Everybody Now, "Back to School!"

Happy Monday!

I am SO excited, I get to go back to school this week! I know, so many people don't find that appealing at all, but it is such a privilege for me to get an education at this point in my life, I would be a professional student if I could. That means I have lots to do to get things in order so we have a smooth running household for the coming 16 weeks. I will be in classes from 9:30 AM until 10:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays which means planning ahead for dinners and meals for me to talk along. The cafeteria/restaurant at the school is very good, but it gets expensive eating there every day. 

Mason is liking the 5th grade and seems to be settling in just fine. Dave is not liking his current classes any more than he's liked his previous classes, unlike me, he would not opt to be a professional student! 

There is not much new to report, Mason and I are working like crazy to raise the last $7,000 for his school project and it looks like the new stove and oven will be installed and working before Mason is off to middle school. What a great accomplishment this will be once it's done.

Have an awesome week and think with greatness. If that seems lofty, then think with kindness, we can all use a little more kindness don't you think? 

 

Monday Funday!

Happy Monday!

Last week was relatively uneventful other than Mason starting back to school, which all in all went really well. Dave is back to school and I start again on the 26th - I'm totally excited! Going back this time is sheer joy, versus when I first went back, it was completely overwhelming. Now I know the drill, I know where my classes are and I know that just because I don't have a class I need right now doesn't mean I won't get it. Yeah, it's all good.

Dave and I are enrolled in Weight Watchers together and I have to tell you, it's so much easier with him on board with me. There are still challenges like the fact that he gets to eat almost 50% more food than I do and of course, he loses more weight than I do. I really want to find a balance in being able to make healthy, low fat food choices most of the time so that when something special comes along, I'm not feeling deprived or left out of the celebration. The biggest obstacle seems to be that we live in a world where every meal is interpreted to be "something special." No! That is not the case, we do not need to have 3-4 items for dinner along with a high calorie beverage and dessert EVERY DAY. I'm not shouting at you, I'm shouting out of frustration for myself and hopeful that I will hear me and keep it simple during the day to day routines of my life. We have been hiking on average 12-15 miles a week in addition to that, Dave has joined a cross-fit group near where he works. My additional two days of exercise will come from my yoga class at school starting next week. Wish us loss, weight loss that is!

Finally, the premier of Rachel VS Guy Kids Cook Off Season 3 aired last night on the Food Network and it is not obvious to me why Mason wasn't chosen. We all high-fived though at the remark that was made noting that 1000s of kids auditioned and Mason was #9, if only there were 10 kids. Some of the most rewarding accomplishments come from a series of disappointments and with that said, Mason is on track to hone his skills, learn new ones and audition again next season. We have a fun plan to create a deck of cards with 52 different recipes, each card will have a recipe written on it (corresponding to a printed recipe) and that is what Mason will be making for dinner. It's my job to create this game and make sure lots of new techniques are included. Mason wants to learn things like how to use a pressure cooker, make and bake meringue - maybe a baked Alaska, and more! What is a cooking skill, appliance or technique you would like to learn? Of course, as I noted above Dave and I are eating per the WW philosophy so I need to make sure these recipes are mostly all healthy. I'll be sure to blog about the progress of this game and share the fun. I have no doubt there will be laughs, tears, some really good food in addition to a few "new recipes" created. 

Now it's time to get back to work but not without putting in print that today we are exactly 2 months away from leaving for Florida on our Disney Cruise! AHHH! I'm so excited, I know Mason is too, but I think I am way more excited that Dave and Mason put together. Have a great week and try not to let the set backs really set you back. Take a moment, look around, take it in and get up and back to whatever it is you are working to achieve - keep on keep'n on! 

Back to School!

Happy Monday! I know this is going to be an interesting week as it's "Back to School" week for Mason! He's certainly excited to see his friends and play, but I know he is dreading homework - as am I! What's even more fun is that I am going back to school, too. I don't start for a few more weeks but I love, love, love being a student. I am finishing up an applied art and design certification that I started back in 2011. I'm thinking it will take 3 semesters and I couldn't be more excited!

On another front, do any of you subscribe to Food Network Magazine? If so, check out the special kids section in the September issue (on store shelves now) and look for a familiar face! The new season of Rachel VS Guy Kids Cook Off Season 2 airs on the 17th and it's a little bittersweet for us Partaks, as Mason went through the audition process (over 3 months long!) and it came right down to the wire and he was asked to be an alternate, kind of like coming in 9th (they have 8 kids on the show). Of course we are really excited for the kids who were selected but Mason really wanted to do this. The producers encouraged him to keep cooking and apply for next season, but who knows if this disappointment will fuel his culinary fire or put it out a bit - time will tell. I would like to see him rise up stronger as it could be much more satisfying getting cast after working a little harder to earn his place. We'll have to watch and see how the kids they did cast do and try to learn from what we see this season. 

I hope you all have a great week and I wish you lots of love and happiness. Take a moment to find some joy in something completely random and unimportant, such as a sunflower, or the way bees buzz around a lavender plant. For me right now, it's fresh, garden tomatoes! 

Making Memories at Big Trees State Park

This weekend I was able to check two things off my bucket list, going inside the earth at Moaning Caverns and visiting the Big Trees State Park in Calaveras, CA. Since we retired the Grand Poobah camping trip, we don't see some of our friends every year like we used to. We've tried to plan other things, but it just doesn't always come together the same way it did with Poobah. Julie had plans to take this trip and when she heard us Partaks had a dinner date with Steve and Ro, she suggested we all meet in Columbia for the weekend - we did, and we had a blast! We had so much fun, we are already thinking we need to plan a weekend with a bigger group, who wants to go?

 

 

 

We met Saturday at the Moaning Caverns in Angles Camp and did the walking tour of the cavern. WOW! What a cool thing to see, the inside of Mother Earth is really something special. Mason, Julie, Ray and Maddie (Ray's daughter) rode the zip line and then we made our way to a local winery where we did a little tasting and had lunch. We made our way to Columbia where we checked into the historic Columbia hotel (no TV or Internet, the kids were aghast!) where we had the balcony rooms up front overlooking the main street.

 

 

We all met up in Jamestown where we had dinner at the National Hotel and as many of you know, it is never a dull moment dining with kid cook Mason Partak. As usual, Mason is always a bit put off when he is offered a kids menu, because seriously, can't people see he is a kid with a more mature palette just by looking at him? If they can't see it, they will get the message one way or another, this time it was this exchange:

Mason: Excuse me, I'm looking at the dessert menu and I see you have flambe'.
Server: Yes.
Mason: I'm curious, can you flambe' peaches with grand mariner?
Server: Looks around the table in disbelief that this is a 10 year old making the inquiry.

 

Yep, that's my boy! Laughing!

On Sunday we had breakfast and took the walking tour of Columbia and then took the stage coach ride. Mason and Maddie panned for gold and then we were off to Big Trees State Park. The weather had cooled significantly from the day before so it made for a lovely walk through these majestic trees. We finished up our weekend with an early dinner in Murphys, CA. Julie and Ray had plans to spend one more night in Angels Camp and Mason was elated to be invited to join them. On Monday, they went horse back riding and of course ate more good food.

Those of you who know me know that I would rather spend my hard earned dollars traveling with my family than buying "stuff." This weekend was exactly how I want to spend my time; learning about history, experiencing new things, and most of all, spending time with my close friends making memories. This weekend added another extraordinary element to my joy, my lifelong best friend took my son with her and got to know him a little bit better and in turn, he got to know her as well. I love that they love each other as much as I love each of them!!

Have a wonderful week and make sure to make a memory this week, after all, it is our memories that will not only hold their value, their value will increase as we all get older.