EWWWWWW!!!!

My sister bought the boys a home science kit where you collect and grow bacteria, just like they would at the doctor's office. I swabbed my nose. Hubby swabbed his ear. R swabbed the sink. K swabbed the foos-ball table. Which do you think grew the nastiest stuff? Tell me what you think. I will post the photos tomorrow. EWWWWW!!!!

Another way to sneak nutrition into food...

I use my coffee grinder a lot...and not for coffee :)

When I see the most common "deceptively delicious" type recipes, they generally involve sneaking in pureed fruits and vegetables. What I also work on sneaking in at my house is more beans, brown rice, oats, flax, and other grains. I find it very easy to do with my coffee grinder. A half cup of steel cut oats that has been grinded to a fine flour takes seconds, and is a lovely addition to pancakes, breads, etc., without the typical oat texture.

Beans and grains together are a whole protein. A quarter cup of dried black beans and a quarter cup of brown rice grinded and added to supplement the flour in brownies adds nutritional value.

Grind up your flax and sprinkle it into oatmeal, stir into yogurt or smoothies.

My kids never notice a thing.

Getting creative with quesadillas

We love quesadillas at this house. Easy, yummy, and kid friendly! And the best part, is you can put just about anything in them, and they'll taste great! Tonight we had pizza quesadillas, with sauce, pesto, and mozzarella cheese. You can add pepperoni, black olives, onions, just like you would top a pizza. We also had blue cheese and pear quesadillas and for dessert, quesadillas made with cream cheese and homemade strawberry jam. Yum! I find that quesadillas are easy to sneak vegetables in as well, and the kids have never turned one down..

I've listed some other thought starters here. Do you make any unusual combinations of quesadillas? I'd love to hear from you! Post them in the comments section.

peanut butter and banana

primavera- thinly sliced sauteed summer squash, onions and peppers with a smear of alfredo sauce, a sprinkle of garlic pepper and a combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses

bacon, corn, and cheddar cheese with a sprinkle of dill

cream cheese, apple sauce and a big sprinke of cinnamon

apple slices and gouda cheese

chicken, bbq sauce and any smoked cheese

buffalo chicken-chicken breast slices, blue cheese and buffalo sauce

chili and cheese

carrot cake- cream cheese, grated carrots and raisins

cream cheese and chocolate chips

sauteed onion, artichoke hearts, feta cheese

pesto, fresh mozzarella, spinach

Have fun!!

Valentine's Day Fun Stuff for Kids

We're expected to get 6-8 inches of snow today, starting at 9. R's school has already cancelled today. I can only imagine he's heartbroken, because they were supposed to make their Valentine boxes today for their party, and I had prepared a whole bag of stickers, buttons, foam and other assorted goodies for him to take to school.

When I get home today, and tomorrow in honor of the holiday, I thought I'd pull out the craft supplies and keep the boys busy. Here are some resources for you....

coloring pages and other printables

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/color/index.htm

http://familyfun.go.com/printables/season/specialfeature/valentines-printables-ms/

crafts:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/crafts.htm

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/valentine.html

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/valentine_crafts.htm

recipes:

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/specialfeature/valentines_food_ms/

Things I never said before I had kids

You realize as a parent just how much is learned through life, and not just instinct. Things you or I would assume or take for granted as adults have to be explained to children. Some you expect. Some you prepare for. Others catch you completely off guard. Like this afternoon. My husband was brushing our standard poodle, and her ear was especially matted, like there was something sticky in it. After a while, my husband finally asked our 6 year old, "Did you put gum in Rory's fur?" Kiddo quickly said no, and then quietly followed up with "It was ketchup". So then followed the question we never thought we'd ask: "Why did you put ketchup in the dog's fur?" And the answer, of course, was the classic "I dunno".

Other things I never thought would leave my mouth:
-don't bite the wall
-stop hitting yourself in the head
-no, we don't pull our pants down in front of the class
-stop trying to put stuff down my shirt, it's not a pocket

What have you said that you never thought you'd ever have to say? Share them here!