Mmmm Monday -- Pita Sandwiches

I haven't shared a recipe for awhile but the other day I pulled out my cookbook  -- Eating Healthy and made sandwiches that all of the children enjoyed.

Pita Sandwich

-- Pita Bread Pockets
-- Mozzarella cheese
-- Green Peppers, sliced
-- Cucumber, sliced
-- Tomato, sliced
-- Italian dressing packet

Melt desired amount of cheese in the pita pocket and sprinkle with powdered Italian dressing to taste. Top with peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and I also added spinach. I diced my veggies rather than slicing but it might hold together better sliced. This also works well using tortillas and cooking them on a griddle. The children gobbled them up in no time!

Cheese is melted on the bottom and topped with the veggies.

Spring is in the Air

Happy 1st day of Spring! While we have a fresh covering of snow here and it does not feel like it today, this past week has been filled with evidence of Spring.  Warmer temperatures, trees budding out, green shoots of grass trying to peak out from amidst the sea of brown, oh, how it makes me smile!


I love my Forsythia bush as it is the first color I see in the spring, however, it does not bloom until mid-April. I had a bridal shower at our house last weekend and wanted some color so cut branches from my bush putting them in water to force them to bloom. I didn't think of it on time though so it bloomed a few days too late. But it only did take a week and it is lasting quite nicely.

Fresh tulips decorated the table.

Balancing eggs for the spring equinox is a tradition. And although it really is a myth that eggs can balance due to a difference in gravitational pull on this day, it is still fun to try.

Which Puppy to Choose?

This weekend we headed north (a 4-hour drive) to pick out our puppy. Initially we did not have a choice and yellow boy was going to be ours. But when I talked to the breeder again she said that we did indeed have a choice between the black boy and the yellow boy as the family who wanted a black lab would take either a boy or a girl. And so we needed to decide which puppy would come home with us so that the other family would know.

We were excited, although George was set on a yellow lab as he had the perfect name and really liked yellow. I told him not to count on that and asked him what he would do if the black puppy took a liking to him. I had a feeling all along that with a decision to make not everyone would agree and of course that was the case.

By the time we arrived the puppies were getting sleepy and that was a bit of a disappointment as they weren't quite as playful, but not much you can do and they still were fun. It took Missy a bit to warm up to them and Seppy wasn't too sure either but they did get used to the puppies running around. The boys also played with one of the little girl puppies who was very "spunky" and we were told her energy is limitless. (The rest were sleeping).


By the end of our time we had not come to a decision and it was pretty much split 4 to 4, although I don't know how much we can count the two little ones.  The breeder has said from early on that the two boys were favorites of hers and they are both so similar in their sweet personality. We tossed around the option of getting both and John was not opposed to that. The funny thing is that George, who wanted the puppy in the first place now was set on getting the black puppy because he "liked me more". After thinking it through overnight we decided on the black puppy and will bring him home in two weeks! We are SO excited!

We have a name in mind for him but aren't set on it so if you have any black lab names that are unique, please pass them my way.
Re-Pete (who doesn't like dogs) and our pick.

Kitchen Helper

When I was a bit better at planning my menu (not often this past year) I would assign one of the children to be kitchen helper. They help to prepare supper, set the table, and wash any dishes that didn't fit in the dishwasher. I probably got away from that as it really does take extra time to prepare a meal when teaching a child and I didn't feel that I had the time due to poor planning on my part.

Well, I decided I really needed to start that again and so we have been having at least two helpers each week. Each of the boys enjoy helping prepare a meal and being that it is only twice a week I am enjoying the "help". Missy Blue has begged to be a helper and when she gets the job she assigns herself for the entire day as often as she can. At breakfast she needs to help because "I am the helper." Or she'll say something about "Girls need to do this job in the morning, NOT boys!" She takes her role very seriously and I certainly get a chuckle out of it.