Mother’s Day Weekend

May 13, 2014

Such a wonderful weekend spent with family and loved ones. We decided to spend Saturday with my mom to celebrate with her. It was wonderful as always. I told her I would cook and she would be in charge of the beverages. I made shrimp and grits and this salad.

My Dad took over beverage making and made delicious margaritas.

My Mom has some beautiful gardenias growing. They smell amazing.

We ended the day watching Little Man play golf on the green behind their house. I hope he enjoys golf as much as we do.

Sunday we spent the day celebrating my sweet Mother-In-Law. It was a great time with yummy barbecue (I forgot to take a picture) and mimosas.

It was a perfect weekend and I just love the Mother’s in my life. I hope you enjoyed your weekend and showered your Mama’s with love.

Teacher Appreciation

May 7, 2014

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I cannot tell you how much I appreciate my sons teacher. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but having your first child start kindergarten is a real emotional journey. Don’t get me wrong, we had firsts prior to this. The first time with a babysitter, the first time at daycare (can you say emotional wreck?) but nothing really prepares you for that look your child gives you the first day of “Big Boy School” when you drop him off and you say goodbye and walk away, then look back. Luckily (or unluckily) for me my husband was the one who had to take Little Man the first day. It broke my heart when my husband described the “I’m very scared but going to be brave” look he gave. What I realize now, is that he didn’t need to be scared and neither did we. The amazing person standing on the other side of that door made the fear go away.

From day one she has taken 15 children and made them her family. I have been lucky enough to help in the classroom a couple of times and I do not know how she does it. She is the most patient, caring, inspiring person. I have two little ones saying “Mommy, mommy” to the extent that drives me a little crazy. She has 15 little ones saying her name on repeat for 6 hours a day! She never bats an eye. Each child’s request is just as important as the next.

She goes through each day molding these little minds. She challenges Little Man. Makes him do things he may not even know he is capable of. He just adores her. When I drop him off in the mornings, I see her car at the front of the parking lot which means she was one of the first teachers to arrive. She stays and sits out in the hot sun until the last of her car-riders leaves in the afternoon (which is well after dismissal). I’m sure she leaves even later than that most days! She sends me texts to let me know how he is doing. She sent a text before a play to let us know which section of the stage Little Man was going to be on so we would know where to sit. Just today she sent me this picture.

They incubated eggs and they hatched!

She goes above and beyond. I know she is not alone either. There are so many wonderful teachers out there, many are my friends and I just think the world of them.

So the point of all of this is that yes, this week we celebrate our teachers and let them know how much we appreciate them. What I want my sons teacher to know is that we don’t just appreciate her this week, we appreciate her every single day. I was so afraid to begin the elementary school journey. Thank goodness I had this wonderful person to help me with the transition.

Thank you to all the teachers out there. You are helping create wonderful little humans and you are so very much appreciated. Every.Single.Day.

Sun and Fun

April 30, 2014

I can’t believe it has taken me until Wednesday to do my weekend post. Such a busy week so far and it is only going to get busier! Sheesh!

This weekend was exactly what I hoped it would be. We grilled and chilled and had a great time. We were able to spend most of the weekend at my aunt and uncle’s taking advantage of the great company, awesome backyard and pool. The weather was beautiful and the pool was the perfect temperature for the kids (still a little chilly for me).

She is showing her muscles because she scaled the whole perimeter of the pool using her hands. She doesn’t know how to swim very well yet, but she finds a way to get around.

We grilled hamburgers topped with Chipotle Gouda and White Cheddar. Grilled buns, veggies, pasta salad, and sweet potato tots. Perfect warm weather meal.

Spot the avocado?

Just as good as I remember.

The kids watched from the driveway as a neighbor drove a remote controlled car.

Grassy toes.

Another great one in the books. Looking forward to this weekend. I will need it to get here quickly, this week has been a bear!

Easter Weekend

April 22, 2014

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. Ours was jam-packed and I can confidently say we are still recovering.

Friday was date night so sushi it was. This is one of our favorite places and we never leave disappointed-or hungry. Sheesh, I think we ordered everything on the menu.

Saturday was Tee Ball and a lazy afternoon. Getting us all ready for the festivities on Sunday.

My sister had us over to their house for the most amazing brunch.

Bloody Mary Bar anyone?

Mimosas too!

Sweet things.

Not so sweet things (but equally amazing). These chicken sausages were awesome.

Steak which was also delicious.

I had a little bit of everything on my plate. There was also bacon, eggs, corned beef hash, croissants, fruit and a hash brown casserole my sister made that was incredible.

The kids had such a blast!

It was a great weekend. Hope your Easter was just as fun!

Birthday Weekend

April 15, 2014

This weekend we celebrated my Mom’s Birthday. It was a great day filled with great food and even greater company. We even got to play with this sweet little face.

Cheese and fruit appetizer.

Then the main event. My Mom decided she wanted a seafood boil to celebrate her special day. Ours had crab legs, shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes. The guys manned the fire and it all came together pretty quickly. Every 10 minutes something new would go in the pot.

Potatoes first.

Then the corn.

Sausage and lemons next.

Finally the shrimp and crab. They turned off the heat and let steam for about 10 more minutes.

Time to eat!

We finished the evening off with a few different desserts from our favorite bakery. Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Rum Raisin Bread Pudding and Mom’s favorite Tiramisu.

It was such a great day celebrating my wonderful Mama!

Love you Mom!!

Another Weekend Here and Gone

April 7, 2014

In what seems to be the new norm, our weekend was full of food and fun. Here are some highlights.

We headed to the beach after Tee Ball on Saturday. Perfect day for it. The water is still way too cold for me but it certainly didn’t stop the kids from jumping in. When we were done with sun and sand, we grabbed a bite to eat.

These nachos definitely hit the spot.

My husband ordered this Pizza Burger. It was no joke. Had mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese, black olives and tomato sauce. Perfect pizza-burger love child.

Sunday I took the kids for an early lunch before heading to a friend’s birthday party. I had egg salad on an everything bagel and it was delicious. Potato salad on the side.

Bounce House fun

Since we were near my parents house, after the party we stopped by for a visit. I love going to my Mom and Dad’s. The kids love it too. We had so much fun and ate well of course.

Burgers.

Cookies too 🙂

Needless to say we were tired and full come Sunday night but it was so worth it. Another great weekend.

Too bad today started with a dead battery in one vehicle. Happy Monday to us. Hoping the rest of the week is smooth sailing!

Hope your weekend was great too!

Weekend Fun

March 31, 2014

Happy Monday and happy end of the month. March is over? Really?

We had a great weekend. The weather was a little scary Saturday afternoon (crazy thunderstorms), but Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, so the weekend wasn’t a complete wash-out.

Here are a couple of eats and drinks from the weekend.

Sunday we met my mom, sister and her family for pizza. We went to Mellow Mushroom. We all shared a couple of appetizers, a salad and two pizzas. I also had an Orange Blossom Pilsner and it was delicious.

Mellow Balls

Meatball Trio

Holy Shiitake

Philosopher’s Pie

Greek Salad

This was the best part of lunch though. I can’t take it. They all love their Gigi so much!

We also celebrated my cousin’s birthday. The food was great as always. My family likes to cook!

Ribs, pulled pork with coleslaw, smoked chicken, baked beans, garlic bread, salad and macaroni and cheese.

Can’t forget the Strawberry Lemonade Gelati.

It was a beautiful afternoon spent with friends and family.

We ended the weekend watching The Walking Dead season finale. It was such a great episode. Very intense! I can’t wait for Rick to kick butt in the next season. I just hate that I have to wait so long!

Hope your weekend was wonderful!

Now I know what they mean by “Mom Taxi”

March 19, 2014

Spring Break is right around the corner, and I will be honest I am really looking forward to a week without after-school activities. Don’t get me wrong, I love that my son is interested in trying new things but it gets to be a real challenge when it comes to scheduling. I don’t understand how Mom’s of more than one child keep up with all the activities. Between homework (yes it is Kindergarten but still), Running Club, Tee Ball and Golf we are all over the place during the week. The Princess is now at the age where she wants to do things too and I seriously wonder how we will be able to do it. I have such an admiration for parents that have multiple kids in different sports/activities and seem to pull it off seamlessly. We are still fairly new to the “activity” game and I am learning every day. Time management is crucial and keeping to a schedule really helps. And as with most things, a little preparation goes a long way. Here are a couple of things that have worked for us so far.

Since we spend quite a bit of time in the vehicle going to and from all these events I decided I needed a “survival kit” for fussy kiddos. I always hear “Mommy, I’m STARVING!” so I decided to fill a small basket with snacks and mini waters for our little trips. Since everything we do tends to be within a 15 mile radius, we are never too far from a bathroom so I’m not too worried about the liquids. My kids drink like you would not believe so I have to be sure the car drinks are smaller so we aren’t having to make emergency pit stops.

I found these little bins at Target. They were on clearance for $3. They are perfect because they are a canvas-type material that is super-easy to clean. They are pretty too.

We also have a DVD player in the vehicle which is nice when the bickering gets to be too much to take. Did you know that a three-year-old and a six-year-old will go back and forth in an argument (“No it isn’t”. “Yes it is”.) no less than 736 times? Sometimes my “Please stop” just doesn’t cut it. I call on reinforcements in the form of Yo Gabba Gabba DVD’s. I know the phones, iPad’s etc. are good too, but my kids seem to fight over these as well. I think just being in a vehicle makes them combative. So thank you DJ Lance for your help with this.

I have also learned that you must be prepared for baseball fields. Just grabbing my purse that I’ve tossed a couple snacks in does not work. I take a separate bag (that I don’t mind getting dirty) with all the essentials. The Essentials=keeping a three-year-old entertained at a Tee Ball game.

I put snacks, little toys and her Leap Pad in here because apparently watching five and six year olds hit balls, run crazily and otherwise stress out their three grown coaches is just not entertainment to a three-year-old. I’ve also learned not to pack too many liquids for said three-year-old. When I do, I will inevitably hear “Mommy, I’ve gotta go to the bathroom”, RIGHT as Little Man is about to step up to bat. Did I mention that the bathroom is 1/4 mile away from the Tee Ball fields? We are averaging 2.5 trips per game. So no more drinks until after the second inning.

As I mentioned we are still learning but I feel like we are getting better at being prepared. Something as amall as planning ahead can make all the difference.

How do you better manage all the “activities” in your family? Any tips or suggestions?

The Weekend and St. Patrick’s Day

March 18, 2014

So another weekend in the books for good ole 2014. This one was nice because we were able to get a lot done and were also able to relax a little.

Saturday was Tee Ball again. Little Man just keeps getting better and better. I am so proud of him. After the game we were pretty hungry and went to a close-by pizza place with some of his teammates and their families. We were able to sit outside and it was absolutely beautiful. After that we spent the afternoon at my aunt and uncle’s house and this crazy (I repeat CRAZY) child went in the pool. It couldn’t have been more than 65 degrees!! He is nuts!

Kids Pool Snacks

Sunday was pretty lazy. The Princess and I did some shopping and got the ingredients to make side dishes for our St. Patrick’s day dinner. We decided to eat it on Sunday since the weekdays get so hectic.

I made Caramelized Onion Scones and Colcannon. I used this recipe for the Scones from Savvy Eats. They were really yummy. Sometimes my scones can get dry, but the onions actually add moisture so these were perfect.

For the Colcannon I just mashed about 3 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes and mixed in sautéed kale, bacon, milk and butter. They don’t photograph all that well, but they sure taste good.

It was a great ending to a nice weekend. Hope your weekend was wonderful and your St. Patrick’s Day lucky. 😉

This is from a couple of years ago. No green beer this year for us.

Weekend Things

March 10, 2014

This weekend was busy again. It was filled with family and fun, my two favorite things.

We went to my sister and brother-in-law’s house with my parents and some friends. The kids had a ball and so did the grown-ups. Talking, eating and just spending quality time together. The night ended with s’mores so you know it was awesome.

Sunday I woke up super-hungry and decided to make a yummy breakfast. We had leftover pork roast so I sautéed that with the last two eggs we had, mushrooms, onions and a chopped jalapeno. I put this over top of a corn tortilla that I fried in coconut oil. Topped it all with a little feta, a roasted tomato slice, half of an avocado and hot sauce. It hit the spot. I also liked that it cleaned out the refrigerator 😉

Lunch was a restaurant that has great New England style seafood. I had the fried shrimp with hush puppies. The portion was huge!!

As you can see, the hush puppies were popular.

I also managed to get our back porch all cleaned up. I am ready for dinners outside now that the sun will be out longer and the weather is absolutely beautiful.

Hope your weekend was great too.