Hey Friends!
Happy Tuesday!
This past weekend was full of fun, super festive, and included a couple firsts as well. With four kids {especially if one’s on your hip}, it can be hard to take pictures when we’re out, but I think you can see the fun we had this weekend, for sure.
Thursday afternoon-I brought my office to the couch. I worked with the fire on and it was oh, so cozy.
I try my best to have it all together 100% of the time. But let me tell you that never happens. Shay and I carpool to/from preschool with the little kids {minus Britt-this year}. Thursday afternoon I picked up and things were going so well. As I was loading kiddos in to the car, trying to keep everyone out of the street, I turned around to see this and just had to laugh. As a mom, we’re always juggling things and a lot of the game is just figuring out what you can let go of at the moment. For me on Thursday afternoon, it was the stroller. 🙂
Thursday evening, we partied hard for Meagan and Rob’s birthdays at the Shull house. SO MUCH FUN!
Friday night we watched Prancer with the kiddos. Do you guys remember that Christmas movie? It was a good one!
Saturday morning these sweet girls had their first volleyball game! And it was my coaching debut-ha! A while back Ebby Lee mentioned wanting to play volleyball and I offered up my coaching skills. She was STOKED! So we reached out to other girls in her grade at school and voila-a team was formed! {I should add-I began playing volleyball in fifth grade and played until I was a senior in high school. I attended volleyball camps, played club volleyball for several years, and even made All Tournament Teams and All District Teams. I’m saying all that to say-not in a braggy way-but I was good at it. But it’s something I haven’t done since high school! And why does that seem like so long ago?} Andrew volunteered to help me and at our first practice I had a hard time remembering some rules! EEK! So to say I was a little nervous on Saturday morning would be an understatement! ha!
Tab told me he’d taken a couple pictures at the game and as I was scrolling through his pictures I saw this. #fourthkidproblems It’s a good thing she loves Nixon. 🙂
I was SO PROUD of those girls!! We only had one practice before our first game and they’ve seriously come so far since then!
Ebby Lee had so much fun! {Which was my main goal for the season so WAHOO!}
Saturday afternoon, Nixon had his first basketball game. Complete mom fail-I forgot to take a picture AT the game, but I grabbed one at home right after.
We changed clothes, added some layers, and made our way to downtown McKinney for dinner. We had a delicious dinner at Sugarbacon. If you’re on the square, you should try it ASAP!
And then we walked over to meet this crew for the parade of lights.
Look at ALL THOSE KIDS!
A selfie with some of my favorite mamas!
And I’m stealing this from my friend, Brooke’s, Insta-Story. It was just a few minutes after this picture that Britt lost her mind. Maybe she got cold? Maybe there were too many people? I don’t know what happened. She was hanging with big kids and then decided she needed her mama, which is where my pictures end.
Oh, but one more of these cute mamas. 🙂
I held her for most of the parade. Then we borrowed a chair and watched the last few minutes of the parade snuggled up like this. Love this sweet girl of mine!
Bowen is a big fan of Mr. Craig!
We had the BEST night with a ton of our friends getting all kinds of festive for Christmas. 🙂
Sunday, we dedicated Britt at church. This means we committed to our church family to raise her under God’s direction and teach her about Jesus.
It was just a sweet, sweet time.
That girl. We love her big.
Sunday afternoon, it was these two and me at home with no groceries. I decided it was time for us to head to Trader Joe’s. I’d been a couple times but driving there I pass five grocery stores. FIVE. Time is of the essence when I’m grocery shopping so I think that’s why I’m not a die-hard Trader Joe’s fan. Or maybe I’ve just never gotten the right stuff?! I’m not sure. I left with goodies for dinner Sunday night-salmon, brussel sprouts, a salad kit, and ravioli {because the package said, “TRUFFLE RAVIOLI”, so I couldn’t resist.}. I also grabbed dinner for last night too. I’ve heard about that Orange Chicken from a ton of people but I’ve gotta say-I’m weird about chicken. #allme So, I’ve always resisted that. But this time I tried it-along with the fried rice.
I also want to add that Bowen’s outfit is what I was trying to document by the picture. He told me red and red {Nixon’s shirt}-it matches! #howcaniarguewiththat
And I’m pretty sure 90% of my town was squashed inside that Trader Joe’s on Sunday afternoon. I ran into two different friends but had to stop talking mid-sentence because my cart was being pushed down the aisle by the current of people! So many people!
If you have something you highly suggest at Trader Joe’s, please share with me! I tried to get the frozen pancakes, but they were sold out. I’d heard great things and they must be good considering #soldout.
Have a great day, friends!
XO
My best Trader Joe's trip is to go early in the morning if you can! There is never anyone there and it's amazing!
Not the healthiest, but their Canadian white bread makes THE BEST toast. The caesar salad dressing is our favorite.
Better luck next time 🙂
What a fantastic weekend!!! We are LOVING volleyball over here!! Rules or no rules, we think Coach Slaughter has it together!! K is having a BLAST!!
The orange chicken!!!! It's so good. It's one of my family's favorites, and such a quick and easy dinner on a busy night. I keep the sauce on the side because my kids prefer to dip (and it's a little spicy). Also, their tortillas and taco shells are our favorites. Try the reduced guilt guacamole, their fresh pico de Gallo, and their tortilla chips. We eat them every week and the kids love them for an after school snack.
If you're s thin mint fan, you have to try the mini mint stars cookies! They're delicious. You can find them during the holidays – usually on a shelf in the frozen section!
My fav Trader Joe’s item is their tea tree tingle shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. It’s $3.99, smells so good, and has tea tree oil in it which is supposed to deter lice. I make my kids wash with it every night! Though i use different shampoo/conditioner on my hair, i do love their body wash!
What a fun weekend, friend!!! There are just so many fun things to comment on! My favorite is Coach Slaughter! I know that your team is having so much fun!!
I will say again how impressed I am with the fact that you volunteered to coach. And now I'm also impressed with your volleyball skills in high school!!! I cried during the volleyball units in elementary school because it hurt to bump the ball. Seriously. 🙂
Everything from TJ’s is great! I stick up on snacks for the kiddos (& the hubs & me)! Also as a former volleyball player turned coach, it comes back..quickly too, because the game is so fast! I love seeing those sweet girls playing my favorite sport! What a fun, busy weekend!!!
It's true you can't get everything you need on a weekly basis at TJ's so what I've learned to do is make a once/month list and go on a weekday morning. They have little carts my preschooler loves to push as well as lollipops, stickers and samples. It's his favorite errand ; )
Here is what I get every month: meatballs and creamy tomato basil sauce, hummus, mini frozen pizzas (they pack great for lunches), some kind of cookie, condiments (syrup, ketchup, salsa), Greek chicken (for a quick weeknight dinner), cinnamon raisin bread, fruity-Os cereal, milk, yogurt and crackers. They also have the best seasonal stuff and I treat myself to some kind of plant or flower because they're always so pretty and cheap. Happy shopping!
I love TJ’s Japanese fried rice, honey walnut shrimp, and a bunch of their “meatless” stuff. Love that you’re coaching! How special for the girls.
The only cereal bars my kids will eat are their "A strawberry walked into a bar" or whatever fruit you choose. Their turkey meatballs are great for kids, veggie sticks, white cheddar corn puffs, marinara sauce but my all time favorite is their garlic olive oil! I put it on all veggies that I roast. SO GOOD!
The frozen rice (sounds weird I know)! It microwaves in 3 minutes and is seriously so fluffy and good and you can get white or brown – a MUST BUY if your family likes rice!
Oh baby dedication is so sweet! Britt is so blessed to be apart of your precious little family!
We love their frozen chicken tenders, burrito bowls, turkey meatballs, and mini pancakes. Their oatmeal, cereal bars and their chocolate chip dunkers are also staples at our house!
How was the TJ Orange Chicken and Fried Rice? I'm super picky about my chicken too. And, I love seeing pics of your family and reading what y'all are up to every day. That stroller thing happens to me All.Of.The.Time!! It doesn't balance right with the bag on the back! 😉
I'm gonna have to try all these things people are mentioning!! 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻 I got the fried rice and thought it was delicious and so easy! I also got the honey walnut shrimp and it was so yummy. That's what I ate because I'm picky about chicken. Ha! My family all liked the Orange Chicken but I think next time I'll add my own chicken to the fried rice?? I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's picky! 😉 And someone should add weighted front wheels to umbrella strollers!
Everything But the Bagel Seasoning is the best from TJs. We also love their frozen chocolate croissants. And the firecracker chocolate bar is a fun treat I like to gift to my kids teachers on a random Friday, just because.
Mr. Craig is a big fan of Bowen too!! Although they are both probably not a big fan of me because I'm constantly having to tell Craig to "Stop. Be careful! You can't break him! He's not ours!" That Inspired Chick
Cinnamon raisin bread, the mini salads, the frozen pizzas (esp the mushrooms one), fried rice, tempura battered cauliflower, cauliflower pizza crust, the regular pizza crust, pretzel thins (and the bark ones now), all the dips in the cold section- a great dip is a container of feta, a container of bruschetta, and half the pack of lentils in the cold section- mix and enjoy with their quinoa black bean chips. Corn and black bean enchiladas, the fresh salsa, chicken pharm, frozen cauliflower dip, the stuffed mushrooms, the tuna wraps for on the go lunches, and so much more!! I haven’t had much I didn’t like. Try the samples they always have. They have great ideas there too! Trader Joe’s isn’t the best portions for a big family to be honest. But snacks and lunches for yourself, or the kids would be great!
I love Trader Joe’s! It’s not the best for big families sometimes but there are tons of goodies for kids! You should get the frozen waffles! Also if you love cheese I find that all their gourmet cheeses, sliced cheese, shredded etc is all cheaper than the normal grocery store. Also during Christmas they have all the amazing chocolate, cookies, candies etc! The frozen pizzas are always good too! Try the cereal bars in different flavors. Pasta and raviolis are my go to also. They also sell great ground beef and turkey. Try the body butter and a cozy tea section. I could keep going. Oh and the hummus!! My favorite is the Mediterranean. The pita chips are a steal at $1.99.
Try the frozen pork or chicken dumplings, the frozen cheese and green chile tamales, haricot verts green beans in the produce section, and the peppermint jo-jos (like oreos but better) only around during this season!!!
Gosh, I am so glad you asked this because I have literally googled What to buy at Trader Joes cause I know there are so many cult favorites. My kids adore the cinnamon letter cookies. When I am on my game, I will spell out a word and make them figure it out at lunch. I never know what to get there and I past sooo many other stores including Sprouts that I rarely go. I have heard that there jar tomato sauce is excellent.
Cookie butter – I had never been to TJ before this last summer, but even I had heard about their cookie butter. I bought, wasn't that impressed with it at first, but started eating it on sliced apples as a snack – wowser – so good! Highly recommend!
Some of my main staples are refrigerated pizza crust, cookie butter cookies, hold the cone (mini ice cream cones), brioche (weekend french toast!), green chile cheese tamales, fried rice (I add roasted mushrooms), flavored sparkling water, 21 seasoning salute (so good on just about everything!), everything but the bagel seasoning, spices in general (such a great price), almond butter, pb&j bars..thats all i can remember for now!
The pizza dough for homemade pizzas on the green egg!
Ok, the stroller and your delivery about the stroller made me LOL!!!
AND
Sheaffer's comment about elementary school units with volleyball, along with her delivery about how it hurts also made me LOL!!! Haha
Love both of your blogs!!
It's Christmas time! You're going to need the Candy Cane Joe Joe's and the Honeycrisp Apple Cider!
I love TJ's! Here are some of my favs: http://www.mamachitchat.com/trader-joes-fall-favorites/