Menu Plan Monday

O.K. so I started menu planning last month and it worked out so well. It felt so good to have a plan instead of staring into the freezer or pantry with whining hungry kids (and husband) and be frustrated not knowing what to cook. I planned a menu for the whole month of April and for the most part, stuck to it. I'm going to continue meal planning but only a week or two at a time. I only plan for week nights, knowing that weekends bring eating out, trips to my parents, or doing something with friends. I don't plan for lunches because the boys and I tropically eat whatever leftovers we have or kid-friendly things like pb&j or grilled cheese. This will be my first post/link with Menu Plan Monday although I have gotten a few recipes there. I tend to get quite a few recipes from the Food Network after watching cooking shows. I will add links to recipes if I have them but alot of what I make doesn't have an online recipe. If you'd like one just let me know and I'll post it or email it to you. So, here's what we're having this week.

Monday - Tacos

Tuesday - Nacho Chicken, sweet rice and probably green beans

Wednesday - Crab Cakes and sweet potato fries

Thursday - Turkey and artichoke stuffed shells (I froze half last time I made it - works great!) with a salad and garlic biscuits

Friday - Chicken and Sesame Noodles

For more meal ideas go to I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Happy Mothers Day

After church this morning my three favorite guys took me out to brunch at a place we've never been too. I started with a mimosa, then had eggs benedict with crab cakes, and ended with some chocolaty dessert. Yum! The best part was that I didn't have to cook. (We'll see if that holds up for the rest of the day.) Anyway my sister wrote a great post about our mom so go read it here. I second everything she said and couldn't have wrote it any better. We love you mom!

Tubing on the river

This morning Chris woke up with the idea of taking the boys out on the river. Everybody goes tubing on the river in the summer but we've never been with the boys. He ran out to buy an inflatable boat that we could all fit in so we didn't have to rent one. We figure we'll use it enough that it'll pay for itself.We already had life jackets for the kiddos so we didn't need that. The boat ended up being a little bit cozy once we were all in. The boys kept moving around to put their hands in the water or just look at turtles and other people floating by. Chris also got oars so he could row us up river and we could float back down. Every once in awhile one of the boys wanted in the water so I would hang them over the edge and let them float beside the boat.Once we got back to where we started we let them "swim" around in the water for a little bit before heading back home for lunch.

We think we might get a second, smaller boat so that next time we can split the boys up and each take one. Then we won't be so crowded. Zachary kept wanting to jump on Chris so that made it hard for him to row the boat. We're also thinking about getting a couple of tubes (some of them have bottoms on them) to keep on hand for visitors or to try with the boys.

Art showcase

I had bought and planned to hang a big bulletin board in each of the boys room to hang their artwork. A few days ago I was talking to my sister and she told me that a friend of hers had hung a "laundry line" across their dining room and put their kids artwork there. I thought that sounded like a cute idea and I wouldn't have to worry about the boys getting into pushpins. Yesterday we got one hung in Alex's room.

I think it turned out very cute. The boys rooms are still pretty bare so this gives them something on the wall. These are only the art projects we've done at home. I completely forgot about the stack of stuff I've saved that he did at school. I'm going to add a few more things to his wall today.

Salute!

When Chris comes home from work the boys love to help him take off his big boots and uniform. Yesterday Zachary decided that he wanted to put as much of it on as he could. Alex kept asking daddy to take off his pants so he could wear them but he wouldn't do it.

Bunny snacks

It's funny how boys can be so.......boyish without anyone even showing them how. You know, interested in cars, wrestling, making their toys fight, etc. But it makes me smile to see them doing un-boyish things from time to time. I caught Zachary setting up a snack at the table for himself and two of his bunny friends. He had a piece of plastic food set up for all three of them. So sweet.

Friday fly-by

Today was a flying day for Chris (did I ever mention he flies Blackhawk helicopters?). We could hear him coming and ran outside.

This is maybe the 3rd or 4th time he's come by the house. He makes two circles around the house and then leaves. Today was a surprise though. I didn't even know he was flying. Thank goodness we have no super close neighbors but it still might bother somebody. I hope not. The boys and I run outside and wave our arms like maniacs yelling "hi daddy!" like he can hear us. He's told us before that he can see us though. The boys love it.