Welcome Back Anne!!!

We missed you. So glad to have you back in the world of blogging.

Menu Plan Monday (and cookie of the week)

photo courtesy of allrecipe.com

This week I am making Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (I will substitute raisins for the walnuts since we are a nut free house.) Yum! I am looking forward to the smell already!

I have also planned out our meals for the week:

Monday: Turkey Burger Cheese Sliders
Green Beans
Noodles

Tuesday: Playgroup Pizza Night
(we have been getting together with the same 2 families since J was 2 wks old and we still manage to get together as often as possible. Kids get pizza and fruit, Mommies get pizza, salad and wine! - best playgroup ever!)

Wednesday: Muffin Pan Veggie Frittatas
Salad
Roasted Potatoes

Thursday: John and I are out
Boys will have muffin pan meatloaf
carrot sticks
cinnamon apples

Friday: John and I are out again (busy week)
Boys will probably have mac and cheese.

Daylight Savings Party

We are having a party! We have lived here for about 1 1/2 years, and still haven't had a party yet!
We are going to have a Daylight Saving theme party. (this is what happens when you plan a party the night after Halloween and don't want to have a Halloween party!!) I think I am going to go with black invites, and then decorate with silver and gold. Does anyone have any good suggestions?? Food? Special cocktails? I am all ears!

C is for Cookie...

I made these snickerdoodles on Monday. Snickerdoodles are a favorite. My mom used to make them a lot when I was growing up. She still has her original Betty Crocker 1956 cookbook and when I got married she gave me a copy (the replica of the original). There are some great recipes in there and the entertaining/meal planning advice is fun to read!

Last Monday I made chocolate chip cookies. I think I am going to make sure to carve out time on Mondays for cookie making. I love the way the house smells while they are baking, and J and C love to come home from school and have a fresh cookie with a glass of milk. This is not a usual snack for us, but it is nice! (although, if I make cookies every week, I guess it will be a regular snack!!) I pack the boys trash free lunches for school, and it is great to have homemade cookies on hand to add as a dessert. We are a nut free house, both boys are allergic to peanuts, and this is an easy way to know that their treats are nut free. I also can use some whole wheat flour too, just to make them a little "healthier" (I am fooling no one, I do know cookies are not healthy!!)
So, I think on Mondays I will post my cookie of the week. I am looking for some yummy suggestions. Nut free of course. And I need to learn how to NOT eat cookies all day.....
Gabi

Flip Chart Cleaning

I was going to post asking for advice on how to help the boys clean successfully without it resulting in utter frustration, but then I discovered this book. I ordered in a couple weeks ago, and just hadn't made it to T*rget to get the required laundry baskets (you need 4). Well...today I finally purchased said baskets and we tried the system out after school (and snack, and biking time) and guess what???? Their room was clean in 20 min. and they enjoyed following the directions!!!!! Now I have to figure out how to tweak the system for the playroom......wish me luck! I am so proud of how well the boys worked together to follow the new system. I think they have the cleanest room in the house ;) We'll have to see how long this lasts, but hopefully I will be able to be consistent about it and it will work well. I am really working hard at being consistent in all aspects of my parenting, but that is definitely what I have to most struggle with. What are some strategies you use in this area?

First day of school

Ok, so I am a little belated here, but I just haven't had the time to re-create my entire blog until this weekend! Here is the first day of school! We are so fortunate that the boys are able to attend the school that they do. They have both adjusted very nicely to their new classes. I am so glad that they both really seem to enjoy school and are excited about what they are learning.Yikes! I can't believe J is in 2nd grade already. Time sure does fly. Now I finally get why everyone kept telling me to hold on the time when they were really small....
C was not in the mood for pictures. A little nervous about his new class perhaps? Never got a pic of just him in the morning
so we did a retake when he got home! He was much happier (and out of the button down Mommy made him wear!)

Day 3 in NYC

So, here we are at Figs at the aiport having lunch while we try to figure out how to get from NY to Boston.
Here is John on the phone figuring out the train schedule. At this point we thought we'd have to skip the Mets game, head back into the city and take a train.

Look, we made it to the game!! We ended up renting a car, driving over to Shea stadium, and then driving home. We lucked out at the rental place and were able to get a Volvo wagon with built in boosters. Phew! So here is Shea stadium.

We were able to see a home run. This apple pops up. The boys thought it was fun!
The second of many pictures of all 3 of my boys in front of baseball parks! It will be fun to compare this one to the ones as the boys get older.
The drive home


We eventually made it back to Boston, went to the airport to return the car and pick up the minivan. Long trip, but in the end it was worth it. Looking forward to more baseball games. (don't think I want to do "double headers" again though!)

NYC part 2

After the game we headed over to Central Park. We had fun watching people fishing with hotdogs as bait, counting turtles and climbing on rocks.




On Sunday we checked out of the hotel and took a care over to Laguardia to check our bags and ourselves in before we went to the Mets game. Sweetie tried to check us in electronically to no avail. The computer said we needed to go to the ticket counter. We waited in line over an hour and when we finally got to a ticket agent she said that the ticket was from Boston to Laguadia, not Laguardia to Boston like we needed. Ooops. Luckily for me, that was not my mistake, but my traveling husbands! To be continued.....

Take me out to the ball game...

Last Friday we got up, headed to the airport, parked our car and then got on the bus to the train station! We took the train to NYC as the first of many trips to various cities to....
Go to baseball games.
Sweetie has a plan. A plan that involves taking the boys to every major league baseball park in the country before the graduate college. Mapped out on an excel spreadsheet. I'm. not. kidding. A spreadsheet people! Anyhoo, this was the first weekend. We started early. Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium are being torn down at the end of the season. Who knew? (Are ya getting the sense that I'm not what you would call a huge baseball fan??)
So, New York here we come.
The train ride was fun. Not too exciting, but fun. I love traveling by train! Makes me feel like I'm in Europe...
We arrived in the City only to be greeted by rain and a taxi driver who thought we'd like to see the sites near (not so near) our hotel. Not so much fun when you have to tired small people with you. And aren't so much interested in being taken for a ride. But after a wet walk around South Street Seaport (near our hotel) and dinner at Applebee's (yes, isn't that everyone's favorite NY dining choice?) we went to bed happy and excited about our weekend.
Got up the next morning to discover a wonderful playground across the street from our hotel and then we were off via subway to the Yankees game. (please understand that while I'm not a huge baseball fan, I do route for the RedSox.

On the subway to the game. (did I mention my husband IS a huge baseball fan and routes for the Yankees?) Apparently, so do my boys.
So excited for his first "real" baseball game
The new stadium
Two excited brothers! (can you tell we were a tad early..)
We made it to the top of the 5th inning and then we headed off to Central Park....

Apple picking

What a great way to welcome Fall! We went apple picking at a local farm. What we thought was going to be an afternoon activity lasted about 20 minutes and we had 2 pecks of apples! J and C pick a lot faster than they used to :)

Here they are with their bags, ready to go! (J insisted on this shirt. I'm not a fan..)

C putting in the first apple.Can't reach the ones at the top if we don't climb for them!

Climbing in the tree for the best ones

peek a boo mommy!

Adirondack Mountains

After we got home from Nantucket, the boys and I spent 5 days up in the Adirondacks in Upstate NY. We climbed a mountain, went swimming in the lake and hiked in to one of our favorite rock hopping places that is affectionately know as Giant's Bathtub.
The boys in the FREEZING cold water!!
Making dams in the water and getting soaked. (with cousins)

The turtle we found at the Cabin (the no running water cabin...)

Summer Fun

As many of you know, we spent a good chunk of our summer on Nantucket. We had a great day out on Great Point. We drove the Jeep out there and had a picnic. While our picnic did not compare with the one being set up by crew for the owners of a yacht that had pulled up, we had a great time!
This is Great Point Lighthouse.
Walking from the Jeep to the lighthouse. It was open for tours and we were able to climb to the top.
Sweetie and the boys at the top. I had not ventured up yet. Once I did, I realized how completely TERRIFIED of heights I am, and I promptly made my way back down!
We saw lots of seals checking everyone on the beach out. Very cool. More pics of our summer to come, as well as apple picking, whale watch and the first day of school!

Ok, so I totally deleted my blog...

but I'm back! I hope I will still have some readers.....