Monday

We had such an amazing start to the week, a new friend showed up at the feeder! Gwyn noticed his orange head and suggested we call him OJ; how could I say no to her!? Then J sees the new hummingbird and suggested Cinnamon. So, I present to you- OJ Cinnamon. I spent the evening sitting out with my birds, trying to gain that trust. It was then I learned OJ Cinnamon is a bit of a bully. He did not like any of the other birds coming near the feeders and I had to raise my voice a few times to settle down now.

Dinner

Mexican Chicken

By: Linda’s Low Carb Menus & Recipes

This one is so easy and simple, and is always well-received! I left a portion of it cheese-less for Cal and served it in tortillas with shredded lettuce. So good!

Tuesday

We played a little guess the total, Target Edition!

I came in here looking for a few things including some basic tanks and tees and left shaking my head at Target’s selections these days. I am looking for something that is a little looser, maybe considered cropped (but doesn’t show the belly), and that I can just throw on with a pair of shorts. Doesn’t seem too hard, right?! WRONG. With a long torso, it’s all just too short, or just not the style I am looking for. If you have any thoughts on where to find this, I’d love to hear them!

But if you want to take a glass of wine to the bathtub, Target’s got ya covered. They do have my new favorite (thank you so much for the recommendations!) creamer, though, and tends to be in stock when I check there, so at least there’s that. 

We also had a few tears this morning when Franklin discovered his fish didn’t make it. He did find comfort in giving him a little burial in the backyard by his fort, though. He even made a little cross which I thought was pretty perfect.  A sweet friend suggested we plant flowers by his grave and Franklin was very excited to do this! Not really knowing what to expect with Dollar Store flower seeds, we threw some and planted some in the ground. Not sure if anything will bloom, but it made him happy. We ended the evening all together outside watching the hummingbirds come in and the deer eating in the yard, even Bruce was happily watching. It was truly one of my favorite evenings we’ve had in a long while.

The real part that got me, though, was watching these two stay outside a little longer. They’ve really been bonding lately and catching this sweet moment is something that I think will be ingrained pretty deep in my heart. Actually, in all of ours. While I wish I could relate to having a relationship like this with my dad, it’s something I cannot, but it just makes me all the more grateful that they have it.

Wednesday

I shared how our mornings used to look a lot different. They were a big struggle for one of our kids, and it resulted in all of us being frustrated.  J decided to take over and woke our soon-to-be teen up at 6 am the next morning. She obviously wasn’t thrilled about this but he did everything with her that morning; he helped make her bed and do her chore (the dishes), they took Bruce on a walk together, and came home and made breakfast for everyone. It is now a routine that has stuck with them. They do it every morning, and Gwyn even asked J to continue their morning walk on a Sunday when she could have slept in.  They both cherish this time so much and her demeanor in the morning is now so pleasant. I accompanied them on their walk one time but I wanted to keep it something special between the two of them. What I would have given to have something like this.

We also had a fun night out with friends and went to play some Trivia. I admit, I am not a big asset to the team when it comes to trivia, but I did get a few. One of the categories was “pirates.” Pirates?! I didn’t get a single one.  Good thing I have such smart friends because we ended up winning the whole thing! The guy behind us was the MC, and the girl behind him is… hiding?! From us?

Thursday

I started off the morning at Bible Study where we continued our reading in Unoffendable. Part of the book discusses a woman who was assaulted by her gymnastics coach when she was a teenager and how she chose to ultimately forgive him.

She states, “I trust in God’s justice and release anger and a desire for personal vengeance. It does not mean that I minimize or mitigate or excuse what he has done. It does not mean that I pursue justice on earth any less zealously. It simply means that I release personal vengeance against him, and I trust God’s justice, whether he chooses to mete that out purely, eternally, or both in heaven and on earth.”

As a group, we talked about what an extremely difficult, yet commendable, thing that is to do. And how God is the one who has the final say and how maybe knowing that can help heal and allow those who have been so wronged to let go of that anger and pain.

I shared with my group how something (somewhat) similar happened to me when I was sixteen. I was lucky enough to be able to get control of the situation(s) before things ended up very badly, but this book has made me think about my own situations in life where I have been wronged and how harboring that anger and resentment will only be a disservice to myself. (I wrote about this story a while back, and you can read that here if unsure what I am referring to.)

I also had a Shan with a Plan day! We have an antique mail sorter that I use to store all of our art/craft supplies and it needed a little organizational help. I took everything out, sorted it all, consolidated glue bottles, crayons, and markers, and put everything nicely back into its place.  I used chalk markers on the labels to make everything easily visible. I even have empty space now! I will say, my absolute favorite thing about the cabinet is that there are a few names still written on the slots; what a beautiful piece of history.

Dinner:

Texas Cowboy Stew

By: 100k recipes

I love how many veggies are packed into this meal and out of the huge pot that it made there was very little leftovers. Everyone loved it.

Friday

I have been eating this for years and I’m not sure that I’ve ever shared it. It is the perfect blend of protein, healthy fats, and carbs. It’s delicious and it fills me up!  I truly look forward to it, even after all of this time. You use plain Greek yogurt with honey drizzled on top, sliced apples (I dip them into the yogurt), nut butter of your choice and I use frozen pomegranate seeds (you could use any fruit you like) on top of the yogurt as well.

Random Thoughts:

I’ve learned that I am a cryer in church. Whether it’s the music, the message, or something else, I more often than not cry at some point while there.

Every week during the closing song, the pastor invites anyone who would like to go to the corner of the room where people are standing, waiting to pray if they feel like they’d like someone to pray with or over them. I’m not usually sitting where I might notice those who walk to this area, but today we were sitting right there where most would need to walk by us to get there. I watched a mom, about my age, walk to this corner with her son who was maybe around seven years old. And I couldn’t help but watch. I watched this mom and this little boy bow their heads. I watched as the people praying put their hands over this boy. I watched this unbelievably beautiful prayer circle of people who most likely have never met, come together as one. And I cried.

The mom and son then came and stood right next to me while the song finished. And I couldn’t help but tell her, through tear-filled eyes, that I noticed the two of them and what a beautiful thing I thought it was. She thanked me, got a little teary herself, and then told me her son asked to be prayed over. Annnnnnd then I started crying even harder and told her just how wonderful that was.

We can learn SO MUCH from our youth. Walking up to be prayed over is something that makes me feel nervous, yet there was a young child asking to do just that. What an inspiration.

***

Gwyn’s 13th birthday is this coming week and I just canNOT believe we are about to have a teenager. We will also be sharing a big surprise with our girl this week, as well as celebrating her special day with her friends over the weekend. I can’t WAIT!

I know there are so many things you could be reading on the internet and you have chosen to be here. Your presence and time mean so very much to me and I am just incredibly grateful you continue to be here with me each week. Thank you.

<3 Shannon

The post Re-Living with Lady appeared first on Living with Lady.

You know when you have an idea, but haven’t quite thought it all the way through? That’s what is happening here.

Because videos and links and stories disappear so quickly on Instagram, I wanted to create a place where we can catch up weekly in case you might have missed something throughout the week, or that you have a place to refer back to if looking for something specific. I also wanted a place to just jot down random thoughts I had, or share things that inspired me, things that made me think, things I am loving, or pretty much just whatever feels right for the week. So without further ado; our first weekly recap:

Wednesday

The hummingbirds ARRIVED! I repeat; the hummingbirds arrived! So I grabbed my hat (that I made with mini feeders attached), plopped my buns in my chair, and got a little action. Not as much as last year, but it just takes some time and I am confident they’ll be eating out of my hands in no time. 

For dinner: 

Franklin and I cooked up a delish Home Chef meal that we all enjoyed! You can grab 50% off your first 4 boxes with the code LIVINGWITHLADY50 Sign up here

Thursday

I met with my bible study girls this morning and I always leave feeling so good. We are reading a book called Unoffendable right now, which isn’t our traditional bible study format, but it is a really good Christian book about viewing the world in a more unoffendable way. For example, one might become peeved when getting cut off on the freeway. Instead of letting that get to you, why not just let it go? What real GOOD does it do you to become angry?  (It goes much deeper than this, this is just a quick example. One of my friends in the study shared a story about how she was recently pulling into a parking spot and someone else sped up and swooped it from her. She couldn’t believe someone would want that spot badly enough to do that. Out of curiosity, she wanted to get a look at this person, and in the restaurant, she saw she was a nurse in her full scrubs, probably on her lunch break. My friend concluded this nurse most likely had a very limited amount of time to get lunch before heading back to her job at a nursing home. She remembered our book and how if we view the world in a different light, there is probably a reason for people’s actions, and to give them the benefit of the doubt; rude or not.

(Sidenote: I finished writing this post yesterday around 7:00 PM. I checked my e-mail and look at the headline…

So incredibly sad that something so preventable ended in tragedy.

Sometimes brushing things off is easier said than done, though, right? What about the people who truly serve you wrong? Can you not let them trigger you in that way and still love on them? This author will try to convince you it is the way to go. And I will say, it has really triggered some emotional feelings and has even kept me up at night after reading. I would like to be better at this myself. 

Later this day I tested J on the lingo Gwyn had tested me on and he did way better than I thought! However he didn’t know “yeet,” and I did! To see the answers, look in the caption of the reel linked above.

For dinner: 

I  made the Summer Pasta with Sausage and Peppers; a big thank you to @bekahzacharias for sharing! I did sub the pasta with Bonza protein pasta and doubled the sausage. Very light and good! 

Summer Orecchiette with Sausage and Peppers

New to LTK this week…kitchen organizing!

Kitchen Organization | Baking Organization | Fridge + Pantry Organization

Memorable moments of the week: 

Cal asked me a question about Adam and Eve the other day that I didn’t know the answer to. I told him that I was going to buy a storybook bible that we could read together that would better teach him (and me!) these stories and give more details than what I might be able to remember. I got online and read a lot of reviews, and ordered two.

This one is our favorite. It seems to do a really good job of not being too simple that it doesn’t give the details he is wanting, but not too formal that he loses interest. It is condensed to one story per page and even has a “Christ Connection” at the bottom of how the story relates to the Lord.  We are LOVING this time together and have been reading every night. In fact, he begs me to keep going and going, and the only reason I stop is when my voice is just done for the night. In fact, last night he said, “No come on, one more, Mom. Please?!” I can’t possibly say no to that.

While I can’t go into detail much here, even though I don’t expect a certain someone to see this; I was on the hunt for something this week and decided, even though I was a little nervous, to see if anyone on Instagram had any leads to where I could find it. I knew it was a LONGSHOT, but felt it was worth at least asking. And I still can’t believe it, but someone came through (thank you, Chelsea and Chris!) I hate how vague this is, but it’s just not worth spoiling it so for now, we are keeping it shhhhhhh. What I really wanted to share with this vague annoyingness, though, is just a reiteration of how extremely grateful I am to have been blessed with a community of people who continually show up for one another, who are so kind and helpful and generous, and who want to help make something very special for a certain someone. A community of people who also show up for me. And as I briefly mentioned, I sometimes don’t feel like I deserve it. But my goodness am I grateful. So, so very grateful. Thank you. Thank you for continually being here with me. Thank you for making me laugh, for crying alongside me, and for being a listening ear.

As always, thank you for being here.

<3 Shannon

The post Re-Living with Lady appeared first on Living with Lady.

We planned the trip as everyone’s main Christmas gift, and even though my husband and I already had our passports, we still needed to get one for the kids. It was cutting it a little close, so we decided to expedite the passports, which you can take care of while turning in all of your paperwork (we did ours at the post office.)

How I booked:

I booked through Costco travel. I believe you have to be a member to do this, but all I did was go to the “travel” tab on the Costco website, choose our location, and a handful of deals popped up. I looked at a few options, but ended up choosing the one that appeared to be the most kid-friendly, was in a good location, and this one also happened to be the least expensive.

We stayed at the Villas Del Palmar in Cabo and with our package we received:

• 5 (good) round trip flights on Alaska Airlines – these were also the shortest flights
• 7 nights in a 2 bedroom suite (slept 6)
• Transportation to and from the airport
• $200 resort credit
• $100 Costco credit
• Kids were all-inclusive (breakfast, lunch, dinner, all drinks, etc.)
• Kids and adults breakfast included

Activities the resort included that our family loved: 

-Daily Bingo. This was a HIGHLIGHT for our son, Cal, who really wanted to be back at the hotel every day by 2:00 for the kids Bingo. There were prizes of ice cream cones and even cash, so this was a big deal to him.

– Pottery painting. This was purchased separately but was a nice activity to do to get out of the sun every once and a while.

– Afternoon water volleyball- We all got in on this a few times

– Nightly shows. The dinner shows are sold separately, but our kids LOVED them and the dinner buffet was absolutely delicious.

-Every day there were also other activities and games the staff put on daily that our kids looked forward to- water balloon toss, dance class, cooking class, etc.

Requirements for U.S. Return

To get back into the US, we needed to provide a negative Covid test. This was nerve-wracking for me, but the hotel did everything they could to make the process as easy as they could. When we arrived, we scheduled our tests for 48 hours before our return flight home. It cost $25 per person, but that was given back to us in resort credit.

The tests weren’t pleasant, but not a single kid cried or complained. We were so impressed. We received our results in 24 hours and were good to go. I am sure protocols are going to change over time, so check your hotel’s website for updated info on this.

Items I packed that I am so glad we had: 

-Snorkels- we used these in the ocean and in the pool. We’ve had these for two years now and they adjusted small enough to fit the kids, too. They’re so nice not having to fuss with goggles and a separate snorkel.

-Underwater phone case- we got some great footage while snorkeling with these!

-Wikki Stix– We used these every single day! These were perfect for the kids to play with on the plane, at restaurants, sitting by the pool, and just about any time there was downtime.

Kids water shoes– These were easy to slip on and worked going to the beach or walking around.

Waterproof Birkenstocks– These are the PERFECT pool/water shoe for adults. I wore these the entire week.

Walkie Talkies– We have never packed these before but used them daily! If one of the kids wanted to go back to the room to grab something, they took a walkie-talkie. If we split up for any reason, we each had one. It just made communicating very easy! And they worked FAR!

Items we brought that we didn’t need:

-Jeans- I brought one pair of jeans and didn’t wear them once.

– Adult water shoes- we never needed ours, but the kids wore theirs often.

-A book. Ha! I know this sounds silly to add, but I bought one in the airport, thought I would have all this time to lounge and read, but with three kiddos that was not the case. But, that’s okay! I preferred to be “busy” with them.

Activities

The only activity we booked in advance was the Dolphin experience, and we booked through here. It was the highlight of the trip for our daughter as it has been on her Bucket List for quite a while. It was very fun for the whole family and the prices were reasonable. The pictures, though, are what cost quite a bit. They’re not required to get, but how could we not? There was even a bonus camel viewing and elephant ride that we didn’t even know about that came included!

One day we also took a glass-bottom boat to Pelican Island, where we first got a tour around the island which I thought was fun in itself since you are able to see so many colorful fish, sea lions, a ton of different birds, and the infamous arch. But we were then dropped off for an hour to do some snorkeling which my daughter and husband LOVED. You can book these boats right on the main beach there in Cabo.

We got lucky one afternoon and saw a whale in the distance, so last minute we hopped on a boat and headed in that direction and got the show of a lifetime. A mama and baby whale were jumping out of the water and it was just incredible. You can pretty much rent a boat whenever you’d like on the main beach, so keep your eyes peeled!

I THINK this sums up the most-asked questions from our trip. I hope you found this helpful and we will definitely be booking through Costco again!

As always, thank you for stopping by!

<3 Shannon

Mexico- Part 2!

Booking last-minute accommodations: 

We decided to book a last-minute trip to Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday since we didn’t have any family in town and had no real reason to stay. We only booked this trip 10 days in advance, and I really wasn’t sure we would be able to pull it off!

My usual go-to of booking through Costco wasn’t an option this time because we were booking so last minute and everything was either astronomically expensive or not available at all.  Our go-to resort in Mexico was showing unavailable, but just to be sure, I contacted the hotel directly and they had a king suite available!! It was showing unavailable online because the room occupancy is for 4 people, but they said we can just pay for one extra person and they will have a rollaway bed waiting for us. They also said they would match Costco’s current offer, so we got some great perks!

• Kids stay free + are all-inclusive (we did pay an extra $100 and something to have the extra kiddo in the bedroom)
• $125 spa credit

We decided to add the adults to the all-inclusive option as well, as this meant every restaurant, bar, and poolside eating option, as well as the dinner shows, were all included.

Flights

Because we booked so last minute, flight prices were through the roof, BUT, we found a bit of a loophole. We realized there were two flights leaving Spokane to Seattle (the first leg of the flight) within about 5 minutes of each other, but these flights only had 3 seats left on each of them. The flight that had 5+ seats available was double the price, making the flight portion of the vacation really expensive. So, we decided to book the flights separately, with Franklin flying with me on the way to Seattle, and the older kids flying with J, and we’d both land in Seattle about the same time, and then we’d all be on the same flight to Mexico, the longest leg. AND, we were able to use two companion fares (which is pretty much buy one get one free) which we get two of each year being that we have Alaska credit cards.

Items we are bringing that are different than the last time: 

Kids Snorkel Masks– Because we only had two snorkel masks the last time (adult sizes), they were a hot commodity, so we went ahead and got the kids their own this time.

Large beach blanket– We bought ours for $20 on the beach in Mexico and it has been one of our FAVORITE things to bring to the beach since it rolls up so small, yet is so big! I’m pretty sure this is the same one.

Franklin’s Life Jacket- I thought the resort would have these there, but they didn’t, and we were able to get by with little arm floaties that we bought at the little store the first time, but I love the assurance a life jacket gives me when near the pool and ocean since he isn’t a strong swimmer yet.

After we get back, I will update this Part 2 even more!

As always, thank you for stopping by!

<3 Shannon

The post All the Details Regarding our Trips to Mexico appeared first on Living with Lady.

3 Ninjas

A Cinderella Story

Air Bud

A League of Their Own

Adventures in Babysitting

Alf

Air Bud

Angels in the Outfield

Anne of Green Gables

Annie

Babe

Babes in Toyland

Baby’s Day Out

Back to the Future

Bed Knobs and Broomsticks

Bedtime Stories

Beethoven

Big

Blank Check

Blended

Borrowers

Bridge to Terabithia

Camp Nowhere

Casper

Cheaper by the Dozen

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Cool Runnings

Curly Sue

Daddy Daycare

Denise the Menace

Dolphin Tale

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead

Dr. Doolittle

Drop Dead Fred

ET

Father of the Bride

Field of Dreams

Flight of the Navigator

Flubber

Fly Away Home

Freaky Friday

Free Willy

Ghost Busters

Goonies

Grease

Grown Ups

Harry and the Hendersons

Heavyweights

Holes

Home Alone

Homeward Bound

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Hook

I am Sam

Imagine That

Indian in the Cupboard

Iron Will

It Takes Two

Jack

Journey to Mysterious Island

Jumanji

Jurrasic Park

Karate Kid

Labyrinth

Little Giants

Little Rascals

MacFarland

Man of the House

Mary Poppins

Matilda

Merlin

Mighty Ducks

Milo and Otis

Miracle

Mrs. Doubtfire

My Dog Skip

My Girl

Nanny McPhee

National Lampoon

Neverending Story

Night at the Museum

Now and Then

October Sky

Odd Life of Timothy Green

Old Yeller

Paddington

Pippi Longstocking

Pollyanna

Race to Witch Mountain

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ramona and Beezus

Remember the Titans

Richie Rich

Rookie of the Year

RV

Secondhand Lions

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Shiloh

Short Circuit

Simon Birch

Sister Act

So Dear to my Heart

Spy Kids

Stuart Little

Swiss Family Robinson

That Darn Cat

The Brady Bunch Movie

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

The Great Outdoors

The Jungle Book

The Little Princess

The Mighty Ducks

The Parent Trap

The Princess Bride

The Rocketeer

The Rookie

The Sandlot

The Secret Garden

The Sound of Music

The Spy Next Door

The Wizard of Oz

Tom and Huck

Troop Beverly Hills

Turner and Hooch

Uncle Buck

We Bought a Zoo

Where the Red Fern Grows

What About Bob

Wild America

Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken

Willy Wonka

Yes Day

Yours, Mine, and Ours

Out of curiosity, how many have you seen?! I am somewhere around the 60 mark!

As always, thank you for stopping by!

<3 Shannon

The post The Most Recommended Family-Friendly Movies appeared first on Living with Lady.

Thank you all so much for sending in your favorite everythings; you all have the best stuff! Feel free to pass this post on to the men in your lives and rest-assured Christmas morning will be a pleasant one. Ha!

I hope this list helps ease the uncertainty of what to gift the amazing women in your lives. If you have any other suggestions, send them my way; I am happy to keep adding to the list!

Just click on each photo to shop!

And here are some more ideas that I wasn’t able to link to; all wonderful suggestions!

Amanda Frye Jewelry 

Apolis Bags 

Bombas– amazing socks

Costco – Ugg knockoffs and Cast Iron Skillet set with cookie mix for $30!

Gold Belly– Any of the sweets from this site come recommended!

Jeni’s Ice cream– Delivered right to your door and every single flavor is deliciously recommended!

Lululemon– Wunder Under High-Rise Tight

Restoration Hardware– Ultra Faux Fur Throw AND the Luxury Plush Long Robe

Thrive Cosmetics

I cant thank you all enough for your support and suggestions while making these gift guides! I truly couldn’t do it without ya!

<3 Shannon

The post 75+ Recommended Gift Ideas for Women appeared first on Living with Lady.

As promised, here is my men’s gift guide!

I asked you all what the men in your lives really like and you delivered! Every one of those items either come recommended by you all, or my husband recommends them! Well…. all except one. One I had myself in mind when adding to the list. Can you tell which one?

Just click on each photo for more details!

Is there anything else you would add to this list?

As always, thank you so much for stopping by!

The post 50+ Recommended Gift Ideas for Men appeared first on Living with Lady.