that was my choice. I didn't have an amazing job, but I had a full-time job that I loved. It was about this time that I moved into an apartment by myself (kind of), and was finally financially stable for the first time in my life. The most unexpected part? I had a little girl, and not long after that, I met an amazing guy. Funny how things work out. 

My answer now:

I don't know where I'll be when it comes to my career, but I hope when this job finishes, there's another great job waiting for me. The girls will be 6 and 7. In school. And they had better be doing fantastic. I'll be with the same guy, married or about to be. We may have another child, or it might be in the planning stages. A boy, I'm hoping. And we'll all be rich and successful. And we'll all live happily ever after. I really hope. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Meal Plan Monday

This weekend was a pretty great one - but only because both of the girls left for the night Saturday. That wasn't the great part. The great part is, boyfriend had Saturday and Sunday off with me, and we got a ton done around the apartment. Dishes, laundry, and sweeping were all done. We finally got our basement a bunch more organized. We put boyfriend's dresser in Madi's room so she finally has space for all her clothes. 

I made stew and used the crockpot for the first time. I made gluten-free biscuits for Madi. I pre-cooked and mashed some carrots and sweet potatoes for the girls. 

And now I feel ready for this crazy week of being a parent of two kids. 

So here's our meal plan for the week. 

[ Baked Spaghetti ]

Dinners

Monday: Leftover Beef and Barley stew that I made yesterday. I added in potatoes (who eats stew without potatoes?!) and put in almost double the broth to make up for it, but most of it still absorbed. I added almost 2 cups of water, and by the time we ate there was still very little liquid to it. But it was still good, and boyfriend was a huge fan. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly, except I had no vinegar. I'll definitely keep this recipe around. 

Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie (gluten/dairy free for Madi!)

Wednesday: Baked spaghetti

Thursday: Breaded chicken and potatoes 

Friday:  Beef pies and fries

Saturday: Tacos

Sunday: Meatballs and rice

Gluten/Dairy/Soy-Free Snacks for Madi

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

Blueberry Rice Muffins

Plain Rice Cakes

Biscuits

Vegetable Chips

If I want to stay on plan, I need to pre-make the Shepherd's pie tonight, and make those muffins for Madi. Oh so busy. 

10 Things I Did This Week

1. Madi started officially being in our care as of Friday, March 1. 

2. I started meal planning on Monday, and we followed almost none of that meal plan. 

3. Last Saturday boyfriend, my friend Sarah and I went to the dinner theatre. It was such a great show, and I really liked the food. I'd go again in a heartbeat. 

4. Someone gave baked haddock and potatoes for lunch at work. I think it 's my new favorite meal. No pictures. I ate it too fast. 

5. I was upset with boyfriend and wrote a serious post about it. I don't usually get that 'deep' very often. 

6. I started shopping for boyfriend's birthday presents. His birthday isn't until mid-April. If it's anything like Christmas, he'll somehow manage to guess what I'm getting him, even though he shouldn't know. For Christmas, it was this Epic Mealtime shirt. Even though he guessed it, it was still probably his best present, or so he says. He wears it all the time, and told everyone all about it. Sometimes I have to try to convince him not to wear it. 

7. I went flea market shopping on Sunday. 

8. We took the girls swimming at the pool on Friday. (Hopefully - I'm writing this Friday and it hasn't happened yet) It's only Chloe's second time at a pool. 

9. I started controlling both mine and boyfriend's money. Scary thought. 

10. Big Brother Canada started. And the live eviction episodes are on at 11pm Thursday nights. 11PM?! My bedtime is like 10:15pm. I can stay up until 11, but definitely not midnight. I guess I'll be catching most of those episodes online the next day. 

Blogs I Love: Story of My Life

I stumbled upon a really great blog earlier this week. 

The blog is called Story of my Life, written by Jenni, who is apparently close to my age but who seems so much wiser. I was first pulled in by reading the adorable love story that unfolded between Jenni and her husband. 

I only fell more in love with this blog upon reading a new post called If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get. 

It's the perfect advice really. It especially hit home with me after my slight issues with boyfriend earlier in the week. Where I expected him to know what to do without asking, and to know what was wrong without telling. 

So visit this blog. Or at the least, visit If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get.

Do it for me.