Category: kids

This is not a blog including an amazing shellfish recipe…as the title may suggest. If you know us at all, you know that my husband is an amazing speaker, and an even better dad. He loves to spend time with his boys, telling stories, being outdoors, or just lazing around watching a movie. Also, if you have had the privilege of being around Jason for any period of time you know he likes to make up names for things or purposely mispronounce them. Ben (5), Sam (5), and Jack (3) hang on his every word. Which means that I will follow behind Jason making sure that the english language stays as confusing for my kids as it was for me learning all the crazy rules and exceptions…making sure they know ‘elephant’ is pronounced ‘el-e-fant’ not ‘el-e-pant’. That ‘fajita’ is ‘fa-heet-a’ not ‘fa-jite-a’ (that one could cause some problems). Jason also likes making up names and making stories just outlandish. He has an imagination that is much like our kids. That is a characteristic that I am jealous of! Goes right along with his attitude of how all will work out and all will be ok. Jealous of that one too. One made up name has stuck. My mom had bought a box of those little packages of flavoring that you add to you water bottle and left them here. The boys wanted to know what they were. So Jason made up a batch of ‘Lobster Juice’. They loved it!!! And now the name has morphed into…you guessed it ‘Crab Juice’. So this morning, Jack was feeling quite peuny after having some tummy issues and asked for some crab juice. so as I was running errands this am I stopped by the pedialyte aisle to grab some of their individual pouches. Mixed in with 8 oz of water in a sippy cup that has been made the designated sick cup, makes my Jack a happy boy! Yeah for crab juice and for an amazing daddy who makes the ordinary extraordinary.

It was the last day of preschool today for my amazingly creative and imaginative boys at Metro North Preschool. We were set to go play in the sprinklers at Wannamaker Park. Poor Jack got 3 vaccines yesterday and was not feeling so great so he stayed at home with daddy who also needed some rest from this crazy week. But before I headed out with Sam and Ben a fun breakfast was needed to commemorate this special day.

I made PB banana smoothies (recipe here) And cut cinnamon toast to look like a busy bees and a tiny turtle. So cute. The way food was meant to be. And well received my my hungry soon to be K5 twins and my cuddly cub.

I love post holiday shopping. Finding things for 1/4 of the regular price that you can pack away and use a year later is just too fun! That next holiday roles around and you feel like you are opening a present BEFORE the actually date of celebration. Valentine’s cards to send out, Easter egg decorations, and the all time favorite: Christmas decor!! I love to buy the little paper plates and such to go along with these holidays for next year’s parties too! However, today one post “holiday” shopping find proved to have use multiple times throughout the year. Halloween Costumes! We don’t go crazy for halloween, no need for 75% off spiders or bats in this house…but the $3-5 costumes are gold! Jason went out a couple days after Halloween and bought a bunch of great ones including Captain America some knights and Pirates!! My amazing sister bought them some additional ones for Christmas…if you have seen the family Christmas photo from my mother’s house you will notice we have a Buzz Lightyear and a Cars Pit Crew member in the photo. They LOVE these costumes. Really great for weeks like this when Jason and I have something every night including launching a new ministry and when new and creative things seem to be a daunting task for a Mom of 3 and a ministers wife!! Ha! But leave it up to my amazing sons’ imaginations to completely entertain me and them.

So as if it wasn’t hard enough to find knock-off pillow pets for Christmas to ease the desires of my children’s hearts, now the act of giving my children a few minutes of “quiet time” while watching some diego has them coveting yet another plush creature:

Obviously my children don’t get all they ask for…but I just wish I had come up with these brilliant money makers that have children begging…$20 a pop.

P.S. Ben wants the Dragon, Sam wants the Penguin and Jack wants the Puppy….$$$geesh.  Someone let me know if they find a cheap knock-off for the next gift season!