Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 7/13 - 7/19)

Friday (7/13) Today we all got to sleep in a little since we didn't have anything super early.  Adrian got up and headed to work while the rest of us had a slow start.  I did need to run out to sub a quick class for a friend and was able to leave the boys home while I went since I was only gone about an hour.  They are enjoying that extra freedom this summer and so am I!  When I got home, we got a few things done around the house and then headed downtown to my pick for this week, to see "Jumanji" for the free movie series.  I had never seen the original so I was excited to see it.  We were running a little late but made it just in time for the start of the show.  It was a great movie, although I thought it was a little scary.  Thankfully the boys didn't agree and weren't scared at all, although Zak did get a little bored so he spent the second half playing on his tablet.

After the movie, we headed up to Zoombeezi Bay for AJ's pick of the week.  We had fun playing in the wave pool, lazy river and tipping bucket for a few hours and then we were super excited to get tubes for the movie.  The boys watched most of "Ghostbusters" (the new one) while floating in the wave pool while Adrian and I enjoyed adult beverages on dry land.  Zak again got bored about half way thru and asked to head home so he and Adrian left.  I found out later he was actually scared by the movie, which is understandable.  I stayed and watched the end with AJ and Daniel.  When we got home (super late!) we found Zak and Dad asleep on the couch.  I got the other two boys to bed, got settled myself and headed to bed.  I was so tired!!

 

 

Saturday (7/14) Today started way earlier than I wanted it to, at least for me.  I had to teach my Zumba class at the Y so I had to get up and moving.  I'm thankful that the boys all slept in a lot, they needed the rest.  I headed out and had a great, sweaty time with my class while Adrian got the boys ready and took them to Blendon Woods natural play ground.  They enjoyed playing on the zipline swing, obstacle course and hiking a little bit.  Then they stopped to pick up two video games and Marco's pizza for lunch.

I saw them briefly when they got home from the park because I was home doing a quick change and grabbing a quick lunch before heading back to the Y for another Zumba jam session.  This was my 7th one of the year and I'm having a great time going to them all!  We danced and sweated for three hours and I learned a lot of new rhythms, steps, choreo and teaching tricks.  It wasn't one of my favorite jams but it was still a great way to spend an afternoon!  When we were done, I headed home exhausted and sore!

Thankfully when I got home, Adrian volunteered to cook pasta for dinner.  We had a nice family dinner and then we played a game of "Machi Koro" before the boys headed upstairs to play video games while Adrian and I tried to get control of the house.  Before long, it was time for the boys to head to bed for the night.  We tried to get them down a little early since we know they are down sleep from the week.  After we got everyone in bed, we headed down and watched a few episodes of "Living Biblically" before heading to bed too.  It was an early night but much needed after a long day!

Sunday (7/15) Today we all got to sleep in a little again, yay!  Then we had a lazy morning at home before heading to second service for church.  I was supposed to be serving in children's ministry for that service, but there were more than enough volunteers so I was able to go and be in the service.  It was an inspiring sermon and I'm glad I was able to be there.  After service, we headed home for a quick lunch before splitting up for the afternoon.  I was working at the church for the afternoon while Adrian took the boys to their friend's birthday party.  They had a fun time at the party playing with sprinklers and water guns, jumping on the trampoline and running around the yard.  In fact, they had so much fun they did not want to leave!  So Adrian made the decision to let them stay a little longer and skip martial arts this week.

When we all finally got home, we got a few things done including finishing cleaning out the front closet and the toy room.  Then Adrian went out to get dinner, which was his pick of this week.  He picked up Piada for both of us while I did leftover Marco's pizza for the boys.  After dinner, we finished up what needed to be done for the week including giving the boys hair cuts.  They had some video game time while we worked and then it was time for them to have snacks and head to bed.  When they were down for the night, Adrian and I got some ice cream and watched a few comedies before heading to bed to rest up for a busy week!

Monday (7/16) We all had a rough time getting up and moving today.  We may have hit another wall in our amazing summer and just needed some down time.  Adrian eventually got up and out to work, but he was very late getting in.  The boys and I had planned to go see "Ferdinand" but we decided a relaxing day at home was a much better idea.  So we played some video games, got some things done around the house and had a lazy morning.  We all had lunch and then we all headed to the Y to swim for a while.  Zak had lessons so he went there while the other boys swam with me in the outside pool.  Soon after Zak's class was done, it started to storm so they closed the outside pool.

After seeking shelter inside, we realized it would be really crowded in that pool so the boys decided they wanted to go home.  So we dried off and headed back to the house.  I drove them home, got changed, made a quick dinner and headed back to the Y to sub a Zumba Gold class.  The boys decided to stay home while I was there instead of going into childcare.  I had a great class and was reminded how much I love my afternoon crew.  When I got home, we ate a quick dinner and then I drove Zak to VBS at a local church.  He decided he wanted to do this one even though his brothers didn't want to and I'm excited for him! 

While I was dropping him off, Adrian and AJ headed out to Boy Scouts.  They were supposed to hike tonight but the storms changed their plan and they had a regular meeting at the church instead.  They got home and I headed out to pick up Zak from Shipwrecked VBS.  He had a great time and can't wait to go back tomorrow!  When we all got home, we got the boys ready for bed, finished cleaning up around the house and watched a few comedies before heading to bed.  It feels like it's going to be a long week!

Tuesday (7/17) Today started early for us since it was a very busy day!  I got up and enjoyed a little time to myself before having to wake Zak up to get ready for his first day of Safety Town.  I got him ready and left a list of things to do for AJ and Daniel while we were gone.  I dropped Zak off at Blacklick Woods for Safety Town and then headed to Harcum to teach two Silver Sneakers classes.  As soon as the second class was over, I raced out to run over to pick up Zak.  He had a great time learning about fire safety, animal safety, touring an ambulance & fire truck and playing a few games.

After I picked Zak up, we headed home to grab a quick lunch and pick up AJ and Daniel.  Then we all headed to the Y for AJ and Daniel's swim lessons.  While they were in class, Zak and I swam in the outside pool.  We stayed until the rest period after class and then headed home to have some downtime before our night activities.  We came home and got a few things done and then had a quick dinner of tacos and then Daniel's friend Ethan came over to play with him.  Zak was supposed to go to Shipwrecked VBS again but he really wanted to play with Ethan too so he stayed home to play with the boys here.

The four boys had a great time playing for over two hours together - and only a few minutes were video games!  After Ethan's dad picked him up, we did a quick clean up and then the boys had a snack and a show to calm down after the exciting night.  Then we got them down for the night, Adrian and I finished up a few things around the house and watched a few comedies before bed as well.

Wednesday (7/18) Today started early again but I am enjoying getting up a little before everyone and having some time to myself.  Adrian and I got our donation together and out to curb for VOA to come and pick up during the day.  Then he headed off to work and while Zak and I got ready and headed out for the morning.  I left the other boys home alone again with a list of things to do before I got back home.  I dropped Zak off at Safety Town then headed back to my church for a few meetings with some of the staff about picking up some additional responsibilities.  I will be taking on a little more in my role as facilities manager and will also be adding a few group fitness classes.  I'm so excited for these opportunities!

 

After the meetings, I headed back to pick up Zak from Safety Town.  Again, he had a blast learning about safety including water safety, bike safety, car safety and fire safety.  We got home, had a quick lunch and headed back out to the Y for Zak's swim lessons.  He did a great job in class and I enjoyed sitting and watching for a change since the other boys asked to stay home instead of coming to swim with me.  When lessons were over, we headed home again.  I dropped Zak off, made dinner really quick and got changed to head back to the Y to teach a Zumba class.  While I still have some reservations about it, I am also loving the boys wanting to stay home alone all the time.  It makes it SO much easier on me to leave!

I had another amazing sweaty class with my friends and am looking forward to getting back to teaching the afternoon classes in the fall!  I got home to help Adrian get ready to head out for the evening activities.  He took Zak to his third night of "Shipwrecked" VBS and then went to his men's group for our church.  The timing worked out nice that he was able to do both drop off and pick up.  I stayed home and hung out with the other two boys and got some stuff done around the house.  When they got home, we watched one more show and then got the boys down to bed.  Then Adrian and I made snacks, watched a few comedies and headed to bed too.  It was a busy day in the middle of a busy week!!

Thursday (7/19) Last day of Safety Town for Zak!!  Adrian got up and out to work early today and I was happy that Zak was up on time this morning as well.  Same as Tuesday, I left the other boys with a to do list and headed out with Zak for the morning.  I dropped him off at the park and then headed to the Harcum Center to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had smaller than usual classes but we still all had a great time.  After the second class, I again ran out the door to pick up Zak.  He had a blast on his last day of Safety Town learning about food safety, bus safety, sun safety, school safety and gun safety.  They also played a few games and did a group picture.  Very fun few days for Zak and I highly recommend Reynoldsburg Safety Town!

We went home to have a quick lunch and pick up the other boys before heading out the Y for AJ and Daniel's lessons.  While they were in class, I swam outside with Zak.  But I was really tired and was thrilled that he found two other kids to play with so I could spend most of the afternoon relaxing in the gorgeous weather.  When the other boys finished class, they came out to play and soon the life guards started a game of Battleship in the pool.  When the boys realized they needed to pass the deep end swimming test to play, they headed back inside to do that.  Much to my surprise, AJ and Zak passed!!  I am SO proud of both of them!  Daniel unfortunately got water up his nose and has to wait to try again another day.

After they got their wrist bands, they headed back outside to play Battleship.  AJ and Zak had a blast playing two different games and playing in the deep end in between games.  Daniel sat and sulked for a bit and then went and played with some friends in the shallow end of the pool.  I finally pulled everyone out at the 3:45 rest period so we could get home and get ready for our night activities.  We had a quick dinner and then I headed out to drop Zak off at his last night of Shipwrecked VBS and then do a quick grocery trip.  Adrian stayed home with the other boys and they worked in the yard since we're forecast to get rain all weekend.

 

I got home about 20 minutes before someone needed to go pick up Zak so we unloaded the groceries and then Adrian went to pick him up while I put everything away.  When everyone got home, we did our normal night routine.  The boys had a snack and a show while Adrian and I finished up a few things around the house.  Then we got them down to bed and we watched a few comedies before heading to bed.  We pushed everyone's bedtime a little later tonight since Adrian is off tomorrow and we're having a chill family day!

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for July 15 - July 21)

We did pretty good sticking to our meal plan last week until yesterday.  I forgot to take out everything we needed for the meal so we just made pasta with Alfredo sauce.  I was behind all week because I didn't get to the grocery store until later in the week.  So Monday night I made my first batch of beans in my instant pot.  I had a bag of dry pinto beans and needed beans for our Chicken Burrito Bowls but didn't have hours to make them.  So I searched how to cook them in the instant pot and they came out amazing!  We used two cups of them in the bowls, now I need to use up the rest.  Watch for them in the next two weeks of menu planning.

The other interesting thing that happened this past week was that AJ and Adrian accidentally left our deep freeze open for a few hours.  Thankfully nothing defrosted, but a few things iced over from that so we decided we want to try to empty the freezer.  I will be trying to minimize my grocery shopping by only eating what we have until we come back from our vacation in August.  I will try to still remain fairly healthy, but there may be a little harder than usual since I will be limited on what I have.  I decided to start at the top and work my way down from the freezer, so this week I'm trying to use up broth.  I'm interested to see how long we can go with what we have in the house!

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Piada (Adrian's activity for the week was dinner out)
Monday - Baked Pasta with Spinach and Sausage (carryover from last week)
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Shrimp & Corn Chowder (using up broth)
Thursday - Beef Fajitas (using up pinto beans & flank steak in freezer)
Friday - Pasta (using up butternut squash sauce & pasta in freezer)
Saturday - Mexican Corn Soup (using up broth, milk & corn in freezer)

Water Flavor - Apple again until they are all used up

Overnight Oats - Adrian isn't eating these again so I didn't have to set any up last week.  I still have one serving left over to start my week too.  I'll be using the flavored yogurts I have to set up a few batches this week.  I also have vanilla flavored greek yogurt to use up and salted caramel syrup to use up and think the two of the together with chocolate chips sounds amazing.

Use It Up - I've talked a lot about this in this post.  My plan is to get in the basement and inventory what is down there either tonight or tomorrow and go from there for the next few weeks.  I'm using up some things I know for sure are down there this week.  I'm also using up my frozen fruit in my smoothies, especially the bananas.  I tend not to use them after I freeze them but I've been intentional this week about using them up.

Lunches - I honestly haven't thought much about lunches.  I will probably eat salads a few days and leftovers a few days.  Adrian is off on Friday for a family trip to the zoo so we'll have sandwiches that day.  I may need to put a little more thought into my lunches, ha!

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 7/6 - 7/12)

Friday (7/6) Thankfully we were all able to sleep in a little today.  Adrian got up and headed to work while I stayed home with the boys.  I had to sub a class at the Harcum Center this morning and since the boys have been asking to stay home, we decided this was a good morning to let them do that.  So they hung out here playing video games while I taught a fun 30 minute class to some of the residents and then quickly stopped to drop off AJ's prescription at Meijer.  I got home and the boys did great, no problems at all while I was gone.

We did a few things around the house when I got home and then got ready for Daniel's pick of the week, going to Magic Mountain for some fun.  We had a great afternoon there!  We all played mini golf, Daniel beat me by 1 stroke.  And then they played in the play area for a while before we all headed to the video games.  We have a ton of tokens that we've accumulated over the years so we were using up some of those.  When everyone was done with games, we headed back outside for the boys to ride the go carts and then headed home for the day.  It was an awesome afternoon together, we all had a bunch of fun!

 

On the way home, we stopped at Family Video to get a few movies and video games.  Then we came home and enjoyed delicious baked ziti (that Adrian made) for dinner before cleaning up and setting up for Adrian's pick for the week - a family game night.  We tried to play "Resistance Avalon" first but it didn't go very well because you have to keep who you are a secret and the boys aren't great at that.  Then we played "Machi Koro" and we all LOVED it!  We finished up the night with a quick game of "Magic Maze" which we beat on level two this time.  It was a fun family night!  When we finished, we got the boys ready for bed and then watched two episodes of "The Good Doctor."  We only have two episodes left before we are caught up!  We probably would have kept watching last night, but we were both pretty tired.  It's such a great show!

Saturday (7/7) Most of us slept in this morning, except for Adrian who woke up super early.  We had a relaxing morning before getting ready to head out to the movies for AJ's pick of the week to see "Incredibles 2."  The movie was great, we all loved it!  We enjoyed sitting in the comfy recliner seats and eating too much popcorn while laughing thru the movie.  When it was over, we ran to Krispy Kreme to pick up donuts for our sleepover at my brother's and then came home to pack up and head over to their house.

We met Sarah, Isabelle and Vinnie at the dam park to play for a bit before heading to their house.  The kids enjoyed playing on the play ground and watching the people fish and swim.  When we were done playing at the park, we headed back to the house to meet up with Carl.  We enjoyed a fun night of the adults chatting and drinking while the kids played.  We had a delicious grilled dinner, made s'mores over the fire pit, watched a neighbor light off a ton of fireworks and enjoyed the amazing weather.  The kids went up to get comfy and watch a movie around 11pm and most of them stayed up until it was over, well after midnight.  The adults were up even longer enjoying the fire and some adult beverages.  It was a very relaxing and fun night!!

 

 

 

Sunday (7/8) After staying up until after 2am, waking up this morning was rough.  But I managed to get up and moving to help Sarah with the kids.  She made us an amazing breakfast of bacon, eggs and french toast, plus coffee and donuts.  The kids were all up and raring to go so they picked up where they left off last night, having an amazing time playing together.  We hung out until about 1:00 and then we finally motivated to pack up and head home since we had a few things to do around the house and the boys have Martial Arts tonight.  Even though the adults are exhausted (and maybe a little hung over) we had a great time spending the night with family and are all looking forward to doing it again!

When we got home, we unpacked and got a few things done around the house.  Then Daniel wanted to play "Machi Koro" so we took a break and played a fun game of that which Zak won easily.  Then the boys got ready and headed out to Martial Arts.  They had a good class and while they were there, Adrian went and picked up a Jersey Mike's sub for us for dinner.  When everyone got home, we had a quick and easy dinner then finished up a few things around the house to get ready for the week.  Then we played two more games of "Machi Koro" since it's only a 4 player game so we had to play twice so we could all play.  When we finished playing, we got the boys down to bed early, had a snack and watched some TV before heading to bed ourselves.  It was a great weekend but boy am I tired!! 

Monday (7/9) We all got a great night of sleep last night and started with a somewhat lazy morning.  Adrian headed to work and I played "Machi Koro" again with the boys.  Then we all got ready and headed to World of Bounce, which was Zak's pick last week and we didn't get to do it because it was too crowded.  The boys bounced for about 90 minutes and had a blast.  Then we headed home for a quick lunch before heading back out to the Y for Zak's swim lessons.

While Zak was in class, I swam with the other boys outside because it was a gorgeous day.  Zak met us outside when class was over, then we moved inside because the boys were finally going to be able to ride the slide.  Zak wasn't tall enough last year and we haven't been there recently when it was opened.  He's been waiting for this and it didn't disappoint!  They rode the slide for the full 30 minutes it was open and had a blast.  When they closed the slide, we dried off and headed home for a quick dinner.

 

After dinner, the boys had soccer camp thru our high school.  All three are signed up but AJ really wanted to go to Boy Scouts tonight instead so I took Daniel and Zak while Adrian took AJ to Scouts.  They all had a great time at their activities and came home exhausted.  We did snack, show and then got them upstairs to bed.  Adrian and I finished up a few things around the house and then we settled in to watch the last 2 episodes of "The Good Doctor."  It is such a great show and I'm glad it will be back next year!!  We stayed up too late tonight watching it, but it was worth it!

Tuesday (7/10) Everyone was really tired and it was very hard to get moving.  Adrian and I got up and moving and he left for work.  Then unfortunately I had to wake the boys up to go to work with me.  They were upset but pulled it together really well and got ready and out the door on time to the Harcum Center.  I taught my two classes and had a great time with my students while the boys played video games in the lobby.  After class, we ran home for a quick lunch and then back to the Y for AJ and Daniel's swim lessons.

While they were in class, Zak and I swam in the outdoor pool.  Once again when it opened, we headed inside for everyone to ride the slide.  They had a blast and must have done it at least 20 times each!  When it closed, we packed up and headed home for a quick dinner and to get ready for the second night of soccer camp.  Then I headed to the church to work for a few hours while Adrian took the boys back and forth from soccer.  They had another great night playing with the high school kids and were exhausted when they got home!  They had a snack and a show and then headed to bed.  I had to grocery shop after work so it was late when I got home.  Adrian and I unloaded the car and put away the perishable items then finished a little clean up, watched a show and headed to bed.

Wednesday (7/11) We were all exhausted and no one felt like moving today.  Adrian got to work on time and the boys and I slept in.  When we all finally got up, I offered them the option to blow off the whole day and they accepted.  We played a few games of "Machi Koro" and then they played video games while I got caught up on a bunch of stuff around the house.  The day passed quickly between work and play and before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the final night of soccer camp.  I dropped them off and headed to finish up my grocery shopping for the week.  Adrian came home and ate and enjoyed a little quiet time at home before going to pick the boys up from camp.  When we all got home, we played one more game of "Machi Koro," watched a little TV, read a little and got the boys to bed.  Adrian and I finished cleaning up, had snacks and watched a few comedies before heading to bed too.  Nice day of doing next to nothing!!

Thursday (7/12) After resting all day yesterday, we did much better getting up and moving today!  Adrian got up and out to work and then I got the boys up and out to my classes at the Harcum Center.  After two great classes, we headed home, had a quick lunch and then headed back out to the Y for me to sub a third Silver Sneakers class of the day.  I dropped Zak off in childcare and AJ and Daniel hung in my class until it was time for their swim lessons.  Then they headed to the pool and Zak and I met them there after class.  He and I didn't get in the pool today since we didn't get in there until there were only about 15 minutes left in the lessons.

After swim lessons, we decided to try to head to Build a Bear for their pay your age promotion.  That was a waste of a trip because the wait was over 4 hours and we were not going to wait in that.  So we picked up my wine at Cooper's Hawk and then headed towards home.  We stopped to pick up Zak's shirt for Safety Town next week and then to turn in our June reading logs at Half Price Books for their summer reading program.  The boys each picked a new toy with their $5 that they earned.

When we finally got home, the boys spent some time playing video games while I got a few things done around the house.  Then we had a great dinner, that had cooked all day in my awesome Instant Pot.  When we were cleaned up from dinner, it was time for Daniel's pick for the week - family game night.  We played Machi Koro, Coconuts, Quick Cups and then Daniel and Dad played Flip Ships while Zak, AJ and I played the DC deck building game.  It was a very fun family game night, the only problem was I didn't win any of the games!  When we finished playing, we put the boys to bed, made snacks and watched this week's episode of "Younger" before heading to bed for the night.

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for July 8 - July 14)

We did great keeping on track with our meal plan last week and it was nice for me to have a bit of a break from cooking most of the week.  Adrian even beat us home on Friday and made the Baked Ziti instead of me so I only cooked two nights last week.  This week we're on more of a regular schedule with the boys having a lot of activities every day including swim lessons and soccer camp.  I'm trying to pull together a few weeks of healthy eating since we have very little out of the ordinary planned for the next few weeks.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Jersey Mike's subs.  We're just back from my brother's house for a sleep over and we're all tired and don't feel like cooking.  And this sounded amazing to both of us.
Monday - Cheeseburger Frittata
Tuesday - Chicken Burrito Bowls - using cauliflower for the rice
Wednesday - Shrimp Corn Chowder with Garlic Parmesan Zoodles
Thursday - Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks with Corn on the Cob
Friday - Pasta Salad with homemade Greek Vinaigrette
Saturday - Baked Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

Water Flavor - Apple.  I have some apples that we need to use up so I'm going to use them in my water for the next few weeks.

Overnight Oats - We didn't eat a lot of these last week so we actually have a lot that are carrying over to start this week.  I'll be setting some more up on either Wednesday or Thursday using the flavored yogurts I have because I'm out of plain Greek yogurt.

Use it Up - I'll be using all of the fruits and veggies we have before they go bad.  I have the apples I already mentioned, cauliflower, corn, zucchini and Brussels sprouts that all need to be used up this week.  I'm probably not buying any produce this week, unless I see a good deal on a watermelon since it's my favorite!

Lunches - I'll be having salads everyday.  I have a lot of lettuce to use up plus an avocado and some leftover chicken.  Plus lunches will all be quick this week since we have swimming every day at 1:30 at the Y so we'll go do our morning activity, then come home and eat quickly and then head to the Y.

Keeping up with...Family (Weekly Wrap 6/29 - 7/5)

Friday (6/29) This week has been long and exhausting but also fun!  We were slow moving this morning to get going but we finally got up and moving and out to where we needed to be.  Adrian headed to work and I dropped the boys off at their last day of Math camp for the summer.  I wanted to go back home and work around the house, but positive peer pressure brought me to the Y.  I had promised friends I would take classes, so I kept to my promise and went to the classes.  As always, I had a blast dancing with friends and was glad I did after I got there.  When my classes were over, I headed back to Math Plus to hear the boys presentations about what they learned all week.  They were so excited to tell me everything and I'm so glad they had fun and learned as well.  Thanks to Math Plus for two great weeks of camps!!

After their presentations, we stopped at Family Video to use the last of our free rentals from our report cards and then headed home to rest a little.  We had a very relaxing lunch and few hours at home before we headed over to Zoombezi Bay for the evening.  They had a dive in movie tonight so Adrian was going to meet us after work for some family fun time.  We did this a lot last summer and it worked out really well.  Today wasn't our best trip there, but we still had fun.  It was super crowded so the lines for everything were really long.  We decided to just spend our time in the wave pool, lazy river & baboon lagoon.  We stayed to watch the whole movie, Despicable Me 3, and all had a really nice family night.  It was late when we got home so it was pretty much straight to bed for all of us!

Saturday (6/30) Thankfully the boys slept in this morning after the late night.  Unfortunately I still had to get up early but it was for a good reason - I had a Zumba class to teach.  We had an awesome time dancing to some of our favorite Zumba songs over the years and got an amazing workout.  When class was over, I headed home to get a quick shower and lunch before heading out to Gateway Film Center for "The Princess Bride." This was Adrian's pick for the week and everyone enjoyed the movie, even though most of us have seen it before.

After the movie, we came home and relaxed a little before having a quick dinner and heading out to Pataskala to meet up with friends for the fireworks.  We got there a little early to make sure we got a good viewing spot and to let the boys run around and play.  The 5 boys had a great time playing together while the 4 adults chatted.  The time passed quickly and soon enough the show was starting. The fireworks were good and as always the best part was the kids' reactions.  They all filmed the show so they can put it up on their YouTube channels.  When it was over, we got ready to fight the traffic and headed home.  Once again it was pretty late so the boys went right to bed while Adrian and I finished a few things, watched a comedy and then followed them to bed.  It was a fun and full day for us!

Sunday (7/1) We all slept in again and then had a lazy morning before getting ready for second service for church.  Adrian went to service and I helped in the child care and we all had a great morning.  Then we headed home and had a quick lunch together before I headed back to the church to work for a few hours in the afternoon while Adrian hung out at home with the boys.  I was excited to find a gift from my secret sister in the cabinet.  She spoiled me with some new things for my kitchen and some chocolate.  So fun!!

After work, I came home and left with everyone to go to the boys' martial arts class.  It was belt presentation night and we were thrilled to find out that all three boys passed their belt test and achieved yellow belt status.  They had a nice ceremony and then a short class.  The boys are all excited because their friend David is also going to take the class with them now too.  I'm thankful we are able to take advantage of this amazing ministry being offered by a local church.

After class, we headed home to get dinner together.  Adrian grilled out so I just had to get a few sides together for the boys.  After dinner, we did a few things around the house and then watched the Lego Flash movie as a family.  It was kind of silly but the boys all loved it so that's what's important.  When the movie was over, we put the boys to bed and finished up a few chores before settling down with some ice cream and another episode of "The Good Doctor."  We stayed up a little later than we should, but Adrian is only working 3 days this week so we're a little more lax with bedtimes.

Monday (7/2) We all slept in today and it was wonderful!  When we finally got up and moving, Adrian headed to work and the boys and I headed to World of Bounce for Zak's pick for the week.  Unfortunately they had a long wait list about 15 minutes after they opened so we weren't able to bounce today.  We will go back next Monday and hope it is less crowded.  I asked Zak if he wanted to do something else but he said we should just go home.  We made a quick detour to Krispy Kreme to pick up holiday donuts and then headed home for the day.

The boys spent most of the day playing with their toys or playing video games.  They tried to go outside but it rained on and off all afternoon so they just opted to stay inside.  I was super productive doing a bunch of cooking, grocery shopping and getting a bunch of things checked off my to do list.  Adrian got home just in time to have a quick dinner with us and then take AJ to Boy Scouts.  He had a fun meeting working on his tenderfoot rank while I hung out at home with the other boys.  When they got home, we got the boys down to bed, made snacks and watched another episode of "The Good Doctor" before heading to bed.  Not a super fun day but it was awesome to relax and get a bunch of stuff done!

Tuesday (7/3) Today started too early for me after a rough night of sleep.  And I had to get up and moving since I was working today.  Thankfully Adrian was off so they boys were able to stay home with him and I didn't have to get them ready.  I got ready and headed over to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  We had a great time as always and we laughed a lot!  Then I ran a few errands and then headed over to the Y to sub a Silver Sneakers class this afternoon.  I was tired after the three classes but had fun teaching all of them!

While I was teaching, Adrian hung out at home with the boys.  Then they headed to the library for a program about wolves.  They enjoyed learning new things about them and seeing a real live wolf in the library.  I met them there and we got some new books, movies and redeemed our coupons for the next level in the summer reading program.  After we finished there, we headed to Graeter's for some ice cream!  We have been trying to get there for about two weeks and it finally worked out.  We all enjoyed the sweet treat on such a hot day!

After our ice cream, we came home and were pretty lazy.  We did a few things around the house but mostly just relaxed, watched TV and played video games.  We didn't even cook dinner because the meat I took out for tacos didn't thaw overnight so we had leftovers.  We were supposed to go to the park to watch the Reynoldsburg fireworks but between the heat and the threat of storms, we decided to find another place to watch them outside of the crazy crowds.  Thankfully I saw on Facebook that they changed the time so we ran out the door and got to the school just as the show was starting.  We enjoyed a beautiful 30 minute long show and we're very thankful our friends let us know about the time change and the great viewing spot at the school.

 

We had a little bit of traffic getting out of the school, but nothing like if we had gone to the park.  We were actually happy they started them early so we got home a little earlier.  We all grabbed a snack and drink when we got home and then settled in to watch Boom on TV.  The boys enjoyed watching it and as always we talked about going downtown next year (we always talk about it, never actually go downtown though).  When Boom was over, we got the boys down to bed and then we watched another episode of "The Good Doctor" before we headed to bed too.

Wednesday (7/4) Happy 4th of July!!  We all slept in this morning after the late night last night.  Then since no one wanted to do any parades, we had a relaxing and lazy morning of donuts, coffee and TV.  I was super productive and got my whole to do list done during the day!  Everyone else just hung out and playing all day and enjoyed a day of doing nothing.  We grilled our dinner so there was very little clean up from that too, which I always enjoy. After dinner we did motivate to leave the house for fireworks.  Thankfully the rain held off and we were able to head to the Gahanna golf course again this year for their show.  They did an amazing job of having great fireworks synced to music.  We really enjoyed the show!!  When we got home, we were all exhausted so we got the boys to bed, watched a comedy from our DVR and headed to bed too.  It was a great, lazy day celebrating the holiday! 

Thursday (7/5) We all struggled to get up this morning after the past few late nights!  Adrian got up and out to work and then I had to wake everyone up so I could go to Harcum to teach my two Silver Sneakers classes.  I felt bad having to wake the boys but I am gone for too long to leave them home alone.  They did great once they were up and got ready quickly so we were on time to my classes.  After I finished teach, we came home and had a quick lunch before heading back out to the eye doctor.  All four of us had an annual appointments and everyone did great!  No one new needs glasses and my prescription hasn't changed since last year.  Good news all around!

After we finished at the eye doctor, we headed to Easton for Zak's pick from last week that we were too tired to do.  We stopped at Barnes & Noble to pick up Daniel & Zak's free books from the summer reading program and then went to Cheryl's cookies for everyone's report card cookies.  When we finished collecting freebies, we headed outside to the splash pads.  The boys had a great time playing in the water and also playing the games that were set up around the square since it was a special game night.  They played Plinko, football toss and mini golf.  We were there for just over 3 hours and they probably could have stayed longer, but we all got hungry and it was time to head home.

 

Adrian met us at Easton on his way home from work so he could take AJ to try out Math team on Math Plus.  Unfortunately it's not going to work for us right now but AJ had fun going today.  While they were there, I went home with the other two and cooked tacos for dinner.  When everyone finished eating, we got ready for my pick for the week of a family movie night.  We watched "The Incredibles" since Zak and I had not seen the first one and everyone wants to go see the second one.  It was a really good movie and we all enjoyed it!!  When it was over, it was time to get the boys to bed, watch two comedies and then head to bed ourselves.  Busy Thursday! 

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

I did much better this month than the past two getting this post up on time!  It helps that we are on our summer schedule and that Adrian has the next two days off for the holiday.  We are one month into our summer break and are having an amazing summer so far!  I absolutely made the right decision to not teach as many classes this summer.  In addition to have more time with my boys, I also have more energy when I am playing with them.  It's been a win all around.  They are loving it as well and have thanked me a few times for the great summer.  I'm so glad we are making so many amazing family memories!  As for my goals, I think I've done pretty well keeping up with them over the summer as well.  I'm happy I changed a few to be easier for these three months of fun.  Same as I did last month, I will talk a little about how I did with each of the 10 goals last month and then talk about my plans for July to stay on track. 

1. Lose 50 pounds (Lost 10 pounds this year, Grade for June: B-)

• Meal plan each Sunday - I did this every week and wrote 4 posts
• Count calories for 6 of 7 days each week - I counted 18 days out of the 30 days in the month.  Not as many as I wanted to do (my goal was 24) but not quite as bad as last month either. 
• Go to one class each week that I am not teaching - I killed this one!  I went to Nikki's Zumba class, a Zumba jam, a barre class, a cardio fit class, a Zumba Gold Toning class and a Boom Move It class.  I also taught yoga twice and taught barre once this month.  Lots of exercise!
• Lose the 10 pounds I gained last month - I lost 5 lbs this month.  Not exactly what I wanted, but I knew it was a lofty goal to begin with.  I'm happy with this loss and will use my momentum to continue over this summer.

2. Read 20 books again (Read 10 books this year, Grade for June: A+)

• Finish 2 books - Done!  I read "A Wrinkle in Time" and "Double Fudge."  They were both great, I really loved them!
• Start on the next book from my list - I started "The Beauty Myth" this month since it's the next book on my list.  It's going to take a while to read it, but I did manage to read 9% in June.

3. Watch 25 movies (Watched 24 movies this year, Grade for June: A+)

• Watch 4 movies - We killed this goal this month!!  We saw 8 movies this month - "Avengers: Infinity War," "Indian Jones & the Temple of Doom," "Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade," "Shrek," "Wrinkle in Time," "Ninjago," "Princess Bride" and "Despicable Me 3."  Some of those we have seen before, but I'm still counting them.  I'm glad the boys have finally turned the corner and all enjoy movies now.

4. Go on 12 dates with Adrian (5 dates this year, Grade for June: F)

• Book our babysitter for a night so we can go out - We didn't have any date nights this month.  We have been super busy with our family activities and Adrian working overtime.  We did volunteer together at VBS for a week and while not a date, it was nice to serve together.

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

• Help Adrian work at least 3 hours of OT each week - Adrian ended up with about 12 hours of overtime for the month which is exactly 3 hours each week so that was right on target. However...
• Spend as little as possible - The air conditioning broke in our van and since it's just out of the warranty we had to pay for that this month.  That will put a bit of a crimp in our savings but we're still hoping to get a second credit card paid off.

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 (Grade for June: A)

• Clean out the laundry room and boys' art supplies - We finished cleaning out the laundry room and finally got the leak in there fixed.  We are almost done with the art supplies, will finish them up this week.

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

• Meal plan posts every Sunday - 4 posts this month
• Week in review posts every Friday - 5 posts this month
• Monthly goal posts the last day of the month - done!

9. Play more board game (Grade for June: A+)

• Have one family board game night - Done!!  We actually had 3 family game nights this month  plus we went to Origins together.  It was a fun month of board games for sure!

10. Improve my classes (Grade for June: A+)

• Attend one Zumba jam session - Done! I had so much fun jamming with my favorite jammer, Kaitlyn!  It was a super fun day and my 6th jam of the year.
• Switch out the weights portion of my Silver Sneakers class - Done! The exercises are harder but we are all loving the change.

11.  Have an amazing summer! (Grade for June: A)

• Do one activity each week that each person picks (5 activities per week) - We have done at least our five activities each week and some bonus ones.  We are on the way to having an amazing summer together!
• Get the boys to all of their camps - I did it!  Wow, it was a busy month but we had fun too.  The boys all went to Sports & Arts camp, VBS and two weeks of Math Plus camp.  We got to all of them on time and every day, woot!
• Go on one family camping trip - Unfortunately, we had to cancel our trip due to the weather.  But we made the best of it and had a great weekend anyway.

Here are my goals for this month:

1. Lose 50 pounds

• Meal plan each Sunday
• Count calories for 15 days this month
• Go to one class each week that I am not teaching
• Maintain my current weight

2. Read 20 books again

• Finish 1 book
• Read 10% of  "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 boys' art supplies
• Clean out the front closet
• Clean out the play room with the boys (10 minutes per day)

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 band portion of my Silver Sneakers class

11.  Have an amazing summer!

• Do one activity each week that each person picks (5 activities per week)
• Have an awesome Fourth of July
• Get ready for our family vacation in August

Keeping Up With...Food (Meal Plan for July 1 - July 7)

Last week was super busy for us and we kind of hit the wall mid-week.  We've been doing a lot this summer.  It's mostly been fun, but it's a lot and we were all just really tired.  So we cancelled our day on Thursday and just chilled at home.  I juggled our planned meals around a lot this week, but just about everything got made.  We needed a quicker dinner last night, so I made these grilled cheese sandwiches with salads instead of what we planned and bumped that meal to today.  Everything we made was delicious and we have a nice amount of leftovers going into this week.

This week is weird because the holiday falls right in the middle of the week.  Adrian is off Tuesday and Wednesday this week and will not be working any overtime for the first time in a long time.  We have no camps or commitments either.  However I am subbing two extra classes this week but that will barely impact anyone other than me.  I'm trying not to shop this week and use what we have so our meal plan is easy food based around what we have.  We're grilling a lot and also going to my brother's house for dinner on Saturday so I'll also get a few days off from cooking this week as well, which is always a nice feeling.

Here's what we're eating this week:
Sunday - Sausage & Pepper Packets on the grill (Adrian is cooking - yay!)
Monday - Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday - Chicken on the grill (Adrian is cooking - yay!)
Thursday - Baked Ziti - Daniel has been asking for this
Friday - Leftovers (no cooking - yay!)
Saturday - Dinner at my brother's house (He is cooking - yay!)

Water Flavor - Strawberry.  I set this up already and I'm so excited because this is one of my favorite flavors.  Strawberries have been on sale so I stocked up and used some up in this week's water.

Overnight Oats - I have a few flavored yogurts that I'm going to use up for a few batches this week.  I'm actually not making too much this week because with Adrian off two days, the holiday and spending Saturday night at my brother's house we'll be significantly off our normal schedule.  I don't think we will eat too many oats, so I'm not going to set too many up.  We're also going to Krispy Kreme either tomorrow or Tuesday to get holiday donuts so I'm sure that will be at least one breakfast this week.

Use it Up - I'm shopping very little this week and not buying any fruits or vegetables.  All of that will be from what we already have.  I'm also using up an open marinade on the chicken on Wednesday and an open ricotta on Thursday.  Hopefully between lunches and Friday's dinner we will have very little leftovers in the house after this week.

Lunches - I got an awesome looking eggplant this week so I'm roasting that up with some chick peas and tomatoes.  I will add mozzarella and balsamic vinegar to it for a nice salad for the week.  And each day I will add avocado to it.  One of my favorites light and easy lunches!