((this moment))

((this moment))

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~SouleMama~

\\Thankful Thursday Vol. 1//

I find that it is impossibly easy to get into a rut of negativity. And once you're there, it's hard to climb your way out. With my whole heart, I believe that you have the power to have a good day or a bad day. You can make your day fabulous or, you can decide to have a not-so-great day.

One way I have helped myself have wonderful days, and avoid the rut of negativity, is a gratitude journal. I write down the things I am thankful for.

And I've decided to bring that to the blog. Welcome to the birth of Thankful Thursdays. Each Thursday, I will write about a few of the things I've been thankful for in the past week. Feel free to leave your "thankfuls" in the comments!

1. I've been so thankful for my mom. Without her, I wouldn't be here (duh). I wouldn't be the person that I am today. The woman is is, quite simply, one of a kind. I had a bit of a meltdown on Sunday. The hubs was out of town, the babes was a bit ornery. And the mama was quite frustrated. A quick phone call to my mama and all was right in the world again.

2. The Ergo. Oh, my dear, sweet, favorite baby product. Okay. I don't know if it is my absolute favorite. But I love it. It comes in handy when the daddy is working late, the baby is fussy, and dinner is being made. Plop the baby in the Ergo and life is good. He loves it, too. The hubby and I both use the Ergo on a weekly basis. We shuttle it with us everywhere we go. And the best part? Deer Day was this past weekend, so my sister and I went shopping. Baby G got hungry...strap him in the Ergo...nurse and shop. At. The. Same. Time.

3. My job. Quite simply, I love teaching. I work with the littlest kids at the school (kindergarten!) and find so much joy in those little buggers. We have been talking about working and playing together: what it looks like, what it feels like, what it sounds like. One of my kiddos said, "Playing together is being friendful." Friendful! What a delightful word! He coined that word on Monday, and I have used it so many time since then. Five- and six-year-olds are so thoughtful, so caring. I love that I can to teach them each day.

Weekly Meal Plan

It's that time again. Time for a meal plan.

I feel like I've been pretty wishy-washy about the meal plans as of late.

Wasn't it just a month or two ago that I decided to change them up and create the meal plan after the grocery shopping?

Well. With the school year in full swing, that isn't working. Dinner isn't getting made without a trip or two to the grocery store.

Needless to say, I'm back to my "old school" way of making a meal plan and then shopping.

(We'll see how long this lasts...)

Sunday: homemade chicken soup (so excited for soup season!)
Monday: white wine chicken thighs & warm spinach salad
Tuesday: ginger chicken stir fry
Wednesday: breakfast burgers & sweet potato hash
Thursday: salmon packets
Friday: DATE NIGHT! (we're going out to dinner!)
Saturday: Creamy Chicken Casserole



And there you have it, my friends. Dinners for the week. Look for a couple of the recipes to show up on my {receats} page in the near future!

((this moment))

((this moment))

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 ~SouleMama~

Seven Months

My little man is seven months old.

I cannot believe how time has flown by.

SEVEN months! I'm just skipping the six month update. Sorry, bud.

At seven months you...

...weigh a lot and are quite long. We don't have exact stats, as you won't be back to the doctor until January (as a nine month old!). Your hair is still pretty non-existent (I think you get that from your mama!). Your legs are as chunky as can be.

...have two teeth. Your bottom chompers cut through a week or two ago. So stinkin' cute. Your sleep/life wasn't thrown too out of whack while those teeth came in. We'll see how the next ones go!

...experienced your first Halloween! We dressed you as Bam Bam Rubble. Daddy and I went as Barney and Betty Rubble. You enjoyed sitting in your stroller while trick-or-treating at Mootzie and Pa's house with Ava and Jacob.

...love to jump! You would probably be content if we left you in your jumper all day.

...are STILL working on sitting up and rolling from your back to your tummy. This is when I need to remind myself that you got here six weeks early. You'll roll over eventually. You'll sit up unsupported, too.

...LOVE sweet potatoes and kabocha squash. Your cousin's grandpa grew the squash and gave us some to puree into food for you. It's probably your favorite. We held off on the solid foods until you were six months old. We started with sweet potato and skipped rice cereal all together. You've loved the squash. Next up: avocado, beans, and peas. We will then be introducing you to some yummy fruits.

...sat in a pumpkin!

You're our pride and joy, little buddy. We love you for always, baby boy.

((this moment))

((this moment))

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 ~SouleMama~

 

Sad, Sad.

Like most, I take a ton of pictures on my phone.

Like most, I update my phone when the software is available.

But oh so sadly, something went horribly wrong. And my phone got restored. 

And my pictures got deleted. Gone. Adios.

I'm so bummed.

My mom has been texting me the pictures of G that I have texted her. I've taken them off of Facebook.

It's just not the same.

So now. The day after Halloween, here is the picture (the one, the only) that I have on my phone.