This week was jammed packed with activities from a Young Life Banquet, two Fall Festivals, bow making at garden club, our last t-ball practice, our last t-ball game, the JDRF Walk, and lots and lots of fun with friends.
Monday night, I made the chicken Stromboli for the kids before we headed to the Young Life Banquet here in Winston. I knew that we'd be on a tight schedule due to George coaching the last t-ball practice of the season and having to be at the banquet just 15 minutes after practice ended (clearly, that did not happen...we were a little late.) The Stromboli was easy to make early in the day and cook right before the boys got home. It was also not too too messy, which is always a plus when a babysitter is feeding the kids. I felt like I was moving in fast forward the entire day, and it was so nice to sit back and relax with great friends at the Young Life banquet that night. I was involved in Young Life in high school but have been removed from it pretty much since then. Seeing these amazing kids who are involved in Young Life, listening to their stories, and listening to amazing speakers who are passionate about children was so inspiring. I was reminded of my incredible leaders, Bill & Merrell, and their never-ending commitment to us in high school. If you are unfamiliar with Young Life, check out their website (Forsyth County Young Life,) and if you are familiar with it, revisit it because it's an awesome organization.
I wish you could've seen my kids faces when I served them the Crockpot Taco Soup on Tuesday night. Let's back up...we had a play date for the boys after school, and it was perfect. Subtraction by addition is always a plus (if you don't know what I mean by that, it's basically inviting friends over who will entertain your children therefore giving you some breathing room from the fighting, neediness, etc. that occurs each and every afternoon with small children.) I truly love the boys' friends, and some people probably think that I'm crazy for adding more children to our chaos, but it is such a treat for the boys and for me when their friends come over. So, after this lovely afternoon, I thought that we'd continue the easiness of it all by having a simple, yummy dinner. I started off feeding the baby while the boys were running wild. She gobbled two small bowls right up. Once the boys sat down and started eating, it was all downhill. One started complaining that he didn't like it and that it was too hot...of course my response was, "It's been sitting there for 10 minutes, there is NO WAY it is too hot...you need to eat your dinner!" I really thought he was tired and being dramatic (someone in my family being dramatic? NEVER!) The other one sat down shortly thereafter and exclaimed, IT'S SO HOT, IT'S SO HOT! I wish I could explain their faces as they were saying this. I then decided to taste the soup, and oh gosh, it was SO hot (spicy)! Whoops...mom fail :) I quickly made some quesadillas, poured huge glasses of milk, and offered extra dessert...so, yes, please follow the instructions on the blog for this and use mild rotel and taco seasoning. I wouldn't want you to witness those horrific faces on your children this week :/
Wednesday night was our last t-ball game, and I carb loaded the kids with the Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta. This made SO much food, and we are still eating it 4 days later. Probably a great meal to make when you are having a crowd over. It was super yummy, and thankfully we like it enough to keep on eating leftovers. This is where the "I can't do everything" comes into play. I really wanted to go hear these two women speak on Wednesday night. I had been looking forward to it for weeks, and it just wasn't in the cards because practice ran over and then there were trophies to distribute. I was super disappointed and pretty much sulking, and I definitely didn't enjoy my boys' last t-ball game as much as I should have because I was distracted by the fact that I wasn't going to make it to my meeting (mom fail #2 of the week...well, at least #2, but that could be an entirely different blog!)...it also could've had something to do with the fact that it was FREEZING outside and the baby was miserable in the cold. It wasn't until I saw my boys' faces as they received their trophies that I realized I was exactly where I needed to be. A good reminder to myself to live in the present and enjoy being right where I am at any given moment rather than regretting my attitude later.
Thursday morning, I got up early, made the White Chili, got ready for a fun meeting (this included dressing in something other than work out clothes, putting on makeup, and curling my hair.) I got SO many comments about my hair, and it made me realize that people have gotten really used to seeing my hair in a ponytail these days! The one thing that got left off the list that morning was COFFEE! What in the world was I thinking!??! I made it, put my creamer in, and forgot to drink it. I was about to reheat it in the microwave (gasp!) when I had the brilliant idea of heading through the Krankies Airstream drive thru for the second time this week (actually the second time EVER)! If you have not tried the pumpkin latte from Krankies, you are missing out! Thank you Christine Storch for the recommendation...I am a convert!! The whole morning all I could think about was that I had 4 bathrooms to clean, about 8 loads of laundry to do, and a cake and a pie to make for the bake sale at school, but I put all of that on the back burner and headed to my super fun meeting to learn how to make bows. This was a total luxury to do something just for ME, only ME, and I didn't feel guilty...the bathrooms and laundry were still here when I got home, as were the tasks of making the cake and the pie...but I now know how to make a fabulous bow for the holidays!!!Friday evening was the FallFest at my son's elementary school. I am not sure if we lived in Arizona for too long or what, but my kids and I have developed an aversion to cold weather. Despite the prospect of pony rides, games, prizes, dancing, food trucks, etc, my kids were not into it at all. After about an hour of trying to coerce my kids to "have fun," we aborted mission and headed to ChickFilA for dinner (we got free kids' meal coupons at the FallFest...SCORE!) and finished the evening curled up on the couch watching a movie.
The JDRF WALK was on Saturday morning. There was a huge turnout! Unfortunately, my oldest son has two good buddies who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It was so great to see all of these little boys walking together, supporting each other, and having a great time raising money for a terrific cause. I would highly encourage anyone to get their family out to these events any chance that you can. This is the second family walk that we've done, and both have given us the opportunity to talk with our kids about important issues...i.e. childhood illness, childhood hunger and obesity, etc.
Up this week are Black Bean Burritos, (yes, these were supposed to be made this past week, but we ended up with too many leftovers!) Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce and Angel Hair Pasta served with Green Jacket Salad, Flank Steak served over salad with Cowboy Ciao's Stetson Salad Dressing, and Cornflake Chicken served with potatoes and asparagus casserole.
Happy Cooking!!
