We had three days of the most BEAUTIFUL weather…clear blue skies, 60 degree temps, and we spent every second that we could outside. I even let Valley skip her naps it was so delightful to be out in the sunshine!
But now the rain is back. <– NOT one of my favorite things.
So here I am looking at these photos, longing for the day when the sun will come back for good.
We had a pretty busy weekend with birthday parties, (THREE!) choir performances, and Kyle going out of town.
My parents came for one of his shows and we went out to fro yo afterwards to celebrate the birthday people. Kyle and Valley were born so close together, it’s inevitable that they share festivities, but this is going to be stretched out for well over a week (probably more!) so they will definitely all get their individual time in the spotlight.
They have had frozen yogurt only ONCE before in their lives, due to P’s (former!) allergy situation and V was probably too young to remember it, so the idea of choosing WHATEVER flavor and toppings they wanted was a BIG DEAL.
Think she’s a fan?
Check out this VERY questionable sign! Plainfield station is a biker bar on the very outskirts of town…so why not bring the kids? JK. It’s actually super family friendly. Since it’s surrounded by farmland, there’s a huge grassy backyard with picnic benches and space for the kids to run around.
We brought a picnic dinner with us, although a few people got burgers which looked pretty good!
I made chicken salad and brought kettle chips for dipping. I cooked four breasts in the instant pot (reserving half the stock in a jar for later, but using the other half in the recipe), then shredded them and added chopped celery, mayo, dijon mustard, golden raisins, salt, pepper, and slivered almonds.
Squeezing in prep is hard when you’re coming and going all day long, but I managed a bit.
My latest combo of orange, grapefruit, carrot, beet, greens, and ginger is TASTY.
I took them out to In ‘N Out for lunch as a treat on Sunday for no reason at all.
I’m not sure what they loved more, the burgers or the hats. Maybe even the stickers.
Just a few of their favorite things…
Here’s a tiny tweak on my usual kale salad…this time I massaged a bunch of greens (leaf lettuce, red kale, dino kale) with balsamic vinaigrette, then added half an avo, candied walnuts, and grapes. Such a fabulous combo. I can’t wait for Spring and Summer fruit.
Kyle got back from his work trip JUST in time to celebrate the evening of his birthday…with a fit4mom family night out! Baskin Robbins has $1.50 kids scoops on Tuesday nights. So yes, the kids went out for frozen desserts twice within a few days.
As I handed this cone to Mr. P, he told me this was his FIRST EVER ice cream on a cone. OMG. I don’t know what is more alarming…the fact that I didn’t know he’d never had a cone or the fact that he’s been deprived of this treat for SEVEN whole years.
And before I end this post, let me just tell you about my new favorite tea.
I first tried this at my parents’ house a while ago and then a couple of weeks ago I saw it at the co-op and the rest is history. I’ve been having a cup every single day. I’m obsessed. It’s the best tea ever. No milk or sugar necessary. It’s exactly what it sounds like – sweet and spicy.
That sweet and spicy tea has been a staple in my life for easily a decade….! It’s The Ultimate Perfect Tea. I have it about every single night. When they changed the packaging i had a panic attack because i thought they had changed the tea somehow.
That was P’s first ice cream cone??! Well, better late than never 😉 and totally exciting he can have a whole scoop of ice cream- that would totally take me down.
That beet grapefruit carrot juice sounds delicious, I’m definitely going to try that combo myself
I slyly asked the adorable kid scooping ice cream to give them each half of a normal serving 😉
That tea is my FAVORITE! I have not been able to find it for a couple of years, but it tastes like Big Red gum and is great hot or cold. Off to look for it on Amazon…..