Phew! July has been a whirlwind!!! We started out the month with lots of family visiting, then we headed off to Saskatchewan for over two weeks to hang out with my parents, and this week I'm trying to catch up on life (laundry, yard work, errands) while Rachel is volunteering at dance camp. Summer is crazy, but in the best of ways :)
As always on the last Wednesday of the month, I'm linking up with Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too for their What's Up Wednesday post.
What we're eating this week... We're trying to figure out what to eat this week since it's the week after vacation and we ate so well at Mom and Dad's. So we're having regular things like tacos and CSA & BBQ and stir fry. But I'm going to reminisce a little bit about what we ate at my parents' house since they always cook all our very favourites, plus we get Mom's fresh garden veggies.
My mom made Saskatoon Berry pie just for me and I ate it one morning for breakfast. Also, my dad made milkshakes many nights from fresh raspberries (the best!) or strawberries or mangoes.
My mom made my childhood favourite meal of warenky (pronounced "ve-ren-e-key"; very similar to a perogy but with just cottage cheese), cream gravy, fried onions, and farmer's sausage. Also, she made pflinzen (similar to a crepe) and I enjoyed them with mangoes and brown sugar.
Here's a BBQ & CSA meal at home. I steamed yellow beans and then attempted to make a Greek salad similar to what my mom had served. And a local flower farmer was selling bouquets at pick up so I got one of those as well!
What I'm reminiscing about... We got to watch my cousins' son play volleyball this past weekend (see below for more information on that) so I'm reminiscing about when we lived closer to him and previous times we've hung out with this family.
On the left is P meeting Rachel and on the right is P giving Sam a ride on his toy quad.
P really loved Rachel. My lasting memory is that he taught her to clap on Easter Sunday.
Left: We got to visit with P and his older brother, J, in August 2016 and (right) again in August 2019.
What I'm loving... I've gotten to hang out with so many of my cousins and their kids this month and I have been LOVING all the cousin (and second cousin) time! It's been soooo great. My cousins are spread out across the country (from British Columbia to Ontario) so I don't get to see many of them all that often.
Left: me with some of my cousins (from BC and Alberta) on my mom's side; Right: Cousins, spouses, and second cousins on my dad's side when we were in Saskatchewan. (I just noticed I wore my pineapple shirt both times -- oops!)
What we've been up to... Some of my cousins came to Ontario for a visit so most of the family in Ontario got to spend a lot of time together. We went to a Blue Jays game, had a gathering at my aunt's, and hosted some of the second cousins for an impromptu sleepover.
Then we flew to Saskatchewan for a few weeks to see my parents. While there, we saw more family and went on a road trip to southern Saskatchewan. I'll be blogging more about that next week.
We got home this past Saturday and went to see my cousins' son play in a big volleyball tournament out of town on Sunday, so we hit the ground running.
This week I'm trying to get Sam ready for a week away at camp, get Rachel and I ready for an adventure (more on that below), and trying to catch up on laundry, yard work, and seeing some friends.
What I'm dreading... I'll write more about this below but Rachel and I need to get up at 4am this coming Monday and I'm kind of dreading that... Ugh.
What I'm working on... Yard work. Our yard needs a lot of help after two weeks away and a lot of rain. I'm weeding, dead heading, and generally trying to get on top of things.
Also, a year ago today, we were in Paris at the start of our summer vacation and I want to work on the photo book for that trip since I haven't done it yet.
What I'm excited about... This summer, each kid has a week on their own at sleep away camp. I told the other kid that I would take them somewhere (within reason -- we're not crossing oceans here!) on a "mom and kid trip." Rachel and I are headed out next week and Sam and I are going later in August. Each trip is pretty different but I'm super excited about both of them! Plus, I'm looking forward to one on one time with each kid. So that's what I'm excited about!!!
Also, I told each child that this was not going to be happening every summer so their expectations aren't too high for future years :)
What I'm watching/reading... When we couldn't watch my cousins' son play volleyball in person, it was livestreamed so we watch a lot of that in Saskatchewan. It was really fun!
Here I am making raspberry jam and watching volleyball!
As for reading, I'm reading a variety of books now that it's summer. The two I'm currently going between are these ones:
What I'm listening to... Silence. This week Dave is working, Sam is sleeping in until noon (teenagers!), and Rachel is volunteering at dance camp so it's been very quiet around here.
What I'm wearing... While we were in Saskatchewan, my mom gave me a pair of emerald studs she doesn't wear anymore. So for the first time in ages, I have earrings in both my holes. Also, my parents gave Rachel a bunnyhug (Saskatchewan term for "hoodie") for Christmas from a local store and so we stopped there and I got this amazing t-shirt!
What I'm doing this weekend... Getting Sam ready to go to camp, getting Rachel and I packed for our trip, and hopefully fitting in some more yard work and maybe even a trip to the pool... We haven't been there very much this summer and I miss it.
What I'm looking forward to next month... I'm looking forward to the trips with the kids. On Sam's trip we get to see some more family plus we're going somewhere I've never been so I'm really excited about it!!!
What I bought on Amazon... Nothing. I've been buying all my things on Expedia lately :) Hahahahaha!!!
What else is new... I think that's everything. I'm just trying to soak up all these lovely summer days where I don't have to work. I have three and a half weeks of summer break left and I am determined to make the most of it!
Happy Wednesday! If you've done a trip with just you and one of your children, please let me know if you have any advice! I'm both excited and nervous to travel with just one kid and have no experience doing anything like this so your thoughts are more than welcome...
Those mom and kid trips sound so fun! I am loving all these family photos; I bet it was wonderful to see everyone again.
ReplyDeleteLove how you are buying on Expedia- ha! Your trip with your parents sounds perfect and such delicious meals! Can't wait to read about your trip with Rachel too :)
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to do mom and kids trips! I did go with Gabbie to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in MO when she was busy refusing to go on her 8th grade camping trip, so now Simon wants to skip his trip and go somewhere! (but I think I'll be away myself during that week!)
ReplyDeleteSo much fun this summer!! Can't wait to hear about your trips.
ReplyDeleteSuch a full and fulfilling month. Love your Saskatchewan shirt.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, all the delicious foods!! Saskatoon pie (and saskatoon sherbet) is one of my favorites; and it's been WAY too long since I had vereniki and farmer sausage. Yummmm!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear all about your trip with Rachel. One-on-one time with my kids was always a favorite for me when mine were younger.
ReplyDeleteSo much great family time. And you have another trip planned? Lucky you ;). I'm glad you're enjoying your summer so much. These are the days, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are having a fun summer. I enjoyed reading your blogpost.
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