Category Archives: Andrew

A New Fangled Contraption

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We’ve been taking our dog Sophie for a walk every morning now that swim practice is over for the summer. If we don’t take her in the morning, it’s not happening since the morning temps have been in the 80’s and you can only imagine how good the air feels in the afternoon.

So there we were the other day: My 11 year old on his bike, my 8 year old on his scooter, my 4 year old on her bike, and me running with the dog. OK, it was more like me being dragged by the dog in order to keep up.

We were on a long straight stretch when my son on the scooter asked if he could try and have Sophie pull him.

I handed him the leash and a ton of laughter ensued.

(We’ve recreated the scene in order to get pictures but at a much slower pace)

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They would get going quickly but after about 20 seconds they would be going so fast that the leash would have to be dropped.

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Then there was chasing after the dog and then starting the whole process again.

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So each morning now the boys get one straight away to have Sophie pull them and then we give her a break for the rest of the walk. It works out great except that my 4 year old is now begging to have Sophie pull her on her bike. No way is that ever happening!

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Mac n ‘Cheese Pizza

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Yesterday I told you how the boys are cooking this summer and getting to choose what they make.

My 8 year old loves the Mac n ‘Cheese pizza at Cici’s so he wanted to make his own version.

Mac n’Cheese Pizza by Andrew

 Step one: Make pizza dough using this recipe.

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Step two: Layer dough with mozzarella cheese.

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Step three: Cook macaroni and cheese using the recipe on the box.

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Step four: Place cooked mac n ‘cheese on top of the mozzarella.

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Step five: Put pan into oven and cook for about 15 minutes.

(picture before put in oven)

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Enjoy!

 And if Mac n’ Cheese pizza is not your thing maybe this recipe will be….

Key Lime No-Bake Yogurt Pie

Caroline and I made this recipe one afternoon and it was a big hit with everyone.

Happy Cooking!

What My Boys are Cooking

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Each summer the boys are in charge of one dinner a week.

The only condition in choosing food is that it can’t be something they have already cooked this summer.

The boys enjoy cooking and have been pretty good about ensuring that there is either a fruit or salad with the meal. They have made sure to steer clear of any veggies on the menu.

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Here’s what they have served:

Week 1:

 Alex: Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, grapes
Andrew: Beef tacos and cantaloupe
 
Week 2:
 
Alex: Chicken patties on bun, fries, and strawberries
Andrew: Cheese sticks as an appetizer 🙂 , 3 types of pizza (including mac n’cheese pizza), and blackberries & blueberries
 
Week 3:
 
Alex: Cheese raviolis with homemade red sauce, cheese bread, and salad
Andrew: Homemade calzones with salad
 
Week 4:
 
Alex: Spaghetti, homemade red sauce, homemade meatballs, and salad
Andrew: Hot dogs, chips, fruit, and yogurt
 

Maybe not all are the healthiest options but I want to make sure it’s their meal and not mine.

I’m hoping all of this cooking by them pays off so in a few years they will be doing all the summer cooking (insert evil cackle).

6 Kids at the Pool

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So the other day I took 6 kids to the pool by myself.

I know, breath a moment, and take that in.

Now this wasn’t any ordinary pool either.

It was a 50 meter pool, with a separate shallow end, and a separate kids pool.

A bit stressful keeping tabs on everyone as they swam with their buddy.

3 were mine, 3 were friends

11 yr old, 11 yr old, 8 yr old, 7 yr old, 5 yr old, and a 4 yr old.

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Putting sunscreen on 6 children – awful and long

Seeing friends go down the water slide with huge smiles – delightful

Having the lifeguard tell my daughter to stop climbing up the water slide – not surprising

Having my 4 year old go off the diving board – exciting

Treading water while holding the 4 year old and 5 year old in the deep end – hard

Watching boys race each other in the water – amusing

Losing two pair of NEW goggles – frustrating

Everyone getting out of the pool when I asked – miracle

Arrive home & eating a piece of cake before dinner while hiding in pantry – well deserved.

A Well Balanced Meal

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My 8 year old made his own lunch today.

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A banana.

A container of banana cream pie yogurt.

And a piece of banana bread.

A fruit.

A dairy.

A whole grain.

Obviously someone’s been paying attention in health class this year.

Our Daily Schedule

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I know it’s summer and it’s supposed to be a carefree anything goes time but I need to have some sort of timeline for the day.

Here’s a rough sketch of what our day usually looks like:

7:30 – 8:00 Wake up and eat

9:00 Swim practice

10:30 Snack

11:00 Play a board game as a group

12:00 Eat lunch

12:30 Play

1:00 – 2:00 Quiet time – reading, playing in room (Mommy’s time on computer)

2:00 – 5:00 Play, pool, movies, friends, tv, games, video games, errands

5:45 Dinner

I am totally open to this being flexible but at some point of the day MOMMA NEEDS HER QUIET TIME.

Before the kids are allowed to do anything tv, computer, or video game related they need to do their chores.

They already bring their dishes to the sink, bring their clothes to the hamper, as well as other tasks so the chores I’m talking about are extras.

Having a simple chart has made completing chores no big deal. And let’s face it, there’s only two chores per day per person.

Is it a fancy chart that involves stickers, puffy paint, and ribbon?

H*LL no!

It’s written on paper each week by me and it works just fine.

Take a look at last week’s chart:

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The big exciting change on the chart this week is that there are no chores scheduled for Saturday. We are usually exhausted from day long swim meets so I figured what’s the point.

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Don’t worry, I’m not finished filling this weeks out yet. But I think you get the idea.

Do you have anything that’s making your summer a little easier?

We Were Saved in the Pantry

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After dinner the other night, the kids were amusing themselves with something so my husband and I went on a hunt.

“We need dessert. We need dessert.”

And then we spotted it in the pantry.

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“Eureka! It’s a miracle!”

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Do you see it? The mother of all hidden candy?

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Cue the angels singing.

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Oh yes we did find that hiding.

Bless my children and their complete failure to remember they have any holiday candy three days after they collect it.

Our Newest Dance Song

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Today I thought I’d share one of the songs the kids and I are loving right now.

It’s…The Piano Guys with Alex Boye and their version of Coldplay’s song Paradise (Peponi)!

While driving in the car or playing in their rooms, I’ll hear little bits of the song from the kids, “Pepo, pepo, peponi!” Makes me smile every time.

Hope you love it as much as we do!

16 Years & A Bike Race

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Over Memorial Day weekend,  my city hosts a bike race around the town square.

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Although we have lived here a few years, we’ve never had the opportunity to attend until this year.

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The cyclists whip around the corners at frightening speeds and accelerate even more on straight aways.

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I considered it a win that we only saw one cyclist with a blooded and torn up hip.

The kids found the racing fascinating while I just prayed it hadn’t inspired them to take up the sport.

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Since we were also celebrating our 16th anniversary the night of the races, we took the kids to eat on the square and had a little celebratory gelatto.

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It was a wonderful night that hopefully we can replicate next year… the only change being I’m having a whole cone of salted caramel ice cream, not just a half.

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Definitely a good night.