Christmas Ornaments and traditions

It was so fun to get our Christmas decorations out with the kids this year. Vienna told me many times that she remembered certain ones so things are already becoming nostalgic for her! I love it!! Last year I wrote about some traditions that we do so if you click HERE you can see that post. But another thing I do is buy the kids one Christmas tree ornament a year. I've gotten them personalized ones but if I buy generic ones, I use a perm marker to put their name and date on the bottom. I pack all their ornaments away and keep them together each year with a sheet of paper describing the ornament and why I bought it. That way we can look back and remember easily. When the kids are older and move out, they will each have their own set of tree ornaments.
I got this idea from the Williams years ago and have since heard of other families doing it. Seems like a simple but great tradition to have going. And the kids LOVE going throught THEIR ornaments and putting them on the tree. Just look at their faces:

Moved. Thanksgiving.

We moved from our little 3 bedroom home to a larger 4 bedroom in preparation of Baby Newman 3. We closed on Nov.23rd, the Monday before Thanksgiving! I had it in my head to set up the house and get things in order quickly so I could focus on the holidays. Sadly, I got super sick and couldn't do as much as I wanted to. Thankfully I had some wonderful help and my house is set up well enough to live it, but we have a lot more stuff than I realized! Yikes! And filling new spaces requires thought. I don't want to just rush and put stuff up and change my mind later. So I am now calmer and just enjoying the ride. Helps that I'm feeling better!

On Wednesday, my mother-in-law came to visit and stayed until Saturday morning. She helped with the cooking, dishes, kids and even unpacked for me. She was a great help and we all enjoyed having her here. Thanksgiving was just with us and it was tasty and overall a great time.

That's all for now. Just wanted to check in and say HI to my bloggy friends. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Olive Garden's Pasta E Fagioli

I have an amazing recipe that is super easy and tastes like the soup for the restaurant!
If you can fry up ground beef, chop carrots and celery and open canned goods, then you NEED TO MAKE THIS!!! This recipe is beyond easy and oh so delish! I got it from a friend thru topsecretrecipes.com. I couldn't copy/paste the recipe but go to the site to see it and print it. Click on "recipes" on the left and do a search for "paste e fagioli".
Enjoy!
We will tonight!!! :o)

Pregnancy stuff on which blog?

When I had something to say about my pregnancy, I didn't know whether to put it on this blog or my kids' blog. I think if it relates to the baby specifically, it'll go on the Newman Kids blog, and if it's about my pregnancy in general, the post belongs here. Kinda confusing but makes sense to me. Just wanted to share that.
I posted something earlier on my other blog but wanted to share here that we'll find out the gender around 20 weeks. I previously said I would reveal it in my annual Christmas newsletter but unless I am really late getting them out (which is possible with my move), I may not do that.
So that's the latest on that. Check out my other blog by clicking here.

Meal Planning

I am not a cook at heart but man I love to eat! It is rather overwhelming for me to figure out what to cook for my family without it being the same thing over and over. I have returned to meal planning.

It's also good to help with our budget and to curb unnecessary spending. AND Jay's started doing the grocery shopping for me! (He's always picked things up, but I've always gotten the big orders.) He is a great husband, but I really need to know what I need in advance for him to do this!

I started using my meal planning system again and thought I'd share. I start with categories like: meat, chicken, crockpot, pasta, soup and/or sandwich, ethnic night (usually Indian or Mexican), seafood, an easy night like chicken strips, or pizza.

I don't assign specific meals to the days of the week but use this form because it helps me organize my meal ideas, write out the ingredients I need and it's pretty. :o)

As I go thru my cookbooks and magazines, I put the meals I want that week under the category in which they fit. I used to put down how long each recipe took too so I had a clue when I woke up in the morning what time to start things. And I'd put the cookbook and page # if necessary.

This is a little messy because I wasn't planning on posting it but I wanted to include a photo for you. It's a great little system for us and it helps knowing when 2 meals need sour cream or cheese so food doesn't go to waste. I cross things off as I cook them.

The last thing I do is write down what we had for supper on my kitchen calendar. If we eat out, the day gets an X. This is a good visual of what I've made and keeps me feeling motivated.

Hope it might help someone if you're struggling with the same things as me!

Red jelly beans

I really like red jelly beans. It's a shame the bags have those yucky green and yellow ones in them. I'd love a bag of red only jelly beans. But then again... if I only had red, I'd get bored with them and probably wouldn't like them as much. I wouldn't savor finally having a red one after eating yucky ones.
I think this can be a good analogy for life. Illness... weather... bad moods...
I am eating an orange one now. That means it's not so bad but not as good as red. And not as bad as yellow.
Just sharing a Mary analogy today. :o)

A baby in there? 15 weeks.

I receive weekly e-updates on my pregnancy. I posted the text below. What I can't get over is that my baby is 4 inches long and the gender is visible this week! But I haven't felt the baby move yet. I can't believe there is this little life inside of me! Just wild!!!!
I hope to find out the gender around 19 or 20 weeks which is standard for my OB's office. Then I will reveal it in my annual Christmas Newman Newsletter.

----from babycenter.com-----
How your baby's growing: Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")