August Agglomeration

As per usual, I still have no official name for this series. Perhaps I should add that to my list of New Year's Resolutions... 

Writing
Other than posting here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and keeping up with my Red Cross social media responsibilities, I took the summer off from writing assignments. Last Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the kids went back to school, I went back to work myself by committing to two exciting magazine articles. I can't link to hard copy articles the way I can link to blog articles, but I'll make sure to post pictures and share where the articles can be found when they come out though!

Reading
(Hangs head in shame...) I still haven't finished reading Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock. I continue to read a few pages each night, but when I finally climb into bed around 11pm I just don't have much fuel left in my tank. I have a "books I want to read" list a mile long (including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, The Perfect Neighbors and others) though, so I have to get moving!

Watching
Did anyone else watch all 19,000 hours of Olympic coverage? No? Just me?

Will and I had the television tuned to an Olympic event every single minute we were at home for 17 days straight. We soaked up hours of our favorites - soccer, gymnastics, swimming, archery, beach volleyball, and the track and field relays - but also enjoyed watching and learning about table tennis, race walking, fencing, and the shot put. We both experienced a bit of a let down when the closing ceremonies marked the end of the games.

Prior to and after the Olympics we took in a few movies. Tom and I watched White House Down, I went to see Bad Moms with friends, and the Tom and I let Will watch...wait for it (he had to)...the original Ghostbusters. He LOVED it, as we expected would be the case.

And now to review these movies for you... Superfans (which I am not) of Channing Tatum and/or Jamie Foxx will enjoy White House Down, while everyone else will either love it or hate it based on how they feel about predictable shoot-'em-up action films. Bad Moms, on the other hand, spoke to me on every level of my being. I laughed, I cried (at least three times and for three completely different reasons), and I felt "heard" as a sometimes often struggling parent. The movie deserves its "R" rating, but it also deserves a tremendous amount of credit for representing nearly every kind of mom and nearly every emotion we as moms feel on a daily basis. Carry on, bad moms...you're doing good work.

Listening To
Quiet. Sweet, sweet quiet, interrupted only occasionally by Tux asking to go outside with a little meow. Every fall I am reminded how much I need - if even just every once in a while - a few moments of silence.

Trying/Using
In order to make it through his afternoon activities, Will needs to consume a fair amount of protein (among other things) after he gets home from school. When we have plenty of time before soccer practice or disc golf he'll make himself a turkey sandwich or a bowl of oatmeal with almond milk, but on our more rushed days, he doesn't have time for elaborate, sit-down snacks. I started buying Kid Clif Protein bars and so far both kids give them a thumbs up...anyone else like these? Any other suggestions for on-the-go, high-protein snacks for athletic kids?

In August I went to my first Wildtree, LuLaRoe, and Usborne Book parties. I made purchases at each party, and while it's a little early to hand out official grades, I have enjoyed everything I've tried thus far. Wildtree's waffles went over well with all four Ferri, LuLaRoe leggings feel like pajama pants, and Usborne's books filled a few of my Christmas present slots! (Yes, I'm already shopping for Christmas presents. I shop early and often with the goal of wrapping up the process by December 1st.) I'll share more as I find products I like!

I want to buy four of these Perch wall storage systems/units to create an art wall for Hallie in our soon-to-be-redecorated family room, but they're kind of pricey. Has anyone used them before? Yay or nay?

Wearing
After at least a year - maybe two - of wanting to buy a romper/jumpsuit, I finally pulled the trigger over the summer. I can't wait to wear it out, though perhaps not with one particular friend, who feels fairly certain that no one except toddlers in diapers should wear rompers...

Eating/Drinking
First and foremost, we have been eating Hallie's cakes and cupcakes. My girl has always enjoyed helping me bake, but recently she asked to take on more responsibility in the kitchen. Specifically she wanted to make a marble cake and both chocolate and yellow cupcakes, so a couple of weeks ago I handed her two boxed cake mixes and let her go. I stood nearby, of course, and I handled moving pans in and out of the oven (though she turned the oven on, set the temperature, set the timer, and turned the oven off) and frosting the sides of the cake, but she did everything else herself.

Both kinds of cupcakes and her marble cake were delicious!

On the cooking and baking front, two of my dinner recipes - Skillet Beans & Rice w/ Kielbasa and Crockpot Taco Soup - turned out to be winners. Give them a try this month!

Surprisingly, I don't have any new dessert recipes to share this month. I promise to do better in September!

Happy August, friends!