Weekly Blueprint

I hope you all enjoyed the gorgeous weather this weekend. It's hard to imagine that this time last year we were buried under piles of snow! I hope you have a fantastic week lined up -- here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:

Starting January 10 (multiple sessions): Consider signing up for this program about giant ocean critters. Yay for giant ocean critters!

January 11: Learn how to make a windowsill garden.

January 12: Enjoy fire and ice in New Bedford.
January 13: Inspire a love for chemistry.

January 13: Humpty Dumpty kicks off at the BCA Black Box Theatre.

At your leisure: Purge! Over the holiday break it felt phenomenal to purge my closet and donate to a drop box. We just purged some kids clothing yesterday and Laurel is working on a playroom purge to donate toys to kids in need.

At your leisure: Menu plan. We're trying to get back in the habit of mapping out at a weekly menu plan, using the chalkboard circles we have up in our kitchen. In general we opt for a strategy of 2 more involved meals (things that require assembly and longer baking times, e.g., lasagna), 2 quick meals (e.g., quesadillas, breakfast for dinner), leftover nights, and one night for take out.

At your leisure: Hydrate. Drink lots of water. And take care of scaly skin. I'll be sharing a community inspired post on hand creams soon!

At your leisure: Start a new book. Head to the library, used book store, or Amazon armed with this awesome reading list. (I just ordered Cutting for Stone and Left Neglected on Amazon last night since I haven't been able to find the titles at my local used book store -- so excited for them to arrive!)

At your leisure: Engage in some self care. I can't seem to find a ballet class that fits my schedule so I just ordered this ballet DVD. Also handy, here are 11 easy ways to get back to fitness.

At your leisure: Bake something. I love baking as an activity with kids. Yesterday Laurel and I had a great time making lemon sugar cookies (YUM). This recipe from my friend Rachel looks deadly but I'm completely intrigued. I have a weakness for caramel and pecan

Have a wonderful week!

Image credit: New England Aquarium