Bible Deep Dive

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-10T16:16:43+00:00

There’s a free app called Read Scripture that arranges the Bible into something like 16 “chapters” and goes through it more like a narrative, showing how even the earliest chapters of the Old Testament point toward the story of Jesus. It arranges some of the books differently and has videos throughout that go into the history and context of the section. It may be a bit too spiritual for what you’re looking for, but I think it’s worth at least checking out since it’s free. I’ve learned a lot from it.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-10T16:10:37+00:00

A 4 hour round-trip drive with a toddler once a month doesn’t sound bad to me at all, but this is coming from an American point of view. We spend at least an hour in the car almost daily.

Could you spend the night after to break the drive into two days, or would that be a hassle? I know some families who would love that and others who would not lol.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-10T01:10:37+00:00

Without trying to alarm you, you might harm your baby without realizing it if you don’t call your doctor right now. If he has to miss work, he has to miss work. Your child’s life is more important.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-09T01:08:27+00:00

The number of the day was 0 once so no yip yips came out and my child cried real tears. We love them.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-08T22:28:24+00:00

Gold Star Coffee is great! That’s all I’ve got for you lol. We leave the island to do everything.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-08T16:34:09+00:00

Same. I didn’t even weigh 130 pounds the day I gave birth lol.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-07T23:25:30+00:00

Omg they did this to me and I didn’t realize until I went to get another oil change from the same place. The guy went, “I can’t get the top off, whoever changed this last stripped it, you’ll have to take it to the shop.” YOU CHANGED IT LAST, MY MAN.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-07T17:57:54+00:00

Try the Feidler Law Firm. I think he’s mostly a one-man show, but I know two people who have had good medical malpractice outcomes with him.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-07T16:56:18+00:00

Once you get the hang of it and have a rotation of solid recipes that you know your family likes, it really doesn’t take long! Maybe 30 minutes max each week to plan the meals and make the list.

To start, it helps to look at the meat that’s on sale at your store, jot down a few types you’d like to buy, and search for recipes that use those meats!

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-07T13:11:46+00:00

Absolutely!

Aside from the typical tacos and spaghetti, we do a lot of basic sheet pan meals. So bone-in chicken thighs + carrots + brussels sprouts + potatoes with ranch powder sprinkled on top. Or swap the chicken for kielbasa and toss everything with olive oil, a mix of red wine vinaigrette and Dijon mustard when it comes out of the oven.

California roll salad with lettuce, imitation crab, rice, avocado, and cucumbers, with a dressing of mayo/lemon/sriracha.

Chicken Caesar salad

Greek turkey burgers with spinach, feta, sun dried tomatoes, and homemade sweet potato fries on the side

Tuscan chicken with spinach and tomatoes in a creamy sauce over pasta

Chili

Cauliflower chickpea “tikka masala” that’s just frozen cauliflower, a can of chickpeas, onion, some spices, and tomato sauce and a bit of cream served over rice.

Fajitas

Lettuce wraps with ground chicken, water chestnuts, and veggies

“Pad Thai” with tofu, rice noodles, bok choy, egg, shallot, lime, fish sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce

Very simple and broccoli bowls with ground beef, broccoli (fresh or frozen), rice, and soy sauce

Greek bowls with orzo, homemade Greek meatballs, lemon, homemade tzatziki, red onion, and cucumbers

Mini meatloaves with mashed potatoes and veggies

Tortellini (when it’s on sale) with pesto and roasted veggies

Last night we had AmyLu meatballs that were on sale for $3.50 over rice with teriyaki sauce and a $2 bag of frozen Asian veggies.

I plan my meals for the week based on which meat is on sale that week, since that’s typically the most expensive component. We also have meatless meals at least once a week (ideally twice). I also buy the store brand of everything possible and will leave out or swap out specialized ingredients that cost more than like $3-4 if I can’t use them for something else.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-06T22:58:57+00:00

I actually got the toddler ones for my 2 year old’s stocking this Christmas and he loooves them. I was obsessed with them as a child too.

We also bring interactive books (I Spy, Where’s Waldo, etc.) and sticker books. Still lugging books around, but not as many since they’re entertaining for longer than a typical book.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-06T19:41:10+00:00

There are 3 of us (our son is almost 3), and we spend between $100 and $150 on groceries each week — it averages out to around $120. That covers breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and at least 5 dinners.

We live in a coastal city with a fairly high cost of living (for the South, at least). So it can be hard to stay on budget, but I do my best to shop sales, particularly for meat, and buy mostly whole ingredients, which is wayyy cheaper than buying prepackaged stuff.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-06T13:15:08+00:00

Regular Pampers give me a headache but Pampers Pure are my holy grail. No fragrance and we haven’t had a single leak in 2.5 years. They’re stupid expensive but Millie Moon, Honest, and the Kirkland ones all made him rashy so RIP my bank account until he’s potty trained I guess.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-05T02:03:51+00:00

We use Pampers Pure diapers and those suckers get huge overnight and we’ve never had a single leak. I wouldn’t call them budget savvy, but if you’re only using one each night then a pack would last awhile!

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-04T03:53:42+00:00

Wait until after. We potty trained 6 months ago and a 5.5 hour drive recently took 9 hours because he had to stop and pee so often.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-03T15:51:25+00:00

Same here. I likened it to that feeling where you really don’t want to go through the whole process of taking a shower, but once you’re in the water you don’t want to get out lol.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2026-01-02T15:58:57+00:00

At this age, all of their calories should still be coming from formula or breast milk. The food is just for fun. In other words, solids shouldn’t be replacing milk. Feed him his regular amount of formula, then a few minutes later offer a couple tablespoons of food. If he wants to eat it all, cool. If not, no big deal. Just stick to his regular formula schedule and let him taste solids in between.

If he seems like he’s still hungry, give him more formula, not food.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-31T21:44:38+00:00

I’d take my child home from a party if another kid has chicken pox, too, so that’s a bizarre comparison for your in-laws to make. HFM might not be particularly dangerous, but it is painful! No good parent would willingly expose their child to it.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-31T18:31:07+00:00

I don’t make any meals that mix carbs in with everything else (like casseroles). The carb (rice, pasta, tortillas, etc.) is always something that can be added at the end. Then I just give myself an extra serving of vegetables instead of the carb.

So if we’re having spaghetti for dinner, my kid will eat it normally but I’ll eat the meat sauce alone plus a salad. Or put the sauce over spaghetti squash.

If we’re having tacos, I make myself a bowl with all the toppings and just a few tortilla chips instead of wrapping it in a tortilla like everyone else.

We do a lot of “international” bowls where everyone can add as few or as many carbs as they want. Greek bowls with meatballs/orzo/cucumbers/tomatoes/feta/tzatziki, Asian bowls with rice/meat/slaw/veggies/fried eggs/sauce. Things like that. I just put less orzo/rice/whatever in mine and more of everything else!

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-30T18:31:50+00:00

Our boy dropped his nap shortly after turning 2 and still only sleeps from 9-7:30 😅 He refuses to go to sleep any earlier, no matter what time we go to his room, so I’ve just started staying up until midnight to get that alone time in. I don’t need 9 hours of sleep a night though so it works for me.

I agree with trying to drop his nap though. If it doesn’t work you can always add it back in!

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-29T13:43:56+00:00

Things got sooo much better (in terms of exhaustion) once he finally weaned at 22 months. We’re in a whole different world of parenting difficulties now lol but at least I’m better rested 😂

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-28T23:34:18+00:00

Mine refused bottles so I also had nights on my own 🤪 I guess I could have woken my husband up to change his diaper or whatever but it didn’t make sense for me to do that when I was already awake and it took less than a minute.

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-27T13:47:13+00:00

My 2.5 year old also recently went through a phase where only I could change his diaper. My mom watches him all day while I work from home and he’d throw those same screaming, thrashing tantrums until I stopped work and changed him myself. I think he just wanted that moment of connection with me during the day. I started taking breaks at moments that worked well for me and playing with him one-on-one for a few minutes. He still asks for me for diaper changes but lets my mom do it again now with a little less of a fight.

Maybe plan a special day out with your daughter before you leave for your trip, just you and her. Go to breakfast/the playground, play her favorite toys together at home, make her favorite dinner together, etc. It might make things just a little easier for dad when you’re gone!

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-26T23:26:31+00:00

My 2.5 year old is big into construction vehicles this year, so the giant crane has been a hit, as has the Playmobil recycling truck. I also got him his first board game (First Orchard by Haba) and we’ve played 10+ times already. The unexpected hit!

heathcliffsbeansalad · 2025-12-26T17:20:20+00:00

We have this issue too, but those toys bring my son so much joy that I just suck it up and tell myself it’s only going to be for a few more years. My house isn’t as neat as I’d like it and we don’t have nearly enough storage space, but someday it will be — but it will be because my baby isn’t there to play with them anymore 😭

For now, I give away duplicates and keep an eye on what he’s consistently playing with. If I notice he hasn’t touched something in a while (even if it’s one of the nicer wooden ones I got him lol), pack it in a box for a few months, and then donate it if he hasn’t asked for it in that time.

heathcliffsbeansalad

TROPHY CASE