After a classically lazy Saturday, we were quite on the go yesterday.  We went to church at 9 and then had a little bit of regrouping time before driving to our old stomping grounds as a meeting place to have lunch with these ladies who had just flown in:



Then we left from there to go straight to a birthday party for a 6-year old girl who was B's bestie in preschool.  It was quite the fairy to-do:


And everyone got very into the fun!


We got home from there around 5 and I decided, since the BG was gone for a few more hours with football, that we'd just hit the pool.  So we did and I got all the way in and hopped all over the place with one or both kids hanging onto me and we had a great time.

But I'm feeling a little creaky this morning.    ;-)

A couple of weeks ago, Miss C and I ran to Costco which gets dangerous because it's actually inside a mall.  We found quite the closeout sale on accessories at Gymboree and this little necklace (for $1.50, thankyouverymuch) matched her outfit perfectly!!   I'm not usually a pastel person but sometimes soft colors are kinda nice, huh?


I learned from my neighbor about a bread company that sets up shop each Friday in a local beer/wine market.  Apparently, the bread people used to have a retail shop nearby and, when they closed to focus on their wholesale business, they struck up this weekly partnership.   I expected to find maybe 8-10 types of bread so was pretty much blown away by the options (not all of which are pictured-- was just trying to grab a few quick shots)!  So far, I've tried the asiago cheese, cranberry walnut, lemon rosemary, and baguette types and they've all been mighty tasty!


The kids and I recently hit up the local nature center on a Saturday morning when the BG was busy with football.  How fun is this faux campfire set-up?!  (The "marshmallows" are pieces of styrofoam with a hole in the middle so they can be placed on the stick!)


We've been having B write two sentences in order to be done with quiet time.   He's not really grasping the "creative" opportunities to write varied thoughts, but these were first two and we'll take them!   (I took the pic later in the day hence the partial erasing.)


I noticed these bottles when I was checking out at Weggies last week.   What a fun(ny) ad campaign!   I probably would've bought one if it had my name on it so hey-- it might be working!


And finally, a selfie from this morning.   The kids were sticking out their tongues and I finally joined them...only to have C stop at the instant of the pic!   Oh well!


HAPPY FRIDAY!

(Just as well because we're taking a break from big activities yesterday and today!)

Over the years, I've scooped up some books at thrift stores purely for nostalgia...and for future generations of readers, of course.  Add those to a few my similarly-minded brother has passed along and we've got a fun little collection.   A representative sample:


Side note: I do not like new, updated book covers!   Stop messing with my nostalgia!

Yesterday's scheduled activity was a small zoo in a community about 25 miles away.  I was not initially inclined to go since it's a bit $$$ and we have a large (and free!) zoo in our general area but the kiddies seemed excited and that's what it's about, right?   So off we went...and we ended up having so much fun during the day's adventures!

Considering the B-man once couldn't even be in an animal barn because of the smells, he's really embraced farm life.  (I mean, he was just holding a chicken the other day!)


The "zoo" itself doesn't have very many exhibits but part of the entrance fee is a "Zoofari" wagon ride around the grounds with frequent stops to get up close and personal with some wildlife.  The horns on this Watusi gave us quite a start when they appeared right behind us!


Hungry camels:


My "main crew."  Back in the pre-kids days, I worked remotely for a company based in NYC.  Jen, on the left, was a sales rep there and we met at conferences/meetings.  Thanks to the wonder of FB, when I learned she moved to this area a couple of years ago, we reconnected.  I met the woman on the far right last summer and adore her, and then the one next to me is a new friend from this week's activities!


After the wagon ride, we hit up the "budgie" aviary.  (According to Sheils the research librarian, budgie is another name for parakeet.  All I know is that it makes me think of the vernacular I had to learn upon moving to Corning:  before that time, I knew someone getting in line in front of you as "cutting" but in Western NY, it is called BUDGING. Ha!)

ANYWAY.   The B-man was a budgie-feeding expert.  This isn't even the same pic I posted on FB yesterday-- he was that good at getting them!  :-)


I found myself one or two, too!


Grammie was sad when she saw this pic on FB yesterday but, truly, Miss C was fine.  She was clearly scared of the birds getting too close to her so she just hung out.   This pic came about by me saying, on a whim, "show me what you think about the birdies."   She just might have some theatrical skills in her:

After we left the animals, we followed Jen to a nearby park she located through a Geocaching app.  I knew her fam is really into geocaching and she'd called me in the morning to give me the heads-up that we should bring some trinkets in case we had time to explore.   Turns out there was one in a park just around the corner from the zoo.

It was gorgeous scenery and the kids loved getting to ford a stream (which had nothing to do with the actual hunt but, you know, kids and water!):


Jen (and her 7-week old baby) getting the kids excited about finding the hidden treasure box:


Found it!  Each kid took out a trinket and put one back in for the next hunters:


There's also a log inside each one with a list of all who have come before!


SUCH A FUN DAY!

Sunday afternoon, the kids and I drove west about 60 miles and enjoyed some serious fun with friends out there.   They took us to a country farm that quite possibly had the most number of random outdoor adventures for kids I have ever seen, and I gave up pretty quickly trying to document them photographically.   One of the first things they hit, while I still had my camera at the ready, was the giant jumping "pillow":


There was also plenty of animal-bonding time:


Then yesterday, we hopped back in the car and headed about 50 miles northwest to a state park with a really neat swimming area.   The countryside around here really is just so pretty!


Enjoying a beautiful day:

 Our crew:


This is the 2nd annual "Mommy Camp" that a friend organizes, with activities scheduled for each day around the region.  (No matter that the friend just had her 4th kid 7 weeks ago-- there also was a 39-week preggers mama in the mix, too!)  We always meet lots of new people and have fun adventures-- what better way to spend a summer week?

Apologies to the earlybirds for this post being later than usual.  After a tease-week of the BG being around for summer mornings, it was back to a 5 AM alarm and 6 AM departure this morning for a week of youth football camp.   Apparently I decided to sleep late in protest!  ;-)

Speaking of camp-- someone helped her daddy pick out "popsicles" for the campers:


The two of them in their floppy hats:


(The other reason this post was delayed is that the above pic reminds me of one from years ago with B and his daddy so I've been trying to find it with no luck.   Will keep looking and update if/when I do...!!!)

I think some aisle dancing with pleasantly plump stuffies definitely qualifies!!


And, since it was the deep discount aisle at Hobby Lobby, I let the kiddies each bring one home.  At $2.80, it was an easy way to create some joy!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today's treasure comes not from the distant past but rather the past of yesterday!  We received the neatest box of "comfort" sent by a high school friend.   What a treat-- and such cool packaging!

On the top:


Under the ladle:


Big bag o' soup:


We haven't had the soup and rolls yet but can attest to the delicious softness of the chocolate chippers!


As I was cleaning up last night, I saw this quote printed on the side of this roll box.  I don't know who Iris Murdoch is (okay, now I do) but I really feel that she GETS ME:


In all seriousness-- and I know I've talked about this here--I do choose to live our lives in this manner.  (Remember the big wrapped box of Gatorade for the B-man's Christmas present?)   While I often bemoan the fact that many of our "small treats" help make "big thighs," it seems to me that seeking and finding true joy in the simplest of pleasures is a wonderful way to live!

I'd say yesterday was the first day of summer since the B-man didn't have school, but it might be that THIS morning really kicks it off because it's the first day the BG turned off his alarm.  (He still had to go in yesterday to submit grades, etc).   Of course, he'll still have workouts every afternoon all summer plus next week is the youth camp they run, and they play in some summer passing leagues, and so on and so on but he "slept in" until 6:30 so yay for him!

The rising 1st grader in the house is going to Vacation Bible School this week.   Unfortunately, it starts at age 4 so Miss C is too young but he had lots of fun at Day 1.  He actually dressed himself yesterday morning, which is not generally the routine, but he was so excited to sport his VBS shirt from last year.  Since it actually did match the shorts he selected, I made like Elsa and let it go!   ;-)

I am sure this question could be answered with a quick google search but it's far more fun to ask you!!

We had a very fancy Father's Day lunch at Chipotle and I saw something interesting on the receipt.   Anyone else noticed this trend recently??

It's the last day of school!



Miss C might look a little more demure because, as you can see from the horseshoe on her face, she's been busy at "Wild, Wild West" week at "camp."    Each of the three weeks, they've brought home all their crafts on the last day.  She pulled out all the very cute but non-surprising construction paper projects....and then gave me this one:


It cracks me up.  

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Did anybody else play with these???


I especially like one of the "write-in" names.  Doesn't "Murgotroid" have a nice ring to it?

...when you can just mix "concrete" in the backyard with a pole?


That would be the bucket (still decorated with red ribbons from a party we hosted in 2010-- ha!) where the ashes get dumped when the fireplace gets cleaned out.   Master Chemist B has determined that the hose + ash bucket = making concrete.  Then his little helper got out the watering can, submerged it in the lovely ashy water, and poured it all over the grass.  Good times.  Good times.

I went yesterday morning to the shopping center with Trader Joe's and World Market...and explicitly told myself I was NOT going to stop at the Great Harvest Bread located in the middle.  I'm happy to report that I walked triumphantly by on the way to World Market without even a second glance.

Unfortunately, while I was in there selecting $10 worth of free goodies thanks to my Rewards coupon (I'm a sucker for their soaps-- came home with Avocado Coconut and added it to the Honey Apricot I bought the last time!), the savvy bakers put out a chalkboard with a big message about trying their Blueberry Swirl Bread.

Darn those savvy bakers.


In related news, I had a fun texting convo last week with loyal reader JJC about favorite things to buy at Costco.  I think we'll discuss that at a future point but, given my shopping center visit yesterday, I thought today I'd bullet some of our family standards at Trader Joe's.   Would love to hear from anyone what I should add to my list!

• Multi-grain pita bite crackers (delicious as a cheese transportation system)
• Whole wheat pretzel sticks (they're a good size for dipping in peanut butter for a non-sandwich lunch)
• Bottled enchilada sauce (can just close back up if using a bit, say, to add to refried beans)
• Boxed macaroni and cheese (inexpensive and gotta be less chemical-y than other brands)
• Olive oil (it's much cheaper there, along with vinegars, sauces, etc)
• Reduced-sugar preserves (I really can't tell they are less sweet. And nothing artificial allowed)
• Bagged nuts (you can get peanuts, almonds, etc, in a range of salted/toasted options)
• Anything that comes in a small plastic tub and involves chocolate  (Duh)

The ladies of the house did some serious(ly enjoyable) errand-running on Friday morning but we still managed to take time to:

Stop and smell the pretty flowers:


Celebrate National Donut Day with tasty treats:


Select a Lego giftie for brother to put together al fresco:

• We have one week of school left which is pretty darn close to the Texas schedule that seems mostly to have ended this week.  In my mind, there's a huge difference between the south and the north in this arena but that gap seems to be closing.  (Not sure Corning, NY has gotten the message, though-- their last day is June 25th with graduation on the 28th!)

• Miss C's preschool ended before Memorial Day but the school runs three weeks of themed camps to match up with the public school calendar.  I signed her up for all 3 weeks (Mon-Thurs for 3 hours?  Yes, please!) and she's been having a blast.

• Spring football "passing leagues" are in full swing.   We still see the BG more than we do during regular coaching seasons, to be sure, but anyone who tries to say that football isn't a year-round sport (even away from Texas) is crazy!

• Sometimes said sports (and school) schedule makes the BG less inclined to play after-dinner badminton (or "baddington" as the kids call it) with me as I've been wanting to do often.   With it staying light so late, there's usually a lot of time to kill between dinner and the 8 PM bedtime for kiddos, but let's just say they are not quite the kind of opponents that allow me to get much exercise!   ;-)

• We joined the neighborhood pool near the B-man's school.  It's not "our" neighborhood (requires a 5-minute drive down a fairly major road) but it's definitely the pool where his classmates would go.   Joining pools up here is quite a $$$ proposition but I figured, as much as I adore* a) being in the sun, and b) wearing swimsuits in public, it would be a lot of fun for the kiddos and that's what's important.   We've been twice so far and they're having a blast-- although the shivering that still occurs with my string bean children is enough to make even me wish for hot temperatures.     * = SARCASM

• I took them yesterday after school for about an hour and was chatting with Anne on the phone as I was getting ready to head out.  I mentioned that I had randomly bought a tank dress at Costco for $11.99 that I was trying out as a swimsuit cover-up when she said, "the striped one?  Did you get it in seafoam green?"    Well, YES to both questions.  I love our connection on such things!  :-)    I tried to find a photo on the website to post to see if anyone else has bought it (no success) but I bet that, if you did, you know what I'm talking about!!!

•  HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today's treasure comes not from all the loot I brought home in April but rather from my own dresser.   As many of you know, T-shirts (or "cotton") were a really big deal at Baylor:  every organization on campus made a shirt for each activity it did, and there was a bit of an unspoken competition to obtain as much "cotton" as possible as a demonstration of popularity.

Here's the thing, though: try as I did, I am just not a T-shirt person.    Ah, the curse of being pear-shaped-- the shirt that fits at the bottom is way too big on the top!!   So I only kept a few (quite oversized)shirts after college and they continue to be my favorite sleepwear.  This one especially:


The back in all its Joey Tribbiani glory:


The other one in my regular rotation is the navy one from the Zeta/Baseball mixer which, hello, RANDOM!   But somehow, these two were determined as the coziest and are still treasured 14 years later!   :-)

The B-man has been playing the "other" kind of football this spring.  Each Saturday morning, he has gathered with a team of Kindergarteners in an "instructional" soccer league, which doesn't involve actually playing other teams.   He gets to play with several classmates, both from his current elementary school and from his preschool class last year.

He has the ball in this pic:


But, let's be honest--- he got my genes.   So here we can see his attempt at a half-Karate Kid move:


We all went to soccer this past Saturday because we left for our weekend adventure directly from there.   The other two members of the fam kept busy by practicing (American) football drills: