Category Archives: Andrew

Fruit as a Dessert?

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Fruit is not a dessert.

I repeat. Fruit is not a dessert.

I hate it when you are visiting someones house and they say, “For dessert, I got ice cream for the kids and some some water melon for the adults.”

First, the kids should get the fruit, they’re still growing. The only part of me growing is my rear and I’ll be the one to worry about that thank you.

Second, watermelon is NOT a dessert.

Chocolate. Toffee. Marshmellows. Cake. Frosting. Cookies.   Those are desserts!

But, in an effort to expand our horizons I decided to try a new dessert recipe which includes fruit.

Gasp! Horror!

I came across a recipe for a simple Blackberry Blueberry Pie and decided to give it a shot.

(unfortunately, I can’t find the original source so if you know it, tell me, and I’ll give proper credit)

Because of my hesitation for this kind of dessert, I decided to less the fruit in the recipe by one fourth.

After all, we don’t need to jump into crazy and implusive changes all at once!

The recipe is super simple and is mighty pretty when it’s all done.

The moment of truth came when it was time to taste this dessert.

I thought it was okay.

Fine. I’ll admit it was good.

Alright. Alright. It was GREAT! My husband and I loved it. I’ll have to admit that my vanilla ice cream ratio to blueberries was not equal BUT it was good and it is a fruit desert so that’s saying a lot from me.

The kids were less than thrilled with the dessert but considering two out of the three of them thought I was poisoning them and didn’t even try it, I’m still counting it as a win.

(and just for the record, those two pie haters love eating blueberries and blackberries right out of the container, but throw a little ice cream on there and it’s poison suddenly)

Since I have one more pie crust left I’m going to cut up some apples and follow the recipe using those while adding some cinnamon too.

While this dessert will never take the place of anything covered in chocolate in my mind, it was pretty tasty.

What about you? What’s your favorite dessert item to eat?

Keeping Up With Her Boys

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Caroline had a break through moment this weekend.

As we were driving to a pool with my parents, the boys were excited to remember that this pool had a diving board. They discussed going off the board and what kind of dives they would be attempting.

Walking into the pool with Caroline, I casually mentioned, “Do you think you are going to go off the diving board.”

A resounding, “Yes,” was the answer.

If her boys were going on the diving board, then so was she.

And that’s all she did for the next 3 hours.

That is, besides the 35 minutes she spent eating the largest ice cream cone known to man.

Many people asked and we’re surprised when I said, “She’s three.”

And, yes, I’m absolutely thinking she’ll be ready for the 3 meter springboard in Rio 2016.

Kids Work Spaces

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I’ve been looking at tons of desks for kids on pinterest and have found some beautiful work spaces.

My helpful crafting hint for the day is that you simply do a google search for “pinterest + kids desks” and you will find tons of examples. Or type in, “pinterest + printables,” and you will get loads of boards with printables.

Here are several kid desks that caught my eye.

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How fun would that wallpaper/doodle art be in a room?

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Ummm…YES PLEASE! Love the bright colors!

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Love the art wall and the organized art desk

The wall reminds me of the art wall in our house

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The empty frames here just invite creativity but I would have to move this wallpaper to an area where the kids wouldn’t have to climb on the desk to use it.

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This desk is brilliant for a small space – it folds up!

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Nice use of an odd space

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IKEA to the rescue again!

Looking at these inspiring work spaces makes me think I might be painting some walls white in the boys room.

Shhhh!

Don’t tell my husband because he would freak out if he knew.

July Goals Revisited

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Unbelievably, it’s already August, which means it’s time to update you on the progress of my July goals.

Add item to etsy shop – Check! I added the “All About Me” form for kids to fill out.

Clean Out Game Closet with Kids – Fail! We’ve worked out way through about 5% of the closet.

Bring Clothes to an Environmentally Friendly Dry Cleaner – Check! and WILL NEVER DO AGAIN! Umm, people. Do you know how much an environmentally friendly dry cleaner costs? I took one dress in to be cleaned and was stunned when the price came to $10.93. I seriously had three one dollar bills in my hand waiting to pay and had to dig through my wallet for more money.I am all for helping the environment but this is one area where I will not be switching.

Add Crown Moulding in the Guest Bathroom – Fail! I was wishing and hoping but sadly those by themself don’t put crown moulding up.

Go on a Date Night – Check! We actually went for a lunch date and went to IKEA and grocery shopping without the kids – amazing how fast you can accomplish both of these when there are only adults in the mix.

Create items for Amanda’s Shower – Check! I shared some decor from the party – (food flags), (felt garland), (cupcake decorations) with hopefully another crafty post soon to follow.

Make Wonder Woman Costume for Caroline – Three-Fourths of a Check! So far I’ve made the crown, the cuffs, spray painted her boots red, and bought the red shirt and blue skirt. All I need to complete the outfit is a little golden lasso.

Did you accomplish anything you wanted to in July?

Short

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Andrew had a friend spending the night so of course it involved a trip to the pool before bedtime.

Hey, this ain’t my first time at the rodeo people.

I know how to tucker those kiddos out.

No one is staying up late in this house, at least not on my watch.

So, as we were walking to the pool, Caroline kept saying, “Leo, you’re short, like me.”

She said it not just once, probably ten times.

I think she was just thrilled to have someone close in size.

And in fairness to Caroline, he was only about a head taller than her.

I finally had to tell her to stop talking about it since Leo could have been developing a complex with the way she was badgering him, “You’re tiny. You’re little like me.”

All was fine for awhile.

As I was handing the kids their homemade pizza and watermelon slices, Leo walked to our table and said, “This table is dirty. These chairs are dirty.”

I looked at him, looked at the table, looked at the chair…

And said, “Caroline, what were you saying about Leo being small?”

Pioneer Camp

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My 7 year old is attending pioneer camp at a local farm and museum.

Everyday he comes home from camp saying, “I love this camp. I’m so glad I have 3 more days of camp.”

From what he’s told me it sounds like a wonderful camp – playing stick ball, walking in the creek, making quesadillas over an open flame, as well as many other activities.

I think the people who created this camp are brilliant, but it’s not because of the stick ball or walking in the creek or even cooking over a camp fire.

This has been my conversation with Andrew every day after camp:

What did you do at camp today Andrew?

Monday: “Today we played with water guns and also cleaned out the sheep area.”

Tuesday: “Today we went into the pioneer school and also cleaned out the chicken coop.”

Wednesday: “Today we went on a hike and also cleaned out the donkey stall.”

Are you noticing a theme?

The people who run this camp have hit the jackpot.

Do they have to clean up after the animals for 10 weeks of the summer?

Heck no! Get those city kids to do all the cleaning and washing – they’ll think it’s fun.

I’m thinking of running a camp over at my house next summer.

Just imagine, the kids could go home saying, “Today at camp we went swimming and then scrubbed the floors.”

“Today at camp we went to a movie and then washed the windows.”

“Today we did arts and crafts and then washed Mrs. Mac’s car.”

Yes, I think I’ll start creating the flyer right now.

 

***Tomorrow is dress like a cow day at Chick-Fi-A – check their website for details ***

Sleeping in a Fort

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Summer time around here means lots of fort building.

The last one they built with their Dad. He added some great modifications which kept the tent up through a few wrestling episodes.

They have loved it!

For the past 3 nights all three kids have slept in the fort together.

They love having books read to them in there and being together.

One of my favorite parts of them sleeping in the fort is the giggling and conversations that come from there.

The only negative has been that they tend to fall asleep a little later than normal and all get up at the same time.

But to me there’s no bigger comfort in knowing they are all together.

And sleeping on top of each other and not on me 🙂

 

***Update: The kids have added a trench to their fort. They created it from toy boxes and chairs. They are now officially pretending to be in the French Resistance Army. They are wearing winter hats and mittens – I guess this happens when you have a 10 year old who loves reading about World Wars***

Look Here!

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Things intelligent adults say to try and make kids smile in a picture:

Look here!

Hey! Hey!! Hey!

 La la la la la la la la la

 

Grown up people yelling, flailing body parts, making faces, all to get a child to look at them.

Really foolish but for some reason it’s parenting skill #1,542 that you must have.

 

Taking pictures with one child can be challenging.

Throw in a few more kids and you’ve got yourself a real party.

We attempted this impossible feat when we were in Florida a few weeks ago.

 

I now present to you, “The Cousin Pictures: A Contrast in Feelings.”

The following two pictures are an ode to their love of animals.

Ahhhhhhh! So close. Three children looking, two children pointing out passing adults who might be willing to rescue them and take them away from these awful adults who keep yelling at them.

Oh no, the tables have turned, now it’s only two who are looking and the littlest one thinks everyone is crazy.

I think these are my favorites.

I call them, “A Portrait of Misery Meets Joy.”

A mercy peek to see if there’s been a change.

Is his misery making her happy? We might have some issues in a few years.

And sadly this is the best of them…

Two kids smiling at the camera, one smiling at the other, a happy baby, and a gorilla.

 

***Free Slurpee Day is tomorrow (Wed) at 7 – Eleven from 11 am – 7 am ******

All About Me!

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I just added a new All About Me form for kids to fill out in my etsy shop.

This form is great because your child can document all kinds of fun information about themselves.

Even better, you can see how their answers change year after year.

The form comes in three different colors: blue, yellow, and pink.

I loved seeing how much Andrew dislikes sloppy joes, that Alex loved learning about Texas History in 4th grade, and that my 3 year old wants to enter the very noble profession of “being a princess when I grow up.”

This would be such a fun form for students to fill out at school, in Sunday school class, in Girl Scouts, as new birthday tradition, or just a way to spend a little time this summer.

If your interested in the All About Me form, visit my etsy shop here.