// Squeezing It All In

So I have a confession to make... I was that person who said her kids wouldn't jump on the furniture, or eat dirt, or eat dinner (usually pizza, I know. I'm the worst.) in the car while we rush around. Well... guess what? All of those have happened... in the last 48 hours. I'm really not sure how people with several school aged children do it. Amy, for example. She has 3 kids at home, all in school, all with extracurricular activities... I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Every day Toby and I work on his homework, study and test on his various subjects, and then practice everything he needs to get his first Boy Scouts badge next week. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when Linden gets in school. (Uh, and I don't remember second grade being nearly as demanding!) Anyway, my point is: we're busy. Often. Always. Much like you and your families, I'm sure. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Even still, I try my best to cook at home as often as possible. It's not always the best, and my children regularly do things I said they never would, but my goal here is to get my children fed, bathed, and in bed before I go bonkers. Give me a little grace here, okay? 

While I don't really posses a lot of prowess in the kitchen, I am really darn good at that slow cooker! Usually I have about a 15-20 minute window to get dinner ready and served between all of our obligations and routines. Tossing chicken, chili, or porkchops into the slow cooker is quite literally the easiest part of my day. No matter what time we make it home, I know we'll at least have some delicious protein waiting for us.  Lately one of our favorite meals has been Mushroom + Ranch Porkchops, with baby carrots added to the slow cooker. Oh my word! The carrots get so tender and delicious, and the porkchops get the perfect coating of flavor. We also eat a lot of corn on the cob in this house. My mom buys like ~30 dozen ears of corn from a nearby Amish family so we're clearly never going to run out of that stuff! Boil 'em for 5 minutes and they're ready to go! And then of course mashed potatoes. If there's one thing I can get Linden to eat always, it's mashed potatoes. He's a potato fiend! He does not discriminate against potatoes (me either, buddy!) We used these new Idahoan Russets mashed potatoes the other night because they were super quick and effortless (seriously, under 5 minutes). They taste great, so no complaints here! Typically we buy their Baby Reds but the Russets are perfectly smooth and are ideal with a bit of butter and salt.  I also kind of love that they say that when served as part of a weekday dinner, they make "any day taste like Sunday." (They're available nationwide now, too. Just a heads up! And here's a package shot so you know what I'm talking about haha!)

Do y'all do weekly family dinners or anything like that? Like straight out of Parenthood haha! So yeah, this is what some of our weeknights look like. Huddled around the coffee table because Toby needs help with his homework and Linden won't sit still long enough... Sometimes you just gotta choose your battles, ya know? While it's not typically perfect, we're able to actually enjoy each other because there's a rule of no TV or electronics while we eat. Except for me to take these pictures, clearly. Haha!

Even though our schedule is usually overwhelming and hectic, I still find myself pretty darn happy because we're able to do things the boys love. Toby is always tickled pink for Boy Scouts, and Linden gets giddy when we go to the park. I'd rather spend my time with them as opposed to standing over a stove for an hour or two that I don't have to spare. We're a busy bunch, but a lucky busy bunch!

xo KB

PS; Things I Love Thursday will be up tomorrow! I'm running a bit behind obviously!