Five Brown Kids

Jaxon's second 5k race - 26 minutes and change Taye's second 5K - 30:03 A few weeks ago I told my boys if they could beat me I would pay them $20 bucks. Figured I'd get some extra practise out of them and then beat them on race day of course because I'm a runner. My marathoner neighbor got in on the bet too, and almost reached a personal best trying to chase Jaxon down. The boys won't have to rake leaves again for a long time. (I rolled in at 30:34. That's right on target for my doesn't matter if its 13 miles, 9 miles or 3 miles I always run/jog a 10 minute mile.)

These are special occasion waffles and they are delicious! Try them with fresh spring strawberries and you'll be in heaven! Belgian Waffles 2 cups warm milk 1 tbsp yeast 4 eggs, separated 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 cup butter Sprinkle yeast over warm milk to dissolve. Beat egg yolks and add to warm milk. Add vanilla and salt. Mix flour and sugar and add to egg mixture. Then add butter (melted). Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into milk mixture carefully. Let rise until double. Bake in a hot waffle iron. Serve with syrup, strawberries and whipped cream!

Jaxon has mastered the hula hoop!

And all is going well. Boys are getting lots of running and a few goals!!!

On Saturday between soccer games we stopped at the boys' school for planting day. Loads of parents and kids were there to spread fresh mulch, fill up the flower pots and prune, weed, rake etc. It all makes the school look fantastic. A few kids from Taye's class were also there to help their teacher plant a little herb/flower garden. And the OM'ers were raising money hosting a car wash. It was weekend and the place was packed and buzzing with activity. I love it! Congrats Emily!

Here's the new and improved version of our favorite peanut butter noodles . whole wheat spaghetti noodles 1 package firm tofu Sauce: 1/2 cup soy nut butter or creamy peanut butter 1/3 cup water 1/3 cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 large juicy lime, or two small) 2 cloves garlic, quartered 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I just peel a nice sized chunk and toss it right into the blender to get liquefied) handful of fresh cilantro (wash it and toss it in the blender) 1 tablespoon sesame oil Toppings: 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I skip this) 1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts (And this too) Just three easy steps. 1. Step one. Boil a box of whole wheat spaghetti noodles and drain. 2. Step two. Toast the tofu. Slice as thinly as you can and cook on a pancake griddle or a non stick pan, a few minutes on each side until it's nice and toasty. Then cut into thin bite size strips. No extra flavoring needed because the sauce will add all the umph! 3. Mix the sauce in...

Scotia is taking a turn on the well used, well loved toddler bike my parents gifted Taye 7 years ago. It's had a few sets of training wheels and a few new tires (the boys liked to cruise down the hill and slam on the brakes until the tire wore thin and popped!) I don't forsee such problems with Scotia.

The highlight of our Easter Weekend was crashing the neighbourhood Easter Egg Hunt of Taye's best friend from school. They have a back yard to die for and we had a blast hunting for eggs, wading down the stream, climbing in the treehouse, jumping on the trampoline, playing volleyball, trying out the skateboard ramp and of course eating yummy food. Ahhh... perfect. On Sunday, after helping the kids search the house and yard for eggs the Easter Bunny had to leave for work and we had a quiet rest of the day. A little biking, a little conference, a little playing and lots of sugar.    Happy Easter!

This dish is delish, and you can use any variety of veggies. It's a great warm weather dinner. Here's what you need to make "Wide pasta with cheesy cream sauce and spring veggies" 4 oz fettuccine 1 cup broccoli flowerets 1 cup cauliflower (no thanks! - maybe asparagus?) 1 cup sliced carrots (I usually just use three types of veggies, the dish above has carrots, asparagus and zucchini) 1 cup sliced yellow summer squash or zucchini 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (not when I'm cooking for my crowd, maybe green peas?) 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 tbsps butter 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 cup of half and half or light cream 1 egg, beaten 1 cup grated romano and/or parmesan cheese (shredding the real thing would taste great, but a few shakes out of a green Kraft bottle won't hurt anything!) 1. Cook pasta, drain and set aside. 2. Steam veggies. I usually add my veggies to that last minute or two of boiling the pasta and then drain it all together. 3. In a medium saucepan,...

Friday was a holiday for the kids and since it was an incredibly warm and sunny day we headed to a local lake. It has a nice sized beach area and the kids had an absolute blast digging and splashing in the water. They spent hours contentedly playing til it was time to head home for supper. A Nova Scotian upbringing takes a long time to break. It was April 2 and I couldn't imagine that the water would be anything other than frigid - the trees are just barely starting to get leaves. So most of the kids just had on shorts and shirts - to dip toes in and then play in the sand. Hah, first thing they do after a quick lunch is head straight for the water and dive in. It was cool but still plenty nice for swimming. Learned my lesson! We'll definitely be doing this little outing again! I should note that these kids get along really well. Rob and Carleen just feel like my family and I think the kids all think the same thing too...

I love recipes when I learn how to make something that I always used a packet to make before. This is one of our new family favorites (top 2!) Thanks Courtney! I owe you... 1 roast 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 beef bullion cube 1 bay leaf salt and pepper 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp garlic salt Remove all visable fat from meat and place in crock pot. Combine all ingredients and pour over roast. Add water to cover the roast. Cook all day on low (8-12 hours). Shred meat, serve on sub buns, add yummy cheese if you like (Tyrone likes!) and serve with sauce for dipping. It's fantastic! The yummy bread comes from Costco -