Around Here Week 29: 07/13-18

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment. (week 6 of 'green phase' with masks required in indoor public spaces for the covid-19 pandemic)

















Intentional Outdoor Hours:  287+ hours (of 1000)
Up 17 hours this week with some beautiful weather sprinkled with some summertime thunderstorms. The kids and I installed two tires in the goat pasture but haven't been able to convince the goats to balance on them yet (heh). We got in a lot of swimming, including a night swim at Pap and Gigi's. Red even got to take a few dips - he loves water so much! 


Visiting the chiropractor this week for Violet and Gemma. Violet has been running so awkwardly for awhile now and we were suspecting her hips were out of alignment, but it turns out her ankles are so flexible that she's overcompensating in her hips/knees so that she doesn't roll her ankles. She will be wearing a little brace during the fall/winter to stablize her ankles better so that after a few weeks, her ligaments can start to tighten up. Gemma got an adjustment and then also took an eye muscle & tracking test to see if her eyes are contributing to her reading challenges. The test showed that she does have difficulty tracking horizontally and has extended time on fixations of words. 

Practicing wearing masks. We have been stopped multiple times asking how we get our kids to wear their masks so well. First, we have really comfy masks that the kids love - I ordered these from Etsy. (the kids say they make them feel cozy and safe). Secondly, my kids are invested in staying safe because we have our Gigi and Mimi who are both high risk. Gigi is a pancreatic cancer survivor and Mimi is 82 with asthma. Wearing a mask is a small price to pay to keep our grandmas safe. They just get it. (I would vehemently argue that if your kids don't have someone close to them that is high risk then the only thing that you should be preaching is gratitude for your very blessed, healthy relatives). 

Preparing for the hunting seasons with licenses for Brandon, Grey, and Gemma this year. It will be her first time heading out with her Dad, brother, and grandpas and she is so excited.

Napping! Kitty, Uch, and Kevin stopped by with pizza and salads fro dinner on Wednesday (thank you!!) and then scooped up the four biggest kids and took them to the Ferndale Jubilee food trucks. Brandon and I had full intentions of cleaning up and meeting them at Gigi and Pappy's but then Red was asleep and so we laid down for "just a minute" and that was it - we passed out asleep for 2 hours. When I woke up I literally thought it was the next day. #exhaustedparentsprobs 

Checking our teeth at the dentist. Gemma, Violet, Rusty, and I all had dentist appointments this week and it was so good to get that item checked off the list. It was Rusty's first dentist appointment ever (thanks coronavirus). He was a little nervous, but he has the best big sister, Gemmi who let him lay on top of her during the appointment so that he felt safe (I was getting my check up at the same time as him). 

Picking blueberries with our besties at Stutzman farms. Grey wasn't feeling great, so he stayed home with Brandon and Redland. Gem, Vi, Rust and I went straight from the dentist office to meet Kate, Soph, and Charlie at the farm. It was a super hot day but we got several pounds of blueberries. We had enough to keep some fresh in the fridge and freeze 4 cups for those long winter months when we need a little summer boost in muffins or breakfast bread. Gemmi went home with the Fiores for a sleepover (best!)

Proud of my man as he was selected for the third team of best high school basketball players in our area of all of the 2000s. The article and all selections were printed on Saturday and we knew he was picked for something when the AD of our high school reached out to us for a senior picture from high school earlier that week. We got to dig through Brandon's memory box and smile at lots of old photos and newspaper clippings. The kids were cracking up at all the pictures of B and I with our young, not tired faces (LOL). 

Catching fireflies. We have had so many in our yard this summer, it makes the evenings feel so magical.

Summer sporting with two baseball games for Greyson this week, one of which got rained out. Brandon and I made the first volleyball match for our summer league and then had to skip out on the second match for Grey's baseball game. We knew we had to be available the following week for playoffs and miss Grey's game that day. But then we missed playoffs by the smallest bit - ughh! So it was actually our last game for the volleyball season - bummmmmer. We are hoping to have a little end-of-season picnic with our team that we love so much. 

Making buffalo chicken dip with veggie dippers, shrimp scampi over zoodles, chicken parmesan, ribeye steak and zucchini on the grill, zoodles and cabbage. I am still going strong on Keto and feeling the wonderful focus and attention that comes with it. 

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