Deck Flowers

I love flowers.  However, I usually kill them.  So, I don't blow tons of money on them, but I do usually get a few new lovelies every spring.  This year, the kids and I stopped by at Lowe's, and I grabbed some Dahlias for the terracotta pots on the deck steps, and some Begonias for the strawberry jars I got from mom a year or so ago.  I also picked up a couple of ferns for the front entry area.

While they are still alive, I am enjoying them.  We will see how long they last!

Tee-ball Begins . . . Again

Tee-ball season is upon us yet again, and B could not be more excited!  He was jumping up and down when I told him I had registered him, and he was ready to go shopping for new cleats right that moment.  So when the day of his first practice finally arrived, he had reached a frenzied level of excitement.  And of course, I only managed to get one picture of him at practice. 

My brother, Uncle J, and his friend Mr. JH are coaching the team and doing a great job.  Can't wait for the first game!  Go Dodgers!

Sick Days

Yes, that says DAYS with an -s.  Our whole family had the stomach virus that has been going around, and it was pretty miserable.  Monday night a friend who was visiting from out of state called to check on us since her two little ones has been at church the day before and were throwing up.  I told her we were also doing great--and then B woke up at 2:30 the next morning sick.  C followed close behind waking up around 5:30 sick.  She seemed to get better by around 10:00 that morning, but the bug really had B down for the count.  He was running fever when he went to bed that night, but woke up feeling much better.  Neither child had much appetite for the rest of the week and spend Tuesday just laying around and being generally puny.  Please excuse my scary appearance--sick kids = a rough day for mommy.

My dad brought by the some apple juice and Gatorade for the kids.   I tried to get B to drink the Gatorade, and this is how he felt about it.  haha

 So we went about our regular day on Wednesday thinking that the stomach virus had left us, but alas, it hit me that night around 7:00.  I was sick all.  night.  long.  Miserable!  My wonderful mother took the kids to her house on Thursday, and I was able to just lay around in my pj's and drink the above mentioned Gatorade until I felt better.  The Hubs picked the kids up from Pop and JuJu's, took them to eat at our local pizza place, and then came home with the stomach virus.  He didn't seem to have it as badly and B and I had it, but he stayed home from work on Friday nonetheless, which is really saying something since he NEVER calls in sick.

Suffice it to say, I am beyond happy to say that we all seem to be on the mend and are back to our regular selves.  But, I just wasn't up for the St. Patrick's Day festivities that I had planned.  So we wore green, and that was it.  I didn't even get a picture.  Oh well, maybe next year.

Frozen . . . Finally

So, it only took us 4 months to get to the theater to see Frozen!  haha  Actually, I am pretty particular about what I expose my kids to, so I am not likely to be the first one at the theater with my kiddos for a kids movie.  After hearing so many good things about the movie and referring to Kids In Mind about the content (I love that website!), the Hubs and I decided we would go . . . and then the kids said they didn't want to see it!  WHAT??!!  B was afraid it would be scary, and C just followed his lead.  But after calling friends W and L and talking to their daughter A (who was able to convince them that it wasn't scary), they decided we could go.  I loved the movie, the Hubs thought Olaf the snowman was hilarious, and B approved of it as well.  C, however, is just too squirmy to take to the movies.  We had a rough experience with her at Despicable Me 2, but I thought at almost 3 years old, she would do better.  That was not the case.  But I digress . . .

When the movie was over, we stopped briefly at Target (for me) and Gander Mountain (for the Hubs) and then we were off to Chick-Fil-A.  Our whole family enjoys 'eating more chicken' and the kids love the playground inside.

It was a fun evening.  I always enjoy these little family date nights!

I {heart} Joseph's Lavash Bread

I have recently started a weight loss journey that has me much healthier and feeling better and more energetic than I have in a long time.  And the 11.5 pounds I have lost isn't hurting anything either!  Since the start of this journey, I was introduced to this delicious and healthy alternative to bread by my friend S. 

The pieces are huge and only 100 calories.  I usually cut one in half meaning it is only 50 calories, tons of fiber and very little carbs.  And it is super yummy.  You can use them to make pizzas, grilled cheese, and I have been loading my half down with roasted turkey, spinach leaves, and a little smear of light mayo for lunch.  Oooo, I can't wait to tear into mine for lunch today!

Hidden Veggies

Admittedly, neither my kids nor myself are veggie lovers.  I had good intentions and gave both of them lots of veggies when they were babies.  But as they have grown, they just don't eat veggies as well as I would like for them to.  So, I hide them--in pasta dishes and smoothies mostly.  I will grate a carrot and about half a zucchini in spaghetti sauce or lasagna, and the kids never notice it.  But my latest hidden veggie has been a HUGE success--milkshakes.  Ok, so they are actually smoothies, but my kids call them milkshakes.  Here they are finishing up a Berry Blast Spinach smoothie yesterday.

They scarfed it down and requested another one this morning.  I happily obliged while doing a secret super villain mommy laugh in my head knowing how they did not at all suspect the presence of a green leafy vegetable in their delicious milkshakes!  Here is the recipe if you are interested in tricking your kids too.  haha

Berry Blast Spinach Smoothie

1/4 c yogurt (I use low fat vanilla yogurt.)
1/4 c milk (or more if needed to blend)
1/2 c frozen mixed berries
1/2 c frozen strawberries
1 handful of baby spinach (I use organic.)
1 tbsp of ground flaxseed (This can be found with the flour and baking mixes in the grocery store.)

Combine it all in a blender until the berries are broken down and the spinach is ground up and hidden.  It makes a large single serving or enough for three or four people to have small servings.

I do love giggling to myself while the kids unknowingly eat and enjoy spinach.

What's on the Tank? {Allegiant and more}

I have been kinda busy lately and just haven't gotten around the reading any new books.  But the library e-mailed me this week to let me know that I had two books in on inter-library loan, one of which was Allegiant, the final book in the Divergent trilogy.  **insert me squealing with excitement**  So I rushed over to grab it and the other book they had for me.  I also bought THREE books from the 3 for $10 bin at Winn Dixie (of all places) while picking up some groceries Friday night.  So, here is what my tank looks like now:

I am over halfway through Allegiant and have mixed feelings.  I have pretty much only heard negative things about it, but I don't necessarily dislike it so far.  However, it is not the page turner that the first two books were.  We will see how it goes.  I heard about Revenge of the Kudzo Debutantes on the Dixie Delights blog (which I am completely in love with) and figured a nice, quick, light read would be nice after the heavy content of Allegiant. 

As far as the others, I read one of Laura Ingraham's books when I was pregnant with B and it was hilarious.  I couldn't pass up on another one for $3.  I fell in love with Live with Regis and Kelly when I was at home on maternity leave with B and decided to snag Regis's biography as well.  I really don't know anything about Jen Lancaster or this book, but since it was 3 for $10 I figured I might as well toss the third book in the cart!

So that's what's on my tank.  What's on yours?

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!

Today marks the birthday of Dr. Suess, the well-known author of such classics as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, etc.  But since I don't cook on Sundays, we celebrated last night with a Dr. Suess-themed meal.  You may recognize a lot of this from our Green Eggs and Ham supper back in September.  The menu consisted of Green Eggs and Ham (Steak), Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Cat Hat Strawberry Shortcake Skewers.  The Hubs is the only one who ate the eggs, but the shortcake skewers were a HUGE success.

The strawberry shortcake skewers were delicious and super easy to make since the shortcakes are actually refrigerated biscuits rolled out and cut into small circles.  I found the recipe on Pinterest and you can find the link here.  B ate two of them and wanted more.  I had to hold him off with the promise that I had left over biscuits and we could make more tomorrow.  I am sure we will be constructing more of these little beauties after supper tonight.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!