Books 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48

All of these books came from the publishers or the authors.  Lovin' Free books but now I have so much to read I don't know if I can keep up.  Check out my reviews at Book Him Danno.  Thanks

Tiger Sushi Trip

     We took Gunnar up to the cities with us for our lunch at Tiger Sushi 2 in Minneapolis.  THis is what David and I had at the Mall.  Not the rolls, just the raw fish.  It was good.  The salmon was the best.  YUMMY

             Gunnar had this and I admit that we were surprised that it was all raw, it was good just raw interesting.  We had Edamame it is very good thanks Kristi.  Mango, Strawberries, cucumbers, lots of raw seafood.

                  On our second trip that day to the one in Lynn Lake we had rolls and they were amazing and I can't wait to go again.  I'm going to learn to make this and the Edamame.  Yummy and no wonder it is healthy it is just good stuff.  The Bam Bam roll was YUMMMMMY!!!!

Happy Easter Egg Hunt

The kids had a fun Easter Egg Hunt on Monday night.  It was fun and Vanessa hosted this year.  I went to get my candy 50% off and instead they had it only 30%.  They are on to us!

Heather it will happen fast

   From birth to five it seems like forever, then they go to school and it speeds up a bit.  Hit middle school and it goes faster.  When they start high school it flies by so fast you don't have time to think about it.  Boom its gone and they are grown-up and leaving.  We hardly see Gunnar these days and I know thats a good thing so we can get prepared for when he leaves.
     Love and hug them now, when they love you too, they will be gone in the blink of an eye.  I hope to cry enough now that I don't when we drop him off.  Heather can you make me some chocolate something for when we get to your house after dropping Gunnar off.  8/24, we will be leaving for home soon after that.  Cry, chocolate and hugs(Jake, Tyler, and Lily hugs also).  Thanks


Disclaimer:  I love all the kids, I just see Gunnar as the start of a larger exodus.  JT is at the age that sometimes I just want to lock him in his room and take a break.  This morning he decided that talking was too much work so he just gestured at everything and everyone.  Joy of the 9 year old and the youngest.  Gunnar gets on my nerves also, none of my children are perfect.  I have that days favorite and it is always the one who is doing the least complaining.

IKEA

  We plan to pick-up all the things Gunnar will need for his Dorm room here.  Sandy UT has a store and we will get his bedding, kitchen items, and storage needs here.  We are taking all the kids with us so the van is full and so taking this stuff with us is out of the question.  I love IKEA I see it as a small step to bring the world together. Everyone of these stores is alike and walking into one is like going home if you live far away.  Try it out and you will see when you travel that it is the same everywhere.  Its also got great prices.

Family Vacation Plans

   Yes, the Grand Canyon is on the deck for this summer trip.  Gas at 4 dollars a gallon is going to make it an expensive trip.  We hope to see family and friends and then after the fun drop Gunnar off at school with all his new belongings.  Where is the best cheapest place to stay around there?  Let me know thanks

Happy Easter to all out there.

Happy Easter, this is for Meredith.  See you all tomorrow for the egg hunt and pizza at Vanessa's.

JT

          JT is a lazy, lazy child.  He told me he wants all of his birthday money now because he has no plans to go to college.  He also doesn't think that 6 hours a day of school is a good use of his time and homework is out of the question.  He complains about getting up, he complains about going to bed.  He never wants to help out around the house, his room is a disaster and he doesn't understand why he can't just have spaghetti at every meal, every day and have someone else clear his plate from the table.
         He plans on being an Austinaire without all the work of being in the choir at all.  He plans on just walking on as the lead singer his junior year in HS.  Spending time playing Legos and sitting in his underwear are the things he loves doing.  Everything else seems like a waste of his all so important time.

This is going to get tough and I already cry everyday

Gunnar's senior ID, the senior photo is in the year book not this one.

Gunnar with Qatat and I think they still spend time like this.

  Gunnar is such a goof and a good kid that it is really difficult for me to let him go.  I want him to go to college, what a wonderful time in a persons life.  I just really will miss him and everyone is not helping when they tell me that my life will never be the same.  I don't like change and this is huge.  I told Gunnar that I just wish time would stop for a little while, ten or twenty years thats all.  Thats not much to ask, is it?
  Young moms enjoy your kids they grow up so fast.  0-5 seems long and then it goes in the blink of an eye and WOW!!!!!  Tears and more tears to come.  I really wish he was this age again.

Picky Eaters in your house?

    Not in mine, I'm shocked by what my kids eat.  I think that they will shove the plate away and yet they always do a great job of trying everything.  Gunnar picks his food apart to be sure I haven't hidden any onions in there.  Qatar hates peas, Zeke hates beans, Cenny likes most everything, JT hates chicken.  Otherwise they all eat really well.  We had fish, Talipia, the other night and everyone ate it and we went through 4 pounds of the stuff.  I'm not a huge fish fan,but covered in mayo and BBQ sauce it was delicious(BBQ Fish with rice recipe)  we switched the rice for Quinoa and it went over really well.  Quiche is a favorite especially with pesto and spinach. 


  My kids love artichokes and with the price of them we don't get them often, they love tomatoes, peppers especially the red and yellow type, I can't keep asparagus in the house long,  Cucumbers are favorites along with celery and broccoli.  Sorry if you have picky eaters I have a houseful of big eaters who will eat anything that doesn't move.(maybe they're just afraid they will starve if they don't eat whats offered, I don't make other choices for them.  Eat what is served or be hungry, there is always bread available.)


    When they were little I had a miniature grinder and I ground up whatever we were eating for them as baby food, it seemed to help them like the taste of real cooking.

Low Country Boil

I thought this would be a very interactive interesting meal for my family.  We missed out on the corn on the cob, but everything else was in there.  Cenny refused to eat the shrimp since it was the peel and eat type.  She didn't like the idea of peeling off its legs.  Everyone else loved it and really enjoyed the work involved with enjoying th dish.  I will be making this again as soon as corn is available.  Peel and eat shrimp led to some fun discussions and messy hands.
Zeke, Gunnar and JT were asking for thirds, fourths and so on, very popular dish and so easy to make.  Like its name, you jut boil it all together and presto you're done.  Here is a recipe.  This popped up as one of the meals on my EZMealz web site this week.

In Case You Haven't Heard Yet

      Gunnar told me what on of his friends said to him the other day.
 Gunnar  "Mom,one of my friends said that you subbed in his class.  I asked really she does mostly special ed?"

Me "I did do a AP history RCC class the other day so lots of seniors and sophomores."

Gunnar "Oh, well he said that he thought you were odd."

Me "Oh...I can see that I guess I am a bit odd at times."

Gunnar "No he said hot not odd."

Me "He said HOT, now that is a bit better then odd."

Gunnar "I thought I would throw up."

Me "Thanks for that."

David "Oh man we are never going to hear the end of this."

Me "Probably not.  I'm HOT yeah!!!!"

Finnegan also loves me, I guess my demographic is getting younger now.

Books 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42

Happy Birthday Qatar!!!

  Qatar is 15 today!!!  We love you kiddo, keep up the good growing up.

Life in our home

Zeke is a different child in our home, I went up stairs to pick up towels, we are out again,  I found a pile upstairs in Qatar, and JT's room and then in Zeke's room.......NOTHING.....so clean and tidy I could find no towels or anything else out of place.  Such a change in a house that is over run and filled with too much stuff and no where to put it all.  Zeke is a bit of a perfectionist, but I love the clean room, the piano practicing, the great grades.  Yeah, I guess every family has one( one that is a bit crazy hahaha ;)

I worked at Ellis on Monday and then off to pick up JT for piano, off to the post office to mail some books for our contest winners, then back to school of Cenny and then to piano for her.  Dinner made and in the oven to cook and then David and I headed to the track for Zeke.  We watched him run the 100 and then had to get home to feed the other kids.   A long day and then to Bed exhausted.

The end of the solo Gunnar

Happy Birthday Bonnie!!!!!

  She hides from me, well we shall she about that in the future.  Happy Birthday Bonnie, we love you.

The Duke of Earl

Gunnar and the Austinaire show

Gunnar singing senior solo

The Austinaire Show

Gunnar and the rest of the kids did a great show and it was fun to see two nights in a row.  Qatar helped move things around on stage.  Gunnar sung "I Just Haven't Met You Yet"  Lots of fun and he did a wonderful job.  I will post a video of part of it tomorrow.

Great deal at Groupons check it out

 this is a coupon for a huge canvas photo for only 45 dollars, a great deal I just bought.  maybe a family shot or maybe one of Gunnar's senior photos.  I love these, but they are at least 80 dollars anywhere else.

Books read, 32,33,34,35, 36 and 37

WOW, everyone should read this book, wow!!!!

    Sent to me by the author, not half bad.

    Sent to me by the author, it was interesting and their are two more so far.

    Sent to me by the publisher and it is so sad.

   Free on the Kindle, cute romance.

   Sent to me by Goodreads giveaway.
More free books now and I'm worried I've created a monster, I received four books in the mail a week ago and I know at least 8 more are coming.  I was asked by four more authors to read their book, I have five I need to read just on the Kindle now.  Fun, but oh well I really can't complain.

JFK Library tour and singing

The JFK Library was our first trip in the morning on Saturday.  The library was fascinating and I learned more about JFK then I ever did.  I enjoyed the tour and then the kids sung in the atrium.   The window bars were tempting to climb and the kids were told not to and thank heaven no one did.  It was a great place to visit.  Parkour!!!!!!  it was yelled a few dozen times during the trip.

Boston and the Blue Man Group

This was our last stop and it was different.  The tickets were handed out and we waited for the kids to get theirs and then we got ours.  We were escorted to our seats and they all had ponchos on them, so we turned and traded with the kids who had seats outside the target zone.  The show was funny I had tears from laughing so hard.  Toilet paper rained down on us and then huge balls, twinkie gunk and lots of jello.

Before this and China Town we all went to a Lutheran Church for services.  The kids sung at both, but we only attended the first fully.  It is a lot like a Catholic service.  The kids were respectful and it helped that most of them were Lutheran.  The church had goodies for us afterwards and it was more then anyone could eat so they packed it for us to take home.

The trip was amazing and the behavior of all the students was commendable.  10th grade to seniors and over 120 of them.  Three bus fulls and nine chaperons.  I would go again in a heartbeat.  I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with Gunnar.  He was busy with his friends, but I had the credit card so I got him for a few meals,  We had lobster and clams at one restaurant.  What a great memory and experience.  Let your kids go they will remember it forever.

Food Glorious Food many many choices

Cordy and I at the restaurant in Harvard square.  Great food.

 This is Margo at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, it was so authentic(according to those in the group who had been to Italy).  I managed to leave my camera here, but the next day when I realized it the bus drivers dropped everyone at China Town and took me back to the North End to retrieve it.  Great bus drivers if you need a tour bus hire Reading Bus Company in Reading MN.

 China Town after I got my camera back, YEAH!!!!

 Many many rest stops.

   The Hard Rock Cafe, I had a salad(chaperon shot).  This was our first stop in Boston and it took 2 GPS and many kids connected to the internet with their cells to find it.  Our last meal was at the Old County Buffet and they only had seating in groups of four.  The last few kids had to sit with adults and I called out to Selena that I had seen her roll her eyes at the thought.  She swore she didn't and then she and Danni said they wanted to sit with me, I guess I am the best!!!!!!   This was a terrific set of kids and a wonderful experience.  I want to go again.