Lionden Landing

It is too hot to cook this week.  But planning cold food for lunch and dinner for a whole week for a bunch of picky eaters is tricky. And I must bake at least some but I am doing it early in the mornings before the day gets too hot.  Monday -Stirfry Chicken, rice and keem Tuesday -Fast Day - feed the kids mac and cheese.  The grownups will do a simple break fast late. Wednesday- Meet Night - picnic at the pool - Tuna fish, crackers, carrot sticks and fruit salad Thursday- Pulled chicken (from the freezer), corn on the cob, peas Shabbat  Dinner - challah,  tricolor gefilte fish ,Soup (Do I even want any? It should really be Matza ball if anything),  spinach and strawberry salad , Honey Chicken kebobs and grilled veggies , baked potatoes (done on the grill). Third Meal - either Dijon Chicken Salad or Tropical Quinoa Lettuce Wraps Desserts - pumpkin bread, lemon bars , Blackberry cupcakes and something chocolate but I have no idea what.

We have a super sweet little guy staying with us this summer.  We got the opportunity to celebrate his 3rd birthday with him.  Froggy made him the crown he is wearing.  It was tons of fun trying to teach him how to blow out candles.

Froggy and I have started driving for meals on wheels.  We have gone three times now. And we love it.  Froggy's only complaint the first time, we did it was that not enough of the people on our route were home so that she could chat with them.   We have done two different routes in order to meet different people and to learn more about how the program works.  At this point, I think we have settled into what we hope will be our regular route which we will get to do roughly once a week.  That way we can see the same faces and really get to know the people. On our second trip, one of the clients did not answer the door and her dog was there whining at the door. We called the coordinator who notified her family right away.  It left quite an impression on Froggy.  She has asked if we could please go back on that route again even though it is far and not the route we want just so we can check on her. This is reason 629 why we homeschool.  Ther...

WOW!!! We had the best Shabbat ever this week.  We attend "Camp Shabbat"  at a local National Park. A few families from a nearby synagogue organized this Shabbaton.  They reserved a block of cabins with a kitchen and dining hall.  They catered Shabbos dinner and planned/prepared all the meals and activities for weekend in a manner that families who are shomer Shabbos could attend even though they themselves were not.  I heard about it through a listserve.  Even though there was very little information in the announcements, I decided to give it a try.  We went down expecting not to know anyone but to make new friends.  It turns out we knew several of the families in attendance.  We got to spend time really talking and playing with these families as well as meeting lots of new friends.  Other than a big hike that almost everyone went on and of course the big havdalah bonfire, there was very little in the way of organized activitie...

This week, our meals are very simple in keeping with the kind of eating I like to do during the summer.  But there is lots of baking going on as we celebrate birthdays and have visitors and need to bring treats places. Sunday - Pasta, homemade sauce, salad and garlic bread Monday - picnic poolside - tuna fish, crackers, carrots and fruit Tuesday - Pulled Chicken, peas, corn on the cob, and birthday cake Wednesday - fish ala Jenn rice and broccoli Thursday - Grandparents Arrive - Vietnamese rolls and a chocolate trifle for dessert Friday - We leave!!! - bringing - Brown sugar cookies and brownies

Within the last two weeks, Froggy has lost two front teeth leaving her with a big toothless gap smile just in time for corn on the cob season.

Sunday - Fish ala Jenn, rice and peas Monday -Brinnner - Pumpkin pancakes, scrambled eggs and melon Tuesday -Pizza and Salad Wednesday -picnic dinner - deli rollups, carrot sticks and pasta salad Thursday - Pasta, salad and garlic bread Shabbat - Challah Gefilte fish , matza ball soup, spinach and strawberry salad , roasted herb chicken, green beans, corn on the cob, strawberry tirfle, molasses cookies Shalosh Seudah - at a friend's  -bringing coffee cake , and quinoa salad