My little lady wants a wonder woman party for
her second birthday, so here we are gearing up for the big day!

Lemonade for ABC2
(Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure)

Do you want to meet the most amazing family ever? Check out this blog: Raina-V.blogspot.com. Thank you to everyone who helped support Raina and ABC2 by purchasing some of our lemonade. WE LOVE YOU, RAINA!

Summer Burger Recipes

Spinach Mozzarella Burger

1. Bake bacon on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 10-15 minutes at 350. The bacon does not have to be all the way done. Chop up and set aside.
2. Boil a pot of water and cook a few handfuls of spinach in boiling water. When spinach is soft, drain into colander. (You could also use the water for a smoothie the next day.)
3. Squeeze moisture out of spinach and chop up.
4. In a bowl, add 1 pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of bacon, spinach, 1/2 of finely chopped onion, handful of mozzarella cheese, Celtic sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, two eggs and chopped garlic clove. You could top with more cheese if you'd like. Mix well.
5. Shape into hamburger patties or into cup cake liners in a cup cake pan. These are nice to throw in a glass container for the week and munch on for snacks. Plus the kids think they are fun.
6. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

With another pound of ground beef, the other 1/2 of the onion and 1/2 pound of bacon I made the same recipe with cheddar cheese, taco seasoning, salt, pepper, a garlic clove and chili pepper.

I apologize for not having the exact measurements. :)

First Family Trip!

We decided to take our first family trip...all six of us + two very helpful grandparents. Mom & Dad, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!! We couldn't have done it without you. As so many of you know, these trip are NOT relaxing for the parents. It was hard work but the kids really enjoyed it. The last picture was of Jake making a summer fun dessert. He was breaking up graham crackers so it would look like sand. Here is the recipe:

1. Purchase small sand buckets from the dollar store.
2. In the sand bucket, layer the following:
white or yellow cake
crushed toffee/chocolate mixture
vanilla pudding
white or yellow cake
3. Top with crushed graham cracker to resemble sand.
4. Add a plastic crab for decoration.

A Hot Sweaty Day!

Nothing like playing T-Ball on a 90 degree day! :)

Cook Your Spinach!

Read the article below to find out why it is important to cook your spinach versus eating it raw. Here is my favorite recipe:

1) Saute spinach in either olive oil or butter until soft.
2) Add Celtic Sea Salt, juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and garlic powder.
3) Add pine nuts or sesame seeds. Use as a garnish on your fish or steak. Mix with mashed potatoes, rice, eggs, meatloaf etc.

"Spinach is a nutritious dark green vegetable. It is low in calories and contains high amounts of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants & flavonoids. The various flavonoids in spinach protect us against cancer. The antioxidants protect against free radical damage and help prevent degenerative diseases.

Spinach contains high amounts of vitamin K along with calcium and magnesium. Vitamin K facilitates the absorption of calcium and helps build good bones along with magnesium.

Lutein, a carotenoid found in spinach protects against eye related diseases such as cataract and macular degeneration.

The high amounts of iron in spinach is good for women, especially for menstruating women. The iron in spinach is called non-heme iron. The non-heme iron is considered less bioavailable to the body as compared to the animal source heme iron.

Spinach contains oxalic acid, also called oxalates, which combines with the iron and inhibits its absorption. Oxalic acid also binds with calcium, creating calcium oxalate and inhibits the absorption of calcium. If there is not enough calcium in the diet, the oxalic acid will combine with the calcium in the kidneys and form kidney stones. Therefore, eating raw spinach on a regular basis increases the risk of kidney stones.

Cooking spinach breaks down the oxalates and prevents the formation of un-absorbable mineral complexes in the body.

Spinach also contains goitrogens which interfere with the functioning of the thyroid gland. Therefore, people with thyroid problems should avoid spinach.

1 cup cooked spinach contains:

- 155 mg Magnesium

- 244 mg Calcium

- 830 mg Potassium

- 6.4 mg Iron

- 17 mg Vitamin C

- 14700 IU Vitamin A

- 4.3 gm fiber

- 5.3 gm protein

It is a good source of fiber and protein. The high fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A content of spinach provides good protection against colon cancer. The high protein and low carbohydrate content makes it a good food for diabetics."

Summer Scholars Week Three: CHORE BUSTERS!

Week three has been my favorite so far. We started an organized chore system and an allowance. The kids do not get money for their daily responsibilities, which consist of making their bed, brushing their teeth, clearing their plate, etc. However, every day we set a timer for fifteen minutes and the kids draw chores from a jar. These chores include vacuuming, organizing the mudroom, cleaning the bathroom, etc. The kids get one coin a day for these chores. The fifteen minutes of chore busters surprisingly is very helpful... The kids still need a ton of guidance but each day seems to get a little better. We did have a broken glass one day and a few socks sucked up in the vacuum, but in the end I think it will prove to be beneficial.

Amy created envelopes for her so Gavin, labeled SPEND, SAVE & SHARE. He is required to put a certain amount of his allowance in each envelope and then he can spend and share how he'd like. I think this sounds like a great system. Thank you to Amy and all of my other mom friends who continue to give me great ideas! :)

Happy Fourth of July!