Signs of Spring

We have another winter storm coming tomorrow, but today starts Spring anyway!  It seems that even Mother Nature gets a little backed up on her to do list, so all of us Mothers can use that excuse ;)

My three wee lads

St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day were celebrated by our Garlic and Gaelic clan.  We ate shepherd's pie (with green mint shakes for dessert) on St. Paddy's Day and lasagna (with rice krispie treats for dessert) on St. Joe's Day.  Those are two big, easy, make-ahead meals for my family of overeaters.  And I discovered I should not make rice krispie treats anymore because I couldn't stop eating them.  Treats always taste so good when you give them up for Lent!

High school Spring Sports started yesterday, and JP is participating in his third sport this year - Spring Track (he did Fall Soccer and Winter Track).  He was hoping to try to become a thrower, but they had him work out with the middle distance runners yesterday (which is probably his best placement) and he claims to have run 6 miles plus a 1 mile warmup.  His smartwatch had 24,000 steps at dinner time yesterday, so methinks he was telling the truth.  My motherloving runnerheart is so proud.  

Maggie has strep throat.  Poor girl.  She woke up on Friday morning with a sore throat, got a fever/chills at school, then a headache and nausea. I took her right to the walk-in clinic after school and the rapid strep test came back positive.  It came on so fast!  She went right to bed and didn't emerge until midday on Saturday.  She had to miss her last basketball game of the season, so you know she didn't feel well!

Brendan is saying so.many.words now and imitating everything.  His language just exploded over the last week, which is good because since he is spoken to in Portuguese for 40 hours a week, I thought he might be a late talker. It will be fun to see if/how bilingual he becomes!

I've been doing a little online shopping using Ebates and Honey, and I don't know why I didn't use them sooner...they are earning me money and saving me money at the same time!  I have gotten a bunch of items for the kids' Easter Basket (yes singular - we do a big family laundry basket!)  I'm not feeling very creative this year, but we got some new water bottles for both the younger set and older crew, books for JP, Andrew, Eamon, Maggie, Xander, Declan and Brendan, and one for me! some mini indoor basketballs, this for Phil (Phil don't click on that link!!!) and a little toy for Brendan.  Then we will just fill up the rest with some Pringles and bags of candy and call it done!  We are hosting my family for Easter this year and I would love to hear any good recipes you guys use to feed a crowd!  

And that is what the beginning of Spring looks like around these parts.  Hoping for warmer weather and green grass soon!