Here are some tidbits of life lately!!
Wook at dat whiddle faaaaace
My Birchie boy is almost TWO!
We got to spend a lot of time together last week because he was home from school with a cold.
We all came down with the cold on Monday.
I took Birch for a covid test per his school rules (and waited in our car in the urgent care parking lot for 2 hours…I digress…) and it was negative. This acted like a cold and felt like a cold, but I was still relieved when it came back as “just” a cold.
Living his best life in the car with an iPad. I was a desperate mama!
Luckily this wasn’t a bad cold and we all still had lots of energy.
The boys had too much energy and were literally bouncing off the walls!
I love my children fiercely, but I need a little space every day. Physical space is nice, but it’s the mental break that it so valuable to me.
It got me thinking how when Mazen was this age we had play dates and gym dates and “it takes a village” time, all the time. Parenting is so much more fun with friends, and I get lonely when it’s just me and the kids at home. Just another small reason why this pandemic sucks so much.
Last week it was just us and the 100 animals in Mazen’s room keeping us company.
Look at sweet Birch tucking the gator in for his nap <3
Neighborhood Pumpkin Patch
I flipped around his stroller so we could talk during our walk!
And look what we found – a pumpkin patch right in our neighborhood! On your honor to pay for what you take. Love it!
On The Food Front…
Crisp fall mornings with eggs, pumpkin bread (a locally made one) and crunchy grapes.
Three Lunches
Kale salad and leftover mac
PB&J with apples and pea pods
Kale salad with cheese and pita chips – plus leftover chicken mixed in.
Dinners
We’ve started using the meal planning app Plan To Eat (stay tuned for a review!) as well as ordering some Blue Apron boxes (also stay tuned) so meals are getting exciting over here!
I clipped Cassie’s Lemon Chicken & Rice Skillet recipe to Plan to Eat and it was delicious. A super simple ingredient list and lots of lemony flavor. I did use brown basmati rice and had to extend the cook time by quite a bit, but the end result was great.
+ lemony butter green beans steamed in the microwave
Leftovers for lunch –
Taco Tuesday
Always on the meal plan! The addition of roasted corn this week was great.
Splendid Noodles
I’ve been enjoying Splendid Spoon‘s Noodle bowls for easy lunches when the fridge is running bare. This one was butternut squash and broccoli with rice noodles – loved it! (Get $25 off through my affiliate link 🙂 )
Look who is living his very best life enjoying the fall weather!
Carla M Reyes says
Sounds like we’re in similar boats on the dinner/meal train… I’ve been in SUCH a rut, and with an almost three-year-old and a just-turned-one-year-old, I need SIMPLE but delicious dinners that are ALSO relatively kid-friendly. Oh, and without too much hands-on time and ideally ready in 30 minutes. Is that too much to ask?! Haha! Looking forward to your review because Blue Apron didn’t cut it for us!
Kath Younger says
I like to batch cook Blue Apron if I know I’ll have little time at dinner hour to actually cook in peace. The meal re-heat beautifully!
Judy says
I’ve been using Plan to Eat for 3-4 years. It’s my recipe storage and meal planning go-to and I love it. They have a half-price special every year for Black Friday. It will be interesting to see what you think.
Kath Younger says
Awesome!
Ellen says
It is really hard … especially with my first child, those little get-togethers and playdates helped us both so much!
Kath Younger says
They did – makes me so sad!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Your meals look so good! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Anne says
I love leftovers lunches! Do you have a go-to brand for whole wheat bread? We use great harvest honey ww sometimes, but’s it’s a bit too sweet for us. Most grocery store brands I’ve tried are just ok. One of my kids is allergic to flax which makes it trickier!
Kath Younger says
If we’re not using Great Harvest, we really like Dave’s Killer Bread.
elly says
omg poor Birchie! i saw on insta that he was home from school, but I didn’t realize he had to get a COVID test, so scary! Was it the nose one or the rapid test? I hope he’s able to get back soon — my SIL is keeping her kids home preemptively because she’s able to work with them there and she didn’t feel like navigating the back-to-school germ scares in a pandemic. Hope those tests and that wait isn’t a frequent occurrence! 2020 continues to be the weirdest year in existence.
I am jealous of your neighborhood pumpkin patch (and, tbh, the mac and cheese!) — it isn’t fall without a seasonal gourd!
Kath Younger says
He had both! We never thought it was covid because all the symptoms matched cold, but it was school policy to test, so we had to. Better to be safe than sorry.
elly says
poor little buddy! hopefully this is a one-and-only situation!
Megan says
Thank you for acknowledging the loneliness; we are being very careful and following all guidelines, but so many people near us seem to be out and about all the time. We are lonely and feeling isolated, even though we know we are doing what is safest for everyone. It’s tough. We see a few folks but it’s different than it used to be with full weekends, etc…hugs.
Kath Younger says
I feel like we have done the best we can blending social distancing and a few outdoor playdates, but it’s just not the same at the years in the past when we could go into houses and gyms and all the fun things like museums and play spaces! And we are going to go crazy this winter when outside is soooo cold!
Megan says
I know…I legit miss the library SO MUCH.
We have a big firepit and patio heater and just got a trampoline so we can host safely and stay warm for awhile. I live in Chicago and it gets cold AF! But, we are going to do our best. :). Your porch would be a nice option for bundling and hosting another family for a masked outdoor evening! Have a great weekend!
Jocelyn says
I have never tried blue apron but I do get hello fresh (Canada) twice per month and we have enjoyed it more than we thought we would! It definitely brings some excitement back into the mix 🙂 Also I could not imagine a little wee one getting a covid test..or any kid of any age for that matter! Must be a little scary for them.
Kath Younger says
The test wasn’t bad at all!
coco says
since we moved to Manila 3 years ago, we became a nuclear family. people comes and goes from our life (expat life) and we got used to it. I think it’s all about perspective. When I think about how many years I have left to spend with my kids, it makes me appreciate each moment I have with them. Now that I got back o office, i cherish our evenings and weekends even more.
loving your meal ideas!
Amanda G says
I am so with you on the “it takes a village” and missing out due to the pandemic.