Living near DC and Northern Virginia, we have a lot of wonderful restaurants that I want to try. Unfortunately we don’t always get out to try them.

Oh, we go out often. We try to do something every other week, and once a month we have a nice ‘date night.’  We didn’t always make it a priority to go out and spend time with each other, but now that we’ve made it a routine, we are happier for it! We get dressed up, I even put on makeup, and go out.

But we usually stick with restaurants we know and love.  Last month we went to The Melting Pot - probably my favorite restaurant! But the month before that, we did go to a new place in DC. One we have been wanting to try for about two years.

Tonight, my original plan was to try a restaurant in DC called “Founding Farmers.”  But I was too slow. The only reservation I could get Wednesday was either 5:15 (don’t think we can get down there in time) or 9:15 (too late for me!).

So, we are going to try a nice seafood restaurant about 45 minutes from our house.  Looks lovely, and they have oysters and scallops, so I’m set!

Your momma is so fat when I told her it was chili outside, she ran out with a spoon!

I don’t know if Addi said that correctly, but I sure thought it was funny. 

That is a part of our dinner ritual.  One of the boys says something silly, and the other boys jump on it as a way to get Roy and I to laugh.  I’m a lot easier than Roy.  I get started, and before I know it, I’m out of breath, tears are running down my face, and I’m bright red.  The kids think it’s hilarious, and pretty soon they go from busting on one another to busting on me.

“Mom’s gonna bust a gut!” One of the older boys will say.

“HA! You said Mom has a butt!” Hayden jumps on any chance to make fun of my butt.

Roy just laughs with me and asks me if I’m ok.

For some reason I always find Addi’s “Yo Momma…” jokes funny.  The older boys don’t get it.

“ADDI!”  Corey will tell him, “You are my brother.  My momma is your momma. Why are you busting on my mom?”

“You know, all you guys are doing is insulting Mom.  This isn’t how it is supposed to go.” Roy tells them with a smirk.

Me? I’m just laughing and smacking the table.

The other day we were sitting at the dinner table.

“Ohh… New Once Upon a Time is on tonight.” I said.  I absolutely love that show, so I was glad.

“Ohh… big deal, a TV show has a new episode.  Isn’t that what they do?” Joe is not a fan of this particular show.

“Actually, smarty pants, a lot of shows go on hiatus around the holidays.” I remarked.

“Don’t you pronounce it hiatISH?” Joe asked me.  I think he was being sincere, not trying to make me feel dumb.

“No, dumb ASH, it’s haitus.” Corey busted out.  And for some reason, I found this hilarious!

During these trash talking sessions, things are often silly - a lot of “nice zit!” “go look in the mirror…oh wait you broke it, cause you’re so ugly.” Silly stuff like that, but every once in awhile, we get a real zinger, and I just love it.

I suppose some would think it strange that I find joy in the boys busting on each other, and there are times when I do not, but these dinner ‘battles’ are done with smiles on their faces.  They are done with a sense of humor and a lot of laughter.  There is that sense of brotherhood among them, a sense of shared laughter.  That isn’t always there.

And so for me, I will always look back at these “Yo Momma” Battles with a fondness.  These are some of my little memories.

LOVE that song by Nelly!  Not sure why, but I do. Ok anyways…

So, Friday I was feeling kind of crappy.  My ovarian cysts seemed to flare up right about ‘that time of the month’ and the pain… seriously?  OUCH!  So, Roy came out to help me with dinner which was spaghetti. Also because I am allergic to raw celery and carrots (weird I know), and if I cut them and don’t completely sterilize my entire body, my lips swell and my eyes swell… pretty nasty stuff. I tend to put veggies in because, duh, how else do I get the kids to eat their daily intake?  

So, I made the sauce, cooked the noodles, and we all sat down to eat (except for Corey who was at work).  The usual chaos ensued.

“Addi would you PLEASE just try the sauce.” This from either Roy or I - or both.

“Mom, look at how much I ate.” This from Hayden as a subtle dig to Addi to prove he is being good and Addi is not.

“Dean! SIT DOWN!” This from me as Dean got up to dance over to the computer.

“This is kinda spicy tonight, honey.” Roy said this to me as he put the last spoonful into his mouth.

“So, Joe any hot chicks at school?”  And suddenly everyone was quiet.  I ask Joe this every so often, just to tease him a bit, but also because I’m nosy and want to know what’s going on.

We all looked at him. Usually, when I ask him this, he hems and haws, and I have to pull it out of him, but not tonight.

“Well, there is this girl in my Biology class.” He ventured.

Not wanting to scare him into silence, I just nodded my head.

“It was funny, she was rubbing my arm hair.” Umm… aren’t they supposed to be cutting up frogs or something?

“Why was she rubbing you?” Hayden asked.

“I don’t know.  She asked to see my legs too.” Now, Joe is dark haired like I am.   Corey has lighter hair, and his legs don’t look as hairy, though they are! 

“Umm… aren’t you guys supposed to be studying?  Why is this girl copping a feel?” I asked him.

“She wasn’t mom!  I just pulled up my pants leg.”

“And?” Did this girl make fun of my baby?

“She said I was hairy.” Joe shrugged with a smirk.

“Is she pretty?” I asked him.

“Yes.”

I was amazed. Usually he is shy and very cagey with the details, but he was open and seemed to enjoy all the teasing from his Dad and I… and even the younger boys.

Joe is shy, and because of some things that have happened lately he has been a bit down on himself at times.  I am just glad to see that things seem to be turning a corner, and I hope he starts to see himself the way we do - as a funny, smart, kind, caring, and very handsome young man.

Bet this young lady sees him that way…

Boy, not a very interesting title to the post there, but it was a long day yesterday, and it’s already been a long morning. Ok, so a few more things that seem to make our school year go a bit smoother:

1) Decide on lunch the night BEFORE-if your mornings are anything like mine, knowing what the kids want to do beforehand can cut down a bit on the running around.  As I said in my last post, the older boys are in charge of their own lunches, though I still discuss things with Addi and Hayden the night before.  I tell them what the school cafeteria is offering, and let them decide if they want to eat in school, though Roy and I put a limit on that.  The school has a system for parents to load up their ‘ID numbers.’ Basically, the kids are all assigned a student number, and at lunch they can punch in the code to access their account.  The system allows parents to load the account with money using a credit or debit card.  The older boys prefer to pack, but I put enough money for 5 lunches and five little treats on Hayden and Addi’s accounts every two weeks.  When the money is gone, they have to pack and wait until they get more money.  This allows them some freedom to pick and choose their lunches, and they both seem to like that.  Knowing the night before if they want to buy I can tell them if they still have money, or I can allow myself a bit of extra time to help them get their lunch boxes ready.

2) Do Family dinners-We don’t do this every night.  I try to cook at LEAST every other night, but when we do cool we ALL sit down together, unless previous arrangements have been made-the older boys are out with friends, working, etc.  Family dinners are fun!  We laugh, and joke with each other, and in between the laughing fits, the boys share tidbits of their days.  It’s a more relaxing way to find out about the kids lives than grilling them, as I have been known to do on occasion.

3)Go Over Homework-I won’t lie, the two older boys’ math homework is above my head at this point.  Well, Joe I can still struggle through a bit, but Corey is taking Calculus-right over my head!  Luckily, Roy can still help him.  BUT, I can make sure that they have at the very least done the work, might all be wrong because I can’t check the answers for them, but I can see that they have done the assignment.  I can remind them that IF they have questions, please go ask Dad instead of just putting something down and not getting it (makes it tough to do it again on the test later).  English and History are more my things, and I go over their assignments with them-Oh, I don’t do it for them, but I make sure I know what is going on with ALL the boys in their classes.  Part of Addi’s English homework is to spend a bit of time reading each day-only about 15-20 minutes-when he reads (because it is not his favorite thing to do) I try to sit at the table with him and read as well.  Even IF you aren’t familiar with the material, simply going over it with your kids can help you become so.  I am surprised how much of my literature I remember when Corey asks me questions about one of the books he is reading-Frankenstein, Beowulf, Canterbury Tales-I figured they were all lost to me, but when he talks to us I find myself remembering small details and even lines from the books.

4) Be interested-As a mother of five, I find this can be tough for me.  Not because I’m NOT interested, but because Roy and I are constantly shifting gears.  Corey’s work is different than Joe’s.  Joe’s is different than Addi’s and so on, and it can be hard to shift from one mentality to the other.  We can’t always talk to Addi, Hayden and Dean the same way we can talk to the older boys, and at the end of the day, when we are tired it can be hard to go from one speed to the next, BUT we try to make the effort, and the kids know that, they get it, and they appreciate it.  I know Joe appreciates it, even though he protests, that Roy and I remember the name of the young lady he likes.  I know he appreciates it when we ask him about her, NOT tease him, but ask him about her.  Corey likes it that we talk to him as if he were a young adult about school, career, etc.  And the younger boys just want us to listen to them talk about the coolest level on Roblox-some computer game, don’t ask, I don’t get it.  Even if you have to fake it at first-be interested in your kids.

5)And tell them you love them-I’m thrilled that the boys-all five of them-don’t seem to care if we drop them off right in front of the school.  They don’t care who hears them tell us they love us.  My 17 and 15 year old still give me a kiss on the cheek as they leave the house, and damn anyone that sees.  And I think they do this because it’s a normal thing in our home.  Roy and I often tell the other person so much we love each other, we show affection every day, and we aren’t afraid to do so with the kids.  Roy hugs the boys and they return his hugs, it’s normal.  And no, I don’t think it’s because all the boys are mama’s boys, but they know how much we love them, and they know in the end we will always have their backs.  It’s a part of our family, it’s who we are, and I think it helps them feel secure with who they are.  It’s a simple thing.  I think Roy had that growing up.  His parents are very open with their affection, my parents not so much.  I KNEW/KNOW they love me, but it would have been nice to hear it more, to feel it more.

Be present in your kids schooling-that’s the bottom line.

Nothing beats a good burger.  Not every day, but every once in awhile, a hot off the grill, juicy burger on a nice, kaiser roll with a smear of mayo, a bit of ketchup, some jalapeño peppers…YUM, right? Well last night Roy and the boys were supposed to get that, but mom messed up.

We got home from the gym about 6:15, and Roy ran out to get the charcoal grill ready.  He came in about ten minutes later:

“Chris? Do you know where the burgers are?” Roy asked me as he was rummaging around in the fridge and freezer.

“Really? Can you not look?” I mumbled under my breath as I walked out of the office and opened the door to the garage, but as soon as I said it, I remembered that we didn’t buy the sleeve of burgers at Costco that we usually get.  Instead we bought the lean patties that are packaged with the fresh meat.

Those burgers are THICK, and I knew as soon as I opened the freezer that we couldn’t grill them like that.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work.” Roy had come into the garage and was leaning over my shoulder.

“Crap! I forgot we bought these. Well, I guess everyone can eat my black bean burgers.”

“Really?  Do we have enough?” Roy asked.

“Sure, it’ll be fine.  The kids can try something new.”

“Ok” And he opened the box of Morningstar Farms Chopotle Black Bean Burgers. I went in to get the fries in the oven. I came out about 10 minutes later to see what was up.

“Well, how do they look?” I asked grillmaster Roy as I walked over to the grill.  AHHH… I love the smell of a charcoal grill. “Wow, they smell good.” Yes, I was kind of surprised.

“Well, this one kind of fell apart as I turned it over.” And he flipped over the offending burger again, “Look, it looks like vomit.”

I peered over and looked at what he was pointing at.  I could see beans and bits of corn… I laughed, “Well, I don’t think that is going to get the boys to eat this.”

“Yeah, well, it does.” And he went back to managing the burgers.

I walked into the house, “COREY! JOEY!” I yelled thinking they were upstairs.

“Right here, mom!” “What’s Up?” The older boys came into the kitchen from the family room. 

“Oh, sorry, thought you were upstairs. Joe, go ahead and get out the mayo, ketchup, stuff like that. Corey, go ahead and get drinks.  Addi, get all this stuff off the table.”

“”Burgers… YUM!” Joe said with a growl. He was hungry.

“Mommy! I’m hungry, when is it dinner?” The whine was starting to creep into Hayden’s voice.

I smoothed his hair down and kissed his forehead, “Soon baby. The burgers are almost ready.”

I turned back to the older boys, “I forgot to take out the regular burgers, so we are gonna try Black Bean Burgers, k?” I tried to make it sound like no big deal, but I knew they would be disappointed.

“Really?” “Are you kidding me?” “Mom, come on!” “What’s a bean burger?” (That last question was from Mr. Inquisitive, Hayden.)

“Oh stop! Try something new… they might be good.” I admonished them, and silently hoped that these burgers rocked.

“Or not.” Joe mumbled as he set the armful of condiments down on the table.

“Shush,” I told him, “You don’t know that… just try them, ok?”

Roy came into the house, “OK! Let’s do this!”

Gosh, he acts like everyone is getting a flu shot or something… we are just trying a bean burger.

The boys put on their game faces and sat down while I bustled around the kitchen grabbing a few extra things.

“Ohh… this is good! Look mom, I’m almost done!” Hayden showed me his burger, and he was indeed a good 1/3 of the way through his burger.

“Why are they crispy?” Corey asked with trepidation as he poked at his patty.

“That’s just the sear from the grill.” Roy told him, “Just eat it.”

Corey looked doubtful, but took a bite. “There are more beans in this!”

I laughed, “Umm… hello! They are black bean burgers!”

“I think I see corn.” Addi whispered, peering at the burger of which he had taken a small bite.

“I like them.” Roy shrugged off the boys’ worry and continued to eat.  Hayden was chowing down and seemed to like them.  

Joe was taking huge bites - I assume he was really hungry and needed the fortification, so he was just getting it down as quickly as possible, but he was eating it.

Addi and Corey looked confused, but they gave it a shot.

And Dean… well, there was edamame on the table, so he could care less about anything else. But he loves black beans and corn, so he should be in awe.

And me… I liked them!  I liked them a lot.  There was a nice spiciness from the chipotle peppers.  They worked for me… lower calories and lots of protein.  Oh, I won’t give up the occasional juicy burger, but we tried something new as a family… and nobody died… or threw up.

I feel like a slug.  The past few weekends I have not done a lot of cooking.  Instead I took the easy way out and we did take out.  But more on that later.

Originally, my plan here was to have one of the boys cook each Friday.  But with school starting my plans often get messed up as I try to get everyone back on schedule, sign more syllabuses than I can count, and get used to getting up at the crack of dawn to make sandwiches.  So this whole week was a bit… off, if you will.

Even though school didn’t start until Wednesday, we couldn’t do our traditional back to school cookout the night before because Roy and Hayden had football practice!  So, we did it on Monday instead.  Roy did burgers on the grill, and we had a little accident (which is unusual for him!). We lost a burger!  Right through the grates into the hot coals!  We did try to save it with a rinse, but sadly none of the kids were interested in a soggy hamburger.  Kids… so picky!

On Wednesday, I did a Texas Chili in the crockpot.  Chili is big in our house, and normally we make it the traditional way.  2.5 pounds of ground beef, some tomatoes, beans, some seasonings, a little of this, a little of that… and in the crockpot it goes, but this time I decided to try something different-using cubed sirloin beef.  The recipe was simple-basically brown the beef in a pot after tossing it with a bit of brown sugar and salt… then throw everything in the crockpot.  This recipe actually called for 1 1/2 cups of chili powder!  I actually doubled this recipe to feed my crew, so the recipe is written for four using 3/4 cups.  This was from September’s issue of Food Network Magazine.  It was tasty, but it won’t replace my go to recipe anytime soon.

I think this is actually one question I get asked a lot-what’s dinnertime like at your house?  If everyone is home, I won’t lie… recipes need to be doubled, sometimes tripled to feed everyone, and no, I am not talking about huge portions either.  Roy and the boys are growing active boys-though I don’t think Roy is growing anymore, he is active- and they like to eat.  Though I try to use healthy ingredients and serve a vegetable at each dinner.  But over the years, I have learned to cut costs, stock up on meat at Costco, use coupons, and try to shop in season, but food is still our biggest expense.

Ok. I’ll save the tips and venting for later.  This was supposed to be about Dinner with the Crew.  Tonight I am making Roy’s favorite dish-we call it the Chicken Ring, which is actually a recipe from “The Pampered Chef” that I changed up a bit.  Basically, it is chicken salad (with some dried cranberries and walnuts) wrapped in crescent rolls that have been laid out in the shape of a wreath.  I serve it with corn and mashed potatoes, though tonight Roy wants homemade mashed potatoes, and since he offered to make them, who am I to argue!

Tomorrow, Corey is making a chicken stir fry, but more on that next Friday.

I thought that I would do this every Friday.  Cooking for a large family is fun, if not challenging, messy and expensive at times!  Sometimes, things are a big, old failure, and other times I really hit it out of the ball park.  Some days, I am just too lazy to do much, so we have ‘free for all days!’ And that is just as it sounds, whatever you can find is yours!  And once in awhile, we just pile everyone in the car, and head out to find something to eat.

Yesterday, Friday, we had errands to run, so we made plans to take Corey, Addi, Hayden and Dean to Pei Wei Asian Diner.  Roy has taken me there a few times, and I just love it!  It’s good, fresh tasting, reasonably priced Asian fast food.  It isn’t like your standard Chinese buffet (though we have one of those we really like as well!)-this is food made to order.  Generous portions, and good prices make this a new family favorite!  Roy got the same thing he always gets-Honey Seared Chicken.  I went for something new-Mongolian Beef (Really tasty!  The sauce had the right amount of sweetness, and there was a lot of beef!).  Corey was a bit adventurous and got the Japanese Chile Ramen (a little spicy, but he wolfed the entire bowl down!) and for the little guys we got the kid’s honey seared chicken, and Addi got the Chicken Lo Mein.  Along with drinks and a side of Edamame, we spent less than $45 dollars!  The food was filling, had generous amounts of veggies, and we got our choice of white or brown rice.  I highly recommend this place if you have one near you.

After lunch, we ran to Costco and don’t even get me started on how much we spend in that place!  We didn’t even get any electronics… just food!  (ok, I did get two magazines and some books for the younger boys) I won’t say how much we dropped, but let’s just say my car payment for the Prius is less….

Well, we picked up Joe, and the kids were getting hungry… again!  I won’t lie.  After running errands all day (finding Crocs for Dean was tough!), I didn’t feel like cooking.  I didn’t even feel like heating anything up… so we headed to Qdoba.  I love their Guacamole!  I got my usual Poblano Pesto Naked Burrito, with a side of Guac and chips.  Addi and Joe actually shared one of their new Nacho platters, and let me tell you… PLENTIFUL!  Even for the both of them!  Corey and Roy got the Signature Queso burritos, though Roy’s had chicken and Corey’s had beef.  Hayden had a taco kid’s meal and Dean had the chicken nachos kid’s meals.  Both the kid’s meals were very nice size portions, and I always leave their full.  We have their loyalty card, and that saved us about $7, or a free burrito!  We didn’t leave hungry and for a family of seven we spent less than $40… works for me!

I will be the first to admit that I am trying to save money these days, but once in awhile, I just don’t feel like cooking, so the kids get a treat.  Both of the places we visited yesterday are family friendly and very reasonable. 

Seven Thumbs Up!

If you could invite ANYONE to dinner, who would it be and why?

I love to read, and adventure books are a real favorite of mine.  So I would invite two of my favorite adventure novelists-matthew Reilly and Clive Cussler.  I have read all of Reilly’s books, and probably 85% of Cussler’s.  I would just like to pick their brains, ask them questions about the characters, and possibly see if I could get some spoilers on upcoming novels.

I just finished Jim Beaver’s (Yes, he plays Bobby Singer on Supernatural) book, “Life’s That Way.” And was in such awe of his ability to put such raw emotion out there for anyone to see.  He wrote about losing his wife in a way that didn’t just express his sadness, but let us see the love and joy he felt just simply for being with her.  It really touched me, and I think it would be fun to talk to him.  Perhaps I could also get some insight as to what is gonna happen next season on Supernatural!  My kids would dig that.