As it turns out, our Spring Break's never align. Coe takes spring break early, because we have a May Term, meaning we end our Spring Term during the first week of May, then have a three-and-a-half week short term (usually reserved for travel abroad courses). Summit, on the other hand, follows the CR Public Calendar, and since their school year doesn't end until mid-June, spring break is later.
So, while trying to balance work, Jamey and I must also balance Willa. This year Jamey and Willa road tripped to Colome, SD to visit Jamey's family for a few days. Before they left, however, we had plenty of fun in Cedar Rapids. First, Willa attended an art camp at "The Shop Next Door" - she loved it! Watch their site - Heather says an art class for "mother's day creations" is in the works and will be scheduled for May 1.
My favorite activity with Willa, though, was a flat bread making class we attended at Prairie Woods. To be honest, I almost skipped it. We'd been out at Wikiup Hill with the Bickels, hiking all afternoon. It had been cool and windy and we hiked quite a ways. We got home at 5pm, and the class started at 6, plus it was a three hour class (all standing) and Willa usually goes to bed by 8pm. But she was so excited for it, and insisted she wasn't tired. And, I thought it would be fun...turns out I was right!
Our instructor teaches at the Kirkwood Culinary Arts Program and also did breads for Blends in downtown Cedar Rapids (before it closed). She was incredible! And best, she was great with Willa and Reddin, the eight-year-old attending with his mom. We made two foccocias, two types of pizza crusts, and five or six varieties of crackers. All were delicious! I even sampled the crackers with sauerkraut, and while I will never ever make these myself, I'll admit that there weren't awful (can't quite say 'good').
Now, I'm convinced I need a big mixer. I'm sure my breads could be just as good as Jean's if only I had the big mixer. In the meantime, though, I'll keep trying and keep experimenting. And no more packaged Boboli crusts at our house!
