July 4th always sneaks up pretty quickly for me. This year was no different. I think it's because school doesn't get out until the middle of June, so it's only about 2-3 weeks in that July 4th hits.
We took a little trip this past Holiday weekend up to Wisconsin with our friends Kurt and Amanda and their dog, Murphy. We had a great time hanging out by the lake, playing golf, going to a ski show, and just generally having a good time. Jack's favorite part of the trip was "playing with Murphy." My favorite part was watching Jack and Steve play together on the beach and in the lake. Jack would run and jump in the water landing on his bottom. Then he'd turn around and say "did you see that guys?" It was very cute.
Unfortunately, we missed the fireworks at my parents' house this year. We got home Monday afternoon, but after 3.5 hours in the car, the last place we wanted to be was in the car again. Instead, we had a very subdued July 4th evening at home.
So now I finally feel like I'm on summer break. The weight of work is not hanging on my shoulders, and I am really enjoying getting into a routine at home. I need to remember this next summer: it takes about 3 weeks to get into summer mode. It's either that, or we need to go on vacation the minute school gets out.
I am now turning my focus on me a little. I'm trying to get back in the Happiness Project as well as into a routine that keeps a tidy house and food on the table. I have lots of projects! First off, Steve and I decided to try to limit our eating out. We took a look at our budget and where we were spending the money that could be reduced. Eating out definitely fit the bill. So we planned our meals for the week on Monday night, and Jack and I hit the grocery stores Tuesday morning. So far it is going well. We'll see how week two goes. I feel a lot better about what we are eating now since it is homemade and such. It's also not as hard as I anticipated, planning and cooking meals.
Project 2: tidy house. I'm getting back in touch with my inner Fly Lady. For the past 2 weeks or so, I've been very good about cleaning my sink (kitchen) at night and following a morning routine to out away dishes and get a load of laundry done. Jack loves to help clean the toilets; he thinks it's pretty fun to swish the bowls and make bubbles, so that has been a big help too. Having guests over helps keep the clutter under control, so here's your invitation: let me know when you want to come by and hang out!
Project 3: happiness. With the loss of journalism and Spokesman at work, this seemed like an absolute must as far as projects go, so I'm getting back to the Happiness Project. I left off after only one month of a resolution: time. That had gone well. I was setting realistic expectations for myself and using my calendar. I think I'm still doing those things pretty well too. Now it is time to start resolution #2: energy. For July, I'll be working on getting to bed by 9:30 every night and exercising 3 times a week. Jack and got started on this today with a 3-mile walk along the river. It was very nice!
I'd like to finish off this post with some fun facts about Jack. He's such a great conversationalist, and I would hate to forgot some of the great things he says. So here's a few gems.
His favorite time/number is 39 10. You can ask him how long something is, what time it is, how old someone is, the answer is usually 39 10.
"I can make an idea" this is the phrase we hear most often when he negotiating activities or bedtimes, etc. The nice thing is that he does have some good ideas that follow this phrase!
"can you tell me?" this is a response to us asking him a question that he either doesn't know the answer to or wants us to tell him the answer anyway.
