Bay Morning Routine!

Good morning everyone!

Today we are talking about MORNING ROUTINE! Now, I’m a stay at home momma of three munchkins (for those that don’t know!) We have Tayler who is almost 8 years old and in the 2nd grade. She was diagnosed with nonverbal Autism in 2015 and we have been on that roller coaster of a journey since! Then we have Quinn who is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. She’s my little helper and such a loving little soul. And last is Lucas. He is 4 years old and is not in school yet. We tried to get him enrolled in Preschool, but the way his birthday is, he wasn’t 4 at the beginning of the school year, so he will start Preschool next year (and I’ll be home alone, say what?)

Our morning routine usually starts around 7:30. The kids were REALLY easy to get out of bed this morning because everyone slept GREAT last night!! Makes for an A PLUS morning for Momma!

I get all of the munchkins up and we start doing breakfast talk. It varies constantly on what everyone wants... so the debate sometimes continues for about 10 minutes. Today, this was the verdict:

Tayler- toast
Quinn- Mac and Cheese (yes, you read that right LOL)
Lucas- Peanut butter and jelly

What can I say? My children take after their mother. I don’t like breakfast food for breakfast... UNLESS.. it is donuts!

I put the macaroni and cheese on and started on putting dishes away. When I come home from taking the girls to school, I like to have some ‘relax time’ so doing my morning chores while they’re all still here really helps with that!

Next: breakfast for Lucas! That peanut butter and jelly sandwich he absolutely loves! And of course, we ALWAYS play with legos in the morning, even if it means putting our breakfast on hold for a few minutes ;)

Then, it is TOAST time for Tayler! This is one of the only things this girl eats! And she just loves it! I make 4 pieces for lunch AND at the same time, pack 4 pieces for her to take to lunch... along with popcorn (another favorite) and a capri sun!

And while working on breakfast, the kids hang out in the  living room reading, watching 'Shot of the Yeagers,' and enjoying some LAVENDER essential oils. Try to keep it as calm as possible in the morning- we want good, peaceful days at school AND home!

And after our lavender is diffusing, we turn worship music on the Alexa in the kitchen. As I'm packing back packs, making breakfast, etc. - it really helps me have a relaxed spirit- especially with how anxious I get!

And Quinn's Mac and Cheese is FINALLY done!!! She was so excited! LOL  I couldn't believe she wanted this for breakfast, but she begged us last night to go to Dollar General and get some just for breakfast!

Next is Mommy's turn for breakfast: Cocoa Krispies and coffee! In my favorite bowl and favorite cup!

After breakfast: it is vitamin time! Mom and Dad got these vitamins for the kids and I absolutely love them! They get two a day and has one serving of fruits and vegetables in each vitamin! Perfect for the start of a school day!

After everyone is relaxing before the madness of getting dressed starts: Mommy gets ready! First contacts...

Then a little make up so I look somewhat human, some comfortable clothes, and hair in a ponytail! Basic, simple, but enough to make me feel GOOD. When you struggle with mental health, just these small things help tremendously!

After I get ready: Quinn is first! She is super easy to get dressed... I wait for Tayler til the VERY END. :)

She looked so cute today in her dress and little lularoe leggings- and we paired it with piggy tails! One of my favorite looks on Quinnie!

AAAANNNND, then there's Tayler! The less pleasant child to get dressed in the mornings. As you previously read, she has Autism and she hates getting dressed, getting her hair done, brushing her teeth... she honestly just likes being at home and relaxing, LOL. So any time I have to get her moving early, it is a nightmare as you can hear in our lovely video I posted below. I feel terrible, but she has to go to school, so we just manage through it.

And at 8:49AM, when we need to leave by 8:53, she is still mad as heck at Mom and already took off her shoes and socks. Really heart breaking picture, but this is real life for us. We seem to have it all together in the mornings, but getting Tayler ready is tough on everyone at times. Even her.

Next: "Brush your teeth! Put on your coats! And grab your shoes! Quick- we are running late." EVERY MORNING NO MATTER HOW EARLY WE GET UP :)

 And, we are ready to go!!!!!! At 8:52PM. An hour and a half after waking up... whoo! Think I might need a nap LOL.

And 8:57AM, we are pulling out of our drive way :)

This is the Bay morning routine!

What is it like in your house?

Now mind you- it isn't always like this! Sometimes I have to yell to get them out of the bed, sometimes I struggle with my own mental health (which we have been working on!) BUT, this is how MOST mornings go!

Any part of your morning routine that is your favorite? Any part you absolutely detest?

I love my morning coffee and hearing that music on the Alexa!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Recipes You MUST Try

Julia Child once said-

 "People who love to eat are always the best people."

And if we are being honest here, I love to eat AND cook. Two of my favorite things!

I love scouring Pinterest for days leading up to making an actual grocery list. I love new recipes and I love trying new things (not sure about my children, LOL, but they go along with this crazy ride!)

I thought I would share a few of the things we have made in the Bay house this week.

Saturday night, we had company and I made Italian Sliders. I shared the recipe in my blog yesterday, but today, I'm posting pictures too!

I got this recipe on Pinterest, just modified it a bit to fit our family's tastes.

Here's what you need for Italian Sliders:

Hawaiian rolls
Pepperonis
Salami
Swiss Cheese
Red Pepper Flakes

Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half and place on a baking pan.
I put 2 pepperonis on each side of the roll,
then I placed a folded up piece of giant salami.
And I folded the swiss cheese slices in to fours and put 1 section on each roll.
Topped with red pepper flakes.
And baked in the oven at 350* for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top.

This is a favorite around here! And we always pair it with chips or fries!

Sunday morning, I made our yummy Cheesy Spinach Bagels for breakfast!

Here's what you need for Cheesy Spinach Bagels:

Pack of plain bagels
8oz of cream cheese
Frozen spinach
Pack of Italian Cheese
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt

Cut the bagels in half and place on baking sheet.

In a bowl, place 8oz of cream cheese and microwave until melted down.
Mix together cream cheese, 1 cup of frozen spinach, 1 cup of Italian cheese.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over each bagel half.
Sprinkle more Italian cheese on top followed by some red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and kosher salt.

Bake at 350* for 10 minutes, then broil for about 1-2 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

These make for a WONDERFUL breakfast that you can heat up on the go!

Sunday night,  we had my grandpa's stir fry recipe. It isn't elaborate by any stretch of the imagination, but it is delicious and a favorite around here!

What you need for Chicken Stir Fry:

1 1/2 pounds of chicken
Brown Rice (I do the one for 6 servings)
Green Peppers
Onions
Butter
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Salt

Thaw out the chicken breast, cut in to squares, and cook on stove top with some garlic powder and salt.
Chop up green peppers and red onion (I usually use two of each to make enough for all of us)
Place green peppers and onions in pan with a tablespoon of butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Saute.
Cook 3 cups of brown rice until tender.
When chicken is fully cooked mix with the sautéed green peppers and onions.
Pour mixture over brown rice
And you're ready to go!

One of our favorites around here!

Monday night, I made a new recipe for all of us! Buffalo Chicken Over Sweet Potatoes!

Here's what you need for Buffalo Chicken Over Sweet Potatoes:

1 1/2 pound of chicken breast
Buffalo/Hot Sauce
Sweet Potatoes (I baked 5 for all of  us)
Sour Cream
Cheese

Bake the sweet potatoes at 400* for about 45-60 minutes (until soft)
Cook 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast until cooked fully, add hot sauce.
Cut sweet potatoes in half, pour buffalo chicken over sweet potato.
Top with a cup of Italian cheese, melt down.
Add sour cream and red pepper flakes.

AND,

Monday was President's Day!

Did you have yesterday off of work? Did you do any kind of fun activities?

We woke up and baked cinnamon rolls. This is a STAPLE for days off school in the Bay house! Do you have traditions like that?

Then, we did some President's Day activities.

We sorted pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and talked about each President on the coins.

We also watched a song about all of the Presidents of the USA. It was neat to hear various facts about them!

And we ended the day making American flags. We are proud to live in the United States.

Did your family do anything exciting yesterday??

We hope you enjoyed our blog today!

Stay tuned because tomorrow we talk about- OUR DAILY LIFE!

- Alyssa Bay

Meal Planning On A BUDGET.

Hey everyone and welcome back to Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bays!

Today, we are going to be talking FOOD.

I love planning the grocery list and I thought I would share a little bit of how we do that around this household.

Have any of you ever heard of Instacart? If not- MUST. GOOGLE. NOW.

We have been getting our groceries delivered for almost 2 months now. Yes- I said DELIVERED. Groceries. Delivered. It has been a game changer for this crazy family and it makes budgeting that much easier because I see exactly how much I'm spending and no one is throwing anything extra in the cart (like what has happened for 9 years during traditional grocery shopping!)

Our groceries are delivered through Instacart- and we do our shopping through their app- and we order from ALDIS.

I'm not joking when I say that we get SO much more food for the price. We used to shop at Walmart or Krogers, but since switching to Aldis, we have not regretted it once. More food for the same price- yes please! Especially when we are on a tight budget.

This week we spent $117.67 (we budget from anywhere between $100-$20 a week- and that is everything: shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, food, etc.)

Here is what our grocery list consisted of, organized in to categories.

Lunches:

Cheesy Texas Toast (our oldest is obsessed with garlic bread): $1.75
Mozzarella Sticks $2.19
Pepperoni Pizza Snacks (like pizza rolls): $2.65 We ordered two bags with 40 in each.
3 loaves of white bread: $.85 a piece
Mesquite turkey for turkey sandwiches: $2.75 for 9oz

I also make a brown rice, kielbasa sausage, black bean, and corn mixture and pour it in to a bunch of to-go containers as well. It makes for a healthy, simple lunch we can just grab, heat up, and go.

Brown rice: $1.65 for 14oz
Can of corn: $.49
Can of black beans: $.55
and I already had an extra pack of kielbasa sausage at home.

Breakfast:

A roll of cinnamon rolls: $1.09
Fudge toaster tarts (like Pop Tarts): $1.25
Cocoa Rice Cereal: $1.65
3 dozen large eggs: $1.39 per dozen

I found a recipe for some delicious bagels and have been making them every week to heat up in the mornings for a quick breakfast. You take plain bagels, cut them open, and place them on a baking pan. Next, take a bowl and mix together a packet of cream cheese, a handful of spinach, a cup of Italian cheese, some red pepper flakes, a little garlic powder, and a little salt. Warm til cream cheese melts and mix. Spread over bagels, add a little Italian cheese on top, and bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Next, broil for 1-2 minutes checking on it frequently. So, here's the break down of what I purchased for that.

2 packs of bagels: $1.65 per bag of 8 bagels
2 packs of cream cheese: $.79 per pack of cream cheese
1 pack of chopped spinach: $1.09
1 pack of Italian cheese: $1.99 for 12 oz

Dinners: 

Here is our weekly meal plan with a breakdown of groceries needed for each meal.

**Friday night- Chicken and Fried Rice
1 bag of chicken used for this and Sunday's meal: $5.99 for 3lb
Brown Rice: $1.65
Mixed vegetables: $.89 for 12 oz

I also purchased mayonnaise to make my own yum yum sauce which was: $1.89 for 30oz jar

**Saturday night- Italian Sliders and French fries

I found this recipe on Pinterest and modified it a bit. You take 12 Hawaiian rolls, place them on a baking dish, put pepperonis, salami, swiss cheese on top, add a little bit of red pepper flakes. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes. They're so good! The entire family tears them up!

12 Hawaiian rolls: $1.65
Pack of pepperonis: $2.19
Pack of salami: $2.85
Swiss Cheese: $1.65 for 12oz
Steak fries: $1.85

**Sunday night- Stir Fry (I wouldn't call it a recipe per se, but this is how my grandpa made it!)

Using 1/2 the bag of chicken from Friday night.
Green peppers: $2.19 for 3.
I already had onions at the house.
And I bought another box of brown rice: $1.65

I cook the chicken with some salt and garlic powder. Dice it up. Then I chop the green peppers and onions, add those to a pan with some melted butter, garlic powders, and salt. Saute those for about 10 minutes or so. Add those to the chicken. Cook the brown rice and I add a ton of butter to the rice at the end to make it nice and soft. Put brown rice down and pour the chicken/green pepper/onion mix over it. We love it around here!

**Monday night- Sweet Potatoes and Buffalo Chicken

Now, my friend Kelly is obsessed with this concoction and she keeps telling me I need to make it, so that's what we are doing this week!

Bag of sweet potatoes: $2.55 for 3lb
Another bag of chicken: $5.99 for 3lb
Hot Sauce: $2.19 for 12fl oz.
Sour Cream:$.89 for 16oz (we will use a little for this meal and the rest for Tacos)

Preheat oven to 400*. Poke holes in sweet potatoes and bake sweet potatoes in oven for 45-60 minutes. In a bowl, combine cooked (shredded) chicken, hot sauce. Take sweet potatoes out of oven, cut in half, pour chicken mixture inside, and add shredded cheese and sour cream.

**Tuesday night- This is our date night, so our children go to my parent's house for a couple of hours and we usually go out to eat somewhere! No cooking night for Momma!

**Wednesday night- Tacos!!

Tacos are a huge event in our house. Everyone absolutely loves them! My husband is a deer hunter, so we still have a ton of meat left in the freezer from deer season this year. I usually take a pound of deer meat, brown it, and add taco seasoning after rinsing. We add that to soft or hard tacos and add all of the good stuff on top!

This is what I had to purchase this week at the store:

Taco seasoning- $.35
Taco shells- $.99 for 12 hard taco shells
Using leftover sour cream from our sweet potato night
Using leftover Italian cheese from our bagels
I already had onions!
Using one green pepper from the pack I bought for stir fry
We already had salsa in the fridge too

Easy peasy dinner!

**Thursday night- Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Mix

Another Pinterest recipe.

What you need for this:

Chicken Apple Sausage: $3.29 for 12oz
We already have sweet potatoes from Monday night dinner
I already have garlic cloves as well.
And the recipe called for brussels sprouts, but I chose broccoli instead: $1.35 for 12 oz

Preheat oven to 400*. Chop chicken apple sausage, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, then toss together on the baking pan. Whisk some olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and drizzle over the chicken apple sausage mixture. Bake for 15 minutes.

I'll post pictures of our weekly dinners through the week, so stay tuned for that!

Snacks:

Moo Tubes (like Go Gurts): $1.75 for 8 tubes
Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips: $.89 for 9oz
Barbeque Chips: $.89 for 9oz
Moose Tracks Ice Cream: $2.15 for 48fl oz
Apple Sauce cups: $1.35 for 6
Granola Bars: $1.29 for 10
Chocolate Pudding Cups: $.95
Vanilla Pudding Cups: $.95 for 4 (We bought 2 of these because everyone loves them!)
Fruit Drinks: $2.19 per pack of 10. We bought 3.
Kettle Sea Salt and Vinegar chips: $1.25
Kit Kat bars for movie night: $1.55

CAN YOU TELL WE LOVE SNACKS.

Extras:

1 gallon of white milk: $2.79
1/2 gallon of chocolate milk: $1.79
Coffee creamer: $1.99 for 32 floz
2 rolls of paper towels: $2.19


Not bad for $117.00!

I hope you all have enjoyed our budget, grocery list, and meal planning. Stay tuned later this week for a break down of each meal with pictures!

How does your grocery budget work? Where do you shop? What do your meals look like?

- Alyssa

Sittin' On The Dock of The Bays- 2019

Hey everyone!

It has been almost a year since I last wrote.

How heart breaking.

Truth of the matter is, I feel like I have just been in a dark place since then and I haven't really understood how to crawl out from it.

But-

I'm going to try to make this year different through a Project 365 of our family. Something to remind us of the good times- maybe even the struggles - but something to keep me focused, energized... and purposed.

Hopefully it can be a way to share, reminisce, reflect, vent, and remind.

I hope you will join us on this journey.

I plan on sharing activities, meals, recipes, grocery planning, school functions, personal thoughts, daily plans, reflections, and more!

Get ready because it all starts Monday, February 18th.

Are you ready to be a part of Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bays?

We sure are!