For the third year in a row, Kate is a part of the Germantown Gators swim team. I just looked back at my very first post about swim team and had to laugh – we were such rookies! Now we are a full-fledged swim team family – we have a pop up shelter and everything. We’ve hit the big leagues!
She is having a great time, and so are we. The team is a fantastic group – and I don’t just mean the kids! The great (and sometimes overwhelming) thing about swim team is that it really does involve the entire family (and a lot of time), and as a result we’ve gotten to know the other families and made some really good friends. The parents and kids are all really supportive of each other, too, which is refreshing.
While I don’t think I’ll be sending Kate off to one of those Olympic training farms any time soon, she is becoming a stronger swimmer every day and I enjoy watching her confidence grow.
And the best part? She has a ton of fun.
Someone remind me how warm and fuzzy I feel about all of this during the 14-hour Championships day, ok?
I must say I had a very fun time making all my ReadySetEat recipes this month! I liked ’em so much there were three I wanted to tell you about. The first, pictured above is the Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwich. Umm…hands down one of the easiest and best-tasting recipes I have ever made in my life. It’s a slow-cooker recipe also so it gets bonus points in my book!I made it for Fathers Day dinner and let’s just say Bobby was very pleased! We had the leftovers the next day also and they were just as tasty as the first go-round. Seeeriously, you gotta make this one!
That's Chef Boyardee Ravioli in there!
The second recipe I loved was the Ravioli Lasagna. Partially because it’s made with good ol’ Chef Boyardee Ravioli! Now I can be a bit juvenile in my tastes and I love. Chef Boyardee. Ravioli. As a matter of fact, when I was still working I used to take it to work for lunch all the time! Mmmmm! Anyways, turns out it makes a mean main ingredient in this lasagna as well. It was so easy to make, just add in some tomatoes, spinach, cottage cheese, and whammo – it tastes like a million bucks! And smelled divine baking, I couldn’t wait for it to be done.
Finally, my third fave recipe from this month is this Minestrone Pasta Salad. What a great summer salad! It didn’t take long at all to make and it was so flavorful and healthy! It’s made with kidney beans, zucchini, carrots, seasoned Hunt’s tomatoes, lite italian dressing, and parmesan cheese as well as pasta of course. I love the crunch of the veggies in contrast with the pasta and kidney beans. And the flavor is SO yummy. Definitely a salad to share with others this summer!
So those are some of my latest ReadySetEat favorites – and I love that I can save them in my recipe box and come back to them time and time again! With the site’s great features, I can also find out where the ingredients are on sale near me and get the full nuritional value of each recipe. It couldn’t be any easier! What recipes are you trying out this summer?
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I am being compensated for my work on the ReadySetEat Shared Tastes Panel. All opinions about the recipes are my own.
As I may have mentioned, *ahem*, the thought of having three kids home this summer was pretty daunting. So I’ve been doing my best to keep us all busy and having fun! And now I’ve got another great source for summer ideas, because I am participating in Gilt Children’s Summer Spectacular – I am a Gilty Mom! For four weeks this summer, you can go to Gilt Children’s Facebook page to get great summer fun tips from some of your favorite mom bloggers. (Some of my favorite summer celebrations involve family and sidewalk chalk! How about you??) You can also, of course, get updates on the latest and greatest sales going on at Gilt Children, where you can become a member for free and get great member-only prices on luxury kids clothes and toys, and gorgeous kids’ decor items, too! I’ve totally got my eye on this Trunki tote from Melissa & Doug:
And look at this adorable lady bug suitcase!
Right now, you can also get $10 off a $50 purchase at Gilt Children by shopping through this link. This is an exclusive for Mommin’ It Up readers!
So head on over to Gilt Children’s Facebook page for tips on how to celebrate summer with your kiddos and then shop their site to find some great stuff to help you do so! The $10 off of $50 promotion ends July 18th!
What do you do to make summer spectacular with your kiddos?
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I am being compensated for participating in Gilt’s Summer Spectacular thanks to Gilt Children and the Motherhood.com.
