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family highlights

We went to LA this month to meet up with one of our favorite families, and explored the Fern Dell Nature Trail by the Griffith Observatory. We walked to a great playground that was on the trail, and the kids had a blast running around (unfortunately the bathrooms are under renovations, so beware of the porta poties!). We enjoyed some ice creams from the local paletero, and I got such a kick out of all the boys saying “gracias!”

We also did a little brainstorming session this month which I really enjoyed. We are not doing a major trip for Spring Break this year, so instead I put up a big piece of butcher paper on our closet door, and told the kids to go wild with anything and everything they’d like to do. We have some great ideas that we winnowed down between things we can plan for spring break, things we can plan for future family trips, and things we can aspire for…someday, ha!

items i loved this month

Presentation pointer! Such a cheap and silly gadget, but it made a HUGE difference during my professional development presentation last month. I was able to walk about the classroom more freely while still clicking through my slides. I had originally ordered this one, but the day before my presentation I was notified it wouldn’t arrive on time.

Trash can stickers. Again: a silly purchase, but we have our trash and recycle cans right next to each other under the sink and guests will ask which is which. I thought this could take the mystery out of it all.

Chip clips! Andy was calling these the unsung heroes of the kitchen on Nobody’s Listening, Right? and I agree! Which made me realize: I hate our mismatched chip clips. I had a lightbulb moment while listening to the podcast: I could BUY cute and matching chip clips, and they probably wouldn’t even cost much! Shocker: they don’t.

Herschel backpack. Jeff and I are planning our trip to Tulum in May to celebrate my aunt’s 60th birthday, and I decided this was the inspiration I needed to finally upgrade my travel backpack. I’m a little sad to let my last one go, since it’s really been EVERYWHERE with me, and through so much, but it is literally being held together by safety pins. And I’ll be honest: I really want to feel and look cool on this trip. This will be our first major trip without the kids (and since we went to Germany together in 2012), so I figured it’s worth the splurge. I’m REALLY excited about the Seagrass color on the Little America Backpack. I originally ordered the standard size, which I was concerned about so I even watched a YouTube video comparing the standard and mid-volume sizes. Turns out it really is too big, so I’m returning it and exchanging it for the mid-volume size. TULUM HERE I COME!

projects, crafts & more

This month’s craft at work was a “Love” wooden sign made with nails and yarn. I think it came out so cute!

Jeff and the boys helped with the boards: Jeff obviously did the cutting, but the boys helped sand and apply some layers of I-really-don’t-know-what and paint.

I wanted to have a few different options available for people, so we experimented with a few different stains, and a couple white boards. I also bought various colors of yarn so everyone could pick what they wanted, and printed a few different fonts. I love seeing how unique everyone’s project turns out.

recipe

CHICKEN PITA WRAPS!

Ok, maybe not the best representation of this dinner, but we had it last night and we LOVE it. It’s light and refreshing and after a week of eating crap, it was exactly what we needed.

Ingredients for chicken marinade:

  • 1/4 cup of Olive Oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 table spoons of lemon juice
  • 1 and 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (about two breasts), cut into bite sizes

Place all the above ingredients in a ziplock bag and let the chicken marinate. I’m sure overnight is probably best, but I usually do it as soon as I get home and just let it marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Still tastes great!

Meanwhile, get those bamboo skewers soaking in water, and prep your tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki ingredients:

  • 6 ounces of greek yogurt
  • 1/2 of an English cucumber, de-seeded and thinly diced
  • Chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tsp of white vinegar
  • large pinch of salt
  • 3/4 tablespoon of olive oil (recipe calls for one full tablespoon – I find it to be too much)
  • 1 minced garlic clove

Mix these all together and let it chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Additional toppings: red onion, lettuce, large tomato chunks, and FETA cheese (we really like the tomato and basil seasoned feta). And are you really from California if you don’t add avocado to everything?

Our favorite side: greek french fries! I know…it makes for a less healthy meal, but they’re so good! We used to use frozen shoestring fries, but yesterday Jonny picked the crinkle frozen fries, and I’ll admit: they were much better. On a cookie sheet, I have one side of regular french fries for the boys, and on the other side I season the frozen fries with dried oregano. I bake per the instructions, and once ready, I put our seasoned fries in a bowl and add feta, tzatziki, and sometimes chopped parsley. So good!

reading recap & MORE

This was a pretty slow reading month. I’ve been trying to do yoga more often in the mornings, and I’ve really been buckling down on my clerical professional development handbook for an upcoming PD session next month, so the reading has been slim.

  • The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson: Three Mugs (publication date: 05.07.24). Post WWII historical fiction.
  • Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett: Three Mugs. This was my book club pick for the The Literate Lushes. It was not loved by all, but I loved it!
  • Three Holidays and a Wedding, by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley: Three Mugs.
  • I also read the Improbable Meet Cute series – these were all short stories and although some of them were cute, none of them were favorites. As I’ve mentioned before, short stories also seem a little rushed to me, so that’s probably part of it.

Currently reading:

  • The Volcano Daughters, by Gina Maria Balibrera (publication date: 08.20.24). I was intrigued by the cover and title of this book, as someone with a Central-American born mother, but I’ve had a hard time staying hooked.

Follow me on Instagram for current reads and reviews.

Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!

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