We Miss You Already!

My mom went back home to Mongolia on Sunday, so the kiddos and I are flying solo once again. It's been SO wonderful having her here to help and keep me company. And cook dinner. And do laundry. And on and on :) Thanks for everything, Mom!

Casey is gone all day on Mondays and Wednesdays so those are my longest days--plus he has the car, so I'm sort of stuck here. I do love my sling, but taking long walks with it on eventually makes my back hurt so I can't really walk anywhere close by unless Natalie can walk by herself. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow. Yesterday our power went out, right at what Mom calls, "The Magic Hour," when all the kids tend to be cranky and extra-needy while you're trying to make dinner. Usually that's when we watch some cartoons, but that's not possible with no power and Kelby was so fussy and tired so last night we had fruit smoothies and peanut butter toast for dinner. Classy, huh? I marvel at moms like Soule Mama and Let's Explore because I don't understand how they manage all these cool kid projects with really little kids. I would like to know. Just going outside to sit on a blanket is so much work with the ages my little ones are!

An another subject, did anyone watch the new season of Dancing with the Stars last night? I was surprised, but glad that one of the judges told Susan Lucci (of Soap Opera fame) that she may want to put on some weight because she looked pretty frail out there! Seriously, her ribcage was showing through her back. I think my favorites so far are Lacey and What's-His-Name from N Sync. But I liked her on So You Think You Can Dance a couple of seasons ago too.

Even though Kelby was pretty fussy yesterday, I managed to get something made so I'll share that tomorrow. It's pretty cool. And, tonight, I'm going to try this recipe for White Chicken Chili.
I cooked a bunch of chicken on my crock pot yesterday and shredded it for the freezer to have on hand. I'll let you know how the chili turns out.