Things My Kids Say

* I was printed a bunch of papers when Nate exclaimed, "Holy Mackeral Cow".

* Nate tends to be a little . . .bossy.  He was "demanding" that I do a few things one evening so I said, "You are awfully demanding for a four year old."  To which he replied, "Well, that's cause I'm five."  I reminded him that he was still only four.  He looked at me and then said, "But I FEEL like five so I am!  I feel bigger!"

* Things I hear from the back seat:  Nate: "Josh, YOU ARE A GENIOUS!  Seriously, Josh, I'm serious.".

* A recent backseat conversation concerning the puke bucket (Nate gets carsick):
Josh:  I'll hold the puke bucket Nate.  If you feel sick, let me know
Nate:  I feel sick
Josh: What?  What did you say?
Nate:   I think I'm feeling sick.
Josh:  No, I said IF you feel sick, I'll hand it to you but I don't think you are sick
Nate:  Josh, I don't feel good.
Josh, No Nate, you feel fine.  I'll just hold the bucket for you

 Hahaha - Thankfully, Nate was just fine this time around.

Family Fun - A Bus Ride and Children's Museum

We have been enjoying doing some things as a family recently - things that we really haven't been able to do for over a year.  This past weekend was no exception! 

Our adventures began with a bus ride.

 There is a new bus line in town and it is supposed to be faster than the normal bus.  It's called the Silver Line and, I will admit, it ended up being kinda cool.  We drove into town and parked at the first bus stop.  The boys were very excited to sit outside in the cold and wait!  For two boys who love all sorts of transportation AND their Dad who is all about things that move, well, this was a "dream" come true HA! 

 Two of my very excited three "boys" :-)  I have never, ever seen Josh make that face and I have no idea where it came from . . .weird. LOL

My little buddy, Nate.  He is such a thinker and had all kinds of ideas about the bus, the stops and all the buildings we saw along the way. 

The bus dropped us off fairly close to the Children's Museum - the boys also loved being able to walk "downtown" - all things little boys dream off, for sure!  Our local library offers a free pass to the library once a year so we took advantage of that as well.  (I love free!)

 I told Darryl that, for the first time at this museum, I actually enjoyed myself.  Why?  Because the boys could just "go" and we just kept them in our sights.  Unlike when they were Toddlers were I need to stay right with them, this time around they got to explore.  Nate was like a ping pong ball; trying to keep him in my sights was a challenge :-)  He treated the museum like it was his home away from home and tried everything.  Josh hung out with Darryl and tended to stick with one thing for a long time before moving on to something new.

 The grocery store is always a huge hit at the museum.  Nate, wow, he emptied the shelves and then had to load it all in his "trunk".  Josh was more about the check out process especially considering who the Cashier was . .. ..

 The boys favorite cashier HA!  Darryl had fun too!

 The huge bubble maker is always a hit. 

 I loved seeing this little fireman all dressed up.  Josh ended up at this play area later but I was there to get photos!  I did hear that Josh ended up laying on the doctor's table while some other kid "listened" to his heart. 

 A big theme right now is "balance" so there were balance boards and a rock wall.  Both boys loved the wall and I can see them enjoying walls like this in the future. 

After several hours, we ended out to catch the bus and promised the boys we would return.  We are considering purchasing a year long pass so that we can go once a month and I would have the option to take the kids during the week too. 

Naturally, we had to get dinner ;-)  My kids love buffets because they can chose their own food.  Our timing was off a little so we ended up hitting prime dinner time and were starving - the last thing we wanted was to wait in line for 30 minutes (or more) for dinner so, we went to Old Country Buffet.  Now, Darryl and Josh loved it.  Nate liked it and I . .well, it was ok but I hate paying for foot I can make at home . . . AND have to serve myself HA!  I did enjoy one slice of Prime Rib -the second slice was still mooing so I didn't eat that AND of all things, the ice cream machine was out for repair!  Oh well :-)

We really had an awesome day and had some tired kids by Saturday night (and tired adults too!) 

Weekly Menu

Do you know what?  Our grocery store has had Raspberries on sale for 2/$1.00 (those little packs of raspberries) I may or may not have bought alot of them and filled my freezer so I can make Raspberry cobbler every time we have a snow storm all winter!  Yum!  This past week was a busy week for us where we had something going every single night - the crock pot was my friend - makes it easy for us to eat at different times, that's for sure!

Here's the plan for this coming week:

Saturday - I have to take Darryl to work today (with the boys of course) because I need the truck therefore, I'm sure we will eat in town once we pick him up from work.  (This eating out on Saturday night is getting to be a habit HA)

Sunday - Sunday Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, and Rolls

Monday - Meatball Sliders (something new to try!) and French Fries

Tuesday - I think it is time for some Lasagna!  Throw in some garlic bread and green beans and it is the perfect winter meal!

Wednesday - Pancakes, Sausage/bacon and fruit

Thursday - Amish Chicken,  Buttered Noodles, Broccoli, and Rolls

Friday - tacos!  :-)  We love taco night!

It's hard to believe that next week will bring the plans for Thanksgiving.  Where has this year gone?

Weekly Menu

Do you know what?  Our grocery store has had Raspberries on sale for 2/$1.00 (those little packs of raspberries) I may or may not have bought alot of them and filled my freezer so I can make Raspberry cobbler every time we have a snow storm all winter!  Yum!  This past week was a busy week for us where we had something going every single night - the crock pot was my friend - makes it easy for us to eat at different times, that's for sure!

Here's the plan for this coming week:

Saturday - I have to take Darryl to work today (with the boys of course) because I need the truck therefore, I'm sure we will eat in town once we pick him up from work.  (This eating out on Saturday night is getting to be a habit HA)

Sunday - Sunday Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, and Rolls

Monday - Meatball Sliders (something new to try!) and French Fries

Tuesday - I think it is time for some Lasagna!  Throw in some garlic bread and green beans and it is the perfect winter meal!

Wednesday - Pancakes, Sausage/bacon and fruit

Thursday - Amish Chicken,  Buttered Noodles, Broccoli, and Rolls

Friday - tacos!  :-)  We love taco night!

It's hard to believe that next week will bring the plans for Thanksgiving.  Where has this year gone?

Heaven - A Short Video

This past Sunday evening at church. the video "Heaven" was shown.  It is the latest teaching, for lack of a better word, put out by Billy Graham.  It is really just the basic concept of why Heaven is so real and why it is so important.

I was totally engrossed in this short video as it played - there really wasn't anyone in the auditorium that wasn't sitting in silence as the reality of what Heaven is was played out on the screen.  It provides real life application along with some powerful messages from Billy Graham (who, quite honestly, reminded me of my dad - back in the 70's HA)  Whether you've been a Christian your "whole" life or you are searching for what the truth of Heave and who Jesus really is - this is a video well worth watching.

Billy Graham has a way with words; a way with reaching people because he met people where they were.  He really does remind me of someone else - This person has a way of always making people feel welcome; getting people to talk to him and making them feel "safe" in that conversation; he can walk into a hospital room and, when he leaves, those facing dire circumstances are left filled with hope knowing that someone cared enough to be Jesus to them that day.  Who is that person?  My dad.  He has that same gift and he would sit down and talk to you about Heaven too - make sure you understand what it is, how important trusting Jesus is, and he would make you feel comfortable while he did it because that is just how he is.

Here's a link to the video . .. Heaven

What We Are Eating - Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers
adapted from Julia's Album

A few weeks ago, when the kids were gone, I decided to try a new pasta recipe that I knew wouldn't be something they would really eat but, Darryl and I enjoy really good pasta meals.  This was really an easy recipe to put together - I would recommend gathering and prepping all of your ingredients so you are ready to go.  I used chicken breast and just gut them down into "tender" size.  

Ingredients

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or use 3-4 oz fat-free sun dried tomatoes
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders
• salt
• paprika (just a little bit)
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free, use Tinkyada gluten free brown rice pasta)
• 1 tablespoon basil (if using dry basil), if using fresh basil you can add more
• 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing as described below:
2. In a large pan, on high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar - see note above) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika (for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.
3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
4. Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet with chicken. Add half and half and cheese to the skillet, too, and bring to boil. Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick - don't worry - you'll be adding some cooked pasta water soon. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Add basil, stir to combine.
5. Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once - you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier. Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
6. Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

 

Teaching Tuesdays - Week 11 - Catching up and Thanksgiving projects

This week, I worked to get Josh caught up a little bit in areas we are running behind - math and phonics.  He enjoys doing the math worksheets and, quite honestly, they are super easy (with only 3-5 problems on a page.  Doubling up lessons has been easy and we'll continue it this coming week.  In phonics we finished up our alphabet review and actually started true phonics this week.  I told Darryl he might need to teach the short vowel lesson where Josh has to master the vowels blending with all sorts of letters because, well, I never learned phonics and, holy cow, it's hard to learn it at my age HA!  This week we have also started working through a workbook on money.

This week we started talking about the Penny.  My boys both love money so this is a good thing to work on!

Nate loves school - loves his workbook pages, learning sight words and this book:

Yep, mazes!  These are good for his fine motor skills and well, they are just fun.  I had purchased both of the Kumon Workbooks two years ago and we just never used them.  I love that I can pull these out now and let them use them again.

This week we also started talking about Thanksgiving.  The weather is turning colder so this week I used Friday afternoon to my advantage and did some Turkey fun with the boys.

We did two different projects.  First, we did a color by number Turkey that I found over at Kindercraze.  I love that it printed as half sheets so that it wasn't too much for little hands to color.  This is the first time ever that the boys have actually been willing to follow the directions HA!  Usually they are monochromatic colorer's so seeing them actually color by the number was awesome!  Second, we did a cut and color turkey.  The pattern came from Thanksgiving Activities for Kids - you just need to click the image and save it, then I used my copier to actually enlarge it to 81/2 x 11.  The boys did great getting their pieces colored, cut out, and glued together.

I didn't take any photos but we also worked out side and did some science.  Earlier in our school year, we read a Zootles Magazine about plants and specifically talked about tulip bulbs.  Our local store had all of their bulbs at 75% off recently so I picked up two bags of tulip bulbs - 30 in each bag.  After burning attempting to burn leaves and other flower cuttings (who knew it was so hard to burn leaves???) we worked on planting the bulbs.  They boys may or may not have planted all 60 bulbs in a 2x2 square.  For real.  I'm curious to see what actually comes up in the spring!!