Shaving Cream Bath Tub Paint

It's been a rainy all week and to make things worse it's spring break week, so we don't have preschool to keep us busy. So I've been using some of the fun things I've found on Pinterest to keep the boys out of trouble.
I've been avoiding shaving cream painting because I was worried it would be too messy (It really wasn't!), but the boys needed a bath anyways today and we needed something to do. I used Mommyapolis's very simple directions.
My review:
Prep time: 5 minutes or less
Cost: Cheap! Use dollar store shaving cream, a few drops of food coloring, and foam paint brushes
Attention Span: Kept the boys amused for almost 45 minutes, which is pretty amazing for a 3.5 year old and a 1.5 year old. They also managed play together without fighting which is also amazing.
Messiness: Not so bad. It came off the kids with just a simple rinse and the tub with a quick wipe down.
Do it again: Yes! Anything that is that easy to set up and keeps the boys happy for that long is a keeper. Carter is already talking about how he wants to do it again and he's only been out of the tub for 15 minutes.

I would post pictures, but DH doesn't like bathtub pictures online.

Impatient

We're waiting to hear back on whether or not Tim will be receiving a job offer. He had an interview yesterday to talk about his background packet. The backgrounder told Tim that he thought he would probably be getting an offer, but HR has the final say on the matter. This job would be the answer to our prayers. It has better benefits (but then again, pretty much anything does than our current ones), better pay (not a ton, but it would definitely lower the stress levels around here.), and better hours (no more nights :) ). It would also keep us living around the same area that we do now, which for me is the biggest plus of all. Tim has worked so hard in the past two years working on his masters and constantly applying for jobs.

Carterism

The preschool we're sending Carter to is through the school district's ECFE program, so has a day once every other week that the parents come with the kids. The first day of school was a parenting day. Every night as I'm getting Carter ready for bed, we discuss what's going to happen on the next day.

Me: Carter, tomorrow you'll go to school all by yourself.

Carter: Mommy, I can't drive yet.

Me: (Trying not to laugh) I know you can't. Daddy will drop you off and I'll pick you up.

Carter: Oh, I was worried that I'd have to drive all by myself.

And he's pretty much always this funny.

The kind of night you always remember

Yesterday I told the boys that if they took good naps we would go check out the fireworks at Slice of Shoreview. Neither of them had seen fireworks before, so I'm not sure they even knew what I was bribing them with. Tim was working, so I knew I could potentially be in for a rough time.
At 8:30pm I started getting the boys in their jammies and loading the car up. We pulled into a parking lot a couple blocks away. (Parking any closer tends to be a pain to get out of after fireworks and I since I didn't know how the boys would do I don't want to be stuck in a parking lot with crying kids for an hour.) Just as I had gotten the boys snuggled into the double stroller, I felt a rain drop. As I walked closer to the park, it began to rain harder. By the time we were able to hear the band playing, I knew we needed to turn around. It started pouring a block away from the car.
Right after I got the boys snuggled back into their carseats and the stroller in the trunk the fireworks started. They must have decided to set them off early because of the rain. From our parking spot, we had the perfect view. Carter came up to the front seat to snuggle with me and get a better view. He loved the fireworks, and thought each one was better than the last. It was one of those sweet moments that you just don't want to end.

No Grocery Shopping Challenge

We're running a bit over our grocery budget this month and with the extra expenses of graduation, mother's day, father's day, many birthdays, and the boys' upcoming birthday party. We have been spending so much extra money on last minute trips to the groccery store. So I've decided to take the challenge of see if we can make it 2 weeks without a grocery store trip.
The Rules:
1. Meals will be made with items found in the pantry, fridge, freezer, and garden.
2. The only exception to the rule is milk/formula for the kids and $5 a week for fresh fruits and vegetables. (We have only a few in the fridge at this time and there's no way they'll hold out for two weeks).
3. Home-made freezer meals are fair game, but I will try to avoid using store-bought frozen meals.

Anyone else want to play?

Random act of kindness

Dear Kind Older Man, Thank you so much for helping bagging my groceries today. It made my day! Taking two small children to the grocery store is a challenge normally. Adding huge lines and pricing issues could have been a disaster. You and your wife made the time pass so much faster by asking Carter about Thomas the Train and other things that interest 2.5 year old. I'm sure your grandchildren adore you. Thank you so much for your kindness!

Tinfoil Dinners

DH is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and I am pretty much a chicken and pasta kind of girl. Finding a meal that includes beef that I like is a little more of a challenge. Tinfoil dinners are one of the meals that I grew up with my mom making. They're pretty easy to make and something that even my two year old will eat.

Ingredients: Ground Beef (You can do this with chicken too if you like that better)

Carrots

Potatoes (I use red, but any works)

Cooking Spray

Butter

Tinfoil

Directions: Lay out tinfoil and spray with cooking spray. I usually use about 18 inches of tinfoil per serving. Cut up carrots and potatoes. Make beef into hamburger patties and place in the center of the tinfoil. Surround with potatoes and carrots.

Fold up tinfoil. Place on a cookie sheet and cook in the oven at 425 degrees. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Check the potatoes and carrots with a fork to see if they are fully cooked.