Monthly Musings: Summer

I'm linking up with Holly and Patty for their Monthly Musings. This month it's all about summer. We still have over a month of school left, so we're not quite in summer mode yet, but we're getting there :)

 

1) Favourite Summer Tradition?

One of our favourite summer traditions is that on the first day with no school, we have strawberries and ice cream for breakfast. I started this when the kids were little and it's a fun treat we look forward to!

The first year we did this tradition was in 2016, and Rachel had just finished Senior Kindergarten. In 2017, the kids had this for breakfast and then we left for our Kenya trip.

 Our strawberries and ice cream breakfasts in 2018 (left) and 2019 (right).

In 2020, we just about forgot about it because school ended on a Friday and we weren't prepared. Usually school ends on a Thursday for us. (This year it ends on a Monday -- ugh.)

Another favourite summer tradition is that we usually take a bigger family vacation but that won't happen this year. Boooo :(

2) Any vacation plans this summer?

Well, as I said above, we still can't really travel in Canada. We're hoping to be able to go and visit my parents but we're waiting to see what is happening with cases and vaccinations before we make any decisions, so at this point -- hopefully.

last summer in Saskatchewan

3) Ocean, pool, or lake?

We usually spend most of our summer at the pool! In fact, I have a whole blog tag devoted to it:  Not our neighbourhood pool! Last year we didn't make it to a lake or ocean, but I'm hoping this summer we might be able to hit one of the Great Lakes. We have three that are fairly close to us so we shall see...

at Lake Erie in 2018 * at our pool in 2020

4) Favourite summer fashion items?

My hat, my swimsuit, shorts!

5) Favourite summer recipe? Please share.

The easiest summer recipe I have is to get smaller heads of romaine lettuce (we get them from our CSA), cut them in half, brush them with olive oil, and grill them on the BBQ for about three minutes. The outside leaves will char but pour Caesar dressing on the inside leaves and it is delicious!!! In fact, I wish I had some right now!

The other summer recipe we love is a chickpea salad which the dietician at the grocery store made up and gave to me one time. You take a can of chickpeas, half a diced cucumber, two grated carrots, three-ish green onions, a couple of peppers (we often use red ones), a bunch of feta cheese, and a handful of mint leaves chopped up. Then mix half olive oil and half lemon juice. (I often use half a cup of each.) Stir that together with a fork and add cumin (I use about a teaspoon) and some honey to sweeten (maybe 1/2tsp, depending on your tastes). Mix the salad with the dressing. Dave, Sam, and I all LOVE this salad and it's an easy side to make for BBQ suppers. In fact, we're having this tonight and I can't wait!

6) Strawberry shortcake or blueberry pie?

 Neither. We tend to eat more ice cream in the summer but not really any other special desserts.

7) What couldn't you do in 2020 that you can now do this summer?

Ummm... well, in Canada, we don't really know yet. We're hoping Sam will be able to play baseball this summer but nothing has been decided for sure. Honestly, things are still fairly locked down here and we're just hoping they're more open by summer. Maybe we'll be able to spend entire days at the pool again instead of just an hour a couple of times a week... Get back to me in June :)

8) Favourite sunscreen?

Anything with a high SPF. Rachel was mad I bought kid sunscreen this past weekend but it was the only one with a SPF above 30.

9) Favourite summer beverage -- with or without alcohol.

Without alcohol, homemade iced tea. I make it decaffeinated with lots of lemon and it's a cool treat. With alcohol -- anything my dad makes! Hahaha! Gin & tonics, Moscow Mules -- bring it all on!

 

My dad is a GREAT bartender!!!

10) Do you have a garden this year? Flowers? Veggies? Both?

 No, we don't have a garden -- besides all my annuals in pots. We get fresh veggies from our CSA so I don't grow any extras. I love that we get a wide variety of vegetables we wouldn't otherwise know to eat -- hakurei turnips, purple carrots, garlic scapes, and edible flowers for salads!

Well, this was fun. Now I'm dreaming about summer and hoping we'll get lots of pool days and time in Saskatchewan and baseball games for Sam and a trip to the beach...!