Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for June 30 - July 6)

For the first time in a VERY long time, I made everything that I planned on my meal plan last week!  And it was all delicious!  There were days that it was tough to keep up, but I made it all work.  We are finally caught up on our veggies from our CSA and can eat what we get each week without worrying about what will go bad.  The veggies are SO good, we are really impressed.  Even things that we know we like taste better straight from the farm.  I'm so glad we decided to invest in this again this summer and hopefully we'll be able to do it annually from here on out.

This week is a little weird because it's the 4th of July and Adrian is off from work Wednesday thru Sunday.  We'll do some junk food eating and some healthy eating for a good balance this week.  Our plans are also still somewhat up in the air because we are assuming that Adrian can not only get off, but actually have the day off and not have to be on call and online all day.  We're being very flexible this week with our schedule and we're going with whatever happens.  I love that we can do that since it's summer!!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - London Broil with Roasted Beets and Yellow Squash
Monday - Taco Soup for the adults & tacos for the boys
Tuesday -  Grilled Chicken with whatever vegetables I still have around that need to be used up
Wednesday - Stuffed Cabbage
Thursday - BBQ with burgers, brats & dogs and whatever vegetables I still have around
Friday - Out. Dinner at Zoombeezi Bay when we go as a family for their movie night.
Saturday - Either out at Carl & Sarah's, or hosting them here, or figuring something else out if they aren't available.  Totally flexible!

Water Flavor - Mango. I got a great deal on a mango last week so I'm using that for my flavor this week.  It's my favorite so I'll do it whenever I get a good deal on one!

Overnight Oats - I'm taking the week off from these this week since we'll be having a lot of late nights and hopefully late mornings too.  I'll be back to this next week.

Use it Up - I'm still just trying to keep up with the vegetables before they go bad.  When I know for sure I have a handle of them I'll move on to other things in the house.  I really need to organize the freezers and figure out what's in there and what needs to be eaten from them.

Lunches - I haven't honestly thought about lunches yet this week.  I know I have a head of lettuce and some cucumbers & tomatoes to use up so I'll probably be having lots of salads.  I also have some leftover veggies from sides the past few days so I may have those with scrambled eggs or something.  Once again, I guess I'm just going with the flow and eating whatever seems good.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 5/10 - 5/16)

Friday (5/10) Happy 50th Birthday Adrian!!  For his birthday this year, he wanted the boys to plan what we were doing and then go away to a gaming conference this summer, so that is exactly what we did for him.  The day started with Krispy Kreme donuts that were decorated with a sign made by Zak.  All of the boys got up early to wish him Happy Birthday so we all had breakfast together.  Then we headed out to our normal Friday - Adrian took AJ to school and then headed to work and I headed into school with Daniel and Zak to sub for the day.

After we all got home from our busy day, the boys and I decorated the house with balloons and did a quick clean up.  The boys came up with a scavenger hunt to hide Adrian's presents so they took care of that too.  We were just finishing up when Adrian got home so we started the celebration for him.  He did the scavenger hunt, having a great time trying to figure out the clues and find his 5 gifts.  He loved all of the gifts as well - a wine glass from me, an OSU hat & sign and 2 board games from the boys.  When we were done opening gifts, the doorbell rang and it was our dinner - Jets pizza!

We enjoyed our dinner and then started the next part of our night, family game night.  We played both of Adrian's new games, Chronicles of Crime (just OK) and Gizmos (we LOVED it!)  In between the games, we enjoyed two birthday cakes - Oreo ice cream cake and Coldstone peanut butter pie.  It was all delicious and so much fun!!  After all of that, it was time for the boys to go to bed.  We got them settled and when we came back downstairs, we realized that the two of us were also exhausted.  So we watched one comedy while finishing our wine and then headed to bed.  We have 4 more events planned this weekend to celebrate so we need our rest for sure!!  Adrian said it was an awesome birthday and I'm so glad everyone had so much fun today!!

Saturday (5/11) We all had to get up and moving pretty early this morning, earlier than most of us wanted to get moving.  I headed out to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class & had fun while getting a great workout.  I also got my car washed by the Scouts who were there and ran to Meijer to pick up medicine for AJ & Daniel.  While I was doing that, Adrian took Zak to his soccer game where he had fun & played great.  After we all got home, we got ready to head out to our next two stops for Adrian's birthday celebration.

Our first stop was Red Robin for burgers and fries for lunch.  We had a great time there and the food was delicious as always.  When we finished stuffing ourselves, we headed to a new to us place "Miner 49er."  It's an indoor glow in the dark mini golf course with a mining theme.  It was super cool & super fun and we all really enjoyed it.  It was also really empty which was nice because we got to take our time and go slowly thru the course.  We laughed a lot and all golfed really well, including me getting a hole in one!  When we finished the course, we headed home for the night.

Even though we were all pretty exhausted, Adrian and I had play tickets tonight so after a short rest, we got ready for that.  We all had a quick dinner of leftover pizza for the boys and Jersey Mike's subs for the adults.  Then Adrian and I got cleaned up and I went to pick up the sitter.  We headed downtown and enjoyed watching "Hello Dolly" together.  It was a cute, fun play and Betty Buckley was great as Dolly.  It wasn't a favorite but it kept us both awake & engaged, which was rough considering how tired we were.  After the show we thankfully got home safe (there were 3 accidents on our way!) and had a piece of leftover cake before heading to bed for the night.  Such a fun day!!

Sunday (5/12) Happy Mother's Day!!  The best part of today was that I was able to sleep in and didn't have to get up to an alarm going off.  Even though it was only until about 8am, it felt glorious to sleep until I was ready to get up.  We had a slow morning of coffee and breakfast before heading off to second service of church.  We enjoyed the service and seeing a lot of our friends there as well.  After church we came home for a quick lunch and then the boys wanted to give me their gifts.  Daniel and Zak both made me gifts at school and then they hid the gifts that they bought for me.  I had a fun time looking for them all over the house and they ended up surprising me with 2 necklaces, 2 pairs of earrings and two custom gifts, including a beautiful heart with all of our names.

After presents, we got ready to head out to Easton for a few hours.  We started by checking out the "Rooms" exhibit that is there for a few more weeks.  It was pretty cool, the boys really enjoyed it.  Some of the rooms were a little much for me and I had a bit of a headache.  After we finished there, we headed to the movies to finally see "Shazam."  It was a really funny movie and all 5 of us enjoyed it!  I started not to feel well and actually took a short nap during the movie.  When it was over and we got to the car, I really wasn't feeling well.  We got home and I went right to bed for the night.  Adrian took care of getting the boys dinner and down to bed for the night.  Daniel also woke up soon after going to bed complaining his stomach hurt.  We are both hoping to feel better when we get up in the morning.

Monday (5/13) Back to reality after a weekend of celebrations.  I woke up and still wasn't feeling well so I called out of work.  I helped get AJ out the door and Adrian dropped him off and then headed to work.  I got Daniel and Zak up and since Daniel felt perfectly fine, I got them ready and dropped off to school for the day.  Then I came home and rested all day and got a few small things done around the house.  By the afternoon I was thankfully feeling better!  I picked everyone up from school and was thrilled to hear that no one had any homework and won't have any the rest of the year!  The boys played for a while and I got a few more things done, then we had dinner and got ready for our night stuff.  I headed out to the church to teach another super fun Zumba class there.  While I was there, Adrian took AJ to his Scout meeting which was at the high school today doing some of the fitness requirements for his rank.  He said he had fun and he did pretty well too.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed, finally figured out our crazy calendar for the week, watched a little TV and headed to bed too.  I'm thankful I'm feeling better and will be back to normal schedule tomorrow!

Tuesday (5/14) Today started early for all us since AJ had his year end assembly today.  Adrian got AJ up and ready and out to school on time.  Then the rest of us got ready and headed out to AJ's school to watch the assembly.  He was honored with an award for getting all A's this year and also for participating in the Model UN conference in March.  We're very proud of all he has accomplished in his first year in middle school!!

After the assembly, Adrian dropped Daniel and Zak off at school and I headed to Harcum to teach my 3 Silver Sneakers classes.  We had smaller than usual classes, but we still had a great time!  In between classes I ran a few errands and got just about all of the grocery shopping for the week done.  I got home and got the car unloaded just in time to pick everyone up from school.  Everyone was super tired after our early morning so we decided to have a chill night at home.  AJ finished his homework and the boys pretty much just played all night.  I got the groceries put away and all my normal stuff around the house done.  We had tacos for dinner and an early night for the boys.  After they were in bed, Adrian and I got our snacks, watched 2 comedies and went to bed early as well.

Wednesday (5/15) We got up and moving pretty quickly this morning.  We got AJ ready and Adrian dropped him off at school before heading into work.  I got Daniel and Zak ready and then the three of us headed into school since I was subbing a full day.  Daniel was super excited to go on a field trip to the new school he will be going to in the fall and is super excited about some of the fun things you get to do in 5th grade.  When the school day was over, we came home and quickly jumped in to getting ready for our busy night.  I got the boys thru homework and dinner and then I got Daniel and Zak ready for their soccer games.

We got to the field just in time and they went to their teams, which had games at the same time but on different fields.  I decided to watch Zak's game because I haven't seen any of his games yet this year.  He played amazing and he had so much fun!!  His team tied, but they were very close on so many goals.  And Zak won the sportsmanship award for his hustle and great play!  Daniel's team continued to struggle and lost again and Daniel is really ready for this season to be over.  After the games were over, we headed home and the boys had a little bit of free time before it was time for bed.  We got thru their night time routine and then as I was getting them down for the night, Adrian got home from Bible study and helped finish up.  Then we came down, finished up a few things and settled in to watch the first half of the "Survivor" finale.  I wish it wasn't so long because I want to know who wins, but I've got to get some sleep!

Thursday (5/16) We got up and moving pretty quickly again this morning.  I helped get AJ and Adrian out to school and work and then started getting the rest of us ready.  Daniel was excited for his second field trip in two days.  This one was to Roscoe Village and I was able to go with him!  We got to school and I sent Zak to his class while I went to Daniel's class to get ready to go.  The bus ride was long, but thankfully the kids were pretty quiet and respectful.  We got there and had a great time exploring some of the village.  We saw how the locks in the canal worked, learned about some OH canal history and saw how some jobs were back in the day including the doctor, broom maker, iron smith and printing press.  Then we enjoyed a picnic lunch before starting the long bus ride back to the school.  It was a fun day with Daniel, I just wish the village was a little closer so we had more time to explore and less time on the bus.  But time with my kids is always good time!

After we got back to the school, Daniel had about an hour left and decided to stay at school (he had recess and gym - I don't blame him!) while I ran a quick errand.  When we all got home from school, we again got quickly to our afternoon work.  AJ finished his homework (hopefully his last assignment!) and then I made everyone pasta for dinner.  Then we had to get ready for another busy night.  Adrian came home and picked up Zak to take him to another soccer game.  Zak again played super hard and did great, unfortunately his team lost by 1 goal.  While they were there, I headed to the church to teach my Zumba class.  We were small but mighty in class tonight.  When we all finally got home, we cleaned up and did the boys' night routine and got them down to bed.  They were all exhausted after the busy day!  Adrian and I came back downstairs and watched the end of the "Survivor" finale before heading to bed too.  We were very excited that Chris won, although we loved Rick Devons, just like most of the other people who watched this season.  It was another great season and I'm so glad we have this date night tradition!

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for June 23 - June 29)

I did pretty good last week getting back to my meal plan and staying on schedule.  I did have an impromptu trip to Zoombeezi Bay last Weds and then didn't cook when I got home that night.  I also forgot that I was going out to dinner with friends on Saturday and wouldn't need a meal.  I was going to make the soup I planned for that night for lunch instead, but I had a lot of other things going on and just didn't get to it.  Other than that I stuck with my plan for the week.

I am catching up on my veggies from our CSA back up pretty well and we are actually eating some of the veggies we got on Friday this week.  I'm hoping after next week we'll be caught up, but then again it's 4th of July so who knows what we'll be eating that weekend.  I'm basing all my meals this week on the veggies that we have in the fridge and am trying to use them up in the order they are starting to spoil.  It's fun coming up with interesting ways to use up all of these veggies!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Grilled Steak with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Yellow Squash
Monday - Broccoli Tortellini Salad
Tuesday - IP Beef and Broccoli with Asian Snap Peas
Wednesday - Pasta with Swiss Chard
Thursday - Shrimp Pasta with Zoodles
Friday - Shrimp and Green Bean Salad
Saturday - Tofu & Squash Stir Fry with Stir Fry Snap Peas

Water flavor - Kiwi.  I got a great deal on kiwi the other week and have eaten a few but felt like I needed to use the rest of them up quickly before they spoiled.  The water is delicious!!

Overnight Oats - I had some bananas that ripened quicker than I thought they would so I made oats with them over the weekend and will add chocolate chips to them each day when I eat them.  This is one of my favorite flavors of oats.

Use it Up - I'm still just focusing on vegetables and finishing them before they go bad.  So far there has been very little that I had to throw out and I'm very proud of that.  After I get caught up on the veggies, I will work on eating everything we have in the freezer next.

Lunches - I will have salads some days to finish up some lettuce and other salad ingredients.  I will also make this Kale and Vegetable Soup on Monday to have for the week, since I didn't make it over the weekend.  Adrian will probably eat more of this than I will, but I will have it as an option too.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/14 - 6/20)

Friday (6/14) Last day of day camp!!  It's been an amazing week but we are all super tired.  AJ and Daniel were not needed to volunteer today and weren't interested in the presentations we were doing so they decided to stay home today.  That made it a little easier to get out in the morning.  Adrian helped us get out and then he left for day three of Origins.  He volunteered in the morning and then walked around and played games all day.  Zak and I had three different stations to do this morning, a presentation about the animals in Ohio, a performance by the Order of the Arrow and some games from Licking County Recycling and ActiveFit.  The kids enjoyed all of them, but we were all worn out and cranky this morning.

After the three fun stations, we headed to the amphitheater for our closing campfire celebration.  We saw skits from some of the other dens from the week and then retired a flag together.  It was a very nice ceremony to see each Scout drop a piece of the flag into the fire before leaving camp for the week.  We lowered the flag for the last time and headed home for the week.  I had an amazing time getting to know the kids, learning new things and doing things I don't normally do.  I hope the kids had half as much fun as I did!

When we got home, Zak and I were exhausted!  He spent the rest of the day resting and playing video games while I tried to get a few things done around the house but also did a lot of resting.  I did as much as I could sitting down on the comfy couch.  We had a quick dinner of mostly leftovers and enjoyed the relaxing night.  I got the boys to bed and followed very soon after because I was exhausted after the week and have a full weekend ahead of me!

Saturday (6/15) Today started a little earlier than I wanted it to since I had to get up and moving to teach a Zumba class this morning.  Zak was also up super early, but thankfully he only woke Adrian up to tell him all about Scout camp yesterday.  Adrian headed out again for another full day at Origins while I got ready and headed to the church for a small but mighty Zumba class.  When class was over I came home and got everyone ready for our afternoon activities.

AJ and Zak are both playing basketball over the summer with i9 sports and today was opening day.  Zak had the first game this afternoon so we headed out for his practice and then game, which were both very fun to watch!  Then I dropped Zak off at home and picked AJ up to bring him to his game this afternoon.  He played on the big court for the first time and did really well!!  He played great defense, had an assist, got a rebound and almost made a basket!  I enjoyed watching both of them play today.

When we got home, AJ and I needed to get him packed up and ready to leave for Scout camp tomorrow.  He's leaving early tomorrow morning for a week away in north east Ohio with his troop.  We had three different lists to work from and I think we got everything he needs in two totes and ready to go tomorrow.  After we finished packing, we had a quick dinner and then the boys did a few things that needed to get done around the house.  When they were done, they had some video game time while I got a few more things done around the house.  After I got them to bed, I finished up a few things, had a snack and headed to bed too since I have an early morning tomorrow.

Sunday (6/16) Happy Father's Day!!  Once again, today started very early since we had to get AJ up and out before 8am.  We made sure he had everything he needs for camp and then Adrian dropped him off with his troop for the week.  I'm nervous about him being on his own, but know he's going to have a great time!  I can't wait to hear all about it when he gets back home!  After getting him out, the rest of us got ready and headed to first service at church.  When we got home, I started working on stuff around the house while the boys played video games.  Adrian was going to head back to Origins but he is completely worn out from the week so he decided to stay home and rest.

The day passed quickly as I had a lot to do around the house, I'm trying to catch up from the past two months of craziness!  Late in the afternoon, I took Nick for our second obedience training session.  He did so much better this week than last week!  The trainer was really proud of our progress.  After training, I headed home to cook Father's Day dinner for us.  We had a nice family dinner and then finished up a few things around the house.  After getting the boys to bed, Adrian and I finished a bottle of wine and watched the new Card Sharks and Press Your Luck.  They were both fun and I enjoyed them!  It feels like I'm reliving my youth since I grew up watching both of these shows.

Monday (6/17) We were up bright and early this morning since Daniel has camp at OSU every day this week.  Adrian headed out to work and I got Daniel ready for camp.  His friend from class is going to this same camp so thankfully we are splitting the driving to Newark for the week.  She picked him up and headed to camp while I got Zak ready for his first day of VBS at Jersey Church.  They are doing a video game theme and he is super excited for the week!  He had a great first day today learning about Abraham and Sarah, eating dirt cake and making slime.  Can't wait to see how the rest of the week goes!

I picked up Zak and one of my friend's sons and they both came back here to play for a bit since his mom had training the next few days.  They enjoyed playing Super Smash Brothers together on our Switch until my friend picked her son up.  Then Zak and I had a quick lunch and then headed out to pick up Daniel and Addy from camp.  They had a great first day and can't wait for tomorrow!!  The three kids laughed just about the whole drive home which always makes my heart happy.  When we got home, Daniel and Zak played while I got dinner ready.  After a quick dinner, we headed out to our night activities.  I headed to the church for my Zumba Toning class where we had a sweaty good time.  Adrian took the boys to see "Detective Pikachu" (again) for Daniel's pick for this week since he didn't get to see it for AJ's birthday.  Daniel loved it & Adrian and Zak said it was just as good the second time.  They got home pretty late so we got the boys down to bed, finished up a few things around the house and then we went to bed too.  It was a pretty awesome Monday!

Tuesday (6/18) We were up and moving early again today for camps.  Adrian got up and out to work and then the rest of us got up and ready.  Daniel was picked up by his friend to head out to his camp at OSU and I dropped Zak off at VBS at Jersey Baptist.  I came home and got a bunch of stuff done around the house before leaving to pick up my friend's son at summer school and then Zak from VBS.  Zak had an awesome morning learning about Josiah, making a crown and having popcorn for snack.  He was also thrilled that his teacher found his slime from yesterday so that came home with us today.  When we got home, Zak and Gabriel played video games until his mom came to pick him up for the day while I got lunch ready for Zak and I.

After a quick lunch, we headed up to pick up Daniel and Addy from camp.  They had a great day learning about different things and making Buckeye necklaces.  They talked and laughed the whole ride home again.  When we got home, we all worked together to clean up the first floor of the house before we hosted our small group for taco Tuesday dinner tonight.  We had a small group but it was nice to have some adult conversation while the kids played.  Nick was accidentally let out of our room while everyone was here and he did great with everyone!!  We are thrilled with how well he is doing and are so happy he's a great fit for our family.  After everyone left, we did a quick clean up, got the boys to bed and watched a few comedies before heading to bed too.

Wednesday (6/19) We were up and moving early again this morning, but we were dragging a little this morning.  Adrian got up and headed to work and then I got up and got the other boys ready.  We switched driving today so I took Daniel and Addy to camp this morning and dropped them off a few minutes early so I could get back in time to get to a dentist appointment for me and Zak.  We both had a great check up and neither one of us has any cavities!  After the appointment, we came home for a short break and then took Nick on a walk up to the school to pick up Gabriel from school.  That was interesting, but Nick did pretty good and came home ready for a nap!

After we got home and got Nick settled, I headed out to the park with the two boys to meet some friends from church.  We had a fun time at Blacklick Woods, the boys played with the other kids while I chatted with the other moms.  We stayed for just over an hour and then met Gabriel's mom at Red Robin for lunch.  We had a delicious lunch together and then Zak and I headed to the car wash to get some of the mud off of the van from last week.  Daniel got home early from camp so he let himself in and took care of Nick until I got home.

When we got home, the boys asked if we could go to Zoombeezi Bay and even though I was exhausted, I said yes!  The weather wasn't great but we had an awesome few hours at the park!  There was no one there so there were no lines for the rides.  We rode Dolphin Dash, Sound Surfer, Big Boa Falls & Python Plunge, most of them more than once.  We also spent some time in the lazy river, wave pool and Baboon Lagoon.  It started to storm about 25 minutes before the park was going to close, so it closed early and we headed home.  We got home, had a quick dinner and got the boys down to bed.  Adrian had been at Bible study and he got home just in time to help with bedtime.  When they were settled for the night, we finished up a few things downstairs and then watched "Press Your Luck" before heading to bed for the night.  It was a great Wednesday!!

Thursday (6/20) Another early morning and we really struggled to get up after last night.  We thankfully got Daniel ready on time for his friend to pick him up and take him to camp.  Then I got Zak ready and dropped him off at his last day of VBS.  While they were gone, I worked my butt off around the house and got a ton of stuff done!  Before long, it was time to pick up Zak who had an awesome day learning about the Holy Spirit and making a fun wind chime craft.  We came home had lunch, got a few more things done and then headed out to pick up Daniel and Addy.  They also had a great day visiting The Works, learning about college and having gym class.

After we got home, it was time for me to get dinner ready and then head to the vet for a follow up with Nick.  She wanted to review some of the discipline suggestions she gave Adrian last week and see how we are doing.  She was really impressed with how well Nick is doing and how much calmer he was today than last week.  She gave me a few more suggestions and told us to keep going we're doing great!  After the appointment, I came home to have a quick dinner then headed to church to teach my Zumba class.  After an awesome class, I came home and got the boys down to bed, finished cleaning up from dinner and settled in to watch a few comedies with Adrian before heading to bed.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for June 16 - June 22)

I was way too ambitious last week about my meal plan and I only made 3 of my planned recipes.  I forgot how tiring day camp is!  Plus Adrian wasn't here most of the nights and no one was really eating all of the leftovers that were piling up in the fridge.  So I decided to scrap the meal plan most nights and just eat leftovers.  It worked out for the week but now I have an abundance of veggies that I have to use up ASAP.  The menu this week is similar to last week with a few new additions to use up what we have.  I'm hoping to catch up a little this week on the veggies.  Thankfully we didn't get any leafy greens this week so a lot of what we got on Friday will keep for this week.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Stuffed Zucchini with Roasted Asparagus
Monday - Kale & Bean Soup with Roasted Kohlrabi (carryover from last week)
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday with my small group (I'm hosting this week)
Wednesday - Bok Choy Beef Soup with Yellow Squash
Thursday - Kale Soup with Roasted Beets
Friday - Adobo Chicken
Saturday - Shrimp Pasta

Water Flavor - I was going to do citrus last week but then I forgot I had a mango to use so I did that last week.  I'll be doing citrus this week for sure.

Overnight Oats - I'm just going to make plain oats this week.  I have peanut butter chocolate chips and mint chocolate chips open so I'm going to add those this week for some flavor.

Use it Up - Once again, the focus is on using all of the veggies I have in the fridge this week.  I'm also using up the groceries I already bought so this should be a very light shopping week for me.

Lunches - I'll be having salads all week because I have some lettuce that I need to use up.  I'm also going to make these beet greens one day this week and I may have them for lunch with a fried egg on top.  If I run out of all of that, I will eat leftovers to keep up with those too.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/7 - 6/13)

Friday (6/7) I got up and moving a little earlier than I expected this morning but it was nice to have a relaxing start to my morning.  After a little coffee and relaxing, I got Zak ready and dropped him off to his last day of Sports and Arts camp with Jersey Church.  He enjoyed his day of soccer and art projects and seeing a bunch of his friends there as well.  While he was there, I ran a ton of errands to get us ready for the next week or so of crazy busy days while we are at Scout day camp.  AJ and Daniel stayed home and played with Nick while I was out.  I stopped home to have lunch with them and drop off a bunch of the stuff that I bought, then picked them up to head out to pick up Zak after camp.  Then the four of us headed to Krispy Kreme to get our free donuts for national donut day!!

After we got home, the boys had some free time to play video games while I took Nick for a nice long walk.  When we got home, I got dinner together for everyone and we ate quickly before heading out to the last night of Sports and Arts camp at our church.  Daniel and Zak decided to do art tonight and make tie die bandannas and AJ volunteered in that room as well.  I volunteered for check in and then headed to a Scout meeting about day camp next week.  When we were all done, we came home and got the boys ready for bed.  Adrian was out at his board game meeting so I got the boys down to bed and then finished cleaning up for the day.  I also made the desserts for AJ's birthday party tomorrow, since we had to reschedule it from last week.  It was a late night but thankfully since it's summer it's not too bad to lose a little sleep here and there!

Saturday (6/8) Today started earlier than I wanted it to since we had stuff to do, but it was all good stuff all day.  I got ready and headed to the church to teach my first Zumba class in weeks.  We had so much fun dancing and sweating together!!  It felt so good to get back in the swing of things.  After class, I ran a few errands to finish up my shopping to be ready for the two upcoming Scout camps.  While I was there, Adrian took the boys for haircuts and then helped AJ collect the wood he needs for his Scout camp in two weeks.  After we all got back from that, we got the house cleaned up and ready for AJ's rescheduled birthday party!

AJ had two friends come over in the afternoon and they started the party by playing video games together.  Daniel left after about an hour to head to his friend's birthday party for the night.  I dropped him off there and picked up pizza for the boys at my house.  After dinner, we took the boys to see the "Detective Pikachu" movie and they all loved it!  And us adults were pleasantly surprised that it didn't suck.  After the movie, we came back here for ice cream cake and then one of AJ's friends needed to leave since he is leaving for vacation tomorrow.  His other friend spent the night and the three boys had a fun night playing video games and not sleeping.  It was a great birthday party for AJ!!

Sunday (6/9) After not getting a lot of sleep last night, it was rough for the adults to get up and moving this morning.  The kids were ready to go and playing video games before 8am.  When we finally started moving, I made pancakes & bacon for the boys for breakfast and Braven was picked up by his family shortly after breakfast.  Then I headed out to pick up a super tired Daniel from his sleepover.  When we all got back home, we got to work on some of the stuff we need to finish up this weekend to be ready for the week, and some of it that we just haven't done over the past few weeks because of all that has been going on.

In the afternoon, I headed to my first obedience training with Nick at the local pet store.  Unfortunately, he was too unruly for the group class so he and I will now do private lessons each week for the next few weeks.  The private lesson went much better and we're hoping with a few lessons, we'll be able to move back to a group setting and socialize him a little more.  While I was at training, Adrian got the boys ready and they headed to Martial Arts.  They had a great time practicing all of their moves & we are now on break for about a month for the summer.

When we all got home, Adrian and I got dinner together while the boys played with Nick in the yard.  After we all had dinner, we decided to give Adrian his Father's Day presents because this is probably the last time we'll be together for an extended period of time for the next 2 weeks.  We got him a new water bottle, coffee mugs and two tee shirts, all of which he will use at Origins later this week.  After we celebrated a little, the boys had some free time for video games while Adrian and I finished up our weekend stuff and got ready for the week, including packing up our packs for day camp.  When we were done, we had snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed.  It's going to be a lot of early mornings this week but we're ready!

Monday (6/10) Today started super early because it is Scout Day Camp week!  We all got up and moving pretty well and with Adrian's help, the four of us were out the door by 7am.  While I took the boys to camp all day, Adrian took Nick to his first vet appointment and then went to work.  The vet said Nick looks great and gave us a lot of good tips to help us, specifically with the discipline side of things.  We also have a few medicines we need to give him and a follow up appointment in 30 days.

At camp, we all had so much fun!  AJ is a Scout volunteer this year so he is helping at a station.  He is spending today and tomorrow helping teach the navigation station, learning all about maps, compasses and directions.  Daniel is (reluctantly) walking with Zak's Wolf pack this year and I am the den leader.  Today we started with slingshots and archery, easily my two favorite stations.  Then we headed on to fitness for the Scouts and Leave No Trace.  After a quick lunch, we headed up cardiac hill to learn about recycling then came halfway down to work on camp skits and songs.  It was pouring thru both of those stations, but thankfully most of us had ponchos and stayed somewhat dry.  We finished up our day at the waterfront with some water games and fun for the Scouts.  It was an amazing day and we all had a great time!!

 

When we got home, I got the boys changed and thru dinner quickly because unfortunately I still have to teach my Zumba classes this week.  I headed out to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class and it was so fun, although I was exhausted after it!  While I was there, Adrian took AJ to his Scout meeting where they did some swim practice and finished up the details for their week long camp next week.  When we all got home, we quickly got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed.  I flipped our packs so they are ready for tomorrow and then also headed to bed for the night.

Tuesday (6/11) It was another early morning of all of us getting up and out of the house by 7am.  Adrian helped us get out and then headed to work for the day, his only full day this week.  We got up to camp and had another amazing day!  My group started with fishing, which was kind of boring until one of the kids let their pole go and a fish caught it.  Zak was able to pull that pole & fish in and he thought it was amazing.  After fishing we did some camping essentials and then headed to BB guns and blow darts.  Daniel and Zak both loved blow darts and declared it their favorite station of the camp!

After we finished that station, it was time for lunch and we were able to meet up with AJ for lunch today.  After we all ate together, it was our den's turn to go to AJ's station.  He lead most of it and did such a great job with the information and the Scouts, I was so proud of him!  After that we finished up our day with some time in the creek and some time building the model train display.  After all of that, we watched the closing ceremony and then headed home for the day.  It was another exhausting day and we were all happy to get home!  We did quick showers, dinner and pack repack before settling in for family movie night watching "Aquaman."  It was a great movie and we all really enjoyed it!  It got late on us so as soon as it was over, we all headed to bed for the night to recharge for day 3.

Wednesday (6/12) Day 3 of day camp and day 1 of Origins board game conference for Adrian!  We all got up and moving, although we are definitely slowing down as the week goes on.  Adrian helped us get out for the day and then he headed downtown to Origins.  We had some changes at day camp today for our family - AJ had a new station (STEM) and Daniel decided he didn't want to walk with me and Zak so he volunteered at the blow gun station for the day.  They both had great days helping the Scouts learn about their respective stations.

I was actually excited to spend the day alone with Zak and the wolves.  We did a similar day to Monday and started again at archery (where I got a bulls eye!) and slingshots (where I knocked a plate off the line!) After that we headed to Fitness for Scouts and then learned about different things in Nature.  After a quick lunch, we did our second trip up cardiac hill and went to the craft station to make two different crafts.  Then we went on an hour long hike and I was thrilled that all of the Scouts did great and there was no complaining the whole hike!!  We finished up our day rowing on the lake and everyone got soaked because we had a water gun fight in the boats.  It was another fantastic day at camp!

When camp closed for the day, we headed home and had a very relaxing night at home.  The boys played video games while I did a few things around the house to try to stay caught up for the week.  Adrian got home pretty early tonight since today was really more set up and getting started at Origins and he still has 4 more days there.  We got the boys to bed and watched a few comedies together before heading to bed too.  These early mornings are wearing us out!

Thursday (6/13) Today we really struggled to get up and get moving, we are feeling the effects of the long week!  But we managed to get out on time with help from Adrian.  He left a few minutes before us to head down to volunteer at Origins this morning and then play this afternoon.  He is volunteering today and tomorrow and he got his admission into the conference for free, which is an awesome deal for us!  After we bundled up, we headed out to camp for the day.  Yes, I said bundled up - in mid-June.  It was only around 60 degrees today with no sun and rain on and off all day - it was COLD!

Despite the weather, we had another amazing day at camp.  Our day was similar to our Tuesday with a few different stations.  We started the day learning about 911 and coins and also had a raingutter regatta.  Then we went back to everyone's favorite stations, BB guns and blow darts.  Zak had a blast at both stations, especially when he nailed a bullseye with his BB gun!  We got to see Daniel volunteering at the blow dart station, he did a great job.  After we finished up there, we were able to have lunch with AJ and Daniel since their stations were close together and we ate near them.

After lunch, we had a pretty bad storm come thru and had to seek shelter for about 30 minutes.  Then we did our afternoon rotations of STEM with AJ leading us, learning about the flag and how to properly fold it and making an airplane in wood craft.  I'm thankful we were able to get all of those stations done and all of the Scouts had a great time!  When we finished up for the day, we headed quickly to the car to warm up and head home.  At home, I got us quickly thru showers and dinner before I headed out to teach my Zumba class at church.  I was super tired and it wasn't my best class, but the ladies all had a great time!  After class, I came home and got the boys down to bed, switched our packs out for tomorrow and headed to bed too.  I was exhausted!!