What Worked This Week

New thing I'm trying here on Wednesdays: sharing what worked in my life in the past week. It's been kind of fun for me to notice the things that work instead of obsessing over the things that didn't. And hopefully you'll find some things to check out or consider as I share.

Ham and Vegetable Soup with cornbread. I could live off this stuff and pretty much did last week. I felt very savvy using the leftover ham bone from our Christmas Eve dinner and making another meal from it. Martha White Buttermilk mix is my favorite cornbread. I've tried so many and this is consistently the best.

Guarding my Mondays. When school started back last week I didn't schedule anything or make any commitments on that Monday. I didn't answer the phone either. Instead I hunkered down and got stuff done. Mondays are my days to get back on top of my game after a relaxed weekend. It's a day to hit the ground running and get a handle on my week before it gets away from me. Though it's not always possible, I'm always glad when I guard my Mondays.

Easy Lunchboxes. These were my way to add some pizazz to my kids returning to school after break. We spent the first semester Trying All The Breads so we weren't having the same old sandwich. We did pita and rye and bagels and tortillas-- all filled with different varieties and combos. But now they are over sandwiches so these bento boxes are a fun diversion. They're having a much happier time thinking of ways to fill them. I am very glad I got these, and so are they.

This devotion book has been the perfect way to start my mornings in this new year. I like that it offers short but deep devotions with verses to read as well. I like having direction each morning and this offers just the right amount.

Eating clean. I am back on the healthy eating bandwagon but not entirely cutting out grains. I'm liking Udi's Granola-- particularly the Vanilla kind-- it has significantly less sugar, and tastes great. Some granola with some almond milk is a good, quick breakfast on days I just am not in the mood for (yet another) egg.

A date with my son on Saturday am. He's 12 and agreed to go to the screening of Paddington with me and then to lunch. We both ended up loving the movie, enjoyed a nice lunch, and topped it off with a trip to the art supply store so he could spend a gift card he got for Christmas. He's recently gotten into drawing and it's so fun to see him invest in something that is not electronic. I definitely recommend Paddington-- cute, cute, cute, and funny and heartwarming. If you've got kids, make a point to catch this movie when it starts on Friday.