Mmmmmm

Mmmmm...that is what Brice says when I am eating something that he wants. It's also the way I get him to try new things....I will eat it, say "mmmm" then suggest he try it...it usually works. Anyway, we like food around our house. We also like to watch cooking shows. Brice will watch almost an entire episode of Rachel Ray - no joke. I am convinced Brice is going to be a little chef - which is fine with me - maybe one day he'll cook me dinner! Here he is helping "cook, cook" - which he asks to do every day around 5 o'clock. Yeah, it's Hamburger Helper - don't judge - read on! :)

Anyway, one of our favorite summer shows is Next Food Network Star. I wish I was getting some sort of compensation for promoting their show - even some free food would be nice. I'm not, but I'll still tell you that we like the show. So, every week they have some sort of culinary challenge. So, this week, we had our own "dinner challenge". Now, I think I'm a pretty good cook - if I have a recipe. If I don't have a recipe, forget it. But, here's how the challenge worked...Darren gave me 6 ingredients that I had to use in our dinner...no computer to use to look stuff up, no cookbooks, just my little brain. My ingredients were: cherries, honey, pineapple, carrots, avocado, and chicken. Here's what I came up with:

Honey-Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Pineapple, Red Pepper, and Avocado "Relish" - here's a pic - I didn't think about taking pictures until after we were done, but there was some left over.

Honey Glazed Carrots

Cherry, Berry Sauce for dessert - and a pic of this too. Not the greatest picture, but it was delicious!



Darren told me I won the challenge...not sure who I was competing against, though. Nonetheless, it was a fun way to change up the daily "What's for dinner" question!

Fourth of July Weekend

So, I realize it's too late to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July, and it is getting too late to even talk about what we did. So, I am taking a break from my mom duties - which have included - in no particular order lately - trying to get Rider to nap, dishes, trying to get Rider to nap, laundry, trying to get Rider to nap, cooking dinner, trying to get Rider to nap, enjoying some time at the pool with Brice, and trying to get Rider to nap. Thankfully, right now, Rider is napping peacefully in his swing...I better type fast...when he does nap, it is usually for about 45 min. I seem to remember a while back, I posted that Rider is a good napper...not so anymore. Never again will I blog about how well my boys sleep...everytime I mention it, they do just the opposite. Anyway, this isn't a post about Rider's napping...it's about our Fourth of July...

Me and my two firecrackers...precious boys!

We went to Franklin's July 4th celebration...Franklin on the Fourth. They had a petting zoo, that Brice wasn't too sure about, but he eventually warmed up enough to walk around at least. I must say, it was somewhat of a stretch for me to be in there with the animals, too. Not really my thing!

Anyway, here's a pic of Brice and I with Eeyore.

Darren had Rider duty, and Rider cooperated nicely by sleeping in his Snugli.

Brice with his flag...he will say "cheese", but you better be fast...he doesn't hold the smile for long!

And Rider with his flag.

I won't bore you with our evening activities - which included a dinner challenge (see "Mmmmm"), a 7 o'clock bedtime for the boys, and a movie during which I fell asleep. Yeah, I won't bore you with those details. It was a fun, relaxing day, and any day that I get to spend with Darren and the boys is great - no need for fireworks here!