Sports Night Dinner

Weeknight dinners have been trying this Spring to say the least! Three kiddos and four sports teams means that I have to make sure everyone gets the right field at the right time with the right equipment. (I might have been overheard saying "you should never leave home without your mouth-guard" more than once.) I am happy to report that I have yet to drop a child off at the wrong field but making a wonderful dinner every night has been hard.

Yes Hubby grills when his schedule allows. Of course I use my crock-pot a ton. But the dinner meals that I have become my new "go-to" are sandwiches. With a little bit of planning everything can be prepared ahead of time and then once we get home from the fields all I have to do is assemble the sandwiches.

Our new favorite sandwich is mini meatball subs. I made the meatballs ahead of time (basically just balled sausage since they have to be egg and gluten-free) and add them to tomato sauce. Then when we got home I reheated the meatballs and sauce. Place them on mini-Italian rolls for the boys and a gluten-free roll for B. Topped all of them with fresh mozzarella cheese and placed under the boiler until the cheese started to melt. A little fresh basil and we were all set. 

So easy and so much better than chicken nuggets if you ask me! Do you have any "dinner" sandwiches that I should try?

Little Lacrosse

 I am really not sure how it happened. All in one week I registration L for kindergarten next fall and he started playing lacrosse. To say that I have been a ball of emotions this week would be an understatement!

Is it just me or does the uniform make him look like a 10 year old!?! Or at least the toughest 5 year old on the block? After we got L suited up he looked so big to me.

Then he lined up with the rest of the boys.... We knew he was going to be the youngest boy on the team but he really just seemed so much smaller.

Thank goodness I didn't have much to worry about. L really held his own. I am sure having an older brother that plays lax helps a bit too. Especial when M makes L practice with him in the backyard as much as possible.

For a first go I would say it was a huge success for all of the boys. I can not tell you the number of times I heard the boys state that it was "the best day ever!" I hope they all stay so excited by being part of a team.

Let The Games Begin

Sunset

We had a super crazy weekend. My parents were staying with us while they visited with my brother. M started lacrosse practices with his Spring team and B had try-outs for the Spring travel field hockey team. It was a wonderful yet busy weekend and this week is shaping up to be even busier!

So in the middle of all the madness of after school activities, I took a moment and relaxed. The sun did not start to set until 7pm and it was still 60 degrees outside. A simple yet joyful moment amongst all the craziness. Life is good!

Forget The Groundhogs

Many of you got up yesterday and waited to see what the groundhog thought about Spring's arrival. In this house we already knew that Spring is on its way. You might ask how we knew and simply put we had to register the kiddos for Spring field hockey and lacrosse already. Can you tell that this is a home that breaks it seasons down by sports!?!

In fact today M started his Spring lacrosse evaluation. While I was not able to be there, Hubby did inform me that M did a great job and has really come along in his game. And I have to say that the smile on M's face when he came home was just precious!

Is it just me or do boys, all suited up, look older than they really are? And am I crazy for thinking that Spring is just around the corner?

All Played Out

We had a wonderful weekend!  One of my brothers, Dennis, came for a visit and it was a great time for everyone.  Friday night Uncle Dennis arrived right at bed time and got all of the kiddos totally wound-up, per usual.  Why is it that uncles feel that it is ok to get kids all worked up right at bedtime!?! (Hubby's note- As an uncle I will tell you: A. it is fun and B. they aren't my kids so it isn't my problem when they don't sleep! This naturally does not apply when it is my kids being wound up.)

Bright and early on Saturday, Dennis, M and myself headed out for the lax fields where we were joined by one of my SIL's and her family. M pretty much had a fan club for his game and came off the field with a big smile.  It was so nice for me to watch the game with my brother since he had played lacrosse in high-school and could answer all of my questions.

Unfortunately the weather was not to nice for B's game on Sunday.  The weatherman claimed that it was not going to rain until 7pm but we were all cold and wet at B's noon-time game.  Luckily the rain did not get in the way of B having a great game.  I was so happy that my brother got to see her score not once but twice!

After the game and a trip to Wegmans by the time we got home Sunday afternoon and finely warmed up we were all wiped out!  Some might have found it boring but I loved watching my sweet kiddos curl up together and watch a movie before dinner.  I know these moments will not happen forever! 

Let The Games Begin

The sun was shining in NoVa this weekend!  It finally felt as though Spring was really on its way, so we made the most of the beautiful weather.  B had her first rec game of the season and it was so fun to watch.  The girls played very well and came off the pitch with big smiles on their faces.  B's smile plus her so cute uniform always makes me smile right back!

After B's game, she and I hopped in the car and headed to the lacrosse field.  We got there in time to see the second half of M's game.  My younger brother Dennis played lacrosse in high school but I only got to see one game since I was away at college for almost all of his season. What little I remember from that one game looked nothing like what I saw on Saturday.  

For most of the game the ball was on the ground and what seemed like twenty boys all had their sticks down trying to get the ball.  It might not have been a perfect game, but these U10 boys put their heart into the game.  And how could I not love watching this silly boy play!?!