Dinner Deliveries

One of the best things about having a baby is feeling that sense of community that accompanies it. Friends, family and acquaintances that reach out and offer help, advice, gifts and their time. The best of these is the dinner deliveries. Trust me, nobody wants to cook right after having a baby. I mean, we are dealing with our little newborn and our postpartum bodies. Our spouses are dealing with both of us and any other children. So dinners are heaven sent. I have often volunteered to take dinner to families in similar situations, or for other reasons. The day before I am supposed to make dinner, I can never think of anything to make. So, being inspired by DiscoMom's gift guides, I am making up a guide of good meals to prepare for others in need based on our recent experience (thanks everyone!). I am going to link to some recipes, but most of these have not been tested, they are just for inspiration.

First of all, here are some general guidelines:
-Always check for food allergies or aversions. My family doesn't have any, but many others do, and you DON'T want to drop something off that they cannot or will not eat.
- Put the dinner in throw-away containers. If you can't do that, clearly label your dishes. Trust me, this is a lifesaver if you are the recipient of many meals (which thankfully, we were).
- Include a green salad or fruit salad. If the new parents are not getting out much, they might not have a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables so this is a very nice touch. And as a recipient, it is delicious.
- Make enough for the whole family and leftovers for lunch the next day if possible.
- Do not feel like you have to be a gourmet, even if you buy a rotisserie chicken and a pre-made salad, the recipient is still glad it wasn't them that had to cook!
- If they have kids, make sure to include something they will eat. Nothing too spicy or that requires an "acquired taste". We are lucky that our kids will generally eat anything, but not all kids are that way.

Dinners for Delivery:
- Shepherd's Pie. I wouldn't have thought of this before, but here in England it is much more prevalent, and very tasty. It is fairly easy to make and you can change it up to use whatever you have on hand. You can use lamb or beef or even ground turkey for a healthier version. Added bonus - my kids, especially Enoch, love this.
- Quiche. Another thing I would not have thought of, but it was delicious when we got it. And it is something that travels well and has good leftovers.
- Stir Fry. We had someone give us Korean BBQ and it was fantastic, but not everyone knows how to do that. Stir Fry is nice because it has meat and vegetables all together and then you just cook up some rice to go with. Perfect!
- Pasta Pie. If you want something a little different than a casserole, try this. They can be very tasty.
- Tuna Casserole. Neither Dave nor I could remember the last time we ate this when we got one from a friend. It was delicious and a big hit with the kids. There are lots of other casseroles you could make, just throw in some meat, noodles, cheese and other ingredients and bake it until it looks and smells yummy.
- Baked Fettuccine Alfredo. This came to us with a lot of mushrooms and tasted so delicious I could have eaten it for days. Just make Fettuccine Alfredo and put it in a baking dish. Add cheese on top and bake it for a few minute to melt the cheese. In fact, baked Ziti and other baked pasta dishes are fantastic, there is a whole world here to discover.
- Chicken Enchiladas. A pan of enchiladas is always a hit at our house. If you do this, you could add some chips and salsa for some added veggies.
- Lasagne. A couple we know got 4 of these when they had a baby a couple of months ago, so before making this, you might want to make sure they haven't already gotten one. But a good lasagne is divine, so if you can make one, do. Include a loaf of garlic bread and salad and you will have friends forever.
- Soup. My kids are all summer babies, so I never received soup. However, if I ever receive a dinner in the winter, I would love a soup. In fact, we make a killer tomato soup. If you need one, call us. Excellent with fresh crusty bread.

Here are some ideas for something extra special:
- Include paper plates, napkins, and utensils so that no dishes will need to be washed.
- Throw in a bottle of sparkling juice or a fun drink the whole family can enjoy.
- Add a package of diapers and/or wipes to the delivery, new parents can NEVER have too many
- If including dessert, make something that can double as breakfast the next morning. Zucchini or banana bread or blueberry muffins are good options
- Add a little fruit basket. This is great for snacks as well as helping a new mom start to lose that excess baby weight
- With some of our really close friends we have gone over to their house a few weeks after birth and cooked a full gourmet meal. We took all of the ingredients, pots and pans and then took it all home so they didn't have to do any clean-up. It was really fun.

What are some of the best dishes you have either received or given? Any other things you would add for extra special items?

Phinn Grows

Showing off the little guy in some of the many presents he received. Above is a beautiful quilt made by Grandma Y and he is wearing an outfit the Crowleys sent us, too cute.

We'll try the Bumbo out when he is a little bigger, thanks Aunt K!
All of the cuteness wore us out.

D Family Visit

A couple of weeks ago my sister Stephanie, her husband Damien and their two adorable daughters Katie and Aubrey came to visit for a few days during their grand European tour. We had a lot of fun with them and our kids miss playing with them. Here are some pictures of them playing at Valley Gardens, which had been completely outfitted with a new playground. Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures, so you'll have to visit Steph's blog to see more of her family.

This is what Phinn did for the majority of the time they visited, what a sweetie.


One of our kids' favorite additions to the new playground is this awesome swing. It looks like a dragon and four kids climb up on it and work together to make the swing go. You can do it with just one kid, but it works better with four. How about teaching teamwork and having fun at the same time, very cool.

Rebuilding

Our townhouse is surrounded by major construction. For weeks now I have heard hammering, clanking, workman's voices and all sorts of other sounds all day long. It all began when the bottom floor flat in the townhouse next to us flooded. Apparently the flat flooded and two weeks later there was still a foot of black, disgusting water, covering the entire floor. The renters (who we ran into shortly afterwards and gave us the details) left the flat and their ruined belongings behind after getting no response from the landlord. Well, the landlord has definitely responded now in the form of a LOT of construction. We can see and hear the workmen redoing all of the interior and exterior, tossing out ruined belongings, replacing the fire escapes on all the flats, putting in a driveway, on and on and on. And I get to hear it, while trying to put my newborn to sleep, lovely.

If that wasn't bad enough, last week I heard hammering coming from the townhouse on the other side. I looked out the window to see what was going on and hoping that they were just hanging a really big picture. No, it was not going to be quick and simple. Yes, they are putting in a bathroom and now I am completely surrounded by construction and its symphony. I am waiting for it all to end.

And then today it dawned on me. Our family is rebuilding too. We just added a wing to our household - Phinn. We are checking out all of his traits, his likes and dislikes and the added joys of having him in our family. In return, we are each re-validating ourselves and our roles. I am a mother of three now. Being a mother of two is perfectly socially acceptable, but the move to three raises some eyebrows. Especially since we already had a boy and a girl. (I know this just gets worse the larger the family gets). But I wouldn't have it any other way. Enoch is now a big brother and Hilde is an outnumbered girl. Dave has more of us to juggle and spends a lot of time with Hilde and Enoch so I can take care of Phinn. So we are growing, evolving, and learning about ourselves and each other. This is our rebuilding year. And so now I sit here listening to the noises outside and thinking about how excited I am to see how our family is remodeled. And it doesn't end here of course. Because in reality, each year is a building year, I just needed the reminder.

One Month and Growing

Remarkably, yesterday marked one month since Phinn's birth. He is a great baby, very sweet and beautiful. At this point there isn't much of his personality, but he is definitely growing and developing. Much of his days and nights are spent sleeping. He is starting to smile and makes some high pitched cooing noises to show his pleasure with things. He loves Hilde and is a little wary of Enoch who can be too active for him. He has intense gazes and spends a lot of time just checking out his surroundings. His neck is incredibly strong and you have to be careful when holding him or he will pitch backwards. He futs right in and we think he is perfect.

The Famous Mr. Coates

Here is a picture of Mr. Coates from Darley's website.

Darley Taster Day

On July 15th Darley Primary School had their taster day for the kids going into Reception (think kindergarten) in September. Enoch knew the uniform since Hilde wears it everyday during the school year, so he demanded to put on dark pants, a white polo, and one of Hilde's jumpers (sweatshirts). We spent almost 3 hours there. He got to go to his classroom, meet his teacher, play with the kids that are there now, meet other kids going there next year, etc. The parents meanwhile met with the headmaster, Mr. Coates. Mr. Coates is a short, fairly young guy and very nice. Hilde (and the other girls at her school I am sure) has a crush on him. He went through the school's values, how things work, etc. Then we gathered Enoch up and ate a school lunch together. Enoch left thrilled to start school in September, so I would consider it a good "taster" of what's to come. Oh, and we did confirm that he will be the cutest kid in his class, no surprise.

Happy 4th Birthday E!

On July 11th our little boy turned 4. It is hard to believe that four years ago we held this tiny little infant in our arms, especially when today we can compare him to Phineas. Enoch was really hoping his brother would be born on his birthday, but he waited another 9 days. In the long run that will probably be for the best, but Enoch was a little disappointed. Enoch got to plan the day. We didn't have anything set up in advance and didn't invite any friends in case we had to rush off to the hospital, but it was a perfect day for him anyway. He ended it with a trip to the Squinting Cat (a kids play place/restaurant), an all chocolate castle cake (which was demanded weeks in advance) and presents. Each year he continues to amaze us with his quick intelligence, clever communication and love of life. He is truly a wonderful kid who we are lucky to have in our home. We love you, happy birthday E!

Knight in Shining Armor

This is a common look for our little boy these days. Sir Enoch is ready to protect you from fiery dragons, napping monsters, ugly trolls, and silly daddy which are all abundant at our house as it turns out. His sword is sharp, his armor strong and his smile and giggles contagious. You have been warned.

Plumpton Rocks

Just a few miles from our house, tucked away where it was a little difficult to find, was this little gem Plumpton Rocks. To get in you turn down a "road" which our car was very nearly too wide for. Then you pass a little shack with a person sitting in a lawn chair collecting money for your entry. After that you have to find parking in an area not remotely resembling a parking lot and then navigate your way to any type of path. Once you get past all that, you are rewarded with quite a nice scenic area. It is mostly a small lake with large rock outcroppings and a path around the lake. It was very beautiful and we would have spent a significant amount of time there, but Hilde was stung by a hornet, her first sting ever, and we made a quick exit. The poor girl was pretty scared by the whole thing, but she was brave enough to ask if we could stop on our way back and have daddy say a blessing for her to get better. She doesn't want to go back any time soon though.


A nice view of the lake, and my pregnant belly a couple of weeks before giving birth. We think we can take the kids fishing here sometime.



The hornet sting swelled up right away to the size you see here, but within an hour the swelling was gone and you had to look to find the spot where she was stung.

Janet visits Fountains Abbey

Janet came through town on her tour of England and Scotland. It was nice to see her and the kids loved showing her around. Here are some pictures from our trip to Fountains Abbey.



Enoch was being Kung Fu Panda in the two pictures below.

Younce kids in flight -


We had some of the best weather of the summer, a perfect day out.