Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 7/19 - 7/25)

Friday (7/19) Last day of camp for the boys today!!  We struggled a little to get up again but we did much better getting ready, probably because most of us skipped our shower today.  Adrian headed out to work and I dropped the boys off at Math Plus and then headed to run a few errands.  I went back about 20 minutes early to pick them up so they could show me what they learned all week.  Zak showed me the race car that he built and AJ and Daniel gave me a tour of their Minecraft house.  Once again everyone had a great time at their camps and we're glad we were able to do them.

After camp, we came home and just chilled.  The boys played video games while I worked around the house.  I got caught up on a bunch of stuff and also had some time to relax.  We were planning on heading to Zoombeezi Bay tonight but then Daniel was invited to sleep at his friend's house.  He decided he would rather do that and the other boys didn't want to go without him.  Adrian and I were not upset because we have a heat warning going on right now so we're much happier being in our air conditioned house.

We got Daniel packed up and out to his friend's house for the night and then the rest of us had leftovers for dinner.  We had a relaxing night of playing video games, watching TV, doing a few small things around the house and relaxing.  I played a fun game of Machi Koro with Adrian and Zak and I won in a very close game!  We let AJ and Zak have a little extra video game time and stay up a little later than usual since Daniel was probably doing the same thing on his sleepover.  After we got them to bed, Adrian and I played our next month of Pandemic Legacy.  We are behind so we played the mission from May.  It was the hardest game we have played so far but we eeked out the win.  We did sweat this one a bit, but we still won and are moving on to June next time.  After we finished playing, we got some ice cream, watched this week's "Younger" and headed to bed.

Saturday (7/20) The day started a little earlier than I wanted it to this morning, especially since we stayed up later than planned playing the game last night.  But I got up and moving and headed to the church to teach my Zumba class.  It was super hot already that early this morning, it's a scorcher today!!  We had a sweaty fun class and then I headed out to pick up Daniel from his sleepover.  We got home and settled and spent the rest of the day in the air conditioning.

I worked around the house all day and got a ton of stuff done.  I did food prep for the week and also got a ton done on my to do list.  I haven't felt this ready for a week in months, and it's only Saturday!  While I worked, the boys played video games and watched TV.  Adrian took basketball duties and drove Zak to his game early in the afternoon and AJ later in the afternoon.  Zak played well, got a few rebounds and a basket in his game.  AJ played great, especially on defense and he really hustled on the court.  His coach rewarded his hard work with the sportsmanship medal this week & he was really proud of himself!

After a delicious summer dinner of grilled chicken and fresh veggies, we did a little clean up and then Adrian played some video games with the boys.  I continued to get stuff done around the house while they played.  Then after we got the boys thru their night routine and down to bed, Adrian and I played another month of Pandemic Legacy.  We won again and are thru June and caught up to the current month.  We are hoping to stay caught up now and play July in the next few days as well.  We're having fun playing thru this story!  After the game, we had snacks, watched this week's Card Sharks and headed to bed.  It was a pretty great way to spend a super hot day!

Sunday (7/21) We all slept in this morning and it was wonderful!  We had a slow moving morning and headed out to second service of church.  When we got home from church, we had a quick lunch and then got to work to finish up some things around the house.  Adrian and I organized the deep freeze in the basement and it looks awesome now!  I didn't realize how much food we had down there, I won't be shopping much for the next few weeks for sure.  Late in the afternoon we headed over to a friend's house and had a great night together.  Our boys played with their two boys while the adults chatted.  We enjoyed lots of pizza, wine and laughter together - it was a fantastic night.  We had a great time but stayed a little later than we planned.  When we got home, we took care of Nick and then got the boys down to bed.  Adrian followed soon after since he has to work in the morning and I stayed up to get a few little things done, enjoy one more glass of wine and watch an episode of Real Housewives.  It was a great Sunday!!

Monday (7/22) We all slept in again this morning, including Adrian who was supposed to go into work early this morning.  Zak finally woke us up around 8am and Adrian got ready and left for work while the rest of us had a relaxing morning.  Zak and I played a game of Monopoly Gamer and I just barely beat him.  After some relaxing, we all got ready and then headed out to see this week's free movie "The Neverending Story."  It was pretty good, I don't believe I've ever seen it.  The boys enjoyed it, AJ and Daniel saw it last year but didn't really remember it.  After the movie, we came home and I got dinner together for everyone.  I dropped dinner off to a friend from church who is recovering from surgery, fed the boys and ate myself before heading to the church to teach Zumba Toning tonight.  We had an awesome class and worked hard!  AJ was supposed to go fishing for Scouts tonight, but it was raining so he opted not to go.  So we had a relaxing night at home, got the boys down to bed early and watched the last two episodes of "AP Bio."  We are almost all caught up, only two more shows left to go.  It was a pretty great start to the week!!

Tuesday (7/23) We got up and moving pretty early this morning.  Adrian headed out to work on time today and I got ready for work and headed out to the Harcum Center to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  After two fun classes, I came home and we had a quick lunch before heading out for the afternoon.  It was a beautiful day so we decided to head to Slate Run Park.  Zak has been asking to go back since his field trip a few months ago.  We played at the new park, saw the animals at the farm and went on a nature walk to the lake.  Highlights were Zak and I milking a cow, touching the different animals and seeing fish in the lake.  I was just excited to be outside and active and not sweating like crazy since the temps today were only in the 70s.

After spending hours at the park, we finally got tired and hungry so we decided to head back home.  I made tacos for everyone for dinner and we had dinner together.  Then the boys played some video games while Adrian mowed the lawn and I cleaned up around the house.  We were all pretty tired after the busy day so we got the boys thru their night routine pretty quickly and down for the night.  Then Adrian and I got our snacks and started on "The Good Doctor."  We watched one episode and were reminded why we love this show.  I'm excited to binge it over the next few weeks!!

Wednesday (7/24) Adrian got up and headed to work early while the rest of us slept in a little bit this morning.  When we got up and moving, we got ready and headed out to Newark to spend the day checking out The Works museum.  Daniel went on a field trip during day camp in June and has been wanting to go back since he went.  We started our day with their planetarium program on Apollo 11 and the space program, which we all really enjoyed.  After the movie, we spent over 4 hours exploring the rest of the museum.  Highlights included playing WiiFit together, taking apart parts of a computer, building cars to race and playing in the sound garden outside.  It was a great day and I was really impressed with the museum, very affordable and fun!!

After we finished at The Works, we headed to Target to do some of our school shopping.  Everyone got their bookbags and lunchboxes for the school year and I grabbed a few supplies as well.  We also got a gift for a birthday party this weekend and a few other things we needed (or the boys wanted) for the house.  When we finished up, we headed home for the evening.  The boys played some video games while I got dinner ready and put away everything we bought at Target.  The night passed quickly while they played and I cleaned and relaxed.  Adrian went to Bible study and got home just in time to help put the boys to bed.  Then we got snacks and watched "Press Your Luck" before heading to bed for the night.

Thursday (7/25) We got up and moving early again today, Adrian left for work and I got ready to head to work too.  I headed to Harcum and taught my two Silver Sneakers classes, then ran a quick errand on the way home.  When I got home, the boys and I had a quick lunch before heading out to the Y for some swimming.  The water was cold, but the weather was perfect!  I sat and rested for the first half of the afternoon, then swam with the boys the second half.  We had a nice afternoon and the day passed super quickly.

After we got home, the boys played some video games while I made dinner and got ready to head to the church to teach my Zumba class.  I had an awesome time at class with everyone!  When I got home, the boys had taken care of the clean up and were ready for family movie night.  We watched "Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse" together since Adrian and Zak missed it the first time.  I got a few things done while they were watching too.  When the movie was over, we got the boys to bed, watched this week's episode of "Card Sharks" and headed to bed too.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for July 21 - July 27)

We did really well sticking to last week's meal plan.  We made everything that we had planned, although we didn't end up going to Zoombeezi Bay on Friday so we had leftover baked ziti for dinner that night.  I made the cabbage salad on Saturday for lunch and we'll have it for leftovers for lunches this week too.  We've successfully used up all of our veggies so far this summer, I haven't thrown anything away yet.  I'm super proud of how well we are keeping up with them, even though sometimes I feel like we're eating the same thing over and over (kale - it's coming out of my ears!)  I did opt out of kale for this week's delivery, I just need a week off from it.

This week we are once again focusing our meals around the veggies that we have in the fridge right now.  I'm hoping to use most of everything up this week so I have room in the fridge for next week.  My mom is coming in for a few days and Adrian is going away a few days so I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with the veggies for the next two deliveries.  I'm planning to cook a few meals in those days that will use the veggies, but I'll honestly mostly be having leftovers and easy meals, especially while Adrian is gone.  I'm not sure if I'll do a meal plan blog next week or not, we'll see what the week looks like.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Going to dinner at a friend's house.  We're bringing red cabbage salad for a side dish.
Monday - Asian Pork and String Beans with Roasted Kale
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday with Corn on the Cob
Wednesday - Asian Beef Slaw with Corn on the Cob
Thursday - Crab Legs in the Instant Pot with Roasted Kale
Friday - Salads at Zoombeezi Bay, either whatever we have left of the cabbage ones or I'll make fresh ones with lettuce
Saturday - London Broil on the grill with veggies

Water Flavor - Orange Basil.  I got a really good deal on a pack of basil so I'm going to use it for my water the next two weeks.  I'm still using up the oranges I have in the fridge so I'll add those with the basil this week.

Overnight Oats - I set up a few batches with berry flavored yogurt this weekend so I'm set for the week.  I'm really proud of all of the food prep I did this weekend to get ready for the upcoming week!

Use it Up - Once again I'm focusing on the veggies in the fridge and the meat in the freezer.  I'll be focusing on emptying the freezer over the next few weeks and hopefully not shopping very much at all.  I did a big stock up trip this week so we should be good, maybe even just small trips until the boys go back to school.

Lunches - I'll be having a lot of salad this week for lunches.  I have leftover cabbage salad from this weekend.  I also made eggplant salad with balsamic vinaigrette with an eggplant and some tomatoes we got from our CSA this week.  I'm looking forward to eating that this week too!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 7/12 - 7/18)

Friday (7/12) We didn't have anywhere to be early on Friday, so the boys and I all slept in.  Adrian got up early and headed to work for the day.  When we finally got up and moving, we were trying to figure out what we should do for the day.  I realized that I had a ton of stuff to catch up on and really needed a day at home to just work on stuff around the house.  So I pulled the mom card and told the boys that we weren't going to do anything fun outside of the house but that they could have video games pretty much all day while I worked.  They were thrilled with that option!!

We did take a break in the afternoon to go out and run a few errands.  I took all three boys to get their hair cut because they were looking pretty shaggy.  When we were done there, we headed to Dollar Tree to pick out our snacks for the drive in tonight.  Then we came back home and I went right back to work while they played until Adrian came home from work.  We all had pasta together for dinner and then got ready and headed to the drive in again to see "Spiderman: Far From Home."  We all really enjoyed it, can't believe some of the plot twists!!  We are loving going to the drive in, such a fun way to see movies this summer.  By the time we waited for both secret scenes, it was around midnight when we got home.  We got the boys down to bed and then I went right to bed too because I have an early morning and busy day tomorrow.

Saturday (7/13) Today started earlier than I wanted it to, especially after the late night last night.  I got up and got ready to head to the church to teach my Zumba class.  We had a fun class and got another great workout!  Then I came home to grab a quick shower and lunch before heading back out to another Zumba jam.  I had a great afternoon dancing with friends and learning 5 new songs to be able to bring back to my classes soon.  It was a fun afternoon, but I was hungry and tired after it!

While I was at my jam, Adrian took Zak to basketball.  He played well and had fun, plus took a nice team pictures.  Then he did some work around the house before bringing AJ back for basketball.  I met them there so Adrian could go to his board game meeting tonight.  I stayed and watched AJ and his team play.  He did pretty well, but his team suffered a tough loss.  When we finally got home, I made dinner for myself and the boys.  Soon after we finished, Adrian came home because he didn't have anyone to play games with at his meeting.  We hung out for the night, got the boys to bed, did a few things to clean up the house and watched some TV.  I also got a few things ready for tomorrow because I have another early morning.  I headed to bed pretty early because I was exhausted and have to leave by 6:45 tomorrow morning.

Sunday (7/14) Today started way too early for me since I had to get up and moving be on the road by 6:45 to head to Xenia for Aqua Zumba training.  I had a rough time getting up and moving, but I made it.  I stopped in Gahanna on my way and picked up my friend Chris who drove out to the training with me.  We had a fun time laughing and chatting and the drive passed quickly.  It was an all day training and I learned a ton about teaching Aqua Zumba in it and I was exhausted when it was over.  Chris and I got back in the car to head home.  We unfortunately hit horrible traffic but were thankfully able to detour around it and still made OK time home.  Once again I was thankful he was with me because he kept me laughing and awake on what could have been a rough ride home.

While I was at training all day, Adrian held down the fort here with the boys.  They all slept in and had a very lazy morning at home.  Then they watched the epic tennis match and went out for a little mini golfing.  The boys were going to go to a VBS but at the last minute decided that they didn't want to do that this week, which is fine with me because it makes my week a lot easier.  When I got home, Adrian had dinner ready to go which was awesome.  I was going to be do a few things around the house, but I was SO tired I decided to just sit and chill.  I ate a few more snacks and then headed to bed early so I can recover from this awesome Zumba weekend!

Monday (7/15) The week started earlier than I wanted it to, especially after the long weekend.  But all 3 boys have Math camp this week so we have to get up and moving early.  AJ and Daniel are taking Minecraft coding camp & Zak is taking Lego building camp.  I got them all up and ready and dropped off to camp on time this morning.  Then I headed home and got a bunch of stuff done around the house that I didn't get to this weekend.  The morning passed super quick and before long it was time to go pick the boys up.

After camp, we had a quick lunch in the car and headed downtown to play in the Scioto Mile fountains.  We met friends there and the boys had a great time inventing games and splashing around in the fountains.  We were there for over 3 hours and they only left because we pulled them all out to get ready for our evening activities.  We got home and cooled off and then I quickly got dinner ready for everyone.  Then I headed to the church to teach my Zumba Toning class.  On the way, I dropped Daniel and Zak off to play at a friend's house for a few hours.  While we were out, Adrian took AJ to his Scout meeting where they worked on their physical fitness requirements.  When we all finally got home, we were exhausted after the fun day!  We got the boys down for the night and then finished cleaning up from dinner.  Then we had our snacks, watched some TV and headed to bed too.

Tuesday (7/16) Today started very similar to yesterday, up and out early for camp for everyone.  After I dropped the boys off, I headed to the Harcum Center to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  Then I headed back to pick them up and take them out to lunch.  One of the local restaurants was having a special this week & kids can eat for $1.  The boys got dinosaur pancakes and were able to decorate them with toppings while I enjoyed a delicious omelette.  Then we headed across town to our favorite trampoline park and bounced for an hour.  It was nearly empty so we had a ton of fun bouncing together and playing dodge ball.  We were worn out after the hour, so we headed home for the night.  We had a very relaxing night after the busy day - dinner together, video games for the boys, cleaning for me.  The night passed quickly and then it was time for bed for the boys.  After we got them down, Adrian and I watched a few shows and then headed to bed too.

Wednesday (7/17) Another day of camp this morning and everyone got up and moving quickly today. I dropped the boys off at camp and then ran a few errands before heading back to the Harcum Center to sub a Zumba class this morning.  We had a fun time dancing together and then I headed back to pick up the boys from camp.  We had planned to meet up with friends at a park for a picnic and some play time but since it was raining, we cancelled those plans.  Instead we headed home for a quick lunch and some relaxing time and then headed out to Gahanna Lanes for the boys to bowl their two free games.  They had a ton of fun bowling, especially Zak who did really well.  He liked it so much he would like to join the bowling league in the fall!!

When we got home, we had another relaxing night at home.  I cooked dinner for everyone and surprisingly Adrian was able to make it home for dinner.  He worked super late since the State finally got the budget together today, but when they took their dinner break he was able to come home and support from here.  After dinner, the boys played video games while I worked around the house.  I got them down for bed and then had my snacks and watched "Press Your Luck" while Adrian was working.  Then I headed to bed, I forgot how hard it is to get up early every day!!

Thursday (7/18) Wow, we all really struggled to get up this morning!  I hit snooze an extra time and Adrian was sleeping on the couch after a super late night of work.  The boys were dragging and we were just running late the whole morning.  I somehow got the boys to camp right on time and then ran over to the Harcum Center to teach my two Silver Sneakers.  I was a few minutes late but we made it work and had two fantastic classes.  Then I headed back to pick up the boys from camp and we ran home to grab a quick lunch.

After lunch, we headed out to the Y to swim for a few hours.  We had a great time swimming, especially since we had the deep end mostly to ourselves the whole time.  We swam for about two hours and then headed home sunkissed and tired.  I was supposed to teach Zumba tonight but heard from almost all of my students, plus my childcare, that they couldn't come tonight.  So I decided to cancel class and take the night off.  We had another relaxing night at home since we were all worn out from the busy week so far.  The boys played video games while Adrian and I got a few things done.  Then we got them down to bed, watched some TV and headed to bed too.  I'm a little nervous how much we're going to struggle when we go back to school!

Keeping Up With...2019 Goals (April-June Recap)

Hi remember the fact that I had goals this year??  Well I didn't and writing this post has been on my to do list since the end of April.  But I'll be honest, things around here have been super busy!  Between the end of school, summer fun, sickness and work we've been going non-stop.  Our weekends have been jam packed so I've honestly been just focusing on what's on fire and leaving everything.  My to do list is currently gigantic and I'm slowing working my way thru it.  It will probably take me all of August but hopefully I'll catch up eventually.

The good news is that these goals have been in the back of my mind the past three months and I have still been working towards them.  I've been consistent about working out just about everyday, except for when I was super sick for almost a week.  I've been losing weight, I'm even starting to notice it myself.  I'm reading the Bible every day and for fun most days.  We're having an amazing summer together, although we haven't really been doing the everyone picks something each week.  That was just getting to be hard for everyone so now we just discuss what's happening that week and what we would like to do.  We're getting a nice variety and having a ton of fun so since it's working I'm not changing it.

I'm going to do my best to update this for the past few months but I may miss a few things.  I used to update it each week, but haven't touched it since mid-April.  I may miss a few things but that's OK.  I am really hoping to get back to doing these posts each month, but I'm not promising that it will happen.  My goal is to get caught up on stuff over the next six weeks, the end of summer and the first two weeks of school.  Then I'm hoping to find a better balance of getting stuff done around the house when I go back to subbing in the schools.  We'll see how it all unfolds - stay tuned to see!!

• Lose 50 pounds - I've lost 21 pounds so far!!  I'm super excited about this and am motivated to keep this momentum going.  I realize I'm a little bit behind, but honestly not gaining will be a huge accomplishment for this year since I went the other way the past two years.
• Exercise for 20 minutes every day - 175 days (out of 181) so far, missed one day when Zak was in the hospital, one day in April when I was exhausted and 4 days when I had the deadly stomach bug and could barely move for 6 days (I walked the dog two of the days)
• Read the Bible in a Year - 181 days so far
• Read 100 Days to Brave - DONE!!
• Read "Be Still and Know" - 181 days so far
• Read 20 books - 7 books so far "Bridget Jones' Diary" and "The Littlest Bigfoot" in this three month span.  I've fallen behind by a few books, I'm hoping to pick it up the rest of this summer.  I did read half of the new Jennifer Weiner book before it had to go back to the library so as soon as I get that again, I'll finish it.
• Read the 12 How to Train Your Dragon Books - 3 books done so far
• Read "The Beauty Myth" - 66% so far
• Write 45 meal plan blogs - 18 blog posts so far.  I've missed a bunch of weeks doing this for various reasons.  I've been planning, just not writing the blogs.
• Write 52 weekly summary blogs - 23 blog posts so far.  I've missed a few weeks that are half written.  I'm hoping on catching up on these next, after I finish this post.
• Write 12 goal recap blogs - 4 blog post so far.  See above for the explanation.  I will obviously not be hitting this goal this year.
• Pay off $3,000 of credit card debt - About $3,200 paid off so far!!  We're ahead of schedule which is awesome.  However we did incur some debt this year for Zak's hospital bills and we're taking July and Aug off from our big payments since my income is way down right now.  But I'm so happy about the progress we've made!
• Renovate the living room - DONE!!
• Watch 40 movies - 19 movies so far.  In this three month span, we have watched a ton of movies!  The boys are loving going to the movies, especially the drive in.  Here's the list of what we watched in this 3 months:  Captain Marvel, Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse, Bohemian Rhapsody, Antman and Wasp, Avengers: Endgame, Shazzam, The Kid Who Would be King, Detective Pikachu, Aquaman, Hotel Transylvania 1, Matilda, Jurassic Park, Toy Story 1, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Hotel Transylvania 2
• Go on 12 dates with Adrian - 8 dates so far this year.  We saw "The Play That Goes Wrong" and "Hello Dolly," went to Cooper's Hawk for dinner, did a day date at Easton, and went to La Fogota for dinner in these 3 months.
• Sub 70 days in the schools - 25 days so far.  I'll have some work to do in the fall to meet this goal!  But I'm planning to sub four days each week so hopefully starting in September this number will get much higher.
• Do one group fitness training - registered for Aqua Zumba in July
• Go to 6 Zumba jam sessions - 3 jams attended
• Clean out master bedroom - spent 20 minutes working in there
• Clean out play room - spent 20 minutes working in there
• Have 12 family board game nights - had 3 family game nights so far.  We've been slacking on this one too.  Hoping to pick it up the second half of the year.
• Play Pandemic Legacy with Adrian once per month - 4 months done
• Have 6 nights out with friends - 3 nights out so far - In these three months, I had a dinner out with friends one night and also went to the Mixtape Tour concert with friends.  That was a super fun night!!
• Go on an awesome spring break vacation to Florida - DONE!!
• Do 100 fun family things (one thing each week during school & one thing per person each week over the summer) - About 30 done so far.  We're not really counting what we're doing, just enjoying it!
• Go on 2 family camping trips - haven't booked any.  Probably won't do any this year, it's just too much work for all of us to go camping.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for July 14 - July 20)

I accidentally missed another week of meal planning, but I didn't really have a lot to write about so I decided to skip it.  We have so many veggies and it is amazing!  But I didn't feel like figuring out what to cook with them so I just took out some meat each day and put meals together.  It was mostly grilled meat and veggies all week, although I did make this awesome Asian pork and string beans one night.  It was one of my favorites and I'm thinking about making it again next week since we'll have more string beans.

This week there is some of the same going on.  To be honest, we are super busy having fun with the kids plus trying to work.  We have a ton of veggies we need to use and we can't always cook big elaborate dishes with them.  So we're just throwing stuff on the grill and it's awesome!  I can't say enough good things about the veggies we're getting from the local farm, everything is so fresh and flavorful and it lasts forever.  I'm so glad we decided to do it again this summer, and I'm sure we'll be doing it again next year after this great experience!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Steak on the grill
Monday - Potato, Sausage & Kale Frittata
Tuesday - Taco Soup
Wednesday - Unstuffed Cabbage for the adults and Baked Ziti for the children
Thursday - Salmon and whatever veggies we feel like having
Friday - Cabbage Salad with shrimp while we're at Zoombeezi Bay
Saturday - Grilled Chicken and whatever veggies we feel like having

Water Flavor - Orange.  I still have a few more oranges and lemons to use up so I did that this week.  I will probably get one more week with that and then I'll have to figure out other things to use.

Overnight Oats - I have a few flavored yogurts that I'll be using this week to make these.  I also found watermelon flavored Greek yogurt at Aldi last week so I'm going to be using that really soon, I'm super excited about it!

Use it Up - I actually didn't shop at all last week so I just used what we had at the house.  I didn't realize how stocked our freezer in the basement is, so I used up some of that meat last week.  I'm focusing on fruits and veggies again this week, making sure we eat and use everything before it goes bad.  I really need to organize our freezers so I know what I have and what I should use up.

Lunches - I'm making Thai Chicken Salad to take with me to training on Sunday and that will be most of my lunches this week.  I'm also taking the boys out to eat at Sunnyside Cafe one day since they can eat for free this week.  I may make another cabbage salad at the end of the week since we have so much cabbage right now.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 7/5 - 7/11)

Friday (7/5) We had a very lazy start to our day today since we've been up so late the past few days.  We slept in, then had a relaxing morning of donuts and coffee.  We were going to see "Fantastic Mr Fox" but no one wanted to get moving fast enough so we decided to postpone that for later this week and just hang at home.  I got a few things done around the house while the boys played some video games and then in the early afternoon we packed up and got ready to head to Zoombeezi Bay for the night.

When we got to Zoombeezi, we realized it was super crowded, which was not really surprising.  All of the slides had an hour or longer waits so we decided to just play in the wave pool, lazy river and baboon lagoon for a while.  When it was time for dinner, we got together and decided instead of buying dinner there, we would just head out for the night.  We went to Red Robin for dinner instead and then stopped at Orange Leaf for dessert.  Then we went home and watched "Hotel Transylvania 3," the same movie Zoombeezi was playing.  I think it turned out to be a slightly better night for all of us.  The movie was really good, we all enjoyed it and are glad we watched all of them this summer!  After the movie, we got the boys to bed and headed to bed soon after since it was pretty late. 

Saturday (7/6) Today started early for me again since I had to teach my Zumba class at the church.  I almost cancelled since it's the holiday weekend but I'm so glad I decided to have class because I had 12 people and we had a blast dancing to a Zumba shuffle playlist.  After class, I was a sweaty mess so I came home to get a shower and get on with my day.  Daniel wanted to go see "Fantastic Mr Fox" so Adrian took him to see that (I'll take the other boys this week while he's at camp).  They said the movie was awesome and are glad they went.  When they got home, we did a few things around the house and then packed up the car to head up to Carl's house for some family time.  We had a great night there, the kids played while the adults chatted.  We enjoyed fun snacks, delicious homemade pizza, fruity wine and decadent chocolate cake.  It was a great night together capped off by the kids playing with sparklers together.  We headed home after all of that fun to take care of Nick and start getting Daniel ready for camp tomorrow.  After a few small things, we got the boys down to bed and then Adrian and I settled in to watch the past two episodes of "Younger" before also heading to bed for the night.  Only one day left in our long weekend!!

Sunday (7/7) I had to get up and moving early again this morning to head into church.  I served in children's ministry for the first service and then headed into church for the second service.  The boys slept super late so only Adrian came to meet me for service.  We kicked off a new series and it's going to be another good one.  After church, I ran Daniel to Dollar Tree for a few things he needed and then came home to grab a quick lunch, finish packing Daniel up for camp and send him off to a birthday party for about an hour.  While he was there, I worked around the house and got as much done as I could.

When Daniel got home, we made sure he had everything and then his friend Patrick & his mom Melissa picked us up to drive both boys up to Round Lake Christian Camp for the week.  It was a nice drive out and we got them checked in with no problems.  Daniel got a little upset when I was leaving and I'm hoping he makes it OK this week.  He wasn't able to keep his phone and that was upsetting for both him and me.  After we got the boys settled, Melissa and I headed home but not without stops for a delicious dinner and some yummy ice cream.  When I got home, I finished up a few things and then watched a few comedies with Adrian before we headed to bed.  We're both back to our normal schedule starting tomorrow, but it was a pretty great long weekend!

Monday (7/8) Even though the weekend is over, I actually got to sleep in a bit today since we didn't have to be anywhere super early this morning.  Once the boys and I got up and moving, we packed up quickly and headed to Zoombeezi Bay for a few hours.  It was a gorgeous day so once again it was pretty crowded, but we made the best of it.  We played in the wave pool, lazy river and baboon lagoon, including a fun basketball game with two other brothers the boys met in the pool.  After a quick lunch, we headed home to rest up for our evening activities.

Unfortunately on the drive home, I got a phone call from the leaders at camp saying Daniel wasn't doing good and I might have to go pick him up.  He was swimming at the time and the leader said he would call back after that if Daniel still wanted to leave.  Well I don't know what's in that water, but Daniel has completely turned around and was having a great time after swimming.  I'll keep praying that he is able to stay the rest of the week, but will be on high alert with my phone as well.  After we finally got home, AJ and Zak had their video game time and I worked around the house.  Then I got everyone dinner and we got ready for our evening activities, which were all split up.

First Adrian took Zak to soccer camp at our high school and dropped him off there.  Zak had a great time playing games and doing drills with the high school soccer players.  After dropping him off, Adrian came back and dropped off AJ at Scouts where he worked on advancement and got the info for his geocaching merit badge.  While they were there, I went to church and had an awesome Zumba Toning class with my students & also got to see and talk to a bunch of friends.  It was so nice to be around so many members of my church family after a tough afternoon.  When we all got home, we got the boys thru their night routine, watched a comedy and headed to bed for the night.

Tuesday (7/9) I got up and moving early this morning since I had to work.  Of course, it wasn't nearly as early as Adrian got up and out to work so I'm thankful for that.  I got ready and headed to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had a delay getting started when the fire alarm went off minutes before class and we had to evacuate the building.  Thankfully it was a false alarm so I was able to teach my two classes, even if they both started a little late.  After class, I came home and got lunch with AJ and Zak before we headed to the Y to meet some friends to swim for a few hours.  We had a fun time, it was a perfect day for the pool!!

After a few hours, we came home so Zak and I could get ready for our night activities.  I got dinner for all of us and then dropped Zak off at soccer camp before heading back to the Y for an Aqua Zumba class.  I had a great time being a student and just forgetting about the stress of the week.  After class, I came home and helped Adrian get the boys down for the night.  Then we finished a few things, got snacks, watched a comedy and headed to bed too.  I was exhausted after all of the pool time today!!

Wednesday (7/10) We all slept in a bit since we didn't really have anything pressing on our agenda.  Adrian got up early and went to work while the rest of us slept until around 9am.  We were thinking about going to see "Smallfoot" with friends but since we slept in we decided not to rush to do that.  We were also supposed to meet our church group at the park but the boys were not interested in doing that today either and it was honestly so hot that I was OK with staying home.  Thankfully we did because I got a few things done around the house and then Daniel called and asked to please come home.  He said he wasn't having any fun, didn't like the food and missed all of us.  So I got the other boys settled and headed up to pick him up.  We are super proud that he stuck it out for the 3 nights!!

While I was doing the 3 hour round trip drive to pick him up, Adrian came home from work a little early to feed AJ and Zak dinner.  Then he took Zak to soccer camp and headed to his Bible study for the night.  I no sooner walked in from the drive and the soccer camp called me to pick up Zak early because he hurt his foot during drills.  I got him home and he seems to be OK, but we're going to watch it the next few days and make sure he doesn't need x-rays.  When I finally got everyone home and settled, I took a little time for myself and then got the boys down to bed for the night.  Daniel was exhausted and couldn't wait to go to bed!  Adrian got home from Bible study, we finished a few things,watched a comedy and then headed to bed.  It was definitely a Wacky Wednesday!!

Thursday (7/11) Daniel was so happy to be home that he slept for over 10 hours last night!!  All three boys were still sleeping when both Adrian and I headed out to work this morning.  I headed to the Harcum Center to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes this morning.  Then I ran a quick errand and came home to get lunch together for everyone.  When we were finished eating, we got ready and headed out to the movies to see "Fantastic Mr. Fox."  Daniel had already seen it earlier this week with Adrian but didn't mind seeing it again since he liked it.  It was a pretty cute movie, the boys all really liked it.

After the movie, we came home and I got a few things done before getting dinner together for everyone.  Then I headed out to the church to teach my Zumba class tonight.  I was pretty tired but I made it thru and we all had a sweaty fun time!  After class I came home and Adrian and I finished up a few things around the house and then got the boys thru their night routine.  When we got them down to bed, we watched a comedy and headed to bed too.  It's been a very long and somewhat stressful week!!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/28 - 7/4)

Friday (6/28) Adrian and I got up and moving early this morning while the boys all slept in.  Adrian got up and went to work while I had an early doctor's appointment for my annual physical.  She said everything looks good right now, just waiting on blood work and a few other normal tests to make sure all is good for another year.  When I got home, the boys wanted to watch "Toy Story 3" so we did that this morning.  We all loved it and I cried like I always do at the end.  We're so excited to see "Toy Story 4" this weekend and I'm so glad we made the time to watch the other three again this week.

After the movie, the boys played some video games while I got a few things done around the house.  Our plan was to head to Zoombeezi Bay tonight but Adrian couldn't go and I knew it would be super crowded and hard to do alone so I bribed the boys with extra video game time to stay home instead.  We ran a few errands this afternoon, including getting junk food for the drive in and free pizza for dinner.  When we were done, we went to a local park, Blendon Woods, to play at their natural play area for a while.  We had fun hiking around, playing on the equipment and riding the zip line swing.  It was super hot and muddy though so we only stayed just over an hour before heading out.

When we got home, the boys got their extra video game time while Adrian and I cleaned up the kitchen.  We all had dinner, pizza for the boys and shrimp salad for the adults.  Then we settled in for family movie night watching "Jurassic Park."  We were supposed to watch it outside on the big screen at Zoombeezi Bay tonight but we decided to watch it from the comfort of our couches instead.  Zak thought it was boring, which I knew was going to happen.  Daniel thought it was just OK and AJ enjoyed it but did say that there are a lot of dinosaur movies so he didn't think we needed another one.  When the movie was over, we put the boys to bed, got snacks and watched a comedy before heading to bed too.  Adrian is on call all weekend so it could be a long one!

Saturday (6/29) Today started early for me since I had to teach my Zumba class at the church.  But it was a great class with a bunch of new people and we all had a sweaty fun time!  While I was at the church, Adrian was at home on call for work all day.  He doesn't have to be online all day, but he has to be available if he's needed and needs the internet so he's really restricted on what he can do this weekend.  He is able to get a lot of stuff done around the house though so he's focusing on that while he's waiting to see if work needs him.  After a quick shower and lunch, I headed out to Zak's basketball game.  He had another great game and played really hard.  His coach rewarded him with the sportsmanship medal for his effort, good listening and hard play.

After Zak's game, I dropped him off at home and picked up AJ for his basketball game.  He also played well and his team lost a heart breaker.  When the game was over, we headed home and had dinner together as a family.  Then I headed out with Daniel and Zak to see the Pataskala fireworks tonight.  Adrian still needed to be online and AJ decided he's too cool to come with us this year.  We sat in a new place on Broad St and met some nice people next to us.  There was also a church there handing out ice cream to the kids.  It was a fun, low key way to kick off the 4th of July celebration!  When we got home, the boys had a quick snack before heading to bed for the night and then Adrian and I pretty much did the same thing.  It was a jam packed, awesome Saturday!!  Here's hoping the state can get the budget together so Adrian can leave the house tomorrow.

Sunday (6/30) Today started a little earlier than I wanted it to, but it was for a good cause.  I got up and got ready and headed into church to serve in children's ministry for the first service.  I had fun with the kids and learned a little about the 10 commandments as well.  Then I went into second service where we finished up a great series about David.  It was a great way to kick off this week!  After church, we came home and got some stuff done around the house, while the boys also played video games and board games and Adrian worked from home.

In the afternoon, Nick and I went for our fourth training session and he did really well.  We learned a few new commands and tired him out as always.  When he and I got home, Adrian and I cooked dinner and we all ate as a family before splitting up for some board games before family movie night.  Since Adrian was still working from home, we had to cancel our trip to the drive in and watch "Hotel Transylvania 2" instead.  It was really good, very funny & a good story line.  We all enjoyed it and are excited for part 3 later this week.  When the movie was over, Adrian and the boys all headed to bed and I stayed up to finish up a few things, including my wine and an episode of "Real Housewives."

Monday (7/1) We got to sleep in a little today since we didn't have a super early start to our day today.  Adrian got up and headed to work and I got up and moving shortly after him to take Nick to the vet for a follow up appointment and some booster shots.  He did a pretty good job there and we were in and out quickly.  After his appointment, I came home and did a few things and then headed to my mammogram screening and to run a few errands in the afternoon.  When I got home, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting stuff done around the house and getting dinner ready for all of us.

After dinner, we split up for the night.  I took Daniel and Zak to Zumba with me at the church.  We had an awesome Zumba Toning class where we all got a great, sweaty workout.  Then we headed to our friends' house for some ice cream, water play, trampoline fun and s'mores.  The boys had fun playing with friends and I had fun chatting with the moms.  While we were there, Adrian took AJ to his Boy Scout meeting where they worked on earning their next rank.  Then they came home and watched a movie that Adrian has wanted to watch "Private Eyes."  AJ though it was funny and pretty good.  When we all got home, we got the boys down to bed and then headed to bed ourselves since it was pretty late and we have a busy day tomorrow!

Tuesday (7/2) Today is the last day this week that Adrian and I have to work, yay!  We're looking forward to a 5 day weekend and some downtime together.  He got up and moving and headed into work and then I did the same and headed to Harcum to teach my two classes.  When I was done, I came home and fed the boys lunch and did a few things around the house before heading out again to meet up with some friends for lunch.  We had a great time catching up, laughing and eating together.  I'm so glad that I was able to make it work!  While I was out most of the day, the boys stayed home and enjoyed some extra video game time which they were super excited about!

When Adrian and I both got back home, we got dinner together and then started packing up to head to the drive in for the night.  We have been trying to get here for a few days and it finally worked out tonight.  We met up with friends and watched both "Toy Story 4" and "Aladdin."  It was a great experience all around!!  We loved watching the movie from our car, snacking on our own snacks and being able to move around if we needed to.  Both movies were great, I was especially impressed with "Aladdin" as the cartoon is a favorite of mine and I wasn't sure if the live version would measure up, but it did!  It was really a great family night and we can't wait to do it again!  The only downside is that we didn't get home and to bed until almost 3am so it was a very late night, but it's OK for special occasions and thankfully we have no where to be tomorrow morning.

Wednesday (7/3) We took full advantage of having no where to be and we slept in pretty late today.  The boys slept even later than Adrian and I!  Once we finally got up and moving, we headed out to Hannah Park to meet some friends from church for our weekly park play date.  The boys had a great time playing with friends and I had fun catching up with the moms.  We stayed for almost two hours before the clouds rolled in and the rain started.  Thankfully we got in the car before the heavy downpours started!  When we got home, we got a few things done around the house and the boys played.  I ended up taking a nap in the afternoon because I was so wiped out from last night!  After dinner, it was still raining so we decided to skip our plan of heading out for the Reynoldsburg fireworks and just stayed home and watched Boom on TV.  After the fireworks, we got the boys down to bed, watched an episode of "Younger" and then headed to bed too.

Thursday (7/4) Happy 4th of July!!  Zak and I were supposed to march in a parade this morning, but I accidentally turned off my alarm so we overslept.  While I'm bummed we missed the parade, it was probably better that we got the extra sleep.  So we had a lazy morning that included lots of coffee and some Krispy Kreme donuts.  Then in the afternoon, Daniel and I snuck out to the movies to see "An American Tail" since it was the free movie for the week.  We both really enjoyed it, I forgot what a tear jerker it is!

After the movie, we came home and got dinner together.  We had a nice family BBQ and enjoyed burgers, brats and hot dogs.  Then we hung out for a little bit, enjoying the cool air as long as we could, before heading out to the Gahanna golf course for their fireworks.  We have been going there the past few years and always have a great time.  We parked where we usually do and had no problem getting in or out of the golf course area.  The show was fantastic once again!!  The boys said it was epic and love how it's synced to the music that they play.  After the show, we came home and quick snacks and got everyone down for the night.  It was a great 4th of July!!