Last year the Kids went through so many backpacks. They stuff them so full with binders, dance clothes, gym shoes and lunch bags, that they rip at the zippers or the arm straps tear from the weight! I was buying EXPENSIVE backpacks and they were just crap to be honest 😆. Until we bought this one for SBean! It’s a large waterproof Backpack that has lasted the longest so far of ANY backpack the Kids have owned in the past! Winner!
HBear loves these Sensory Strips. They are a tool for her anxiety so she has something to do instead of picking at her nails or her skin. They are translucent, textured, sensory stickers for your desk, binder, or even the back of your phone!
I bought this large insulated double deck Lunch Bag for Ninja a few years ago and it is awesome! He keeps his personal items in the side compartment, pantry items go in the top compartment and wet/cold stuff in the bottom! It is the perfect size and keeps everything cold and safe!
I don’t actually have this particular Dry Erase Calendar but I do have one that isn’t magnetic that we use in our command centre area. My Mom used a giant dry erase family calendar that was in our kitchen my whole childhood and it helped us ALL. This one is a monthly magnetic dry erase planner with markers, an eraser & holes for wall hanging!
I also don’t have this cute double sided First Day/Last Day of School Sign either but I WISH that I did!! When HBear started school these things weren’t around as much as they are now and we began a tradition of using our own easel and now we use our framed chalkboard. Not nearly as adorable or as informative as this reusable chalkboard sign!
I have talked about my amazing 🤩 YETI coffee mug before but this 26 oz YETI Rambler with a straw cap is perfect for the Kids for back to school! I especially love this colour, Camp Green!
SBean LOVES getting soup in her lunch! HBear LOVES cereal in their lunch. This 24 oz stainless THERMOS in Rustic Red will keep SBean’s soup hot and HBear’s milk cold which keeps Mommy very happy! *The cereal goes in a Tupperware and is poured into the cold milk 😉.
This 2 Pack Kids Headphones with Microphone are foldable and perfect for 1 set at school and 1 set at home! SBean has used her 2 sets for her entire elementary school life and they have been amazing!
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode 343: Summer’s End HERE! As the weather cools down, we get together to talk: weather change, 4 day weeks, fire update, Truth & Freedom Convoy, travel ban, tension, basketball thieves, & Rick House.
Who has a TON of tomatoes right now? Ha! Everyone except me I bet!!! Thankfully everyone has tomatoes that all ripen at the same time and neighbours begin handing us flats of tomatoes and zucchinis right about this time of the year. I happily and very gratefully accept their bounties and then gobble them all up in tasty recipes like this one. First of all fresh grape tomatoes are the best. Second Burrata cheese. For those in the know, that’s all I have to say. Burrata cheese 😋. This was my first experience with Burrata cheese and it certainly won’t be my last!! SBean looked like she was in heaven while eating this dish! The cheese mixed with the tomatoes was DELICIOUS! The outside of the cheese is like fresh mozzarella and the inside of the cheese was creamy deliciousness that mixed into the dish and made it so rich and creamy! I can’t you guys! So good!
Tomato Burrata Pasta
¼ cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
salt and pepper
3/4 bag of pasta of your choice
¼ cup basil, chopped
8 ounces burrata cheese
parmesan cheese, for topping
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic, dried basil and red pepper flakes, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes with a big pinch of salt and pepper and toss them in the oil. Let the tomatoes cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until they begin to burst.
While the tomatoes burst, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it directly to the skillet. Toss the mixture a few times so all the noodles are coated. Turn off the heat and toss in the fresh basil. Add in the burrata cheese in one large ball, and mix it in as much as you’d like.
Serve immediately, top with parmesan cheese, more fresh basil and red pepper flakes.
This was a week! With my Sis and her Kids staying with us while her Hubby was working in Vancouver, I was reminded what it was like to have little ones around again! 😳😂 Despite that, it was wonderful seeing them after barely seeing them over the spring and summer! Unfortunately, because of the smoke we were stuck in the house, the same week that my doctor moved my antidepressant dosage up AND the week my infusion really started wearing off. BUT that’s a story for another day! 😂
Overall it was nice and I didn’t hear HBear complain once that she had to cancel her sleepover with her friend and have a weeklong sleepover with a 6 year old instead 🤣. SBean was ok with rescheduling her shopping plans, her Grandma date, gymnastics drop in with her ESBesty, and her playdate with her RBesty until after her cousins were back at home! I was really proud to see how they reacted to having their first week of no visitors, no camps and getting back to school ready completely thrown for a loop! Probably even better than me and Oliver who has had runny poop since his cousin Lenny came to stay with us over a month ago!! 🤣
Once the smoke started to let up a bit, Ninja (who was working down 2 guys AND in the horrible heat and smoke) took the Kids for an evening swim at his parent’s to give me a little rest. HBear had drum lessons and work this week so we all headed to the library for a smoke free activity out of the house! We did crafts, tried to keep the house somewhat tidy 🤣, walked the dogs on my Sis’s lunch break (she was working from Dad’s), used our imaginations, read, hot tubbed, and I even squeezed in coffee with my MMBesty (although I almost bailed when I completely forgot that I had plans to reschedule too 😂). By Thursday Sis and Girls went home and we started the clean up! SBean and I got her school supplies and went outfit shopping while HBear went golfing with Grandma and Grandpa! The Kids had planned on being with Grandma and Grandpa the weekend before while we were on our Anniversary date but we had to reschedule that too so this weekend we enjoyed dinner with my InLaws and quite possibly the last pool day of the summer???? We ended our weekend with SBean’s playdate baking doughnuts with her RBesty while Ninja and HBear went golfing! Sunday night we watched Simone Biles win her 8th overall US title!! Only 1 week left of cuddles and getting prepared for the routine to begin. I am going to make the most of it! 💛
