Summer Time!

June 14, 2011 Jennifer Lownik summer

It’s officially summer at the Lownik house. Despite the cold, drizzly weather, Mark broke out the smoker for the big pork butt we prepped. (We had to add a little trash to the neighborhood! LOL.) The smoker kept dropping temperature with the rain hitting it, but Mark kept at it. He takes his smoking very seriously!!

Jennifer Lownik

When we’re little, Mom and Dad teach us life’s lessons. I went away to college and quickly realized I was one of the few who knew how to cook for myself. At that moment, I truly began to appreciate all those mini lessons learned while cooking in the kitchen with my mom. Fast forward and now I’m a mom. Like most mothers, I’m busy. When people ask, I say I’m the proud mother of four. Two of my “children” are my kids under age 6 and my other two “children” are my businesses. When I’m not playing, checking homework, shuffling the kids out the door, or racing to ballet and gymnastics, I’m in my home office. Half of my time is spent delivering keynote presentations and hands-on training as the President of the IM-SAFE Institute, LLC. The other half of my time is spent managing large corporate projects and events as the Principle of Lownik Consulting. Ironically, much of my time is spent making sense of other people’s to-do lists and keeping their tasks on track. Unfortunately, when it comes time to manage my own to-do list and menu planning, it is often quickly scribbled on a small sticky note and stuck to the fridge. The challenge I am up against week after week is how to quickly and efficiently prepare wholesome, home cooked meals for my family. I recognize the importance of teaching kids how to cook and also choose not to feed my children junk and other prepackaged chemical filled foods. I love the approach Kids and A Cook takes. It’s all about having fun in the kitchen as a family and along the way, teaching them how to cook (healthy foods, shhhh don’t tell them) -- even if they don’t realize it at the time! Join me here as I share my adventures with my own kids in the kitchen and the everyday balance of life.