Eat What You Want Day

Once Screen Free Week was over, we spent too much time on screens. Sigh.

May 11 was Eat What You Want Day so dinner was FFY (Fend For Yourself) but I just so happened to make a new recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff if anyone wanted any.

Instant Pot Hawaiian Meatballs

Craveworthy for me, that's for sure. 

Mother's Day 2026

I feel like this Mother's Day, some of the celebrating was spread out over a few days.

A few days before Mother's Day, Jet brought home a card he made at school. 

Friday, Jeremy brought me Mother's Day flowers with a card. I love my husband.

Sunday, Jeremy made me breakfast.

Jr. Jr. drew a picture for me.

See. She's holding 5 eggs. I have 5 children. 

 

I got to teach a short Relief Society lesson then we had muffins and yogurt and fruit and socializing for the women.

When Jeremy was going to take most of the kids home (Lucky stayed with me for choir), Jet seatbelted a Mother's Day card in so it would be protected. 

Lucky gave me a card, a candy rose, and two pictures taken by high school photography students. Awww. I love them.

Jeremy gave me a present- a portable selfie stick tripod. I used it when I FaceTimed my mom for Mother's Day- hands free use of my phone. Although I picked it up and pointed it at different family members plenty. Tee Hee.

Later, I found Timothy, the banana slug, using the wrapping paper for a home. Have I mentioned I love my family?

I got to rest and spend some time looking at Jeremy's latest book.

I didn't have to make dinner. Jeremy fixed it for us. It was a hit with the family.

Jet entertained me using his Spidey powers.

I told everyone for Mother's Day, I wanted them to play D&D. They hadn't in a while and I knew Jr. was waiting very patiently to play again. The others couldn't play video games because it was the last day of Screen Free Week so they didn't have a good excuse not to. Bwah ha ha ha.

Jr. made chocolate chip cookies.

On Monday, I found out I missed a present from Jet in his backpack. He decorated a keychain for me.

Awwww. 

I enjoyed my Mother's Day(s) this year. 

I love my family. 

Second Week of March

March 8 was International Women's Day and National Oregon Day. I wore my Slugs Need Hugs shirt.

That night, Nichole and I went to watch the General Relief Society Broadcast at our stake center with dessert afterward. 

March 9 was Get Over It Day and National Meatball Day so of course we said our traditional "Get over it, you meatball" phrase that day. It was also Popcorn Lover's Day so Joshua made popcorn I think.

 

March 10 was Mario Day (MAR10). I woke up to one child whistling music from a Mario game. I wore my Mario shirt and a couple of the kids watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie. 

I had some fun with the menu plan for that holiday. I took the scene toward the beginning of the movie where Mario and Luigi are sitting down to dinner with their family and tried to recreate what their dinner looked like. We had spaghetti with alfredo sauce and mushrooms of course. We had salad, dinner rolls, green olives. What didn't fit in with their dinner table but we had to have were peaches, singing a certain song while dishing them out.

On World Plumbing Day, March 11, I wore my Mario shirt again and some of us played MarioKart.

Since March 11 was also Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day, for dinner we had oatmeal, nuts, and waffles.

 

The next day, Lucky, Nichole, and I went to a Utah County Birders movie night. We watched The Big Year and played BINGO while watching it. It was fun and interesting to do something a little different than our normal birding meetings.

March 13 was Friday the 13th and Open an Umbrella Indoors Day but we didn't do anything special to celebrate- just mentioned it. I did reminisce how 2020 had Friday the 13th on that same day (and that year was a big deal) and 2015 we celebrated it with a fun video.  

Jet wanted me to get him a board game from the library so I did- Pictureka- and several of us played it after school. 

 

The next day, Lucky and I stopped by the other library to pick up some things and we said Hi to Libby the Librantula who was out for us to see. March 14 was Save a Spider Day.

March 14 was Pi Day. I baked an apple pie in our Pi plate. We also had pizza pie.

Nichole went down to BYU the day before to celebrate Pi Day with a free piece of pie and a t-shirt.

I forgot to get out the potato chips for Potato Chip Day on March 14 so we celebrated that observed a few days later.

Christmas 2024

On Christmas Eve, Nichole made us cheeseball. Thanks, Nichole.

We had a simplified Christmas Eve dinner because we were sick (thankfully we had funeral potatoes in the freezer to heat up).

The kids got to open up a present each- pajamas.

Jet set out cookies for Santa. I was pleased with myself because I saved some cookies in the freezer from a batch we made earlier in the month. Cookies for Santa is hit and miss in our home. 

Christmas morning, Jeremy made us scones (American scones, not English scones). 

We opened presents and were all sick.

Jet got a camera for Christmas and loved it.

One day while we were driving, I heard Jet taking pictures over and over and over so I asked him, "What are you taking pictures of." He answered, "Everything."

The kids and I decorated a bowl for Jeremy. It said, "I love you," and had hearts around it that the kids wrote their names in. Note my present in the back of the picture- a new family picture to put on the wall. The one it replaced was taken in 2011 and only had three of our five children in it.

Kind Pickles

November 13 was World Kindness Day. During my scripture study that day I read Ether 4:12. "And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good..." 

I really appreciated the reminder that if you feel prompted to do something kind, do it. Good things come from God.

 

November 14 was National Pickle Day. Jet and I ready Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs then Jet watched the movie while I made meatballs. Later we read the other two books. The second book is called Pickles to Pittsburgh.

I then had a Relief Society dinner that night. I of course shared that it was National Pickle Day and my friend later sent me a video of Lucille Ball dressed up as a pickle.

Mother's Day 2024

Jeremy asked me what I wanted for dinner for Mother's Day. I told him I didn't want to have to make decisions. I menu plan all the time. I didn't want to this time. 

Mother's Day morning I found that Jeremy and Lucky made me breakfast. Lucky made those origami hearts. Sweethearts.

Lucky had my phone during Sacrament Meeting so he could draw me this note (after the card he already made at the service activity a few days before). Sweetheart.

For dinner, Jeremy made Skillet Chicken Parmegiana, which I love, veggies on the side, and more colored flavored sugar water.

Ooh ooh, do you know what I just noticed? Skillet Chicken Parmigiana is apparently not an uncommon dish to make for Mother's Day. Jeremy made it for me in 2020. He also made it for me in 2013.

 

Jeremy and Lucky made colored flowers out of napkins for me. Sweethearts. 

I'm going to be honest. Sometimes Mother's Day is rough. I often feel inadequate even though I've been doing this parenting thing for many years. This year was fine. I think I got all my emotional-ness over with the week before. Sigh.