You know I’m a fan of the muffin tin meal for kids. So when I saw this idea on Pinterest, I had to give it a try. It did trick Hadley into eating a Lima bean, and Bastien into eating a spoonful of sweet potato. But that hardley seems worth the effort.

I am pretty sure the other ice cube tray idea I spotted on Pinterest would be a bigger hit: filling each hole with melted chocolate and a strawberry, then popping in the freezer. In fact, as I write this, I am wondering why I’m writing and not just doing…

Not Shown:
Two kids asleep at 6:45.
Score!

Some new, exciting things for this year though:
Meeting friends there.
Third row, center seats!
Forgetting wallet at home only to realize when trying to pay for parking.
Would not recommend the latter.
Everything else was just about perfect…

Especially the after party…

(A great big thank you to the parking attendant who let me in for free. And to Lisa, for sending me home with some gas cash. And to Jim, for meeting me outside his office with credit card in hand so I could actually pump gas without leaving sleeping children unattended. Shew! We are watched out for.)

Our list, it’s growing! Every day, a simple, new activity. Thirty minutes or so of concentration together. And if we’re lucky, a few laughs too. There’s plenty of winter yet to go, so if you’re looking for a few fresh ideas for your kiddos, feel free to drop in on our Facebook gallery here.

A three-day weekend. Gone in a wink. But full, full, FULL of the things and (most importantly) people we love. Note to self: More weekends like this, please.

Here is the recipe she gave me:
2 Cups rinsed Red Lentils
2 Boxes Swanson Chicken Broth
½ Onion chopped
2 small-med carrots diced
1 celery Stalk chopped
½ baking potato
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp+ Cumin
½ tsp of coriander
2 tbs Olive oil

Sautee Onions/garlic in olive oil in pot. Add celery/carrots/broth. Bring to a boil. Add lentils, spices & potatoes & cook over med heat for 30 with lid on. *I add ½ a potato because I like it thick, but no other recipe calls for it . I mash all the veggies while still in the pot before I serve.

So that’s what I did. My only regret is that I used organic chicken “Better Than Bouillon”, since that’s what we had on hand. And the soup came out ridiculously salty. I’m pretty sure I would make this again, but just use free-range, low-sodium broth instead.

Then I decided I needed to adventure into a side dish to round out the meal. Enter Stewed Apples with Butternut Squash from 5 Ingredient Fix. Very simple. VERY tasty. You should go ahead and make this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And that makes two more for my beautiful, new whole foods favorite recipes binder.

On Saturday I took my love Bastien to a puppet show as part of a fascinating children’s theater series at Brighton High School.

On Sunday I took my love Hadley to a national cheer and dance team competition at The Palace.

Hey, culture takes on many forms.

For the most part, both dates were filled with more calm time than we usually spend together. Well, apart from the crazy loud music at the competition, but that came with the territory.

Also, what both kids really wanted more than anything was to sit on my lap the whole time. I found that interesting. And flattering.

Best of all, the kid left at home each day got some QT with Jim. I feel like we all needed this. Even though both kids lamented being left behind and being without their sibling at the event. Well, there’s always something to complain about I guess.