lunch at home.

today, i am enjoying one of my lunchtime favorites here at home. fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil on focaccia with a touch of balsamic vinegar, olive oil & sea salt. yum. so simple but so good.

p.s. here's another one of my favorite sandwiches to make at home.

bento box lunches.

tomorrow marks the very first day of school for us. and, as my children are extremely excited with anticipation of their first day back, i am keeping myself busy prepping and packing lunches. i have found some inspiration here at another lunch and at bentobloggy.

i have one very picky eater heading off to kindergarten this year and i'm trying to find ways to make lunch fun, while hoping she'll try some new things. i love the idea of packing bento box lunches.

 

{images via another lunch}

first day of summer.

this evening marks the official first day of summer!! yay! it truly is my most favorite season of all.

i hope your summer is filled with lots of ice cold treats! especially ones that are messy and fun!!  today was the perfect day to celebrate with homemade frozen fudge pops!

 

i found the recipe in the latest issue of everyday food. it is definitely one i will be making all summer long!!

happy summer!!

cookies and cream cupcakes.

just before the school year began, we got together with some of our closest friends to celebrate the last weekend of our summer break. i was asked to bring along a dessert to share and when i saw these cookies and cream cupcakes via bakerella, i knew the kids would love them, especially mine. not only is there a whole oreo cookie on top of each cupcake, but there is a whole oreo cookie inside too! you definitely must try these! the recipe and directions can be found here.

personal note: the recipe says it makes at least 12 cupcakes. i had enough batter to make 12 regular-size cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes. i used bite-size oreos for the mini-cupcakes-inside and on top.

apples + peanut butter.

finally. this afternoon, i convinced all three children to eat one of my favorite sandwiches for lunch- a peanut butter and apple sandwich on cinnamon-raisin bread. i like mine with prunes and a sprinkle of cinnamon too. i just haven't convinced them about the prunes yet! i ate so many of these sandwiches when i was pregnant with slade and it is still a very favorite of mine.

{image via pepperidge farm}

heart-shaped cinnamon rolls.

i needed something to sweeten my mood today and when i saw these heart-shaped cinnamon rolls by lisa leonard, i smiled. during the last few months, our newest family ritual has been waking up on saturday mornings to the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls baking.

as you might already know, friday night is our family pizza night. after tossing our pizzas into the oven, i quickly prepare a pan of cinnamon rolls, which i place in the refrigerator until morning. really, it's so simple to do. and i love the excitement of my children as they remind me immediately after waking to take the rolls out of the refrigerator and to preheat the oven. and usually, i have at least one eager child wanting to drizzle the cream cheese icing over the rolls after they come out of the oven.

my children would absolutely be surprised (and love) if they woke up to heart-shaped cinnamon rolls this saturday morning. what a great idea!! how about you... do you have any family rituals your family looks forward to each week??

bite-sized pumpkin pies.

photo via one charming party

what a great miniature treat i found at one charming party. it is the perfect serving size for my daughter's kindergarten thanksgiving celebration. the class will be sampling a traditional thanksgiving meal. i will definitely be making these for the class and for the kids table on thanksgiving day. i think everything tastes better small!

cooking + a summer craft.

i was happily back in my kitchen this morning making waffles for my kiddies and then crafting with them this afternoon.


we tried out a summer craft idea found on eighteen25
using some rocks we found along the shore and crayons.
directions can be found here.


look how cool...
my children were very proud of their newly colored and shiny rocks!

doughnut day.

Today, June 4th, is National Doughnut Day!

Here's the facts... The Salvation Army started Doughnut Day in 1938 to honor women who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I. Originally, Doughnut day was a fundraiser during the depression.

Although my kids do not need a reason to eat a doughnut (they love them), today is a great day to enjoy a breakfast treat!

And... today, you can get a free doughnut with the purchase of a beverage at participating Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donut stores. Several local shops also offer free doughnuts today too. So, enjoy!!

happy st. patrick's day.

Do you plan on celebrating?

My three lil' leprechauns had Lucky Charms for breakfast before heading off to school. I attended an Irish Dance performance at the preschool before coming home to make rainbow cupcakes for Elle's class and brought them into school just before the end of the day. I was very happy to see all of the teachers wearing the lucky clovers we made.

Also, I am wearing my green. Are you?

hands in the cookie jar.

As promised, I baked chocolate sugar cookies with the kids over the weekend. We decorated the cookies with royal icing and coarse sugar sprinkles.

I caught Slade with his hands in the (lucky) cookie jar!

pesto pizza.

Since it was so delicious, I thought I would share one of our pizzas from last night... pesto topped with ricotta, mozzarella and chopped tomatoes that I sauteed with garlic & oregano first.

I can't wait to eat leftovers for lunch today!

milkshakes on monday.

photo via photobucket/quackbabes

After dental appointments we always stop and get milkshakes. I guess it is another one of our family rituals. Slade had a dentist appointment today so we stopped by the local Steak 'n Shake and ordered Banana, Cookies & Cream and Mint Chocolate shakes.

They were especially enjoyable on a very sunny Monday afternoon too!

a bright & happy idea.

Aren't these rainbow cupcakes from Baking Bites so vibrant, happy and fun? Add a shamrock on top and they will be perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

more valentine treats.

I made cupcakes and brought them into Elle's Butterfly class for a Valentine treat. I individually packaged each cupcake so that the children could easily transport them home. I also tied a the tag on with a fun Valentine straw. So fun and yummy!!

sunday morning doughnuts.

Just about every Sunday after Church, we stop to buy doughnuts. This Sunday, the girls were very excited to see that the chocolate frosted doughnuts had pink, red and white heart-shaped sprinkles.... just look how happy!!

100th day cookies.

sugar cookies iced, packaged and ready to send into school

Today is the 100th day of school. Slade is in kindergarten this year... so, this marks the 100th day of many more hundreds of days he will attend school. In order to celebrate and mark this milestone in a kindergartner's life, I made giant sugar cookies of the number 100 for his entire class.

And of course, as I was icing and sprinkling sugar, Slade, Elle and Sia wanted to do their own cookie decorating. So, I gave them each a circle cookie to decorate as they wish. Don't they look awesome?? I love all the colors.... so vibrant and yummy!

cookies with lots of icing and sugar
decorated by sia, elle & slade (in that order too)

a picnic for dinner.

Tonight, I let Slade, Elle and Sia convince me to have an indoor picnic for dinner. Actually, I said yes to the question, before even thinking about it. They were all very excited once they heard that I was in agreement and ran upstairs to begin their preparation. It was one of those moments, that I guess I just let go of normality.

Before I knew it, they all came downstairs in their bathing suits and laid a huge blanket on the kitchen floor. Next they began gathering fruits and cheeses and it was at this point I decided to help. So, I cut up fruit and made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches in the shape of little stars. Slade set out the plates and gave everyone a vanilla yogurt, some grapes and their sandwiches. He put a tray in the center of the blanket with cut up cheese and fruit.

I took such enjoyment in seeing the smiles on their faces as they laughed and talked about what an awesome dinner they were having sitting on a blanket in the middle of the kitchen floor. It was their picnic and they were definitely proud.

These are the moments I will always remember and smile at. Moments that are out of the ordinary. Moments that let them dream and be silly. Moments that let children be children.

pizza night.

For more than a year now, every Friday we have been making pizza. No matter how busy our lives are, it has become a true family ritual in our home. It's a simple family tradition that we've come to enjoy every week, one that we all look forward to after our week of work and school.

I start the dough soon after the kids are all home from school. And while it's rising, I prepare the sauce and we get the toppings ready. The kids enjoy helping with the dough and choosing which toppings we should use. When Jeff is home, he helps with sauteing and grating the cheese. It brings us all in the kitchen, which is one of the places I love to be.

Last night, Slade, Elle and Sia enjoyed a plain pizza and I decided to make one topped with red & yellow roasted peppers and mascarpone cheese. It was a excellent choice of toppings as it was exceptionally good.

Our family ritual is not complex, but has become one of our favorite times during the week. It is a time we all look forward to. It simply says "home" to us.

Do you have any family rituals? If so, what are they? I would love to hear...