This was a “cool” Monday. Because it was Kyle’s birthday!
It seems like we’ve been celebrating birthdays since February, but we are just getting started!
I finished off my Sun & Soil juices for breakfast before heading to an Easter egg hunt with the kids.
P was supposed to be in school but I was nervous he was getting sick. He woke up coughing at several points throughout the night and I didn’t want to be “that mom” who sends her kids to school sick and infects the class RIGHT before Spring Break. Not that it’s cool to infect everyone the rest of the year, but…school is kinda a mutual germ share anyway.
He was pretty thrilled to join in the party.
Best sick day ever?
Yep. Best sick day ever.
They snacked on animal crackers and raisins (and somehow forgot all about the jelly beans in the eggs!) so that was a big treat. I had a flax4life GF carrot raisin muffin too. It was a really fun morning for us all.
And then I got to DIG IN to this beautiful bowl of veggies with my new batch of candied walnuts.
I am starting to go a bit overboard with these so I need to reign myself in. Eating a cup a day seems excessive, no? Similar to baby carrots, I pop a few while I’m making the salad and then once the salad’s gone, I go for another few. And then another few. And then…you get the idea.
YUMMMMM.
Kyle’s birthday request was carnitas tacos, so I used this nom nom paleo recipe for instant pot carnitas.
And since the IP made them so hands off, I was able to stay out with the kids as long as we wanted that afternoon.
Pattycakes requested we go to the arboretum and it occurred to me we basically hadn’t been since WF closed (they share a parking lot). So I said sure!
We met up with friends for an hour or so, but after they left we kept on going all the way to campus. Where P got his yoga/break dancing on and V and I picked flowers.
It was perfectly careless. We still had to make one pit stop on the way home though.
I had to go to THREE stores to find this darn cotija cheese!! Why is it so hard to track down?! Safeway, of all place, ended up having it (I never go to Safeway in Davis for some reason, but I don’t know why – the Safeway in my parents’ home town is LEGIT but they all differ).
Ok, so normally I would just served the pork straight from the pressure cooker, but I decided to go the extra mile for my birthday boy and fry them up on the stove. You know, so they would get all crispy like.
And then it was time to assemble.
Toppings included cabbage, avo, radsih (for me), cotija, cilantro, and lime juice.
He was in heaven.
To be honest, I thought they were a bit dry and would have preferred the meat with all the juices. Next time! And let me tell you, there will definitely be a next time because there are leftovers (which I left in the IP so they are still soaking in their saucy sauces).
Oh you wanted to blow out your own candles??? Think again dada.
P took a yoga/break dancing break? Awesome 🙂 Your kids appear to have very distinctive personalities yet they appear to get along well! Props!
My heart is melting from the last pic girl! Such precious carefree childhood days spent all together doing the kind of sibling bonding I did with my children. You are busy trying to make the day/week work for everyone and they are living the loving childhood dream of a very loving, interested stay at home mom who is constantly making lists and working herself mentally and physically to make this dream a reality. Sh@@@@@t it’s a hell of a job isn’t it, but one so rewarding and at the end of our career when they step off into what we call real life, the reality is then watching a job well done and you will reap the benefits and it will pay you dividends for the rest of your life. 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
Thank you as always for these great meal ideas. Especially the IP ones. The inside-out eggrolls were a huge hit. These carnitas are going to go over even better! And thanks for your candied walnuts recipe – they look like an incredible treat. Have a wonderful Spring!
100% 😀
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