Busy Day

My latest challenge is finding an activity to occupy Jackson and Olivia while I'm on the treadmill because they want to be right there with me in the bedroom. Today, I put out my jewelry box and let them go at it. I loved pawing through my mom's jewelry and trying it on when I was their age, and they are no different. 

Later, on our way to swim lessons, I tried out a new hair salon for a quick trim. Birds is fantastic and I never want to go anywhere else. Their old-school video games captivated my kids the entire time. Not a peep.

We picked up popcorn tofu po-boys from Wheatsville for lunch.

Dinner was Flying Massaman Curry from Vegan Eats World. Massaman curry is my favorite Thai dish, but it's proved difficult to find in Thai restaurants without added fish sauce. Solution: make it at home!

Winding down, working on puzzles. So proud she can do it herself.

Rock Stars

Well I did it...I signed up for Vegan MoFo 2013! Are you mofo'ing this year? I've been on hiatus -- I participated in 2010, dropped out halfway through in 2011, and skipped 2012 completely. But this year I'm feeling ready. I even have a theme! All throughout September, I'll be cooking recipes from Sarah Kramer's How It All Vegan, The Garden of Vegan, and La Dolce Vegan. They are the cookbooks which first brought veganism to my attention, so why not give them some love and appreciation?

Today we met up with friends for lunch at Elevation Burger. We love their vegan burgers. They seem smaller and/or lighter than other veggie burgers around town. It's not a critique, just an observation. I prefer not feeling stuffed after finishing my lunch! We've also learned that one order of fries is plenty for Jackson, Olivia and me to share.

Tire swings are hard to manage solo. Luckily, a couple of little friends joined Olivia after this photo was taken.

Tonight, we dusted off our old Rock Star video game and let the kids have a go at it. Olivia tried to play along and get a high score. I see guitar lessons in her future.

Jackson, on the other hand, just wanted to rock out and yell at the top of his lungs. Lead singer potential for sure.

A Day in New Braunfels

Today we traveled to New Braunfels to visit the McKenna Children's Museum. Olivia took care of her baby...

Astronaut Jackson played us a tune.

Olivia did some shopping (this means I can send her to H-E-B for me, right?)

Foreman Jackson on the construction site.

Dinner was the Broccoli and Vegetable Teriyaki Stir-Fry with Cashews from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. Fast and tasty.

Activities and Crabcakes

Today Tony had a mandatory happy hour after work. That sounds like enforced fun, which is never a good thing, except that he's the head of the party committee, so he signed up for this responsibility. Also, the head of the party committee gets free drinks. Anyway, it was a longer-than-usual day for me and the kiddos, but we had plenty to do.

We started off the day with some bathtub art. I made "paints" by mixing baby shampoo, cornstarch, and food coloring.

Next, a trip to the bouncy house. Olivia became ensnared in the shark's jaws, but since she is a ninja ballerina, she was easily able to free herself.  

Jackson wasn't feeling the bouncy castles (or sharks) today. He was in a Bob the Builder kind of mood.

Afterwards, a trip to Target. Hulk smash!

Dinner was Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes from Vegan Brunch. An old favorite. Served with steamed kale with a tahini-lemon-garlic-smoked paprika dressing.

One great thing about an activity-filled day: the kids didn't protest bedtime at all!

Bowling Fun

Today Tony and I took the kids bowling. Jackson bowled last summer, but Olivia was too small. This time, she was able to do it all by herself (with a ramp, and Daddy holding the ramp steady.)

A fierce competition.

Jackson won the first game, but Olivia acquitted herself very well for a first-timer.

And, although I didn't get a picture of the scoreboard, Olivia actually won the second game!

Afterwards, we had dinner with my parents at Kerbey Lane. We started with a couple of appetizers. Chips with queso and salsa...

...And fried green tomatoes with chipotle sauce. I love fried green tomatoes! These were heavily breaded. I prefer to go a little lighter on the breading.

I had the caprese sandwich from the summer seasonal menu. Chewy French bread topped with tomatoes, pesto, caramelized onions, and mozzarella  - a simple yet perfect sandwich. I took half of it home, along with my sweet potato fries.

Three Meals Out

Just gonna be lazy here and roll three restaurant meals into one post.

1. Pecan Street Brewing in Johnson City. We stopped here with my parents on the way home from a visit to Fredericksburg. Jackson and Olivia were a fan of the coloring books and lunchbox full of crayons, which kept them occupied until the food came.

I ordered the Pomegranate Salad with greens, almonds, cranberries, red onions, and goat cheese, with pomegranate vinaigrette. I couldn't ask for much more in a salad and the pomegranate was an original choice.

Because I can't live on salad alone, I ordered the day's special appetizer, a giant soft pretzel with honey mustard. It was the perfect companion to my salad.

2. Weekend lunch at Casa Chapala, which has a nice selection of vegetarian offerings. I ordered the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos because they're not something I can get everywhere. The mushrooms were soft but not mushy, and nicely seasoned. I also enjoyed the side of calabacitas (sauteed zucchini and summer squash.)

Remind me never to order another Casa Chapala at 1 p.m.  Lightweight Mama was useless for the next couple of hours.

3. Thai Cuisine, a perennial lunch-with-Daddy favorite because it is A. near Tony's work and B. has a soup/salad/appetizer bar to tide you over while you wait for your entree. The bar usually includes veggie eggrolls, but not this time. That caused a moment of sadness, but the spring rolls with peanut sauce helped fill the void.

I had the Thai Ginger, with tofu, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, and of course a ton of ginger, thinly sliced into little slivers. A terrific lunch as always.

While in Fredericksburg, we were led by small hands into a toy store that had a child-size drum set assembled in the entryway. You know what happened next.

Rock!

A Girl and Her Dire Wolf

It is August in Texas, which means I will be hibernating for the next six weeks or so, while the worst heat of the year bakes the land.  Indoor activities are a must. Today we visited the Texas Natural Science center. 

The coolest discovery for me was learning that direwolves actually existed. Oh man...does that mean white walkers are also real?

If you ever had any doubts about evolution, I think this picture will convince you.

Dinner was the amazing Tofu Chimichurri from Viva Vegan.  It had been too long since I made this delicious chimichurri sauce. I served the tofu over rice and steamed spinach, with lots of extra sauce spooned on top.