Can we have more Spring Break?

We are back to things as normal around here, well, we will be tomorrow when classes, playgroups, and preschool resume for us. Last week was Spring Break for us. The kids had a FABULOUS week with the grandparents (and the grandparents are still speaking to us, claiming they had a great time too, so that's good). And Matt and I had a GREAT week in Kitty Hawk, NC without the kids! It was a very fast four-night trip, but we had a lot of fun. We ate dinner out every night, eating lots of yummy fresh seafood and enjoying the relaxed pace of child-free meals. Our days were very relaxed and pretty much schedule-free (since life at home is definitely NOT schedule-free). We shopped, walked on the beach, ate a lot, and played games. The highlight of the trip was probably the hang gliding (well, that and not waking up to yells of "MOMMY!!" each morning). The day we went hang gliding, the wind was pretty strong, making it a lot easier for everyone in the class to take flight, but also a little hard to tolerate standing on the top of a huge sand dune for 3 hours. We had a blast, but were very exhausted by the end. All in all the trip was big success and reminded us that the kids will be fine without us and we definitely need to do more small adult-only trips in the future.

In the days since we've been home we've had Easter, the joys of unpacking and getting resettled all while Kara's been sick. She came down with a fever and the blah's at the end of the week (I'm suspecting a light case of the flu) and has continued to be on the tired and cranky side since we've been home. Nothing like a clingy toddler to make you wish you were back at the beach! Easter was good, just us, just at home, not too exciting, but good family time together. The kids hunted their eggs, we had a yummy breakfast, then hung out most of the day. John helped me to make fresh noodles for a lasagna dinner (the best with fresh noodles) and we got out for a walk around the neighborhood before a nice early bedtime.

It's been a good start to our spring, but of course as it always does the list of chores has grown while we've been having fun. The yard is in desperate need of a spring cleaning (things are starting to grow and bud, and I haven't cleaned up the old stuff yet!), the house needs to be cleaned inside, the kids' closets need organizing, we have a few items that need to get cleared out (a.k.a. purged!), and the list goes on and on. For now, I'm looking toward getting through tomorrow - we start back to swimming class for John, playgroup for Kara, back to preschool for John, and then YOGA for me tomorrow night!

My motto right now - take each day as it comes - enjoy and cherish. It goes by so fast, even though it doesn't always feel that way. Three families in our neighborhood have newborns now and it has really reminded me how far we've come in such a short time. Sometimes I miss that newborn stage...and then I'm just glad for where we are today.

Fondue - Yummmmm!

This week was Matt's birthday and in order to celebrate last weekend we had a family fondue night. Fondue is one of our favorite special meals. We've never done it often exactly, but before the kids we did have it for special occasions, birthdays and anniversaries. This was only the second time we've had it with the kids. And John absolutely loved it! I was expecting them both to just eat the bread pieces without dipping it into the cheese, which is what Kara did. But John actually really got into the dipping process and ate a ton of the cheese fondue. It was a great family birthday dinner!

So I thought I'd share the recipes for the fondue I made last week and the one we will make next week on our beach trip. The first will be a pizza fondue recipe, which I know sounds odd, but it really is yummy. The second is for a basic swiss cheese fondue and is very simple and is our favorite. I hope you enjoy!


Pizza Fondue
14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 c. tomato salsa
4 c. grated cheese (cheddar/jack)
Fresh ground pepper to taste1 large loaf crusty bread - cut into 1" cubes
Assorted veggies - cut into bite sized pieces

In the fondue pot, use a pair of knives to chop the stewed tomatoes into bite sized pieces or smaller. Add salsa and bring to simmer. Adjust heat to prevent boiling. Slowly add cheese by the handful, stirring regularly to melt evenly. Reduce flame and grind pepper over the top. Makes 6-8 servings.

Often for the pizza fondue I will do the cooking part in a pot on the stove and then once it's all melted, then pour it into the fondue pot. Melting 4C. of cheese takes awhile and doing it on the stove saves the fondue burner. Just a tip.

Fondue Chablis (our favorite!)

1/2 lb. swiss cheese
1 1/2 t. flour
1 clove garlic, sliced in half
1/2 c. chablis (or other dry white wine)
1/4 t. salt
pinch pepper
pinch nutmeg

Grate cheese coarsely and toss with flour. Rub fondue pot and wooden spoon with garlic and then discard garlic. Pour in wine, heat. Add cheese and flour. Stir until melted, then add seasonings. Serves 3.

We often have this one with a big salad and the rest of the bottle of wine. How yummy!!!

Silly Putty

Yesterday we had a first around here. There was a silly putty in the hair experience! Yes, I know, it's hard to believe, but it did happen. Late in the day, as I was about to start making dinner, the kids were playing nicely together and I was puttering on the computer. Then all of a sudden they come running over to where I am and tell me that there is silly putty in Kara's hair. I looked and it was a big chunk of silly putty now nicely wrapped up in a sizable section of hair. Lovely.

Her hair is finally long enough (and occasionally she's willing) to put it up into pigtails or headbands. Cutting it now would likely take off her beautiful curls and make it short enough to not be able to pull it back. I was about to cry when I saw how much hair was being affected by the silly putty.

After a few declarations of amazement and frustration directed at John (who truly felt very badly for what had happened), I then got Kara to sit down and I gently pulled out as many strands of hair as I could in order to avoid having to resort to the scissors. I was actually able to get out most of it, but it took 15-20 minutes and was very challenging to do. Kara was a super champ through the whole process and John pretty much sat quietly and watched me. He went and got everything I asked him for and was very cooperative for the rest of the day. Anyway, I was able to whittle it down to just a small section of hair that was thoroughly entangled in the silly putty and then the scissors did have to come out. I was VERY thankful I only ended up having to cut a tiny bit of her hair. It really could have been much much worse than it was.

In the end no one will be able to tell it ever happened, except for me. But it was quite the surprise that I really was not in the mood for yesterday afternoon after what has been a very long week. I hope today is a quieter, less eventful, day!

A Walk for Sunshine

I am about to finish reading a fabulous book written by a man who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1998. The book is titled "A Walk for Sunshine." He used the hike as an opportunity to do a fundraiser for Sunshine Home, a collection of group homes and services for individuals with mental retardation and other disabilities located in Ohio. The cover of the book says he's raised over $100,000. His original fundraising goal was $10,000.

It's a well-written account of his experiences on the Trail and provides insight into what a person must conquer during such a trek. Weather, animals, gear, other hikers, motivation and other obstacles must all be overcome to reach the final destination. It's quite an impressive task.

There was a time in my life when I thought I might section-hike the AT. I've never aspired to do a thru-hike, but section-hiking appealed to me. Who knows, someday that might still happen. It's a nice option to be able to say you completed the AT, without the intensity and grit required for a thru-hike. We'll see.

The AT is something that has always been around during my youth. I spent a lot of time camping and hiking when I was growing up. And have done many day hikes on the Trail. It's a beautiful place and I always find hiking a very peaceful and serene experience, not to mention the fabulous exercise it provides! Reading this book has reminded me of how valuable a resource the Trail is and how close it is to us. I am now inspired to get out and get on the Trail sometime soon! Anyone want to join us??

Spring is Coming

I can tell this is happening each year in our neighborhood when the daffodils, which are everywhere here, start popping through the mulch. Tulips are coming up too, and yesterday I pointed out all the clumps of bright yellow forsythia around. It truly is my favorite time of year. The weather is getting warmer, finally, and we're starting to spend more time outside with friends, many of whom we haven't seen much since the fall.

Of course, I'm also reminded of all the work that comes along with spring. There is a ton of yardwork to be done, even in our very small yard space. Fortunately, John loves to help with this, so it's really just a matter of finding a dry day to work on it. There's also trips to prepare for - our Spring Break adventures and potentially two camping trips this year as well. I'm thinking about plans for the kids for the summer already too, and appreciating the time we have left of this school year. There's lots of clearing out of old things and cleaning to be done as well, which is always a struggle in our small house.

But this year, as the kids are a little older now, also brings me optimistic hopes for the coming seasons. We can do a few more things now and I'm looking forward to new adventures with them. We were hoping to get down to DC for the annual kite festival this weekend, but the weather may keep us from doing that. So we'll just have to find another activity to keep everyone busy during what's likely to be a wet weekend. I'm sure we will find something fun and we'll have to remember that the rain will just help those daffodils and tulips grow so that next week when we get a break from the rain, the neighborhood will be in full-spring mode. Just the way I like it!

Happy Spring!

We all survived

We've managed to come out on the other end of our week without Daddy and we all survived just fine. We're all a little tired and my sanity might be a little stretched, but it's okay. Matt returned yesterday from his association's annual conference, and he was gone for a full week. It was a long week, for everyone. The kids and I stayed quite busy, so the days went fast and everyone was exhausted at bedtime. The weekend was spent at my parents' house and with good weather there was plenty to do there - gardening, cooking, building the weather changer, and much more. The kids were pretty good this week and I'm so thankful. I was still not feeling all that well, so I needed the few breaks that I got. I'm just now starting to feel a bit better and am very much looking forward to a weekend together for all of us. Matt's birthday is coming up next week, so the coming days will be filled with fun family activities and celebrations and visits with his parents.

I'm thankful to have us all together and am looking forward to being able to enjoy our quality time this weekend. And maybe some blogging and a yoga class or two as well! ;-)

Getting Busy (and Sick) Again

The coming days are going to be hectic to say the least. Matt leaves on Wednesday morning for a full week for his association's annual conference. It's A LOT of work for him, and leaves me with the kids for a week, which is also a lot of work, with no breaks. This week we're full of activities (John starts swimming classes again, and Kara starts her Little Bits class as well), we're also babysitting preschool siblings and already watched some neighbors today. Last night I found out about a deadline I have for my work that is this week as well (and I'm a bit behind the curve on getting the work done). And of course, to top it all off, I've come down with a brand new round of head cold business. Great timing!

It's certainly going to be a push to get through the rest of this week and then on Friday we'll head out to my parents' house for the weekend. It'll be a welcome break for me and give the kids a change of scenery. I think we'll all be ready for it by then.

I can tell it's going to be a long week when on Monday morning I'm already looking forward to Friday afternoon. And even more looking forward to Matt's return. And even MORE to the adults-only trip we're going to take over Spring Break. We've planned a mom and dad only trip to the Outer Banks for four nights and it's a LONG overdue trip that I'm more than ready for now.

For now, I'll have to be content with getting through the next three weeks, day by day, and dreaming of the beach trip to come. Ahhhhhhhhhh......