On the Road game

We traveled out of town recently, about 3 hours in the car each way.  Since these days did not have official school bookwork, my kids THOUGHT they were home free.  HaHaHA.  As we were driving, my kids pointed out a school zone sign.  I immediately had the idea to do verbal pop quizzes during the time we were in those zones.  We mainly drilled math facts, but you could easily do states & capitals, spelling words, defintions, animal sounds, or whatever your kids need to work on!  This works well for non-interstate travels!

Thrifty fall decor

I wanted to add a little pop of fun and color to my front door for the fall season. I had a partial package of fake fabric leaves from the dollar store to use.

I put a little dab of hot glue on the back of each leaf, attached it to some fishing line, and voila!  A cute little garland I am using for a few weeks (until time for the Christmas gear!)

How far can a chicken go?

I'm not too worried about my chicken crossing the road...but I am interested in sharing how far a simple baked chicken can go as far as meals are concerned.

Recently, I purchased two whole plain rotisserie chickens from a local grocery store for $8.62 including tax.  I have divided it up and so far have made pretty good use.  Some of these have been frozen for future use & some have been devoured!

• plain chicken as entree for 5 preschool meals
• barbecue chicken as an entree for 5 preschool meals
• 1 adult sliced chicken breast sandwich
• 4 quarts of chicken broth for chicken noodle soup (so far has provided side dish for 4 preschooler lunches, lunch for a family of four and about a quart remains)
• 8 really meaty chicken quesadillas for a family of four
• 4 drumsticks (they were kind of small) for 2 quick schoolager meals
• 2 cups (approximately) of plain, chopped up chicken to use for bbq chicken or chicken chili to feed a family of four.

Now that I have made the human meals...I think I am going to boil the scrap bones down until they are soft enough to puree with the skin in the food processor to add to my cat's food for extra flavor.

Potluck Recipe

I was at a church gathering this weekend.  It was the 61st anniversary of this event.  And of course, you can't have a church event without food!  Potluck (or a covered dish dinner to some) makes for a fun time.  You get to try lots of food you would probably not make otherwise.  I especially like it, because most of my family are picky eaters...and I will eat anything!  I tried a yummy broccoli salad, and the chef shared her simple recipe.  It was so good on Sunday, I've already made this at home!  Do not forget the onion...it really makes this dish pop!

2-3 heads fresh broccoli, trimmed into bite size florets

Small amount choppped red onion (white or yellow works too) 

1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled (Or-prepackaged real bacon pieces)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

sunflowers seeds as desired

dressing -- 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 sugar, 1 tbls vinegar

Mix dressing, add all other ingredients.  Mix and chill until ready to serve.

Morning shower.

My morning shower is the best place for thinking!  This morning, I came up with a fabulous, funny post that was going to be spectacular.  I was even LOLing to myself.  Of course, by the time I got finished getting dressed it was time for clients to arrive.  I don't get much computer time until the kids' naptime rolls around.  Then, I finally sit in front of the keyboard, and I can't remember any of what my topic was! 

So, as you read this....just know it was really cute and funny :)  And maybe I will remember it and be able to post it again in the future.

Firsts...

Yesterday was a first for my family.  Instead of sending the kiddos out to the local school, we kept them home.  Well, sort of.  We went to the dentist and doctor, and did math on the beach. 

We are officially homeschooling, and yesterday was our first day!  I decided I wanted to give the kids a memorable day for their first.  We packed our beach bag and a school bag and beat a path to the sand.  The weather was perfect, the kids were enthusiastic, and I was pleased with our first day of school.  We are running a light schedule this week, as I am still waiting for some of our materials to be delivered.  I highly recommend doing math at the beach.  The sand was our chalkboard, and the waves gave the kids great motivation to finish the work quickly!

Let's play catch up!

I thought I'd pop in to say hi to the approximately 1.75 people who read here! :)  The first thing I noticed was blogger has made changes.  Hopefully this will make it easier to use!

Some members of our family had a little drama a few months ago, and I was hesitant to post or make any content public, just in case it tracked here.  All that seems to have blown over & I am feeling better about it.

Princess Leia is still "out west", and has decided to stay for her junior year of high school.  We had the pleasure of some good visits, and she thrilled us with her new learner's permit. I've taken a few days off from work this summer to just play with her and the other two kiddos.  It has been so much fun!

We've celebrated numerous family birthdays, plus a few other occasions.  Cinderella was baptized, and a new baby cousin's impending arrival has been told.  Some health issues have been dealt with, and new career possibilities are still promising.  We have made some changes for the kids, as we will be homeschooling this year. 

All told, we've been busy doing life.  And life is good.

Double-digit Birthday Angry Bird style

We had a 10th birthday party for Jedi boy. I almost chose a Star Wars theme, but at the last minute switched it to Angry Birds. We rarely do the big parties, so these were a special treat.

Angry Bird Cake and Rice Krispy Piggy Treats

Friends were able to join in and fun was had by all!