Catching Up With The Kelnhofers

Hi Friends! I have a weekly newsletter (sign up here if you’re not already on the list) where every week I send a newsletter containing new post alerts, seasonal recipe suggestions, a giveaway (exclusive to newsletter subscribers) and fun links from around the web. Problem is, I’d get numerous emails each week asking about something in a previous weeks’ newsletter, and instead of being able to direct them to a blog post, I’d have to do some digging to find what they were looking for. I used to do a “Faves and Life Lately” series and was talking to my husband (Nick) about how I wished I was doing more of the faves and life lately posts and the emails I was getting about the newsletter, and he said ‘why don’t you change the faves and life lately series to something like “catching up with the Kelnhofers.” Oh my goodness did I love the idea, so here we are, welcome to the first in the Catching Up With The Kelnhofers series, hope you enjoy!

Anyone else hit with the realization that summer is almost over? I was looking through photos on my phone and could not believe what a full past couple of months it’s been. Here are some highlights:

• Super pregnant with twins
• Time with Nick’s family
• Last picture of Nick, Ben and I as a family of three

• Welcoming the twins! Read their birth story here
• Getting to eat sushi again – thanks to Ken, my father in law!
• My parents meeting the twins and spending time with Ben

• Taking Ben to a 4th of July parade with my sister in law Nina

• My best friend, Lynn, coming to visit and help with the twins and Ben while Nick had to go out of town for work
• We took all the kids to Discovery World and even got to go out to dinner together (we went to Movida – listed on my list of best Milwaukee restaurants)!

• Ben LOVES making and eating waffles (“wa-wa’s”) so he had them for his birthday breakfast. We make a batch weekly!
• We make these waffles with this waffle iron

• Nick and I got to go on a date night (we went to a super small beautiful new restaurant that already closed since we went!)
• My older sister came to visit and got to meet the twins and spend time with Ben
• Ben enjoying summer
• The twins turned one month!

• Ben at the Zoo
• Ben having fun at a cafe
• We celebrated Ben’s birthday – I made a fun dinosaur cake

​New on the Blog:

• Chicken Meatball Bahn Mi Sandwiches – I also shared how to make them easier/quicker, because the recipe is from a wonderful cookbook, but there are a bunch of ingredients, so there’s a few shortcuts one can take!

What to make this week:

Wisconsin schools aren’t quite ready to go back, but I do know those of you in Illinois are heading back to school soon, so I wanted to give you a head start on some back to school snacks, great for lunches!

• Kids Snack Ideas – if you’re not going to read any other recipe, this is the one to read! Full of ideas
• White Chocolate Grape Bites – a long-time favorite of mine
• Sun Butter Cookie Bars – a great recipe for daycare or school, where nut allergies are a problem
• 5 Ingredient Banana Chip Tuxedo Trail Mix – I also love these for family road trips
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars – a classic and a fave
• Homemade Pizza Pockets – great for after school!

Reader Comments:

Take it from my readers, the peanut butter banana chocolate chip granola bars are super yummy!

• “These are delicious! My son has a peanut allergy, so I used sun butter and I didn’t have cranberries, but I had just dehydrated some bananas and they came out great. I did have to add a little more oats and cereal because sun butter is a little thinner. But, wow. They may not last long enough to get to the camping trip!”

Things I’m loving this week:

• A few months ago, Ben threw up in his car seat. It was very gross and we could not get the smell out, so I ended up calling the manufacturer for suggestions. They recommended this enzyme spray to eliminate the smell. This spray Biokleen Bac-Out Stain and Odor remover actually works! With three kids now, there’s definitely a use for it – almost daily lol!
• Just finished reading The Nightingale and wow, was it a beautiful and moving book. It was one of those books that you just can’t put down. I had an insanely long to do list and just put it aside so that I could finish the book because the story was so captivating (“this unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war”).
• I’m back at work now, so I’m listening to audio books, making my way through this list.
• After reading a more heavy/serious book, The Nightingale, I needed a little break (from all the tears!) so I’m currently reading The Unhoneymooners, which is definitely a lighter summer read. It’s a romantic comedy book, which I always love.
• When my best friend was visiting, she introduced me to this funny show called I’m Sorry on Netflix. After watching season 1, I just had to buy season 2 on Amazon. The show “follows seemingly confident comedy writer, wife and mom Andrea, who comically exposes her inner immaturity and neuroses through unexpected life situations.” This show is definitely a more ‘adults only’ type of show with some crude humor if that’s your thing.
  
• Nick and I have started rewatching Parks and Recreation on Netflix! It’s o funny and is the perfect light evening humor for unwinding!

I’d love to hear more about your summer – what has been a highlight so far? Just leave a comment below and let me know!