Puzzling

Alexa has been on a puzzle kick lately. The other day she did this 63 piece puzzle by herself; it's labeled for 5 and up. I'm not even sure I could do this puzzle by myself. Actually, let me rephrase that, I'm pretty sure I could NOT do this puzzle by myself. I think this talent comes from Dave's side of the family or maybe it skipped a generation in my family or something. Anyway, as a treat, I ordered her another similar puzzle which should come today.

Lunch Bunch

In my not so humble opinion, there are many perks to homeschooling. Having to feed all these little people a million and one times a day is not one of them. Caleb would be happy eating a peanut butter sandwich every day of his life (and he does in fact eat one for breakfast most days), but some of us like a bit more variety. Anyway, here are some lunch ideas from the last week or so.

Chicken, bacon, ranch sandwiches on homemade bread, grapes, pretzels
Ham and cheese rollups with honey mustard for dipping, crackers, fruit (different for each kid because Alexa doesn't eat strawberries), carrots and ranch
Cheese quesadillas, salsa and sour cream (which Jordanna ate with her fingers), apple slices, corn

My New Student

Jordanna LOVES coloring lately, so I let her sit at Caleb's desk and color yesterday while I sat at my desk. Isn't she a cute new student?

Crazy Kids

Here are just a few of the crazy antics from the last few days. Caleb built this sword and shield with his blocks the other day. The shield has a handle and everything.
Jordanna (and Pooh bear) climbed into the block bucket...
on top of all the blocks. It doesn't look comfortable to me, but she stayed in there for awhile. Look at her cute new shoes as well.
And crazy parents, too. Dave and I went on a date last weekend, and after dinner, we went on a historic ghost tour. It was lots of fun!

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Balsamic chicken, roasted asparagus, sauteed red potatoes with garlic, homemade bread

Tuesday - Spinach calzones with marinara sauce, salad

Wednesday - Saucy pork chops, baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday - Quick chicken picatta, egg noodles, broccoli, garlic bread

Friday - Undecided, something quick and easy before movie and popcorn night

Saturday - Hot dogs over the bonfire (school event)

Sunday - Sandwiches for lunch, bringing hash brown casserole for church dinner

Happy Birthday to Us

Last month, I bought myself this Vera Bradley tote for my birthday. I've been using at as a purse/diaper bag combo, and it has worked well so far.

So, this week, Dave bought himself this hammock for his birthday.

He plans to take it when he goes backpacking. In the meantime, it makes a great toy for the kids.

From My Kitchen: Mocha Cupcakes