What's cooking this week?

Happy Sunday! It's a packed weekend for us over here! Yesterday, we took Ella to story time at the book store....then off to the park and lunch with friends. Today we're having another day of fun! This morning I'm getting up and out super early to take Ella on a fun little play date with some more friends. Ella has a very busy social calendar! Ha! This busy weekend is following a non-stop week, and I am TIRED! After I get home this afternoon, I plan to spend the rest of my weekend cozy at home! Luckily I've got a super simple dinner planned...

Here we go:
Sunday: Grilled Grape Brie and Arugula Flatbread (didn't get to make it last week)
Monday: Not cooking (having leftover cauliflower soup)
Tuesday: TACOS!!!
Wednesday: Steak for Hubs and Skinny Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Thursday: One-Pot Caprese Pasta
Friday: White Chicken Chili

Through all of the running around this weekend, I managed to start a new book AND squeeze in a girl's night last night with my awesome friends Sherina and Rachel! Oh, how I miss seeing their faces every day at work! There's not enough time in just one evening to catch up with those two, so we will be planning another dinner real soon! 

Okay, now let's get back to packing more fun into this weekend! Hope it's a good one for you all! Here's a sweet pic of Ella and her little friend Chloe from the park yesterday afternoon. I just love their boots and sweet little smiles!

Seven Things About My New Job

Can I still refer to my job as "new"? In my opinion...it will feel new until year one is in the books. The crazy thing is that the end of the school year is actually sort of in sight. We're more than halfway through the year...testing is rolling around, and well...you know how that goes once it gets underway! If you don't know....take my word for it....it goes FAST!

The cowboy art came with the office....very calming.

For six years I worked as a school counselor at a middle school...and now I'm an elementary counselor at a charter school. Total life change! Here are some random facts about the new J.O.B...

1. It is ridiculously close to home. I'm talking TWO miles away, five minutes if lights are timed right! I'm still excited by how quickly I can go from my house to my office. Excited and grateful!

2. I work with little kids now. They are so tiny and adorable...2nd and 3rd graders! I still say a little "awwwww" when I see the tops of their heads bopping by the Guidance office window! This is an adjustment from the middle school kids I used to work with. I'm enjoying working with the littles, although I miss the connections and conversations I used to have with the older ones. This isn't necessarily a good or bad thing...just different. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. 

3. I actually started off in a different building with the 4th and 5th graders for about a month before things shifted around and I packed up my entire office and moved over to 2nd and 3rd. I joke around and refer to my position NOW as my "new, new job". 

4. It's different being part of a team, but on my own. The setup is not a traditional K-5 elementary school although we are considered ONE (side note - the entire school is really K-12, but I'm talking about the elementary part). Because we're so large there are actually three different buildings that make up just elementary, each with a school counselor. We are a team and do work very closely together...however....the typical day to day is obviously spent at our own buildings. 

5. I literally get emotional every time I think about the fact that Ella will be able to attend such a phenomenal school. I'll just leave it at that. Wait...did I mention the school is phenomenal. Oh boy, here come the tears....

6. In a way, Ella goes to my school already too! There's a building up the road with a one and two year old program. Can you say perfect?

7. I love it. It's new, exciting, challenging, rewarding and fun all at the same time. The people have been wonderful, welcoming and patient as I learn all there is to know about my new role!

Whenever people ask me about it, it seems as though they really want me to make the comparison between this job and my last job. Here's the deal....there's absolutely no way to really compare. It's like comparing apples to oranges, each job has it's own unique set of pros and cons. Different county, different grade levels, different everything! In certain ways it's too soon to really tell which is better, and I don't want to even go there. Does it matter? I loved my experience at Inverness Middle and now I'm on to the next chapter of my life. I'm all about elementary and excited to really get to know these kids. There's still much to learn. Mrs. Skoblicki is ALL IN! Go Buffalo!

Almost a YEAR! (+What's Cooking)

Dusting off the cobwebs and taking a look around.....my, how I've missed this place! Hello, old friend...blogger template! This is happening, it's been almost an entire year since I've taken a "break". I had no clue how long it would be, and  honestly I was scared that I wouldn't actually return. The thought of this little space of mine that I've claimed, getting lost out in cyberspace seriously scared me! There's no way I could just leave it floating out there, never to return to again!  When I started really getting the itch to come back I re-read THIS post, noticed that February 15th would make one whole year and decided that's it....that's the day. Well, it would have been nice...but anyone who knows me, knows that I'm the most impatient person maybe EVER, and once that decision was made it seemed almost impossible. How dumb, I'm not waiting any longer! I'm back! Yippeeeee! 

A LOT has happened in the past (almost) year....I'm not even going to try to fill in all the blanks. We are all the same, but different....older (yikes) and I'd like to say wiser! Ella Rose is TWO now, our house is a lot more lived in, Hubby has taken up a new hobby (running) and I have a brand new job close to home that I LOVE! I'm also a Beachbody coach now! Maybe more on some of those things later! Anyway, here are our faces just to show you what a difference a year makes!

Sooooo, I'm going to cut right to the point and do what it is that in my opinion I always did best on this blog....

*"Every Sunday" - minus the occasional almost year long break.
HA!
Okay, so I'm still on the health kick and torn between cooking super healthy low calorie food for myself, but not wanting my skinny hubby to be missing out on the calories he needs (especially now with the running). #thestruggleisreal
OMG, were hashtags even a thing a year ago?!?!
Here we go:
Sunday: Grilled chicken with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella over fresh garlic spinach
Monday: Leftover grilled chicken (I always have hubby grill extra)
Tuesday: TACOS!!!
Wednesday: Steak for Hubs and Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Thursday: Cucumber Avocado Subs
Friday: Grilled Grape Brie and Arugula Flatbread (should be interesting)

That's the plan, I may even do some mason jar salads for an easy grab and go lunch. It's a typical Sunday here, not much has changed in that respect. We've just got a much more articulate sweet girl running around. She's at such a fun age! I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my Sunday with this sweet face! Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and week ahead!

Bye for a bit

To be quite honest, I never really understood why bloggers thought it was necessary to announce they were taking a break. Why they had to make it so official and why they couldn't just post whenever they wanted was beyond me. I think I get what the dramatic announcements are all about now. My guess is it's a way to officially let yourself off the hook, set yourself free and eliminate the feeling of pressure when it's been a while since your last post.

Even though I haven't been posting nearly as much as I want to, I'm always thinking about it. Always thinking of new content, considering my next post and getting down on myself when I choose to do something else over blogging. Feeling bad that I haven't developed a new recipe in a while and guilty when my weekly meal plans are boring and uninspired. 

The truth though, is that I love blogging! I love what I've created with this little space and how it's changed and developed over time. I'm overwhelmed though, and something's got to give. Time to reset! Life lately has been a lot.  It's as if I'm spreading myself too thin and not applying myself 100% where it matters most. When I can't juggle everything at once, it feels like I'm letting myself down. Maybe it's also just a case of "working mother's guilt", but Mamma needs a break and this is one area that I can easily walk away from for a bit. 

A while back, a friend of mine posted this excerpt on Facebook (which I'm assuming she got from here):

"The women I walk with feel so much pressure to be everything, all at the same time. I feel it, too. What I mean is we feel like we need to be capable and beautiful, well-read and well-worked-out, with perfectly designed homes and meaningful spiritual practices. We have to be social and creative, ever present with our kids and intimately connected with our husbands, active in our communities and articulate about world events.

But to do all that would take ten women. And we’re not all made that way. Some of us are made to be dreamers, and what that means is that we forget the details sometimes. Some of us are made to create beautiful homes, but it means we don’t read every big new book that comes out. Some of us love to run, but can’t cook to save our lives. And that’s how it is to be a person—human and wonderful and limited, frankly."

For some reason this stuck with me. This is SO something I can identify with, as I'm sure many other women can as well. I took a screen shot when it was posted and I look back at it quite often when I need to remind myself it's okay and often necessary to take a step back and just be present. 

So while I'm out in the real world taking a break and practicing the art of being present, I'll certainly miss this place! The hope is to return with a fresh new perspective sooner rather than later. In the meantime, make sure you're following me on Instagram! Bye-bye for a bit Blogland!

What's cooking this week?

You know the drill! Here we are again, yet another Sunday...which means time to plan out the meals for the week. I'm still in healthy mode, however I've ditched the excel sheet to pre-plan. I'm confident that I've got enough of a grasp on what I should and shouldn't be eating that I can handle it. The real challenge is portioning it out correctly when it's in front of my face! Let's see if I can control myself with all of this...

Tonight: Baked ziti for Hubs and salad for me
Monday: Leftover 21 Day Fix Zuppa Toscana (It was SOOOOO good even though I left out the turkey bacon)
Tuesday:  21 Day Fix Chicken Enchilada Soup
Wednesday: Philly Stuffed Peppers
Thursday: Leftovers! Baked Ziti for Hubs and 21 Day Fix Enchilada Soup for me
Friday: Subway - I've been craving a veggie sub!

There isn't too much action to report on over here. Yesterday Ella and I went to story time at Barnes and Noble. It was a fun little outing. Ella had a great time and I had an even better time watching her! Being that we live in a retirement community, I have to take advantage of kid's activities when they come along. Apparently for now there will be a story time every Saturday so maybe that could be our thing!

Stephen had fire training all day as part of a leadership training he is doing through work. Okay so perhaps the weekend has been action packed for some of us...

Today is just a typical day in our home and there's nothing wrong with that. Things are really picking up at work as we prepare for state testing. You would not even believe what goes on behind the scenes in order to prepare for that whole situation. Resting up for another busy week is what I'll be doing. I hope you all have a good one! 

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