I am very organized. Keeping lists and checking things off makes me feel in control of my life. And if one of my lists happens to be “blogs to read over the weekend,” at least I have accomplished something!

Over the past few months, I realized that one area I had always neglected to organize was meal planning. First of all, I thought that was something only soccer moms did. I also didn’t think it was necessary for a household of two people. Couldn’t we just throw something together and call it a night? Then I really took a look at all the time (and money!) I was wasting trying to put food on the table, if that even happened. Many nights, dinner was picked up on the way home from work. (Eatzi’s, I love you, but my wallet does not.) At any given moment, I had 3 grocery lists (fridge, phone, and paper), plus recipes that I had pinned or emailed to myself, and then some other random things I needed from various stores. It seemed I was running to the store every other night to pick up something I had forgotten.

I decided it was time to get my meals in order. After searching online for a meal planner that was simple enough to use without spending hours to complete it, I realized it made sense just to create my own. My meal planner is very basic because I don’t want to over-complicate something as simple as grocery shopping. There are five days of meals because I like to eat leftovers and/or eat out once or twice a week. The bottom portion can be used for the other items I often need, but don’t fit into any of the recipes for the week — like wine :)

You can download the PDF for free because I want to share what I hope will help others become more organized. I would love to hear how you plan your meals, whether you use this meal planner or not!

My little monster is now two years old, which means he’s a teenager in every sense of the word — whiny, rebellious, and exists solely to terrorize his parents. I decided to look back at the photos I took during his first year to commemorate his innocence and youth. His transition into adulthood has been a shaky one, but I hear that labs calm down around 2.5 years, right? …RIGHT? Until then, I will practice what my parents always preached: choosing my battles. Sometimes, that sock just isn’t worth the struggle.

This timeline was designed in Photoshop using a few different color manipulations and text overlays. I would be happy to create a timeline for your furbaby (or real baby), so send me a message if you’re interested!

Since most of my work ends up being printed, it’s often difficult to imagine the final product when it’s glowing back through a computer screen. So, I thought it might be a good idea to provide a printable version of my portfolio for any potential clients. I created this PDF to showcase my work in a way that is short and sweet (and print-friendly). Feel free to contact me for samples of anything you see!

P.S. The PDF is also available on my portfolio page.