The School Bell Rang!

Wheweeee, this summer sure has flown by and I haven't blogged as often as I would have liked to.  I wanted to spend as much time with my children as possible before another school year started so blogging had to take a back seat.  To those of you who contacted me, thank you for your concern, ya'll are too sweet!  Well I have some catching up to do over the coming weeks but I wanted to share our special day first. 

Yesterday was the first day of school for my children.  They are each in different schools due to their ages so we had our annual Back-to-School breakfast quite early and then repeated our back to school pictures with each one of them throughout the morning.  This year I made a Stuffed French Toast dish that you can prep the night before and bake in the oven while everyone is getting ready, add a side of sausage or bacon....so easy!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

You can get recipe HERE

Each year, since they started school, they stand on the front porch in front of the screen door and pose for a photo. 

 It's fun to look back through the old Back-to-School morning photos and see how much they've changed from year to year. 

They wait nervously for the school bus each year....even though they are reassured they will do quite well. 

I am confident of that and they always do.

It is always so hard to see them go....whether it is the 11th time I have seen them off or the very first as in my son's case!  Little bit of tears this year....from me!  I also started a new school year this year with my children as I will be working part-time in the district, I'm very excited and loved my first day as well so this year their momma had first day jitters too!

I hope that those of you who sent your children off for their first day had a good experience.  To those of you who no longer have little ones at home, you must have some great memories made. 

I have a Back to School story to share with you...

This story took place about five years ago, and is about a mom and her two girls (her son was not even cooking in the oven yet) all very excited to start a new school year.  The father took the morning off as usual to see his girls get off on their first day of school and the mother was all prepared well in advance, very proud of that fact I might add.  The girls were bathed, clothes layed out the night before, bookbags packed with bus passes ready to go, she had it all under control. 

The next morning they all rose early, got ready and had their big BTS breakfast together everything went so very smoothly, so nice and relaxing.  Out the door they headed to the bus stop at the end of their driveway...and they waited.....and waited some more (afterall the buses' are on a new schedule and always run late the first day).  Before long cars driving by started slowing down and looking at us them.  A few even rolled down their windows asking if school started today.  We she assured them that it did and they hurried off in a frenzy and some just looked plain confused.  Surely she thought they must have forgotten that today was the first day of school and must be rushing home to get their little ones ready! 

After what felt like an eternity to the girls, a neighbor finally drove by and slowed down to turn around.  They pulled in front of us them and said she had just been to the school to pick up her daughter's bus pass and that school didn't start until the very next day!!!  What?!!!   

Well that silly momma somehow got the start day wrong and had her children dressed, fed and all ready for the bus.......a whole day early! 

The children never let the momma forget that story either and each back to school breakfast there after they reminisced about the morning they were a day early for the school year!

Anyone else have one of those stories?  Do you have any back to school rituals?  Anything you do that makes your child's school year more organized and eaier to manage...I'm curious to hear, do share!

I'll be back to read and catch up over the next couple of days, thanks for stopping by!

Take care,

Dee

. 

Rise n' Shine!

Get up, get up, get out of bed.....

wake up now you sleepy heads!
Rise n' Shine, it's time for breakfast!

I love breakfast food.  It is ironic that I say this since I don't eat it as frequently as I should, at least not during the weekdays.  I fill myself with my two cups of coffee each morning and am usually fine with that until lunch.  Unhealthy?  I know, I know.  I don't know what it is about the weekdays and rushing around that has me skipping the most important meal of the day, but it is a bad routine that I have going and it is something that I am changing.

I also love to make breakfast on the weekends when the kids and my husband are all  home and we are together.  My husband makes great breakfast meals too and I loooove when he cooks. 

There is just something about a man flipping pancakes for his kids...lol!

There is also something to be said about waking up to the smell of breakfast cooking.  Pancakes and bacon cooking one floor below can make the sleepiest teen rise from her slumber quicker than a pail of water, at least in my house it can!

 Sometimes we have a "Backwards Night" at our house and we serve breakfast for dinner.

This is my children's favorite type of dinner, they love it. I have to say I do too, it is easy to prepare and easy to eat. 

Our gals (the chickens) are laying about 4 eggs a day even now in the cold weather, so it looks like we'll be using them up in what ever I decide to make for this weekend's breakfast.  My husband is quite proud of his chicks, and I have to say that there is definately a difference in fresh eggs.  The shells are harder, and the yolk is much brighter than store bought, and something about them just tastes better. 

Well they are just HENHOUSE FRESH!

Freshly laid eggs from our "girls"....all washed and ready to be used.

Occasionally I like to have a bowl of cereal too. 

It's a quick and easy breakfast, and I am rediscovering some of my favorites,

frosted mini wheats is one of them.

Granola is another one of my favorites, served with milk or as a parfait with strawberry yogurt with fresh fruit on the side.  It tastes especially good served in the good dishes, lol. 

French toast, my all time favorite, I have to use texas toast to make it though. 

The thick slices taste better.

Another favorite, corn cakes.  I serve with a pat of butter and swirl syrup and honey on top.

Oatmeal muffins, easy to take and go.....eating on the run?  My teen daughter is usually running out the door each morning, these are a great alternative to the junk teens want to eat.

I was thinking about the days when mothers made these fresh breakfasts each and everyday for their families.  They would rise with the sun and have it all ready to go when their families decended the stairs.  My grandmother had 8 children and raised her family this way.  She lived to cook and care for them and everyone else too.  I am not sure this could happen every day of the week in my house, so I just stick to aiming for the weekends for now, lol.  There was a reason everyone thought grandma was a superwoman!

At the breakfast table we are able to reconnect after a busy week, between sports, school clubs, homework and traffic during the week.  There is at least the weekend when we can all sit around the table enjoy good food and catch up before our day begins. 

If you haven't tried corn cakes before, they are too easy.  Pick up a box of jiffy corn muffin mix and the recipe is on the side of the box.  They are inexpensive to make too.  If you like cornbread, these are similar...only better and not as dry.

My son loves to make these with me, the little pieces pop in the pan, like magic.....

and he cracks up.

I am working on changing my eating habits to a more healthier version (I dare not say that I am dieting, since my altar ego will sabotage my efforts by eating a whole box of chocolate, yes it does happen!).  The healthy part entails making sure that I am eating three meals a day....no more skipping breakfast.  I don't eat pancakes and bacon every day but I am making the time to take care of myself, something that alot of mothers put off because they are so busy tending to their families, and sooner or later it catches up with you. We get so caught up in putting everyone but ourselves first!  I am now acknowledging that it is important that I do this so that I can take even better care of my family. 

***Be sure to take good care of yourself for your family!***

So I have been sitting down each morning after my kids have left for school with breakfast and my coffee, I catch up on my mail and browse through my recipe books, gearing myself up for the day.

 

I can't get rid of the coffee though....don't think I'll ever be able to do that, ha!

Oh, I'm so scary without my morning coffee.....lol.

I even talk to it.....I say hello "friend" each morning....

and my kids think I'm nuts for sure...

but they know it takes the monster away, and I stop growling.  He,he,he!

What about you?  What is your favorite breakfast food? 

What do you make for your family? Care to share?

Take care of yourself now, ya hear?

Dee