The Zoe and Silas Show

We recently bought a house and moved about 20 miles outside of Boston. One of the changes that came along with a new commute and work schedule is that I have started making dinner for the kids every night, instead of just Friday-Sunday (Julia, our wonderful long-time nanny, historically fed them dinner Monday-Thursday). Derek and I still have opposite work schedules, which means that I have the kids without him 5-6 nights/week. In order to make healthy meals AND pack lunches while flying solo, at a minimum I need to have a well-stocked fridge and basic menu plan for the week. Even better is when I can get some cooking and/or food prep done on Sunday. Before I go to the gym on Sunday mornings I usually peruse some recipes in search of culinary inspiration. Today I came across a recipe that caught my eye on Budget Bytes . I was planning on hitting Trader Joe's after the gym, so I picked up the frozen roasted corn that is the cornerstone of this recipe. The first part of my foo...

9/13/14: Zoe & Silas had a blast at their cousin Kaylan's karate-themed 7th birthday party yesterday!

8/9/14: Grandpa D. hosted the annual summer clam boil at his house today. We missed Kaylan's birthday at the end of June so S&Z were excited to give her belated birthday presents! Derek's uncle Bob and Bob's 14-year-old grandson, Eric, were visiting from Iowa this week - the kids had a blast playing with Eric! Zoe took a bite of corn on the cob and in the process realized that she has a VERY loose bottom tooth. They're not even 5 years it old - it seems too early to lose a tooth! It was so great to see everyone! The kids played hard and were sooooo tired on the drive home!

8/1/14: This morning we headed down to a Minneapolis icon, the Mall of America! Dad & Mary took the kids on the Sea Life tour (unfortunately no pictures because I stayed behind to do some shopping with Stephanie). Afterwards we headed to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. Silas is obsessed with all things mechanical, so I finally gave in to let him make a "souvenir" coin out of a penny. Of course we had to hit Lego Land and the amusement park, formerly known as Camp Snoopy! It was a super fun afternoon!  We got back to Sue & Bob's house from the MoA just in time for one last boat ride. It has been such a fun and memorable week with my family. I am so grateful to spend this time with everyone in one of my favorite places on earth! Already dreaming of next year...

7/31/14: On Thursday we met up with my Dad & Mary at the Minnesota Zoo. The weather was great and there were so many fun things to see before we even got through the front gate! The penguins were awesome - very social and fun to watch. We also spent some time playing at a dinosaur dig. It was pretty warm out so we took a lunch break in Dad & Mary's minivan. After lunch we spent some time indoors at the marine life touch tanks. For dinner we headed over to Auntie Sally & Uncle John's house. S&Z had fun playing with their cousins Duffy, Wyatt & Lucy before dinner. I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I would have liked, but I did manage to get a picture of me, Stephanie, and our cousin Sukoshi.

7/26/14: On Saturday morning we packed up the car and boat and headed to Sue & Bob's cabin, which is about 2 hours away from Minneapolis. The first task upon arriving at the cabin, per usual, was to put the flag up. The kids were so happy to help! The weather was great so we swam and hung out on the dock for much of the afternoon.   After a great afternoon of sun and swimming the kids had fun winding down doing crafts with Grandma. They even got to help Sue with dinner- Bob had to put the boat in so S&Z got another boat ride.  Everyone had a great time playing frisbee after dinner! S&Z were beyond ready for a show before bed!

7/25/14: On Friday the kids and I flew to Minnesota- My aunt Sue picked us up at the airport and we headed out to her and Bob's house on Lake Minnetonka. We were lucky enough to go on a boat ride before dinner. It was a first for S&Z! What a beautiful evening on the lake, we were all so happy! What a great first night of vacation!!