jgalvinwhite

Back to School (Breakfast!)

Posted on August 17, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

We started back to school this week…and the go to bed at a decent time / wake up early struggle is real (for the adults as well as the kids!) Once the kids started kindergarten, I decided I better go all in to get them excited about going back to school. To be honest, my goal with sending them off to school to have the best day ever is also for myself. Each year, I’m a little sad when I realize how quickly time is passing. Also, each year, it’s hard for me to get in my own back to school groove. While I’m always happy to get back in my classroom and meet new students, it’s not as simple as that. As a teacher, with the return to school, it also means: meetings, organizing my classroom, planning lessons, making copies, learning 150 new names, writing a professional growth plan, evaluations, waking up early…the list goes on and on…as well as juggling life and activities at home.

One of my favorite blogs to read is Momfessionals. She is a teacher as well and does a Back to School Brinner (breakfast for dinner) the night before school starts. http://www.momfessionals.com/2019/08/back-to-school-brinner.html#more

After reading about her brinner a few years ago, I thought it would be fun to start the Back to School Breakfast tradition at my house.

It may look like a lot of effort goes into kicking the school year off right for my family, but I have it down to a science now, and I keep all my props in a tub with lid that I just pull out when it’s time for our Back to School Breakfast.

I set up the night before school starts. I’m always afraid I will forget something in the morning if I wait until then.

I bake the muffins a day or two before. Usually, I ‘m throwing a PopTart at them to eat in the morning, so I’m always happy to start the school year with muffins, yogurt, and strawberries. The muffins are just made from a Betty Crocker mix. Easy peasy.

I printed the “Back to School Breakfast” page off of the internet back when the kids were in kindergarten and have kept it in a folder for safe keeping.

Like most of my back to school books, I found This School Year Will Be the Best Yet on Amazon a few years ago. When the kids were younger, we usually read it after the first day of school, but now that doesn’t seem to always happen.

I always just pull a few apples from the fridge to add as decoration, and the kids snack on them later, of course.

I’ve had this chalkboard for years. I actually have a couple of them, and sometimes I use them around the house. After using it for a breakfast decoration, the kids use it for the back to school pictures I make them take 😉

I believe this is the third year that I’ve purchased back to school cookies for the kids. I’ve had such great luck buying cookies from some local ladies to support their small businesses. These cookies are from Maddie’s Cookie Company here in Lexington,and I’ve even taken a couple of decorating classes from her. I always have so much fun and dream of doing this one day on the side…but it takes so much time and effort. I certainly understand the price point after seeing what goes in to making these cookies.

The black plates, book, napkins and paper apples all came from Amazon. Honestly, it was a 20 pack of napkins, but I use the same folded one every year. The apples came in a pack as well, and I just use a new one each year and write their new grade level on it. I think this is the second year I’ve use the folder as a placemat with the same sticky note with their name on it. The placemat idea came from the Momfessionals blog. Lastly, I’m always surprised with what books I find on Amazon after searching for whatever grade the kids are starting. Thankfully, both my kids like to read, so it’s a way to keep them reading and give them something to start the year.

Luckily, the kids oblige with my back to school pictures, and I appreciate it. Time is flying by, and it’s nice to have the pictures to compare each year. (while I’m curled up in the corner crying 😉 Hadley’s shirt is the best: More Summer Please!

It’s such a blessing to live so close to our kids’ elementary school. We always walk the first day (and I snap a backpack picture). We usually walk 2-3 days a week until November and then again in the spring when it warms up after spring break. We’d walk every day, but I have to hustle to school, so dropping off some days does provide for a quicker turn around time for me. I really enjoy walking with them, and Travis joins us on the walk as well (and this year, Homer too!)…thus giving the two of us 1:1 time when we walk home to get a plan for whatever activities we have going on after school or that week.

This year, their school really welcomed the students with cute and colorful yard signs!

Lastly, here’s my classroom as I start my 18th year of teaching. I’m hoping all three of us have a great year!

It’s hard to believe that I only have one more back to school breakfast for the kids before they start middle school. Middle school has a later start time, so I may have to use the Back to School Brinner idea because who knows what our mornings will look like once the kids are in 6th grade?! It may sound cheesy, but I always want all three of us to start the year putting our best feet forward, and I think the breakfast tradition is a great way to set the tone for the year.

I hope everyone has had a great first week of school. I’ve taken a nap every afternoon this week as the back to school transition is always the hardest on me! I’m planning on resting up this weekend before all of our activities start up next week!

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Everyday Life

The Halfway Point- Part 2

Posted on August 13, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Continuing on with all the summer fun we had…

The kids were on our pool’s swim team for the third summer in a row. Hadley loves it while Hayden likes it most of the time. It’s a great summer activity for them as far as exercise and socialization. They moved up to the 9-10 age group this year which was an adjustment, but it was awesome to see them swim faster each meet as well as qualify to swim all four strokes this year. They had so much fun with their friends, and the parents like to socialize too!

Besides adding Homer to our family, I’d say another highlight was going on vacation. We are blessed to be able to use Trav’s aunt and uncle’s house in Florida. Hadley and I left a few days before the boys because Hayden had baseball. We enjoyed our time together, but I know Hayden (&Trav) is more fun than I am (especially when it comes to playing in the ocean and on the beach.) Since we were there for about ten days, we also scheduled a trip to Disney World for a day. We did this a few years ago, and since it’s a long day of travel to and from the park as well as all the park activities, we decided to make it a two day trip. We arrived on a Thursday and stayed at the Polynesian Resort. We lounged by the pool, the kids rode the water slide quite a few times (Travis and I did too!), and then we had dinner at a really neat Italian restaurant in Disney Springs. Then, we made it back to the hotel in time to watch the Magic Kingdom’s amazing fireworks right from our balcony. The next morning, we were up early for breakfast and were at the park by 9:00. We rode every ride we wanted to starting with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Roller Coaster and ending our day riding Splash Mountain (where I ended up the most soaked, of course!) Since we saw the fireworks the night before, we left the park around 7:00 making it back to Siesta Key by dark. Then, we capped off vacation with a few more days at the beach. I’m always worried how the four of us will be while being together 24/7 for so long…but we really do always have a great time and enjoy the down time.

After a long night of travel, we were excited to relax on the beach.

We eat dinner early most evenings, so we can catch the sun setting on the beach.

Hadley was excited to see her brother on day 4 of vacay.

We definitely hope to go back to the Polynesian one day.

Family Fun = this year’s Christmas card pic!

The last few days at the beach were the best. The weather and the water were perfect.

Sis found a sandbar and knows how to relax

These guys ate their weight in oysters on this trip. Hadley and I aren’t about that life…

Our flight wasn’t until later in the evening, so we had time to hit the beach for a couple of hours on the last day. We always take the time to say goodbye to the ocean. “If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt mixed with water.” – Nayyirah Waheed

After we packed up, the kids let me take one last pic. It’s a family tradition to take a pic in front of the palm trees at Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jim’s Florida house. Many family members have done so through the years.

Until next time…that’s a wrap on our SK vacay

We arrived home to see the biggest zucchini ever that had been plucked from our garden (See previous post about the recipes we made using it)

The kids participated in a couple of camps this summer as well. This was the first year Hayden signed up for basketball camp; he also played summer basketball for a local league. Hadley has loved the volleyball camp at my school for the past three summers.

We had lots of family time over the summer with visits from out of town grandparents and in town cousins.

Wyatt and Layla cheered for H&H during one of their swim meets.

Dinner with cousins! (photo cred: Uncle Chet!)

Both of the kids learned to ride their bikes a few years ago thanks to the help of a neighbor friend. After an accident a couple of years ago, Hayden swore off bike riding….so much so that we sold his bike in a garage sale. Well, two years later and Hayden decided he wanted to ride a bike again. After riding Hadley’s pink bike for about a month, a friend of ours gave us a bike that they didn’t need anymore. Hayden’s been riding all over the neighborhood! (with a helmet, of course!)

One final “to do” on our Summer Fun List was to see a movie. This summer, we saw Aladdin, Toy Story 4, and to wrap up the summer, we saw Lion King. We all loved it, but I probably loved it the most!

For the final weekend of summer, we celebrated Trav’s mom’s 70th birthday at a local restaurant in Louisville.

The siblings celebrating Maryla’s 70th birthday

The final fun of summer break 2019 was that Travis and I went out to dinner at a nearby sushi restaurant. Sushi and chardonnay for dinner…followed by an early bedtime for me.

That’s a wrap on summer 2019. I know we still technically have a few weeks left of summer, but the fun is over for the most part around here. haha

Tomorrow, the kids start 4th grade (how is that even possible?!) Truth: third grade was no joke, so I’m hoping that this will be a smoother transition and the best year yet…and I start my 18th year teaching. I know what you are thinking…I don’t look that old! 😉

I’m blessed to have this time with the kids. I know I’m not stay at home mom material, but I love having these pockets of time with them throughout the year.

Enjoy these days. They fly by! It’s basically almost 2020 😉

Happy reading,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Everyday Life

The Halfway Point- Part 1

Posted on August 12, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Summer before having kids: sleeping in, watching an endless amount of Golden Girls in the morning, sipping coffee, lounging by the pool, and then spending 4:30-5:30 cramming in all the things I was supposed to do during the day to make it appear to Travis that I had actually been a productive member of society.

Summers with young kids: planning every moment of the day, living for nap time (for the kids and for myself!), endless snacks, and then gladly handing them off to someone better equipped than myself (we had the best sitter- Ms. Joan), to spend 8+ daytime hours with them, and hightailing it to school.

Summers with older elementary age kids: I cherish this time. Our days are mixed with learning, being productive, but also relaxing. Pool time, camps, swim team, time with friends, seeing movies, vacations, late bedtimes and more.

I’m not sure who “they” are (I guess other parents?!), but “they” say you only have 18 summers with your kids, so make the best of them. As this summer comes to a close, it will probably be best for all of us to get back in the routine of school, but I am clinging to this summer extra tight. It dawned on me recently that I’m to the halfway point. I’ve had nine summers with Hayden and Hadley, and I have nine left. I’m guessing as time goes on, they are going to want to be around me less as they gain independence and become the ones at the pool who steer clear of adults….but don’t get it twisted, they’ll still have to swing by my shady spot under the umbrella, interrupt my book reading to ask for money, so there’s always that. As we head into this school year, I thought I’d take a moment to put all of our summer memories in one place. It’s been a great summer; I know I’m blessed to have my summer days with them, but #mamaisstilltired

I’d say the highlight of our summer, for all of us, was adding our dog Homer to our family. We’d lost both of our Boxers, 10 year old Scout and 12 year old Shiloh, within eleven months of each other. My heart wasn’t really ready for a new dog, but my practical side tends to overtake my heart sometimes and summer seemed like the best time to add a dog to our family. After a few weeks of searching on Petfinder, we I found Homer. Travis wasn’t completely on board with a puppy (he definitely wanted another dog—just not necessarily a puppy ;), but I was around the same age as the kids, after losing a dog, then being surprised with a puppy. I knew they’d remember getting him and are also at the age to be of (some) help. When I found Homer, he was named Glorious (and had two brothers Notorious and Victorious). They were 10-12 weeks old and had been abandoned on the side of the road and nursed back to health by the wonderful people at Tails of Hope Rescue in Cincinnati, OH. There was a big name debate in the car, but just as we pulled in the parking lot to pick him up, Hayden suggested the name Homer. (I’m sure thinking about baseball…but I will take a Homer Odyssey reference any day 🙂 We all agreed on the name, and were excited to get him home. He’s supposedly a lab/retriever mix and has been a wonderful addition; we’ve had tons of fun with him this summer. Thankfully, I think we have him house broken, he loves his kennel (although, we realized he knows how to open it, so he’s triple locked in there now!), but of course, nibbles at our ankles and chews on flip flops. Thankfully, he’s cute.

This is the pic that I saw on Petfinder of “Glorious.” Such a sweet face!

Homer is getting to be a big boy. When we got him eight weeks ago, he weighed 11 lbs and now weighs 27 lbs!

We spend a lot of time at the pool during the summer. To be honest, once we joined this pool a few years ago, summer became a little easier…because activities take less planning…going to the pool is an easy way to burn some energy, see friends, and have a snack or two.

In June, Travis and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary with a nice dinner and then in July, we celebrated Trav’s bday in between baseball games!

Hadley went to sleep away camp for the first time this summer. She was gone from Sunday to Saturday. To say I was more nervous than she was would be an understatement….but as I assumed would be the case, she had the time of her life and barely missed us. She was lucky enough to have a couple of good friends going as well, so that eased my mind with this major milestone! He won’t admit it, while Hayden loved the 1:1 time with us, he missed her. When I picked her up, she said, “Sign me up for next year, and I haven’t brushed my teeth since Monday!” haha I loved ending my day seeing camp pics online! The pics eased my worried heart.

On the 4th of July, we had an awesome opportunity to go to a nearby lake with some friends. It was weird not having Hadley with us, but Hayden and his friends had fun tubing (the moms tubed, too!), swimming, and jumping from the cliffs. We got home just in time to see the fireworks from our favorite spot in town.

Awesome way to end of 4th of July (just missing Hadley!)

While Hadley had a new “first” with camp this summer, Hayden had a “first” with playing summer baseball for the Turkey Feet. He had so much fun with friends, old and new, and learned so much along the way. He loved pitching even if it made me a nervous wreck!

Hayden and Hadley also had a great time attending our church’s Vacation Bible School. The VBS for this summer was “camp” themed. They had an awesome time with their friends (& cousin Wyatt!) singing, playing games, making crafts, cooking s’mores and learning more about the Bible and Jesus.

Real talk: when I set out to write this summer post, I assumed I could fit it all in one post….but I guess we had a busier summer than I thought! Part 2 will be shared tomorrow. If you made it to the end, thanks! If not, this is still a good way to share with family and friends near and far what we’ve been up to…and a way for me to have everything all in one place.

If you need me, you can find me sitting through six hours of professional development today. Summer is officially over for me!

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Delish Desserts, Meals and Recipes

Zucchini Recipes

Posted on August 9, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

So…we (my husband) planted a small garden this summer. Two summers ago we (my husband) planted one, and we had a vast amount of cucumbers, zucchini, and green peppers. Last summer, we ran out of time in the spring to plant anything, so this year we (my husband) made it a priority to plant a garden again. I (really it WAS me–I’m in charge of watering!) gave all the crops equal love and attention…but what we have ended up with so far is: one decently sized cucumber, about three strawberries the size of my pinky fingernail….and TONS of zucchini. While on vacation, my friend Natalie stopped by to check on our dog Homer ….and took a peek at our garden. She texted me to say there was a huuuuuggggge zucchini that had grown and sent me a pic. When we returned home, I couldn’t believe what I saw sitting on our counter. The pic did not do the size justice.

We are zucchini farmers now. I repeat. We are zucchini farmers now. #itsasbigasababy

So–after sharing this pic on Facebook, a few friends reached out to me with a couple of recipes. With those two recipes + the help of Pinterest, we used this zucchini to make: zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini casserole, and chocolate chip zucchini muffins….#allfromthisbadboy!

I thought I’d share those recipes with you.

Recipe 1: Zucchini Bread:

Well–I turned to Pinterest for this recipe, made the recipe with help from Hadley, was disappointed with the final product (I blame ~~Hadley~~. Kidding. I think I forgot to drain the zucchini), and didn’t even get a photo of said failed zucchini bread. That being said, my people ate it…we just avoided the middle part. #keepingitrealoverhere I thought about trying to make it again…but…instead thought I’d turn to one of my favorite recipes of all time: chocolate zucchini cake.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Zucchini Cake:

My friend Courtney shared this recipe with me years ago. I hadn’t even heard of chocolate zucchini cake until she shared the recipe with me. I made it many times for years, but I guess I lost the recipe….until she sent it to me again (and gave me permission to share) after seeing the zucchini the size of a baby pic on Facebook. This cake is out of this world! No lie. Here’s the recipe:

 1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened 
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 c. shredded zucchini (about 3-4 zucchini) (or 1/4 of a zucchini the size of a baby 😉
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in zucchini.
Spread into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
**After it cools, I spread whipped topping on the cake as "icing."

I took a pic of the finished product, but then deleted it by accident from my phone. Believe me, the cake tastes even better than the pic I would have shared with you. #bloggingfail.

Recipe 3: Zucchini Casserole:

Another recipe shared with me was from my neighbor (and my friend Amy’s mom), Shelley. This casserole would be a great side dish. We had it to eat the other night with chicken we (my husband) grilled. It was a hit. Three out of four family members devoured it…and to be honest, I love her, but Hadley’s non vote doesn’t count because she lives on salmon, mac and cheese, and waffle with Nutella. Here’s this wonderful recipe (which by the way, kind of tastes like pizza…not kidding!):

2 medium thinly sliced zucchinis
sliced green pepper rings
sliced onion rings
tomato sliced thin
grated mozzarella cheese
bacon (I used about six slices of the microwave kind and chopped it up)
oregano, garlic salt, pepper

I used a smaller baking dish (7ish by 11ish) and began layering with zucchini. After the tomato, I sprinkled the spices, then sprinkled cheese, and then topped with crumbled bacon. I repeated the layers and toppings once more ending with shredded cheese and bacon. 
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

This turned out so tasty! Also, I remembered to take a pic!

Recipe 4: Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (from Bake. Eat. Repeat. on Pinterest)

Chocolate zucchini muffins

Hadley and I made these muffins together with Homer right at our feet. Just FYI- I had enough batter for 12 muffins and then ended up using the leftover batter to make 10 mini muffins since that’s the only other muffin tin I have (and wanted to bake everything at once). I baked the regular sized muffins for about 20 minutes and the mini muffins were finished in about 10 minutes.

Who knew with a little water, luck, and love, I’d (we’d) grow an award winning (in my mind) zucchini?!

Give one (or two!) of these recipes a try!

Happy baking!

New instagram: @showmeandsweettea

Books and Shows

Vacation Reads

Posted on August 5, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

I read five books while on vacation…and loved them all.

I started reading The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand right before we left for vacation. I’ve read a few of her books, and it was what I expected in terms of the setting and the plot. Twin sisters that had been estranged for years were brought back together after a death in the family. One sister lived in Nantucket while the other lived on Martha’s Vineyard. Of course, since they are twins, that adds to the events of the plot along with other family drama. I paused this book halfway through to move on to The Silent Patient not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but it was a slower read for me. I wrapped up reading it after finishing The Silent Patient. It was definitely a great vacation read.

The next book I read was The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I read this book in two days as it gripped my interest from the first page. I’m a huge fan of thrillers as long as I have all the lights on or am reading in the daylight! I had heard a lot of hype about this one, and it definitely lived up to it. The main character, Alicia Berenson, killed her husband and it’s up to the psychotherapist to get her to hopefully open up and talk. The ending was definitely thriller-worthy and full of twists.

My love for suspenseful novels continued with my next read, The Breakdown, by B.A. Paris. I’ve also read Bring Me Back and Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, and I’m a huge fan. This book had me feeling sympathetic for the main character, Cass, as it seemed she had no one to turn to while feeling guilt-ridden after being the last person to see Jane alive on her drive home. Also, with a family history of dementia, she was genuinely concerned that she was suffering the way her mother had. Also, she received numerous silent phone calls which also led to her feelings of madness. I can honestly say that I wasn’t expecting the other characters to have such an impact on the plot, and I was definitely pleased with the ending.

The next book I read was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Now, talk about hype. I’ve been hearing about this book for quite some time, and I almost felt like I was hearing so much about it that it made me not want to read it. Once summer arrived, and I had more time to read, I requested it from the public library. Well, apparently I’d have to wait as at least 200 other people were in the queue too! So many people told me I should buy it or borrow it, so I borrowed it (thanks to my friend Amy!) Let me just say I know most everyone has really enjoyed this read, but I didn’t want it to end…I pretty much fell in love with this book, and it has been awhile since I have fallen in love with a read.

First of all, there was a To Kill a Mockingbird feel to this book, and TKAM is one of all time favorite reads. (What kind of English teacher would I be if I didn’t love To Kill a Mockingbird?! Hello! I named my dog Scout! 🙂 I loved the setting of North Carolina, so the masterful way the small town mixed with the swamp and marsh was described kept me wanting to read more. The world can be so cruel, and it is up to us to make choices on how to navigate the ups and downs of life, and Kya did just that. Mix in a murder and trial, and I’m sold.

I had about 50 pages to go and was up late reading, and I thought about cranking it out because of course I wanted to know how it ended…but often times, if I’m reading a book I love, I actually don’t want it to end. So, I went to bed looking forward to waking up and reading the end. I wasn’t disappointed, but dang, did I feel my heartstrings being pulled. I love the William Feather quote, “Finishing a good book is like leaving a good friend.” Kya felt like my friend, one who I had some things in common with like enjoying solitude and doing whatever it takes to get through the tough times in life. This is a book I will remember forever, and certainly in my top five books I’ve read in my life. Run, don’t walk, to read this book. Even if you don’t love it like I do, I know you will connect with it on some level.

I wrapped up vacation reading Verity by Colleen Hoover. I’ve also read It Ends with Us and All Your Perfects by her as well. Verity was recommended by a book club I’ve joined (but haven’t yet met most of the people in it…haha). I started this book the last morning of vacation, read fifty percent of it on the plane ride home, and then finished within the next two days. It really was a book that could also be labeled a page turner. I actually thought the beginning was rather slow, but the plot definitely picked up the pace and kept my attention until the very end. Verity is the name of an author who can’t finish writing the rest of her series of books, so Lowen (Low) is hired to do so. This means she has to move in to Verity’s house for awhile, work in Verity’s office while also meeting her family. Their family has been struck with tragedy many times, so the reader is aware that Low should have her guard up. Low definitely ends up second guessing her own mental state while interacting with the family, meeting Verity, and living in the house. **Warning** this book would be deemed R rated in some parts. This book was full of twists and turns and most certainly a good way to wrap up my vacation reading.

I have one more book that I’m hoping to get read before school starts back, and that’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. I know the movie is coming out soon, and I’ve been meaning to read this for awhile…plus, with my love for dogs, I know it’s a “must read” for me.

Hopefully one (or more!) of these books will be of interest to you! Happy reading.

About me…

Posted on August 4, 2019May 19, 2020 by jgalvinwhite

Welcome to my blog…Starting a blog has been a goal of mine for quite awhile. As a busy mom to twins, working full time as a high school English teacher and being married (full time! haha) as well, it was difficult to carve out the time to start one. Finding the extra time held me back….as well as thinking of a name! This summer, I made starting a blog one of my main goals to accomplish. Recently, I really started to focus on what to name the blog and I realized I should combine my past (my roots) with the present (my life) to form the name. I was born and raised in Missouri, so the ‘Show Me’ state will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve lived in Lexington, KY for fifteen years, and while you won’t hear me say, “Bless your heart,” my love for a good monogram and a “Hey, ya’ll” shows that I’ve picked up a bit of the south through the years, along with a sip (or two) of sweet tea.

My main hope for this blog is to be a creative outlet for myself while also sharing about my family, books I’m reading, or new recipes that I’ve tried. I began reading various blogs a few years ago, and there are some I read every morning to start my day. To be honest, some of these blogs have changed my life in both big and small ways, and if something I post can be of help to others, I figured why not give this blogging thing a try?

Thanks for stopping by and reading along…and hopefully, throughout time, more than possibly just my mom will be reading this. (Hey, mom!)

Happy reading,

Jen