Full day.

I'm about two and half months behind on posting pictures. I finally sat down and went through my camera and iPhone shots, and came up with a list of eight posts. EIGHT. Although it could have been worse — at first I thought this was three separate posts where my kids were wearing the same outfits.

That was before I remembered I am a shopaholic and Audra rarely wears the same outfits twice, much less three times in a two month span.

Whew.

So, here's a bunch of pictures from one day in early September where we apparently went to the farmers' market for frozen yogurt pops, checked out the newly remodeled Union Depot, did some cooking, and cried over the injustices of life.

Audra hates sweets but loves accessories, so she pretty much just stood there and waited until it melted all over her face and arms like makeup.

Calvin's was pina colada or coconut or some sort of tropical goodness. I wanted to steal it. Bad.

Lovies in a line.

Audra's first time "cooking" (i.e. stirring of misc dry ingredients like marshmallows and barley). Still my favorite boredom buster for this age. She's wearing my apron, which is tied around her waist approximately 8,700 times.

 

Calvin got some bug gear for his birthday this year, and he really wanted to capture a butterfly. Well, he did...and he was SO excited. 

Until we told him he should let it go. He was heartbroken. We explained that the butterfly was scared and needed to fly so it could find food and return to its family. Poor buddy was beside himself at the thought of letting his precious butterfly go and kept telling us he didn't want to. But after a few minutes of thinking about it, he came over and said with great sadness "okay, I will let him go." And he did.

Look at those tears! We hugged and talked about how hard it is to do the right thing sometimes. Proud mama for sure.

Two weeks in.

I would just like to take a moment to point out that I've made seven meals over the course of the last two weeks. That's like a 95% increase in meal making. Or something. Who knows, I don't do math. But I didn't cook before either so maybe next I should do a math challenge?

Anyways, I am loving it. Besides a few planned meals out, we've eaten at home. No takeout, no peanut butter and jelly, no making last-minute stops at the store. Just real, homemade dinner using ingredients we have on hand. Like a normal family.

I'm so proud of myself.

(And probably a few pounds heavier. I really love macaroni and cheese.)

A good mom.

I think every mom has to define "good" for themselves, and their families — based on priorities, circumstances, abilities, interests, time constraints, family size, and a plethora of other considerations.

For many, being a good mom probably involves having dinner on the table every night at 6pm sharp, making sure the kids are bathed daily, and having everyone's clean clothes neatly put away on a weekly basis.

Yeah, not me. I'm more of a "sure you can play outside for an extra 20 minutes before bed, I'll just rub you down with a baby wipe to give the illusion of cleanliness" kind of mom.

And you know what? I'm okay with that. My kid is happy and healthy and so far hasn't shown any signs of severe emotional disturbance from maternal neglect (saving it up for his future therapist, I'm sure). Plus we almost always have clean clothes...even if they rarely get folded. (Downy wrinkle releaser, folks. It will change your life. Take it from the girl who used to iron her jeans.)

While I may not be the most organized parent, I think I do a pretty decent job of caring for my family. However, there is one area where I fall down. Big time. And that area is cooking.

Like so many things (dental exams, going to the post office, showering), I love the results but HAAAAATE the process. The last thing I want to do after working all day is come home and cook dinner. Maybe it's because I'm lazy, maybe it's because I'm a sucky cook, probably it's both. All I know is that for the past two years my child has eaten way too many hot dogs and I would be completely lost without Steamfresh vegetables.

Sadly, pretty much everything I make that isn't a microwaved hot dog involves chicken, instant rice, and cream of something or another soup. Ick. That isn't good for me and it isn't good for Calvin. I don't want my kids raised by a mom who relies on packaged foods and the microwave for dinner. I didn't grow up that way, and neither did Nate.

So, my friends. I have given myself a challenge this month. And that challenge is cooking dinner. Real, honest-to-goodness dinner (and a few fun things for breakfast and dessert).

No hot dogs. No macaroni and cheese from a box. No cereal. (Because cereal comes after dinner. About 9pm. It's my late night pregnancy snack.)

I'm starting small — and realistically — with a meal plan. Last week I began gathering recipes that sounded good, and on Sunday I sat down and planned out our meals for the week. For the next month, I am going to post my meal plan for the week on Sunday. And then, if things turn out well, I'll share the recipes with you. And if they don't, I'll share my failures with you. Not only will this provide me with some much-needed accountability, it will hopefully give you some inspiration in the kitchen — or at least a few new recipes to try at home.

Keep in mind that I work full-time and am a novice cook, so none of these recipes will be overly involved or earth shatteringly fancy. And some may involve cream of something or another soup, but I'm going to try to limit those recipes to nights when Nate's working and I have to make quick, kid-friendly meals.

So, that's the plan. Me. Cooking dinner. For a month. Like a good mom.

Hope you're ready to laugh.