I must say, I am very pleased with the plants we got because they have been growing so well in our little gardens. 😍🌱
On this particular day, we bought a dozen cinnamon sugar donuts 🍩 (for only $8!), deli meat and sub rolls for lunch 🥪, lollipops for the kids 🍭, a hanging flower basket for the front porch 💐, and fresh parsley for the swallowtail caterpillar we’re “raising” 🐛.
Zaya (5) picking out lollipops at the farm store. 🥰🍭
A few weeks ago, we found a butterfly egg on our garden parsley. Since then, we have been caring for the swallowtail caterpillar.
But I’ll share more on that story in a different post. 😉🐛🦋
Fresh parsley for Cali the caterpillar 🌿🐛
Cali loves the parsley! 🥰🐛🌿
I was good, and I only bought three plants this time 😆🪴: flowers for the porch, onion starts, and more parsley for the caterpillar (because I didn’t want it to eat all of the small parsley plants I had in my grow bag).
We do something a little different from the traditional chores allowance. Instead, we give the kids a reading allowance. 📚🤑
Think 90s Book It!, but instead of a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut 🍕📚 (which I miss BTW! 🥹 #90sKid), they earn a little money when they fill up their reading logs.
And my kids LOVE doing this! 😁
I always take them to the stores where it’s easy to find fun things for under $10.
Places like Walmart, Five Below, Target, and Dollar Tree where a kid gets excited over novelty products, inexpensive art supplies, plushies, puzzles, slime, posters and unique gadgets. 🤩
You know the kind of stuff when you’re out grocery shopping and your kid picks up some random fuzzy pen that costs six bucks and asks if you can get it.
But you’re like, “Absolutely not! That fuzzy pen is $6! 😲 We’re here to just get some milk and bread, dude.” 😂😏
I found this fun sign when we went to Five Below. Lol 😹
But with their own money they can get any fuzzy pen or quirky doodad they want! 😆😉
Yeah, those are the kind of stores I take the kids to on their allowance payday. 🤩😂
They learn price comparison, estimating, paying tax, counting money to pay for purchases at stores, how to save their money…and bonus…social skills—how to interact with the cashiers and staff!
The day started with a cozy brunch at home. I’ve mentioned before on Fridays we have Pizza Friday.
I always order my pizza from a local Italian market. They always use fresh ingredients and cook the pizza using a wood-burning oven. It’s the best fresh pizza I’ve ever had! 😋
You get an 11″ pizza with unlimited toppings for just $12! Great deal! I always order the meat lovers pizza with artichoke as an extra topping.
For brunch on the weekends, I like to have my favorite tea with a slice of my leftover pizza with a fried egg and honey drizzle on top. I put on my jazz playlist and just enjoy the vibes.
Last Saturday, I introduced my pizza brunch recreation to Travis and he was amazed at how delicious the leftover pizza tasted with fried egg.
“Yo! This is REALLY good!” he exclaimed. “How did you come up with this?” 😲🍕
A little work in the garden
We did a little work in the garden. I planted another sugar baby watermelon start, and Zaya (5) wanted to plant a cosmos flower seed in her little baby pot. 🥹🌸
This makes two sugar baby watermelon starts we are growing in the garden.
Zhen (13) chose the mini watermelon to grow because she LOVES watermelon. 🍉
I’m a little nervous about having enough space for the watermelon to vine, but I’ve been researching ways to grow vertically, so I think we can make it work! 🤞🏾😁
It looks like he’s smiling at me. 😄🐸
Mr. Toad back again
And while I was tending to the patio garden, my little toad friend was hopping behind me. 😄🐸 It’s so cute because I often see this toad pop out when I am working in the garden.
It seems he was on his way to the garden section of our peppers and tomatoes. Lol 😅 That was perfect because some bugs have been hanging around the plants. 🪲
Mass and a quick stop at H-Mart
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Saturday vigil Mass.
Since Travis works six days a week, we have found going to Saturday Mass is a little easier on him. That way he can sleep in and fully rest on Sundays.
After Mass, we stopped by H-Mart to get lo mein noodles and a few other ingredients. I had a craving for homemade chicken lo mein and I wanted to cook it for dinner.
These Canton Style Egg Noodles are so easy to cook and the texture is perfect for my homemade stir-fry. 😋🍜
I also saw these lo mein egg noodles. I’ve never cooked them before, so I thought I’d give it a try. 🍜
The kids LOVE H-Mart! 😍 Every time we go, they always want to get ramyun and snacks. This time, they found K-Pop Demon Hunters snacks, so of course, we had to get it! 😂🫶🏾
What we bought at H-Mart…
I love H-Mart because they sell so many varieties of noodles, rice, kimchi, and other unique foods that you can’t find at American supermarkets.
The kids wanted to check out the toy section (obviously lol), and they wanted us to buy something.
I told them to save up their allowance money so we can come back and they can buy the toy they really want to get. 🤓💡
Before leaving H-Mart, we played a game of Toy House—the claw machine game.
We didn’t win anything (does anyone ever win these games? 😏 lol), but it was still fun trying. 😊
Spoiler alert: I didn’t make it to the post office today. Yesterday, I shared how my post office plans got derailed by inclement weather, among other things.
Well, life happened again today around mid-morning and my original plans to go to the post office were unexpectedly altered. 🫤
First—I Started the Day with Early Bird Christmas Shopping
I went to Target around 7:30 a.m. to finish the Christmas shopping. The store wasn’t very busy. It was calm and quiet—just the way I like it.
I honestly love running my errands and shopping early in the morning. I used to be a night owl, but once I turned 40, I transitioned into a morning person.
Now that I’m a morning person, I prefer doing my grocery shopping and errands first thing in the morning. I can get in and out of places quickly, and I don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed by crowds, long lines, and congested traffic.
One of my favorite things to do is go early bird shopping at Target. You just about have the aisles to yourself!
Everything is So PeacefulWhen You’re anEarly Bird Shopper. 😌✨️
Early morning Target runs are one of my quiet joys.
Even though, I’m not a coffee drinker, I find comfort in being greeted by the sweet aroma of Starbucks coffee as I walk through the front doors.
But once 11 a.m. hits, the quiet of the morning fades, and the day picks up.
I’m proud of myself for finishing the Christmas shopping for the kids’ gifts before 9 a.m.! 🙌🏾🎄🎅🏾
And Then I Started Having Car Troubleat the Grocery Store. 😫
Because of course I would have car trouble. This day wouldn’t be complete without a little hiccups, right? 😂🙃
After finishing my Christmas shopping, I decided to go ahead and knock out the weekly grocery shopping.
However, something weird happened as I was walking back to my minivan from the grocery store. My car wouldn’t unlock.
I tried pressing the buttons on my key fob many times, but it still wouldn’t unlock. I said a quick prayer and called Travis at work for help.
He thought maybe the remote key needed a new battery So, he walked me through how to open the key fob (it’s quite hard!) and replace the battery.
I replaced the fob battery, but I still couldn’t get my van to unlock. Travis said he’d leave work right away to come meet me and help me out.
Time for tea!
A Warm Cup of Tea to Ease My Anxiety
Feeling anxious and very hungry, I needed something to help calm my nerves and give me a little energy.
I remembered the grocery store also had a Starbucks café, just like Target, and I thought that was the best place to wait for Travis. So I ordered an overpriced Earl Grey tea and blueberry muffin. 😆☕️
It was exactly what I needed in that moment of high stress!
The warmth of the tea and blueberry muffin helped ease my anxiety. I took a deep breath, sipped my tea, and told myself everything is going to be okay.
Just breathe. ☕️😌 The warmth of my Earl Grey tea and blueberry muffin helped calm my nerves.
Problem Solved: Bad Car Battery
Long story short—it turned out the issue wasn’t the key fob. The actual minivan had a bad battery. 😲
We had just bought a new battery for the van in the summertime, so this was a little surprising.
Thankfully, the battery was still under warranty, and Travis was able to get it replaced at no charge.
Travis looking over the key fob.
Thankful for My Loving, Caring Husband! ❤️
I love my husband. 🥰 He doesn’t even think twice if it sounds like I need help. He immediately offers his help and comes to my aid. He’s amazing. ❤️
Travis helped put the groceries up, and he went back to the store to call a locksmith to come out and unlock the minivan.
Ending the Crazy Day with Homemade French Toast
My peaceful-turned-chaotic day took a lot of energy out of me. I needed something cozy and warm for dinner, so I made homemade French toast and scrambled eggs. 😋🥞
I am SO grateful we were able to resolve the issue with the van. It took a few hours to fix everything, but in the end, everything worked out.
All images in this blog post are my own photography. If you’d like to use a photo, please contact me first for permission. Thank you!
