Around Here Week 28: 07/09-15

 A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.

photo cred: Abba

photo cred: Abba

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 334+ hours (of 1000)
Woohoo - up 37 hours this week! Games, walks, and cousin camp boosted our hours this week and it feels so good to be in that sunshine and fresh air. A few people have asked where we went to the beach because our kids are so tan and everyone's hair is so light - but we tell them, nope - no beach - just lots of time outside right here in PA. hah! 

Reading The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer...and right now, just meh. The characters aren't my favorite; I don't really get their motivations quite yet, but maybe it will unfold as the book goes on. Right now I find them all a little irritating and self-indulgent. 

40th Birthday miles: Mile 8 with Jon, Mile 9 with Rusty, Mile 10 with Grey (we befriended a fawn!), and Mile 11 with cousin Lisa.

Moth mania. I don't know what in the Mothman Prophecies is going on over here - but we are still finding & researching moths over here! We had a gorgeous Luna Moth on the roof (Fun Fact: they have no mouth and don't eat! They survive for only a week after they emerge as a butterfly!?) and then we found a Polyphemous moth hanging out on our back porch - and these beautiful things only live for 4 days at full grown moth stage!?! And we got to visit with it in it's short life as a full blown moth. Just wild! Nature, man, just so incredible. 

Summer playdates. Grey spent Sunday with Chum when they played together in a Cornhole tournament at a local festival. Our nephew, Wells came with us to Grey's baseball game this week and as usual he is just the sweetest little squishem. When I went to pick him up in Lucille the Studermobile, he was screaming "TIA! BUS!!" Vi and Rusty got a sleepover day with Abba and Chum where Rust got to make Thor's hammer with wood with Chum's help! We snagged Gemma's friends Molly & Peyton to join us at Roxbury for Greys' baseball game and our volleyball game. They were sweet and giggly and took great care of the babies. We hosted the Mock sisters at our house on Wednesday afternoon and they played creatively together and even helped set up the tents to air out before this weekend! Grey spent the afternoon at the Valentines house after football one day this week. 

Financial Advisor check in call! We love Dave, and if you needed a reminder to schedule a call for #adulting - here's your reminder! 

Phone fixed! After almost two weeks, I got my phone screen replaced by Laurel Highlands Cell Phone Repair. I had a really great experience working with him and we dropped it off before Grey's game and it was fixed and ready to be picked up before the game was over. Big recommend! The notifications from being out of a phone for two weeks was equal parts hilarious and overwhelming. Thanks to everyone who was patient with the longest reply waits ever (even worse than my usual time which is honestly awful). Happy to have my camera back most of all and so grateful for the pocket screen and social media break!

Posting my teacher wishlist on Amazon Prime days because all the 'cool kids' are doing it and I figured why not? Thank you to anyone who purchases stuff from ANY teachers' wishlists! We love your kids, that's usually the literal only reason we stick with it. 

Getting some new ink at Total Commitment with our long time friend Mike. My sisters, mumma, and I met up to get our matching hummingbird tattoos and we all selected our left arm! It is my fifth tattoo but it's been 13+ years since my last one (!? time - I do not understand you.) Mike is incredible and we laughed and chatted through all the appointments. My kids were all excited to see it when I got home. I have a student, Olivia, who is working on my 3/4 sleeve full design and now that I got this new one...ugh oh, I have the itch to just keep going! 

Well checks for 2 kids; Rusty & Olive. They both got thumbs up and Olive was a brave girl for her vaccine. When I was checking out, the receptionist reminded me that sixth graders need a physical and I was like, oh wait - I have an incoming sixth grader and remembered at that exact moment I never got Gem scheduled for a well check (since February?!) oops! So I got that on the books for early August!

Last minute registering our kayaks and paddleboard with PA Fish and Boat Commission. LOL, why do I forget to do this every time?! I bought 2 year registrations this year, so at least next year we will be covered. 

Cousin Camp at the Que for the weekend. The kids are in heaven at cousin camp - all the swimming, paddleboarding, biking, sleeping out in a tent'ing, fishing, snacking (!!), hammock'ing, cliff-jumping, and sand-digging. They are just so dang happy and independently wild and free at cousin camp. To be a parent at cousin camp is to clean up trash, make food, and count heads...and that's about it. The kids complete manage themselves and their own happiness. Our Rummell cousins, Garrettson cousins, and the Gilmore cousins drove in from Etown were all there for every day. It was exhausting with the planning, packing, transporting, and adjusting to multiple downpours of rain - but very much worth it because the kids' faces just beam. Long Live Cousin Camp! 

Doing a double take of that picture of Grey and Reid coming from fishing. Usually I can see the baby cheeks and little kid in all my children's photos - but that photo startled me when I could see a glimpse of grown Grey; there in the jawline and the smart ass grin. Barely recognize my sweet baby booboo at all.  I know everyone tells you - but don't blink, mommas.

Sporting with a soccer practice and a 3v3 soccer tourney for Violet (Go Dynamite Kicks!) Gemma had a summer league basketball game. Grey had 2 city baseball playoff games (both wins, so baseball continues next week! TBH, I don't know how many more white baseball uniform scrubbing sessions I have left in my soul this season...LOL, but not kidding), and 2 football conditioning practices and a weightlifting. B and I had our co-ed volleyball league game on Tuesday night and so many of my 'kids' (ie students and former students) were there either playing volleyball, watching volleyball or playing softball or baseball! B also had a football conditioning practice and a football 7v7 at Ligonier. I also attended our Football Boosters meeting. 

Making baked ravioli, copycat Olive Garden chicken over spaghetti, homemade pizza, bbq/grape jelly meatballs over rice, and meatloaf with parmesan pasta. We had take out pizza on the way home from a baseball game (fyi: Richland Fox's has 1/2 price pizza on Monday nights! Thanks Heather for the heads up!)

Whole30 eats: plantain chips are my everything (until I read that Whole30 says NO store bought chips no matter what because they are definitely against the idea of Whole30 because you just snack attack on them - ahem, Tabitha. I knew it was too good to be true). We had blackened chicken with veggies, tuna over greens (we love balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing!), shrimp with egg fried cauliflower rice, and turkey/tomato paste meatloaf (really good)!  I do love me some kombucha over ice in a mason jar as my little mini pick-me-up mid-afternoon!