Art Class

One of the benefits of having kids so close together is that they can participate in the same activities.  Apache Junction Parks & Rec had an art class for 2-5 year olds (+ parent) so I signed up all three of my boys.  They had a great time (I hope).  It was hard to help 3 kids to 3 art projects in only 45 minutes (that's a new project every 5 minutes!) but I tried to let them be free with their art.  I tried not to force them to do the projects perfectly, but them create their own art (I HOPE I did.  It's awfully hard to let them do things the "wrong" way.)  All of the other parents had 1 kid, and they probably thought I was absolutely crazy for attempting this with 3 boys.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing each of my boys' personalities come out during class.  Bridger was forever telling me he could do it himself when I tried to help him, which meant that his projects always were a bit "different" if you know what I mean.  His animals had extra eyes, his dots weren't quite dots, his finger-painting was more extensive than either of the other two.

Kincade would easily get bored of the projects, unless glue was involved.  They LOVED doing the glue.  Which means there was quite a bit of extra glue used...  His eagle and hippopotamus each had 4 eyes, his flamingo had extra feathers, etc.

Kellen worked very hard and seriously on all of his projects.  I tried to get away with skipping a project on the last day because we had somewhere to be and didn't have time for 3 projects - he noticed and so I told him he could do it quickly while we were finishing the other ones.  He always wanted to figure out exactly HOW the project was supposed to be done and  WHY there were certain drawings on the flamingo or certain beads on the birdfeeder or anything else.

Their teacher was Ms. Patty.  She was great with the kids and helped me out a lot.  The very first day each kid got a secret piece of paper to make one big project.  They each got to paint one piece.  The next time they came to class, this huge flower was on the wall.  I'm pretty sure Bridger's was in the lower left (with a bit of white space), Kincade's was in the upper right (one of the ones with white space), and Kellen's was the one in the top left I think.

Favorite Restaurants

My friend tagged me awhile ago and I didn't realize it, but here goes:

Here is an old restaurant meme.  If you want to play, here are the rules:

1. Link to name of person that tagged you.

2. Include state and country you live in.

3. List top 5 favorite local restaurants.

4. Tag 5 other people and let them know they've been tagged

I live in the East Valley area of Phoenix in Arizona.

Favorite Restaurants

1.  Applebee's - They have an amazing all-you-can-eat lunch of soups/salads and they also have an amazing Happy Hour where some of their appetizers are half-off (including the Boneless Classic Wings, Spinach Dip, and Cheese Quesadillas are our faves).  Their flavored lemonades are yummy and refills are free.  They have several delicious desserts as well.

If you're on a diet, check out their "Under 550 calories" menu.  But keep in mind that doesn't count fat.  They're also kind enough to provide nutritional information for most of their menu items.

2.  Boston's - Jared has struggled to find something he loves AND is reasonably priced.  That must be why this restaurant also struggles to stay busy (means shorter wait for YOU).  But I LOVE the Ultimate Pepperoni pizza.  It has 3 types of pepperoni and the little square pepperoni makes the pizza!  Also, their appetizer nachos are pretty dang tasty.  Oh, it's on Gilbert and Warner if you want to check it out.

If you're on a diet, they have a few choices involving salmon or chicken with vegetables but I haven't tried them.

3.  Cracker Barrel - I love breakfast, lunch and dinner, and this place has all three.  It's a match made in heaven!  Their chicken and dumplings are delicious.  Jared loves their Eggs in a Basket.  I love their carrots, hashbrown casserole, real maple syrup and pancakes, and much more.

If you're on a diet, they offer Egg Beaters, sugar-free syrup, and a low carb menu.

4.  Cheesecake Factory - I don't get to eat at CF often, but I've found enough tasty items to return every chance I get.  First item is the avocado egg rolls with dipping sauce.  Those things are amazing!  Second item I fell in love with was the Miso Salmon.  It's buttery and sweet and served on a bed of rice.  I couldn't finish the whole thing but I sure as heck tried!  (Funny bit of trivia:  We ran into the person who tagged me AT Cheesecake Factory on Valentine's Day and they invited us to sit with them and we had a lovely time.)  Oh, I almost forgot the actual cheesecake.  I have found the best cheesecake is actually the 30th Anniversary cheesecake (have your chocolate cake and eat it too - in the middle of cheesecake layers) and next time I'll go I'll try the Red Velvet Cheesecake since I've heard rave reviews on it.

If you're on a diet, don't go here.  They have "Weight Management Salads" but they're still extremely high in fat. 

5.  Paradise Bakery - I am a frequent diner of this place.  I love their Tomato Basil soup, their Cranberry Turkey sandwich, their Asian Chicken salad, and their Chopped BBQ Chicken salad.  Their oatmeal chocolate chippers are super-addicting.  For breakfast, the pumpkin or zucchini muffins are perfect for nut-lovers (like me :) and their chocolate croissant is dark and rich and delicious.  They also have Caffeine-Free Diet Coke.  And I won't neglect their cookies - Ginger Molasses, Coconut Chocolate Chip, Sugar cookies with sprinkles.  You can't go wrong.  

If you're on a diet, their Yogurt Parfait doesn't taste like a diet food but it's low in fat and has yummy homemade granola.  They also have their Summer Berry Salad that has fruit and poppyseed dressing on a bed of lettuce.  It's yummy and low fat.  I love that they have nutritional information posted for most items.

Honorable Mention:

6. Logan's Roadhouse - They have great deals for 2 adult meals on Monday-Wednesday (cheap kids meals those days too).  Their sirloin is really good.  So is their Santa Fe Tilapia.  Their yeast rolls are melt-in-your-mouth-good.  This is a place I frequent much more than Cracker Barrel (too far) or Cheesecake Factory (too expensive), so I had to include it.

These are all chains.  The only actual local restaurants that come to mind are:

 Giant Hamburgers (AMAZING hamburgers, giant too, but not diet-friendly) 

and

 Gecko Grill (try the chicken quesadilla grande, green salsa, bean dip, BBQ beef sandwich, or green sauce enchiladas).

Anyways, I tag:

Wendy Phelps

Crissie Roberts

Matt Peterson (he writes for a living so this should be good...)

Melody Williamson

Andrea Phillips

First Swim of the Season

and first swim in the new pool.  It was cold, but it sure makes us look forward to those hot, hot days!  Jared decided to try the pool out about 6:00 pm.  It was still pretty light.  By the time we were done swimming, it was dark.  Kincade fell off the inflatable shark and that was the end of the swimming for him.  After Bridger took one trip around the pool with Jared, he resorted to only riding the big turtle (which prevents him from getting wet at all).  And, yes, they're all in life jackets! haha  With 3 little ones that can't swim, it's almost impossible to have a hand on them all - so this will help a bit until they can swim on their own.  We are so excited to be able to use the pool this summer!