Category: Family Matters

The Winter Olympics are in high gear, and we are having fun watching snippets of coverage together. Of course, to watch, we have to push the furniture back, because our kids are doers. We’ve extended bedtime for figure skating and skeleton, and I expect to do the same a few more times before it’s all over. We also have our own chant that goes, “Sochi!” (TV) ” “Sushi!” (M) “Slushie!” (A) It’s hilarious, even a week in.

The kids are brushing up on the flags and geography, and dreaming bigger than basketball and gymnastics. The third grade has been learning about the sport of curling, and every so often she’ll bust out an Olympic fact or two, like, ” Did you know that the Olympic rings are all the colors for all the flags in the world?” (Uh, why no, no I didn’t.)

I showed MaM a photo of Katie U that popped up in my Twitter stream, and we both fan-girled out for a few minutes.

 

 

 

 

Since Skeleton wrapped up earlier this week, we turned our attention to the bobsled. They figured out how to work together, and MaM also noticed that they use the same track as the Skeleton. Bobsledding does have the added benefit of being able to decorate your sled.

We still have a few more days to enjoy the spectacle. It’s totally worth ditching bedtime for every four years.

 

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Home Run Inn pizza.

This winter the Kahuna Kids are trying new things, and Leilan and I are too. The kids have signed up for sports, and we are their transportation. Suddenly our evenings are full, our Saturdays are booked, and there’s more laundry than ever. Don’t get me wrong- we are loving it, and it’s a welcome change to just hanging out at home. I can’t imagine surviving the Polar Vortex without some standing things to look forward to on a weekly basis.

The girl is playing basketball. This is her first team sport, and her skills are improving every week. She’s learning all of the rules, and the importance of keeping her eye on the ball. Her coaches are patient and supportive, and the refs teach the kids as they blow their whistles. Saturday games come complete with a concession stand and activities for siblings.

The boy is in a wrestling club. We haven’t purchased the gear yet, and a singlet isn’t required, but it’s still super cute. he goes twice a week to roll around with other kids his age, Eventually he’ll go to meets, but this season he’s just going to club practice.

All of these practices have taken a toll on my meal planning/after school routines. Everything else still needs to be done, but the shuttling to practice (and staying there for an hour)  has to be factored in as well.

Here are three things that are making our lives a little easier this season:

1) Sports clothes go on the washer instead of in the hamper. I stole this one from JustHeather. Here’s the deal: put your sports clothes on the washer, and they get washed quickly. I will hang them next to the dryer, so they will be ready when you need them next.

2) Catch up on non-sports nights. Meg has daily homework and weekly reading log. On the nights the boy goes to wrestling, the house is quiet, and she can read more pages- this is great, because she doesn’t always have the time on her practice night. It’s all about time management (and teaching the kids this). We go to the gym (I exercise, they play) after school on practice days, because that is actually less exhausting than a grocery store or other errands with both kids. The nights we have nothing, we may runs errands after school.

3) Make dinner simple on practice nights. When I menu plan, I make sure more involved meals are left for non-practice nights.

 

Here’s my meal planner- a piece of construction paper and some sticky notes. I’ve written the standard weekly commitments on the base page, and then jot down specifics on each day’s note. Very easy to update as the week goes on, very easy to see what’s for dinner. Last week I started writing down what time we needed to eat so that we’d have enough time to get where we were going when we were done.

We do a lot of quesadillas and pizza on practice nights. It’s a trick to balance quick and easy with natural and no preservatives, but that’s where Home Run Inn Pizza comes in.

Home Run Inn Pizza is now available in Meijer, Kroger, and Marsh- which is much  closer to my house than Chicago (where it all started, and where we like to go for  pizza). It’s all natural, has no preservatives and has the best cheese I’ve ever  tasted on a frozen pizza. (I’m not the only one who thinks this- my whole family  inhales this pie when it comes out of the oven.) The ingredients label puts my mind  at ease, and the taste makes my family happy. Also, they offer a Sausage and  Mushroom combination, which is my absolute favorite combination. Win-Win-Win

What are your sport season sanity savers? Favorite quick meal or pizza flavors?  Tell me about them. We are just getting started in this phase, and need all the help  we can get!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Home Run Inn pizza.