pinned to my happy pinterest board, image from cranny + me blog (check it out–so many “real life” posts & images)
pinned to my life pinterest board, image from we heart it
The coolest thing happened this weekend.
We decided to spend the remaining balance of this month’s date money budget on taking our kids out to a fancy dinner because they all earned top grades on their quarterly report cards. We feel it important to set a precedence, even at this young age that doing well in school is a big deal & we wanted to recognize their efforts with an extra special occasion.
We had them dress up in “Sunday best” & we took them to PF Changs. We rarely go out to eat as a family unless we have a gift certificate given to us or we’re on the road. And even then we stick mostly with fast food. So PF Changs was arguably the “fanciest” place they’d ever been.
We knew going in we were going to spend about $70–between ordering appetizers, tips, & a food for the 6 of us, it would be easy to do–and that was okay. We felt it important to have a fancy night with the kids.
The waiter was on his second day on the job. He was eager & helpful, but. Our food was taking forever. With 4 kids (one being an incredibly active 2 year old), it’s not easy to wait longer than say, 10 minutes. We got our appetizers quickly, but then our food didn’t come. An hour had past, our waiter kept coming out & apologizing for the wait.
“It’s so busy tonight,” he repeated each time he came to our table without the food.
We didn’t complain, our kids sat patiently. We played, “Would you rather,” then the animal game. The kids colored the front & back of the children’s menu. I took Salem outside a few times to run around. We made several trips to the bathroom just to kill time.
Then, about an hour into our visit, the manager came out, took a knee next to me, & let me know how sorry he was we had to wait so long. That our entire meal was on the house. When we got our food they threw in some extra food. They even told us we could order dessert–also on the house.
So we walked away, having a $100+ meal for FREE. Score. I love PF Changs.
(They have a ton of vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free options & are always so accommodating to special diets AND I think their food is very good.)
Pregnancy update.
7 months!
I only have about 2 more months to go. Part of me is completely freaking out–I have to push another baby out again?! (For the record, I love natural labor, just not natural pushing-the-baby-out–sorry for the graphic picture there). I’m going to have 5, FIVE kids?! What was I thinking? Oh my goodness, am I ready, am I READY?
Then I day dream about little Tyndale’s hair (will it be long & shaggy like Salem’s was? dark like Hyrum’s?), how cute his feet will be, how wonderful it will be to hold him close, the way you only can for those first few weeks of life before they grow out of all their newborn-ness.
Also, I think I’ve turned a corner with this pregnancy.
It’s like I’m back in the first trimester (minus the morning sickness, thankfully)–all I want to do is eat, sleep, basically just lay around. I feel fine, just lack motivation to anything beyond doing the basic functions of life.
Anyway, enough rambling (did I mention I took the kids to a Veteran’s day symphony concert last night?–it was awesome).
♥♥
Here are a few funny/interesting/lovely links I think you might like.
♥ I love this guy. He is funny! Read this post.
(& since we recently talked about talking to your kids about sex, he also has a funny experience about that, here)
♥ Take pictures of your kids. Lots. (You won’t regret it.)
♥ Leanne’s Christmas Dessert Freedom e-cookbook is AMAZING! 10 wow-factor recipes worthy of any holiday party or feast. All recipes are gluten-free, vegan (& paleo!). It’s only $10, and you can check it out & buy it here.
♥ Save money & eat produce that tastes good. Here’s a guide to help you know when things are in season.
♥ More possible reasons to learn how to eat instinctively, rather than go on a highly calorie restricted diet.
♥ Veteren’s day tribute: homeless man undergoes transformation–let’s help take care of our vets!
to pin:
all recipes are vegan & gluten-free
sweet potato & beetroot salad w/ cashew cheese
acorn squash & carmelized onion pizza
(use gf crust to make gf)
pumpkin gnocchi w/ brown sage butter
(grain-free, potato-free)
roasted rutabaga & parsnip soup w/ kale & coconut bacon
autumn harvest salad w/ horseradish vinegarette
Coming up for tomorrow’s Frugal Tuesdays post: I begin the frugal holiday series.
Happiest of Mondays to you.
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