Day: January 18, 2011

I have discovered the best way to feed my family a hot breakfast without even having to get out of bed, I’m a genius…ok maybe not a genius, just lazy…

It’s a 4:1 ratio.  4 cups water 1 cup steel cut oats.  With my family I have to 1.5 times the recipe, so I add one and a half cups oats to 6 cups of water.  Put it in a bowl inside of your crockpot fill with water around the outside of the bowl, set on low and cook all night.  It takes me 5 minutes to throw it together before I go to bed.  In the morning they just scoop some out and enjoy.  Sometimes I add apples and cinnamon, some vanilla… but most days just plain because the kids like to add their own toppings.  Some of our favorites–blackberries, blueberries, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate chips etc… Luckily everyone but Hallie will eat it, but I have no doubt she will come around soon.  I love the texture of the steel cut oats, they are smoother and creamier than rolled oats.

Hmmm… wonder why they offered a FREE day at the zoo today, and why we were only one family of a few dozen to show up for this promotion?

Best time to go to the zoo and see the polar bears.  They were so stinking funny, full of energy almost reminded me a puppy.  One was playing with a stick and would keep jumping up on the glass and lick it where the kids faces were.

Alyssa seriously doubting our choice to come to the zoo in such conditions

A few animals we saw:

The elephants were named Coco and Connie, I’m not sure how I feel about this…

Awww, the germ invested petting zoo, but really these were some of the cutest sheep I’ve seen I wanted to take one home.

Aubrey giving us her best Tiger impersonation

And the ever elusive, occasionally on the verge of being extinct Halliegator:

So that Tanner doesn’t feel left out…

One last picture,

As cold as it was, the kids enjoyed themselves and everyone was happy.  I love days like this!  Later on we went to some new friends house for FHE and enjoyed a taco dinner with them.