What's Going On & MPM #24

I'm not even sure where to begin...my blog seems to be turning into my 365 Project update and my meal plan. Sorry. The bad news is I'm living in the moment and that's making me really struggle to have any blog time. The good news is, I'm living in the moment. I'm sure most of you have been there. You think my blog's bad, you should see my house! I'm also finding it impossible to find time to clean, do laundry, etc., etc.

So...what's been going on? Well, we're going to the pool...a lot. Jacob and Julianna started swim lessons last week. We're taking the opportunity to stay as much as we can afterward and swim. Okay, full disclosure, Jacob and Julianna swim. I'm a horrible Mommy and sit in my pool chair and read. I hate swimming at a public swimming pool. I hate the cool water, the kids splashing...anyone who admired my Mommying. Sorry. I know I just disillusioned you. Don't lose heart though, believe it or not, I'm getting bored sitting by the pool reading a couple of hours a day (ouch, I know you're throwing things at me right now), so I'll probably be forcing myself to actually get in and play some this week. Probably. Okay, maybe. Who knew? After a weekend off, it's starting to sound pretty good again. :)

We've been playing a lot of Othello and a couple of other board games. Jacob and Julianna are just learning to play and it's been fun to see their strategy skills sharpen.

I've been hanging out a lot with Rebekah. As you can imagine, with September edging ever closer, I'm spending as much time with her as I can.

I'm taking my photography class. I don't feel like the quality of my photos is improving all that much yet, my biggest challenge is finding the time to set up a shot instead of feeling like I just need to snap it as quickly as I can before I lose it. I'm willing to bet most moms know what I'm talking about. Stop and set up a shot? Yeah, I'm sure people do it, but at this point I'm clueless to know how to do it without losing the moment. On the bright side, I'm learning lots and lots about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Words that previously made my brain freeze over in complete ignorance.

We've had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with Jason and Matthew. That's been wonderful. They're moving in a few weeks to an apartment just a couple of miles from us. It will be so nice to have them so close, a luxury we've never enjoyed as long as they've been married. I'm looking forward to that very much.

I had my yearly OB/Gyn and mammogram appointment. In and out very quickly then the next day I started thinking of all the questions I should have asked. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does that. Is it normal that even though I'm on the pill my breasts are experiencing monthly hormone changes? For a few days every month they're honestly killing me, yup, would have been nice if I'd thought to ask that when I was there. Oh well, there's always Dr. Google.

Friday night Mark and I got to go out on a date. Very fun! To top it off, through a series of circumstances and some "found money" it was free. We went to Red Robin and then to Date Night. Dinner was fine and the movie was fun. The only downside? We were home by 8:45. We definitely need to work on our dating skills. How in the world did we used to make a dinner and a movie last from 7 until 12? Anyone else have that issue? We thought about going out for dessert or a coffee, but we'd had treats at the theater and couldn't have looked at another bite. It's wonderful to go on a date, but a bit of a bummer to get home before the kids are asleep.

Saturday night was Julianna's dance recital. Absolutely perfect. Well, nearly perfect. It was everything you'd want a recital for a 7 year old to be. She had a lot of fun, did a great job, and had a big grin on her face the entire night. Unfortunately, it was hard for Rebekah. Rebekah danced for years and years, never envisioned quitting really. Then, at the end of 6th grade the growth plate in her hip slipped and she had to have emergency surgery, followed by a long recovery. A few months later they did the other hip. She tried to come back from it, but it was a long year with a lot of restrictions, and she never really made it back. At the end of 7th grade she quit dancing, not really by her choice. It's always hard to feel like something was taken away from you, especially something she loved. At the recital there was a big fuss made over this year's class of seniors, the girls she had danced with, and it was very hard for her. There was a lot of crying, it was a rough night for her, and I was cognizant of how much pain she was in. I was so sad for her. Hopefully, from here on out recitals will be easier, but I knew and understood that last night was difficult for her.

Today was great. My parents have been going through a very time consuming, very emotionally and financially draining household disaster. They were able to sneak away from things at home and come up and visit for a few hours. We had an incredible feast of Mark's choosing, and lots and lots of chatter and fun. I'm always aware what a gift it is to be able to get together and we enjoyed today a lot. It's fun to think that in the future, at least sometimes, Jason, Lori, Lily and Matt will be able to be here too.

Well, that's the news. That's what's going on. A lot of nothing and a lot of wonderful all at the same time. I hope your summer's off to a good start. Here's what we'll be eating around here:

Friday (Date night, ticking off my 76 Days): Potluck for the kids
Saturday Lunch: ??
Saturday dinner (Julianna's recital): Olive Garden
Sunday lunch (Father's Day): Mark picked the menu Burgers, Brats & sauerkraut, watermelon, cowboy beans, potato salad, fixin's, cucumber salad, deviled eggs, German Chocolate Cake--Yeah, I think he hadn't eaten for days when he asked for this menu. :)
Sunday dinner: Banana Splits--again, Mark's day.
Monday: Pioneer Woman BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesidillas, fruit
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Steamy Kitchen's Thai-style Chicken in sweet chili sauce, rice
Thursday (piano): Tricia Yearwood's stuffed peppers, salad, bread
Friday: London Broil, veggie kabobs (I'll omit the tofu)

Check out Organizing Junkie's for more meal plans.