Music Class

Paige's last music class is this week. She has aged out of the program and we have the choice to move her on to an older class with a different teacher, where parents are not allowed to watch or participate. Owen took this class too for a long time and with the same teacher Paige has now so I'm actually feeling a little sad about it. I don't have too many pictures of the class because we're usually busy running around, playing instruments, or singing but Jamie took some pictures when she was visiting and I'm so glad she did! (Owen has been participating in the class since he got out of school for the summer and still loves it too!)

Beach Day!

We went to the beach over the weekend! And while I have found out that I'm definitely not a "beach person" I know that everyone else had a fantastic time! It was fun to see the kids enjoy the sand and the water. (Going to the beach was another one of Owen's goals for the month of June, the third one was to make his own lunch-also accomplished!)

Owen's Race Day

One of Owen's goals for the month of June was to run in a race! We got lucky and found a 1 mile run very close to our house and I decided to sign us all up for it. As soon as we got there I noticed that Owen had his game face on. He was focused, serious and ready to start! He hopped off his bike and immediately began doing some stretches. Amazing stretches. Stretches that have never been seen before. Paige got into it too with some stretches of her own. We paired off and when the race started Owen sprinted off followed closely behind by Pat. Pat said Owen probably sprinted about 90% of the race with a few walking breaks sprinkled in. They were the first ones to finish the 1 mile and he was very proud. Paige got a little discouraged once Pat and Owen were out of our sight but kept at it and walked/ran the entire thing. She picked it up at the end though, once we could see the finish and I think they both had a positive experience.

CSA Foods

Here are some of the recent recipes we've tried out using CSA ingredients.

Chicken and Pastina Soup- Especially good with the sprinkling of parmesan! This soup made use of some Swiss Chard.

Cilantro Turkey Burgers-I thought the recipe may have called for too much cilantro but it didn't overwhelm the flavor at all. We added provolone to ours and I wrapped mine in a green lettuce leaf which made it extra fun to eat! 

Garlicky Greens-I added a link because it was inspired by that recipe but really I burned the onions it called for and ran out of time so mine ended up being sauteed swiss chard with garlic. Pat and I put this on top of our tacos and I really liked the flavor it added.

Taco Salad-I made this with the leftovers from taco night. Green leaf lettuce, cheese, cilantro, red pepper, onion, taco meat, and corn chips. 

Paige likes to help me clean the greens we get in our bag. Good thing because there's usually a lot!

Garlic Scape Lemon Pasta-This was alright but I probably wouldn't make it again, the flavor from the scapes didn't come through nearly as much as they did when I made the omelet. Plus it was pretty lemony which I happen to love but probably would have been too much for a lot of people.

Zucchini Bread Pancakes (look how fancy I'm getting with the text on my pictures!)-We will definitely be keeping this recipe! These were really really good. The recipe suggested mixing plain greek yogurt with maple syrup and it was the perfect complement to the pancakes. I'll be remembering it for other pancakes too (I'm thinking of you, carrot cake pancakes!). 

The Answers

Here are the sheets the kids filled out (Paige had some help with the writing) for Pat on Father's Day!

Telling Stories

We went to a story-telling program at a local library last week with some friends that covered both kid's ages. It can be hard to find activities that are for a 3 year old and a 6 year old so I was pretty excited. Paige was a little apprehensive about participating but Owen had his hand up to volunteer the entire time. The program was nice because anyone that wanted to participate could get involved so by the end Paige still had a chance to help. Afterwards we stopped at the Lake Erie Nature Center and even though the weather wasn't great we still had a good time looking at the animals inside and having a picnic lunch.

Owen was "the pancake man"

Paige was on her feet in anticipation but sat this story out.

Paige got braver for this story and inched up until she was under the parachute too! Owen was already inside.

They colored and cut out cards to make up their own stories later

Paige and Oliver

Checking out one of the aquariums at the Nature Center

Father's Day

Pat didn't get breakfast in bed for Father's Day but I like to think we did a good job showing him how special he is to all of us. The kids filled out questionnaires about Pat (I'll post those another time) and I think he laughed so hard he had tears by the end. We tried a new place for lunch and were very underwhelmed but in a hilarious let's never go there again kind of way. The kids did a good job of wearing Pat out but he still had a soccer game that night so we all went to cheer him on!

Reading Owen's answers...

A thank you kiss!

Reading Paige's answers!

Aww!

Mediocre lunch...Owen was fascinated by the television that showed Keno numbers. Super. Classy. I'm pretty sure this is now Owen's favorite restaurant.

Owen and Paige playing with their soccer friends. They usually spend the whole time trading snacks and playing soccer themselves but we brought Owen's Tag and U.S. map so they all gathered around to check it out.

It's hard to get an action shot during the games so here's Pat just standing around. Love you Pat!

Kohlrabi Picnic

Tuesday was International Picnic Day and we managed to celebrate twice! Once with friends in the afternoon and on our driveway for dinner. I used the occasion to bravely face the kohlrabi that were sitting in my fridge. I wanted something somewhat kid-friendly so I opted for Kohlrabi Fries. The kids were unimpressed but I loved them and Pat thought they were good too! I would totally make these again and have no problem keeping them all to myself:)

Intimidating, aren't they?

They even look yummy. The cilantro-lime yogurt sauce that accompanied them was not a big hit with anyone.

This is Owen's reaction to his first bite (with yogurt sauce)

Then he dug in for more. Couldn't have been that bad!

Paige is all smiles because she's just not eating anything.

Owen chose this lovely spot for our picnic and thought I was completely crazy for suggesting we put the blanket on the grass...

Strawberry Breakfast!

We've been getting strawberries in our CSA bag and while the kids like them, it's not the fruit they normally pick when given a choice. I've made a couple things recently that I think have helped them over to the strawberry side though.

Strawberry and Yogurt Parfait-nothing crazy but since it looks fun I think that helps. I mix plain Greek yogurt with vanilla yogurt to cut the tanginess and then cut up strawberries and poured in some Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs.

Breakfast Popsicles-The kids taste-tested these  in the middle of the day but they were supposed to be for breakfast. I thought it would be fun to eat breakfast popsicles outside some warm mornings. Just milk, banana, berries, oats, and a little maple syrup. I didn't have enough popsicle molds so I used little white cups (Paige is holding one) which actually turned out to be great because the kids can put them back in the cups when they want to set them down and they won't drip everywhere!

Food!

There's a lot...

Roasted Chicken Enchiladas-from the Dinnertime Survival Cookbook, pretty good although the picture doesn't make them look that great...

Southwestern turkey burgers-from the same cookbook as above. I probably liked these the most but everyone ate them! 

Thai Lettuce Cups-from The Back in the Swing Cookbook. I'd call these mediocre because to me lettuce wraps really mean PF Chang's and these didn't taste at all like that. It did allow me to cook with coconut milk for the first time though!

Omelet with Mustard Greens-I made this omelet because I was searching for a way to use up mustard greens from my CSA bag and it was really enjoyable. I changed some things around-used garlic scapes instead of green onion, and left out the swiss cheese and mushrooms.

Potato and Greens Quesadilla- These were an interesting concept... I wouldn't make them again but now I know that potatoes slightly mashed with chili powder and sprinkled with cheese can be really good! (just not between a tortilla with salsa)

Parade the Circle!

We went to Parade the Circle once before and my lasting memory of it was the deconstructed sandwich and that it was looooong (blog post here). This time we showed up after the parade had been going on for awhile so we got to enjoy it a little more than we did last time. The groups that participate in the parade do a great job with the themes and costumes but sometimes it's a little hard to tell what exactly they are trying to convey. It's the only parade I know of that needs a pamphlet to explain what's happening!

 After the parade, we got some kettle corn and looked at some of the booths that were set up. Paige wanted to make every craft that was available, Owen just wanted to sit on the ground. The kids were starting to get tired but we spent a little bit of time in the art museum before we headed over to Little Italy for some dinner!  

James and the Giant Peach!

Paige painted a tote bag.

Browsing the art museum.

I think shapes were being discussed here.

Interactive kids area that I never knew was there!

Food!