Daily Life: Volume 5

 

Inside: These boys of ours are keeping as busy as ever. Holy cow, it's really a sight to behold. All day long. Every. Single. Day.  Forts, schemes, games, little theatrical voices, books... it truly never ends. And it's wonderful of course, all of it except the couch cushion removing. Keep the gosh darn cushions on the couch for goodness sakes!

Outside:
Only subtle hints of Fall around here. Signs in the slightly cooler nights, maybe a little more rain, and a few yellow/brown leaves here and there
The perennials are still completely beautiful and my other flowers seem to be thriving in the cooler shift. And so, I'm in no hurry to rush things in the autumn department. Despite the calendar- the scare crows, pumpkins, and fall wreaths still seem oddly out of place. So we'll wait.

In the Kitchen:
After coming to the realization that I despise spending my valuable evenings cleaning, cooking, and cleaning some more, I came across more than a couple good articles from here. Mainly what hit me was the idea of
-knowing what's for dinner by 10 am.
-and consistently sticking with your weekly menu plan.
 I was inspired to do a little overhaul. Time to pick up my game!
 That was a few weeks ago, and I am so grateful for the change since. I've done my own little twist on things, including doing double duty on a couple of meals a week. Which is completely obvious but something I didn't do regularly before. Essentially, whenever I'm making a meal that involves lots of chopping, cooking, or messing things up I just do it times two. One goes into the dutch oven for dinner, and the other into a gallon freezer bag. Voila! One easy no sweat meal for next week. Genius, I know. It only took me 6 years to figure out.
P.S. Turns out you can make crock pot recipes on low in your dutch oven. Handy.

What we're reading:
Summerfolk by Doris Burn- oh my lovely mother, she knows me too well. Turns out the boys love this book as much as I do. A cherished book in our house for sure. And best of all, it smells just as good as Grandma Marshalls copy.

Noteworthy:
The boys have been busy mastering the alphabet. Currently there favorite game is "The Letter Game" schemed up by Alex that not only involves identifying letters, but also includes edible treats of some sort or another. Fun and yummy! Although he may have to introduce some sounds as well. Those boys seem to be earning treats just a little too easily...

Favorite comment of the month:
While Alex was explaining to Simon and Will that he would be gone for SERE school and that it would involve sleeping outside- William exclaimed, "OOOOOO with fire and marshmallows?!!!"
-Oh sweet William, if only that were the case. :)