Birthday Boys

The Spring Birthday season has arrived! And not a moment to soon for The Captain!

On Friday, this sweet boy turned 7.  We started the day with birthday pancakes, which were really just our whole-wheat pancakes with sprinkles; don't tell the kids they were still the healthy ones!  I did give them a choice of syrup or frosting (left over from cupcakes) and they all picked frosting. Oh, yuck.

We took cupcakes to daycare (it's Spring Break and Mama works on Fridays so, daycare!) and cupcakes to ball practice but told him a few days back the celebration would wait until Saturday. He got back from ball practice around 7:30 and ate his birthday Mac & Cheese and went to bed anxious for Saturday.

He loved his presents. There was a sweet moment where he got some handkerchiefs I had given him and said, "These remind me of Papa. Sometimes when he isn't here I have to remember hard that he isn't dead. But these will help me remember that I see Papa again some day."  Oh, it broke my heart! He loves his Papa so much.

We got him a basketball hoop and obviously a basketball. He opened the ball and all his other gifts and then Daddy said we needed to come outside to see something. He was standing there with the camera and caught this great shot of The Captain when he saw the hoop.

We've hardly seen him since. We hear a lot of ball dribbling and "boing-g-g-g-g-g-" and we know where he is. He hit the pavement in his jammies this morning and it was none to warm out there. So cute.

Daddy had a great birthday too. I bought him a Fitbit --which he didn't know he wanted-- but already loves. He loves data so much and it is a data machine.

He also got tons of music and lots of other nice stuff. We had King Ranch Chicken for dinner (Dad's fav) and Pepper made them both her amazing Bananas Foster Cake.  It was a great day, truly.

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday, and I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.  Enjoy!

Monday:
Scrambled eggs, raisin toast, milk
 "Snack Plate":  cheese, pretzels, broccoli florets (raw), grapes, strawberries

Pork loin (marinated in soy sauce, mustard, honey and splash of wine), noodles with bok choy, carrots and bell peppers and a "quick sauce" using pan drippings, peanut butter and a splash of soy sauce

Tuesday:
Dr. Bircher's Museli
Egg salad on lettuce, crackers, refrigerator pickles (any kind), homemade granola
Homemade Mac-n-Cheese, brussels sprouts, homemade applesauce

Wednesday:
Cereal and milk
Meat cubes, cheese cubes, pasta with pesto, grape tomatoes
(Family fends for itself tonight!)

Thursday:
Yogurt and banana
Lunch out
Too Easy Fettuccine Alfredo, green salad, cookies

Friday:
Bacon and egg cups, juice
School cookout
Potato Soup with cheese and egg dumplings, 3-bean salad

Saturday:
Scrambled eggs, re-fried beans, corn tortillas
Sandwiches
Leftovers

Sunday:
Sweet cereal, milk, grapes, bananas

King Ranch chicken, 3 bean salad, greens

Peg Bracken's Bean Salad 
from the I Hate to Cook Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15-oz can green beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can wax beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  
• METHOD

1 In a large bowl, mix the beans

2 In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

3 Chill beans in the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing..