Cooking For My Family

One night we were having dinner with some friends and one of them said, “All Carley wants to do is influence you to cook dinner for your family.” Yes. That is it. Well, and influence you tøo: pray for your husband, yell praises for public schools, motivate teachers, be a mom that reads to your babies, say no to jeans and yes to pull on pants, and wash your cars on Sunday. Not too much, right?

However, my main passion in life is mastering the skill of cooking 20 minute meals with as few ingredients as possible all while writing math problems for your big kid, and holding your little kid on your hip.

Here are some things that I HIGHLY suggest to make those meals as easy as possible. Again, if you support this little corner of the field: I truly THANK YOU! I am paid for my reviews but as always, I will keep the reviews 100% REAL LIFE. (It also allows me to keep creating those recipe cards for free!)

THIS. I use LOTS of veggies in my recipes. I 100% recommend paying a little more for precut veggies from the grocery store, but this is PERFECT for chopping things super small. I honestly use this multiple times a week, especially during soup season. OH…. and it is THE BEST for those sub in a tubs I have been loving.

THIS. A good crockpot is a MUST. I have three. THIS is great for large items, chili, and soups. THIS one is great for small recipes like green beans, dips, or meatballs. THIS is probably my most used for daily dinners. We use a crockpot 2-4 times a week. Good ones are a MUST.

THIS THING. (At the time I am writing this, it is on HUGE SALE!) Game changer. I actually broke every rule I have ever had with gift giving and asked Coach for one for Christmas. Y’all. I can grill chicken and steaks on my own. LOVE IT. I use the air fryer daily. TRULY DAILY. If you don’t need all that, then THIS is a great item. You will never cook meat in the oven again. EVER. (My rule is your spouse should never give you cooking appliances for gifts. Diamonds are better.)

THIS is great for all of the leftovers. I take leftovers to lunch and heat them, so I need glass dishes rather than plastic. These are great!

As always, thank you for being in this corner! May your season be full of wins…. (unless you’re playing the Warhawks.)

Classroom Life

Happy Fall Prime Day! I think I love the fall Prime Day more than the summer one. I’m also super thankful we are on a break because my mid season meltdown was strong last week. That’s for another day.

Today I wanted to share some classroom must haves that have been amazing in my classroom this year. Again, my #1 goal for this space is to be REAL LIFE. Everything I am going to share I own and LOVE and what has been a great addition to my classroom. Plus, it’s PRIME DAY. You just might want to check out ASAP because the price changes have been insane this time.

THE PENS I USE DAILY I am going to say I love these the MOST. I usually buy them for a teacher gift as well. They are great for the price.

YOU WILL NEED THIS I always grab one when the price is low. I need 2 a year.

BEST REWARD EVER Y’all. The 5th graders are LOVING their charms and I have them earn this first. They are on sale, so I am grabbing a pack. If you have an 8 year old child…. mine has asked for a pack for Christmas. So I am getting an extra pack for her stocking.

THE CHARMS The charms are 50% off for the 50 piece. You have to pick through them to ensure they are kid friendly. I found 2 out of 200 that I didn’t love. So that is your warning.

NOTE PAPER For some reason this has been a game changer. I love showing them EXACTLY what I want their paper to look like. Note taking skills are real.

CHART MARKERS I make charts daily. I don’t know why these bring me such joy. They are on big sale.

FOR THE WINDOWS I LOVE these. When I walk in and see them in my windows, it brings my heart great joy. I LOVE my bright and colorful room this year.

ACTIVITY I always give a book for Christmas break. I think we will do these at our class party as an activity. Or maybe the day we get out for Thanksgiving. I also got one kit for Calla’s class as a gift from her.

CLASS CHRISTMAS GIFT We did this and a cup of hot chocolate for our class party. Today they are $1.14 with this deal. Order quick because this was the BEST class party activity. I promise kids talked about it all year.

NON CANDY TREATS I bought these last year and still use them.

I also earn a small commission if you shop from my links. PENNIES. However, it pays for this little space. Thank you SO much for supporting this space.

The Hardest Thing I Have Had To Learn

When this post is bring published, I should be in three different places. However, I had to use my own advice and say, “I can’t.” to all of them. Today I will share a ground breaking moment in my life that I recently put into place in my life, and it has truly helped me be a better human.

Get ready.

I believe that everyone in this world has a “full plate.” Some people’s plates are just larger than others. That is OK. You have to know your plate size and what to add to it and what to not. During different seasons of life some things may be more important than others. For example: In this season I am Coach Cain’s biggest supporter, Calla and Cart’s mommy, teacher to the Cain Crew, and a Gem for Two Hidden Gems. I am also Carley that needs to cook meals for her family, write a blog as a creative outlet, and exercise daily for mental health. That is my plate. It’s rather full. So to keep myself from feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or not really being 100% in anything I do, I have had to learn to say this:

“I’m sorry. I’d love to, but I can’t make it.”

Last month I committed to being at 4 different events. Y’all. I was 30 minutes late to every single thing I was doing. That night I cried because when I looked back, I wasn’t truly “there” for anything. I was just checking the boxes. That isn’t life. That isn’t how we should live. The plate was a mess, wobbly, and close to shattering.

This simple little phrase has helped me feel less pressure. I don’t feel the pressure of having to squeeze too many activities into one day. I am not missing out on time with my family because I committed to being at three different places. Digging into self reflection in 2023 has caused me to protect the most important things to me. I have protected my plate. I know what I can and can’t add to it. I know my limits. It took many years to figure this out, but now that I know: Carley is a better plate holder.

What are you protecting? What is on your plate?

My next task in life: How to not feel the guilt from telling people no. I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m there.

Leaving school at 4:15 to be at a volleyball match at 5:00. We did manage to study some vocabulary in the car on the way.

Cooking dinner with a toddler may be my favorite season of life ever. It’s a reward when everyone eats a meal I made in the chaos.

Who Are We Trying To Please

I need to start this by saying: I am a 3. I find value and success in getting things done. I am all for a goal, and accomplishing that goal…. HOWEVER:

I was recently trying to wrap my brain around why I was feeling like a hamster in a wheel that was spinning and not going anywhere… only gaining exhaustion and fearing my worst fear: burn out. I don’t “love” using the words “stressed/ overwhelmed/anxiety” but if I am being real life…. I feel it. I feel it from time to time. Although I am good at moving on…. I want you to know I feel it.

I was feeling it. I was feeling very scattered and feeling as if I just couldn’t get ahead in anything I was doing. If life was a checklist, I was adding and not doing any crossing. When this happens I have to sit and do something filling for myself. What is that? Sitting in the floor and playing cars and trucks with Cart, then playing dolls with Calla. After the bath, song, and bed routine for the children, it’s sitting in my recliner and snacking on cheese-its with Coach while we watch a baseball game. This is when it hit me: I feel the most stress when I am trying to please PEOPLE. THE WRONG PEOPLE.

The most valuable Bible study I have ever done was about NOT people pleasing. People pleasing is a sin. I feel the stress and hamster feeling when I am trying to please the wrong people. I want to be a good teacher. I want to be a good friend. I want to be a good business owner. I want to be good…… but in all honesty…. who cares? If you are showing up, giving your best, doing your all with he gifts God gave you…. you are pleasing HIM. Worried that something you said upset someone? Say sorry. Move on. Worried that your boss isn’t pleased with the work you did…. is it your best? Congrats, you’re human. Worried that the anonymous post is about you on social media? That’s pleasing the wrong person. Trust me: I have to remind myself DAILY. HOURLY.

If you are loving others, if you are doing YOUR best, if you go home and love your family, if you go home and support your spouse…. YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST.

Don’t please the wrong person. Don’t seek approval from people. Do your best work, give glory to the one who gave you the gifts, and move on.

Sunday Must

It is Sunday morning and my house is silent. My children convinced me to have a grandparent sleepover, so today I am going to get everything accomplished before I pick them up.

I tell my students that Mondays are my favorite, then on Tuesday I tell them Tuesday is my favorite, then on Wednesday I tell them Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. I do REALLY LOVE a Thursday. I NEVER tell them Friday is my favorite. Whew, Fridays are fun, but whew. If I’m being honest, Sundays are truly my favorite. I love a fresh day of the week where I can restart and refresh.

Here are some Sunday things we do that help us have an amazing week.

1. Meal plan. I try to plan my dinners and make my grocery list on Thursday. However, Sunday is MUST be done. I put this notepadon the fridge each week. Meals are planned and ready.

2. Make a quick run to Publix for all of the weekly must haves. I have actually been using Walmart pick up for some things, and doing that on Fridays, but that is a different post.

3. Carwash. Girl, wash your car on Sunday! Starting the week with a clean car will bring your heart so much joy! Now, my car will be trashed by Wednesday….. but on Sunday it’s clean. THIS for the backseat has also been a game changer for Calla. (At the time of this post, there is a 50% off coupon. Making the bin $5.)

4. Get your outfits ready for the week. I know. It’s insane. But I like to have everything planned, steamed, and ready for the week. A friend on the internet told me to stop ironing my clothing and start steaming it. I purchased this steamer to try out the steaming life and it is great! I even went on a trip and took it with me. Coach Cain told me to share it because in his words, “You really use that thing a lot.” I want a bigger one, I just don’t want to find a place to store it, so this little friend is perfect.

   I do NOT get Calla and Cart’s outfits ready for the whole week. That has been an area of battle for us. They tend to do better with that task being the night before.

5. Reset your house. Put everything away, run a vacuum, wipe down all the spaces. Monday morning comes so quick!

And just a reminder…… it is TOTALLY OKAY if you don’t do ANY of this. YOU do what YOU need to do to have a peaceful week! As always…. If you are in a season of exhaustion, I’m praying for you, friend!

You Were Made For This

I am REAL big on doing everything in my power to avoid that “burnout” phase of life. If I’m being honest, I fear it. It’s actually one of my most prayed prayer. I always hear, “I was just feeling teacher burnout.” “I was tired of my marriage.” “I was tired of my job.” “I was tired of blah blah blah.” I truly from the pit of my soul fear being “tired.”

Marriage. I find myself doing little things to avoid that feeling in our marriage. Coach and I have a HUGE focus on communication and I may or may not drive him crazy with my up front honesty. “Hey, that really bothered me!” is said a lot by me. When I need a break, I am one to say it. I don’t ever want to feel bitter or mad because of his schedule. To me, communication and talking about EVERYTHING keeps me from feeling tired in the most important relationship I have.

Teaching. I feel burnout in our jobs comes from stress. I am HUGE on filling my bucket as a PERSON and not giving my 110% to my job and then leaving 0% for my people in my house. I give the best I can in my classroom, but Cart, Calla, and Coach will always get my 110%. This means working hard to be as prepared as possible, and not stressing the small stuff. If it can’t be done, then it can’t be done. I am a human. It took 13 years, but I have mastered this skill quite well. (Ask my work friends. I am actually rather chill this year. To the point of people are questioning me.) You usually won’t find me working on anything school related when I am at home. I also removed work email and apps from my phone. If you know, you know. GAME CHANGER, y’all. I also had to learn to say, “No.” Just this year I had to say, “I’m sorry. I just can’t add that to my plate right now.” It hurt so much… but man I feel better! I’m just a better person and WANT to go to my classroom each day because I found that balance.

Motherhood. Whew. This circles back to me having open communication with Coach. One day last year I said, “Brandon, I am jealous of your 15 minute ride home in silence every day. Help me.” So he did. He fixed it all. We also fully believe in weekends at grandparent’s house. That can be another post for another day. Motherhood is hard. I can pour from an empty cup more that I want to admit, but we DO have to take moments for ourselves, and I believe in that Mama Moment.

All of this to say, no matter what I do to be my best at avoiding the “I am tired. I feel the burnout feeling approaching…..” It still hits me in the face from time to time. It hit me this week. I was THRIVING. Then… I was surviving. I had a meltdown over Cart’s pjs. I knew it was time to step back, pray about it, and reevaluate.

Then I pulled this shirt out for Teacher Tee Thursday. I bought it back in May.Honestly, I completely forgot I had it. It was pushed back in my closet, then found its way to the surface. (Which, sadly… says a lot.) Just what I needed; a reminder.

God made me for this. God made ME to be Calla and Cart’s mama. God made ME to be Coach Cain’s wife. God made ME to be a teacher to the Cain Crew. God made ME for THIS LIFE.

It changed my whole perspective. No matter what I do to avoid it, the exhaustion just hits us. The burnout is there. So when it does, now what.

So when you are feeling that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach, the burnout is close…. remember: You were made for this.

God made us to work hard and use our gifts for HIM. He tells us to go out and do hard work. Give Him the glory. We are told that work here on Earth is HARD. It isn’t easy because only in Heaven will we find that perfection. However, we can find comfort in knowing:

We were made for this.