Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/15 - 6/21)

Friday (6/15) Today was the one day we could sleep in and be lazy and of course everyone was up by 7am.  Sigh.  Adrian was already gone to Origins for the day when we got up.  The boys and I watched some TV then got ready to head to Michael's for their slime making class.  I honestly thought it was kind of a dud.  We made little tiny bags of slime and it didn't even work.  We should have done it at home on our own.  But the boys seemed to enjoy it so I guess it wasn't all bad.  When we were done, we came home and relaxed and had lunch before heading out again in the afternoon.

We headed downtown to Gateway Film Center to see Shrek in the afternoon.  It was AJ's pick of the week and we were able to see if for free thanks to our local library.  They have a book to movie program for the summer and each week is a new movie.  We all really enjoyed the movie.  I forgot how funny it was and even Zak watched almost the whole movie.  We finished two bags of popcorn and when the movie was over, we fought the rush hour traffic to head home for the night.

The boys spent the day playing video games, filming Beanboozeled, and playing outside in the water.  After dinner, we had my pick for the week of playing my favorite board game, Valeria.  It was a fun and exciting game, AJ and I got 54 points and Daniel got 53.  Closest game we've ever had!  When we were done, the boys had snacks and I got them to bed.  Then I did a little prep for AJ's party tomorrow before relaxing and heading to bed myself.  It was a long day being on my own all day with all three kids, but worth it because Adrian had a great day at Origins!

Saturday (6/16) The day started early for all of us because we had commitments.  I had to teach a Zumba class and Adrian had to meet up with some people at Origins to trade some board games.  The boys really didn't want to go with me so we made the decision to let them stay home and have AJ babysit the other two.  We were gone for about 2 hours and the boys did great!  They didn't have any problems and AJ got 4 thumbs up as a babysitter.  This opens up a whole new world for us!!

When we all got home, we started getting ready for AJ's birthday party.  He waited to have his friends' party until his best buddy could join in the fun.  We set up our pool and a few things outside and a bunch of snacks in the house.  Just as everyone arrived, the sky opened up and it downpoured!  We had bad rain storms on and off the whole time the boys were here for the party, but we made it work.  When it was nice, we played outside with Nerf guns, water guns, water balloons & toys.  When it wasn't nice, we played inside with video games.  We also enjoyed Jets pizza and Oreo ice cream cake.  It was exactly what AJ wanted & everyone had a blast!

 

 

 

Most of the boys left and then the second part of the party began - AJ's buddy David spent the night.  All four boys had a blast playing "Arms" and a few other video games upstairs while Adrian and I cleaned up from the party and got a few things done.  We were exhausted, but the boys wanted to stay up so we let they stay up until 11pm.  We finally got them settled in bed shortly after that and headed to bed ourselves.  It was a fun but exhausting day!

Sunday (6/17) Happy Father's Day!!  We all got up and moving early this morning since we were heading to Origins for the day.  David and AJ got up first and started playing while I got their breakfast of bacon and french toast ready.  The other boys woke up shortly after and it was apparent that no one got enough sleep based on their attitudes.  But we made the best of it and got David ready to be picked up and then we got ready and headed downtown for a day of games.

We got there and got checked in and started our day with the Pokemon challenge.  AJ and Daniel tried to do this last year but ran out of time so it was a priority today.  Throughout the day they beat 8 gym leaders and the champion to win the challenge.  Daniel won a new plushie and AJ won 50 cards.  They also all got Pokemon hats and a few free cards along the way.  While they did that, Adrian and I took turns playing games with Zak.  We also took everyone into the video game room which was fun.  We played a lot of games, had a lot of fun and got a few good deals on some games we bought.  It was a fun but exhausting afternoon!

 

We got home hungry and exhausted so we got dinner together and then rested for a bit.  We called my parents in FL since it was my mom's birthday and Father's Day.  We had a nice video call and got to sing to my mom before we hung up.  Then while they enjoyed their birthday pie, we headed to Cones N Concoctions to get an ice cream treat for everyone.  I can't believe we don't go to this local ice cream place more often!  When we got home, the boys were exhausted & Daniel and Zak chose to go to bed while AJ watched one show and then went to bed.  Adrian and I blew off all of the clean up and watched a few shows, catching up on "Superstore."  I barely made it to the end and headed immediately to bed when it was over.  It's been a fun but exhausting few days and I'm ready for a good night of sleep!

Monday (6/18) We all slept in until after 8am, that never happens!  We had a relaxing, lazy start to our day before heading out to Zak's pick for the week.  We went to World of Bounce to play on the bounce houses for a bit before the boys went to Math camp.  The boys had a great time at both places!  They didn't want to leave the bounce houses, but were so glad they did after camp.  AJ and Daniel have Minecraft camp all week & Zak has Lego Robotics camp.  After I picked them up, we stopped by Family Video to get two video games with our free rentals from their report cards and headed home.

When we got home, Daniel and Zak headed into the yard to play with the water while AJ headed upstairs to play the Thor game we rented for the night.  I got a few things done and got dinner together.  After dinner, I headed out to work at the church for a few hours while Adrian hung at home with the kids.  When I got home, we got the boys down for bed, finished up a few things around the house and watched another episode of "The Good Doctor" before heading to bed.  The week is off to a great start!!

Tuesday (6/19) We all got a good night of sleep and then got up and got moving quickly.  Adrian headed to work for his first long day of the week while I got the boys ready and headed to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had a fun time in class and then I took the boys to redeem some coupons at Taco Bell and Cane's for their lunches before dropping them off for day two of Math Plus camps.  While they were at camp, I ran to Kroger and Giant Eagle to get some grocery shopping done.  Then I came home and dropped off what I bought, packed up our dinners and headed to pick the boys up from camp.

We went straight from camp out to meet Carl, Sarah, Isabelle and Vinnie at the dinosaur splash pads and park for the night.  The kids had a great time running around playing together and enjoying a picnic dinner.  The grown ups got to catch up a little and enjoyed watching the kids run around.  The weather wasn't great, but it didn't start raining until the very end and since everyone was wet from the splash pads anyway, the kids enjoyed playing in the rain.  I think the bad weather helped since it wasn't very crowded at all.  It started to get late so we said goodbye to Carl & his family and headed home.  Adrian got home sooner than expected so we all did bedtime together and then he and I watched a few comedies before heading to bed.

Wednesday (6/20) We all slept in a little after a late night last night.  By the time the boys and I got up, Adrian was already out to his second long day of work this week.  We had a slow morning and then got ready to head to the movies for the reduced showing of "Ninjago."  AJ, Daniel and I saw it last summer, but Daniel really wanted to see it again.  We all enjoyed the show and especially enjoyed the previews for the new Teen Titans Go movie, Lego Movie 2 and Wreck it Ralph 2.  Lots of fun movies coming up!

After the movie, we headed to Math Plus for day 3 of camp.  While the boys were there, I went to volunteer at the church for the afternoon.  After I picked the boys up from camp, we stopped at Family Video to use some of our free rentals for video games.  When we got home, we had a relaxing night at home playing video games, watching TV and getting stuff around the house done.  Adrian didn't work nearly as late as he was thinking and was home just in time for bed time for the boys.  We watched a few comedies when they were asleep and headed to bed.  I'm happy Adrian's busy season is almost over and it wasn't as busy as it has been in past years!

Thursday (6/21) We all got up and moving early this morning.  Adrian headed to work and I headed to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes with the boys.  During my second class, we celebrated one of the students, Eva Mae, who is turning 96 tomorrow!  She exercises every day and says that is how she has lived such a long and happy life.  She comes to my class twice a week and is an inspiration to me and so many of the other students as well.  Happy Birthday Eva Mae!!

After class, we grabbed a quick lunch from McDonald's (and Taco Bell for AJ) and headed to day 4 of Math Plus camps.  While the boys were there I did a few errands, including running to Costco and Aldi to stock up on some things we needed.  When camp was over, it was pouring so we headed straight home to relax for the night.  Adrian got home just in time for dinner and then we went to drop the van off to the dealer because the air conditioning isn't working right.  Since the weather was so bad and the week has been so busy, we enjoyed a relaxing night at home before everyone headed to bed fairly early.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for June 17 - June 23)

Last week was busy with VBS each night but we did really well sticking to our meal plan.  I accidentally bought the wrong type of salmon for the one recipe so that got bumped to this week and we just had more leftovers that night instead.  Adrian and I also didn't feel like cooking on Saturday night since our weekend was super busy so we just ate the Jets pizza with the kids and then bumped that meal to this week.  At least we didn't spend any additional money last week and we're in pretty good shape grocery wise going into this week.

This week is another full week with the boys at Math camp all week in the afternoon and lots of fun activities around that.  We were planning to go camping this weekend but it's supposed to rain and honestly Adrian and I are exhausted and don't feel like going thru everything to get ready and do that.  Plus it's his busiest week of work this week so he will have a lot of late nights.  So we decided to cancel the camping trip and do a few local things instead.  It should still be a great weekend!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Picking up something after Origins all day
Monday - Taco Stuffed Sweat Potatoes
Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches - we're meeting my brother and his family for a picnic dinner and Adrian will be working late.
Wednesday - Chicken & Chick Pea Stew
Thursday - Salmon Tortellini
Friday - Cheddar Parmesan Pork Chops & Green Beans
Saturday - Loaded Potato Soup

Water Flavor - Strawberry.  I'm so impressed with how long my fresh picked strawberries lasted in my Tupperware!  They were almost three weeks old and I just used up the rest in this water & then froze a few.  I only had to throw out about a handful which is not too bad since they are so old.

Overnight Oats - I got these set up today.  I had some leftover from last week and very little time so I just made two double batches this week.  I did one with the flavored international delight creamer yogurt that I have and one banana chocolate chip to use up a few bananas that needed to be used.

Lunches - Most of my lunches are on the go this week so I'm planning a lot of salads.  I also have one more serving of sausage leftovers that I need to use up so I plan to eat that over zoodles if I am home any day this week.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/8 - 6/14)

Friday (6/8) Last day of Sports and Arts camp!  We all slept great again last night and slept in a little this morning before getting up and getting ready to head to camp.  After I dropped the boys off, I came back home and did a few things around the house before heading to the Harcum Center to sub my second yoga class of the week.  It was a gentle flow class that I really enjoyed!  I felt very relaxed and stretched out after class.  Unfortunately while I was teaching a storm blew in and I got a text from AJ asking me to please come pick them up since it was raining.  So I packed up quickly and headed to pick them up and bring them home.  They still had an amazing time at camp again this year and are bummed that it's over.  We'll be back again next year for sure!

After we got home, the boys played and relaxed for a while and I got some stuff done around the house.  Then after a quick dinner, we got set up for family movie night.  It was Daniel's pick and he wanted to watch "Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom."  But he wanted to start early since he was tired and wanted to watch the whole thing.  The boys loved the movie, although they were a little grossed out by a few parts.  I'm hoping they can all sleep tonight!!  After the movie, we got them to bed, finished cleaning up and settled down with our snacks for a few shows before heading to bed.

Saturday (6/9) We all got a good night of rest and then started our morning with sleeping in and relaxing.  Then I got ready because I had a full day of dancing ahead of me.  I started out with my friend Nikki's last Zumba class at the Y before her family moves to Colorado in a few weeks.  We all had a blast dancing with her and will miss her when she's gone!  I headed home after class to do a quick change and grab a quick lunch before heading to Menchie's with the family for some frozen yogurt.  This was Zak's activity of the week and we had a nice time enjoying an afternoon treat together.

After Menchie's I headed back to the Y for a Zumba jam session, my 6th one this year.  I've been trying to get to one per month and so far I am on track for that.  We learned choreo to 4 fun songs and I will be using 2 or 3 of the songs in my classes.  It was such a fun day of dancing with friends, although I was exhausted when we were done.  While I was there, the boys played in our back yard pool and hung out at home with Adrian.  He cooked us all dinner and it was great for it to be ready when I got home.  We finished up dinner, did a quick clean up and settled in for our second family movie night of the week.  We watched "Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade."  Once again, everyone enjoyed it.  I'm glad these Indiana Jones movies have been a success for our family movie nights!  After the movie, we put the boys to bed and barely made it thru two comedies on our DVR before heading to bed ourselves. 

Sunday (6/10) I got a full 10 hours of sleep last night and I feel amazing!  Everyone else slept in today too, although not as late as I did.  Since we had a late start and a lazy morning, we decided to go to second service at church as a family.  It was promotion Sunday so AJ moved into the older class room with the junior and senior high kids and Daniel moved up to the 4th/5th grade classroom.  They both love their new classes and we are thankful for that.  I taught the large group for K-3rd grade so I got to have Zak in my class and said I was an amazing teacher.  When service was over, I found a gift for me from my Secret Sister.  I came home to open it and found a delicious smelling candle and yummy candy.  It was a nice surprise this morning!

After a quick lunch, the boys headed upstairs to play video games while Adrian and I worked on our to do lists.  We got a lot accomplished in a short amount of time and feel ready to head into this week.  Then we got the boys ready for Martial Arts class and I took them to that tonight while Adrian stayed home to grill our dinner.  The boys did great in class and seem ready for their belt test in two weeks.  When we got home we had dinner, finished up a few things on our to do lists and got ready for bed.  We have a busy week ahead so we all need some good rest tonight to be ready for it!

Monday (6/11) We all slept in and had a lazy start to our morning, well everyone except Adrian who left for work early as usual.  When we got up and moving, we headed downtown for Daniel's pick of the week - a trip to COSI.  We had a blast down there for the day!  We did the Energy, Ancient Egypt, Dinosaur, Space and Gadget exhibits.  The boys are at a great age to go to COSI and we had a great balance of both fun and learning.  We also did the Gadget Cafe for the first time and did three different experiments - shining a penny, playing brain games and making our own flubber.  We were there for just over 4 hours and we could have done more but we decided to come home and rest for a while before VBS tonight.

 

 

The boys headed upstairs to play video games and play with their new Five Nights at Freddie's plushies while I got a few things done and got our dinner together.  Adrian came home a little early and we all had dinner together before heading to our church for Amped VBS.  The boys had a great time in their classes while Adrian and I had fun volunteering and running the games for the preschool kids.  We have a short volunteer slot so we had some time when we were done and the boys were still there so we split up and ran a few errands.  When we all got home, the boys had a quick snack and show before heading up to bed.  Then Adrian and I came down, finished cleaning up and watched another episode of "The Good Doctor" before heading to bed too.  It was a great Monday!!

Tuesday (6/12) We had a rough night of sleep with both Daniel and Zak waking up but we still got up and moving on time this morning.  Adrian headed to work while I got the boys ready and headed to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  When class was over, we ran quickly to Dollar Tree and Aldi and then came home for a relaxing day at home.  I'm trying to have at least one day down each week over the summer so we aren't worn out every week.  The boys played while I got some stuff done around the house.  Then we had a quick dinner of tacos and all headed back to church for the second night of VBS.  Once again, the boys had a blast!  Adrian and I had a rough time trying to play games inside since it rained all night, but we made due.  We also finished early enough for a quick trip to Meijer to finish my grocery shopping for the week.  When we all got home, the boys had a snack & headed to bed.  We finished cleaning up, watched a few comedies and headed to bed too.  Hoping for better weather tomorrow!

Wednesday (6/13) Today was up in the air based on the weather and we decided to have a (mostly) stay at home day.  Zak had a dentist appointment to have two cavities filled so I took him there first thing in the morning.  AJ and Daniel asked me if they could stay home and after some convincing, I let them stay home.  All three boys did great and I am very proud of them - and of me!

After we got home, the boys played and I got a bunch of stuff done around the house.  I also changed my pick for the week from a park outing to a game with each boy.  Today Zak and I played our DC deck building game and he narrowly beat me by 2 points.  We had a fun and relaxing day at home and it was just what we all needed.  Then we had a quick dinner and headed to church for the third night of Amped VBS.  We again all had a blast, and all got to wear fun hats since it was hat night.  When we all got home after VBS, the boys watched a quick show and headed to bed and then Adrian and I watched a few episodes of "Superstore" and also headed to bed.  Perfect midweek day!

Thursday (6/14) Everyone was dragging today and no one wanted to get up and go where we needed to go.  Adrian managed to drag himself out the door on time and I barely got the rest of us out the door and to the Harcum Center for my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had two great classes but unfortunately my kids were super loud and disruptive in the lobby.  I'm hoping it was a one time thing or we may need to make some changes to my schedule for the rest of this summer.  After the classes, we headed to a new to us park and splash pad in Westerville.  We went to Hanby Park for the afternoon.  Zak loved playing in the splash pads, he had a blast.  AJ and Daniel got a little bored after a while, there wasn't a lot for them to do there.  But they did a good job of playing for as long as Zak wanted to stay.  It was a fun afternoon!

After we were done at the park, we headed home to relax a little.  The boys checked out their new Beanboozled game and mostly enjoyed eating the mystery beans and the recorded themselves eating them.  You can check out their video on YouTube here, and be sure to subscribe to their channels.  I got a few things done around the house and then got our dinner together before we headed up to the church for the last night of VBS.  When we got there, I had to walk someone in during the opening part and AJ saw me and asked me to stay and worship with him.  My answer was obviously yes!  After worship, I headed back to run the preschool games with Adrian.  We enjoyed playing with the parachute with the kids, they had a good time too. 

After we finished up with games, Adrian and I headed home for a bit since the boys still have time left in VBS.  We got a few things done around the house and then Adrian headed back to pick up the boys.  We were thrilled and proud to find out that both AJ and Daniel scored the highest in their classes for points this week by memorizing all 5 Bible verses this week.  They earned really cool prizes - an Emoji hacky sack and a pack of ice pops.  When we finally got them down, they had a snack while watching a show and then we got them to bed.  We came back down and made our snack and watched a few shows and headed to bed too.  It was a great week at VBS but boy are we all exhausted!!

Keeping Up With...2018 Goals (May Recap & June Goals)

So just like last month, I'm late to get this update up.  May was a crazy whirlwind of a month with tons of soccer, work, fun, end of school and a camping trip.  Plus we celebrated Mother's Day, Adrian's birthday, our anniversary and got ready for AJ's early June birthday.  We were so busy the whole month I was barely keeping my head above water.  Now that it's June and we have some time to breathe, I am slowing catching up on things around the house and I'm getting back to focusing on my goals.  I considered grouping two months together since it's summer, but decided to stick with the month goals and posts.  Now, on to how I did last month and what I'm doing this month.  Same as I did in April, I will talk a little about how I did with each of the 10 goals this month and then talk about my plans for June to stay on track. 

1. Lose 50 pounds (Lost 5 pounds this year, Grade for May: F!!)

• Meal plan each Sunday - 3 weeks done and then I skipped the week after we went camping because we mostly ate leftovers that week.
• Count calories for 15 days - I counted calories for 6 days this month.  It was pretty ugly.
• Go to at least two classes this month that I am not teaching - I didn't get to any classes I wasn't teaching.  Again, we were super busy and I just honestly didn't have a lot of free time.
• Maintain current weight - Not even close.  I gained 10 pounds this month.  Like I said, it was ugly.  Almost all of that can be attributed to horrible eating, although limited exercise didn't help either.

2. Read 20 books again (Read 8 books this year, Grade for May: A+)

• Finish 2 books - Done!  I finished both "The One & Only" and"Americanah" this month.  I was up and down on "Americanah."  I liked some of it and though some dragged.  I wish it was shorter, I probably would have enjoyed it more.
• Make progress on "Americanah" (read at least 5%) - Done! I actually finished the book this month since I had time.

3. Watch 25 movies (Watched 16 movies this year, Grade for May: A+)

• Watch 2 movies - We actually watched three movies this month - "Thor: Ragnorok," "Spiderman: Homecoming" and "Black Panther" to get ready for the new Avengers movie.  All three were great!!

4. Go on 12 dates with Adrian (5 dates this year, Grade for May: A+)

• Go on a lunch date for our anniversary while the boys are at school - We went to Super Chefs for breakfast while the boys were at school one morning before we went in to volunteer in AJ's school.  The food was amazing and we had a nice relaxing morning together!

5. Pay off 1 credit card and my student loans (Grade for May: C)

• Sub at least twice each week - I managed to get 7 days which is slightly less than twice each week but I'm still happy about all of that time.
• Help Adrian work at least 3 hours of OT each week - He had about 5 hours this month.  We were derailed by days off and sick days so just about each week he had a day off which means no overtime that week.
• Spend as little as possible - We spent a little more celebrating Adrian's birthday and Mother's Day than we were planning, but we had fun so we're OK with it.

6. Finish my CEUs for my YMCA certification new requirements for Silver Sneakers training for water aerobics (Grade for May: A)

• Talk to Brooke about hosting Aqua Zumba the YMCA - Done!  We can't host it there but I'm hoping someone else is successful.  I will do the online course first so I can start thinking about subbing soon.

7. Clean out the house (Grade for May: A+)

• Finish turning the loft into the game room - Done!  We worked really hard for a few weekends this month and finished the room up.  It looks amazing and the boys are thrilled!

8. Keep up an active blog (Grade for May: A)

• Meal plan posts every Sunday - 3 posts for this month
• Week in review posts every Friday - 4 post for this month
• Monthly goal posts the last day of the month - done!

9. Play more board game (Grade for May: F)

• Have one family board game night - Again we failed on this one.  But in our defense we were super busy and have very little time for anything else.  We will be better this summer for sure!

10. Improve my classes (Grade for May: F)

• Attend one Zumba jam session - I was signed up for one but Adrian had a stomach bug that weekend so I had to take the boys to their soccer games instead.  I'm bummed that I missed it but it was the right decision.  I'm still at 5 so far this year and am hoping to get to 12.

June will be somewhat more calm than May was however we have no set schedule since the boys are out of school.  That usually means more chaos around here.  I'm taking a break from my training for my classes but will be adding an additional family goal to have an amazing summer!  Here are my goals for this month:

1. Lose 50 pounds

• Meal plan each Sunday
• Count calories for 6 of 7 days each week
• Go to one class each week that I am not teaching
• Lose the 10 pounds I gained last month - this is a lofty goal for this month but I am going to put it out there anyway.

2. Read 20 books again

• Finish 2 books - "A Wrinkle in Time" and one more
• Start on the next book from my list - "The Beauty Myth"

3. Watch 25 movies

• Watch 4 movies

4. Go on 12 dates with Adrian

• Book our babysitter for a night so we can go out

5. Pay off 1 credit card and my student loans

• Help Adrian work at least 3 hours of OT each week
• Spend as little as possible

6. Finish my CEUs for my YMCA certification new requirements for Silver Sneakers training for water aerobics

• I'm taking the summer off from this goal, it will be back on in September

7. Clean out the house

• Clean out the laundry room and boys' art supplies

8. Keep up an active blog

• Meal plan posts every Sunday
• Week in review posts every Friday
• Monthly goal posts the last day of the month

9. Play more board game

• Have one family board game night

10. Improve my classes

• Attend one Zumba jam session
• Switch out the weights portion of my Silver Sneakers class

11.  Have an amazing summer!

• Do one activity each week that each person picks (5 activities per week)
• Get the boys to all of their camps - Sports & Arts camp, VBS, Math Plus camp (2 weeks)
• Go on one family camping trip

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for June 10 - June 16)

We survived our first official full week of summer break last week and did great about sticking to our meal plan for the week.  We did bump one meal to this week since Adrian got stuck at work late one night last week so we all just had leftovers.  We actually decided that starting this week we will have leftovers every Wednesday night.  That way we have one day built in to use up what we have.  Hopefully nothing will ever be more than a week old!  This will also help me to clean out the fridge and see what we actually have.  If we ever have a Wednesday where we don't have a lot of food leftover, we will plan to have salads and/or sandwiches.

This is a busy week for us since we have VBS at our church all week.  All three boys are going and Adrian and I are volunteering.  So we have to be at our church by 5:30 each night.  We also have a busy weekend ahead with Origins in town, AJ's birthday party and Father's Day.  Most of our meals this week are quick and easy and things that I know the kids will eat with us so I only have to cook one meal.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Grilled Chicken and Eggplant Risotto
Monday - Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Kielbasa
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Salmon Tortellini
Friday - Ravioli (it's just me and the boys tonight, Adrian will be at Origins)
Saturday - AJ's birthday party - Jets Pizza and lots of snacks for the kids.  Taco Stuffed Sweat Potatoes for Adrian and I so we can try to stay on the healthy eating track.

Water Flavor - Strawberry.  We still have strawberries that we picked left so I'm trying to use them up while they are still fresh.  As soon as they look like they are starting to turn I will freeze whatever is left.

Overnight Oats - I used up a bunch of the flavored yogurts that I have including peanut butter cup, caramel pretzel and honey pretzel this week.  I have been cutting fresh strawberries into my oats each morning and then topping them with a tablespoon of chocolate chips.  They are delicious and super filling!!

Lunches - I am still trying to use up a bunch of lunch meat that we have so I've been putting ham in my salads each day instead of a hard boiled egg.  This week I plan to continue to do that, either having salad or a sandwich each day.  Most of my lunches will be on the go since we have a busy but fun week planned!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/1 - 6/7)

Friday (6/1) We finally had a day to sleep in this summer!  We had a lazy morning and then got ready to head up to Zoombeezi Bay for the first time this summer.  The weather wasn't great and there was a strong chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, but we decided to chance it and boy are we glad we did!  We got Zak's season pass processed and then headed into the park.  The place was empty so we were able to do all of the big slides. We rode Sound Surfer, Big Boa Falls, Python Plunge and Dolphin Dash multiple times. Plus we played in the wave pool, lazy river and Baboon Lagoon.  We all had a blast and got back to the car about 5 minutes before the rain started.

We ate our lunch in the car and then drove back home.  On the way home we stopped at Krispy Kreme to celebrate Donut Day with free donuts.  The boys were super excited to get donuts!  When we finally got home, we relaxed for a bit before I got ready to host some of my Zumba instructor friends for a potluck.  We had a going away party for our friend Nikki who is moving to Colorado later this month.  It was a great night with them with lots of great food, good conversation and lots of laughs!  When they left, Adrian and I did a little clean up and prep work for tomorrow and then headed to bed for the night.
Saturday (6/2) Happy 11th Birthday AJ!!  We had such a great day celebrating today!  We started by sleeping in a little then getting up and getting moving right away so we could go see "Avengers: Infinity War" finally.  We went to the theater with the big reclining seats, no one wants to see movies in any other theater anymore.  The movie was great, lots of action!  We all really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one.  After the movie, we stopped by Jets Pizza to pick up our lunch and then headed home.

After pizza for lunch, the boys had some video game time while Adrian and I prepped for our family dinner tonight.  We got a bunch done before his parents and my brother and his family all arrived.  We opened presents and AJ was thrilled to get exactly what he asked for...his own cell phone.  He really needs it for when he is home alone and he has proven he can be responsible by taking tablets back and forth from school all year so we think he's ready for this responsibility.  He was super excited to get texts and calls from family and friends all day for his birthday!

After presents, we had dinner and then the kids played while the adults chatted.  We enjoyed a delicious Oreo ice cream cake and some S'mores rice krispy treats for dessert.  Then the kids played a little more before my brother and his family headed home for the night.  The boys played a little more, specifically on AJ's new phone and then we finally got them upstairs and to bed.  Adrian and I finished up some clean up and then headed to bed.  It was a fun but exhausting day!

Sunday (6/3) Our day started with a slow and lazy Sunday morning since we didn't have any commitments this morning.  Then Adrian and I hit the ground running to get stuff done around the house.  The boys played all day while we worked around the house.  We got a ton done which was much needed around here.  Adrian took the boys to Martial Arts tonight where they continued to get ready for their belt test in a few weeks.

When everyone got home, we had a quick dinner of leftovers and then finished cleaning up the house.  Then we finished up our first week of the summer with Adrian's pick for the week - family game night.  We played a few pages in "Stuffed Fables" and then played the DC deck building game. It was a fun and relaxing way to finish up a super busy week.  When we were finished playing the games, we got the boys to bed and then got ourselves some wine and some leftover ice cream cake and settled in to watch a few shows from our DVR before heading to bed for the night.  We're ready to start another amazing week!

Monday (6/4) Today is the only day this week the boys don't have Sports and Arts Camp.  We were going to go to COSI but we all slept in and had very little time to get ready before I had to get to the Y to sub a Barre fitness class.  So we decided to have a calmer day close to home instead.  We went to the Y for my class where I had an awesome time getting back in the groove of teaching.  Then we went to Krispy Kreme to get the boys free donuts for their report cards.  We finished up with a trip to Target to get new water bottles, a new pool and a few toys to spend some of AJ's birthday money.  It was a productive morning and I was glad we switched our plans.

When we got home, we had lunch and then the boys played for a little while I got a few things done.  Then we set up our new pool in the back yard and Daniel and Zak played in it for a while.  We had a relaxing day at home enjoying the nice weather in the yard and playing video games in the house.  Adrian got home from work in time for dinner and then took AJ to Boy Scouts.  They went swimming tonight at one of the leader's houses.  AJ did a great job of swimming the whole length of the pool and also jumping in to the deep end (9 feet deep!)  We're very proud of him since he's never done either of those things before!  

While Adrian and AJ were there, I hung out at home with Daniel and Zak.  We played in the back yard pool for a little while and then they played video games while I cleaned up from dinner.  I also started getting their stuff together for camp tomorrow morning.  When everyone was home, we tried to do a reasonable bed time (we've been bad with this since it's summer break) and then Adrian and I watched "The Good Doctor" from our DVR.  It's a really great show and we're hoping it's getting a second season!

Tuesday (6/5) Today started early after a rough night of sleep for almost all of us.  I had to wake everyone up to be ready in time for Sports and Arts camp.  My friend picked them up since her son is also going we are sharing driving responsibilities this week.  When they were on their way, I finished getting ready and headed to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  My first class was sold out and we had to turn away a bunch of students.  We had a great time in both classes and I think we're all going to be sore from the new weight exercises I added today.

During my second class, I got a text that they were letting camp out early due to very bad rain.  Cara went to pick up the boys and I met everyone at the house.  They were disappointed to only have half a day at camp but at least they had some fun while they were there.  AJ did music, Daniel did baseball and Zak did art.  They will do those each morning this week and then all do soccer in the afternoons.  Since they were home, my plans of running errands were not able to happen so instead I got some stuff done around the house while they played.  It was an unexpected relaxing day at home.

Adrian got home in time for dinner and after we all ate, we had another family game night.  We played a few more pages of "Stuffed Fables" and then played a family game of "Magic Maze."  We didn't do well with our "Stuffed Fables" story, but we kicked butt at the maze.  Zak loved playing that game so we will probably play more this summer.  When we were done with game night, we put the boys to bed and sat down for a few DVR shows before heading to bed ourselves.  We were exhausted after a long day!

Wednesday (6/6) Today was another rough start after another rough night of sleep.  I'm not sure why the boys aren't sleeping well, maybe it's the change of going from the school year to summer.  I'm hoping it stops soon!  Zak came in and woke up both of us so Adrian took him to the spare room so I could be a little more comfortable in our bed.  But soon after Daniel came in and woke me up.  Then Adrian's alarm went off and finally my alarm was going off.  Yawn.  At least it was a fairly easy morning of getting ready and getting everyone to Sports and Arts camp on time.

While the boys had a blast at camp all day, I ran a few errands, including having a meeting with a guidance counselor at the middle school to start to develop a plan for AJ for next year.  Then I came home and waited for a plumber to fix our leaking shower and kitchen sink.  I'm glad he was able to do both things very quickly and affordably!  He took a little longer than expected so thankfully my friend Cara was able to go pick up the boys from camp.  They came home and we rested for a bit before heading out to the Y so I could sub a Zumba class this afternoon.

When class was over, we headed to Family Video and Marco's Pizza for some report card freebies.  Family Video gives up to 5 free rentals (one per A) to be used in the month of June and Marco's does a free small pizza.  So we were set with dinner and entertainment for the night!  Adrian had Bible study so he was there for the night so it was nice to have an easy plan for me and the boys.  After dinner, they played their rented video games while I got a few things done around the house.  Adrian got home in time to help with bed time and then we watched a few shows and headed to bed too.  Crossing my fingers everyone sleeps thru the night!!

Thursday (6/7) Finally everyone slept thru the night!  It was hard to get up this morning but at least we were all well rested.  Everyone got up and moving and out to sports and arts camp.  Thankfully Adrian went in to work a little late and my friend drove the boys to camp again so I was able to go teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  After my two regular classes, I ran a few errands and then headed back to the Harcum Center to sub a chair yoga class.  It was my first time teaching yoga and I had a really great time!  It went really well and we all got a full body stretch.

After class, I went and picked up all of the boys from camp.  All four were super tired after a long day in the sun and it was a quiet ride home.  We dropped Braxton off and then came home and had a relaxing night at home.  The boys played a card game, some video games and watched a cartoon "Batman vs Dracula."  I cooked an awesome pasta dish for dinner and then headed to the monthly Cub Scout Committee meeting.  We had a great meeting and are all super excited about our plans for the upcoming school year.  When I got home, Adrian and I were both exhausted so we got our snacks, watched two comedies and headed to bed.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for June 3 - June 9)

I'm back to meal planning after an unintentional week off.  We had a great time camping Memorial Day weekend and then when we got home I was so tired I didn't feel like thinking about planning meals.  We also had a ton of leftover food from camping, a few meals I didn't make before we left and three parties last week.  So all of those things factored into a lazy week meal plan wise.  We mostly ate leftovers and junk food all week.

But this week I am ready to focus on healthy eating and try to find a little bit of a schedule for the summer.  I always struggle in the summer since we don't have a schedule to follow so I tend to get lazy with both cooking and exercising.  I'm trying really hard not to let that happen this summer.  I'm not teaching as many classes so I'm hoping to get to a few classes for a workout myself.  And the boys are a little older and more self sufficient so they are OK in childcare once in a while.  We'll see how the summer goes, but for now my plan for June is looking good.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Leftovers (yeah, we still have some so we're sticking with it tonight)
Monday - Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Tuesday - Beef Stew
Wednesday - Cajun Chicken Pasta
Thursday - Shrimp and Crab Enchiladas
Friday - Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Kielbasa
Saturday - Mac and Cheese and Salad

Water Flavor - Orange Strawberry.  We had a few oranges left over from soccer snacks this season so I used those up.  And we went strawberry picking last week so I have a ton of those!  I put some in my water, froze a bunch for smoothies and left some out for snacks for the week.

Overnight Oats - I went to set these up for the week and realized that I only had one cup of oats.  So I used my normal recipe to make enough for two mornings with some blueberry flavored yogurt.  I will be going shopping either tomorrow or Tuesday to get more oats and will set them up Tuesday night for the rest of the week.  I'm planning on using up the flavored yogurts that I have including peanut butter cup, caramel pretzel and honey peanut butter cup.

Use It Up - This is almost exclusively how I planned my meals for this week since I probably can't get to the store until at least Tuesday.  I have all of the ingredients for the meals for Monday and Tuesday, some of the veggies are ready to turn though, so I'm making them ASAP.  I'm using up open enchilada sauce and evaporated milk in two of the meals.  Then I finished the week out with a little variety.  I'm also using up a bunch of yogurt in my overnight oats this week.

Lunches - I will actually be eating most of my lunches on the go this week so I'll be making sandwiches just about every day.  This is also a "use it up" exercise because I have a ton of turkey and ham opened from the camping trip so I will be trying to use that up too.  If I'm home a day or two I will have leftovers and I may make a salad a day or two and cut up some lunch meat in it.