Since Keenan and I didn’t have to be anywhere today, it was a perfect day to do some painting! Giselle inspired me to do something with our little pumpkins (we are saving our larger pumpkins for carving!) that we picked-up at the pumpkin patch this weekend.
After a lazy morning of reading and cuddling in bed (Keenan woke up at 8:00 a.m.!), we had some No Oat Oatmeal with pumpkin (which tasted so much like warm pumpkin pie!) and then started our painting project!
Before painting, I used tape to make a K for Keenan’s initial and then had him add the rest of the tape. After we were all done taping, I peeled the rest of the tape away around the K and we headed outside to paint! Keenan had fun mixing all of the colors together and painting away! I had him wear his bib, so there was much less mess/paint to clean-up this time. Once the paint dries, we will peel off all of the tape and the pumpkins should have some pretty good designs (I’ll be sure to post some pictures!). Since there was leftover paint, Keenan also painted a picture. Slinky sat right next to us the whole time, but she managed to get away before Keenan could paint her (like he did last time)!
All taped!
Our almost finished project (once the pumpkins dry, we’ll peel off the tape).
After we finished painting, we played in the sandbox for a while making “sand drinks” and “sand cakes.” Keenan was pretending our drinks and cakes were all kinds of flavors, such as chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla, strawberry, etc. To decorate our cakes, we picked-up leaves from the ground and added them to the top. It was a lot of fun! Since I haven’t pruned or weeded in a while, Keenan was my “Gardening Helper.” He helped me “prune,” by holding the branches/areas that needed a trim, picking them up and putting them in piles. As a team, we got everything trimmed and picked-up before lunch!
Fun in the sandbox!
Speaking of help, Keenan is all about helping these days. He loves to get his little step stool and help us cook, bake, wash dishes and make the coffee. In the last two weeks, he has taken more of an interest in helping us with daily tasks. It is so cute, because he always says, “Keenan help Mommy do dishes”, or “Keenan help Daddy make coffee.” I hope it continues!
After we finished painting and cleaning-up our back yard, we had lunch. Instead of going on and on about our lunch (since I want to keep things fresh and “mix things up a bit“), here is a picture of Keenan’s (leftover quesadilla from yesterday) and I forgot to take a picture of mine (a loaded turkey sandwich with spinach, lettuce, tomato, avocado and carrots), sorry!
Keenan’s lunch!
Of course, lunch wouldn’t be complete without a cheesy smile!
Now, onto Quest Bars:
The box of samples!
Quest Bars are protein bars that are different than most nutrition bars out there. They are made with wholesome ingredients and very few of them, at that! The ingredients are whey protein, milk protein isolate, almond butter or peanut butter (depending on the bar), dry roasted almonds or peanuts (depending on the bar), cocoa, sea salt, stevia and any other natural flavors. In addition, they are packed with protein (20 grams per bar) and fiber (17-18 grams per bar)! Also, they are pretty low in calories considering how much nutrition you are getting. Each bar is roughly 160-200 calories. It is definitely a lot of bang for your calorie buck!
Good nutrition!
The kind folks at Quest Nutrition generously sent me a sample pack of their bars to try. Of course, I had to try the chocolate peanut butter bar first and WOW, it was good! I ate it after my workout last Friday and shared some with Keenan. I have to say, I’m pretty critical when it comes to nutrition bars. They have to be loaded with nutrition, low on calories, and full of flavor for me to really like them and even buy them. If I am going to eat something processed, it better be worth it! I have to say Quest has done a really good job, because the flavor was great, definitely very chocolatey with hints of peanut butter. The one downside was the bar was pretty hard, thus making it a little difficult to chew. Quest does recommend microwaving the bar for a few seconds, in order for it to soften like a cookie. I haven’t tried that, but I plan to with the next bar that I eat. I also tried the coconut cashew (sharing it with my husband) and it was good, too! If you don’t like chocolate peanut butter or coconut cashew, there are many other flavors to choose from, such as: vanilla almond crunch, peanut butter and jelly, chocolate brownie, mixed berry, cheesecake, apple pie and cinnamon roll. All, in all, I definitely recommend Quest Bars, because they not only taste good, but they are one of the only bars that I have seen that are packed with good nutrition and wholesome ingredients. They are a perfect meal replacement, if you are on the go and don’t have time to prepare breakfast or lunch, or they are great for a post-workout snack. You can buy them directly from their website, Amazon or even in some local stores.
The lineup of flavors!
Since Keenan just woke up, it is time for a little fun with play doh, before heading to CrossFit. I’m helping to teach the beginners class tonight, so I’m going later. As for dinner, we are having chicken fajitas, since we have been craving Mexican food!
Questions: Do your children like to help you with daily tasks? If so, what kinds of things do they like to help with?
I love Quest bars! Their Cinnamon Roll and Coconut are my favorite! Ayden likes to help me mop the floor and is good at helping to clean up his toys. For now at least!
Ooh, I haven’t tried the cinnamon roll yet; I’m actually planning to have it tomorrow! Keenan loves to help me mop, too! He also is good about picking up his toys! It’s funny, he now sings the “clean up” song when he puts his toys away! 🙂
Cooking is the all around favorite, as well as dusting, vacuuming and window washing (I mix a vinegar/water solution for safety) by both kids. The preschooler enjoys loading the washing machine or moving the wash to the dryer as well. The 2nd grader enjoys dog duty (it’s not an assigned chore, so I think that’s why) as well as washing the car! Now if I could just get them to keep their rooms tidy…. it’s only my tasks they’re interested in!
Nice! That is great that you have a helper with washing the car! You give me hope that Keenan will keep this up and continue to be our little helper!