Goodbye Summer, Hello College!!

As always happens, this summer has flown by, and this year I had the added mom-guilt of trying to squeeze in enough family time before our eldest headed off to college.  We managed to go to the "big wave beach" in Rhode Island as one last family event before JP left.  It was a cloudy day, but fun, nonetheless!

On JP's last day of work at the ice cream store, we went to visit him.  This shop was such a great summer job for him (and Andrew).  He made lots of tip money that paid for his portion of his first semester of college, and the owner and manager were so so nice to him.  The owner shook my hand on JP's last day to thank me for raising good kids, which made me tear up.  I hope all of my kids work here for a very long time!

7QT: A New Restaurant, A New Recipe and A New Job

 Thank God it's Friday!  And thank God that Friday's motivate me to come write here so I can join up with Kelly and the others for some Quick Takes...

1)

Phil and I went away to the Caribbean for a much needed getaway!

JUST KIDDING!

We went to a new restaurant in the city next to us.  Can you believe this view and vibe?  It was so fun!

The place is right on the water, with sand and a stage for music.  We played cornhole and went for a walk while we waited for our table and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.  Cisco Brewers, we will be back!

2) 

I found a great recipe for Chicken Shawarma Salad (the kids ate it on naan) and it's the first time we all ate chicken thighs and liked it!

7QT: EMT Rides, Great Wolf Rides, and Clean Rides

These summer weeks are flying by, how is it already the end of July?  I'm a poet and I know it, cuz my mad skills show it.  

1)

JP started his ride-a-longs as an EMT!  How crazy that if you live in our town, and you have to call 911...it might be my 18 year old son that comes to save your life!?!?  He is loving it so far, and though we never doubted a medical career for him, it's nice to see him enjoying the practical side of it, and not just studying it. 

Alexander Turns Ten

Alexander Blaise is now DOUBLE DIGITS!

Which, in this house means...your own tablet*!

*with plenty of rules and restrictions and passwords and blocked access to all the bad things

Even though it was not a surprise, he was still very excited to get it into his hands :)

Our Week at Catholic Family Land 2021 and When Can We Go Back?

Hello!  We just returned from our one week family retreat at Catholic Family Land in Bloomingdale, Ohio, and IT.WAS.AWESOME!

Yes, there was camping involved.

Yes, we had some stormy weather.

Yes, we had to drive 11 hours each way with 7 kids who mostly get carsick.

Yes, the devil tried to keep us from going under the guise of a cancelled camper.

But also, yes, IT WAS SO WORTH EVERY MINUTE!

We were very excited to see our three neices who are working at the camp all summer.  Bridget will be a freshman at Franciscan in the fall with JP, and happened to catch a butterfly on our first day there like a modern St. Francis(ca).

We had ordered grocery pickup from Walmart in Steubenville which was a smart move because I could plan meals and only get exactly what we needed.  Plus, no trudging through the store with all nine of us, asking for treats.  Oh, your kids don't do that?  Teach me your ways!  Then we headed to the campsite about 20 minutes away, and set up our amazing camper that we had rented:

7QT: Busy Busy, Mom Guilt, and Camping for Nine

 1)

Summer time is supposed to be a slower pace of life and lots of time off, but it sure hasn't started out like that.  After last summer of doing nothing, the kids were excited to get back into sports and activities so we have been watching a lot of outdoor basketball games, tennis lessons, swim lessons, and track and field meets.  It's equal parts adorable, exciting, and exhausting.

Just look at my little guy trying to jump hurdles :)

2)

Both Phil and I work all summer, so there is a constant juggle between the big kids of who is working and who can babysit and who can drive who where.  This makes me  have major mom-guilt that the big guys have to step in for us, and that our littles don't see us as much as I'd like.  So on days off, we try to have some fun, like bumper boats, and cousin sleepovers, and ice cream trips and friend hangouts.