Vacation Week

Vacation from school and waking up early is winding down to its final hours right now.  I thought the week would drag on because we weren't going away but it actually passed by quickly.  I think the ridiculous out-of-season warm weather helped.  On Monday, we visited the Cape, and then I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  The dreaded doctor's appointment.  She was actually much nicer this time around but that tetanus vaccine left me with a sore arm for the rest of the week.  (Nurse:  "Your blood pressure is a little high."  Me:  "That's probably because I don't want to be here.")  The girls each had a friend over Wednesday afternoon.  While Tuesday and Wednesday were warmish, it really warmed up on Thursday.  The girls and I met Rich at work and then we all went out to lunch for pizza (and tuna salad roll.)

The girls had asked to visit the library and it was just so beautiful out, I wanted an outdoor activity.  They had been playing outside here and there all week.  I semi-suggested we walk to the library but questioned Anna's ability to do so.  She said she could do it just fine.  Ideally, I would have driven the van up there by myself and then run back so their walk would have only been one way.  This would have left them home alone for 20 minutes or so and they are not ready for that.  (That's coming from them, not me.)  It's a 30 minute walk each way and Anna was toast by the time we arrived at the library.  We had packed water so she drank and rested before we headed back.  Thankfully, it had cooled down a bit.  So Anna made it but she was really tired.  Poor kid.  Life can be tough but she's tough.

Friday's high was 72.  The girls said it was hot outside and asked if Daddy could open the pool.  Yeah, sure.


(It's all gone now!)





I made the best southwest salad for dinner one night last week.  (Tip) if you have semi-picky eaters - Don't mix all the salad ingredients together.  I make a salad bar and the girls pick and choose what they want in their salads.  I have one who doesn't like tomatoes and if they're in her salad, she's going to spend time picking and analyzing her salad instead of just eating it.  I did insist that they add at least one protein (beans or chicken) to their individual salads.  Sorry, no photos but here's what we had:

• Chopped romaine lettuce
• Chopped tomato
• Chopped red onion
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Avocado
• Corn
• Black beans
• Sarah's Southwest chicken tenders 
• Crispy tortilla strips for a topping
• Cilantro lime dressing (store bought)

So here's how I cooked the chicken.  I bought raw chicken tenders and sauteed them in a little bit of olive oil.  When they were done, I added 1/2 cup of water and taco seasoning from a packet right into the pan.  Sometimes I make my own seasoning mix but I happened to have a packet left over from another meal.  Mix it all up, simmer and stir.  The water will reduce and you'll end up with a sauce on the chicken.  Take the chicken out of the pan and cut it up into bite size pieces on a cutting board.  You could use "salsa chicken" for this as well but I have two kids that just won't eat it.  Salsa chicken is when you cook chicken breasts with salsa in a crock pot before shredding it all up.  It's so very easy to make - I wish my kiddos were fans.  But anyway, this was such a yummy salad and a good way to eat the rainbow.