Good Summer Day

So, it's July! How is summer going? The kids are doing okay at their new clipboard chores. I'm ready to follow up better now that our missionary is off and things have slowed down (kinda) from that big event. The kids are enjoying playing night games outside, especially with the new laser guns that Corey got Wes for his B-day, and a few more sets for fun.

Today was a good day because #1 - I prepared and served a delicious dinner and we sat down together to eat it! I served a vegetable lasagna (store bought), green salad, garlic bread, and I looked up a Purple Carrot recipe that I didn't get delivered but I thought looked good: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes! I couldn't find gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Google said an okay substitute was regular broccoli or bok choy, I went with the bok choy cause it's fun to say. I think I'll look up a purple carrot dinner every day and when I serve it, I'll give the little introduction Purple carrot provides. I started to read it to the kids as I was preparing it - they laughed and didn't let me get past the second sentence: "Simple and hearty, this recipe is as nutritious as it is vibrant. The velvety texture of sweet potatoes deliciously contrasts with crunchy cucumbers and zesty chickpeas." "Mom! Stop!" Corey came home right on time at 6:30 and he and I both thought it was delicious. The kids were happy with the lasagna and garlic bread. Lily had a friend over today and I asked her mom if she could stay for dinner (they have Lily over a lot!) That added pressure probably helped me, maybe I should invite people over for dinner more often.

Reason why it was a good day #2 - The kitchen is clean! and it's only 10 pm! Last night it wasn't clean until midnight. Saturday night it wasn't clean until 1 a.m (I had taken a nap though) so I'm getting better. I like waking up to a clean kitchen. I made the bed everyday, maybe I can start to clean the kitchen and shine the sink every night. The kids have their bedrooms all newly arranged and clean, and I've still got a bit of work to do sorting all the discarded clutter and seeing if there is anything we should keep in it. I listened to this Rich Roll podcast tonight while I cleaned and sorted - with Rangan Chatterjee. Really good stuff. Long, but awesome. Give it a listen while you fold laundry. I set an alarm on my phone to help us remember to take the kids phones. They are addictive, and this is a social experiment we're all embarking upon and trying to figure out - but we need to be aware of how they affect our energy, mood, and health. His Four Pillars books sounds good, just put it on my wishlist.

I'm feel like I'm head back to the "get healthy" zone after being kinda off the wagon for a month. I derailed during our trip to Newport and haven't found my rhythm again. The pregnancy probably has effected that too, and I'm still lower energy that usual (I can't get up in the mornings, so sad, I'm missing out on my hikes!) but I'm doing good and feeling a little better each week, should hopefully be feeling normal in anther week when I'm out of the first trimester.