Last Weekend of Summer Break

This weekend I took some time to just relax and spend some time enjoying the fleeting moments of Summer break with my kiddos and Bill. The kids start back to school this week and with the events in Virginia, I just felt the need to be present with the kids and relish in the good things.

We spent time going to the grocery store where they got to enjoy some fresh fruit while I shopped. Then Rebecca went on a lunch date with a friend of hers.

Friday afternoon, the kids spent time doing what they love. Rebecca worked on arts and crafts. Ben played with some building toys. Jacob spent time watching recorded preseason football on TV. That evening we watched "The Lego Batman" movie for our family movie night.  

Saturday I ran over to the kids' school to see if the teacher lists had been posted yet and they had. The kids are happy with their class assignments so that started our day off well. Then I spent some time doing laundry and doing some cleaning. After that I sat down with Rebecca to play a game of Monopoly. She was killing me when Bill came home from work. Thankfully, he took my place so that I could make dinner. After dinner, he ended up beating her at the game! 

Sunday, we slept in and just relaxed. After lunch, we decided to head out and explore a couple of the trails at the Brown Family Environmental Center that we had never been to before. It was a great day for a hike. 

We ended up taking the Fern Trail, which when we were done we saw on the sign was a steep, moderate trail. It WAS steep, in that it went uphill for over half a mile! It was definitely a good workout. 

We also saw lots of signs of nature, including mushrooms, butterflies and of course lovely flowers. 

As we came off the trail, we discovered a natural playground for the kids to play around on. They loved climbing on the rocks and playing on the teeter-totter.

Sunday night, we started our back to school routine of getting to bed on time after laying out clothes, etc. Can't believe that it was our last weekend of Summer vacation. Time flies when you are having fun I guess. 

Using Nature to Feel Better

This morning, the kids were being brats and picking on each other and all 3 got sent to their rooms at one point. I just had had enough of bossing each other around, not listening, etc. It was not a great morning at all. Then, this afternoon I went to a client's house for a tutoring session, (after leaving the library where I had 2 different tutoring sessions) and no one was home. I texted and called this mom and left a message. She texted me back that she had forgot and was at the pool with the kids. Seriously, I have been working with your kids for the last 2 years. I am now working with your youngest son, the same son that I have worked with every Thursday this Summer. URGHHH!!! It totally frustrated me, so when I got home, I told Bill and the kids to get ready because we were going to go walk. After the day that I had I needed to get outside. 

So we headed out to Gambier and took in one of the trails that is part of the Brown Family Environmental Center. At one point as we were walking, Bill told the kids that I was walking really fast today. I will admit that I was ticked off and just needed to get out. I did slow down though later as it was pretty hot out. 

We saw some great wildlife today and some beautiful scenery.

 

As we started our walk, we came across a turkey buzzard snacking on something. There was a hawk circling as well, that was "yelling" at the buzzard. LOL 

We also saw various butterflies,

some frogs, 

beautiful flowers, 

and the calming river.

 

By the time we were done and the kids were playing on the "choo-choo" I was feeling better about the day and was just enjoying being with the kids and Bill. We headed home so that I could make dinner and get everyone bathed. Bill had to head out to work. 

Now I am just sitting here in the quiet of the house, listening to the Browns preseason football game that is on the TV. I need to make up a menu plan for next week and a grocery list tonight so that I can hopefully go to the store tomorrow morning. We shall see. 

Do you ever have days where everything just gets on your nerves? Does being out in nature help you deal with frustration or anger? 

Wordless Wednesday: Flowers and Chocolate

Flowers and chocolates surprise from my husband today! Made this tiring, don't feel it, overwhelmed day a bit brighter!

Got a lot done today I guess

Today has been one of those days where I feel like I haven't gotten a lot done, but I really have. So I decided to list what I got accomplished so that I could feel better about today. 

This morning, I took the kids to the farm market to get corn, tomatoes and cucumbers for dinner. Then we headed to the library. The kids picked out books and then they also got to play on the computers.

When we came home, I stripped our bed to wash the sheets and comforter. Bill got the kids lunch. 

Then Bill left to take Jacob to the eye doctor. Thankfully his prescription hasn't changed much and his eyes have not gotten worse. They are still turning in just a tiny bit when he looks at something up close, but they are not getting worse which is a good thing. We will take him tomorrow to Walmart to look for new glasses and order them from there. 

While Bill was gone, I had Rebecca go through all of her clothes and get rid of the ones that don't fit or that she will not wear. We will pass the clothes that don't fit to friends of ours for their daughter. I also registered her for the new year of AHG. 

I cleaned, sorted and organized the downstairs toys. I got a bag of trash toys (ie. McDonald's toys, broken toys, etc.). I also cleaned out under the living room furniture. I also cleaned out the litter box downstairs. 

I then cooked dinner--- bbq chicken drumsticks, corn on the cob, tomato and cucumber slices. Dinner has been eaten and I have cleaned the kitchen. 

Now, I am waiting on the chair slipcover to dry and I still have to get the kids into the bathtub. I guess now that I have sat down and thought about everything that I did today, I had a pretty productive day. 

How was your today today? 

Nature Walk at Wolf Run

Hard to believe that this is the last full week of Summer vacation before school starts back next Thursday. Time flies when you are having fun, I guess. We are trying to make the most of these last few days before school starts. So earlier today we took advantage of the weather (temps were kind of on the low side-- 70s-- and although there was high humidity it wasn't too bad since it wasn't hot) and took a nature walk.

We headed out to Wolf Run Regional Park and took in a 2.8 mile hike. The bugs were out in full force and we had to spray Off on us 2 different times, but it was worth it. 

The flowers were blooming and the butterflies were plentiful.

We also saw what we believe is a red tailed hawk, a caterpillar, a grasshopper, and a snake in the pond. 

After, we left the park, I suprised the family by heading over to Wendy's for their 50 cent Frosty's. Nice surprise for the kids and cheap for the family!

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon! Now, I should get ready for the week ahead. I need to menu plan and figure out some tutoring stuff, as well as fold some laundry tonight. The kids are having their movie night tonight and watching "The Incredibles."

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend!  

She's home!

My girl is home tonight from camp!

Bill, the boys and I drove down to Cincinnati to pick Rebecca up this afternoon. We drove through torrential downpours and storms to get there. It was so good to see her face and to give her a hug!

She had an amazing week and is already talking about going back to camp next summer! I am so glad that she is home, as I missed her terribly! Now, I need to go get some sleep-- as being in the car for 6+ hours today was tiring! Tomorrow, I will work on some of the camp laundry!! LOL. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair By Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck

BOOK DESCRIPTION::::

Two best friends, 500 miles, one wheelchair, and the challenge of a lifetime.Friendship takes on new meaning in this true story of Justin and Patrick, born less than two days apart in the same hospital. Best friends their whole lives, they grew up together, went to school together, and were best man in each other’s weddings. When Justin was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs, Patrick was there, helping to feed and care for him in ways he’d never imagined. Determined to live life to the fullest, the friends refused to give into despair or let physical limitations control what was possible for Justin.

So when Justin heard about the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trek through Spain, he wondered aloud to Patrick whether the two of them could ever do it. Patrick’s immediate response was: “I’ll push you.”

I’ll Push You is the real-life story of this incredible journey. A travel adventure full of love, humor, and spiritual truth, it exemplifies what every friendship is meant to be and shows what it means to never find yourself alone. You’ll discover how love and faith can push past all limits―and make us the best versions of ourselves.

MY THOUGHTS:::

There are times that you read a book and then 2 weeks later you have forgotten it. There are then times you read a book and it touches your soul and has a profound impact on who you are at your core. I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair falls into that second category. I could not put this book down. 

At the core of this book is the story of Justin and Patrick and their journey along the Camino de Santiago. How it came to be, what it was like along the way, and ultimately how the journey changed both of the men. However, this book is so much more. It is a story of deep love and friendship. It is a story of faith- faith in yourself, faith in others, faith in life, faith in others in times of your own shortcomings. It is a story of community- the community of your family and the community of others in the world that come into your life for a lifetime or for just a few moments. It is a story of life- being able to live a life that you embrace fully no matter what obstacles stand in your way. 

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is really a truly inspirational read! 

DISCLAIMER:::

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Tyndale Publishers. All opinions are my own. 

Weigh In Wednesday

So the last time I posted a Weigh In Wednesday was way back on June 7th. You can see that post here. I had all intentions of keeping up with it over the summer and hopefully losing lots of weight. But you know what they say about best laid plans?....

That is where I am at. This summer hasn't been the best at diet or exercising. We have had a lot of stress and stress eating. I am hoping to get back on schedule with my exercising in a couple weeks when the kids go back to school. In the meantime, I really needed to know where I stood and what damage I had done over the summer. So let's see where I stand now:  

My official starting weight (on 1/1/2017) was: 242.0 pounds!

My weight on June 7 was: 230.4 pounds.

My weight today is:

 

So a gain of 4.0 pounds. 
Total loss from 1/1/17: 7.6 pounds

So not horrible. A gain of 4 pounds over the summer. I can deal with that. Honestly I thought it would be much higher. There were times over July where my capris were fitting much tighter so I knew that I needed to curb the eating and move more. I did do a few hikes over the summer and will hopefully start back up when the kids go back to school. My husband is working a new schedule for work, so maybe I can schedule some hikes with him as well. Now that the farm markets have loads of fresh veggies, eating better will be easier. Also, I MUST get better at planning as in a few weeks my school year tutoring starts and I need to make sure dinners are prepared before I head to work or are easy for Bill to make. That means I can't wait until the day of to decide.... 

       If you are on a weight loss journey, how are you doing? 

 

Grocery shopping and cleaning Rebecca's room

After cleaning out the deep freeze yesterday, I headed to the grocery store this morning. We were out of a lot of things so it was a big shop. Our Aldi is closed until September for remodeling so all my shopping is done at Kroger and I can really feel the increase in our grocery bill. I spent $190 today, but saved $98 using digital coupons and sale prices. We are stocked up on several items now. I think our grocery bill will hopefully go down in a few weeks when the kiddos are back in school full time...hopefully. 

As I was putting the groceries away, the cats were having fun playing with the bags as I was throwing them on the floor. We have a vent in our kitchen and the a/c was running so it was making the bags move and make noise and that was driving the cats nuts. 

After putting away the groceries, I heated up leftover mac-n-cheese for the boys for lunch. Our neighbor's son then stopped by to ask if we could walk their dog. His dad is battling stage 4 prostate cancer and is not doing well at all. So after lunch Bill and the boys walked the dog. It is the least we can do. 

While they were out walking the dog, I decided to tackle Rebecca's room. The saying goes "while the cat is away, the mice will play." Well, this week it is "while Rebecca is at camp, Mommy will deep clean her room." LOL I try to deep clean the kids' rooms at least 2 times a year-- where I get rid of trash, declutter, etc. In the past it has taken me 4+ hours to do Rebecca's small room. 

Well, I am pleased to say that today it only took me about 1.5 hours. If she would just put stuff away where it goes, then her room would stay clean. Also if she wouldn't have her beads for her crafts all over the place, then it would stay clean. I got one full bag of trash out of her room-- papers that were trash, boxes of games/ craft stuff that she had used everything out of, etc. I also only got 2 shirts out of her room to donate. She is doing well, only having things in her room that she uses and wears. It looks so much better now. It would look even better if she was here to see it, but that will be on Friday! 

Speaking of missing Rebecca, we aren't the only ones missing her. Gus Gus really misses her. Yesterday, he would go in her room several times and meow and look for her. She is definitely his favorite human. He has spent time on our bed the last 2 days, which is very uncommon for him. Today he was all over her room as I was cleaning it. He will be glad when she comes home. 

For now, I am typing this up before I go start dinner. Tonight it is breakfast for dinner. I am thinking I will use up some pancake mix that I found in the pantry and some turkey bacon that I found in the freezer last night. Simple and easy. 

What are you having for dinner tonight? 

Hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday!