Bucket List - Family Vacation

A couple of years ago we took our first trip to New Orleans as a family. We had a wonderful time and the kids have repeatedly asked to go back. After not taking a family vacation last summer, we decided that it was high time for us to hit the road.

First up, Drago's. On our last trip, we had hit up Drago's and the grilled oysters on the way out of town. I have to say that the flavor and taste had stayed with us for a couple of years and we were ready to try them again. As we pulled into town, this was our first stop. These grilled oysters are served grilled on the half shell with parmesan cheese and butter. Oh my.

After our first bite of New Orleans, we headed straight for the hotel. This year we stayed at the Embassy Suites and we were all in heaven! There was a room for mom and dad, a room for the girls, and the boys slept on the fold out couch (it had the MOST comfortable sofa mattress that I have ever felt.) Not only were we not stepping on each other, but there was a pool, complimentary breakfast (complete with an omelet bar, pastries, hot breakfast and fruit), and happy hour every afternoon (snacks and all of the drinks that you could drink.) 

The kids were living it up. Gibson made himself sick a couple of times on sodas and Gardettos. 

(the bunny ears weren't a big hit.)

We explored around the hotel and were enjoying our downtown views from the roof.

This was the view from the pool at night. 

One of the must visit places for our family in New Orleans is Storyland, in the City Park. Landry truly believes that it is Disney Land and has asked many times over the last two years to go back. She was pumped! 

Storyland is a play area that was built in the 1950s and the playscapes all represent various fairy tale and story book characters. Hence the name. She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself.

Of course there was Rapunzel. 

And Snow White. 

Pinnochio and the big fish.

(After this picture, the older two were done. They went next door to a little amusement park that is also within the park and rode some roller coasters.) 

Cinderella... 

Hayden and Landry didn't even notice that the older two were gone.

I'm treasuring the fact that they had so much fun. They won't be this age much longer. :( 

We also enjoyed visiting Jackson Square. This time around we got in one of the horse carriages in front of the square and took a tour through the downtown area. This was one of the most fun activities while we were there. Our driver was very funny and great with the kids. It was a great experience.

We walked along the river and saw the paddleboat.

While in New Orleans, we had to eat po'boys, gumbo, fried shrimp for a couple of different meals and bread pudding from Mother's!

We also ate at a place by recommendation from our driver. The Royal House did not disappoint. 

We enjoyed walking the downtown area and seeing the history and architecture of the French Quarter. 

Another favorite stop in New Orleans is the aquarium. When walking in, there is a big tunnel. That day we got to watch divers feeding the stingrays. This is Hayden's favorite place to visit. Science, sharks, marine biology. Check.

The kids got to feed the stingrays in a separate exhibit and see divers in the shark tank.

It was a memorable trip and enjoyed by the whole family. It's fun to see our little family getting older and have stamina to enjoy these kinds of things without having to stop for naps.

Chill, Take It Easy, Relax...

Part of what I love most about summer is the ability to just slow down. There is no set agenda. It doesn't matter if we eat dinner at 7, 8, or 9:30 p.m. There is not a schedule for the day. We get up, we swim, we try new recipes, we decide to do something fun. The kids have really embraced this mentality this summer and I have been very grateful. We make plans, but we also scratch plans for better ones, like staying in our pjs all day. It's been nice.

We have spent lots of time in the pool. It took several tries and I don't think that we ever did get the perfect jump picture. These make me laugh anyway.

 Because everything is so green and beautiful, we have had quite a few of these days too. No complaints. Movie, anyone?

I love to try new recipes in the summer. 

This is a potato leek pizza from the Pioneer Woman. I've eyed it several times and finally decided to make it. When I first tried it, I wasn't too sure that I liked it, but it grew on me. It is definitely not Italian in any way, shape, or form (except for the pizza crust.) It's olive oil, bacon, thinly sliced potatoes (I nearly sliced off my finger with my vegetable mandolin. Read the safety precautions!), leeks, and several different cheeses. It's pretty tasty.

Potato-Leek Pizza

Yield: 1 pizza

Ingredients

1/2 recipe for Pizza Crust (recipe to follow)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 leeks, rinsed well to remove grit and thinly sliced
5 small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the pizza crust by drizzling lightly with olive oil and sprinkling lightly with salt.

In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until cooked but not crisp, then remove and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the skillet. Return it to the stove and, over medium-low heat, saute the leeks until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the leeks from the heat and set aside.

Using a sharp knife or mandoline, slice the potatoes very thin. Be careful not to allow them enough time to oxidize. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt, then lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Place the leeks on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the fried bacon pieces over the top. Add a generous dose of crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan, and a sprinkle of pepper.

In an oven preheated to 500 degrees F, bake the pie for 8-11 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice it into wedges or squares and serve immediately.

Pizza Crust

1-1/2 cups warm water

2-1/2 tsp. yeast

1 tsp. salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups flour (approx.)

Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl. (I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment.) Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add salt, oil, and flour. Mix until the dough begins to pull from the sides of the bowl into a ball. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour until it reaches the desired consistency. Once mixed, leave it in the bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in size. Then punch down, and put out on floured surface, knead, and divide into 3 equal balls. Take one ball and roll a circle using a rolling pin.  Makes 3 pizza crusts.

I'm enjoying every last bit of summer!

Bucket List - Museums

In my opinion, one of the best things about living in an urban area is enjoying the museums. My kids had museums listed on all of their bucket lists. At the beginning of the summer, I always renew our passes and then we enjoy quite a few treks to see various things. The best part about a pass is the chance to see things at our own pace. We don't feel as though we have to stay for hours because we can always come back later.

First up is the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I have enjoyed my kids getting older and beginning to appreciate actual exhibits and not just play areas. One of our favorites at the Natural Science museum is the butterfly exhibit. I have never seen so many tropical varieties of not only butterflies and moths, but plants! There are tons and tons of orchids, pitcher plants, fruits, and many other plants that I have no idea what they are, but they are beautiful!

We spent nearly an hour in here one day. Every kid finally had a butterfly land on them. Landry didn't kill any of them and Hayden didn't cry. Check. 

Landry still does love a good play area. This is the only one in this whole museum. We always stop. 

Along with the butterfly exhibit, there is a very extensive bug exhibit that includes spiders, bees, and other crawly things.

I didn't take pictures of the rest because we were enjoying everything too much. They have a permanent "Egypt" exhibit complete with three real mummies, dinosaur skeletons, and lots of other stuff.

We also always get passes to the Houston Children's Museum. This place is top notch. We can, and do spend hours here. They have a kid's town area complete with a bank, newsroom, grocery store, vet office, hospital, police station, restaurant, etc. This alone takes time! 

Running the kitchen. 

At the ATM cashing his check.

Working at the vet's office. 

Outside is an entire water area. The kids are always soaked. 

And a nature area complete with a pond and hatched chicks. 

We took in a show at the auditorium.

After this, we left. Beautiful. 

We will go back to hit up the rest of the exhibits. 

Bucket List - Happy Hour

Happy Hour is a magical time at our house. Sacred, even. It comes in many different forms, but is an understood time that everyone chills out, grabs a chair and a drink, and we all just talk. 

Sometimes we are inside, lots of times we are poolside.  

Sometimes Dad joins us if he gets home early enough.  

I enjoy our family.

Bucket List Summer

Summer is a huge event at our house. It is looked forward too, dreamed about, researched, promises made upon - "when summer comes..."

As the kids have gotten older, we usually have a theme. A couple of summers ago it was our "Summer of Adventure." Every day was a specific kind of day - water day (we went to the beach, crabbing, splash pad, etc.), park day (we checked out all of the parks in our area), library day, craft day, etc. Lots of planning.

Last summer was the summer without a plan. I planned nothing. I think that I was burned out from the year before. The kids eyes rolled into the backs of their heads and everyone begged to go back to school.

This summer I've tried a different approach. Semi-planned and semi-not. It's been great. Except for the first week. The first week of summer is inevitably hard at our house. Everyone is coming off of breakneck speed from the school year and suddenly all activity grinds to a halt. I want nothing except to  hide under the covers in my room and the kids are suddenly bored and unsure of what to do with free time. So instead of embracing their new found freedom, they fight, and pick at each other, and whine. Before this picture was taken, I was contemplating hanging all of them by their toes in the backyard.

So during our first week of adjustment, we all sat down for a massive afternoon of creativity. I was actually stunned with how long it kept them occupied. This is the "Bucket List Summer." (I don't know why, but I feel that I must label our summers.)

We all sat down and made lists of what we wanted to do with our summer. Some of the things were completely unattainable (Hawaii, swimming with dolphins) and some are completely doable (happy hour, family vacation, visiting the museums.)

The lists are hanging on the fridge door and every time that something is completed from someone's list, it gets checked off. The beauty is that there have been a couple of things that have been added to the list so that they could be checked off (a whole afternoon of swimming in the rain.)

We have definitely slowed down and are enjoying the process. Summer is a beautiful thing.