In The Kitchen

We needed something yummy for snacks so Colton and I got to work in the kitchen. Our yellow squash is finally producing so we made use of that. I found a great recipe for Zucchini muffins on allrecipes.com. It was supposed to have chocolate chips in it but we had just baked chocolate chip cookies for Daddy yesterday so we skipped that ingredient. They turned out delicious anyway! I figure if I put the time into teaching Colton how to cook and bake now, he'll be whipping up dinners for the family in no time (and I can have the night off of cooking once in a while)!

Getting Down To Business

Colton, working on his handwriting. This year he is using A Reason For Handwriting, book T. I think we may skip the first section and go straight for cursive. Colton is NOT the typical six year old boy when it comes to handwriting. He adores handwriting and has been begging to learn cursive! Sometimes he can struggle with wanting everything to be just right on the first try. I'm trying to encourage him not to worry if it's not perfect, reminding him that everyone needs to practice before "getting it right".

Matty really enjoys working on puzzles. I try to offer him ones that are of varying degrees of difficulty- some I know he'll get all the pieces in right away and some that are a little challenging. He needs the confidence booster of feeling like "yeah, I can do this, no problem!" If something is too difficult, he just won't even try. I've heard that this is a typical trait in children with Down syndrome, though I don't like generalizing in that way.

And then there's sweet (and sassy) Anna! I love the puzzle she is working on for preschoolers just starting out with puzzles. All the pieces are interchangable so they can put the puzzle together even if they don't get the pieces matched up quite right.

School in a Box

No, I'm not referring to our curriculum but rather the method of our read-alouds for today! Colton colored a box that the FedEx guy left us today and decided to read some books to Matty and Anna. Matty had to make use of an empty laundry basket since there wasn't enough room in the *school bus*. Okay, so "How Do Dinasours Say Goodnight" is not part of the P3/4 program but it IS a family favorite. Colton also read "Tikki Tikki Tembo" to the littles while I made lunch for everyone. I LOVE having a helpful six year old around!

Menu Plans

We (okay, I) usually plan meals weekly and sometimes bi-weekly to make the best use of what we have on hand as well as whatever is on sale. There are a couple of meals we tend to eat every week such as burritos (or tacos or haystacks), pasta in various forms, and pizza. We like to BBQ a lot during the summer because we don't have central A/C and it's just too hot in the kitchen to cook. Plus, it's just yummy! Here's our menu plan for the week:

Sunday- Tortellini, Garlic Bread, Salad
Monday- Hamburgers, French Fries, and Carrot Sticks
Tuesday- Homemade Macaroni and Cheese and Salad
Wednesday- BBQ Beef Ribs, Corn on the Cob, & Fruit Salad
Thursday- Homemade "Snack Wraps" (Tortillas, Chicken Nuggets, Lettuce, Cheese, Dressing)
Friday- Tuna Sandwiches, Chips, and Fruit Salad
Saturday- Homemade Pizzas

I love reading other peoples blogs that share menu plans for new ideas!

Happy 4th of July!

Anna, Colton, & Papa Mike.

Colton and Nana Joan.

Matty and Nana Joan.

We had a pretty laid back holiday- daddy had to work. Yesterday we bbq'd and had Nana and Papa over to visit in celebration of our country's (and spiritual) freedom. We are so grateful to all the service men and women who risk their lives to continue to provide us with the blessing of freedom! Today, Colton learned how to make fruit salad with mommy. He loves being in the kitchen and getting his hands "dirty".