5 for Friday

Yes.  I know it's Sunday.  But Friday was busy, as always, and then there was the situation with Lucy.  Then yesterday was Lucy's post.  That brings me to today.  I really want to do these 5 for Friday posts.  They're fun.  Hopefully I'll get one done on a Friday.  Maybe.  One day.  Until then it's Sunday and here's a look back at last week!

Last Sunday was Dr. Seuss' birthday.  But you just can't celebrate that man in one day, especially when it falls on a weekend.  So this past week I broke from the reading curriculum and did a week-long author study on Dr. Seuss.  The first day we learned about him and what got him started with The Cat in the Hat.  It wouldn't be a celebration, or day in my classroom, without a fun themed hat right?  Of course I shamelessly wore mine around school all day and to carline at the end of the day.  You can't teach 1st Grade and not celebrate Dr. Seuss!

This also happened on Monday.  It's a green tea cupcake with ginger frosting.  Yes, you read that right and yes, it was amazing.  It came from Gigi's Cupcakes.  We have a little good behavior deal going with the boys.  After a certain number of good days they get a reward.  Jackson's is always frozen yogurt from Menchi's.  Braeden's is cupcakes.  Monday marked his completion of his days.  I'm glad I remembered to take a picture of this because it wasn't there for long.  Mmmmmm.

Tuesday was Mardi Gras!  Our time in New Orleans is still a highlight in life for Amy and I so every year this makes us smile.  I also celebrate in the classroom with my students.  Again, another fun headpiece.  We don't go all out but we do talk about what it means, tie it in to Lent, eat king cake, and I throw beads at them.  All in all, it's a great time!

I promise this is the last selfie for this post.  Guess last week was full of them (Amy rolls her eyes at this point).  It's Lent again.  This year I again chose to give up sweets.  Before the day was out I had been offered chocolate-covered strawberries and cookies by students.  But I stayed strong.  40 days is a long time and I'm missing sweets something fierce.  But Amy and I are in it together.  Accountability partners you might say.  She took an extra step and gave up flour in addition to sugar.  Yikes!  She's stronger than I am definitely.  My sweet tooth is aching.

Friday brought an end to our Dr. Seuss studies.  Of course, as with any Dr. Seuss unit, we enjoyed green eggs and ham.  It was a hoot watching my students crack their eggs.  It's amazing what mental suggestion a little green food coloring can make.  Some kids just can't get past it to realize that it is just eggs!  HA!  We didn't get to make our oobleck, but I'll squeeze it in next week.  Another fun favorite.

So, there you have it.  My 5 for last week.  Even if it's Sunday!  Hope your week was awesome!

All is well, Friday or Sunday, in Drosche Land.

F is for Fried Food

Yes, another food post.  Who doesn't love fried foods though?  Maybe it's because I'm from the South, but doesn't everything taste better once it's been battered and deep fried?  Recently, last month, we celebrated Rodeo season.  One of the many things it's known for is the abundance of fried foods.  Fried anything.  Fish, tomatoes, chicken, ice cream, Snickers, cookie dough, cheesecake, okra -  I think you get the picture.  Sadly, Rodeo season occurs during Lent so I could not partake in any of the fried sweets as I had given sweets up again this year.  However, I did indulge in two of my favorites - catfish and fried green tomatoes.  YUM.  It doesn't get much better than carnival food.  Another fried weakness I have is french fries.  I could eat they every day, and from anywhere.

Although it may not be the healthiest, by far, choice to make; fried food is certainly one of the most delicious.  I'm trying to think of a fried food that I don't enjoy and I'm coming up with nothing.  In fact, the more I type, the more fried food I can think of - macaroni & cheese (Paula Deen), chicken fried steak, green beans, and the list is endless.  Given all of the options, I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.  I mean Zac Brown Band even has a song titled after it!  Ahhhhh, yum.  Do you enjoy fried foods?  What's your favorite?  I'd better close this post out, I'm making myself hungry!

My delectable selection from the Rodeo, all fried - catfish, french fries, potato slices, and fried green tomatoes!

All is well, deep fried, in Drosche Land.

  

Countdown

I don't know why, but I gave up sweets again this year for Lent. Maybe I've already mentioned this but I can't remember. It's probably the lack of sugar having a detrimental impact on my memory. I know the purpose of giving up things for Lent and I totally get it. But man is it hard. I know what you're thinking, "Um, it's supposed to be a struggle!". I know, you're right. Believe me, it is a struggle. But that doesn't mean I can't miss my sweets. And miss them I do. Do you know that Lent encompasses several events that focus on sweets?

For one, it's Girl Scout cookie time! We ordered 8 boxes this year! That was way back when Lent seemed forever away and I hadn't given any thought to what I'd give up this year. Oh how innocent and naive I was. Needless to say, I haven't had a single one of those cookies. Amy and the boys have though. And I've watched them. Thin Mints, Caramel Delights, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, etc. I'm salivating. Luckily my lovely wife has been saving a few of each kind, as they polish off box after box, for me. I'll be gorging, I mean eating, them on Easter!

Secondly, Rodeo season! We jusT finished this glorious time of year and again I did not get to partake in any fried sweet indulgences! Fried cheesecake on a stick. Fried Twinkies. Fried cookie dough (on a stick). Fried Snickers bars (on a stick). Fried ice cream. Again with the salivating. Ahhhhh carnival food! You name it, they can fry it. I just can't eat it. On a side note though I did indulge, twice, on some of my favorite fried (savory) treats: catfish, hush puppies, french fries, and fried green tomatoes!

Thirdly! Although it's not technically an occasion, I feel it still bears mentioning. I'll refer to it as Pre-Easter candy. You know what I'm talking about. It's the Easter candy you buy early because you want to be sure to get some before they run out at the last minute. You tell yourself it's for Easter but as the holiday get nearer the supply is rapidly dwindling. Or maybe you buy it early so you can eat it throughout the entire season? The same can be said for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day candy. I know I can't be the only one who does this, you know you do too! Reese's peanut butter eggs, jellybeans, Cadbury creme eggs (my fave!), chocolate bunnies. Yes, you guessed it, salivating.

Again, I totally get the reason behind the act of giving something up for Lent and I totally support it. I don't regret it, mostly, because of what it stands for. However I do also take things on. Namely reading the Bible. I always take on a new reading plan for the Lenten season and did so again this year. It's to help with the giving up and remembering why I did so in the first place.

Ironically posting about my sweets withdrawal, which is not getting any easier over this 40-day period, has actually helped a little. I feel a little stronger. My resolve it not as weak. I'm inspired again as to why I did it. But I am also hungry. Next year I don't think I'll be givng up sweets again. Maybe I'll try something new. Some other addiction to deprive my self of in order to strengthen my faith and bring me closer to Him. Remember the true reason for the Lenten and Easter season. But I have a year to think about that. In the mean time, I'm busy planning, and looking forward to, my Easter binge!

Did you give up anything for Lent? Take anything on? If so, how's it going? Tough? Rough? Easy? Regardless, stay strong dear readers, we're over halfway there! We'll celebrate together in 16 days. Not that I'm counting.

All is well, drooling, in Drosche Land.

Not So Lonely

So, you know the song.  One is the loneliest number.  Well, not here, not with me.  One is the freakin' happiest number here in Drosche Land.  Why?  Well, because that is the number of weeks I have left in my M.Ed. program!  Ok, ok, settle down the applause and cheering.  Wednesday I submitted my final paper for my last course.  This week I only have to tie everything together and create a resume.  Then I'm done!  Finished!  Finito!  No mas!  I cannot wait!  As you can tell I am slightly excited about it.  Amy keeps telling me we need to do something special to celebrate so I am trying to think of a restaurant to visit.  I'm just going to be so happy to be finished, anything will be a celebration!  :)  

I've had several posts working in my head over the past few days but we've been busy here so I guess I'll just cram them all into one amalgamation of a post.  First of all, next year I am not giving up sweets for Lent!  It's been rough people, let me tell you.  Yes, I know that it is supposed to be difficult but I didn't realize how many sweets I ate, or how much I would miss them!  Easter is just around the corner and will be filled with the joyous resurrection of our Lord and chocolate, lots of chocolate.

Braeden's first soccer game was yesterday!  I was probably the most excited out of all of us.  I won't get into too many details because I am planning a Sunday Snapshot post later tonight, but it was awesome!  I am amazed that I was ever worried about it all!  Silly me!

Lastly, it's Boys Only here in Drosche Land for the next few days.  This morning we dropped Amy off at the airport as she is flying to fabulous Midland, TX.  She is on the accreditation team for a center there and they are doing their visit/consultation/advice thing.  We miss her lots, not as much as she misses us though.  However, this time we had the glorious iChat!  Sweet!  The boys love it and it is nice to see her.  What did traveling spouses and long-distance relationshippers do before that?  We couldn't get FaceTime on the Macs yet though, we are one software update behind.  Hopefully we will soon though so we can download it.  The plan is to take the iPad to China when we get Margaux and leave my computer with my parents and Amy's computer with her Mom so we can chat with them via FaceTime while we're overseas!  Awesome huh?  It is one thing we are looking forward to during our travels.  

So, that about sums it up.  Nothing to major going on.  We are still flying high on the great news from Amy's blood work so life here in Drosche Land is pleasant once more!

All is well, minus one, here in Drosche Land.   

Addiction

So, it's pretty safe to say that I have a few vices in life. If you know me then you can probably name, in order, the things I am thinking/blogging about. Yes, coffee tops the list! I'm totally addicted to Starbucks, the Trenta size is the best thing to happen to coffee since Splenda. My current favorite is a Trenta iced coffee, without the syrup, 6 Splenda, and a shot of espresso. Ahhhh, just thinking about it brings me to giddy, caffeine induced joy! I also have a pretty strong adoration for my Keurig machines. Yes, that's plural, I have one big one at home and a small one in my classroom. We also get automated shipments of coffee every few months from Green Mountain. So you can see the love/addiction.

Another is sweets. Cake, cookies, candy, I'm not too picky. However, I made the decision to give up sweets for Lent this year and let me tell you it has been difficult! I've stopped counting the days left in Lent because it's too depressing. I didn't realize how much sweet stuff I ate throughout the day, but apparently it's a lot. Boy do I miss it though. I'm going to buy one of those ginormous chocolate bunnies, you know the kind I'm talking about, and bring it to church on Easter. I'll gnaw on that sucker all day, maybe I'll get two!

TV is of course another, although with the busyness of our lives lately and coursework (did I mention the fact that I only have 3 weeks left!) it has shifted slightly to a Netflix/DVR addiction. Streaming to my TVs, iPhone and iPad! Sure thing!

Why do I post this you ask? Well, it's a random train of thought stemming from the fact that I am struggling to muster enough motivation to do homework but instead have gotten lost in blog-reading, my latest addiction. Adoption blogs, teacher blogs (I've gotten some awesome ideas from these, and sometimes random blog wandering. See the connection? Anywho, that's what leads me to this delightfully random post/trip through my thought process! I hope you've enjoyed the ride. Now it's time to get back to my attempt at homework and bemoaning the seasonal loss of sweets! Wish me luck.

Oh, and if you're wondering, no, I didn't post a Sunday Snapshot yesterday. I didn't have material! :( it really bummed me out too because I love me some blogging and Sunday Snapshots! It's just been so darn busy lately. Bummer! I'm hoping the impending start of Braeden's soccer season will solve that dilemma! But that's a post for another time!

All is well, addictions included, in Drosche Land.

Catch Up

Call off the search, bring in the hounds and give them treats, alert the authorities - I'm back!  So yeah, it's been a week since the last post.  Far too long.  I have hated not being blogging but things have been super busy here in Drosche Land.  I'll quickly try to catch up the past 7 days and inform you of our latest adventure.  

Last week was National Lutheran Schools Week.  Basically we just celebrate how awesome Lutheran schools are by offering great education plus the opportunity to share God's love and great message.  What better way to celebrate than with fun, themed dress up days!  My favorite of course was Pajama Day, I rocked some fierce Smurf jammies!  I did end up getting good news regarding my course work.  Since I am in the middle of a weekly tutoring plan for my class, due dates for my assignments were pushed from Wednesdays to Saturdays.  This is nice and brings some ease to the craziness.  I am 3 weeks down, just 5 more to go!  Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and Amy and I took Lent seriously this year.  She gave up Mexican food (gasp!) and I gave up sweets (double gasp!).  Needless to say we have been struggling with maintaining discipline with our choices but so far so good.  The week flew by quickly despite being busy.  Friday night we went to the Rodeo with my parents.  Tons of fun as the boys rode the carnival rides and we enjoyed carnival food (no yummy Pappasito's for Amy or funnel cakes for me though!).  The boys love the Rodeo action, the roping, bucking, wrestling, and general Western fun.  Then then promptly fell asleep when the concert (Lady Antebellum) began!  

Saturday we were zonked from a late night but then realized we had yet to decide on a home improvement project for Spring Break.  See, we always take on some project around the house.  Last year was painting the entry and living room.  This year we decided to take it up a notch and try our hand at flooring!  Yes, we ripped up the carpet in the living room and the vinyl tile in the entry.  The demo part was surprisingly easy, although quite disgusting as we took  the carpet up.  We knew we were getting a less expensive carpet/pad when we built the house, we always had intended on replacing it.  We just didn't know how nasty carpet could get, even in 3 1/2 short years!  Yuck!  We have made the choice to, over time, replace most, if not all, of the carpet in the house.  We are currently about 3/4 of the way done.  Amy had to go back to work today so I will be tiling alone this afternoon, hopefully finishing laying all of the tile that does not need to be cut.  We are saving that part for last!  I do finally understand though why people say your house is a wreck when you remodel.  All of our furniture is stacked in the dining room and there is dust everywhere, I mean everywhere!.  Our hands are sore to say the least, as are many other parts of our body!  But, we are loving this and having a lot of fun!  It is beautiful and we cannot wait to be finished and enjoy our new floors and of course our clean and settled house!

So, there you have it.  We have been tiling the past few nights past midnight so there has been no time to blog, even though I have wanted to badly.  I also missed a Sunday Snapshot so I am going to try and get that out later.  Thanks for missing us, I missed you too!  It's good to be back!

All is well, cluttered/sore/improving, here in Drosche Land!   

Bunny Prep

Well, Amy and I just finished filling over 60 eggs for the boys for this year's Easter.  Yes, it seems like a lot, but each is only filled with a few pieces of candy, and there are some filled with some change.  They love putting money in their jars.  We are going to get them on the Dave Ramsey plans for kids when they are a bit older.  For now we are just trying to teach them to "save".  They will not make the mistakes we made with money, that's for sure.  But I digress.  This morning has been one busy blur of a Good Friday.  I woke up at 6:15 this morning to find Amy awake since 5:30 and the boys since 6:00.  Amy was already hard at work cooking and preparing for the coming holiday festivities.  We were just talking the other day about how everyone loves the Easter holiday, but nobody every actually "rests" over this vacation.  It is always go go go, this year will be no different.

After lunch today we head to the mall to meet my Mom who is getting an iPhone!  She lost her other one and she has wanted an iPhone since we got ours last year.  So, Amy and I have converted another person to the iPhone.  I am so excited!  Plus we get to go to the Mac store which is always fun.  After that we will be going to their house to help her set it up and learn it.  Tonight we will go to the 931 Good Friday service with Mom.  I am super excited about this because they always lead such an amazing Good Friday and Easter worship.  I know it is going to be an awesome experience, as 931 typically is.
 

Tomorrow we head to Amy's Mom's house to dye eggs with Amanda and her kids so the boys are super excited about that as usual.  I think right now we are bringing about 3-dozen eggs!  The kids are so cute when dyeing the eggs though, I can't wait for the cute pictures.  We will eat lunch there and head back home to get ready for an evening with friends.  Our college friend Niki and her husband David are coming to Houston today so we will be getting together with them and Sarah & Nathan!  It'll be a like a college days reunion!  We live fairly near Sarah and Nathan but never see them due to such busy schedules.  We haven't seen Niki in 5 years since Sarah and Nathan's wedding so that should be fun.  The boys are coming with us so I know they will charm everyone there once they get over their initial shyness.

Sunday brings Easter morning worship at 931, which I'm also pumped about!  We didn't get to it last year so I am excited for our first time.  After service we will head to Amy's Mom's for Easter lunch/dinner.  Celebrating Thanksgiving with my side of the family and then Easter with Amy's has been a good compromise that seems to work well with everyone.  Then Monday, maybe, might bring some rest and relaxation.  But that remains to be seen, we'll see if anything pops up before then.
 

So, with a hectic schedule, bags of Easter goodies that the Easter bunny will bring the boys, and a fridge that smells like fart we enter Easter vacation.  I know it will be crazy, but it will also be filled with fun, memories, and some great worship experiences.  As usual though I'm sure we will feel like we need a vacation to recover from our vacation!  

All is well, and hopping along, in Drosche Land.

Not So Picky Eaters

Well, this post was originally supposed to happen Monday evening.  However, due to problems with my iPhone app, and then my own stubbornness it is just now getting posted.  So here goes.

It is no secret that our boys are picky eaters.  Well, maybe I mean were picky eaters.  It seems lately they have gained an insatiable appetite.  Amy and I are quite pleased with this honestly, however, we still don't really know what to make of it.  Case in point, this past Sunday.  The boys each ate a granola bar at home before we came to church.  This is typical since there are always such great pastries and breads at 931 and they love to eat there.  However, this past Sunday was a bit different.  We had to be at church a little earlier than normal because there was a special breakfast being hosted by Trinity's Tiger PAC (parent association).  Well, once we arrived there the boys decided to strap on their feedbags!  Braeden ate an entire egg & cheese taco and a couple of handfuls of grapes.  Jack at about 8 strawberries, many many grapes, and a slice of bacon.  They would have eaten more, but we had to get to church!  Upon entering the gym for 931 they were both still starving so they split a huge cinnamon roll and ate the entire thing.  As usual, when we got home it was time for lunch.  Keep in mind this is only about 2 hours from the cinnamon roll.  For lunch each of the boys ate a leftover Whataburger chicken strip (see previous post about breaking Lent), a bag of chips, and they split a small leftover order of french fries.  After a failed nap, they each ate a container of yogurt that barely held them from a further starvation meltdown until dinner.  Oh about dinner!  Amy made enchiladas!  Whoa, boy were they good!  But I digress.  Each boy ate 1 1/2 enchiladas, rice, and corn.  We were astonished that they could even eat any more food at this point.  We were wrong though, because less than an hour later they were snacking on cocoa puffs!
 
This trend continued Monday, the original post date for this entry, when they totally devoured ravioli, bread, and veggies.  The surprise of the night came when Jack discovered his love of lima beans (see pics below)!  He had several of these in addition to the copious amounts of carrots he also ate (by far his favorite veggie).  I say surprise but it wasn't so much of one because Jack is our one who will pretty much try/eat anything!  He's definitely our Mikey to quote Amy ("Give it to Mikey, he'll eat it!")  Braeden wouldn't try the lima beans, no surprise there though.  His surprise moment came when he enthusiastically ate carrots!  Typically even getting him to give them, or any vegetable for that matter, a taste results in much whining, crying, and gagging!  But all of that seems to be, hopefully, behind us?!?!

Who knows how long this new love of food will last?  It doesn't really matter; we are simply loving it as long as it lasts.  Although, as happy as we are about it, there is the nagging fear that we have faced that if this continues they may be eating us out of house and home!  But, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  Until then we just rejoice and eat!

All is well, and well fed, in Drosche Land.

Jack showing off his lima beans!

 

 Yum!

Who Needs To Eat Out?

Ok, so we gave up eating out and sweets for Lent.  I'll be honest it has not been easy.  Not in the least  There is a Jack in the Box at the corner of our neighborhood and I have tons of leftover Valentine's Day candy staring me down every day!  But last night we won a victory over our cravings!  The gas grill we bought the other week as more than paid for itself, especially after dinner last night.  Thursdays are our early days and on the way home, we stopped at HEB and bought fajita meat for about $9.  After about 25 minutes on the grill we were in heaven!  To be modest it was possibly the best fajitas we have ever had, definitely the best we have ever made ourselves (we still love you La Finca).  I am clearly the Grill Master!  :)  Oh, and we grilled an onion to go with it - bliss!  So, fajita meat, an onion, a tomato, an avocado, tortillas, and some cheese (we had everything already but the meat and avocado), what's that?  Maybe $15.  Aside from being half of what we would pay eating out, we have tons of leftovers to reheat and repurpose.  Ahhhhh, victory never tasted so good - literally.  This experience, plus the money we have saved thus far during Lent, has shown us that we need to dramatically cut the amount of fast food we eat.

Now don't get me wrong.  Jack in the Box and his tacos will always hold a special place in my heart and they will remain a part of our lives.  Just not as much.  Eating out and fast food will be special occasional treats.  Good for our wallets, good for our waistlines.  So, Lent is barely half-over if that, but I think we will make it and come out of it for the better.  That's what Lent is all about right?  Spiritual, mental, emotional growth and strength.  We're on the right track!

All is well, and deliciously home-made, in Drosche Land.

Lenten Withdrawal

Well, it has not even been a week into the Lenten season and man oh man is this hard.  Amy and I gave up eating out and sweets.  That means no eating out, for any reason, at all.  Yikes!  It's actually not too bad though.  At least not for me.  I am lucky enough to have a wife who not only is a wonderful cook, but LOVES to cook for her family.  However, there are times when the day has been rough and long, or we are getting home later than desired.  Typically, our pre-Lenten selves would have given into temptation from one of the many fast food restaurants we pass on the way home.  My favorite is of course: Jack in the Box.  Their tacos are heavenly and I truly believe I would live off of them alone!  But alas, no giving in, at least not for 35 more days.  This is harder for Amy because it means preparing, or coming up with something quick on nights when we would have eaten out of a wrapper.  Giving up eating out of course had multiple benefits.  Hopefully helping to slim our waistlines while fattening our wallets.  So far, so good.

This brings me though to the part I have the most trouble with - the lack of sweets.  I have an almost unquenchable sweet tooth.  Chocolate, cookies, cake, candy, etc.  I usually have at least one sweet thing a day, sometimes small, sometimes not so small.  Not now though.  What makes this harder is the fact that this year Lent came shockingly close to Valentine's Day, really not leaving sufficient time to make a dent in the treats left over from the holiday.  Amy dealt with this by taking nearly all of the sweets, save some for the boys, to school for those not so insane as to give it up for Lent.  I have a small stash at school (that I haven't touched) that is waiting to make it's reappearance on Easter, along with all the Easter treats we will undoubtedly receive.  However, hard as it is, I trudge forward knowing that it is for a good and beneficial reason.

One the positive side though, we have also taken on things.  Personally I am reading the Bible in a year via YouVersion (yes there's an app for that too!).  I am happy to say that not only have I not missed a day, but I am actually enjoying it quite a bit.  I opted for the plan that reads straight through the Bible rather than one that skips around.  I like something a bit consistent and structured.  We have also taken the challenge Trinity has given via the new series Faith Comes By Hearing.  We listen to it on the way to school each morning, and we have now listened to the entire book of Matthew.  Finally, there is a benefit to the outrageous drive times we have!  So, hard as it is, I know we are doing something good this Lenten season.  Hopefully our faith will be strengthened, as will our knowledge of the Bible.  Plus, we have made a commitment to honor the sacrifice Jesus gave for us.

Good as it is though, I am still starving for something sweet, and I think this post just made me hungrier!  Oh well, I have taken to chewing gum at work when I get a craving for something sweet.  I'm on my second pack!  Oh well, just 35 days left, I can do this.  All is well, though not so sweet-tasting, in Drosche Land!