Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday!

On Monday my friend Katie drove in for the day from Chicago. We mostly just hung out at my house. We invited another friend Kristy who just moved back here over too. Kristy's daughter is just a few months younger than M so they had a playdate while we all chatted.

Katie and I went to dinner at a local hole in the wall we frequented in college. (And I still go to occasionally.) Mongolian Grill is the best. There's nothing else quite like it, other Mongolian BBQ places don't quite stack up. So whenever anyone from college comes back we always wind up there. Husband doesn't love it the way I do. So every once in a while he "acts of service" love languages me and gets me some to go.

Then we also got her some Grinder's which is a little cheap-but-so-good Italian place. She took 3 half-gallons of ravioli and some loaves of their garlic bread home. The garlic bread is like crack. I don't know how it can be so good but it is truly just the absolute best.

Katie had a Yeti cooler and now I really want one because it's what the cool kids have!

Monday/Tuesday was Prime Day! I got a $50 gift card for $30, some batteries at a good price and stocked up on a Christmas gift.

My parents got me an Echo Dot for upstairs as an early birthday present. I love my Echo! I am excited to be able to intercom into the kitchen now! And use the Dot as an alarm clock. It came this morning and we've got it all set up. C is listening to an audiobook for a quiet time activity. It's awesome. The Dot doesn't have the same sound quality as the Echo but it is a good deal and I am already in love with it.

Our Blackeyed Susans are in bloom.

C is going to a birthday party this afternoon and he's pretty excited. M and I may go do something fun. Or maybe we won't. Still up in the air.

M made this art of her, in a skirt, jump roping this morning. I think it's pretty cute.

Okay. Have a nice day!

Swimming Lessons Session One

Swimming lessons for this session ended today! The last ten minutes of the session parents can come in and take pictures and watch their skills.

Which for M meant going down the slide. She was so upset and slighted when swimming lessons were over and she was still in line to go down again. She loves the water. The American Red Cross requires kids to be 5-years-old before moving to level 1. (Unless you are at a pool that has preschool levels, ours does not!)

Her rainbow card comment: M is completely unafraid of the water and can do everything expected of someone her age. M always seemed happy to be at lessons and was eager to participate.

C's class was more interesting to watch because I couldn't really see them well during lessons.

From my spot where I could actually see both kids, this was my view. I couldn't hear at all what was going on in the big pool but I could see that he was participating well and having a good time. It was fun to see him show off his pool skills!

He's the underwater blur in this one.

And I am going to have to find a new spot because he passed to Level 2 for next session! I am very proud of my kid. I also don't think I am going to find a spot where I will be able to see him at all but we will see. 

His rainbow card comment was "Great job on your glides." He was proud of himself and since he can read he told me that right away before I even saw the card. 

A Good Weekend and Some Books

Guys, I desperately want to blog. But I don't have anything to report and I didn't even take any pictures lately. 

Friday night I went to a show to review. And then Saturday was the best day ever. After 16 straight days of having somewhere to be or do... Saturday was a nothing day!!

I sat home in comfy clothes, wrote my review, submitted it. Husband made ribs and they were so good!! So so so good. My friend had gone to Tennessee on a trip and was so kind to bring me some of the Dolly Parton's Stampede Soup Mix. (It is so good! I have a copycat recipe but it's time-consuming.) So we had soup with ribs and watermelon and it was the perfect dinner. 

Sunday was also extremely low key, we went to church and then spent some more time cleaning out our basement. We went through a ton of boxes that we haven't touched in years to determine what was actually worthy of being kept. We managed to turn 9 boxes into one large plastic tote bin. I got rid of (nearly) ALL my old school stuff. 

Because I realized at the ripe age of 31 that I absolutely do not need my high school AP Art History Binder anymore. (And other gems like that.) I did keep some grad school stuff because should I go back to get my Ph.D. (A pipe dream at this point in life.) that would actually be relevant. Our recycling bin is FULL. 

Swimming lessons are still going well. I am getting a lot of reading in! But truly nothing worth recommending! 

These are the last ten books I've read. And unless you adore the show Younger like I do, I couldn't even really recommend Marriage Vacation. 

Here are my short reviews! 

The Lying Game: Well written, kind of eerie and just plain sad. 

Confess: Too many coincidences and extremely predictable. 

Arrogant Devil: Exactly what you'd expect from a $3.99 Kindle book. Funny!

The Atomic City Girls: Apparently there's a non-fiction book on the same topic which would be interesting for sure. Otherwise, it's as if an 8th grader wrote this book. With a villian, a hero, a secret, a sad love story and a chapter that tells you what happens to all the characters.

Carnegie's Maid: Not even plausible. Ridiculous. Lot's of unanswered questions.

The Book That Matters Most: Wanted to like this one but couldn't. Predictable ending and bad life choices. 

The Wife Between Us: Unnecessary "twists" and the two authors trying too hard to write the next Gone Girl. 

Clock Dance: Slow and sad read. 

Pachinko: Really well written cautionary tale. 

Marriage Vacation: If Eat, Pray, Love were a beach read this would be it. 

Have you read anything great lately? 

Fun on the 4th

We, like I think most of the country, had a heat advisory for the 4th. It was intense.

And we took exactly zero good pictures. But that's okay because you can check out the mediocre ones. The first chunk of the day honestly we just accomplished house stuff. We cleaned the basement, trimmed our hedges, mowed the lawn. All the fun holiday things. 

We had our Red, White and Blue dinner. Cheeseburgers, corn-on-the-cob, grilled potatoes and lemonade. Followed by angel food cake with blueberries and strawberries.  

Then when it was starting to get dark a bit, we turned on the Macy's Fireworks and had our annual glow stick dance party. It was awesome! 

I wanted to take a cute picture of the kids in their Minnie and Mickey shirts but it just didn't happen. I got loads of awful pictures. But not worth posting. 

It was a quiet, productive holiday and that is exactly what I needed. Time with my family is my favorite way to spend any day!

July is Off!

Hello! It's July! That seems crazy to me!

So let's start with what's up with us? Well, last week we had VBS. It was good! All of our planning paid off and really the week was successful and I feel like the kids had a fun time but also learned about Jesus and some of the saints. Which is the goal you know?

Heck yes, I just screenshot-ed the bulletin. 

This week we started swimming lessons! My parents got the kids swim lessons for Christmas. We were supposed to do what my kids have referred to as "inside swimming lessons" but we aren't actually members at the YMCA. By the time "non-member" sign-ups started, they were always full. But for the same price (with like a $15 difference) the kids could take TWO summer sessions. So that's what we did! Hopefully, M has fun and C learns to float! 

It's a weird year because I have been officially kicked out to behind the fence! M is in Tot Poles and doesn't need a parent. C is in level one. Last year he would have passed level one but for some reason can't get the float down. He has like no body fat so he has density working against him. I don't know. But he has 14 classes left to figure that out this summer!

Today I found a bench where I could see both kids at the same time. (I mean not well and I couldn't hear what was going on in the big pool.) But, I was able to read my book! And then look up and check in on the kids. Pretty nifty. 

I have also been really busy with my job! Which I haven't ever blogged about either. In January, I got a job freelancing with one of our local papers and I am on their theater review team. So I go see shows and then review them. And they pay me. (It's not much but it's something!) 

It's been so nice to flex my academic brain a bit. I am finally using that Master's degree again and it's been good. But busy! Because there are so many shows in the summer at different theaters in the area I have been hopping! From May 31-June 30 I saw 6 shows! Which was time away from my kiddos. (Plus then time at home where I am writing.) 

M has been having a harder time with that. This past weekend I was going to squeeze in an extra show that I wasn't reviewing but really wanted to see and because of the two show weekend before right into VBS where she was at babysitting in the mornings, plus my three nights out that week where I missed bedtime she just had had enough of her extreme lack of mom. So I sent Husband and C to the show and I stayed with my best gal and we played play-doh, watched Sing! and went to Old Navy. 

July should be easier to manage, with just 4 shows and only one per weekend. And I have a great schedule so that will be awesome. (And I should note that Husband is a fantastic dad and does a great job with the kids when I am unable. In all those outings of mine, they've only had a babysitter one time so she's not lacking in parenting, but she is just so used to being with me.) 

Anyway, that's the reasoning behind my unexplained absence throughout June. Life just got so busy!! We are all looking forward to the holiday tomorrow and some time together as a family!

Jesus Rescues! (Where I've Been.)

Guys, it's been a busy week. I spent the week Shipwrecked at VBS and I kid you not, I came home today, took a shower and slept for three hours.

I took zero pictures of me and my kids at VBS but here is me and my girl at home in our VBS shirts this afternoon. (Before naps.) Here are some pictures of VBS!

This is our God Sighting rescue raft. Every day the crews would add their God sightings to a patch sticker and patch the holes! It was really neat to see. 

This is a picture of our whole stage set up. This was my area. I was a co-station leader of Sing and Play all week. That microphone and binder on the right? That was my spot. As well as dancing around the whole room obviously. I would be a station leader again, even Sing and Play, but Lord remind me next year I have no interest in being volunteer coordinator again! You'd be shocked at home many people signed up, dropped out, couldn't be there one day randomly, didn't like their assignment... etc. Holy cow. 

Also this week we had our Invest group. (Our parish's marriage group.) I have no pictures of that. But then the next evening I had my CEW Table meeting and we did take a group picture!

Also this week C wore his belt to church and I just think it's so cute. And honestly, his shirt stayed tucked in for the first time so obviously, we are going to keep going with the belt! 

So with that little tiny update, I wish you a happy Friday. Remember that when you're lonely, when you worry, when you struggle, when you do wrong and when you're powerless... Jesus Rescues! 

Fun Out and About

So Monday we kept things low-key since we had been gone all weekend. But yesterday we had a playdate at the museum! Which was good. There's a touring Eric Carle exhibit and C really liked it.

My little bookworm was quite content to just sit and read Eric Carle books. M however, did like the strawberry but mostly wanted to explore the rest of the museum and play with her friend. 

I had some trouble with my eyes and contacts over the weekend and wound up with a bit of a corneal abrasion. Ouch! My eye is just starting to feel better but it super sensitive to light still. I realized how much I depend on my eyes these past few days that's for sure!! But my eye seems to be on the up and up so I am thankful for that!!