Review: AB Seascape Galveston

The weekend before last, my family met up with my extended family in Galveston for a mini vacation.  It was GREAT!  And we stayed right on the beach at AB Seascape Galveston.  Yep, complete with a pool in the center of the condos and a boardwalk over the sand dune.  PERFECT!  Even better yet it is located next door to the RV campground that my parents were staying at so we could quickly walk next door to get to visit.

Here's the view from our 3rd floor unit...

My sister, brother-in-law, husband, 3 little kids, and I stayed overnight in a one bedroom unit which included a bunk bed built into the hallway and a pull out couch.  The kids were so wound up getting to stay in a bunk bed that they had a blast but a very small amount of sleep! LOL  The condo we were in was decorated nicely and clean except the resort had not done a completely thorough cleaning because my sister found that the bedsheets hadn't been changed(EEEWWW!).  Other than that though, the place seemed clean and well kept and beachy-ish furnishings and décor.  I liked it! :)  Plus, it's hard to beat being about to just walk out to the beach which is hard to find in Galveston.  On the main strip, there's a hike across a busy 4 lane(plus turn lane) highway with people booking it down the road.  No thanks!  I'll go a mile or two down the road and stay ON THE BEACH! :)  I'm hoping next year for us to rent a condo for more nights during the family trip.  It'll be fun!!!

ALDI Score!

I do my major grocery shopping every two weeks.  I have a word file of the items I need to purchase on a regular basis and then add on items for my 2 weeks worth of dinner meal plans.  So this past Thursday I headed to Aldi(my fav) for the big shopping trip and got all this....

And how much did it cost?  $185.  Included a bag of frozen chicken and a bag of family sized frozen tilapia.  And all this stuff...(this is my two week list)

BREAKFAST

(didn't need this time - 2 boxes - Jiffy Mix; 3 boxes of cereal)
2 dozen – Eggs
2 packs – Bacon
3 packs – frozen sausage
2 loaves – bread
24pc – fruit
3 gallons – milk

Lunch
24pc – fruit
Already buying bread
1 pack – fajita wraps
2 packs – lunch meat
5 bags – chips
3 bags – pretzels
1 jar – salsa
1 bag – cheese sticks
2 bag – carrots
1 bag  - celery
1 – cauliflower
1 – broccoli
1 - lettuce
 

SNACKS

3 jars – pickles
1 sm jars – olives
1 can – black olives

1 can – peanuts

1 can – mixed nuts or almonds
3 – packs raisens
8 – yogurts
Cheese(3 blocks of cheese)

(didn't need this time - popcorn)

 

OTHER SUPPLIES

4 packs Papertowels

Napkins
Toilet paper(didn't need to buy this time)
Paper plates (72+ every 2 weeks) this time bought 3 packs
1 box – Ziploc sandwich bags
1 box – Ziploc gallon bags
Garbage bags
(didn't need this time - Clorox wipes, Dishwashing liquid, Cascade, Swiffers, cooking oil)
4 cans premade – Koolaid

Also purchased for dinners etc
box 2 bags chocolate chips, fish, chicken, artichoke salad, bag of potatoes, and more!

So besides going to the store for laundry detergent soon and diapers/milk I think we're set for 2 weeks!  wahooooo!  Feeding 5 for $185 for the basics for 2 weeks.  Not bad. :)

Romanteek

When my husband was courting me many moons ago, he wrote me poetry and sent me roses to the dorm where I was living at least once a week.  I knew I had hit the jackpot.  If I would have been a cartoon, little hearts would have popped out of my eyes and popped making more little hearts to fly up to the heavens.

Around our period of the courtship, I was with my family working on cleaning out cooling towers for the family business.  Everyone had found out about my new man...  my parents, sisters, aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Luckily, the facility we had been working at had showers in the restrooms so after working my mom, my aunt, and I were in the restroom freshening up.  With stars in my eyes, I relayed all the stuff I just typed in the first paragraph - ad nauseam.   They both started to cackle.  Yes, these refined southern women cackled and howled with laughter at me, at my love, at this newly fresh romance in bloom. 

How! Could! They!  Is all that was running through my naïve little mind.

And then they stopped with stifled giggles.  That's when I got some wisdom dropped all over me like the messy cooling tower yuke that I had just washed off.  My aunt as gently as her laughter would let her explained to me that possibly, maybe, my idea of romance might chance as I aged and as my princecharming and my soon-to-be marriage aged.  She even had the indecency to suggest that one day my love would want to get frisky while visiting inlaws AND that I might one day consider it to be over-the-top romantic when he would take out the trash without me even asking.  What planet are these women from?! was my quandary.

And
now
I
know.

Now, the poems and flowers are far and few between.  The longing looks over a cheap cup of coffee have simmered(and now we can afford lattes! lol).  But my aunt was so right...  the other day my man was taking out the trash without asking.  I so appreciate him doing this.  It's those little things that make up the day; that are work; that mean so much to me now.  How he wants to play with the kids after a long day at work.  How he'll give me a big kiss and hug when he gets home.  How he will help me with the dishes after we eat even when he has other house projects he wants to work on.  How last night he even shared the remote while I am so much more stingy with it. 

And what could have been any more romanteek about my sweet husband taking out the trash?...  Oh, yea, if he would have done that shirtless. :)  Now that's romance!

Things Toddlers Say

This morning on the way to school, we passed a couple construction sites.  A couple of townhomes are being built in one area and we talked about the walls being put up.  Then there was an excavator digging a giant hole at another site and mounding up the dirt and sand beside it. 

I asked, "Wow!  What do you think they are doing there?"

My three year old exclaimed, "Building a sandcastle!!!"

Things Toddlers Say

Last week was my oldest's first week of Kindergarten.  It was a little hard on this momma but I got most of my boohoo'ing out the week before.  So when I picked him up after the second day of school, I was so glad to see him and had been missing him during the day.  I exclaimed, "Hi, Baby!!!  I'm so glad to see you!!!" 

My little boy replied, "Mommmmmeeeeee.  Don't call me Baby!  I'm grown up!!!"

(Later, I relayed this story to my husband and he dryly responded, "Second day of Kindergarten?  Oh, it really does go fast!")