Aidan's Meet the Teacher

This morning Aidan and I went to meet his Busy Bees teachers and friends. He will go to mother's day out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays this year. He knew a couple of friends from previous years, and he immediately had fun with a group of five boys today. They looked like big buddies already. Boys are just so easy going and adorable!

Aidan showing me a bug.

Ms. Angie and Ms. Anita

Allison had Ms. Angie for Pre-K. She is wonderful! He has one other teacher that isn't in the picture, Ms. Christine.

Aidan and Grady showed up in matching shirts. They were cookie monsters together two years ago. Cuties!

He is very excited about his Pre-K year. When we were leaving he asked, "Mommy, when do I get to start Busy Bees?" I think Aidan is going to have a great year also!

First Week of 2nd Grade

Allison took a ton of time this year picking out outfits for the first twelve days of school. I'm not sure why 12 was a magic number, but it was. Here are her outfits from the first week. She loves clothes and fashion.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

In other news, she is now a car rider. The first two days on the bus we had trouble again with the girl that was rude to her last year, and to make it intolerable her best friend was joining in. I honestly cannot stand the bus dynamic and have always felt that way. She loved it so much in Kinder and 1st, so I just went with it. Now that they are all getting a little older, the social cesspool is bubbling up. Yes, I feel that strongly about it. Therefore, Allison and her neighborhood buddy will play at each others' houses and be together without the pressure of school and the bus. I hope it will save a friendship that she values so dearly.

She does love her teachers and classes. She said that second grade is great! She's also making some sweet new friends in her class. I think it's going to be a good year!

2nd Grader in the House

Today Allison started second grade. How in the blippity-blip did that happen?!? (Sigh) The past two years she has been very excited about her first day of school. Today, not so much. She said it was going to be boring because all they would do all day is go over rules, and she was worried about missing me and Aidan. She also asked how many hours she'd have to be there. Well, despite her lack of enthusiasm, she did pick out a great first-day dress. Cutie!

I drove her to school and walked her to her class. She asked me to stay a few minutes, so of course I obliged. I really do hope she has a wonderful day. She does have a few friends in her class, so I think once they go to lunch, specials, and recess she'll get back into the groove.

Her teacher this year is Mrs. Polnac. I've heard great things. She's the second grade team leader, and she has a reputation for being strict but kind. I like that. A woman after my own heart. Here is Allison and Mrs. Polnac last Wednesday night at meet-the-teacher.

Here's hoping for an absolutely wonderful first day of school for my "sweetie". I am counting down to 3:40 when I'll pick her up for tumbling.

Closing Out Summer

We finished our summer break with a bang! Here is our original bucket list.

On Thursday we made ice cream, so we were down to two more items.

This weekend was great. On Friday we went to the pool, of course.

Then Saturday afternoon Allison went to Trinity's birthday party. Trinity is her good friend from first grade. Unfortunately the girls are not in the same class this year.

Finally, Saturday night we finished up that bucket list. We went to the club for the dive-in movie, "Brave". Before it started we read a book about constellations under the stars, all three visible ones. 

I don't think any of us were ready for summer to end this year. It was truly a wonderful one. We had so much fun together. Allison and I were both pretty sad this morning that school was starting, but I hid my feelings well. Good-bye Summer of 2013. You were awesome!

36

Well I'm 36. Not a ton of emotions attached to this birthday, but we did have a fun weekend in Corpus and Portland. I was a slacker and did not take a single picture. Fortunately Ross and my dad did take a few.

On Friday we headed to Gigi's for dinner. I don't have a picture from that night, but this is a great one Ross took of them earlier in the week. Allison and Aidan have gotten to see Corryn three times since March. They really do love her!

On Saturday we headed to the beach for the day. Again, no pictures. We had fun though!

Sunday was my birthday. Tyler and Ross went fishing early, and Tyler caught this speckled trout.

After they came back we said good-byes and gave tons of hugs.

Mom and I then headed to Corpus for a little shopping. When we all met up in the living room to leave we realized we had all dressed in orange. How goofy is this!?! It's Tennessee orange, not Texas, but that's ok.

Afterwards Papa Fred, Daddy, Allison, and Aidan met us at a fun restaurant on the t-head. It was a fun atmosphere with outdoor music.

Finally we had to blow out candles and eat cake before driving back home last night. Look at all those candles! I'm glad I had two handy helpers!

Let's Bowl!

Another check on the bucket list. This morning we went bowling. Get this. At Times Square here in Katy, kids bowl free before 5 pm everyday. Also, the girl accidentally didn't add me to play. When I told her she said, "Don't worry about it. I'll add you but not charge you." The grand total for our bowling outing: $3.57. Woo hoo!

Look at that form!

Final Score

Way to go Allison!

After bowling we struck it rich again. The kids emptied their coin jar for the arcade games. They had $22 in quarters, dimes, and nickels that they brought along in a large zip-lock. We happened to do this on a double dollar day, so each kid had $22 put on their "arcade card". We still have plenty left on the cards. It will be the perfect thing for the kids and Daddy to do on a cotillion Sunday!

Science Day

Today we went to the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. Planetarium was on our bucket list. Check! We saw "Stars of the Pharaohs".

Aidan's big request of the day was the butterfly center. 

I wish this was in focus! Aidan was grossed out by the roach exhibit.

We quickly realized that they loved Allison's bright yellow belt. She used it to attract them and was very successful!

We then went to check out the museum's new permanent exhibit, The Hall of Ancient Egypt. I need to go back without kids so that I can read and really take my time. It was amazing.

We saw a few actual mummies. Allison found it pretty disturbing. She kept saying, "This is so weird. Get me out of here." Then she would turn around to go and look at the face again.

A rosetta stone - It was really neat to see the two languages on it.

Of course we couldn't leave without a visit to the dinos.

What a great way to spend the day. Everyone was in a good mood and happy! Now to fix tonight's dinner.

A Summer Experiment

This past May we had gotten to the point of either eating out or doing something quick and easy for dinner. We weren't sitting down at the table together much, and we were simply in "get through each day" mode. There were plenty of reasons why this was the case, but it didn't make it acceptable.

After seeing posts on Facebook, blogs, and Pinterest about meal planning I decided to give it a try. I didn't feel like most of the methods really matched our lifestyle, so I tweaked things a little. (Our August one is at the bottom of this post.) Between the meal planning, slowing down on the evening extra curriculars, and Tyler making an effort to be home for dinner instead of working late, we have had meals as a family at the table most nights this summer. Tyler even said he has seen such a difference in his relationship with the kids. Both of us have seen an improvement in their behavior as well. The family table research was really put to the test and confirmed in our home.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/family-dinners-are-important

I wanted to share a few of our favorite recipes with you. Each month I have focused on a different cookbook. We have a ton of cookbooks that we've barely tested, so that is my method for now. Some of the recipes were easy and some were labor intensive. I really do enjoy cooking, so I had fun with the more time-consuming ones.

In June I mostly used "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" by Ina Garten. It is her first cookbook and full of wonderful dishes.

Appetizer

Sun-dried Tomato Dip

I took this to Tyler's boss's pool party. Big hit.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/sun-dried-tomato-dip-recipe/index.html

Salads

Curried Couscous

This was loved by all, and my mother has even made it and passed it on.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/curried-couscous-recipe/index.html

Fresh Corn Salad

We decided this was good, but next time we'll roast the corn.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-corn-salad-recipe/index.html

Dinner

Perfect Roast Chicken

We had this a few times. We did brine the chicken first each time. It makes a HUGE difference. The kids eat this up. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe/index.html

Chicken Brine

I cut the recipe in half for a 3.5 lb chicken and brine it for eight hours. It does take a little advance planning, but it is so worth it. I make the brine the night before, stick it in the frig, and then stick the chicken in the brine as soon as I wake up the next morning. Just try it once, and you'll be hooked.

http://blog.junbelen.com/2010/01/21/brining-chicken-thomas-keller-style/

Turkey Meatloaf

Surprisingly, Tyler even loved this one. I served it with Parmesan Smashed Potatoes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/turkey-meatloaf-recipe/index.html

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-smashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

In July I focused on Jamie Oliver's "Happy Days with the Naked Chef". He has some easy and super delicious salads. In the summer we'll often just have salad for dinner. Jamie Oliver doesn't have all of his recipes on his sight, so I had to do some searching online. Luckily there are plenty of bloggers who have tried them!

Salads

The Easiest, Sexiest Salad in the World

All four of us loved this. Finding ripe figs was the key. He calls fro Italian figs, but I just used what I found at Whole Foods or HEB.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/the-easiest-sexiest-salad-in-the-world

Warm Bread Salad of Crispy Pancetta, Parmesan and Poached Egg

I could not poach enough eggs for this crew. This salad was an enormous hit. It was all we had for dinner that night, so I gave everyone two poached eggs. They wanted more! Tyler had also made his own pancetta in June, so I was using it left and right. I'm almost out, so it's time for him to get another pork belly. Talk about a money saver!

http://www.girlichef.com/2011/05/warm-bread-pancetta-poached-egg-salad-w.html

Honey and Lemon Juice Dressing

I have been tossing this with mixed greens repeatedly. Easy and delicious.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/honey-and-lemon-juice-dressing

Dinner

Baked Cod with Avocado, Shrimp, Cream and Cheese

I was skeptical of this combo, but it was yummy and ridiculously easy. 

http://blog.attable.com/recipes/2010/05/lovely-jubbly-baked-cod-with-avocado-cream-and-cheese.html

Kinda Spaghetti Bolognaise

Aidan could not get enough of this. We ate it for two meals.

http://letsfeast.blogspot.com/2011/03/bolognese-happy-days.html

Classic Penne Carbonara

So NOT healthy, but it was inhaled by all.

http://www.tinyeranch.com/recipes/2008/04/classic-penne-carbonara.html

This month, August, I am back with Ina Garten using "Back to Basics". Last night we had a lobster soup that took some work and time, but the kids love helping me. They did most of the work on this one. It was very good, but not healthy.

Lobster and Corn Chowder

If lobsters are not on sale, Tyler said lumb crab would work. I lucked out with lobsters this week at HEB.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lobster-corn-chowder-recipe/index.html

Overall, this meal planning thing has saved us around $500/month on eating out and groceries. That's amazing considering some of the meals we're preparing! It is also getting the kids in the kitchen to cook and around the table to eat. I plan it all a month in advance, and then hit the store twice a week. Once for the big trip, and again on Tuesday or Wednesday for fresh meat and produce. The challenge will be keeping it up when school starts. I hope we can!

August's Meal Planner