Spring Break

I have big plans for Spring Break next week.  First of all, my four kids are coming home for the whole week!  That is so cool!

Along with them will be many of their friends.  Friday night is when it starts and we'll have 6 young people ranging in age from 17 to 28; two girls and four guys.  By Tuesday, one will have left and two will have joined us. 

Then to crown it off, on Friday we're having a Par-tay!  I think we'll at least double the number of young people here.

I am so excited!

But to be practical, I've been planning how to sleep that many people.  We have three guest rooms with sleeping room on beds for 5 people.  We'll also have 5 floor pads, a queen size inflatable mattress, some sleeping bags, lots of sheets and blankets and lots of floor space.  Sleeping taken care of.

We have one 40 gallon hot water heater and lots of teens and young 20s here who'll want/need to shower daily.  I plan to have a shower schedule they have to use.  Showering taken care of.

Next to consider is feeding the crowd.  I have a menu planned that includes easy and inexpensive food that kids that age like to eat. 

Here is the dinner menu:

Friday - French Bread Pizza for late night snack after all arrive between 10 pm and 12 am
Saturday - Tacos (I cooked the meat today) with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatos and shredded cheese
Sunday - Pork Loin on the rotisserie, canned baked beans, green beans and rolls
Monday - Sweet & Spicy Pork Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw - recipe found here
Tuesday - Spaghetti, salad, french bread
Wednesday - Bean Burritos, fruit salad
Thursday - Mac 'n Cheese, apple slices
Friday - Party! Nachos and Tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice and popcorn for munching

My boys leave on Saturday so I'll just have three left to feed and I figure we can eat leftovers.

I plan to make lots of cookies and bars for munching and desserts.  My daughter is a cake decorator so will make a cake for the party on Friday. 

I'm planning on making lots of quick breads to have on hand for breakfasts.  I'll definitely make my Grandma's Banana Bread as it's always a favorite with everyone.  I think I'll make pumpkin bread and apple cinnamon bread too.  Then there'll be eggs including boiled eggs for the non-cooking ones.

I'm hoping there'll be dinner leftovers for lunches and I'll expect the kids to serve themselves.

OK, that sounds like the food is taken care of.

Then to keep them entertained - as if they really need me to do that - I have a project planned for the yard.  Since we just moved into a new house we need to add plants to the backyard.  My husband recently planted two apple trees and two peach trees across the back fence.  I plan to remove the grass from the back fence to about 10 feet out and put down three inches of mulch.  That way we can also plant shrubs and perennials there and limit the amount of mowing needed.

Removing grass is a big job, as is picking up and spreading mulch.  My youngest son and daughter have agreed to help with the job.  Two of their friends will also help.  I like to say that hard work is a good use for a young person. 

I plan to post some 'before' pix in the next couple of days and then some 'during' and 'after' pictures when we're done. 

Because of the crowd and the back yard project, I may not post as much in the next week but I'll be back.

What are planning for Spring Break?

Cindy