7QT: Starting Summertime

1)

It's summer y'all!  The kids finished up on Tuesday...

...and today is Phil's last day of school for the year!  Yay!  Now he wins the prize of staying home with seven bored, hungry, tired, whiny kids all summer while I sneak off to an air-conditioned office to work in peace and quiet :)

2)

Brendan had his nine month physical at the doctor yesterday and is 90 percentile for weight, which is not shocking to anyone with eyes.  

You calling me fat?  No, ewe's fluffy.

Phil mentioned to the doctor that he's not the greatest sleeper (he outgrew that magic sleepsuit) and she said we really need to get him to put himself to sleep on his own or he will cry for us every time he wakes up and is not in our arms.  Last night we put him in the crib and he cried and fussed, but Phil sang to him and held his hand and eventually, after an hour, he fell asleep.   We can't leave a baby screaming in the crib, it's just not us, so we are trying not to pick him up but let him know we are close by.  Anyway, he slept through the night!  Could this be the turning point in making us (mostly Phil) feel human again?  Fingers crossed!

3)

I've been watching documentaries on Netflix, like Betting on Zero, In Defense of Food, and Chasing Perfection.  Gosh I love documentaries so much!  Phil always watches them skeptical of what they are trying to sell.  Betting on Zero is a great cautionary tale about the world of at-home businesses that are pyramid schemes.  In Defense of Food was a good reminder on how to look at food in a simple way...eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.  And Chasing Perfection makes me want to work with elite athletes somehow...do they need an accountant?  I love watching human bodies pushing themselves to physical perfection.  They're beautiful and it's amazing what our bodies can do.

4)

Last weekend, we went to the beach for the first time this year!  These early summer beach trips are my favorite.  Not too hot, no jellyfish and the kids aren't bored of going to the beach again.  I know, we are the worst parents ever.  Hey life's a beach kids, gotta learn that lesson young.

5)

The kids ran their first Inflatable Fun Run last weekend.  It was about a mile course, and Phil was allowed to run with Declan but he just couldn't get into the inflatable obstacles.  They had such a blast, and of course Andrew and Eamon were in it to win it and came in 1st and 2nd places.  

Please acknowledge Andrew's crazy outfit. I don't even.

The best part of this race was that I emailed the contact person before buying tickets to say that I had five kids who wanted to run it, and she sent me a code for 35% off each ticket price.  Isn't that sweet?  My mom thinks I'm the queen at finding deals, but my number one trick is just to ask!

6)

The outdoor basketball league has started this past week.  Even though we have up to 4 games a week, I gotta admit, sitting outside, enjoying conversation with other parents, and watching my kids play isn't the worst way to spend a summer evening.

7)

Next week is serious potty training time for this guy:

Any tips appreciated!  This is not where my mothering gifts shine ;)

Go see Kelly for more and have a great weekend everybody!!  Hope yours is filled with 100% less potty accidents than mine.