Weekend Wrap-Up

What a fast weekend. I guess that means it was a good one, right? Davis had his first t-ball game Friday afternoon. Not sure about his ability on the diamond, but he sure did look cute in his uniform. Ava was a proud big sis:

This sweet picture was taken before the all-out brawl that D got into on second base. I wish I had a picture. It was nuts. Luckily, Morgan was there and yanked Davis out of the game for the remainder of the inning. 

After all that, I picked up a couple of McDonald's Happy Meals for the kids (hello, mom of the year!). I assisted in feeding and bathing, then headed over to a good friend's house for wine and dessert. Perfect end to the week. 

Saturday started with a cardio tennis clinic at 7:15am (too early, but fun), then a little shopping (mostly for Morgan and the kids), and a family lunch outdoors. Ava had a playdate, and our house was really quiet when Davis actually took a nap. We grilled kabobs for dinner, which the kids were disgusted by. That was fine, since it meant more for the adults.

Speaking of kabobs, and meat, Ava declared yesterday that she wants to be a vegetarian. She said she thought that eating animals isn't very nice. Then I cooked breakfast for their dinner last night, and she asked for thirds of bacon. I guess she doesn't regard pigs as highly as other animals. Apparently, her inspiration did not come from reading Charlotte's Web.

Speaking of food, I have the slow cooker chicken Gyro recipe cooking right now. I'll let you know how it it. Pretty sure you can't go wrong stuffing chicken into bread and then smothering it with tzatziki sauce. I actually have a meal plan for the whole week. Well, at least Monday-Thursday. Can you believe it? It only involves eating out one time. 

Kudos to me.

Lazy, or Just Busy?

Friends, I confess that I have cooked only one time this week. Two times if you count the rotisserie chicken I got from Harris Teeter on Monday night. We've had kids' activities the last two nights, and Davis has a T-ball game this evening. No way am I getting home after 6:30 and starting to cook.

I gotta know - what do y'all do for meals on your busy week? My wallet and my waistline need a break from eating out. And my kids need better meals, too.

The one meal I did cook was a hit - fish tacos. So easy. And a hit with all. I used panko breaded tilapia from Trader Joe's. It was good, but the same thing from Costco is a little better. Anyway, I cooked the fish, then whipped up a little guacamole, warmed up some black beans, and, voila, dinner. In 25 minutes. Sorry I don't have a picture - it just all got devoured.

As for these busy evenings, I just don't know what to make. I try so hard with the crock pot, but I am just not a fan of slow-cooker meals. I think they all taste the same. I could also go without meat most nights, and I haven't found any great vegetarian options for the slow cooker. I think when you combine a bunch of canned ingredients and let them simmer all day, it just starts to taste like mush.

I did come across this one on Pinterest, which looks a little more promising:

I'll try it out next week and let you know.

Also, did you see that my all-time fave was chosen as People Magazine's Most Beautiful Woman?

Evidently, lots of people can't stand her. I personally kind of appreciate her overt snobbishness, and the fact that she doesn't pretend to be just like the rest of us.

Happy weekend!

Monday Musings

Lord have mercy, am I glad to see Monday. I know, I know. Crazy. But Morgan has been traveling on and off for 2 weeks, and I was so happy for his return yesterday. I don't really mind doing the single parenting thing during the week, but I hate it when I have to do it over a weekend. The kids and I had planned to spend the weekend in Northern Virginia with my sister, but then the weather wasn't going to be great, and I wasn't looking forward to spending 9-10 hours in the car with the kids. So, trip postponed.

Morgan returned yesterday and handed over some cold hard cash - my cut of his golf trip winnings. What's a girl to do with cash in hand? Shop, of course. I was looking forward to some me time, but I knew Ava would love to have some special girl time, so I took her along. It was the best time I've had with her in a long time. We've been at odds a lot lately, and I think the shopping trip was just the therapy we needed. We even tried on semi-matching stripes at J.Crew:

That dress might have come home with me. J.Crew was kind enough to offer 25% off your whole purchase yesterday. Happy surprise.

Gap was also generous, giving us 30% off. They have some pretty cute stuff right now, including these items:

Striped shorts

maxi dress

Ava got a few things - mostly just some basic tees. She doesn't need much, but definitely needed some basics. She's between sizes in a lot of stuff, so it's hard. Do you buy big and hope maybe she can wear it next year, or wear what fits now, but with no room to grow? 

We finished off our shopping excursion with a trip to Barnes and Noble. We both just read a few books in store. I think I'm going to re-read Gatsby before the movie comes out. I think Leonardo DiCaprio is the perfect choice to play Jay Gatsby.

I also read the first couple of chapters of the book The Dinner. I'm pretty intrigued by it, but it's gotten fairly mixed reviews on Amazon. If you've read it, let me know how it was. 

Happy Monday!

Breaks, Birthday Party, and a Meal Not Finished

Happy Spring, my friends. Now that spring break has come and gone, the weather has finally decided to warm up and act like it's April. The kids and I survived our long spring break, and it was actually pretty fun. We stayed just busy enough. We had a few days at the beach, a few days at home, a birthday, and a little help from the grandparents here and there. I loved not having a morning routine. Relaxing mornings are the best. Of course, when yesterday came, and it was time for everyone to get back to school, I wasn't complaining.

Davis had his birthday party over the weekend. We kept it small. He insisted that Ava be the only invited girl, so we just had the boys from his class and a couple of other friends. That made it easy. We had a local guy named Coach Scott come over and run the party.

I keep telling him now that he's 4, I really expect the 3-year-old behavior to be gone. So far, he's about 50/50 on that. "Stupid" and "idiot" are still among his favorite words. We've entered the questions phase, too. Today, in the car, these are the ones I got:

"Mommy, how do we talk?"
"Mommy, how do we go poop?"
"Mommy, how do we go pee?"
"Mommy, where did we get our house?"

And, at the same time, he seems to be bringing Ava down to his level of antics and humor. I guess it's a lowest common denominator, thing, but she is often behaving like a 4 year old herself. Mealtime, for instance, is terrible lately. My kids have apparently forgotten every manners lesson I have ever taught them. Davis will start doing something silly, and Ava breaks into hysterical and uncontrollable giggles, which just encourages Davis. Then I call them down and they laugh even harder. By then I'm just mad. Tonight, I ended up exiling Ava into the playroom (nee dining room) where she had to finish her meal alone at the kids' play table. They were unscathed by my punishment, and just proceeded to yell 'hi' to one another. After a threat or 2, I deemed that dinner was over and removed their plates from their tables. They won't starve.

Maybe I just need to send them to boot camp for the summer?

FOUR!

Today, my youngest child turns 4. It's a cliche to say he's growing up too fast, but he's growing up too fast. He's stubborn, bright, headstrong, but, at the end of the day, sweet as can be. Here's my little birthday letter to him:

Dear Davis,

Today, you turn four. It seems like only a few weeks ago that I brought you home from the hospital, just a little 8 pound baby boy. You were pretty chilled out as a baby - we had no idea of the wildness brewing inside of you!

These days, you are all boy. You adore Star Wars, Spider-Man, and turning anything into a gun. One minute you're a cuddly little boy, the next, you're squirming away from me, ready for the next adventure. You're at once adorable and frustrating, pushing my mommy limits like nobody's business.

You love sports, and that was evident from the get-go. In fact, you love anything that keeps you on the go. You would live outside if you could.

You're a good little brother. You and Ava fight like any siblings, but I see the way you look at her. You think she's the coolest. And when she actually comes down from her 7 year old world to play with you, you are thrilled. I can't wait to see how close the two of you are when you grow up, and I'm so happy that you have each other.

You insist on wearing what you want to wear, and I've just about given up the battle. We've gone from smocked longalls to Superheroes and athletic shorts in a really short time. I guess I have to let you be you, though. I may protest, but I secretly like that you know what you want. It will serve you well when you grow up.

You are so energetic, and I can't always keep up. You are the reason I am so exhausted at night. You talk NONSTOP. You are smart, curious and spirited. You wear me out, but I love you anyway. It's amazing that I can spend a day fussing at you for breaking every rule we have, but at the end of the day, I look at your sweet face, and feel nothing but love for you.

You made us a family of four, and we can't imagine things any other way. 

Oh, and be warned - whoever you marry is going to have to be pretty darn perfect, because I can't give you up to just anyone. 

Love,

Mommy