Hey, y'all! Happy Friday! From dentist appointments to playdates, it's been another busy week in our household. All of the highlights from this week along with what we ate, are included in today's roundup of Around our Kitchen Table!
I've had lots of people send messages asking how our foster kiddos are doing and for Foster Friday updates. So....I launched an updated version of my Foster Friday series called Around Our Kitchen Table. Here I'll share a little bit about what we've been up to and tie it all into what we've been munching on this week. This series will give you a behind the scenes look about how I balance life as a busy, working foster mom to twin toddlers and a free-spirited 5-year-old.
Saturday
We kicked off Saturday morning the same way we do every week...with a trip to Starbucks! 5 loves getting out of the house first thing in the morning to pick up our macchiato's, a carton of milk for herself, and puppuccinos for the pups. The twins have started to get in on the action too. We've been letting them sample the pups puppuccinos.
We finally got to introduce the kids to their Prime Day present. They had so much fun playing on their bounce house. The twins were a little apprehensive at first but after their mama's showed them how to bounce they got the hang of it.
Saturday was our 7th anniversary for only the second time ever we left the kids behind with a babysitter and went out to dinner on our own. We went to one of our favorite local restaurants, The Brick, and then made a pitstop at a nearby hookah lounge, The Casbah. Afterwards, we stopped in on a "Going Off to Bootcamp Party" before relieving the sitter.
Sunday
Sunday Funday's look a little differently than they did back in the day. A friend of ours brought over 4 of her 5 kids for a playdate. The kiddos played in the kiddo pool, splashed in the water table, bounced on the bounce house, and played in the outdoor kitchen.
After nap time, we took the kids to a nearby park before heading over to my parents house for a quick visit.
Dinner tonight was one of Ashley's favorite meals Cheesy Chicken & Tater Tot Casserole.
Monday
With the kids in daycare and Ashley at the office for the day, I decided to head into work and set up my classroom a bit. I got to spend some time getting to know my brand new co-teacher and catch up with a few of my friends. Unlike last week, I even managed to get some work done!
Once a week we do a "Clean Out the Fridge" night where we finish off any leftovers that are in the fridge. We munched on leftover Taco & Black Bean Casserole from Friday along with Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole from the night before.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I headed back to school to setup my classroom. I spent a few hours decorating bulletin boards, cleaning, and hanging out with my co-workers.
Most Tuesdays we head to a local Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesdays. My mom and dad met us up there for a quick and easy dinner. We're so lucky that our family has been so welcoming and loving towards our foster kiddos. After dinner we popped in at my parents house so 5 could have a little bit of ice cream.
Wednesday
Wednesday was incredibly stressful. I had to attend an all-day mental health training that focused heavily on recognizing the warning signs of suicide. It was an extremely taxing day.
Since I was otherwise occupied, Ashley took 5 to her therapy appointment. The therapist expressed some very serious concerns about 5's cognitive levels and will be referring her to a psychiatrist for further testing and evaluation.
Man...it was a rough day.
Dinner tonight was bangin', if I do say so myself. We went to town on a delicious crock pot beef and broccoli dish that I'll be sharing the recipe for soon.
Thursday
Today was day 2 of training. Fortunately today's content was much, much lighter. The kiddos had another visit today. Unfortunately, Thursday visits are a bit earlier in the day so their routines are totally disrupted. Thursdays = no naps which in turn = 3 extremely cranky littles.
Tonight we had Trisha Yearwood's Crockpot Pork Tenderloin and then called it an early night.
Friday
The agency that is assigned to the kids case transports the kids to visits on Tuesday and Thursday. On Fridays, we take them to and from their visits. Unfortunately, the kids mom has been late or a no show so many times that she now has to show up at the visitation center 2 hours before the visit. If she doesn't, the visit gets canceled. We got a call saying that she was a no show today so the visit was called off. I feel bad for 5 (although she never knows when the visits are going to be) because I know how much she likes seeing her mom but with the visit canceled the twins were able to get some rest.
With visitations being a no-go, the kids will get picked up from daycare early and we'll have a little bit of family time. Dinner tonight was my favorite Steak Bites.
We spent today cleaning up the backporch and backyard for our playdates this weekend (yes, plural). I also typed up a few blog posts for next week including the Weekly Menu Plan, Melt In Your Mouth Mississippi Pot Roast, Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork, and The World's Best Egg Noodles. Make sure you've subscribed to the blog so you don't miss these great recipes!
Check back next Friday to see what we've been up to in the next installment of Around Our Kitchen Table!
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