Tag Archives: kids

Comfort food for COLD days!

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I love the crock pot.  Especially when it’s chilly outside.  Especially since we both work full-time.  Especially when you want dinner RIGHT when you get home!

Turkey taco chili:

1 pound ground turkey

1 package Taco seasoning

1 can Rotel tomatoes

2 cans Chili beans

2 cans Red Kidney beans

1 can Black beans (‘cuz I love ’em!!)

1/2 chopped onion

garlic…however, much you like…

Mix it in the crock pot.  Put it on low and let it go.  Serve over whole wheat penne or regular elbow macaroni…top with cheddar cheese and sour cream and delish!!!  Even our pickiest kids had seconds!

 

And in the morning if you run out of that old powdered hot chocolate mix and it’s cold outside…..takes a few extra minutes, but worth it!!

On the stovetop…..6-8 cups milk (we use fat free), 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup baking cocoa powder.  Mix until hot.  Serve with 2 big marshmallows or lots of small ones.  Didn’t even need to add sugar.

Happy day and stay warm!!

**I’ll be back with Goals in the next couple of days……

 

Dessert. It always comes with a price, somehow…..

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After Christmas and before New Year’s the planets were in perfect alignment and I was able to spend an evening with my very dear friend, A and her 6 children (and my 2 girls).  Short version:  my hubby was working.   my boys were with my sister and her family and I was on my way to get them.  A’s hubby was at the beach with his parents for a vacation (a few days ahead of her while she took care of some stuff–I think she got the better end of the deal!).  So for a few short hours our kids played hard, ate pizza, watched movies and she and I were able to catch up (mostly uninterrupted with life’s usual interjections), drink wine, eat pizza and THEN.  she made dessert. Not just any dessert.  Simply the easiest dessert to make.  However, don’t let its simplicity distract you from its deliciousness, which is what our kids refer to it as.  I call it “The Devil”.  And I won’t be making it any time soon as it completely contradicts my weight loss goal for 2012.  boo hiss.

So, you start with these, and generous side walls to contain the next ingredients:

Which are these:  a good cup of butter and cup of brown sugar, always a scrumptious couple!!  Pour it on the crackers and bake it in the oven a few minutes until bubbly:

Then add these (which I had NO idea came in such a monstrous size–obviously I don’t shop @ Costco!!!)  when the pan is  hot out of the oven and spread all over until melted and covered up.  Chill for a bit in the freezer. Break it up and voila!  So amazing.

You end up with this and good luck taking a picture before anyone gets to it.  Vultures I tell you.  Vultures.

**as a side note:  if perhaps your pizza spilled over into the oven and you forgot to clean it up before preheating the oven, this might go off and after about 10 minutes of searching for breakers and on/off switches, you may be driven to climbing a ladder and using whatever tape is available and dishrags to muffle the noise until the husbands can be located for guidance.  always good for a huge belly laugh.  good times, good times.  gotta love girlfriends.  and their kids.  and their dessert!!!  Happy New Year to you and yours!!!

Kayakin’ Christmas Eve (Day)

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Because nothing says Christmas Eve like taking the kayak for a spin, right?

We are borrowing my friend’s kayak for a while (she hasn’t used it and we have a nice little home with some use from time to time for it, so it’s win-win for all of us) and after a month or so, we finally had a free day to take it for a spin.  Sadly, the day before it was pushing 80degrees and bright blue skies and sunny…the day after (kayak day) was pushing mid 70s, grey Eeyore kind of skies and breezy….BUT….all for adventure…and minus one kid, we hit it!

First up was our youngest son (who also helped heave the beast up and off the truck with dad). It’s WAY too hard for me to take pictures AND manage the kayak and bungie cords!  Besides, isn’t that one reason we enjoy our children?  They make our lives so much “easier”…<wink, wink>

The marina was a great spot to put in, protected from the wind and no traffic=great introduction for the kids!

Next up was littlest, who turned out to be a pretty good little rower once she got the hang of it.

Big sis rounded out the kid-turns and was THRILLED to be kayaking.

Here I am…WHAT!?!?  You kidding me???  It was “cold” and I was not up for getting my booty wet!  Especially when we forgot towels.  yeah.  don’t got there.  oversight.  won’t happen again!

Brother was cozy in the car waiting while Daddi-O took the girls for a spin and ventured out for a short trip into the river before loading up to go home!

Heading under the little car bridge!!

Checking out the birds while waiting for the crew to pass by..

Under the BIG bridge into the river!

Heading home for some hot chocolate!  (and the traditional Christmas Eve Family Mass, of course, but a great way to enjoy an afternoon).

Friday….or the day before vacation starts!

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— 1 —

It’s Friday, the end of a long week and the last day of work before I have a week of STAYCATION enjoying Christmas break with the kids, hubby and my sister and nephews…(Bro-in-law has to work—boooooo hissss)!

— 2 —

We had our parish priest over for dinner this week. We let the kids decide the menu:  Chicken Enchiladas.  They decided that all our priests and deacons should be served some sort of Mexican dish.  Taco stuffed shells, Tacos, now Enchiladas.  It was a hit. I think they just want an excuse for lots of cheese and sour cream.   It was a great dinner and plenty of entertainment provided by our two youngest who had the MOST to talk about and ask questions of our very gracious guest.  Dinner was followed by peach cobbler (yum) and the girl’s “performances”.  Lots of them.  Cheerleading tricks.  Complete with one sister (accidentally) dropping another on her head.  Magic tricks that weren’t quite magic.  and lots of “Father Chris, Father Chris…”  It was fun.  And it was funny.  Will have to have the conversation with the girls on hogging the priest next time…

— 3 —

I.  Finished.  Our.  Christmas.  Shopping.  (I think)….need to go to all my secret places and take stock and double-check that the boxes I received (hopefully safely after the whole FedEx and UPS videos lately, OY!!!…) from UPS contain what I ordered.  Otherwise….it’s going to get interesting.  I probably should do that tonight.  Just in case….

— 4 —

I.  Am.  Over.  Food.  After our pizza lunch today, I am certain that I am breaking up with food.  Or after our Christmas dinner tonight at my brother’s house.  Or after Christmas lunch.  Yes.  That will be when.  For sure.

— 5 —

I was able to get in THREE days of exercise this week.  Yup.  Sanity is somewhat intact, peeps.  My friend and I have even begun strategizing our post-Christmas workout plan in between coffee and cookie breaks.

— 6 —

Next week I am going to pretend to be a Stay-at-Home mom.  Which means I’m hitting the gym.  Or some kind of exercise all week-long.  And then I won’t be at home.  At all.  Because SAHM’s really DON’T stay home.  They are everywhere else, doing all kinds of errands.  I’m SO out of practice, but I feel up for the challenge!!

— 7 —

Tonight we build the gingerbread house.  Yes.  It is tradition.  And with onlyTWO. DAYS.  LEFT.  We are running out of time to complete our traditions!  YIKERS!!  Don’t worry, the tradition of mama (and now papa) staying up quite late with the finishing touches on Christmas Eve is sure to continue!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

The merriment continues…or…how much more can I pack into this month???

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We are half-way there, baby!  Should that strike fear into your heart if you haven’t begun your Christmas shopping, fear not…..there are still 12 11 shopping days left!!  This gives me GREAT pleasure as currently we have only purchased ONE gift for 3 children with the 4th child’s gift to be procured today.  Which means at some point I need to get crackin’ on the online shopping…….but let me stop there, because I feel my anxiety level rising at the thought of it!  Let’s move onto other things that December is bringing…

We’ve enjoyed the Christmas parade………

A middle school Holiday concert, it was actually pretty good.  Now at the end, we were unknowingly seated RIGHT where the percussion section marched to, the video I was going to upload** does NOT accurately convey the LOUDNESS of this seating arrangement, but perhaps the lady plugging her ears does somewhat.  I know.  My life is good.  Please don’t hate.  **at this time of year I have neither the time nor the patience to figure out how to change to format to be included…forgive me...

Flag football and Softball games in between the merriment of December, bringing their own joy, shouts and late nights….is it over yet???

A broken toe….

The Nutcracker ballet with my girls.  A first for ALL of us and we thoroughly enjoyed it to decide it should be an annual tradition!  (our youngest really WAS thrilled to be going, she was NOT, however, thrilled with the fact that her mother was running her usual LATE and insisted on photos in spite of running late!  that’s me, always pushing the envelope–and for the record, we made it RIGHT on time!)

My annual (big) Girl’s Night Out, Christmas dinner edition.  This year at a fun, loud and delicious German restaurant near us.  Entertaining.  Relaxing.  Good laughs.  Catching up time.  And my fingers are slowly returning to their regular size after all the sausage, sauerkraut, cabbage and pork!  Only a month-ish until our Girl’s Weekend….ahhhh, let the good times roll!

Dress rehearsal for the church Christmas performance.  This year we have an angel and a dancer……

West Side Story, performed by a local high school.  FANTASTIC!  WOW!  I can’t say it enough.  The talent was truly amazing and I was crying at the end…which my husband found humorous…whatEVER!!!  It was tear-worthy!!  (and I don’t say this because my girlfriend’s son was “Tony”, either)–no pics due to copyright laws…ah BOO!!!

Christmas cards are wrapping up and should be in the mail this week.  Today.

In between school wrapping up this week and work, there’s still lots ahead….more baking, Walk through Bethlehem, church Christmas program, football, softball, and all that shopping, wrapping and eating!  Carry on with your busy selves!