Wordless Wednesday (What Are They Doing Edition)

Have any good guesses what these two are up to in this picture? I'll give you the answer later this week.

Tuesday Tune - #23

What They're Saying Lately

Presley - 

 (The girls had a lot of fun with non-washable markers while I was cleaning the other day!)

After hurting herself: 
"Owwwww!  I need an ambulance!  It's bad!"

"I don't want to wear socks, I just want to walk in my feet."

Presley - "Know what I'm going to draw?"
Me - "What?"
Presley - "Something."

As I'm leaving to run some errands on my own:
"I will miss you a bit but not that much."

Shawn (after being hit in the face by Presley) - "Ow!  What are you doing?"
Presley - "Giving your face a high five!"


Sammy -

(Sammy didn't get quite as much marker on her face...which leads me to believe it was her idea!)

Sammy to Presley: "Pinky promise we will never die each other.  Even if we bug each other all day."

Sammy to Shawn - "Mommy's going to trim my bangs."
Shawn - "Can I do it?"
Sammy - "Ummm...Presley wants you to do hers."

"You're nice.  All the people in our family are nice.  Especially me."

Me - "I love you.  You're special."
Sammy - "I know."

Friday Leftovers

• I had the worst dentist appointment of my life this week.  I was crying in the chair, if that's any indication of how it went.  I was getting silver fillings drilled out and replaced with white ones.  And the freezing wouldn't take on one tooth.  By this point we were past the point of no return (everything was exposed) so he had to push through.  It was agony.  I felt everything.

• Sammy is doing so great at soccer.  I went last night to watch and I couldn't believe the difference from a couple of weeks ago.  She was actually running and chasing the ball the whole time.  She is still timid about kicking the ball away from the other team though ("because we aren't supposed to take other kids' toys").

• Weather permitting, we are off to Calaway Park tomorrow.  The girls are PUMPED.

• We are still plugging away at putting together the girls' new playhouse.  Hopefully we can finish it this weekend.  The girls are already playing with it (without a roof and accessories) so I'm certain it will be a huge hit.

• Now that we've made the move to cleaner eating, I'm looking at making some other changes.  Better body wash, shampoo/conditioner and toothpaste for the girls is my first goal.  What do you use for your kids?

• I need to clean the house today.  Looking for some motivation...

• For more leftovers, head here.

April Recipes

So, as I posted last week, halfway through April I decided to try the Paleo diet.  A lot of the recipes I tried were "Paleo".  I'm rating those recipes differently.  There is no way that the substitutions to ingredients I grew up on can compare to the "real" thing.  I think eventually it will taste closer to the real thing to me but not quite yet.  So, when I rate Paleo things, it's for a Paleo thing...not for a recipe in general.  Does that make sense at all?  It makes sense in my head.  Basically if I put a 4/5 or a 5/5 for a Paleo recipe and you try it and you're like ummmm...what the heck.  Well,it just means I thought it was good for a Paleo recipe!

Sides
Smoked Paprika Dressing (5 stars out of 5)
If you don't keep smoked paprika in your pantry, it's well worth it.  So delicious.

Paleo Ranch Dressing (4 stars out of 5)
I didn't love this when I first made it but it grew on me.  It thickens the longer it's in the fridge and gets closer to the "real" Ranch.

Paleo Italian Dressing (3 stars out of 5)
So many herbs in this.  Unfortunately, they didn't seem to mix well so when you poured, you ended up with too many on your salad.  Not completely unpleasant but not exactly desirable.

Paleo Ketchup (4 stars out of 5)
Wow.  You don't realize how much sugar is in Heinz until you taste "real" ketchup.  Takes some getting used to.

Paleo Plantain Chips (5 stars out of 5)
I could eat these at every meal.

Paleo Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes (1 star out of 5)
The coconut flavour was way too overpowering.

Main Dishes
Panang Curry (4 stars out of 5)
A mild and tasty curry, easy to change to fit a Paleo diet too.

Lemon Dill Chicken Skewers (5 stars out of 5)
Love these.  We'll be having these many times this summer.  Easy prep and no heating up the kitchen!

Paleo Ribs (4 stars out of 5)
The sauce is really good.  It made extra and I enjoyed having it to spice up my eggs every few days.

Paleo Stuffed Peppers (2 stars out of 5)
I don't know why I pretend to like stuffed peppers.  Because I really don't.  I vow not to make them anymore.

Paleo Salmon Cakes (4 stars out of 5)
Surprisingly good.  The leftovers were good eaten cold as a quick protein snack too.

Breakfasts
Paleo Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Compote (5 stars out of 5)
So good that they almost make me forget about our old blueberry buttermilk pancakes.  Almost.

Paleo Waffles (2 stars out of 5)
Fancy the consistency of sawdust?  No?  Steer clear.

Paleo Sweet Potato Waffles (1 star out of 5)
No.  The search continues for a good Paleo waffle.

Paleo Crustless Quiche (5 stars out of 5)
Good enough that you forget there's usually a crust.

Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies (5 stars out of 5)
We like these.  A lot.  They don't last a day.

Muffins and Breads
Paleo 2 Minute Blueberry Muffin (2 stars out of 5)
Definitely not the consistency of a muffin.  But, a warm snack that feels sort of like a treat.

Paleo Banana Blueberry Muffins (5 stars out of 5)
Again, not the same as "real" blueberry muffins but this hits the spot.

Paleo Applesauce and Carrot Muffins (4 stars out of 5)
Decent.  Uses lots of almond flour though which is expensive and equivalent to a trillion calories in ground up almonds.

Paleo Banana Bread (5 stars out of 5)
It's hard to believe that these have NO sweetener in it whatsoever and it can still taste like a treat.

Desserts
Chocolate Avocado Pudding (1 star out of 5)
Barf.  The girls did eat it and seem to enjoy it though.

Paleo Chocolate Snack Cake (5 stars out of 5)
Yummy and healthy.  This satisfies my chocolate craving.

Paleo Fudge (5 stars out of 5)
It's probably not healthy if you eat the whole thing at once, right?

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (1 star out of 5)
Most disappointing.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (5 stars out of 5)
These are not the real thing.  But they'll do when you're not eating the real thing.

3 Minute Paleo Chocolate Mug Cake (5 stars out of 5)
This saved me a few times when I was wishing I had something sweet.

Fudge Babies (4 stars out of 5)
I spilled the salt in these and they were still good.  Can't wait to make them properly!

Paleo Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies (5 stars out of 5)
Again, not the real deal but a good substitution.

Paleo Peppermint Fudge (5 stars out of 5)
Dangerously good.  Did you know you can still overindulge on Paleo desserts, the same as you can do on regular diets?  I can, anyway.

Homemade Larabars (5 stars out of 5)
I actually have to restrain myself from making these every day.  I could eat the whole batch in one sitting!

Paleo Snack Bar (4 stars out of 5)
Good...but not too good so you're still able to share.

Wordless Wednesday (Sammy's Birthday Edition)

Tuesday Tune - #22