Meal Plan Monday - Week of May 24

So after a few weeks out of town, Meal Plan Monday is back! Except that in my planning, I forgot about the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, so I have a full week of meals instead of the few we'll need before getting the *bleep* out of Memphis.

I'm still not feeling well after our Mexico trip, so while I'm waiting for everything to clear up, this week's theme was Easy Dinners.

• spaghetti
• salmon, rice, peas
• lemon pepper chicken, egg noodles, broccoli
• meatloaf, (real) mashed potatoes, peas
• BBQ pork chops, rice, peas
• shrimp fettuccine alfredo
• beef stroganoff

Okay, so "real" mashed potatoes are not as easy as instant, but I promised Matt this classic American meal back in Mexico as he was recovering from a sudden but thankfully short bout of illness.

It's More Fun if You Woo

Last week, Matt and I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with some friends and had a fantastic time, but we learned a good lesson too.

On Wednesday (which was also my birthday!), we borrowed some boogie boards from the resort  in the morning. In our group, I was the only non-Midwesterner and the only one who had ever used a boogie board before, making me the "expert". Which is another way of saying that we sucked at it. We were too far out, our wave timing was off, and our paddling wasn't all that effective. We caught a few swells but didn't get very far. After a while we turned in the boards and headed back to the sand for drinks and naps.

Later in the day, after lunch and poolside naps, we walked back to the beach to take advantage of the breeze. The waves looked a little better than they had in the morning, but two young boys caught our attention. They had some boogie boards and were having WAY more fun than we had. We watched them for a few minutes and finally realized that these boys weren't any better at it than we were.

The only difference is that every time those boys got a push from the water, even when it wasn't a super-awesome ride, they would yell, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

We tried it out the next day on our adventure tour (think boats, trucks, mules, and ziplines) and it totally worked.

Lesson learned: It's more fun if you woo. 

(Disclaimer: We tried this out a few times over the week, and it generally worked, with one exception. Our final formulation of the rule was, "Everything is more fun if you woo... except diarrhea." Montezuma's revenge is stronger than woo.)

No Ghetto Bumpkins Allowed

Today Matt and I had lunch at our favorite Mexican place, which is actually called My Favorite Place.

There was a family of four at the booth across the way-- mom, dad, son, daughter. I have no idea how it came up, but the mom suddenly launched into a loud and clear speech about her expectations for her kids:

I ain't gonna have no ghetto bumpkin for a child! (Looking at son) YOU will wear your pants above your hips, with a belt and with your shirt tucked in, just like your Daddy does. You ain't gonna get no tattoos or holes in you, and you're gonna wear your hat the way it's meant to be worn-- not backwards, not sideways-- forwards! (Looks at daughter) And YOU ain't gonna date no guy who wears his pants down low. Only boys who dress nicely and are respectful and good guys like your daddy.

At this point, Dad, who has been mm-hmm-ing in agreement the whole time, says, "Or she won't date at all." Mom says, "Yeah, I'm okay with that too."

Then she addresses both kids:

And you're both gonna do well in school and go to college and you're not gonna get married until you're 30.

What I love is that the kids were maybe 6 and 8 years old, but it was obvious Mom had given this speech before. I bet those kids already know the main points of the speech, and in another year or two they will be able to recite it along with her. But she'll keep saying it, making sure they internalize Mom and Dad's expectations of them.

I know we all sometimes get tired of hearing the same thing over and over again from our moms, but oh man, I am TOTALLY going to do this to my kids.

Springtime for Sinuses (note to self)

Dear Jess,

I don't care how many times the tornado sirens go off in a 24-hour period, you still have to remember to take your allergy medicine. If you do not, your sinuses and neck will hurt and you will feel generally "meh". You will be all draggy, which is not convenient, especially when your grad work is late.

Love, Jess