Welcome to Cafe USA

Does your refrigerator ever get bombarded with left-overs? Do you have endless baggies of left-over food or plastic containers with small portions of meals in them? I know I tuck these "portions for one" in my refrigerator with all intentions of eating them for lunch - but sometimes days go by and there they sit.



One night, as I was thinking about dinner and if we should have an official YOYO night. (You're On Your Own - for dinner). I opened the refrigerator and saw all those baggies and plastic dishes so eager to be eaten.



I knew if we had YOYO night- the bowls of cereal would be eaten and not left-overs. So I grabbed my 5 year old and enlisted him in a new family game.



I told him- he was going to help me with dinner. (He wasn't very impressed.) I then explained, we were going to pretend to be a restaurant and he gets to name it! He picked, "USA" ( no doubt in honor of the Olympics) and I added the Cafe to make it more authentic. We made menu's for everyone with their entrée options, along with drinks and side dishes. My 5 year old was going to be the server and I the short order cook.



He eagerly set the table. We made paper hats. (two rectangles stapled on either end) and he pulled out our cookie sheet for his tray.



We had so much fun that night! The older boys wanted a turn to serve and after the first 2 orders, my 5 year old was ready for a break.




What I loved about the night was- it could have easily been a boring night of left-overs. But instead it was a really fun night playing and pretending together and we still ate left-overs!

Laura




(I'm not a photographer, sadly, and there were no GREAT pictures from that night. But I feel like I have to posts some pictures on my blog as "proof" we really do all my crazy ideas.)

Shark Update

So - I fed SHARK to my kids the other night... it was a hoot! My oldest, who usually isn't very adventuresome with trying new food, was the first to take a bite... the other two were poking at it wanting to know exactly what kind of fish... I just kept saying "it's a fish fillet".

After the oldest took a bite- my husband spilled the beans.. My son's face.. turned beet red as it hit him... the other kids were then disappointed.
"AWWwww dad! Why did you tell us! Now it will be harder to eat!"
My husband kept taking bites of it and I made the comment, "It really grows on you... " and our oldest, who was about to take another bite said..
"Say what!? It's growing on you????" He dropped his fork.
I laughed and laughed and then explained it's a figure of speech.. it tastes better with each bite...
"Oh."
So my 8 year old and 5 year old f-i-n-a-l-l-y took bites each.
After I said, "How cool is THAT, tomorrow at school you can tell everyone you ate SHARK!"
The kids retorted, "No one will believe us." So I had them run next door to the neighbors- and invited their friends if they wanted to eat shark too...
Next thing I know-- the door slams open and the twin boys from a few doors down are at our table and they LOVE it! (They were eating Salmon at home for dinner.. so they are use to eating fish.)
They thought that was cool.
So here's the recipe & pictures to prove it:

Ingredients
• 2 lbs. Shark fillets• 1/2 cup French Dressing• 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice• 1/4 tsp. Salt• 1 can (3 1/2 oz.) French Fried Onions• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Cut fillets into serving-size portions. Place fish in a shallow baking dish. Combine dressing, lemon juice and salt. Pour sauce over fish and let stand for 30 minutes turning twice. Remove fish from sauce and place in a well-greased baking dish 12x8x2 inches. Bake in a moderate over, 350 degree for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Crush onions. Add cheese and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle onion mixture over fish. Bake 5 more minutes to brown onions.

This would have been perfect to serve during SHARK WEEK on Discovery Channel!
Darn! Too bad we missed it!

Hello!

Hi
I have four boys. I don't know if it is like this for other moms- but when I meet or even just hear of another mother with only boys, I feel an instant connection. There is an underlying understanding. Often unspoken. It's not that I think having all boys is harder or easier, more fun or more challenging... it's just... a unique experience.

In actuality- when we were trying for baby 4. A BIG part of me wanted a girl... but there was the quiet part of me that secretly hoped it would be a boy. Because if it were a boy- I can do boys. I have boys. We have all boy things. No need to buy new toys, new clothes, no change to our routine. Boy 4 would just fall into step with older brothers.

I don't want you to think I lump all my boys together. They are each different and have their own personalities, talents and interests but they also have lots of commonalities. Amid the wrestling, hockey, dinosaurs/sharks/dog collection and boogie boarding I have...
one son who likes to cook. (I count baking cookies and brownies).
one who is SUPER RESPONSIBLE, and takes everything very seriously.
another who takes nothing serious.
three very social boys
one who would rather play and by himself
one organizer
one who can't keep track of his shoes, toothbrush or even underwear for that matter!
one GREAT eater- who will eat anything placed on his plate.. or on other people's plates
one who wont eat ANYTHING-
one who will eat his salad first
one who will eat everything BUT his salad
two sons who will always give me a kiss goodbye
one who prefers to give Hi-fives
and one who would rather not be seen with me at all ;O)
I have one who LOVE  music and dancing
one who loves to pick his nose
one who resists doing homework - everyday
one who just hates math
one who just hates spelling
all four LOVE to play play-station
one who absolutely loves dogs
and one who has his own blog!

Well- I just wanted to introduce myself a little. I have had a website and blog with a different host. My website: http://www.bookclub4boys.com/ has been up and running for a little over a year. I host a book club for my sons- to help encourage them to read nightly for homework. They hate reading. I think they hate sitting still, so I think it makes reading even more challenging. :0) I've been hosting book clubs for almost 5 years now. So you can imagine, I have a few ideas and outlines for different books, different age groups and reading levels. If you have a child who struggles to read- I invite you to check out my site.
But that is where I share my outlines but I needed a space to share my other mom ideas.

Laura