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!

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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!

Other posts you might enjoy:

• Catching Up With The Kelnhofers -2
• Catching Up With The Kelnhofers -3
• Catching Up With The Kelnhofers -4

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!