Jet Lag

Jet lag is by far NOT the most memorable part of the amazing trip I just took.  It IS however a big reason why it has taken me this long to post any pictures or remembrances.

Kicked My Bootie, it did.

But, I think I am fully recovered.  And other than the deep longing for the constant company of my traveling companions, the fantastic and adventurous food(and the search for it), and the amazing, awesome, history-laden sights...I am completely content.

I didn't take too many pictures.  My brother-in-law had a fantastic camera and was very diligent in capturing practically everything.

Here are some I did take with appropriate captions to inform and entertain.

Our first stop was Paris.  Oui.  Paris.  C'est magnifique.

This was our cute and comfy room at the Hotel Port Dorree.  

We dropped off our luggage and so as to not succumb to the fatigue that accompanies a 7 hour time change (4 am!!) we were ushered out the door for some sight seeing.

Yes, That's right!  La Tour Eiffel.  

Grand.

That is our travel group.  My two sisters, their husbands and Brian.  

Conan is taking a picture of his foot for his podiatrist.  It was a must do.

This was dinner at a place on the Champs Elysees after we checked out L'Arc de Triomphe. 

I can't remember what we ate.  

It was late late late.  But I think Brian has a cute look on his face. 

We saw a lot of cool stuff.  

La Louvre with the Mona Lisa.  Spent like, 4 hours there.  Maybe more.  

Sacre Coeur - a pretty white church on the top of a hill that is in a really neat artsy part of the city and was my sister Cassy's favorite area.

Notre Dame.  I like it there.

Hotel des Invalides where Napoleon's is entombed.  There is a museum called the Armory that is full of...guess...

Suits of Armor.  It was pretty cool.

Of course we couldn't leave Paris without a visit to the Chocolate museum.  

It was rumored we'd get free chocolate.  So off we went!  

We did get some free chocolate.  And some we had to pay for.  

We did find a great authentic french restaurant on kind of accident called

La Poule au Pot.  Chicken in a pot.

It was really neat.  

Cally got a hot breaded cheese wheel thing with raspberry jam that was sooo delicious.  

This is the street it was on.  That is Cassy watching someone eat at a different restaurant.  

Ours was the next one down, just below the round green sign.  

Cassy wore really cute clothes.

Well.  My bread is ready to be rolled into a loaf.  

(Because I'm blogging I try to do things that make me sound really awesome.  Like make bread.  Then you think I do it all the time, see?  You know...it's my life.)

And I've got to get the soup on.  It's cold outside.  60 degrees in Alabama in MAY!  Crazy.

But it will not last for long and I love this soup and will miss it over the summer.  

It's easy.  My effort goes to the bread.  Just kidding.  That's easy too.  

Not just cause I'm amazing and so adept at making bread.  It really is easy and the only bread I ever make.  Thanks to Heidi.  Try it.  Some times It looks like a slug, but it still tastes good.  

I'll fill you in on our second destination soon.  I'd like to say tomorrow, but we all know how that goes.

Au revoir!

*

picky eaters

I cooked.

Yeppers.

This week I made a meal.

Cream of Potato Soup and French Bread.

The bread is an awesome, easy recipe from Heidi,
my bama friend.
(it didn't look pretty. I need practice on the shaping of the loaf, but I made it myself - from scratch! and it tasted marvelous.)

And the soup was so easy!
That one is from my other friend, Natalie!
Thanks for helping me feed my kids! (kind of)

Try them both. Really. Just do it. You'll be happy.

In a crock pot...

Dump in:

2lb bag of frozen hash browns (cube style)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

2 cans chicken broth

1 med. onion finely chopped

1 - 8oz. package of cream cheese cut into small cubes

Salt, pepper and garlic to taste.

Mix well. Cook in crockpot on low all day.

I wasn't paying attention when she told me she used a can of cheddar cheese soup instead of the celery soup - so next time I'll use cheddar although the celery one was still yummy, just had chunks of celery in it...did not thrill my kiddos.

Which leads me into my next topic - what the title of this post refers to.

My kids! Love 'em. Really, really do.

And I could totally handle if they didn't like one or two things.

All right. I just deleted my rant. Embarassing. Fine.

So they are picky eaters.

There are worse things.

Suffice it to say, I calmed down,

emptied the laundry basket and put all the food back in the pantry.

Then quietly/lovingly told the kiddos that if they are going to be such picky eaters things may be difficult sometimes. Sometimes meals may work out for them, sometimes they may not.

You decide for yourself :

"Will I still eat the hamburger even though those McD guys put ketchup on it when we specifically said 'plain'?"

What can you do.

One thing that stuck in my head from last weekend in Nashville was

"Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves."

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do that. (What is the punishment? She said you re-teach the principle, but how do the consequences work into it?)

And I'm not sure if it really applies to picky eaters, but...

What do you think?

How do you handle (or wish you handled) picky eaters?

(try the soup!)