Just curious.

So I don't often break the 4th wall of cinema (you will get this if you took LTWR film classes at UCSD. Oh. No one else? Hmm.) and talk right to you, dear reader, but I was looking at our blog stats like a nerd and noticed that we're starting to consistently get a lot of pageviews whenever I put up a new post. Like... 80. I'm not sure I know 80 people?! Haha. Anyway we're flattered obvs, but I'm curious who you are. Someone apparently reads from Russia?! So if you would humor me and add yourself to the poll in the sidebar, I'm just curious who finds us entertaining enough to keep tuning in. And if you care to reveal yourself in the comments, dear readers, I would love to know your (secret?) identities.

If you do I will later do a post of photos of me and Steve doing weird faces throughout our relationship. Pretty sure you want to see that. Maybe not? Let me know.

Help Please: Dinner &

Okay friends. I love doing these posts where you enlighten me, and it is time once again. Here's what I need:

1. Dinner ideas!

We're looking for (relatively) healthy stuff that doesn't take too long to cook. We've been wearing out our go-to's. We love chicken, pasta, fruits and veggies, and we're willing to try some new things (and stuff good for cold weather, which we hope is coming soon...?). I'd especially love anything that you can throw together fast/last-minute.

Also, fair is fair, so here are some of our recent go-to meals:

• Pasta with alfredo or (store-bought) marinara + a chicken cesar salad (we pre-cook all our meat for the week on one day, by the way; other lifehacks here)
• Margherita pizza
• Steve's amazing tacos
• Chicken & peach quesadillas

2. Weeknight/Date Night Ideas!!!

We love watching TV together, and that is usually how we unwind in the evening. Date nights at home usually consist of a fancy (well fancier than usual) dinner after Gracie is in bed (much more peaceful dining experience haha) and watching a movie. I love this, but I'm wondering--do you have any other ideas for hanging out in the evenings, date night or not? I'm game for any ideas!

Ask the Audience: What are Your "Life Hacks"?

Yes, this is staged.

I have been going absolutely crazy over trying to keep our house tidy, stay on top of work, spend as little as possible on groceries, and still get a minute to read a book. Over time I've come up with a few time-savers (a.k.a. "life hacks;" there are "parenting hacks," too), so I'll share mine with you, but I'm wondering--what little things do you do that help you keep your life in order? I am especially desperate to know how people keep their kitchens clean when there is an endless pile of dishes.

And as promised, here are some of my life hacks, for your enjoyment. :)

• Vinegar. I use it for everything. It is a disinfectant, but it's natural. It cleans my floor, softens and disinfects gross laundry, washes the counters. It's an awesome de-greaser. The only downside is that it doesn't smell so pretty, but once it dries the scent fades. Plus because it is basically food, you can use it when your pregnant without worrying about fumes. Just to be super safe about the disinfecting, though, I still use a 1/100 bleach solution for the nastiest parts of the bathroom or if we have had eggs or raw meat on the kitchen counter. I hear you can use it as a rinse for your hair, too--haven't tried that yet.
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• Automated bill pay. No postage, no forgotten bills. Enough said.
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• Precooking. We cook chicken and/or ground beef once a week, then refrigerate it (only up to 5 days, though). It gets reheated (and sometimes seasoned a bit more) to go in pasta, tacos, and salads. I pre-make a double batch of pizza dough every two weeks (we have it every Tuesday) and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. I ball those up and freeze them so they can get popped into the oven whenever, or bake them and freeze so they just need a minute of toaster oven time for delicious goodness.
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• Meal planning. I just can't get into the groove of collecting a million coupons, so I've altered my shopping habits instead. I do a big grocery trip only twice a month, hitting a grocery store and Costco. Because our produce is usually gone or no good by the second week, we eat canned or frozen fruits and veggies with our meals (smoothies, frozen veggies, etc.). I've just started doing this, and it is nuts. It saves us money because there's less impulse buying and we are more careful with what we have because we've got a rule that about when the next shopping day is. We get creative. Plus we always know what's for dinner. I usually only plan two weeks (and I plan meals that can use leftover portions, like if we have stir fry one night I make extra rice for a meal a few days away and freeze it). Last month I planned the whole month, and it felt a little insane but worked really well.
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• Baskets + snap-top boxes. They quell the tide of toys in Gracie's room and the living room, they hold in my baking goods, they manage the mess of extra cords that want to devour our closet, and they keep my freezer from exploding.
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• Laundry days. Monday is clothing laundry day (+ clean-up-from-the-weekend day). I do only two kinds of loads--lights and darks. I only do a dedicated white load if something needs bleached. Gracie has her own load. I fold stuff as it comes out of the dryer, right into our basket, otherwise piles of clothes sit on our couch for days. Tuesday is for the linens--sheets and towels. I do blankets every few weeks.
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• Google Calendar. I have it synced with our email in the sidebar so we always know what the other one is up to when we are trying to plan stuff. We also have a regular calendar in the kitchen.

Okay, so help!!! What else can I do so my house doesn't look like it exploded all the time?!

Couponing???

Does anyone else have trouble finding any logic in the whole "couponing" deal? I have tried to get started on it several times, but every time I start looking through coupons I realize that few of the products we actually buy ever have coupons, with the exception of cereal. So any time I start looking through coupons I start exclaiming to myself over Pillsbury biscuits and etc., only to pause and realize that we don't eat those. We try to eat healthy, low cost, fresh-as-possible foods, and try to keep away from over-processed foods as much as possible...

So I am at a loss. It seems like it takes hours of time for very little money-saving. Is there any point to my pursuing this?

Here is a bare-minimum typical Walton shopping list for summertime... Tell me your thoughts.

milk

cheddar

parmesean

eggs

yogurt

butter

seasonal fruit

bananas

apples

romaine or green leaf lettuce

potatoes

lots more fruits & veggies

apple sauce

frozen veggies

frz skillet meal/frz pizza (we give ourselves a "lazy night" once a week)

frz boneless, skinless chicken breast

wheat bread

wheat bagels

cereal

pasta

pasta sauce

Obviously we also occasionally have to buy those things you keep on hand all the time, like sugar/flour/baking powders, oils, chocolate chips, etc. Hmmm. I just don't know.

Doppleganger or Individualist?

It seems like every time Gracie meets someone--friend, relative, or stranger--they have a decisive opinion about who she looks like. Usually she is "JUST like daddy" or "JUST like mommy" but usually not a mix, or like neither of us.

And so I present to you the evidence. You can vote in the corner. We also want to know whose nose she has. You can vote on that, too. In fact, it is your duty to do so.

Exhibit A: Baby Jamie

Exhibit B: Baby Steve

Exhibit C: Baby Gracie

QUESTION: Baby Schedues?

So I have a question for all you mommies...

How do you schedule your babies!?!?

At 4.5 mos, Gracie's daytime is currently a two-hour sleep schedule (she goes down for a nap about 2 hrs after she wakes up from the last one) and is still on an on-demand feeding schedule (which sometimes means she eats every two hours, sometimes every three or four). My mom is a big proponent of by-the-clock scheduling, and my doctor is pretty much the opposite and recommends on-demand everything. As of right now we are kind of a combo, with on-demand feeding/and semi-on-demand napping during the day but a specific bedtime routine and bed schedule (and she sleeps through the night, yay!).

But I just don't know which daytime scheduling way is the best for Gracie, so I'm wondering what everybody else is doing. Are you an on-demander, a BabyWiser, a clock watcher? Please share (and you mommies who have more grown up babies, please share as well)!!!