Rainy Days

Well, the rain destroyed our morning outside time, and I thought it might do the same for the afternoon. Quickly I noticed that there was no thunder or lightning so I decided why not? Let's go outside and learn what rain does to dirt and how it flows and puddles. So that's what we did. We took a 30 min trek outside and got all kinds of wet and muddy. We stomped through puddles and learned about splashes, we fell into mud and learned how water makes dirt into mud. We followed a trail of runoff water as it traveled down and around towards the lowest ground. The kids had fun just splashing around each other and getting wet and muddy. I didn't mind the rain, it was nice to see the Banana and Pieces having a good time laughing. Oh to be a kid. They've got it good don't they?

Recipe of the Day

Thanks Betty Crocker for this wonderful slow cooker sloppy joe recipe! It's pretty easy and is awesome on a bun or over tortilla chips. I love the slow cooker because I can set it and go do other things for a while. Feeds my ADHD very well. If you're like me you'll need a timer to remind you to check it!

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

2	lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1	large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/4	cup water
3	tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon red pepper sauce
1	bottle (12 oz) chili sauce
10	oz tortilla chips or 10 sandwich buns 1. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. 2. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix beef and remaining ingredients except tortilla chips. 3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours. Serve over tortilla chips or in buns. Quick Tip: If you use ground beef alot in recipes for the week, do what I do (thanks to my older sister's tip) Cook up a few (2 or 3) pounds of ground beef and separate them out into even amounts. Then put those into freezer bags and freeze. Makes for really fast reheating of the beef for meals!!

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	About Concordance™

Here is a quick sample of what the day looks like at our place.

7:30 - 8:35   Arrival, get ready for day, breakfast, free play
8:30 – 9:00  Weather, number, and letter for the day. Day of the week.
9:00 – 9:30  Theme, holidays upcoming, days events.
9:30 - 10:00 Coloring (if older child writing practice) or Story time
10:00-10:30 Restroom, hand washing, snack
10:30-11:00 Park, if weather is bad it’s playroom
11:00-11:30 Letters, phonics, quick review
11:30-12:00 Wash hands, restrooms, free until lunch
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:30- 1:00  clean tables, hands, restrooms, get ready for naptime
1:00 – 1:30  Story or 30min tv show while resting
1:30 – 3:30  Naptime or Quiettime for older kids not resting (reading, relaxing etc)
3:30 - 4:15   Wake up, snacktime, restrooms, wash hands
4:15 - 5:00   Outdoor play, weather permitting, or play room
5:00 - 5:15   Restroom, hand washing
5:15 - 6:00   Stories, clean up, prep to go home

That’s a sample of our day. Do we follow it exactly? Nope, but I don’t have expectations to be perfect. I just want a guide for how our day is going to go. I like lists because I have ADHD, and they just help to get things going, help to guide me along. I think the children like lists because they know what to expect next. They are aware of what’s coming around the corner. 

Another Hat

Another hat I wear is that of baker. I like to bake cakes for birthdays, parties, and just for fun. Here are some pictures of 2 that I've done. One is of Brobee, from the Nick Jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba, the other is from my wife's request for "a cake that's pink and has polka-dots".

Happy Labor Day!!

I hope all the stay at home dad's out there are having a great Labor Day!

Let me introduce to my brood. There is E and Pieces, 7 and 2, both my boys. I also watch Banana, almost 3, my niece, and 2 other nieces on Wednesday's, DQ and No-No, 4 and 22 mos. If you read my first post, you know about me, so that's us!

This blog may start a little slow, some advice, some recipes, and some journaling of our activities. Take today for instance, My wonderful wife Mandolin watched the kids for a couple hours this morning while I got to play 9 holes of golf. I had a great round and was on pace to shoot my best score ever. So when I got home she was wonderful enough to take them to Air Zone, a place with bouncy houses, climbing walls etc, for a couple hours! What a great day off! (when you're a stay at home parent, even a couple of hours feels like a full day.) I know, I married well. Actually I think I married way out of my league too.

Anyway, have a great day! There is an evening post to come!

Recipe of the Day

This is a great recipe! it's pull apart cinnamon bits that the kids will love helping to make and eat!

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

4 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon 

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.

2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. Cut the biscuits into halves or quarters and place six to eight biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake well.

3. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Continue layering until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan. If you are using raisins, place them among the biscuit pieces as you are layering.

4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!