What’s for Dinner? I hate this question. What I hate even more is when I have to say, “I don’t know.” There is nothing more stressful than scrambling at 4 p.m. with no defrosted meat, no prepped veggies and a clock ticking down. For years I’ve made great strides in doing a meal plan and grocery list to match so we have very few last second runs during the week.
There have been many methods that I’ve tried:
- Meals on index cards
- Random searches online
- Spreadsheets
- Stack of cookbooks with recipes flagged
meal planning session
What works best for me is a simple piece of paper with each day of the week listed and the meal that is planned. If I’m extra motivated I will use a calendar and plan 2-4 weeks at a time. We tend to eat the same meals: tacos, pasta, grilled chicken and pizza but each week I like to add in a new or revised recipe. Last week’s “new recipe” was Chicken Marsala. We made the investment into some quality wines, added mushrooms to the grocery list and enjoyed something new. Adding a new meal expands the kids’ taste buds and gets us out of dinner ruts.
Along with the meal plan we always have old standbys for those nights when things just don’t go as planned. Sometimes it’s ordering from our favorite pizza place, sometimes it’s pulling frozen meatballs from the freezer to whip up a quick batch of spaghetti. The meal plan is a guideline to keep us organized during our busy days.
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Follow Mom (@LkWhtMomFound) and Dad (@anddadtoo) on Twitter and tweet this giveaway 1 time per day. For the tweet to qualify, please leave a link to each Tweet on this blog post (not the other blog posts). You can tweet one of these three messages to qualify:
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To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must first leave a comment describing ways to unclog your day on the blog post.
Your entries must follow the linked rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, September 13, 2011. The winners will be emailed and will have 72 hours to claim their prize. For complete rules please read the Ultimate “Unclog Your Day” Drano® Snake Plus Giveaway Contest Rules.
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Disclosure: LookWhatMomFound.com is working with SC Johnson to help get the word out about the new Drano® Snake Plus. We are paid to write about Drano® Snake Plus, but our thoughts and opinions are all our own.
This is our 2nd experience with Gallery Direct and I’m still overjoyed with the quality. I recommend Gallery Direct to anyone looking to decorate or redecorate their home. Don’t visit your high end design studios anymore. One peek at Gallery Direct will give you tons of inspiration for any room style or personality. I’m proud to be a part of the Gallery Direct Blogger Ambassador program and look forward to what the upcoming seasons bring.
leaking on the kitchen floor. Whether this is the exact scenario or you switch out the kids for the cats, all families struggle with road blocks at any given time. These moments don’t need to stop us in our tracks. Families need to learn to use the tools we have to get over the bumps and hurdles and keep our days and lives going.
Craft time is probably one of Shae’s most favorite times of day. We don’t get to do a project everyday but a couple times a week is good progress for us. We’ve been stocking on supplies but were lacking tools. Fiskars sent us some great additions to help with embellishing and adding those fun final touches.
Edgers- decorative shaped scissors that add flair to any project
I know Father’s Day is literally right around the corner but I recommend Gallery Direct not just for “
Shae’s greatest loves in the world are of course ME, her pillow pets and her play kitchen. The play kitchen is over 2 years old but gets used every day. We’ve been slowly switching out the original plastic and flimsy food and accessories for high quality 
KidKraft Kitchen Playsets are fun to look at but are constructed to last many many years making them heirloom toys. The quality put into the creation of all of their products is top priority for the KidKraft team and that dedication to excellence makes them a leader in creative and imaginative playthings.
Remember Carnival’s “
Recently our son was diagnosed with ADD; I wanted a central place to keep all of the paperwork from the doctors and teachers so that I could keep track of his progress, medications and efforts from all parties. I’m working on getting all documents in order so I can scan and store them online with AboutOne. Doing this will allow me to access the information from the doctor’s office or school without having to carry everything with me.
