Family, Food and Fun

Ever get home from a long vacation and feel like you need a vacation from that vacation?  This one wasn't anything like that.  If anyone in my family is reading this they are probably thinking wtf Kim, but I can explain.  This vacation for me, was beyond heart filling.  Saying goodbyes were hard, but I left each place happy to have had the chance to see everyone.  I wanted a real vacation, with sleeping in and relaxing and late night conversations.  It felt good and right. Sure we didn't do all the things we said we wanted to.  And didn't get to see all the extended family.  But I got to spend time with my all my brothers and sisters over the past few months and that means everything to me.

Coming home was bittersweet.  I miss my siblings and Mom something big.  But I know its time to get this show on the road.  We have been kinda living in limbo since April.  With selling and buying houses, moving with out the boys and visiting them every weekend.  And then as soon as we do bring them home, we up and leave for a 3 week vacation.  So coming home, felt like finally coming home.  School starts in a few weeks and other than one more trip down to San Antonio before that happens, I think we are finally ready to settle in.  I think.

Which means its time to get back to my little corner of the internet and dust the cobwebs around here.  And there is no better day than today to to that.  Because Fridays are all about all the things that made us happy and thankful this week.  Or the last 3 weeks for me.  Im going to call this a condensed version.  If we are friends on IG you have and will probably see more.  Sorry not sorry.  So lets see what has my heart feeling so damn happy!

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Whats up Weekend { June 8th }

**Update.  I originally had August 6th as the date.  Then I realized it was the 8th.  Then someone texted me to remind me that I was getting ahead of myself and its actually only JUNE 8th.  Multi-tasking fail!  **

I'm taking a quick break from all this packing and cleaning craziness.  Today is the first day of Summer Break and our vacation.  I still have a few things to get done, but I got hungry.  And its Friday, so you know what that means!

I'm linking up with Lindsay from The Flynnigans, Charlotte from My Pixie Blog and Beth from Coffee until Cocktails.  Every Friday we share all the things that we are happy, grateful and thankful for!  Stop on over and see what everyone else is sharing today! Here is my list for this week!

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June Mantras and Goals

June is finally here and you know what that means!  SUMMER BREAK!  Oh man, its so close I can taste it.  What does Summer taste like?  S'mores, watermelon, and popsicles.  That's what our Summers taste like.

Last summer we totally winged it.  As the boys have grown, they have decided they don't want to do Summer Bucket Lists anymore.  I have one in my notebook anyways.  Becuase they are fun!  And checking things off makes me feel like we actually made the most of our break.  I will share it later but for now, let's talk June!

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3 ways to enjoy the last slice of Summer!

Summer time!  Its winding down.  Some kids have gone back to school already. Thankfully we still have a few weeks. All things pumpkin spice are popping up on my social media and yesterday someone tagged me in a CHRISTMAS countdown. Guys, I know it's hard to believe it but Summer isn't over just yet! Fall isn't officially here until September 22nd.

This Summer the boys and I came up with a whole list of things that we wanted to do to keep us busy. After crossing a few off the list, they decided they would much rather toss the list and go for a swim. So that's what we have been doing. We did still cross quite a bit off our list though. And even though their supplies are bought, backpacks are filled and ready to go, we are still going to enjoy whats left of the Summer. Don't worry guys, I have a plan-ish. We are going to fill the last of Summer with 3 things.

WATER

Is there anything better than a cannonball into a cold pool when it's 100+ degrees outside. We have been ending our 3 days a week at the gym with swimming. And the other 2 days of the week, they boys have been in swim class.

Throw in a few trips to the beach and water has been a big part of our Summer. Who am I kidding, water is life. I did grow up on a tiny pacific island after all. If you haven't gone for a swim or chased your kids around the yard with a water balloon yet, you need to! Dip your toes in the lake or float the river. And while we are talking about water, don't forget to drink it up too!

SUN

I mean it is Summer after all. Summers have always been so stressful. I always try to pack as much as I could into a couple of months so when the boys decided just to toss the plan and wing it, I was a little nervous.

Reading in my hammock while the boys played out back has been a sanity saver. Taking a mid week trip to the park to tire the boys out after swim class? Yes please! Hopscotch on the sidewalk with the neighbors. Before we know it, there will be a chill in the air. The days will shorter and darker. Get outside and enjoy it today!

PIZZA

I bet you didn't see that coming. But let's be honest, after all the swimming and sunshine, sometimes the last thing you want to do is cook.

Over the past few months, one of the big changes around her has been our menu. I love cooking. I love planning my menus and I love sitting down around the table with my guys and a balanced meal. But one our our favorite nights is Pizza Night and there is no way I could ever convince myself the guys to give that up. And now I don't have to.

Papa John's now offers a Gluten- Free Crust. Made with Ancient grains, including Teff, Sorghum, Amaranth and my new favorite thing, Quinoa. There is so much that I love about this new option. The thin crust bakes up crispy. It is a small pizza, so the portions are more my size. But it still packs a big punch. It tastes great!

Ready to try it for yourself?  Right now you can get a 2 - topping Gluten Free Crust Pizza for $9.99 with the PROMO CODE; GLTN2T

So there you have it. A little reminder to enjoy whats left of the season. I know its hot and miserable at times. Especially here in Texas. But it's also almost gone. We will never get this summer back. So make the most of it. Spend time with the kids before they go back to school. Be a kid yourself. And give yourself a break and let Papa Johns handle dinner spend more time enjoying the last little slice of Summer!

I want to know:  What are your favorite pizza topping? We usually go one plain jane pepperoni and one with everything.  Except anchovies.  Believe it or not, I have never tried them.

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Hello Summer

I'm not going to lie.  Yesterday when we sat down for dinner I was prepared for more deep thoughts and life challenging questions.  Dinner time around here is never boring.  But they traded in their usual questions and suggested I grab a pen and paper instead. This scared me.  And rightfully so, they wanted me to write down their Summer Bucket List. And its a long one!



Most of the list are things that I knew would be there.  Like Swimming, because during the summer we are fish! There was also sleepovers, the beach, BBQ with friends, bike rides and movie nights.

But then they shock me with things like having a lemonade stand and donating the money to the Dane Rescue. They also asked to take gifts to our neighbors, Volunteer somewhere new, pen pals and take a road trip to Dallas.  They want to have Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner and they want to serve them like they are in a restaurant.  And they asked to visit the library every week!

This summer is kind of a big one.  The little one made it through Kinder and is on his first summer break.  Ant is going into his final year of Elementary School next year.  It will be their last year in the same school ever again. After that, life will be even crazier.  So I'm planning on making this a summer to remember.  Even if it close to kills me.  Which it probably will, it is going to be worth it all!

I added a few things to the list too.  I want to plant something together.  And go to pick something as well. There are a few fruit farms not to far from us.  Family photos make our summer list every year but never get done.  Oh its on this year!  Camping too!  I don't even care if its only in the back yard. And what is summer with out baseball.  The Missions games are always a blast!



There will be s'mores, water balloons, picnics and hiking.  Slip n Slides, otter pops, parks and kite flying.  So much to do!  Summer Break seems like a long time and I know there are going to be days I miss them being in school but I am determined to make it the best summer so far.  Nothing is going to stop us!  Except the ice cream truck.  We will stop for that!

What are your summer plans?  Is there anything we should add to the list?  There is always room for more fun, so let me hear it!

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DIY Fly Trap.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I love the summer heat.  I love sitting out in the back yard with the warm sun on me.  I love having picnics and dinner on the patio.  But I HATE the flies!  They are everywhere. Now I grew up on a tiny island in the pacific.  I am no stranger to the pesky little things.  They used to have these huge metal fly trap boxes at the beach that they would put squid in to attract the flies to. Not only were they an eyesore but the smell was beyond horrible.

So when I noticed the flies starting gather out back, I knew I needed to find away to get rid of them, that would not make my stomach turn.  So I hit up the Googles and found this DIY: Organic Fly Trap. I thought it was perfect.  It was easy, safe for the dogs and boys to be around and no awful smell.  There is no shortage of water bottles around here.  Don't worry, we recycle :)

You will need just a few things and you probably already have them on hand.



Carefully cut off the top 1/3rd of the bottle.  Don't cut to high otherwise the top will just fall in when you turn it upside down.



Snip of any super sharp edges.  But no need to let the OCD kick in, when you tape it up, the edges will all be covered.



Pour in some of the corn syrup.  No need to fill it up.  Just a half inch or so.  You can tilt the bottle to bring the syrup up the sides of the bottle too.



Drop in a piece of banana. Don't worry if you happen to drop it on the patio like I did.  The flies don't care! I promise you!  You can even drop a piece of banana peel.  They aren't picky!



Now all you have to do is turn the top piece upside down, drop it in and tape the two together.  I used clear tape today, but I've used others.  Flies don't judge.



As soon as I finished taping it all together, I set it in the middle of the table and let the magic happen. This was no more than 5 minutes later.  And when I moved it, the flies hung on for dear life.  They were determined to get in there.  Within an hour it was quite a party in there.  Eventually the flies will tire and fall into the corn syrup.  When its full or you are just so amazed and cant stand to see all the flies in the bottle just toss it in a bag and into the trash!



I am sure you could to this with a larger bottle.  Like a 2 liter.  Just use a little more syrup.  Easy peasy right? Don't let the flies keep up inside this summer!  Take a few minutes and make a few of these.  Also, don't put them to close to your doors, they will abandon the mission for the A/C!  Trust me!

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