POYEL: Meal Planning

from  Modern Parents Messy Kids

Yes, I'm trying to organize portions of my life using Modern Parents Messy Kids tips! I hope to help get my moms house in order & have a system so that one day when I have a place of my own I can just jump right into the system and never have any horrible catching up/back tracking to deal with.

My first project I decided to deal with was our meal planning. My mom gets home pretty late from work and we tend to sit around saying 'what do you want for dinner?' ... 'I don't know, what do you want?' over and over until deciding on some fast food that is less healthy & more expensive in the long run. 

I bought my mom a nice dry erase board meal planner last mother's day and it works great... when we use it. So, using ideas & tips from MPMK I created a simple meal plan with materials I already had!

pieces of foam that had been already cut for a GS project

glued the pieces together 'fashionably'

wrote the name of the meal, 

all ingredients needed for shopping 

& even the category of food it falls under

Finally, stuck a magnet on the back and made more magnets with each day of the week so they wouldn't permanently be stuck to something & I could move them anywhere on the fridge.

I made about 32 different meals and can add more when we want. Each week we'll go through the pile [which we store in a container on the side of the fridge] and put them at each day even leaving blank days for leftovers. Then we go through each meal and create a shopping list for the items we don't have. 

Also, we made a few pieces for eating out but made a rule to only eat fast food about twice a month.

Anyway, so that is how we organized our meal planning/shopping! Thanks, MPMK ! ! !

David's Bridal

she rang the bell

{Jen with the bell}

Today Aunt Debbie {MOB} , Jen, my mom {COB} and I {MOH} went to David's Bridal to begin our search for Jen's dream wedding dress!

MOH Emergency Pack

Already being considered the 'soccer mom' of the family [at only 19, and childless] I had to live up to my expectations as {MOH} ! I prepared my "MOH Emergency Pack" filled with the following items:

☆ Notebook & Pen [ to take notes on each dress to review later ]

☆ Water Bottles

☆ Hair Tie & Bobby Pins [ in case she wanted to put her hair up ]

☆ Tissues [ for the unavoidable tears ]

☆ Camera & Extra Battery [ I asked DB to make sure photos were allowed ]

☆ Mints & Crackers

☆ Ibuprofen [ in case the busy DB, or stress, gave anyone a headache ]

☆ Band-aids [ these are in every emergency kit I make... ya never know ]

I also pack a few less serious items like...

☆ A Compass to help lead her to the right dress

☆ A Photo of our grandmother to 'sit on her shoulder' and keep her company

☆ A Nail File in case she got bored

☆ A Lucky Penny

Finally, I printed out this guide on silhouettes for her to review in the car, or while waiting...

{jennasaisquois.blogspot.com}

So, we heard about DB's big sale [ ends July 23rd ] and decided to be risky & visit the store on a Saturday & with no appointment. Luckily, upon hearing Jen's close & upcoming date, they were able to slip her in at the first no-show appointment! We waited approximately five minutes after filling out the proper forms where anyone else probably would have needed to return another day!

{COB} saved our seats at the mirror while our Saleswoman took Jen, {MOB} & I around the store picking out a swatch, shoes, and multiple dresses within our budget to try on. Jen began with 2 dresses to try on. The very first one she came out in drew tears from all of our eyes. She looked stunning! 

After trying on the second dress, and not being impressed, she didn't even want to continue. She fell in love with the first dress and HAD to have it! 

Here's {MOB} & moi tearing up: I blurred out our faces so I wouldn't get yelled at by {MOB} ;)

{you know it's beautiful when everyone cries}

Something I never knew: the dress itself is one price, then ALL of the stuff you wear underneath the dress just continues to rack up the price, oh boy!

&&& 

P.S. >> Despite the nasty reviews we heard about the saleswomen at our DB, we went for the sale & everyone was very nice to us. We had a fantastic day/visit.

Tradition:

I'm not sure if it's a DB tradition or just a wedding dress tradition in general, BUT they told us that it is tradition that once you choose the dress you put it back on and ring a bell in the dress! I'll post a video of her ringing the bell once the wedding is over {that way I don't ruin the surprise of the dress}

We bought the dress after testing out a few bridesmaid dresses to narrow down our options for when Brittney & Caitlin come shopping with Jen & I. The one we all loved {and looked great on me} was far too much $$$ so later, while shopping for shoes & dresses for {MOB} and {COB}, we tried on a few more styles that were a little bit cheaper.

After DB we all went to McAllister's for lunch & laughed & had a wonderful time...even though Jen messed up {MOB}'s lunch & she will never live it down

 -{MOB}:
'I wanted potato salad'

Also, found THE CUTEST, most comfortable/unreasonably tall & expensive heels at Macy's: Sorry for the blurry photo & awkward angle...

{MOH} ~ Maid of Honor

{MOB} ~ Mother of the Bride

{CAB} ~ Carol of the Bride [ lol, my mom didn't like AOB, Aunt of the Bride ]

Hello to all of you Aunt Of the Bride's aka {*insert initial here*OB}

You may feel a tad useless or helpless seeing as there really doesn't seem like there is a position or task list for the Aunt! BUT have no fear, {COB} is here to convince you otherwise & give you helpful tips & ideas!

While she wasn't directly involved in all that we were doing, she definitely helped by:

☆ Saving our seats in front of the mirror

☆ Becoming our chauffeur for the day & taking us to all of the stores

☆ Buying lunch

These seemingly small tasks made a big difference! Of course, she was there as emotional support as well. She had to be there to give her opinion on the dresses & help search for shoes as well as bridesmaid dresses. 

Last but not least, just like the {MOH} is the right hand gal for the Bride, the Aunt is the same for her sister {MOB}! 

{COB} will continue to share how she helps as Aunt of the Bride all along this journey :) So stay tuned...

Maid of Honor

{ lol, I just had to }

Jen came over for a quick visit & popped the question to me about being her Maid of Honor. I won't lie, I totally teared up & eagerly accepted! The other two Bridesmaids are going to be her friend Caitlin from college & Chris' sister Brittney. I'm excited to begin my duties as {MOH}

I will totally be the best {MOH} ever

P.S. >> Justin Bieber parody about being {MOH} coming soon to a Youtube near you... 

Wedding Psychic

{Jen & Chris}

Congratulations to my cousin Jennifer and her fiancé Chris! He proposed with candles & such the night before her birthday and she said YES. I wish them all the luck & joy in the world. I'm writing this post because I definitely predicted this happening.

Lately I've been wedding crazy for no apparent reason. Now, I'm only 19 and I have no intentions of getting married soon (or even when I'm Jen's age) but it's so fun to dream! [I'm also in no rush to grow up] With Pinterest it's easy to get carried away pinning all of your dreams onto a board and looking at it over and over again.

Being so excited, yet too young, for marriage... I thought one night to text Jennifer saying: "You need to get married soon! I want to help plan a glorious wedding!" Haha... I decided against it, and a day later she was showing me the beautiful ring on her finger. Am I psychic? Um, HECK YES!

Anyway, with all the excitement Jen & I sat down on Pinterest and she shared some of her dreams / ideas with me. Through this conversation I realized how different we are when it comes to the way we picture our big day.

I won't go into detail. If you'd like to see my dreams for my future wedding you can click the link below to see my 'Someday' Pinterest board. ★

'Someday' Pinterest Board

P.S. I would love to see / hear anyone who actually reads' ideas for their dream wedding! Whether you've already had it or not! Leave a comment with your ideas or even a link to your Pinterest board!

Ingrid Michaelson

"piggy bank on the floor"

Time to blog about the super-exciting & super-cute double-date to the Ingrid Michaelson concert! Spurlock&Katelyn and Me&Anthony ventured into a sea of people at a tiny bar in Charlotte. As expected, the majority of the crowd were women, what we didn't expect is that they were mostly lesbians. Must be the strong female figure attitude that Ingrid has and shows all the time. Anyway, we had a blast! I drove to pick up Anthony in the afternoon and we raced 2 and 1/2 hours back in the rain to get there on time! Here are some dinky little photos:

{me & aj}

{good thing I had him to lift me up}

{Ingrid}

{You & I}

Let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France

Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance

Let's get rich and build a house on a mountain makin' everybody look like ants

From way up there,

You & I

     You & I 

{sorry, no pix of spur & kate :b }

Hilariously, Ingrid & her band went off stage after singing *we found love in a hopeless placeeee* which OBVIOUSLY isn't one of hers. We all looked confused [Anthony had fallen asleep standing up behind me anyway & didn't notice]. She did come back to sing 'You and I' [aka the reason I started listening to her] as well as that chain song.

Twas a wonderful night that ended in Anthony carrying my new converse while I walked barefoot to the car in the pouring rain... he yelled at me for being 'reckless' but I enjoyed every minute of the rain [and the defiance, hehe]

SO, p.s. :

 

{this is one of the next shows coming to the bar, lol}

Finals

stress

[credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

      Yes, it is that time of the semester. Finals. These two weeks may actually lead to my extinction. I'm drowning in stress. Luckily, today I'm 4 finals down with only 2 remaining. I've taken my Physics Lab Final. I've had a semesters worth of reading, personal, and class journals, along with all of the information for my 4 writing assignments due this past Monday for English. All in the same day I had my Theatre exam. Today, at the crack of dawn [ actually 8 am ], I spent an agonizing few hours taking my Physics exam. Quite possibly one of the worst experiences of college thus far [ not like I've been in college long ]. All week I've been in and out of the library (and consciousness) studying for this mornings final. I've actually been so nervous & stressed for this exam that when I laid down for bed last night, my heart was racing. It still is. I'm not sure if it'll slow down until after school finishes!  

     I've had lots of help and support from my friends and family. So, thank you to everyone for being here for me when I needed you :) If only they could make all the worrying go away! I need to put those thoughts aside for now so that I have the energy to focus on studying for French and Astronomy. Astronomy sounds easy & fun right? That's what I thought when signing up for the class. Well, Astrology is the study of the constellations and fun things in the sky, whereas Astronomy is the study of all things in the universe :| Yeah, not so fun. Anyway, I think all students are under a great deal of stress and yet we're supposed to keep a smile on our faces? UGH... 

Nervously waiting for Final Grades. Wish me luck, I definitely need it ★

Five Must-Haves to Help Relieve Stress:

☆ Friends & Family

       Purpose:

           -to support & love you

           -to distract you with something fun

           -to vent to (they will listen, just try to not do it too much)

☆ Music

       Purpose:

           -it's a mind-numbingly fun activity

           -peaceful music can calm you down

           -hardcore music can release pent up energy & stress

☆ Hobby

       Purpose:

           -to distract your mind

           -still being productive & engaging your mind

           -I personally de-stress by playing my guitar

☆ Shower

       Purpose:

           -sometimes all you need is a hot relaxing shower to do some 

            deep thinking about something other than your studies!

☆ Sleep

       Purpose:

           -your body will need the rejuvenation 

           -dreams allow your mind to escape from

              your real life problems forever a night

           -make sure you're already a little de-stressed before laying down

             or else your brain will never shut off and you could be awake

             all night or even give yourself horribly-scary nightmares! :O

[ Note: I apologize for the sloppy writing and delay between posts. My brain is fried (see below) ]

Library Madness

studying

{ credit }

Over this past week I have been experiencing so much frustration with Blogger. I have written and scheduled blogs for this entire past week and none of them have posted! Blogger wouldn't even let me edit them. I'll be surprised if this post actually publishes, but if it does, please know that I will try and fix this all soon and those posts will be up as soon as I can get them to cooperate. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to fiddle with it as classes have just ended for the semester and the dreaded finals week has arrived. Today I had a nice break from studying and was able to go to the ROTC cook-out with my friends for a few hours. Keenan's dad makes amazing things on the grill. I am currently in the library, back to studying and wishing I could still be at the detachment with everyone else :b Well, must get back to killing myself with physics! I have until 8 o'clock am on Saturday to study and re-do homework problems! Wish me luck and keep an eye out for my delayed posts ★

Identity Crisis

changes...

I have a long list of things to do to this blog before I'll feel satisfied enough to begin passing the link around to my friends & family. Unfortunately, classes are really baring down on me since the end of the semester is getting closer and closer. I wish I had at least an hour or two a day just to make small changes and begin making my blog look unique. My first frustration is the name. Life Through My Blue Eyes seems so common to me. Every spare chance I am thinking of something I can claim as my own. I know that the limits are endless, but I feel so helplessly limited.

I began writing this post before coming up with the new name "Chaque Belle Fleur" { French for each beautiful flower }. It was this very picture that I made {see above} that opened my mind to the possibilities of naming my blog in French. After all, French is my favorite the best language. I was also inspired by this picture of my adorable niece that I wanted to use for my favicon. 

{ click for how to create your own favicon }

Once I was satisfied with the name, I attempted altering my template, theme, etc. Ultimately I am proud & content with how much I was able to transform my blog. I have a lot of work I need to do before I will be truly happy. 

 { Before }

&

{ After }

Here's to blogging & perfectionism ★

How-to: Blogger Favicon

{ mine }

This post is a how-to on making your own favicon. The favicon is the really tiny icon that shows up on the internet tab, or when your page is added to the favorite bar. The image must be less than 100KB and square. Here are five easy steps to creating your own favicon:

You may need to double-click on the images to enlarge & clarify them.

Step One: Go to www.favicon.cc

Step Two: "Import Image" or draw

Step Three: Preview & Download

Step Four: Edit Blogger Layout

Step Five: Edit Favicon & Upload

~Note: Don't forget to save!~

★ Voila,

Your very own favicon.

How does it look?

Friday's Letters

Dear Boyfriend, I hope we get a chance to talk tonight. We've both been so busy this week, but I have good news to share with you!
Dear Macbook & Internet, why are you so slow? I'm sending you to a support group. asap.
Dear Photoshop & Blogger, why are you being so cruel? Please start working for me soon?
Dear Easter Candy, today i will finish you. Say so long to ya peeps.
Dear Dorm Room, I'm saying this because I love you: you're a mess, you need to get yourself together before the semester ends.
Dear Brother,  I can't wait until you get out of school today & call me. I miss you so much!

 ★ Avec Amour, 

Britt

Spoiled

good behavior gets reward

bad behavior gets punishment

When I'm not studying my brains out { or hanging out with my friends }, I'm working at a pretty popular little girls' clothing store [approx. ages 8-14]. Not telling which store of course, but I really love the place & the girls that come through. Working at this store is fun for a few reasons: 1) It fulfills my OCD urge. My room will never be as tidy as I make the racks & panty table   2) I love helping the customers [young girls] pick out outfits & accessories!   3) The ladies I work with are super nice & I happen to secretly look up to a few of them   4) I get paid [notice how this is at the end of my list]

Today a tall, blonde, young-ish mother & her four year old daughter came in... the following conversation carried on throughout the entire store:

Little Girl: "Mommy, what's this"

Mother: "I don't know"

Little Girl: "Can I have it?"

Mother: "No London, put it back"

*picks up random object without looking*

Little Girl: "Can I have this?" 

It was adorable & disturbing all at the same time. By the time the pair made it to the cash register, London had gotten her way with quite a few things. TGFC { Thank God For Clearance }. I wondered if London had earned what her mother bought her, or if she was just spoiled. After all, they were shopping for a different daughter.

now here's me...

      Technically I am an only child and therefore can admit to being mildly spoiled as a child { arguably even now, depending on perspective }, but something my mother always stressed to me was that if you want something you have to work for it.

Supportive Anecdotes:

☆ My mom has always gone by the rule "good behavior gets reward & bad behavior gets punishment." Now, unfortunately, I only ever heard that line when I had misbehaved & she was saying "no" to something I desired. She hardly said it when I was actually being rewarded for doing something good, but that's not to say that my good deeds went unnoticed.

☆ Something to know about me: I am very stubborn { always have been in the past, but working on reducing the intensity for my future}. While learning to potty train I would become extremely enraged when I used the big girl potty and my mother replied with a "good girl." I would yell back:

 "I'm not doing it for you or because you said so. I'm doing it because I want to and I'm supposed to !" 

 Strange right? Well since verbal praising only brought out the little devil in me, my mom would reward me with a sticker for each success. I knew that I had to work for that sticker.

Yes, this story was about potty training with stickers & a little girl asking for candy & random toys...
but, it's these small examples that serve as lessons for this girl & I.

                   My Lesson                                     Her Lesson
             If I do what I'm told                       If I whine, beg & cry,
                  then I will be                              then I will be given
              properly rewarded                               what I want
               for my hard work                              for no reason


~Note: This is only based on what I saw & my assumptions & generalizations of other people deemed "spoiled." London may or may not have been spoiled, I'm not the judge~

I can only thank my mother for the lessons she has taught me {whether I realized they were lessons or not}. Thanks Mom ★

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

10 Things Learned on Thursday

{ at work }

1) Being exactly on time -- by the second-- is exciting ^o^

2) Sometimes you've got to do that one dirty job nobody wants

3) Try & have fun while doing that one job... it'll go by quicker!

4) Every detail counts! {candy @ the counter must be perfect}

5) Some children seem spoiled... and some really are!

6) Never eat food while shopping... esp round candy {poor employees}

7) Trash compactors are smelly

8) Pasta + Concrete = Slippery {& yucky on your shoes}

9) Panty arrangement within 1 hour of closing will result in failure

10) Elderly women are best at detecting a genuine smile or a fraud

Lesson{s} Learned.

Wednesday Want

exotic shorthair cat

Look at that face. Those big eyes, that squished in nose, and that furiously evil stare -> actually signs of a loving cat. The exotic shorthaired cat has the disposition of Persian cats and are extremely affectionate {Weetzie's Cat Emporium}. I'm really not even a fan of cats. I've had a cat named Belle for a long time now, but...

 {I mean look at her... ha...}

I'm semi-joking, I do love her, but once Miley came around she definitely became a little less attractive to me. Plus, she's not an exotic shorthair! Originally, upon finding a strip of photos of this cat taking a bath in a bucket {see below}, I was filled with joy & excitement. I immediately showed all of my friends & claimed that it was "the cutest cat that has ever existed." In response, my friend Mike says "except it's not real," and by the end of the discussion I had been convinced that my dream cat was potentially just a photoshopped stuffed animal. 

{something that cute & Gremlin-like couldn't be real, right?}

Well, thanks to Google {& my friend Alette}, I found out the cat does exist! As stated, it is an exotic shorthair. 

Soon after finding out the truth, but after rubbing it in Mike's face, I rushed to Anthony & explained that if he buys me this cat that I will love it & him forever... little does he know that I will love him regardless of my ownership of said cat. Still, I believe the statement could work in my favor. So much want ★

~Note: If this cat existed, I would own it & love it forever as well~

Beagle Love

i miss my bagel

Beagle that is. I have an almost five year old Beagle & Miniature-Beagle mix named Miley. It's days like today & yesterday that make me wish I had her here to give me hugs&kisses. If I could sneak that little tub of lard into my dorm I would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately it would be pointless because she would have to sleep on the floor {if I can barely get on my bed, then it is an impossible challenge for her stubby little legs} and she would howl at all the druggies outside & immediately give herself away. 

After having to put the family dog Abby down a few weeks ago, I've truly been wishing to be able to cherish these years with my pup. Abby has always been here for me. As a child she would listen to my secrets {literally} and lick my legs dry after stepping out of the shower. I hope she is having a wonderful time in heaven <3   I'm doubtful that when I graduate from college that my mother will allow me to take Miley away, and that'd be so wrong of me to do. Honestly, I'd love to kidnap purchase Diamond from my Aunt...

^ Bunny Bobby {aka BooBoo or Bobby}

 but frankly that is a joke to even pretend. {cue the laughter from Aunt Debbie} The most I can get from the little chihuahua is a few sleepovers where I attempt to get some good footage for Ultra-Miley episodes & she doesn't co-operate. Eventually the night ends with her annoying me in my sleep by curling up in the most awkward positions I've ever seen any dog attempt. 

I'll be home soon baby ★

Perry's Assassination

oh there you are perry

This morning started out bad and I should have taken the signs to not go to class. The daily leaf blower was out again at eight o’clock in the morning. After hitting the snooze button twice and trying to sleep through the noise, I quickly popped my head out into the hall and listened if anyone was in the shower. Sure enough, it was running. After trials and errors of three people showering, I finally just stood at the door & jumped in the second I got a chance. It was a nice shower. A quick one though. I blow dried my hair, and by the time I was doing my make-up, at only 9:07, our neighbors were ready to walk to class and standing agitated in the hall. I took my good sweet time getting ready, I was not going to rush my morning for them. If they were in that much of a rush then they could have left me. I put my backpack on and still had multiple items to pickup in my room, but I took one step towards the door and they walked away. I quickly grabbed my breakfast, keys, phone and of course forgot my sunglasses. 

The walk was not very pleasant and I got to class too early. The upside was that the boy next to me told me a funny story about his Twitter, but I still should have never gotten out of bed. At 9:51, my life ended. I always keep my cell phone next to me on the desk on vibrate, but being in such a rush this morning I forgot to turn the sound off. SO, when an anonymous number* sent me a text message, Perry the Platypus blasted his chatter to the full room of approximately 105 people. Eighty percent of their heads turned around and all I did was stare back with wide guilty eyes. 

People giggled and looked confused. I should have turned around too and acted as if the noise had come from behind me. It would have worked, I was sitting at the very back. I was very cautious not to touch my phone and reveal myself to some who were still possibly clueless of the culprit. I needed to turn the sound off though so it wouldn’t happen again. Because it was very loud in this quiet quiet room. The teacher definitely heard and I was sure if she heard it again that she would say something. I slowly and casually reached for it, then frantically turned to volume down. I wanted to throw my phone in the trash and hide my face behind my sadly only thirteen inch mac. 

The worst part: I could barely hold back my laughs. All I could think of is how my roommate would react when I told her the story & laughed until I cried. I eventually realized that this situation was far too serious to laugh at right now and my face became as “normal” as I could make it.

*Text wasn't even important. It was a spam text about buying & selling mattresses :| LMK if you're interested! {sarcasm}

&that's the time Perry the Platypus embarrassed me to death ★

Brouhaha

push button for drama

This video makes me giggle! I would love to come across a button that spawns drama. {as if I don't have enough in my life already}

My life at this current moment in time could be turned into an award winning soap opera. Okay, maybe not award winning, but I'm sure I'd get a few views! I'm becoming overwhelmed and exhausted with the amount of drama that my first year of college has brought me. {not going to get into any of it because I would like this blog to stay positive like I am trying to do!} Thinking of the three years to come, I'm hoping that this year was just a transition year and brought the worst that college has in store for me. Looking at my calendar I see four little taunting weeks left until summer. Four. Two of those weeks are finals which means that I only have to go through each of my classes four more times. It's these four weeks that cause my emotions to run wild and bring about four unique emotions.

     I'm ecstatic because school will end, summer will be here, and I can go back to my family&friends&boyfriend,when he's on vacation, who I've missed so much.

     I'm depressed because my Air Force friends {Keenan, Mike, Jason} are all commissioning and going far far away places.

     I'm stressed due to all of the work that needs finishing, not to mention studying for finals will clearly consist of all nighters in the library.

     I'm hopeful that every bit of drama that exists right now will work out the way that it is meant to be.

I have no choice than to enjoy this time I have & push forward with my studies. Some day I will be wishing it all back ★