Edamame

Last week I bought some frozen edamame (soybeans in the pod). I cooked and we tried it last night. I had never had it or cooked with it before. I tried it and the pod was so tough and stringy I nearly choked! The beans inside we good though. G helped me to pop the beans out of the pods so we could eat it. My mom said that when she has had it in the past, she just pops the beans out with her teeth right into her mouth. I guess that would have worked, but I couldn't see the kids doing that. Have you ever had edamame? How have you prepared it?

Quick trip to Boise

While the kids were on Spring Break we decided to take a quick road trip. We hadn't seen Raymond's grandparents since their 90th birthday party two years ago, so we decided to head up to Boise. We loaded everything up, grateful for the space a minivan offers and were off. I am also grateful for portable DVD players. We got there late Thursday, but the kids were excited to sleep in a hotel. The hotel had a free program you could order that was kind of new age called "rest." It had images and soft music. We put that on for the kids to watch while they fell asleep. It really did help them calm down and fall asleep faster.
Friday morning we took advantage of the hotel swimming pool. It had been awhile since any of us had been swimming. Aa had never been. Unfortunately we discovered a hole in our baby float. It was in the inner ring, so it didn't work great for Aa, but J and G were still able to use it.
After swimming we went to lunch and then over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They still live alone, thanks to hospice care and Meals on Wheels. Grandpa still putters around the yard, but Grandma has a harder time. She kept saying, "You have five kids?" And then she'd count them.
The kids played outside on the tree swing. J picked the flowers and then showed them to Grandma. Raymond helped get a pile of pine needles and pine cones into the garbage. We ate dinner and Grandma and Grandpa's and then headed back to the hotel.
Grandpa and especially Grandma were sure unhappy with us for staying at a hotel. I have to tell you though, I'm glad we did. That way we didn't have to worry about breaking things or making a mess. The hotel had free breakfast and beds for everyone. Not to mention the pool.
By the time we got back to the hotel, Aa was asleep, but the boys wanted to swim again. Raymond took them, while J and I watched "Beauty and the Beast."
Saturday we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's for Grandpa's family famous sourdough waffles. Yum, yum. We sang some songs for them, and Grandpa gave all the kids a harmonica. He even played us a tune on one of them. The kids loved the harmonicas.
We left Grandma and Grandpa's house to head home. We decided to stop at Fossil Beds National Monument in Hagerman, ID for a break. It was fun. The kids enjoyed it. We drove past 1000 springs on our way to Twin Falls.
We than stopped in Ogden to visit Raymond's sister. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins. It was a fun trip.