Ratatouille

  Greetings!  I had good intentions of bringing the following blog post to you last night, but got sucked into watching a movie with Dylan instead.  We watched Ratatouille.  At first, he didn’t like it.  There was a “mean” person and Dylan is NEVER impressed with villains of any kind.  Even ones that are just little old ladies trying to get mice out of their house. It was funny that we watched a movie about a little mouse who learns to  cook and teaches others how to cook when earlier in the day, we had a similar experience.  Lately, I’ve been thinking that perhaps I SHOULD be letting him help me cook.  They say that kids who help prepare meals are more likely to eat what they have a hand in making.  Previously, I thought this just added on a lot of time and energy to an already often tedious process (hey – YOU try cookin’ with a baby wrapped around your leg!).  But I’ll be damned – it worked!  Next – we should get Eric in the kitchen!  Maybe it will work on him too!   Anyway, here are the “helpers.” 

“You’ll do what I tell you to!  You’re just the sous chef!”

Can anyone guess why I prefer this brand?  

This recipe is from Clean Eating magazine’s January 2011 issue.  Its ah-mazing!

Cuz

spaghetti and wine go hand in hand!  I know someone who is going to be jelly of this meal!  Doesn’t matter though – cuz she’s in Mexico right now where its WARM and I’m sitting here wearing 600 layers of clothing.  Too bad MOM! 

“Mom!  He didn’t let me help!”

Fast forward to today when I decided to try my experiment again.  Only this time with a veggie heavy chili.  I tell ya – he was FASCINATED with the Chop Wizard.  And he found out he does NOT like cutting onions!  Just like his mama!  We cried together!  Actually, he screamed for about a minute until I slammed MY onion goggles on him to protect his little eyes.  Now that’s love.We then celebrated because dinner was “ready” at approximately 10am (!) leaving us all day to mess around!  Oh how I LOVE the crockpot!  So we decided to combine two fun things into one.  First fun thing - the camera remote.  Second fun thing – airplane game.  Combine them and you have an awesome activity.  

LOVE this one! 

Then they decided that it was time to make Ma do pushups with extra weight.  Um, I already know what that’s like!  Get off me! 

And then Dylan wanted to try.

He is working on it.

And with all those veggies he consumed this evening – he’ll get there in no time!

Hockey Practice

  It was a super busy weekend for us and it’s not even over yet!  Gma and Gpa Wikoff and Auntie Lulu are here for Chandler’s hockey tournament in Brainerd.  They were all delighted to find out that Dylan had some hockey entertainment to provide for them as well!  This is the first practice of his that I have been able to attend.  Normally, his practices are at night on weekdays, so I just stay home with Avos.  So you just know I was the crazy mom with all the cameras!  Here he is getting his stuff on with Coach Wikoff.Avery enjoyed playing with random kids and running up and down this ramp a bunch of times.  Grandpa thinks she just likes to stomp around in her boots.  Could be. A

bout to hit the ice!

Gliding along!  Can’t believe how far he has come since last year.  Last year, he moved so slow and now he glides across the ice with ease!

Dang kid turned his head before I could get a pic of his face!  I think he likes the “play” time at the beginning of practice the best.

Avos definitely enjoyed all the extra attention from everyone this weekend.  There was no shortage of arms to hold her.  She befriended lots of strangers too () and we heard lots of “she’s so cute!” comments.  Sorry peeps, she’s MINE!

Here is Dylan and his best buddy, Evan.  They go to school together too.  

Grandpa says that we’re gonna have many years of him looking to make sure that Mom is watching.  Hopefully this doesn’t cause him any bodily harm.  Watch what you’re doing, D! Ooooooh, its Coach Wikoff!  I will have to make sure to get his autograph later!

Then it was time for drills.  I could tell he was tired and not as interested in it.  Staying up until 10pm when you normally go to bed at 7pm will do that to a guy.  Avery hamming it up with Grandma. She was laughing SO hard here.  Cheap thrills! Chandler is getting to be s

uch a grown up young man!  The team isn’t doing so well this weekend.  So he’s been a grumpy gus.  Oh well!  Ya win some, ya lose some, Chanz!  

And we’re hoping today’s game is a WIN.  It is early this morning, so I better head to the shower before the rest of the peeps get up and a line forms.  Later!