I menu plan every week. I don’t typically blog about it and list what I am making, but I have been menu planning for a long time and try and stick to it every week. My biggest challenge always comes with remembering to defrost the meat.
Such was the case on Wednesday night. I had chicken on the menu and at about 4 realized I hadn’t defrosted anything. So I grabbed our chicken breasts and filled the sink with cool water to defrost. The weather was gorgeous and after like a month of miserable rain, we take every advantage of the sun. So I grabbed the kids and the stroller and we decided to walk down to my parents house. I knew the chicken would be thawed when we got home just in time for dinner.
We loved the walk and loved the sunshine. We kind of lost track of time outside and my hubby actually beat us home. He wanted to run so I told him to go for a quick one while the kids and I made our way back home. Home just in time to see that while we were gone all the water had drained out of the sink and all I had left were two quite frozen chicken breasts.
Blerg. At that point it was 6 and I didn’t know what to punt with. We could have probably been creative, but I am trying to detox from sugar and carbs to my options are slim to none. So I gave into the kids begging and we headed out to Wendy’s. I was disappointed and frustrated and dealing with a crazy coming down off sugar headache. Frankly, just not fit to be out in public.
My kids beg for happy meals every time we eat fast food. It is a rarity these days they even get to eat it and even rarer I give in and spend the extra on junky trinkets that I am desperately trying to purge from my house. But the smart folks at Wendy’s were offering kids meals for $1.99 so the hubby and I gave in. They acted like we took them to Disney. Clearly we lead riveting lives (I mean, really, I have written 375 words about a pointless evening in my week!).
Anyway we sat down and my kids were thrilled and shared their nuggets and fries with the little guy. We laughed and talked about our day. We managed to make lemonade when handed some lemons.
But nothing compared to the warming of my heart when a sweet older lady sitting next to us got up to leave. She leaned over and said to me, “My, your kids seem to really love each other.” What an incredible gift she gave me. A gift I will reopen on many days when I feel like I am doing nothing right and my kids are determined to annoy each other.
I am going to spend the rest of this week looking for a chance to pass this blessing on it. Cause the voice that tells us we are a horrible mom and that we are doing it all wrong and the voice that tells us that everyone in the store is looking at us and judging us while our kid throws a tantrum? That voice is so much louder. I am going to drown it out with the voice of that sweet old lady.
This post is linked up to Amy’s Finer Things because telling a mama she is doing a good job? There aren’t too many things finer.
