Summer Catch-up

I've been off the radar, I hope someone noticed...  It all began with a little hernia operation, 4 boring weeks of doing nothing, and four weeks of gradually getting my life back.

School's out (thank the heavens!) and summer has been good to us.  The girls have been spending time at Lagoon with each other and friends, softball under the lights, earning money, swimming, water skiing, going to the zoo, taking piano lessons, crafting, reading, going to the temple, major yard work, serving neighbors, playing night games, running amok, keeping up on the minimum of house work, and generally trying to keep a tenuous cease-fire among all parties.

 One of the things that has kept me sane and productive this summer has been my determination to keep working out every day.  Once my four-week ban was lifted I crept back slowly, and am now at full speed.  My favorite new activity this summer is water aerobics.  I use the term aerobics very loosely.  It's more of a gentle resistance training, which is a perfect complement to my half marathon training.  I have gotten on the bike a couple times, one very memorable and miserable time when it was 100 degrees out.  I'm enjoying fruit smoothies for lunch, and light dinners, taking advantage of summer fruits, veggies, and the heat.

I have found that my sanity stays in tact when I take time for myself, by exercising, sending the kids to friends' houses, dropping them off at Lagoon, or sending them to sleepovers with grandparents.  It's a tough thing to do in the summer when you're together all the time, but even an hour helps alleviate the tension and stress that comes with intense management.

Having big kids is ridiculous amounts of fun, and we are taking full advantage of our new freedoms and abilites.  At 15,13, & 11, they require less supervision, they have more friends and varied interests, their independently-mobile radius is wider, they are more capable & responsible, they are working and earning money so they are financially independent, and their bedtime is later.  They've been nannying, doing yard work, and babysitting, saving for college, girls camp, and enjoying a little spending cash.  It still irks me when they blow a wad on candy or junk food, but it's their cash so they can figure it out themselves.

We've enjoyed two outdoor movies on the screen I made.  We saw "Tangled" and "Jurassic Park" the original.  That movie was a blast, and all I can say is that special effects have come along way, especially in the severed-arm category.  With the long summer nights we couldn't start it until 9:30 pm, which made for a really late night.  I forget how relatively simple it is to set the outdoor movie equipment up, and we'll be showing more, once the nights start a little earlier.

We threw our annual Fourth of July family party again.  It was amazing!  We had doner kebabs, like Greek gyros, french fries, homemade ice cream in a baggie, and fried anything/everything for dessert.  We swam, played frisbee & bocce ball, sat under the misting hose, watched a mini kid parade, and had a GIANT fireworks show.  It was pure heaven.

I hope your summer is as fun as ours has been.  Sometimes we get really stuck on the idea that getting out of town is what it takes to have a great summer, but there are plenty of things to do right at home.  If you're a Salt Lake local, watch for fun (and mostly free) ideas to do with your ducklings, big or small. I'll post details about summer parties, food, and fitness, including some goals and ways to get there.

Sorry I was gone so long!  Thanks for catching up!