We’ve got one month of summer break down and I am exhausted! I thought I had set us up for a fairly low key summer experience, but between dog sitting, swim team, piano, and park lunch our days have been pretty much booked solid from 8am to 1pm. I’m then left with the decision whether or not to let the kids have free afternoons or fight a battle to get chores done. The way it usually plays out is that once a week we clean, once a week we shop, and the rest of the week we play. I think it’s a reasonable compromise.
We’ve had a lot of opportunities to play with friends. Mostly the Jensen’s and the Pittman's (Jesse and Cody). We got together with the Richardson’s twice and saw the Jolley’s a lot toward the end of the month when they got back from Utah. We’ve only skipped park lunch a couple times. Abraham swam in one swim meet and Hyrum swam in two. The boys dog sat Milo for a total of 14 days over two separate occasions. Hyrum earned $100 participating in a UNM brain study. Matthew got to go boating/fishing at Cochiti three weekends in row and fished at Tingley twice. The family did two overnight camping trips, one at Cochiti and one near Monticello, UT on our way to Grandma’s house. I got my annual physical done and Matthew had allergy testing. There was also the regular book clubs, D&D, and church meetings and activities. It was a full and busy month!
Mission Prep:
I started my 6 week no sugar experiment on May 6 and finished up on Father’s day, June 17. It was amazing. My headaches entirely went away, along with my cravings, about five days after I started. I had more energy, was less grumpy, and lost about three pounds. I started at 128.6 lbs and ended at 125.6 lbs. Even though I stopped being so strict after the six weeks were up and have enjoyed a number of sweet treats since then, my sugar intake isn’t close to what it was and I have continued to loose weight despite a serious drop in exercise. At the end of the month I weighed in at 124.8 lbs. I definitely see that low sugar intake needs to be part of my regular diet. Since the kids are on summer break and home with me all the time, my walks have gone from nearly a daily affair to happening only twice this month. I miss them dearly and clearly see how they improve my mental health. I made it to the Temple once this month.
I started my 6 week no sugar experiment on May 6 and finished up on Father’s day, June 17. It was amazing. My headaches entirely went away, along with my cravings, about five days after I started. I had more energy, was less grumpy, and lost about three pounds. I started at 128.6 lbs and ended at 125.6 lbs. Even though I stopped being so strict after the six weeks were up and have enjoyed a number of sweet treats since then, my sugar intake isn’t close to what it was and I have continued to loose weight despite a serious drop in exercise. At the end of the month I weighed in at 124.8 lbs. I definitely see that low sugar intake needs to be part of my regular diet. Since the kids are on summer break and home with me all the time, my walks have gone from nearly a daily affair to happening only twice this month. I miss them dearly and clearly see how they improve my mental health. I made it to the Temple once this month.
Meals:
Triple decker chip sandwiches
BBQ ribs
Waffles and sausage
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Smoked BBQ chicken and salad
Curry
Clam chowder
Frito pie
Sausage breakfast burritos
Seven layer dip
Orange chicken
Macaroni and cheese (from a box)
Catfish hushpuppies
Hamburgers
Chicken noodle soup and rolls
Blackened catfish with creole sauce
Homemade pizza
Shrimp etouffee
Smoked bacon breakfast burritos
On a side note, all the dog sitting and research volunteering gave the boys an opportunity to learn about saving and spending and interest and regret. Their first lesson came in the form of swim team suits. They decided they wanted them and I agreed to pay half. This was before they actually had their dog sitting money in hand and I did a poor job of helping them see what percentage of their spending money would be going towards this purchase. I also taught them (inadvertently) about interest free loans and gave them the impression that it’s okay to spend money before you actually have it. They were both pretty bummed to have to hand over $11 (which was a pretty big chunk of their earnings) as soon as they had cash in hand.
Hyrum earned a total of $309.50. After tithing, he decided to put 70% towards mission savings (which we double on the spot) and keep 30%. After paying me for his swim team suit he was left with about $25, which he spent most of on a Nerf gun and extra bullets. He came into more money than he’s ever had and now he’s got less $3 pocket money. He has since decided that in the future he wants to put 80% toward his mission and do a better job saving his pocket money for more special occasions.
Abraham earned a total of $101. He paid his tithing and put more than 90% towards his mission. He was left with about $4, half of which he happily spent of chewing gum.
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