Jul 2, 2012

Bye, June. Welcome, July.

Hi, friends!
Time for a summer check-in!
(and an impromptu blog header change, which I had fun creating!)

June was a pretty eventful month around here. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been trying to get up earlier in hopes of having more productive days, I've added some exercise into my weekly routine, and I've started some "light" learning with Silas. We've also enjoyed a few playdates and a whole week at Mimi and Pop's house while Kevin was on a mission trip to Haiti.

I feel like my biggest challenge has been keeping the boys busy in this intense heat. Swimming has been our go-to activity, which is fine by me. I usually read or browse recipes while the boys splash around.
I'm ready to try some new flavored rice dishes soon!
Although this meal had nothing to do with rice, I recently tried a recipe for Greek Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki Sauce. I made the pita bread in the bread machine, but I wasn't too thrilled about how it turned out. The Greek chicken marinade was great, but the Tzatziki sauce was lacking. Needless to say, I probably won't be adding this to our dinner rotation. Oh well, that's the beauty of trying new things, right? 

After Kevin returned from Haiti, he spent some quality time with Silas, which included a trip to see Madagascar 3. They sent me a picture from the theater. Silas was obviously really excited about taking this picture *insert sarcasm*.

Pardon the food photos, but I've been working on my summer cooking goals!
Making the sauce for Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Lasagna. This is one of my favorite, easy, no-oven recipes. The key is to not let it overcook in the slow cooker, which will make the noodles really soggy (another lesson learned!). I think 4 hours on low is plenty. You're welcome.

This week we're excited to have cousin Kamil staying with us. She and Silas love playing together, which makes life a little easier on me. Kamil arrived on Friday afternoon, and they headed to the pool right away.
We're getting our money's worth out of this $7 inflatable pool!
Liam has learned to climb up into the little "house" part of the swing set. I have to keep a really close eye on him once he's up there because he then tries to climb down the ladder, which he canNOT do yet!





Another thing that's kept me busy this past month is purging our belongings to donate to our church's garage giveaway, which is hosted in the Fall. Instead of selling the items, we give them away! It's a great community ministry. Everyone who passes through has the opportunity to hear the gospel.

Clothes, Toys, etc. to give away!

The boys followed me from closet to closet while I collected items. They left traces of their presence in my closet.

It's so fun having a little girl around this week. Kamil definitely brings a little softness to our home. She's a little homemaker at heart. She's always ready to help around the house without being asked. On Saturday night, she took the initiative to set the table for us for dinner. It was the sweetest thing!
Kamil was so proud of her work.  She made everyone's place setting special.


That night we had Kevin's favorite St. Lucian dish for dinner- chicken and lentils. It was my second time trying this dish, and the second time was the charm!
I think my mother-in-law would have been proud!

Today I had to run a couple of errands so I took Silas and Kamil with me, and we hit up our local thrift store to buy them some bikes. Kamil also picked out a doll and doll stroller, which will help her to get through the week in this house full of toy trucks and pretend weapons!
Due to the heat, they asked to ride their new bikes inside. I tend to be pretty laid back about that type of thing.

The rest of my afternoon will likely be spent folding laundry, menu planning, a possible kid-free trip to the grocery store (thanks to my hubby), and an attempt to clean up with three kids making messes right behind me. We'll see how my well-laid plans turn out!

How was your June?

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