Happy Birthday Mom!

This week we celebrated my mom's 50th birthday! It was fabulous because we were actually able to see her almost every day. On Monday I took my mom to the Loving for Eden concert at Cottonwood High School (Kurt Bestor, Colors, Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band, Paul Cardall, Peter Breinholt, etc.). Very fun to visit my old high school and, of course, the company was excellent. I remember going to lots of LDS artists' concerts as a child so it was great to be able to take my mom to one, too!

On Wednesday, her birthday, we all got together to celebrate! We had fantastic hamburgers at Five Burgers and Fries and then went back to the house for cake, ice cream, and Aaron's fun board games.

Mom Mom (as Lily calls her) and the grand kiddies.
Lily, Ally, Titan, and Kyrie

Ally and Grandma. Little Miss Ally has really come out of her shell this week. I have never seen so many cute smiles!

Titan and Grandma

A rare moment of peaceful, cousin bonding.

Chili's Giveaway

Okay friends - time for a giveaway! I have a coupon for a free Guiltless Grill entree from Chili's that I know someone will love. I got it from Bzzagent.com (a fabulous company that does word of mouth advertising ... just let me know if you want a referral or more info :).

I myself have tried and loved the Guiltless Grill menu items. My personal favorite is the Guiltless Carne Asada Steak. YUMMY! Very flavorful and lots less guilt involved than you get from your typical eat out meal. It's a great way to combine eating out and eating healthy.

So here is the deal. Just read about the new menu items below and tell me which ones you would like to try. Leave a comment by midnight April 8th and I will randomly choose a winner. Easy as that. I'll even slip it in the mail for you. Enjoy!

Fewer calories, same great flavor
Now you can eat out and still enjoy something that's better for you, with the Guiltless Grill^® menu items at Chili's^®. It's all the bold flavor you expect from Chili's – like a Guiltless Buffalo Chicken Sandwich – with less than 750 calories for each entrée. After all, what's the good of a healthier option if you don't actually want to eat it?

Tempting, with less guilt
Go ahead, get the Guiltless Honey-Mustard Glazed Salmon or the Guiltless Carne Asada Steak. No matter what you're in the mood for, the focus is on bold taste. Plus, you get just the right portion of flavorful food, so don't worry about your server bringing over a few lonely green beans on a big white plate.

Six tasty options with less than 750 calories.

• New Guiltless Buffalo or Grilled Chicken Sandwich
• New Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia
• New Guiltless Carne Asada Steak
• New Guiltless Honey-Mustard Glazed or Grilled Salmon
• Guiltless Chicken Platter
• Guiltless Black Bean Burger

St. George Trip

Lily and I traveled down south with my mom and Ada to a dance competition in St. George. It was a last minute decision and we had a lot of fun! With Ada being the only one dancing we had lots of free time and we were able to have fun watching her at the competition, too. Unfortunately, I somehow missed getting pictures of the competition, but I did get some of the other things we did.

Menu Plan Monday

I will be finishing this week's meal plan on Wednesday after I finish my shopping, but here is what I have for the beginning of the week:

Breakfast
Turkey Bacon Melt
Scrambled Eggs and Yogurt
Blueberry Cheese Cake Smoothie
Oatmeal

Lunch
Easy Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Peas
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Asiago Cheese and Spinach Pasta Toss

Dinner
Creamed Onion Bake and Grilled Chicken
Salsa Rice and Steak (Balsamic Marinated)
Italian Zucchini Cresecent Pie
Salsa Chicken Tortillas
Blue Cheese Burger with Grilled Pineapples
Hamburger on Rice
Caldo Verde Soup with Salad

Menu Plan Monday

Last week's menu was pretty basic since I did it mid-week. We didn't get a chance to try everything so some will be continuing on to this week.

We did LOVE the Honey Lime Enchiladas from the Good Things Utah show. They were delicious! Spicy and sweet at the same time. And, of course, steak is always nice - especially when you get an awesome deal at Buy Low.

So here is the agenda for this week :

Breakfast
Oatmeal and Scrambled Eggs with Veggies
Pancakes with home-made strawberry freezer jam :) (Tuesday is National Pancake Day!)
Turkey Bacon Quiche (Eating for Life)
Eggs, Toast, Oranges
Turkey Bacon Melt (Eating for Life)
Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie
Yogurt and Waffles

Lunch
Tomato Bacon Tarts


Dinner
Chicken Fried Rice
Twice Baked Potatos with Green Salad
Albacore Tuna Cassrole (Eating for Life)

Snacks:
Hard boiled eggs and oranges

Half Baked!

I am just past the half way mark with this pregnancy and suddenly it seems to be going way to fast! Here is my baby bump at 20 weeks.

Luckily I have a small increase in energy now which is good because there is a lot to get done before Baby Boy Parker arrives - for example - picking out his name! Any good ideas? Nothing is standing out to me so far, but we do have a couple names on our list - Cortland, Kyler, Broden (Brody), Grayson, Lincoln, and Aiden.

I've returned to my old Ebay surfing habits to find some outfits for the little guy (so sad to pack up all of Lily's ward robe. I didn't realize how big it was!). I am happy to say that there are DARLING clothes for little boys out there - just don't outbid me for them!

I'm also starting to stock our freezer with freezer meals for after he comes and that last month for when I probably won't feel like cooking. Any favorite freezer recipes that have worked out for anyone?

And one of my major goals is to get Lily and myself on a better routine together. I've been looking at different toddler activity blogs and found lots of good ideas. I like what I have found on letteroftheweek.com and the ideas from Tot School. And we will definitely be starting the flashcards from You Can Teach Your Baby to Read (as soon as I get my stock pile up). Anyone had fun or success with these? Lily LOVES learning new things and I know would enjoy these things.

Menu Planning Monday

I am a little late this week. We got back from North Carolina Monday and are just getting settled in. Here is what is on the menu this week. My inspiration came from some of the recipes on Good Things Utah and Oprah.

Dinner
Twice Baked Potato Boats
Baked Nachos
Chicken Fried Rice
Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Zuchinni Casserole
Beef and Broccoli
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Lunch
Tomato Bacon Tarts