Just the Five of Us

Oreo Pudding Pops

I found a recipe for Oreo Pudding Pops online and had to try it. We never buy Oreos, so the kids were thrilled . . . and Doug was pleasantly surprised to find them then next morning when I handed him one for breakfast. He hadn't found them the night before . . . there were none missing in the morning :).

We made them in the afternoon and they were done after dinner. I liked them because I used Dixie cups, which was a nice size for the kids, and one batch of pudding/Oreo mix made about 12 pops. Next time, I'll fill some half full for Owen.

They were a big hit (Jake is not pictured because he is just way too cool).

Owen like them just a little.

And they were so easy:

Mix 2 cups of cold milk with one pack of choclate pudding mix (I used instant). Add 1 cup of Cool Whip and 1 cup of crushed Oreos (I used the food processor and left some big chunks for the kids to discover). Spoon into Dixie cups, add sticks, and pop in the freezer for a couple hours. The cups just peel off and they are really good. We're going to try vanilla ones next.

Breakfast This Morning

As per Jake's request: Giant Giant Pancakes. I also made potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes. They fell apart, but Doug insisted that it's how they taste, not look, that matters.

Emma doesn't like Giant Giant Pancake, so she had cereal.

Baked Oatmeal

Jake loves my baked oatmeal. Emma does not. Owen loves it, too . . . we often bring leftovers along for snacks when we go anywhere and it crumbles into great chunks for him.

Jake also loves reading at the table. I can't really prohibit this because I do the same thing. I allow reading at breakfast and lunch, but dinner is reserved for conversation (amidst the kid neediness and chaos).

Though I will admit that sometimes if we're REALLY close to the end, I'll allow the reader to finish the book first . . . or bring it to the table. But that's only if there are literally 1-3 pages left. Because who can stop that close to the end?

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

So I had some blueberries in the freezer from this summer, and I really wanted the container back. I figured I'd put them in pancakes, and found a great recipe using whole wheat flour and oatmeal. My first attempt at homemade pancakes, pumpkin ones, weren't that great.

These were much better and the kids--and Doug--gobbled them up. Well, Emma didn't because she doesn't like blueberries in her pancakes (neither do I), so I made hers plain. And she gobbled them up.

They especially liked that I threw some chocolate chips in.

Chili Bowls

Last weekend, we took the kids to the playground. It wasn't 40 degrees, but it wasn't windy. When we arrived, we were excited to see that we were the only ones there.

When we stepped through the gates and saw that half the playground was under snow and ice, we figured that was why. Undaunted, we prevailed and stayed for over an hour.

The kids enjoyed smashing ice--a usual favorite pastime. Owen needed a diaper change while we were there, which gave me the excuse of hanging out in the car with the heat on as I warmed up the diaper, wipes, and his spare clothes (his other ones were wet from the snow . . . note to self: when you have a fleeting thought that it might be a good idea to bring the snowsuit, act on that).

When we arrived home, we were met with the smell of chili in the crock pot. The kids were starving and they dug in, eating a large number of chili bowls.

I got the idea of using Tostitos scoops from a friend of mine. Normally, we just eat chili over rice. But the with the scoops, the kids could make little bowls to eat. I threw some sour cream out because I had some leftover from dip I made for a party the week before.

Jake INHALED dinner. He kept saying over and over how much he loved it and how great it was and thank you for making this great dinner for us and did you get this recipe off the Internet and maybe you should make up a recipe and put it on the Internet for other people to try (he loves that I get recipes off the Internet . . . the way to Jake's heart truly will be through his stomach).

couldn't get enough

After dinner, he climbed into Owen's chair because he wanted to show me that he could still fit in it. It used to be Jake's, though he never ate as well when used it as a high chair as he does now. It's hard to believe that someone who used to live on the "Great White Diet" of chicken, plain pasta, yogurt (vanilla of course), and cheese jumped up and down and begged when I offered the last of the baked squash I made at lunch today (granted, it was covered with brown sugar and cinnamon, so I think that had something to do with it).

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

The nice thing about doing so much cooking from scratch is that I have lots of supplies on hand. I found this recipe on a blog, Owen was taking a nap, and Emma wanted to do something with me.

Ta da! Coffee cake. Which does not, Emma and Jake learned, have coffee in it.

It's good. But a little dry. And I occasionally get a bite of something that has a weird numbing taste . . . maybe something didn't mix right?!? Emma only likes the apples, and Jake ate two pieces.