Soccer skills

And here I thought the hardest thing we would have to master at Soccer was learning not to pick up the ball with our hands...

At least I was in the right ball park - turns out the hardest skill we have to master at soccer is learning our right hand from our left and learning how to shake hands after the game.  :)  At least for some of us...

"Hold your RIGHT hand out."

"Shake hands."

And say "Good Game!"

Yep... my little lefty always has to do things his own way.  :)

My cheeks hurt from just how much these pictures made me smile.  :)

4 year old soccer

4 year old soccer is alot like 3 year old soccer.  Only faster, and crazier.  :)

We had our first game this weekend - or the first game that we have made it to due to rain outs and vacation.  :)

Before the game we had team pictures - at least for once we should actually be IN the team pictures!  Though who knows how are they are going to turn out.  Kevin snapped a few pictures from a distance while they were taking them.

Then we made a mad dash to get to our field on the complete other side of the park on time.  All that running around must have worn the kids out as that's the only explanation I can come up with for the lopsided start of the game that had our team cheering widely when we even managed to get the ball onto their side of the field.  :) 

That, or the fact that neither of the boys were in the game to start with.  :) Our team did eventually get into the game, and while I don't believe we actually scored any goals the kids sure had fun trying. 

Soccer Team Snacks

It was our turn to bring snacks for soccer team this past weekend.  As it was an afternoon game in October I decided nothing could be better than caramel apples.

So I whipped up a batch of my absolute favorite - mini green Grannie Smith apples, dunked in caramel, then white chocolate, rolled in Reese's peanut butter chips and then drizzled with white chocolate.  They are sinfully good.

I spent about half an hour the morning of the game frantically trying to decide how to best package them up.  I decided to go with just a plain treat bag, tied with soccer themed ribbon and our teams' colors.  I pulled out a piece of orange cardstock and printed up some pennants with a soccer ball and "Go Tigers!" on them.

After getting enthusiastic approval from the peanut gallery I wrapped them up en mass just in time to throw them in a bucket and head out the door for pictures and our game.

I brought along an apple cutter, small soccer themed paper plates, soccer napkins and wipes so we could cut them open and enjoy them (hopefully without too much mess!) after the game.  :)

Several parents were in a hurry to head out after the game - the downside of an afternoon game - conflicts with birthday parties, college football, and all those other fall activities.  But those of us who stayed thoroughly enjoyed the apples.  :)

A family tradition -

We just made our 5th annual trip to Dewberry Farm this past weekend.  It's definately become a Fall tradition for our family - one we always look forward to, and one we hope to continue for many years to come.

The boys are 4 this year and growing like weeds.  :)  While looking through the pictures I realized that the more things change, the more they stay the same...

Other than the porta-potty sprouting out of my head...

Other than the bright yellow porta-potty sprouting out of my head....

I think I have to say that this is one of the best pictures of all 4 of us in ages.  :) 

Family Photo

Connor's teacher has been reminding me regularly that we need to bring in a family photo for school.  And despite the fact that we have thousands of pictures from 1-3 people there are very, very few (if any!) of the 4 of us.  Not terribly surprising as one of us has to actually take the picture and all, but still...   

When we were at SeaWorld this past weekend and walking back from being DRENCHED on the Rio Loco ride (of which Connor was FINALLY tall enough to ride - he was SOOOO excited!) I was walking by a family - similar to us - with the Mom trying to get dad and the kids together and to smile for a picture.  I stopped and volunteered to take a picture of all 4 of them.  In a completely deja-vu moment she said "Oh, no, that's okay." 

I can't think of the number of times we have been in the same position - me taking pictures of Kevin and the kids and someone has volunteered to take a picture of all 4 of us, and I passed, too.

We chatted for a few seconds and I convinced her to get in the photo and took a couple of pictures of them.  Naturally, when we were done she offered to take a picture for us as well.  And despite the fact the refusal was on the tip of my tongue for a split second (I was SOPPING wet from head to toe, it was HOT and we were surely sweaty and red faced, and I must look quite a fright, the kids never cooperate and smile, and ... and... and) I agreed. 

And surprisingly enough, it didn't come out too bad.  :)  Except that whole I was quite a fright part... :)  You can't even tell we were soaked completely through (my shirt was still dripping streams of water and my shorts were plastered to my legs - there was literally not a dry spot on my entire body!)

And yes, that is Ryan at 4 1/2 refusing to get out of the stroller for fear of losing his seat because it was a LONG, LONG, walk over there!  :)  And yes, Kevin - really the kids WERE going to sit in the stroller (and fight over WHO got to sit in the stroller!)  And yes, dear, despite the fact that kids haven't used a stroller in 2 years they DID need it and WANT to sit in it.  And my back, and my voice thanked me profusely for bringing it.  :)



Android Guru Needed

Riddle me this Android Gurus - how do I turn an Android tablet into a dream alarm clock & wake-up info center??

Here's what I want it to do:

Sleep/Screen Saver mode -

• Display a clock.  Bonus points for configurablity - digital/analog/colors, styles, sizes, etc.
• Change display brightness based on configurable settings (dim at night, brighter during the day)
• Display whether or not an alarm is set (small bell at the bottom of the screen for example).  Bonus points to allow you to configure the alarm notification to show/hide the alarm time and icon for type of alarm (bell, music, etc.) 
• Stay on when docked/plugged into AC power.

Alarm Clock features:

• Ability to set multiple alarms (3 is sufficient).
• Ability to configure days (not just weekday/weekend) for each alarm.
• Ability to configure type of alarm for each setting (bell, music, etc)
• Must have Snooze.  Bonus for configurable snooze.
• Quick nap function - (lightning bolt - each press adds 15/30 minutes - up to 3 hrs.)

Home screen: default home page/background -
       Configurable selection of widgets (4-6 ideal)

• Alarm Widget - shows current alarm setting details and has quick launch button to configure settings.
• Weather widget - display current temp, expected low/high and icons for sun/rain/clouds, etc.  Quick launch full app/browser to look at things like hour by hour & 3/5/10 day forecasts
• Calendar widget - display today's calendar appointments (Outlook sync)
• Media widget - AM/FM Radio, Pandora, MP 3 etc. controls
• Browser widget - networked webcam would be awesome to check on the kids, or news headline reel would be nice as well.
• Task Widget - show todays' to-do list.  Not that I would use it, but might be nice... (Outlook Sync)
• Quick launch bar for favorite programs (like a browser, picture slide show, etc.)

 I am not asking for much - and I would totally be willing to pay for it!

Finger Lickin Good BBQ Sauce

Remember when I discovered the magic of Finger Lickin' Good Ribs from my pressure cooker from start to finish in under 45 minutes?

I am drooling over here just thinking about how absolutely delicious they were every.single.time I have made them.  And just how often I plan to be eating them henceforth.  Because I have finally discovered a BBQ sauce I love (other than the Kunkels, of course.)   Though this one doesn't require any advance notice, or planning on my part.  It can be made in about 10 minutes using just a few ingredients I have on hand.  So when I decide for instance to stop by the grocery store on the way home after work and pick up ribs I can be enjoying them and lickin sauce off my fingers an hour later.  I will warn you though it is a ketchup based sauce that is a little tangy and a little sweet.  If you are perfectly happy with any of those smokey vinegary sauces that come in a bottle from the store, or aren't a fan of ketchup and a little tang - Miracle Whip haters for instance - you should just skip this recipe.  :)

So without further ado - here's my new last second go-to recipe:

1/2 cup Heinz ketchup

1/4 cup water
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP vinegar*
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce*
1 tsp of your favorite dry rub (or per the original recipe chili powder)
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

Note: Though the original base recipe called for 2 TBSP of both vinegar and Worcestershire sauce I will likely be cutting those down to 1 to 1 1/2 for future makings.  I think it's the Worcestershire sauce that needs to be cut back (or was just old and needed to be replaced) for my taste buds, but I will probably drop both to 1 TBSP and taste it them add more if I think it needs it.

Directions:
Combine all ingredient in a sauce pan.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Enjoy.  :)

P.S.  The boys also heartily approve of buttered sweet corn as a side to the ribs.  And given all you have to do is husk it and then drop it in boiling water for 3-5 minutes then butter like crazy it will definatley be making frequent appearances as well.  :)

School Lunch & Fun with Food

I have no idea how people manage to pack lunches every.single.day.  For themselves & for their kids!   Not only is it time consuming, it's also really hard for my poor brain to come up with ideas for more than just turkey sandwiches.  And burritos.  Because my mom made me homemade burritos almost every day for all 6 years of elementary school.  Hey - at least I was easy!  She didn't have to wrack her brains to come up with something new. 

Nevermind.  I wouldn't either if I just let my kids pick.  They would happily eat homemade lunchables in easter eggs for the rest of their life - like we took to school at Easter.

Maybe with a fish lunch thrown in from time to time to keep Connor happy.  That kid loves tunafish.  And there is nothing better than fish shaped tunafish.  Except maybe easter egg lunchables.  It might be a toss.

 

And even I was impressed with those fish shaped eggs.  Seriously coolest thing ever.  I never knew you could shape eggs.  Just looking at that lime jello is making my mouth water.  There is definitely more jello in our future.  :)

A couple of weeks ago I picked up some sort of Hawaiian pineapple chicken meatballs when I wandered through Costco.  They were actually pretty good - and the kids loved the combination of just a little sweet and savory, too. 

And dressed up with leftover flower picks from when we celebrated the boys' 3rd birthday party at the Rainforest cafe and cheese couldn't hurt either.  :)  They are my children after all... Ooohhh.... Pretty!  :)

So needless to say when it was time for bring your own lunch day again, with leftover meatballs in the fridge and a handful of monkey picks leftover too it wasn't hard to guess what the kids would be having.

I alternated meat balls and apricots & threw in some grapes, and some more hunks of cheese in a cute little turtle shaped silicone cup, as well as some nilla wafers. 

  Connor was so excited about his lunch he asked his teacher every 10 minutes all morning long if it was time to eat his lunch yet. That's why he's my sweetheart. :)   And because he appreciates things like this -  

Orange flowers and nutrigrain bars - for quick breakfast on the run.



Personalized Water Bottles

Another item on the list at our new school was water bottles.  Like everyone else the first bottles we took to school were the Cars & Cars 2 insulated thermos bottles.  Unfortunately with so many folks having the exact same bottles it only took a few days for one of ours to go missing and I am sure a fair amount of shared cooties to boot. 

So in the hopes of not losing any more water bottles I made personalized Scooby Doo and Cars designs to fit our old design your own straw sippy cups.  The unique designs made it much easier for the kids to spot their bottles.  On the downside however the sippy cup insulation just didn't keep water very cold - particularly when left outside in 100 degree heat and as school lets the kids fill their own bottles we would occasionally get a soggy design home at the end of the day when the kids inadvertently unscrewed the wrong part or were a little haphazard in their filling.  

So I really wanted to find something like the thermos bottles, but in unique designs.  Luckily I stumbled across the option to design your own Thermos bottles over at Cafe Press.  And by ordering two bottles & using a coupon from a previous order I was able to get them for about $14 - the same price or just a dollar or two more than the typical Cars designs.



And I couldn't have been happier with how they turned out.  I uploaded my favorite black and white pics of the boys and was pleasantly surprised to have them come out even better than I expected!  The boys of course were thrilled to discover their pictures on their bottles as well.  And they were a big hit at school.  We have had them for a few months now and the designs have held up amazingly well.  They have a scratch or two here and there, but for being used day in an day out for several months and dragged all over school, the playground, and even through some roughhousing in the sandbox they are in great shape and should definitely last for a while to come.