Cooking with Kids

Last night my kids helped me cook dinner. This isn't unusual for our family, and in fact they help me cook a lot.

This dinner was special for me since most of it came out of our garden and they were so excited.

They cut up the tomatoes, the mozzarella and the basil for our tomato salad. Then they put in a little salt, some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The really fun part was when they were tasting it to decide if it needed anything else and to make sure the proportions were right.

They stood there next to each other discussing whether or not it had enough vinegar or just needed more salt. I was so proud and excited. Maybe this is something that shouldn't get me excited and happy, but they are 5 and 7. They were eating tomatoes and wanted more!

Then I dug up a few potatoes, gently boiled them until tender. Ryan put butter and a little cream and slightly mushed them around. Max tasted to see if they needed some salt.

Fishing

Goodbye Pre-School

My kids have been attending their pre-school for five years. So that is five years with the same teacher for me. The same person taking care of my kids when I couldn't. I love this woman! She knows everything about my life and my kid's lives. Although I didn't want my kids in pre-school (in fact I would home school them if I could), she has been absolutely wonderful.

Since Ryan has been in "regular" school for two years now, I have come to realize how special their pre-school really is. The elementary teachers in our school district do their jobs well; we live in one of the best school districts in the state. But our school district is incredibly competitive and they teach for the testing. I wont get started on my rant of why I absolutely hate our school district but I will really miss Ms. Leslie.

What kind of a gift do you get someone who has taken care of the most precious beings in your life for 5 years? And how do I not cry and get all weepy because my baby is going into kindergarten?

Ryan's Birthday Party

We had a reptile guy come out for Ryan's 7th Birthday Party. I had some misgivings about this party and still do actually, but the party was a huge success. My misgivings are that every year we are throwing my children these huge, expensive parties. They don't need them. I can't afford them. But their father wants them to compete with other kids their age. What do you do? I don't want my kids to feel left out, yet I think it is a huge waste of money. So, what do you think about big birthday parties for kids?

Okay, enough ranting because it was really fun! Here are the pics if you're interested...