Shaz by the Sea

Greetings from COCOA BEACH!! We landed in FL on Saturday and we are enjoying our vacation very much.  We have a three bedroom, two bedroom place a block from the beach - with a view of the ocean. We can hear the waves and enjoy the view from the deck out front. It is VERY relaxing. There's also a heated pool that the boys have been obsessed with - we are having fun! I can't believe how well the boys are doing here. They feel right at home - especially having lots of space, several bedrooms, and a big open kitchen similar to our house.  On Sunday night, I made chicken piccata. It is a combo of lemon chicken with capers and pasta. It was delicious! I prepped the chicken, tenderized it and sliced it up a bit to make smaller pieces.   I then dredged the chicken in egg wash and flour, salt and pepper. I sizzled each side in EVOO and flipped after 8-10 minutes. Then another 8 minutes on the other side. I added a ton of lemon zest and lemon...

Call me cheap, but it's expensive to have [three] kids, and expensive when going out to dinner. So why not do some research to save a few pennies? If you're like me, then you hate monotony and repetition and doing the same old thing every single night - get home from work, think about what to make for dinner, start dinner, let it cool, feed the kids, start baths, do bedtime, argue with them 5 times to "go pee Mom?" and finally settle in to cook something for your husband and yourself. It gets old QUICK. How do I stay sane, you ask? I try and order a somewhat healthy take out meal once every week or two, or we go out to dinner instead. We used to go to Papa Ginos or a sub shop (something super quick and pre-paid, so we could bolt outta there in a flash), but now we are trying more sit down family restaurants. It helped that my parents picked up Cal from daycare on Thurs, so we went out with just Conor and Caden. That meant no high chair, baby food, or bottles neede...

Jim's in China for two weeks. He was actually told the day Cal was born that he had to travel to China for two weeks in Aug. He left at 4AM and he comes back Aug 20. So it's my first real solo day with all three boys. Thankfully, my parents have stopped by to help with a few things like breakfast and lunch - and also to go for walks with me and the boys. I would have to say that the hardest thing is trying to be punctual with nursing/pumping while trying to keep the boys entertained. The boys have been great, only a few tantrums and whining moments today, so I am thankful for that. Here is how we do Sundays when Daddy is out of the country..... Con and Cay are trying to play with Cal. Cal looks terrified. I recruited some help to hold Cal... Thank you to Anne Rocke for this adorable chevron blanket for Cal...personalized with his name and birthday. And thank you for the light up balls for the twins. They have been very entertained this morning. Much needed. T...