Summer of the Swedish Pancake

When it comes to food, summer really kind of sucks.

Not because there isn't an abundance of delicious food.

I LOVE salads, and love making them out of anything and everything.

And of course, summer is the perfect time for that.

But, it's really staggering the amount of time dedicated to the preparation, serving, and cleaning up of three meals a day for six very different appetites.

No, I don't cater every meal to meet each appetite but that doesn't mean I don't end up tweaking each meal to make it palatable for the person eating it.

I do remind myself that there will be a day when each person can do that type of tweaking without me having to do it all.

And that day is rapidly approaching.

Sarina already does it.

Carl is super close.

Charlie and Elsa will follow pretty quickly behind.

Here's the precious babes the last day of their first ever Summer Hummer
(not the best pic but it's the only one of all four without an extra kiddo this summer).

And yes, the kids are taking a bigger and bigger role in helping me.

But, truth be told, breakfast is my least favorite meal

because there's really no salad, except fruit, for breakfast.

And because I'm a terrible morning person,

especially when hungry little ogres are desperate for food.

But this summer I've made more Swedish Pancakes than I can count.

I'd always wanted to tackle crepes-probably because I LOVED the crepes in Paris sold outside the bars in a food truck type stand.

They were buttery and sugary and delicious.

Ok I only had one but it was memorable!

As memorable as the drunk American girl who barfed everywhere in the bar and taxi her friends sent her home in.

Nasty.

Anyway...

The kids always talk about the Swedish Pancakes nonna makes them after sleepovers.

This summer, we stayed with my sister-in-law while Carl went to the TBI baseball camp in Ellensburg and she made them for the kids.

I actually enjoyed making this breakfast food.

I'll share the recipe with you.

The original is the America's Test Kitchen Crepe which I've adapted for our family.  There are actually a few recipes in that cookbook that I really like-cream scones is one.

Swedish Pancakes Schreck Style

1 cup 1% milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 large eggs
3/4 c water
6 T butter melted
1 t salt
2 t vanilla

I mix it all up with my immersion blender.

You can use the batter right away or keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Then I lightly butter a good non-stick pan (wiping up excess butter with a paper towel so it doesn't stay in the pan and burn), pour 1/3 cup of batter into the pan, swirl the batter so it spreads into a nice circle.

I watch for the edges of the pancake to look dry-ish then flip, cook long enough to dress the preceding pancake, then repeat.

Elsa likes hers straight up with butter and cinnamon sugar.

Carl likes his with powdered sugar and syrup (gag).

Charlie likes his with butter, powdered sugar and syrup.

Sarina likes hers with just butter and powdered sugar.

Charlie is my big consumer with this meal.  He gobbles up at least 7 when I make it.  And this recipe usually lasts me two breakfasts for my 4 kids.

Enjoy:)

Parenting Wisdom

I have two extremely valuable parenting bits of wisdom.

After much careful consideration I've decided I will share these two nuggets with you,

so you too can be in the know.

Are you sitting down?

Good.

First:

Mice have relatively clean mouths.

I know, right?!

Who knew?!

Not me, until today when my adventurous, and curious nephew tried to rescue a baby snake from the mouth of an evil mouse...

Of course that evil mouse retaliated with a nip on his finger.

Just a teeny, tiny little puncture on that baby, almost big boy finger.

And yes I did pour hydrogen peroxide over his owie,

then shuffled him into the bathroom to wash his hands -singing the ABCs five times while making bubbles.

Nurse said, mice have relatively clean mouths.

He's fine since he's up on his shots-just keep an eye out for infection.

The next one is a whopper.

I've actually been sitting on this gem for a while.

It might knock your socks off.

Here it is...

If you happen to ingest your own poop

it won't make you sick!

Ha!

Ha HA!!

So, for the mama's out there with precious babes in diapers

that happen to like to fish in their own diapers for a snack,

you're in luck.

It's crazy disgusting

but not lethal.

You're welcome.

You now have some fantastic knowledge in your corner.


May you never, ever have to use it.

20 Days Left

Just 20 days of summer vacation left.

Slidewaters July 2014
All my favorites (plus an extra favorite) in one frame...

Some moments it feels like an eternity.

Some moments it feels not nearly long enough.

It's been a fantastic summer.

The kids are old enough to go and do more and more fun things.

They're old enough to bring along friends every now and then,

at least the older two are...

They're old enough to have some pretty awesome and inspiring conversations

and share their observations.

They're smart

they're compassionate

they're intuitive,

until all hell breaks loose.

Until one appears to get more than the others.

Then it's like blood in the water.

And it's pure hell.

Especially for a waffler for me,

a people pleaser like me.

Is it too much to ask for them to get along?

For them to love each other as much as I love each

and every one of them?

For them to see how fantastically wonderful

and awesome

and precious

they ALL are?

I know it's practice for conflict outside the bubble of our home.

I know that it's going to serve them well later in life,

this in-the-trenches conflict management

in a trial by fire scenario.

Please Lord let me survive the epic battles

one

at

a

time.

Amen.

Changing Seasons

This is our car.

I thought it highlights our life right now.

Chairs for the lake (those Tommy Bahama camp chairs from Costco are AWESOME!)

swim bag packed with a blanket for the grass, towels, sun-scream (an Elsa-ism), swim goggles, my sun hat

a cooler with water, iced coffee, and snacks,

4 life jackets,

3 water noodles (we started the season with 5),

2 sand castle buckets which have become poor little fishy jails,

3 fishing nets (for transporting poor little fishies to their jails-and for making instant friends of all ages on the dock)

tackle box and fishing pole (Carl's best birthday present ever!),

mom's awesome green bucket that held the centerpiece from Mark's 40th bday party,

mom's towel that reads something like: "Lord keep your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth"

and a TCYFL Cougar helmet for Charlie's first year of tackle football, complete with painter's tape with his name on it so the coaches know who is who on the field.

It's the transition of seasons, a month of 3/week football & cheer practices while summer winds down and we get ready for school.

As the kids are getting older it's easier and easier to be a fun mama- going to the lake, having friends over, coaching cheer, and enjoying summer time together.

I don't long for quiet time as much as I used to.  I'm getting it more and more, which makes me realize that it won't be long before I'll have more quiet time than I want.

For now I'll cherish the insanity of 4 fun-loving, active kids over a peaceful tidy house where everything is in perfect order.

There will be plenty of time for that later.

I'm one lucky, lucky mama.

A Spectacular Summer Day

Yesterday was one of many wonderful, hot days this summer.

I took the kids to the lake with Carl's first, best buddy.

After an afternoon filled with swimming,

fishing (they almost caught a big trout-thank God they didn't!),

and practicing crazy moves off the diving board

we were loaded in the car to take Carl's buddy home when they realized his life jacket was in Grandma's car.

Luckily, she was right behind me as we were leaving the neighborhood.

I pulled over and hopped out to grab his stuff.

When I climbed back in to the suburban, I look back to see Carl shaking his booty like he's twerking.

When I asked what the heck he was doing the boys informed me that Charlie had shoved an ice cube down Carl's swim trunks.

Gross.

Even grosser,

I heard shouts of excitement when he fished that ice cube out of his swim trunks and popped back in the jar of drinking water I'd packed.

Especially, after he'd detailed exactly EVERYWHERE that cube had traveled while visiting his private parts.

Nasty.

After dropping off buddy we went back to grandma's house for taco salad and Mexican Street Corn.

It was a nice evening.

After dinner I took the kids back to the lake for an evening swim.

There's nothing better than an evening swim when the lake water is warmer than the air.

It was a lovely, lovely evening.  

*The only thing missing was daddy who was working a 48 hour shift- which ends up being tough on everyone.  For sure, we'll make it a point to go back for an evening swim with daddy at dusk.

We were loaded up in the car, ready to head home, when the kids all hollered "GROSS!"

I whipped my head around to see what had sparked such disgust.

I see Elsa Jane gagging

and the boys demanding that I roll down the window before she barfed.

For some odd reason the kids are dying of thirst the SECOND THEY GET IN THE CAR.

Without fail.

Such was the case with Elsa Jane, who chugged the glass jar of drinking water

the same glass jar that Carl had used to pop the ice cube from down his pants.

The jar of Butt Water

Luckily she did not get e coli.

That would be really, really awful. 

We came home to this beautiful sight as I was tucking the kids into bed.

The perfect end to a fantastic day.

Even God seemed to think it needed a spectacular ending.

We are so lucky to live such a blessed life.

Name Calling

The other day the boys were arguing over something.

What it was I don't recall, I have been tuning it out more and more.

Lately, unless there's blood I don't really intervene unless it turns REALLY ugly.

Anyway, I heard Carl call Charlie "Beaver teeth" in a super agitated but almost quiet way.

Perhaps I'm a bit sensitive to that particular name since I was once a beaver toothed little girl (with a sharp middle part that pointed right to it...)

I was so angry with Carl I stopped and asked, "What did you call him?"

He did look ashamed as he repeated his insult.

When I demanded that he go up to his room his brother instantly came to his defense.

"What?"  Charlie asked.  "It's true."  He said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

Oh precious little guy.

He doesn't seem to care that his teeth are quite prominent at the moment.

So prominent that the dentist carefully phrased suggesting that we invest in mouth-guards for when he plays sports because those teeth are really "out there."  He said.  He thought we should be proactive in protecting them.

Thank God Charlie doesn't care.

And of course we'll get them all fixed up when the time is right.

Beaver teeth.

It hurt my heart but not my strong boy.

I didn't make Carl go to his room because his brother gave him a reprieve.  And because he looked genuinely sorry.

Brothers sometimes the meanest, sometimes the sweetest.

*and yes I have a few more posts to come when I have a few uninterrupted minutes:)