brand new year

The boys went to our school open house today and met their teachers for 1st and 4th grade.  Amazing to me, we have kids this "old".  Having them both in school full day this year will be a whole new world... getting everyone on the bus by 7:25 am and having a full 7 hours with no kids.  I can't even imagine what that's going to feel like. 

I have big plans .... exercise, marketing work, housework, volunteering at school, various appointments, errands, meeting friends for lunch.  I'm sure the 7 hours will go by more quickly than I realize.

The first couple of weeks, as we all ease back into the daily grind will be an adjustment, but I think we're all ready for the structured routine fall brings. Did I mention 7 hours of peaceful, kid-free time?  Five days a week? 

Come 2:45 pm each day, I'll be switching back to 'mom' mode for homework (Dylan's teacher joked today and told him has 'only' has two hours of homework a night in 4th grade, ha!), and extracurricular activity mode.   Logan will continue to do taekwondo two evenings a week, and Dylan will continue with Scouts.  I think later in the fall we might add after school golf for Logan, and then basketball in the winter.    I may need an ice coffee everyday around 2:30 to get me thru the busy evenings.

Logan will be enjoying recess on the 'big kids' playground this year, and going to school all day means adding lots of specials like art, P.E. three times a week, music twice a week, library time and of course, eating lunch at school.  He will have most subjects in his 'homeroom' and then switch out for two hours each morning for Language Arts with another phenomenal teacher, Mrs. M.  I know he's going to be exhausted the first few weeks, which is why we didn't heavy up on new fall sports for him.  We need to ease into it all...

Dylan already knows at least half of the kids in his class, and its a very nice group of boys and girls.  I'm so excited he has these kids in his class, and in 4th grade they switch out for social studies and sometimes for reading.  His favorite subject is science. And one of his very best friends, Nathanial, is in his class this year and is such a nice boy.  I'm thrilled they're together.  He'll be joining a new Scout troop this year, along with his two best friends Nathanial and Jack.  And they all know several of the boys in the troop who are also in 4th grade at their school.  Lots of fun fall scouting activities to anticipate including a camping weekend in late September.

I'm so excited for all a new school year brings - all the boys will learn, friends, school events, the change of the seasons....  Its going to be a great year!

Logan, 1st grade, Mrs. D and Ms. H

 

Dylan, 4th grade, Ms. D

 

 

Take me out to the ballgame...

Sometimes a Groupon comes to your inbox you simply can't refuse.  This was the case a couple of weeks ago, when a great half price ticket deal showed up from The Nationals.  We haven't been to a game in years, and this year they're doing really well!  We decided to buy tickets with our friends A, S, I and A and head on down last night.  After sitting in some hellacious traffic, we were rewarded with a great game, lots of fun and well, not a win, but it was close!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bff's

Yesterday Dylan was invited for a day on one of his best friends' parents boats.  Its so great to see him enjoy his friendships so  much, and be invited to do such fun things.  Later in the day, the mom sent me these photos, they're like two peas in a pod.  And then later, the boys came back to our house for a sleepover and videogame marathon-a-rama.  The boys have another birthday sleepover to attend on  Friday night.  His social life is busier than mine!

Yes, they are wearing the same shirt!

Aren't they quite the pair?

beachy bums

We've been back from the beach for weeks now, and I'm just now getting around to posting photos.  Argh, where is the summer going??   I just can't seem to find the time to do much posting, and I'm so ready to be back to the 'routine of normalness' whatever that is these days...  Anyhoooo, these are a few of my favorite pics from our week in Kitty Hawks, Outer Banks North Caroline from the week of July 22 - July 29th.

Fiesta Pizza - Ole!

I am constantly on the search for recipes I can make that my boys will eat, too. It just makes no sense to spend the money, time and energy it takes to make food we can’t all four chow down on. I refuse to make my children a separate meal, whenever humanly possible. Therefore, this recipe is a perfect solution, combining two of their favorite foods: pizza and tacos. I leave their half more plain, and add lots of fresh toppings to our half. Its adapted from Pillsbury, and can be a main meal or an appetizer.

Fiesta Pizza – Ole!

What you need:

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey… you could even use ground chicken
1 envelope (reduced sodium) taco seasoning mix***
2 (8 oz.) cans reduced fat crescent rolls
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
2 cups low fat shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend

***I don’t like the flavor of store bought taco seasoning, blech.  Instead, I brown my meat and add in some store bought salsa.  Way lower in sodium, tastes much more fresh and doesn’t have that fake/salty Mexican yuck flavor.   Or, you can make your own taco seasoning by mixing together: 1 part chili powder, 1 part ground cumin, 1 part garlic powder, 1 part onion powder, ½ part crush red pepper.

Optional toppings to put on top right before you serve: Diced avocado, black olives, chopped green onions, sour cream, salsa, chopped lettuce.  The beauty is, you can have the “kid half” with none of these toppings, and the “adult half” with all of them.

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown ground meat into crumbles, add ¾ cup salsa (or store bought taco seasoning packet) and drain.   (You could even do this in the morning, or earlier in the day, refrigerate and use to top pizza later when you’re ready to assemble it all and bake.  I love meals like this, you can do some of the prep early.)

Unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. Place in ungreased 11 1/2 inch x 16 1/2 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.

Press dough over the bottom and up sides to form crust. Bake at 375 oven for 11 to 13 minutes or just until golden brown.

Microwave beans in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes (or until warmed through),giving them a stir.

Spread beans over warm crust creating a thin layer.

Top with cooked meat mixture, sprinkle with cheese followed by tomatoes, black olives and green onion.

Return to oven for 3-6 more minutes until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 main dish servings or can be cut into smaller pieces and served as an appetizer.