5 Money Pitfalls I See Everyday as a Financial Planner

From a very young age, I learned to associate money with freedom. Growing up as an unhappy child, I learned to value of financial security as a means to freedom. This belief led me to become somewhat of a money hoarder, clinging to every dollar as a ticket to personal liberty. During my teenage years, I swayed into a period of rebellion—spending excessively, perhaps as a way to claim a slice of the freedom I so craved. However, I eventually reverted back to my cautious financial habits, embracing minimalism and the peace it brings.

My journey took a professional turn towards finance. In college, I switched my major finance when I realized it was likely more profitable than political science. My career began in a corporate setting at a major bank, where I eventually became engrossed with personal finance, consuming every related book I could lay hands on. This passion sustained me and eventually guided me to apply for and take a lower-paying job as a paraplanner after my team was laid off at my corporate job. Here, I found my true calling. Being an introvert with little interest in bringing in clients, I thrived on strategizing and helping others achieve their financial goals with this more internal role, only meeting with clients to reveal their plan.

Here are 5 MAJOR financial pitfalls I see clients fall into that make my money hoarding self scream inside, along with strategies to avoid/fix them:

Living Someone Else’s Dream: Many people live lives shaped by others’ expectations or never pause to figure out what they truly want. It’s vital to take time for self-reflection to understand your own dreams and aspirations.
Unprofitable Investing: Investing in rental properties can seem like a smart move, but it’s crucial to evaluate the profitability realistically. I see many people buy real estate as in investment, make far less than if they put that money in the market, and also spend a lot of time dealing with tenants and maintenance. Another pitfall here is investing in anything that is too safe for the client’s risk tolerance. Many jump into investments that sounds great without actually running the numbers and figuring out if they would be better off with another option. You need to run the number, figure out your risk tolerance, and invest appropriately.
Relying on Future Inheritances: Planning financial stability around expected inheritances is risky. Many people even spend friviously knowing they will inherit money. Usually they inherit this money and it either less than they thought, or doesn’t carry them as far as they thought it would. It’s important to build independent financial security rather than depending on uncertain future gains.
Overspending on Children: It’s natural to want the best for your children, but excessive spending can lead to severe debt. I’ve seen people with big money issues who won’t take away their kid’s Mercedes because they want to uphold and image and don’t want their kids (or sometimes spouse) to realize they are broke. Setting realistic budgets and teaching kids about money can help mitigate this issue. Sometimes tough conversations need to happen if you have already dug yourself into a hole.
Chasing Unrealistic Dreams Without a Plan: Big dreams are wonderful, but without a concrete plan, they remain just that—dreams. Setting incremental goals and realistically assessing financial strategies are crucial to making dreams attainable. You cannot just will a great future, you need to plan for it.

Mastering the Work-From-Home Mom Life with Toddlers

As a work-from-home mom with a bustling household—including a lively 2-year-old and a curious 4-year-old in preschool—finding a balance between my professional responsibilities and family life is a finely tuned art. Here’s how I manage to get the best use of my time, ensuring everything gets done while nurturing a positive environment for my kids.

The Golden Hours of Deep Focus (8:30 AM – 10:45 AM)
The house is quiet when my kids are at preschool, and I’m in my element. These 2 hours and 15 minutes are precious—I dive deep into my most demanding tasks with zero distractions. It’s incredible how much you can accomplish when the workspace is peaceful!
Recharging with a Proper Lunch Break
After picking up my kids from school, we enjoy a relaxed lunch together around 11:30 AM. It’s our special time to chat about their morning and gear up for the afternoon. My regular lunch smoothie is always on the menu, giving me the perfect energy boost.
Balanced Screen Time
A bit of TV time post-lunch helps transition my kids into home mode. They engage with educational programs while I wrap up my workday. The flexibility of my schedule allows for productive bursts during this quite time.
Outdoor Adventures Every Day
Whether it’s sunny or chilly, outdoor play is a must. If I have leftover tasks, I set up my mobile office on the deck or by the window, keeping an eye on the kids as they explore and play in our yard. The fresh air does wonders for all of us!
Family Fitness Fun
Each afternoon includes a 30-minute workout session. I love that my kids see exercise as a regular part of life—they join in with their playful “workouts,” which might involve jumping on a trampoline or creating obstacle courses. It’s adorable and keeps us all active!
Cooking as a Team
Dinner preparation is a family affair. With a meal plan in hand, we tackle the kitchen together. My boys are eager helpers, from cracking eggs to mixing ingredients. It’s a great way to teach them about nutrition and teamwork.
Cherished Family Dinners
Every evening, we sit down as a family for dinner. This routine is the heart of our day, a chance for in-depth conversations and sharing.
Evening Unwind
Post-dinner, I clean up while my husband hits the workout room, and the kids invariably join him—loving their dad time. This gives me a quiet moment to myself, maybe catching up on a favorite show.
Bedtime Rituals
Our nighttime routine is soothing and structured, with bedtime stories and cuddles. By 7:45 PM, the kids are tucked in with the comforting sounds of white noise and the soft glow of a red light.
Time for Us
Once the kids are asleep, my husband and I wind down. Whether it’s catching up on a TV show or reading, this is our time to reconnect. We cherish these moments before our early lights-out, as my husband is up before 5:00 AM every day.

Balancing work and family life isn’t always easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Each day is a new opportunity to blend productivity with parenting, building a loving and efficient home environment.

Small things I am grateful for lately

Cherishing Moments with My Little Men: This past year has been a truly special chapter in our family’s life. After much contemplation, we transitioned our youngest, C, from full-time daycare to preschool right as he turned two— a whole year earlier than we did with his older brother, G. Reflecting on this decision fills me with joy, as I treasure the magical ages of two and four. While the baby years posed their challenges with seemingly endless efforts and little immediate payoff, these toddler years are a delightful reward. My boys are at their sweetest—yes, managing their energy is still a Herculean task sometimes, and debates on the stress levels of stay-at-home versus working moms abound, but the joy I derive from this time is irreplaceable. G and C are all about hugs, kisses, and the cutest little sayings. Sure, there are sibling squabbles and the occasional tantrum, but the beautiful moments far outweigh the fleeting storms. As we approach their summer break, I’m cherishing these final school days, contemplating how to keep their summers enriching and fun.

Reviving My Cold Brew Ritual: With the return of warmer days, I’ve rekindled my love for homemade cold brew. Truth be told, I’m a year-round aficionado who really should indulge in this ritual more consistently—especially to avoid those tempting $6 splurges at local cafés. I’ve reintroduced oat milk into our home, initially having cut it out due to unwanted additives. Interestingly, G, who used to drink it by the gallon, has now lost interest, allowing me to savor about half a cup daily as my little guilty pleasure. I’ve also perfected my homemade brown sugar cinnamon syrup—just a couple of squeezes transform my cold brew into an exquisite concoction. Today, I ventured to enjoy it plain, and it was surprisingly satisfying.

Finding Our Show: “Killing Eve”: On the entertainment front, my husband and I have stumbled upon “Killing Eve.” While it veers towards the silly at times, I just love a good spy thriller and 4 seasons will keep us entertained for many nights. There are seasons where we don’t get time to watch anything, but we have been making time, sometimes staying up later than we should.

The Magic of the Hatch Lamp: A recent life-changer has been the introduction of the Hatch lamp into our nightly routine. Following a particularly restless night courtesy of a squirmy four-year-old, I purchased this wonder-lamp. It ushers in bedtime with a soft yellow glow and gentle music, shifting to a soothing red with white noise at the perfect bedtime. By morning, a green light signals it’s okay to wake up—a feature my boys are perhaps too enthusiastic about! Since its arrival, I’ve been sleeping wonderfully, finally catching uninterrupted sleep until the morning light instead of waking up with a 2-year-old and 4-year-old on top of me.

Embracing Spring and New Garden Adventures: Spring is here, marked by abundant rain and the gentle warmth of gradual temperature increases. It’s been the perfect spring so far. Not too hot and plenty of rain for the grass and plant. On the home front, my husband has gifted me new raised garden beds, sparking an eagerness to upgrade our family garden. This week, I went plant shopping, and we’re all set to assemble the beds, fill them with dirt, and plant.

Choosing Privacy Over Publicity: Why I Keep My Kids Off Social Media

In today’s digital age, social media is a ubiquitous part of life, offering both connections and challenges. As a parent, navigating this landscape can be particularly complex. When it comes to sharing the lives of our children online, opinions vary widely. Before our first son was born, I explored many viewpoints on this issue but found that none resonated with me deeply. However, I was certain about one thing: I didn’t want to expose their identities on the internet. Now, with two children and nearly five years of parenting under my belt, I have solidified my stance. Here, I share the two core reasons behind my decision not to post pictures or names of my children on social media.

1. Respecting Their Future Autonomy:

The initial reason for my decision stems from a value deeply rooted in my own life: privacy. Just as I cherish my own privacy and share minimal personal information on social platforms, I anticipate that my children might appreciate the same discretion as they grow older. Social media, with its permanent memory, poses a unique challenge. By sharing their images and names, I would be crafting an online persona that they might not wish for themselves. I want to provide my children the freedom to decide how they appear online when they are mature enough to make those choices—free from the burden of a digital footprint they did not consent to.

2. Avoiding the Validation Trap:

Over time, I’ve realized a more profound reason for my privacy stance—my own journey with insecurity. This personal challenge has offered me insights into the underlying motivations that drive social media interactions. Often, people seek validation through their posts, whether it’s praise for a new hairstyle, a pet’s antics, or life milestones. Their quest for external validation can extend to children, celebrating every achievement as if the worth of those moments is amplified by likes and comments.

I firmly believe in celebrating my children within our close circle of friends and family, where the interactions are genuine and not subject to the superficial scrutiny of the broader social media community. I don’t need public affirmation to feel confident in my parenting or to validate my children’s accomplishments. Social media should not influence our family’s values or decisions, nor should it set a benchmark for my children’s achievements relative to others. Every child develops at their own pace, excelling in some areas and facing challenges in others. Acknowledging this diversity is crucial, and I choose not to subject my children’s growth to the competitive and often judgmental eyes of the online world.

Choosing not to share my children’s images or names online is a decision that protects their autonomy and shields our family from the pressures and pitfalls of social media validation. It is a commitment to respect their individuality and developmental journey, free from external influences. As we navigate the complexities of parenting in the digital era, we find strength in privacy and the close, personal connections that shape who we are, far beyond what any social media presence could offer.

This approach might not be for everyone, but for our family, it’s the path we’ve chosen, guided by a desire to foster an environment where our children can freely shape their identities when they’re ready—and not a moment before. I respect others who share their kids online and realize that this is right for them and their family. It is ok to make different choices as parents, one doesn’t have to be right while the other is wrong. Every family is different, just as every person is different.

My Health Journey

Understanding how I maintain my physical health is deeply rooted in my entire wellness journey and a good place to start if you want to understand why I do what I do today. It’s difficult to explain the daily choices I make without diving into the origins of these habits. The core idea here is that personalization is key. One must adapt practices that suit one’s unique needs and not merely mimic others. My path to wellness has been gradual, involving incremental changes over many years.

My journey began at age 20. In high school and early college, I maintained a slim physique with little effort towards diet or exercise, except for a brief stint in track during my junior year. The summer after my freshman year was transformative; I biked daily to class and work, developing strong, muscular legs. However, as my circumstances changed—moving back to campus and commuting by car—I noticed a decline in my fitness.

At 20, motivated by my less toned appearance, I made subtle changes like eliminating cheese from my sandwiches and cooking more instead of eating out. I also started practicing yoga weekly, joining an class at a local church filled with older women. This was before yoga was popular so it was really all I could find, but I had been interested in yoga since I was a dorky 12 year old.

By 21, inspired by a “Runner’s World” book I borrowed from my mom, I began running by following the exact plan the book laid out. This new hobby eventually led me to compete in numerous half marathons and even a tough mudder race. Concurrently, I developed an interest in weightlifting, though my routine fluctuated with my life’s demands. Post-college, a costly gym membership and personal trainer helped me achieve great physical shape, but it was unsustainable financially, leading me back to sporadic running.

By 27, I had gained 35 pounds since my teens. I reached a point where I felt disgusted with myself and I started P90x and trained for another half marathon. Around this time, a friend’s significant weight loss on Whole30 inspired me to try it, and I successfully shed 15 pounds. Though I regained the weight, the experience proved to me that significant weight loss was possible.

The next year, encouraged by a friend, I entered a figure competition, which involved intense training and dieting. While I gained muscle and lost 25 pounds, the weight returned post-competition. My fitness journey continued in waves, often dictated by race registrations and intermittent hot yoga classes, when I could stomach the price.

Some time after the competition, I read Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and was hooked on his idea of plant-based, high-nutrient eating for long-term health. I started learning from vegan influencers and eating a lifestyle high in carbohydrates and found that I gained weight instead of losing it. I wasn’t focusing on the nutrient-dense foods Dr. Fuhrman promoted and instead just focused on the foods being animal product free. This was a mistake.

At 32, with plans to have my first child at 34, I revised my lifestyle, losing 10 pounds by skipping breakfast and ending my daily 3PM snacking. I kept the weight off for the next year. I found something sustainable. I still maintained my mostly vegan eating habits and ran 2 half marathons that year. I got pregnant with my son and started Orange Theory at 9 weeks pregnant. I was very active through my entire pregnancy, but gained a significant amount of weight.

Two pregnancies and babies later, my weight was nowhere close to what I wanted and my body looked like someone else’s. I started working out just twice a week 6 months after my second son was born. I did this for a year and a half and saw results just from being consistent. I still had a good amount of weight I wanted to lose, but I started to feel more confident in my body and felt strong again.

I got pregnant again at 37, but found out at 16 weeks that the heartbeat I heard at my 10 week ultrasound belonged to a partial molar fetus (2 sperm, 1 egg) and the heartbeat was gone. Devistated, I commited to daily 30-Day-Fix workouts and focused on whole foods because I needed something else to focus on and for the first time in a few years, I was going to focus on something for myself. I fairly quickly lost all of my baby weight and a little more.

8 months later, I am still working out nearly every day. I know 30-Day-Fix isn’t the most intense thing I could do, but it works for me now. It’s 30 minutes, I can do it at home with my kids, and it never seems too overwhelming to get done. I am continuing to make little changes to improve my health even more and will continue to evolve as I learn more and my needs change. Through bloodwork and different things with my cycle, I’ve discovered what I need to supplement and focus on nutrition-wise. I find it easiest to eat basically the same way each day as creating habits is the cornerstone of my success.

Here’s my current eating routine:

Breakfast: Coffee, cold brew, or a homemade latte | Sundays I eat a hearty breakfast, but other than that, I don’t eat until lunch.

Lunch: A smoothie made with with vegan protein powder, blueberries or cherries, spinach, almond milk, seeds (changes depending on where I am in my cycle), vegan EPA/DHA oil, creatine, and peanut butter.

Afternoon Snack: Roasted chickpeas

Dinner: A balanced plate of meat, vegetables, and a carbohydrate

Supplements tailored to my needs: vegan protein powder, a women’s probiotic, vegan EPA/DHA oil, NMN Complete, Biotin, D3/K2 , and Methylfolate.

My journey has taught me a vital lesson: effective, sustainable fitness is about gradual, personalized enhancements. Slowly build habits that work in your life and that you can stick to. Don’t try to do everything all at once or you will get overwhelmed and hate your life. And lastly, change your mindset to think like someone who is where you want to be. Ask youself what that person would do and do that. If you don’t know, find out. There are a ton of books available to learn about nutrition, fitness, and weightloss journeys.

Day 36 – What can I gain

It has been 36 days since I started social distancing. Admittedly, I did have one social outing 7 days after this began (a friends b-day dinner, in her house with 10 adults and 5 kids), but no one started social distancing until about 2 weeks after I did. Additionally, I was still going into the office 3 times a week until about 24 days ago, so is this really day 24? It doesn’t really matter to me, the point is, I am beginning to think about what can I gain from this experience and what do I hope society gains from this experience? So, much of the focus has been around what we are losing. I can tell you, I am purposely not looking at my retirement accounts. I believe what I can gain and what society can gain deserve separate posts. I am going to start with some things I can gain from this time in terms of goals, understanding, etc.

I hope I am able to use up some of the random food products that I have collected in my cupboard as we are forced to stay inside way more than usual. This was a goal when I began the pantry challenge piece of this and continues to be a goal now that we have replenished some of our missed items. I have a goal to not buy food until June 1st so hopefully this will force this.
I hope to lose weight and become more fit. When we began social distancing, I lost 3lbs right away from cooking healthy foods and rationing. When we replenished our food supply, I allowed my husband to chime in on my Instacart order and we ended up with many things that I find it hard to stay away from when they are in the house and I have gained a bit of that back. As we run out of the chips and chocolate, etc, I am sure we will be eating more of the less convenient items. I have also began using my workout class app that I paid for back when I was on maternity leave. It feels good to get a proper workout in again. Lastly, we have been taking walks and as the weather gets even nicer and I improve my pelvic floor strength, I would like to start running again. I have a used BOB stroller for G, so we are all set.
I hope to paint all of the walls I can possibly paint with the paint we have already purchased from Home Depot for our walls. I started painting on maternity leave and haven’t had the motivation or time to paint again.
I hope to realize what I really want out of life through meditation and self reflection. We definitely have a lot of extra time to all do that these days. I know I love sustainable products, minimalist lifestyle, organization, financial planning, nature, and self-reliance, but I am not sure how those things fit into something I can spend more time doing or could even do full-time. I have a financial and security pull to stay where I am work-wise. I don’t love what I do, but it isn’t the worst thing and I get a ton of flexibility and make way more than I would doing the same thing anywhere else.
I am already, but plan to do more of enjoying my time with my son. It is very cool to get another maternity leave with him, even if I am still working while I spend time with him.
I plan to learn more about my house plants, re-plant them, and try to spend more time loving them. I don’t love taking care of plants, but I know there is something I am missing. I know there is joy in caring for other things, but I just haven’t found that love in my plants, but if I ever plan to grow a big enough garden to supply all of our veggies, I will need to get a better handle on this.
I plan to find more ways to reduce our carbon footprint and put them into action. I recently made a new purchase from The Collective Des Moines, a zero waste product store. Those purchases, plus some other ideas I have will help out a lot.
I want to design my dream home. Obviously this isn’t something we plan to do soon and maybe won’t ever do, but it sounds fun. I would like to build something that is beautiful, functional, and eco-friendly some day. This will be a fun project and maybe something I can do as motivation in-between doing things I don’t really want to do at all.

To be continued…

Day 31

The pantry challenge has ended. Although we are still working through many things in our cupboard, we had groceries delivered via instacart on Saturday. I was missing fresh produce and I needed flour for my sourdough starter. I think we will wait until May 1st to grocery shop again though. The president announced over the weekend that we are to continue practicing social distancing until the end of April. I hope things peak and are on the mend by then so we can go back to some sort of normalcy, although I am sure we will be under some sort of caution until a vaccine is ready. Either way our trip to Boulder at the end of May has been cancelled. We are able to use our flight fee toward another trip for another 12 months.

Here is what we have been making at home:

Wednesday night we had a video chat with our 5 couple group of friends. All the kids were on too. While we chatted, I made cauliflower soup. Earlier that day I made pumpkin muffins so we had those as well. The cauliflower soup was delicious and I just completely winged it as I made it. I roasted the frozen cauliflower in the oven, sauteed onions and garlic. Then I added the cauliflower to the onions and garlic and boiled in chicken stock for awhile. I added some salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, the rest of our cashews and blended it all together in our vitamix. M thought it tasted sort of like white gravy. I hate white gravy so I disagree, but it was thick and savory.

Thursday, I had pumpkin muffins and cauliflower soup for lunch. M took of his asian chicken and green beans that he prepared on Tuesday for lunch. That night, I made oven baked breaded chicken breasts with chickpea noodles and marinara. M had virtual class (he is working toward his MBA right now through U of I). I brought him his dinner and he barely touched it. I also, made brownies with some grapeseed oil that I order and paid too much for on Amazon. He ate some of those too.

Friday, I had leftovers for lunch and had a work virtual happy hour. What an awkward mess that was, it only lasted 30 minutes because there were too many people and it didn’t work well. For dinner, we had take out from a restaurant in West Des Moines that is doing take out tacos and margarita mix right now. It was so good! G and I had to go pick it up because M was working late. M got home when G was going to bed, so we ate Mexican together like a date and then we went our separate ways because I had a virtual girl’s night planned. Oh, also we finished off the brownies. Those things don’t make it long around here.

Saturday, we ate some leftover rice with onions, cilantro, and black beans from the Friday’s dinner for lunch. Then, I decided to just order some groceries because Instacart was finally had delivery times again and I figured I would rather have people delivering now rather than when thousands of Iowan’s are sick. So, we ordered a long list of things. I am going to eat some of the fresh produce this week, but I am also planning to continue whittling away at the odds and ends that are in our cupboard before we dig into the new frozen stuff. For dinner, I thawed our our 2 pork chops from a boar that M’s dad hunted. We seared the outside in a cast iron skillet and then baked them. We also roasted some potatoes and made some green beans. Then, I had another virtual hang out with a friend. I had some more margaritas from Friday and M made me some more sour mix.

Sunday, we had a virtual brunch with M’s family (his sister, cousin’s wife, and his grandpa). We made eggs, potatoes O’Brien, and toast. A friend of mine dropped off some homemade jam on our porch Saturday night, so that was a nice addition to the toast. For dinner we had a frozen pizza with a salad.

Yesterday, I had a smoothie, some walnuts and cashews, raisins, green apple, and some other random things for lunch. M had leftover sides from Saturday with some sausages. I made lentil soup, fed my sourdough starter and made a loaf of sourdough to go with the soup for dinner. G and I took our pup for a long walk. G slept the whole time, but it is so nice that the weather is getting better.

Today, I will most likely have soup for lunch with salad. I am not sure what M will have. He keeps stopping home because are having some gas line and a garage heater installed today. I am sure M will stop in to eat at some point. Tonight I am making a farro risotto to use up our farro. I am not sure what I will serve with that. We only have chicken breasts, sausages, and tuna for meat. Sausages will probably go best with it.

I think we will be doing this for another 30 days at least. Fingers crossed that life will approach something close to normal after that. Even if I could just take G to daycare again, that would be nice.

Day 25

You would think that with being home so much I would be getting more done than ever, but I am finding it hard to get everything done. We decided against taking G to daycare at this time, for many reasons that I don’t necessarily need to discuss right now. Watching him, while working, and making 3 meals a day for all of us has kept me very busy. Here is what we have been eating since my last post:

Friday, we both ate leftovers from Thursday for lunch (chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans). We broke the pantry challenge for one night and got take out from one of our many favorite local restaurants, St. Kilda Surf and Turf. M had the reuben and I had fish tacos. We shared an order of brussel sprouts. I know it was cheating and I don’t plan to eat out very much because I know we could still catch the virus this way, but I also want to help out our local businesses and it was really nice to have our first cooking break. I also had drinks via video chat. It has been fun actually digging into some of the liquor that we hardly ever drink too. Maybe we can use some of that up as well. I used some grapefruit juice with agave and a splash of Tito’s.

Saturday, we more Thursday ate more leftovers and we made a frozen pizza for dinner (also made some ranch dressing for the pizza using oatmilk, mayo and ranch seasoning), followed by popcorn and a movie. I think a couple of waffles were eaten in there somewhere too. We haven’t watched an actual movie together in ages. G takes so much of my time, even when he is asleep. I always have to clean up after dinner and do G’s laundry (diapers every 2 days). I typically finish with everything about an hour before bed.

Sunday, we made some of our keto pancake mix for breakfast. We went through a bunch of M’s old beers from different times he made beer. Most of them weren’t very good, but there was a beer leftover from 10 years ago (his toasted marshmallow stout) that was actually still good. It was nice to go through some of those. Obviously well overdue. We didn’t really make dinner Sunday, but just kind of snacked. M went to the gas station to fill my car with gas and picked up some tortilla chips. I made a cowboy caviar type dip using corn, black beans, red onion, chipotle sauce, chili powder, cumin, lime juice (we have a bottle in the fridge), and minced garlic.

Monday, we were lazy and didn’t make M’s lunch so he ended up eating the rest of the not so good sourdough. Poor guy. I made sourdough crackers because I am about out of flour and needed something that didn’t require much flour to go with my sourdough discard from feeding the starter on Sunday. I had those crackers as my lunch with some of the ranch I made over the weekend. I ordered more flour from Azure Standard. Hopefully we get it at some point soon, but I have no idea when it will come. I made chili (ground turkey, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, black beans (the rest of the can from when I made cowboy caviar), red onion, carrot, the rest of the chipotles in adobo, chili powder, minced garlic, cumin, salt, peper, and a whole carton of chicken broth).

Tuesday, we both ate leftover chili for lunch. I also had an apple with raisins, peanut butter, and walnuts. For dinner, I made french toast using the rest of our frozen bread, eggs, almond milk, honey, and salt. We also had one leftover apple sausage that I sliced and fried in the pan. It was really good! M also made himself asian chicken and green beans over rice for lunch Today and tomorrow.

Today, I ate the last of the chia seed pudding that M made on Sunday. I forgot to mention that earlier. We have been eating that as snack too. I also baked some chickpeas in the oven with olive oil and seasonings. I am pretty hungry so I need to figure out what else to make. Just haven’t found the time yet.

On a completely different note, 2 nights ago we had someone on the side of our house with a flashlight. We only know because our blink camera caught him leaving, but him coming toward our house. I reported it to a cop today and sent him the video. A woman just drove by about an hour ago and took a picture of our house. I am not sure if the two are related or if she was taking a picture for different reasons. We bought our house a year ago and maybe she was picturing it for a price comparison or something. I went outside and took a picture of her license plate as she drove back around, just in case. We have never had odd behavior in our neighborhood until now. Hopefully this doesn’t continue.

Day 19

It’s been 19 days since I have been inside of a store, 20 days since I went out to eat, 12 days since I saw any friends, and 7 days since I have left the house. Panic has definitely set in. Many companies are making the responsible decision to shut their doors and have those who can work from home. Many who didn’t make that decision on their own were forced to shut their doors. Restaurants, for example, are only allowed to provide carryout and delivery options. To make matters worse, this all happened on St. Patrick’s day (day 17) so many restaurants had thousands of dollars and many hours put into their celebratory meals. M is still at work. He is one of the few. His business is considered essential and likely won’t be forced to close. As second in command at his company, he has to be there.

Here is what has been happening with the pantry challenge that is more or less no longer a challenge and just a mandatory way of living at this point. As expected our chicken supply is dwindling although we still have a good amount. I spent a good amount of time as a vegan over the last couple of years though so falling back on lentils and chickpeas won’t really be an issue for us. Bananas are in short supply. They have all been frozen, but G loves them. I am reserving all of them for him at this point and he eats around 2 a week. I blend them with almond milk and re-freeze them into cubes. When those run out, we have plenty of cherries and dates to make cherry “nice” cream. He also ran out of his beloved butternut squash soup yesterday so I made him some sweet potatoes. Those will likely be his lunch and dinner today, so I hope he likes them.

On St. Pat’s, I had leftovers from my lunch the day before and M took leftover dinner, the chicken, rice, and pepita salsa. For dinner, I made a salad using the last of our spinach, the last of our cabbage, champagne vinaigrette, corn, bell pepper, and a leftover chicken breast. I also made a loaf of soda bread (flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, almond milk, and raisins) so we had some of that.

Wednesday, the bread was finished between breakfast and lunch. M took the last of the chicken, rice, and pepita salsa, but didn’t end up eating it. A close friend of his boss had a friend who had to close the doors to his restaurant and had a ton of food left that he made specially for St. Pat’s. M decided to purchase 20 sandwiches for the office. I feel so bad for all of the small businesses around here having to close their doors! Many of them may need to close their doors for good. For dinner, I decided to use up some random freezer items. I used the last of the shrimp and peas and most of the rest of the pineapple. I found a recipe by Ree Drummond for a teriyaki using all three of those ingredients and based what I was making off of that. I used the last of the bell pepper in the fridge and the last of the chopped red onions (we have many more onions) and I sauteed them in sesame oil with some garlic and ginger. I also made my own teriyaki sauce using the juice of our last 4 mandarin oranges, honey, and aminos and poured that over the sauteed items to thicken a bit. Then, I added the frozen items just to bring them up to temp and I served that over brown rice. It probably wasn’t pretty and M was positive peas and pineapple together would be gross, but it was actually good.

Today, I took G to visit a temporary daycare. My cousin’s wife runs one a bit north of us. We plan to start for a half day tomorrow and full-time next week. She has 3 kids, but only one is remaining at daycare. That actually makes me feel ok, although the drie will be a lot. Plus, I am mildly concerned about getting gas, but I am going to keep some of our plastic gloves that I use for putting cloth diapers in the wash in my car so that I don’t have to touch the pump.

I just ate some of the sourdough gone wrong with the last of the hummus and plan to have dinner leftovers for lunch. I think dinner will be sweet potatoes, chicken and green beans. I am starting to crave some sweets so some chocolate cherry “nice” cream might be in order (cherries, dried dates, cocoa powder, and almond milk).

I looked in the fridge, cupboard, and freezer yesterday and started to feel anxious, like we might have enough to get through this, but I know we are fine. I knew that we would run out of fresh produce and that is why we have so many frozen options. I am only wishing I would have bought a few more dried beans, just in case. I think I am going to start including some spinach in smoothies and nice creams so we are getting enough folate in our diets. Folate is essential for good health in a time like this and essential for G’s growing body. Going to daycare again will actually be positive because I haven’t given him his DHA and vitamin D since we left daycare. He gets it in his first bottle. I need to remember to include those in his lunch today.

We have run out of a few items and I had to replace them through Amazon. I tried to replenish some of these items at Costco during our last trip, but the brands we liked weren’t available. Today, I order deodorant for both of us (M uses non-irrantent and I use natural), natural toothpaste (Schmidt’s Wondermint is the only one we like), grapeseed oil so we can continue to make our brownies, and nespresso pods because in a house full of coffee, I feel like I still need daily espresso.

Stay home and stay safe.

Pantry Challenge – Day 16

Well, the pantry challenge is in full force now that our daycare closed, schools are closed for 4 weeks, and I am working from home full-time. G and I haven’t left the house since Thursday besides going for walks. M is still going to work, but is now taking his lunch and washing his hands as much as possible. Many people are traveling for spring break this week so it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks. The markets are doing terribly and I am not wanting to look at our investments. Here is what has been happening with the food.

Friday, we made our last frozen pizza for dinner.

On Saturday, M had a work thing that he had to go to. I made a salad for lunch and snacked on random things. For dinner, we had baked breaded chicken breasts with pasta and marinara, and broccoli. I also baked a batch of brownies and now we are out of oil to make the other batches. If we end up craving sweets we can maybe make one of the other recipes on the box.

Sunday, I baked all day. I made sourdough crackers, sourdough pizza dough, and prepared some sourdough bread dough. I also made a dip with cream cheese, red onion, garlic, and salt. We dipped the crackers in that. I had leftovers from the Saturday for lunch and we made a pizza for dinner with some of the salami, some olives that we found with the condiments, and some red onion. We have a giant thing of Irish Cream in the fridge so I had some of that. M also made me a cold brew coffee, with some maple cream he made out of oat milk and maples syrup and served it in Guinness glasses.

Today, M took leftover pizza to work. I had pasta with some vegan cheese that I made with sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and spices. I also ate some peanuts and raisins. For dinner we made chicken and rice with pepita salsa. I baked the sourdough, even through it stopped rising for some reason. It reminds me or hardtack, but it was ok with some vegan butter with dinner. Tomorrow M will take leftovers for lunch again.

G has been eating his frozen treats, thawed. He has bananas, a mixed berry smoothie, and butternut squash soup. We will be out after a couple of days.

COVID-19 is making a strange feeling for me. I feel stuck at home with G. It would be better if I could work, but it is so hard to work with him home. My work offered 5 extra paid days off to deal with daycare closings. Our daycare plans to be closed for a month. My cousin’s wife can take G on Friday, but I am super nervous about dropping him off with someone he doesn’t know in a strange place. I don’t want to freak him out. We are going to meet with her on Thursday, but if he freaks out, I am going to have to take PTO for awhile. It would be different if we were planning on staying there long-term, but we aren’t. It is too far away for it to be a long term solution.