Thriving Thursday

How is it already Thursday? It's been such a busy week and on top of that it has snowed in Chicago. I'm surviving on candy in the laundry room and dry shampoo. Anyone else? Here's a couple of things that have made my life easier.

1. Did you know that Costco will fill up your tires for free and you don't have to get out of your car? I'm embarrassed about how much this makes me happy.

2. While we're on the topic of Costco, did you know that you can order pizza from Costco? Like from the snack shack. You don't have to even be a member to do it. Also, they will cut it into square pieces, perfect for our little ones.

3. Lined Jeans and Flannel Sheets are making my life so happy right now.  Literally it makes me happy all day long. Here's what I have Warm Rockstar Jeans- they are super cheap and I love them.

4. This Sherpa Jacket. Bought on a whim at Walmart a month ago in the Juniors section. You'd think for $10 this jacket would be falling apart but that's not the case at all.

5. I can barely dress myself everyday, I need to start passing the responsibility of getting dressed onto Bo. He's pretty frustrated by the fact that I've asked him to do this. So I started to do "I do one, you do two". Right now, he has three pieces of clothing that he has to put on. I ask him what one item he would like me to put on and he has to do the other two.

What is making you the best person ever this week? Share with us!

You've Got This. 

28 of Our Favorite Dinners

I have too many nights that I feel like I can only make quesadillas. I'm created this list so I could remember many of my favorite dinners. Maybe these will help you to feed those hungry mouths of yours that are tired of eating PB and J. 

Four Ingredients or Less	Sheet Pan Dinners	Bowl Dinners	Instant Pot	Crock Pot	Soup	General Favorites
Chicken Stirfy Sauce Frzn Stirfy Veg Rice	Chicken Sausage and Vegetables	Chicken Mediterranean Bowl	Hamburger Stroganoff	Chicken Salsa	Tomato Soup	Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Spaghetti Sauce Meatballs	Chicken Burrito Bowls	Burrito Bowl	Mac and Cheese	BBQ Chicken	Lasagna Soup	Avocado Caprese Chicken
Chicken Curry Sauce Frozen Peppers Rice	Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas	Sushi Bowl	Quinoa Enchilada Casserole	Cranberry Meatballs  (Put over noodles)	Tomato Tortellini Soup	Crunch Wrap Supreme
Sweet Potatoes Black Beans Tortilla Cheese	Crispy Parmesan Baked Chicken Milanese & Veggies	Fish Taco Bowls	Philly Cheese Steak Hamburger Helper	Pot Roast	Chicken Taco Soup	Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Meal Planning Monday: October 27

It finally feels like fall in Chicago. It's also Halloween this week, so we're eating quick and easy and mostly healthy. (Maybe not Wednesday with Heavy Cream). Here's what we're eating this week. Tomorrow, I'll share a month of kid friendly dinners to help you take away the dreaded question "what's for dinner?".

Also, there are multiple repeats from last week. Bobby worked late a lot and I just couldn't eat anything but spaghetti and meatballs.

			Grocery List
Sunday	Take Out	Order Something!
Monday	Soup/Sandwich	Chili	Ground Beef Onion Crushed Tomatoes Chili Seasoning Kidney Beans
Tuesday	Salad/Bowl Situation	Greek Chicken Bowls	Chicken Tomatoes trader joe's tzatziki sauce Cucumbers Rice
Wednesday	Italian	Creamy Spinach Mushroom Tortellini	Tortellini Mushrooms Spinach Heavy cream
Thursday	Sheet Pan Dinner	Halloween Chicken Sausage Vegetables (sub butternut squash for sweet potatoes)	Chicken Sausage Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts
Friday	Quick and Easy  (Make your own Nachos or Pizza)	Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes	Sweet Potatoes Ground Beef Taco Toppings
Saturday	Sandwich/Soup	Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese	TJs Tomato Soup Bread Cheese
Sunday	Find it in the Freezer	Chicken Corn Chowder (Take Out of Freezer and put in crock pot)	Tortilla Chips Sourdough Bread

Thriving Thursday

Five Things for a Thursday that make me feel like an absolute genius.

1. This piece of plastic in my diaper genie. I wish I would have read the reviews about this one. You have to push diapers into the container WITH YOUR HAND. No thanks. For the last 4 years, I have been doing this disgusting task. This week, I refilled our diapers and had left over plastic. And genius struck-put this piece of plastic inside my diaper genie. Now, I don't have to touch diapers more than I need to.

2. Putting books on hold at the library. I love getting new books for our kids, I just don't have time to go through the library and pick out books. Did you know that you can put books on hold and then, you get an email when they are ready and you go pick them up? You do now!

3. Raise your hand if you hate brushing kids' teeth. 🙋 It has turned into an all out fight in our house. Enter the Chompers Podcast. This adorable 2 minute podcast helps entertain your kids and teaches them how to brush their teeth. You can find it anywhere you listen to Podcasts

4. We lay out our hats, coats, shoes, and gloves the night before. It used to take a lot of support with me to tell Bo what he needed to get. To be honest, I'd get mad and take over.  I begrudgingly put down painters tape to help him out and it has changed everything. He knows that he needs four things and I might even put down a picture. Really trying not to turn my house into a classroom, but I can't help it.

5. Clean your bathroom while your kids are in the bath. My kids love bath time and we're often fighting with them to get out. Go ahead and clean that toilet while they splash around. You're going to be in there anyway, take advantage of the playtime! (I already took a picture of my diaper genie, I figured you didn't want a picture of my toilet as well).

Free Activities for your Pre-School/Kindergarten Kids

Hey yo. It's starting to get super cold in Chicago right now. Your kids are inside a lot more lately and you might be starting to pull out your hair. I wanted to share some activities that I have put up on Teachers Pay Teachers that are super easy for you to use at home. I'm talking print and use type of situations. Also, Teachers Pay Teachers is not just for teachers. There are so many great things for you to use at home for free with your kids. (Shameless plug- I create a lot of free products. If you follow me on TPT, you'll always be up to date). Here are some great FREE products for you to check out this week.

Forest Animals Pre-School Centers

Bo's class is studying Forest Animals and he is so in. Most of the centers focus on Fine Motor Skills and Hand Eye Coordination. Perfect for those little fingers. Here he is doing the puzzle at breakfast. It's a great way to get your kids' mind started right at the beginning of the day.


One More Dominoes Activity

I love this dominoes activity. Your kids find the two numbers that show one more by matching dominoes.  It's great for counting and number sense practice up to 100. This activity also practices fine motor skills as they line up the dominoes.

Rolling Dice Number Recognition Activity 
Bo is obsessed with this game. All you need is a die and a marker. Kids roll a die and then circle

that number on the paper. There are multiple different pages for your kids to practice different skills. Circling numbers is SO good for pencil grip and pencil control. (Bo's not lucky to have the fancy version, I always write on the back of a piece of paper)








Pumpkin Themed Math Clothes Pins Centers
This activity practices all things counting to 10. There are tons of different math skills that are practiced. Also, by showing answers with the clothes pins, they are building their fine motor skills through pinching.

Sight Word Dominoes Activity
Another dominoes activity to practice the first set of sight words. Sight Words are those very basic words that you can't sound out and have to know immediately like "the" or "you". This is a great activity for kids who are just starting to read. They will be exposed with words and then match dominoes to find the pair.  There is also a practice page to continue building sight word skills.

Hopefully one of these activities help save your afternoon. Be sure to follow me on TPT for more FREE activities like these.

You've Got This. 

(Reminding myself this as Elliott climbs on all of the furniture)

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Snacks for Kids

Anyone else feel like all they do is feed their kids snacks lately. I also feel like I'm falling back on easy processed snacks more often than I'd like. To help myself out, and maybe you all, I'm creating a list of my favorite snacks to help inspire me as I go to the grocery store today.

• Pepperoni
• Cheese Sticks
• Tangerines
• Apples
• Bananas
• Avocado Cups
• Hummus
• Pretzel Chips
• Carrots
• Cereal
• Trail Mix
• Fruit Snacks
• Granola Bars
• Pouches (Yogurt and Applesauce)
• Mini Na'an with Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Oatmeal Balls
• Hard boiled Eggs 

Trader Joe's

• Dried Fruit (We especially like the Mango. This one specifically.  Does not last more than 2 days at our house)
• Dehydrated fruit (Pro-tip: Buy the bananas for less mess. The strawberries are yummy but get everywhere!)
• Veggie Straws
• Dried Peapods
• English Cucumbers (Easy to cut)
• TJs Pumpkin Oats
• Pirate Booty