Recent Outdoor Activities-- Horses, Festivals, Walks, OH MY

The last few weeks we have had some pretty decent weather. We had some gorgeous sunny days and very few rainy days. (These days have been a different story...the past few days have been colder and rainy/drizzly). While the weather was great, we have had the opportunity to do several things outside.

Rebecca and I attended a horse camp for the day with her current American Heritage Girls troop. The camp was taught by a good friend of mine. The girls learned all the basics of taking care of a horse and they also got to ride 3 different ones. Rebecca learned a lot of information and had a great time riding Snow, Cocoa and Sabre.

Softball season started. While Rebecca was practicing, I made the boys walk with me on a recently completed bike bath at the park where Rebecca plays. We walked next to the River and just enjoyed talking and looking at the river and seeing if we could see any animals. There were days we saw a duck and then a day where we saw at least 10 different butterflies. The boys have also enjoyed playing on the playgrounds and digging in the dirt piles while Rebecca is practicing.

Rebecca is loving softball again. She doesn't have the best coaches this time around, but we are making due. She enjoys being on the field and playing with the other girls. 

We also took a walk as a family one night on the Kokosing Gap Trail. The kids love walking the trail and it was just nice to decompress and spend time as a family. 

The weekend before Earth Day, Kenyon College held a FREE Earth Day Festival that we attended. There were booths set up for the kids and they learned about composting, fishing, recycling, and many other things. There were 4-H animals to pet and the kids had a great time! We will definitely be adding this to our things to do each year. 

 
We have also just been spending time outside at home playing as well. I bought the kids some new outside balls-- a huge one for each of them and a smaller one for them as well. They LOVE the balls and have so much fun with them.

We are also walking to and from school whenever we can and are just trying to enjoy the wonderful outdoors that God has given us. I am trying to be more conscious of getting the kids outside as it benefits both them and me! 

What is your favorite activity to do outside with kids? 

Books that I read for fun in March and April

Over the last year and a half, I started documenting the books that I read for fun (and not just for review purposes).  I have decided that I need to continue that as reading is important part of how I relax. Books that I read for fun are books that I have not been asked to review and that I have chosen to read, well because I like to read. In 2015, I read a total of 49 books! This year, 2016, I am aiming to read 52 books and have currently read 25, so I am on an awesome pace!

I completely missed the boat in blogging in March and most of April, but I did do some reading. I didn't read a ton either month, but read some. I have a feeling that this will increase as we are getting to summer-- Maybe--- depends on how crazy life continues to be! 
 
So let us see what I did read in March and April: 

I am still thoroughly enjoying Susan Mallery's series "Fool's Gold." I am up to book #17 in the series and I believe there are 20 books so far in it. It is really good, even if my dear hubby teases me for wanting to read them in order. You could probably read them not in order, but they kind of build on each other in the way that she introduces her characters. I would highly recommend the series.

FICTION:::

NON-FICTION:::

I have a goal to expand my reading habits and to try to include at least one non-fiction book each month, to expand my mind and to get me to think about what I read and not just get lost in a good story. 

Sadly I did not read any non-fiction books these past 2 months!  



Here are the books I read for fun in:

February 2016
January 2016
Books from 2015
Books from 2014

                                                 Have you read any good books lately?

What's for dinner this week and it was a relaxing Sunday!

First of all, thank you everyone for your kind words on my haircut! I do really like it :) 

Yesterday we had to get up early as there was some confusion as to which Mass we needed to be at with the kids to celebrate their last day of PSR (Parish School of Religion-- kind of like Sunday School for those kids who don't go to a Catholic school.) At one point we were told to be at the 8am mass, so I thought we had to be there. So Rebecca, Jacob and I were up and attended the mass and then the May crowning and showcase of what the kids had done throughout the year. 

Jacob's class sang 2 songs...including "This Little Light of Mine." It was so cute, and Jacob had the loudest voice. 

Rebecca's class showed off their Sacrament books that they had spent the year making. 

When we got home from that, I decided that the boys needed to get outside as they were WILD. It has been raining off and on the past few days so it was too muddy to go play in the yard or at the park...BUT we could go walk on the Kokosing Gap Trail. 

We enjoyed a lovely family walk. The temperature did spike and the humidity arose but it was still not too bad. We saw lots of cardinals and a bluejay. We saw some lovely spring wildflowers. We even got to see a goose laying on her nest under a bridge. We ended up walking a total of 3 miles! The kids were troopers-- with only Rebecca complaining toward the end that she was tired. 

When then stopped at McDonald's for lunch. When we got home, I did some straightening up and worked on laundry, while some thunderstorms rolled through. Overall, Sunday was a relaxing day. Just what I needed as last week was busy and this week looks to be busy as well. 

Speaking of this week, I am still making a menu plan. But first let me see know I did last week: 

MONDAY::: Chicken and turkey enchiladas, corn cake, and strawberries and cantaloupe-- We ended up having turkey enchiladas, as the chicken didn't smell good when I thawed it out.
TUESDAY:: Sloppy joes (made with ground turkey), green beans, corn-Yes
WEDNESDAY::: Spaghetti with crockpot sauce (new recipe for low sodium sauce)--We had breakfast for dinner this night. Eggs, toast and fruit
THURSDAY::: Breakfast for dinner-- scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, fruit--I made the crockpot spaghetti sauce and it was not good at all. So we ended up getting subs from a local pizza place.
FRIDAY::: Sandwiches, chips, fruit--Yep
SATURDAY::: homemade mini pizzas and salad--We had homemade pizzas and fruit
SUNDAY::: meatloaf, ??? side dishes--Nope. I ended up making fish and veggies.

So last week went pretty well, with only a new recipe being bad that was a negative and I ended up not making meatloaf on Sunday. Hopefully this week will be more of the same! This week, this is what we will be eating: 

MONDAY::: Meatloaf, mashed potates and gravy, green beans

TUESDAY::: Italian sausage and peppers skillet with pasta

WEDNESDAY::: French bread pizzas and fruit

THURSDAY::: Tacos and corn

FRIDAY::: Sandwiches, fruit and chips

SATURDAY::: Spaghetti and meatballs

SUNDAY::: I don't know, except I am NOT cooking! LOL

Hope everyone has a great week! 

What's cooking at your house? 

My new haircut

A week ago last Thursday, I went to my mom's hair stylist to get a new look. I have had the same look for the last few years. Straight hair cut at the shoulders or just below that I usually wear pulled back into what I am calling the "Mom bun." Well, I was complaining about it to my mom and how I needed to change it up but I wasn't sure who to go to or even what look I was looking for. Well, she called me and said she had made an appointment with her hairstylist, Natalie, for last Thursday. I went to the appointment with fear of bangs, getting my hair dyed dark and just hating it, but also with the understanding that it was just hair and I needed to change it up.

This was before, not washed, just brushed out.

Well, let me tell you...Natalie was AWESOME! She gave me some great ideas and we decided to cut it shorter in the back, longer in the front, with layers and highlights.

highlights going in. Inside I am terrified.

I was terrified when she started putting the highlights in as I have never colored my hair at all. But I was worried for no reason. 

Leaving the salon.

I absolutely LOVE my new hair!

A week later. Sitting outside watching my kids play.

 
Yes it takes longer to do in the morning as I have to straighten it, but it is so worth it. (And as a bonus, it is still just long enough to wear back in a short ponytail when I am exercising/ walking!) Now I am wondering why it took me so long to get it done. I have no regrets. 

Ben's cow and chick

On Wednesday, Ben's preschool class participated in their building's art show. (Ben's school building houses 4 different preschools for a total of 8 different preschool classes.)

Ben was so proud to show off his cow that he had made using recycled materials and his chick that he made with his hand prints. 

Underneath his cow it said: 

"I made a cow. Cows eat grass. I made a boy cow. My cow has a tail. My cow has spots. I like cows." 
 

Ben also made this chick. Near the chick, it said that Ben had said: "We eat chicken. I like chicken."  LOL
 

Ben has really flourished this year in his preschool class and we are so grateful for his teachers, his aide (who has become like a grandma to him!) and his therapists.

What's for dinner and yes I am still here!

One reason I haven't been blogging--spending time with my kids outside

I am still here....life has been extremely busy and hectic and crazy. Lots of stuff going on, which I will blog about later... There are times I feel I have so much to say that it was hard for me to sit down to put things into words. I have been reading blogs when I can, but haven't been able to carve out time for writing. But that is changing as of right now. I do miss blogging as it is like a journal into my life, so I am going to try to make more a of a conscious effort to blog at least a few times a week.....

For now let's get back into what we are eating this week. I have been doing well with making out a menu and mostly sticking to it, even if I haven't been blogging about it. I am trying to cook healthier meals, but also trying to use up what we have at home. Bill is trying to cut way back on his sodium intake as we think that that may be why he is not losing weight despite cutting calories and exercising more. That is making my job a little more difficult, but that is okay. I have tried several new recipes that have turned out to be winners in our book that are also low sodium!

So here is what we are eating this week::

MONDAY::: Chicken and turkey enchiladas, corn cake, and strawberries and cantaloupe

TUESDAY:: Sloppy joes (made with ground turkey), green beans, corn

WEDNESDAY::: Spaghetti with crockpot sauce (new recipe for low sodium sauce)

THURSDAY::: Breakfast for dinner-- scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, fruit

FRIDAY::: Sandwiches, chips, fruit

SATURDAY::: homemade mini pizzas and salad

SUNDAY::: meatloaf, ??? side dishes

Well I am off to take Ben to speech therapy! Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!