Reading to the children and on my own

We've been focusing on trying to finish Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes as our bedtime chapter book, and the other night we finally got through it.  Personally, I loved it, and so did the boy.  I'm not as sure that Clara was a big fan, but they both did very well listening.  We're definitely going to have to read The Moffats, by the same author.  In the meantime I think we're going to take a different turn and read some Beverly Cleary.

Now what have I been reading?  A bit of this and a bit of that, really.  We were traveling quite a bit this month so I read Pride and Prejudice again, and then picked up and finished a book by a Canadian author - The Door Is Open - about Christian hospitality.  Now I'm reading some Barbara Pym and Kristin Lavransdattar is waiting for me.  A little intimidated.

My children eat fish

Of course, it's not their favourite meal, but here's three ways (all very easy) that the children won't moan when I put fish in front of them.  Which I do.  At least once a week.  Because I'm mean.

Creamed Salmon (or tuna) On Toast

Essentially you make a bechamel sauce - heat a fat, whisk in a flour until smooth, slowly add warm milk until a thick cream sauce happens - and season with salt, pepper, etc.  Add your flaked canned fish, serve over toast.  You can add peas if you like.

Breaded Fish

Shake those pieces of fish in a shake-n-bake coating and bake them in the oven.

Maple Salmon

I marinate the fish in a marinade of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, maple syrup and then bake.

Back

We got back a few days ago from two weeks away (I can't say it was a vacation, really) and we were incredibly happy for the break.  The first week we drove about 10 hours in one day to get to the city and saw my sister and her 6 month old twins, who I'd never met, and spent some time with David's parents and family and our friends.  Then David drove an hour to the conference he had to go to, spent the night, drove back on day two to get the girls and I, drove back, then drove all of us back the next day after the conference was over.  Whew.  Lots of highway driving.  Then we had another few days in the city with more trips to see people, and then we all packed up for a week at family camp.  Camp was wonderful for the children but wasn't much of a break for us, but we did eat a lot of food and go swimming every day.  Then back again up north with an overnight stop to see even more family until finally we showed up at our door - with a summer cold and a lot of laundry and dirty children in the back seat.

So for the past couple of days we've been busy - visiting a parishioner in the nursing home who is leaving us, grocery shopping, picking up the cats from the kennel, taking the car in to be serviced, airing out the house and pushing through the laundry situation.

Today, hopefully, we'll have the car all fixed up, or at least as fixed up as a 13 year old car is going to get.  I've made cherry jam and I'm trying to figure out if my sanity is up for taking all three children out to pick strawberries so I don't miss the harvest.  David is almost over the summer cold he picked up at camp, and I just have a bit of a cough, but at least one child is sick and that's resulting in a lot of tv and rest.

Anyway, here we are halfway into the week already and I'm pacing myself for the rest of the incredibly busy summer.