My son and I watched an episode of Emeril Lagasse that was geared toward cooking with kids. My son loves to cook, just like me. So today, we tried one of his recipes for smoothies. My son cut the bananas, poured the ingredients in the blender, put the top on (tightly) and pressed the button, watching it all mix up. He was so proud of himself when it was time to taste. "Mom! I made this!" he said. There is joy in making smoothies!
I've been in a few book clubs before. Some were great. Some, not-so-great. That's why a friend of mine and I started a new book club. Less people. Less rules. Less of a commitment - only every other month. We had our first meeting tonight to discuss "Ella Minnow Pea" by Mark Dunn. It was so nice to get out of the house and talk to adults for a couple hours. Eat real food uninterrupted with someone else to clean up after me. Believe me, there is joy in book club!
This weekend officially began grill season for our family. We love to grill out on the weekends. And I like it because it makes my week that much easier. On Sundays, we grill. But not just that nights dinner - at least 2 more meals are on the grill, too. Then I wrap and use later in the week. Grilled meat with rice and beans or grilled meat in a salad. Or chopped up with roasted vegetables over pasta. Anything to make my work week easy! Ahhhh, the joy in grilling season!
My boys are only 10 months apart in age. At risk of celebrating too quickly, they play quite nicely together. They rarely fight. They tell each other they love each other. For the next week they'll be "twins" at age 6. But then my oldest son turns 7 and we'll have to wait for March for them to be "twins" again. The way they look out for each other is so adorable. I hope they'll always be this close. For now, I'll find joy in their amazing friendship.
I have good memories of my high school prom. But what I didn't like was the anticipation and need for everything to be "perfect." My daughter's prom is this evening. I didn't want her stressed and anxious. So, since she only had a half day of school today, I treated her to a "day of beauty" with her hair and make-up professionally done. And she looked gorgeous. She was still a little stressed but all in all she felt confident and beautiful. And she is! I hope she finds joy in Prom!
I live in the southern United States. Our winters are mild and our summers are hot and humid. But our springs and falls? Perfect. Highs in the 70s and low 80s. Lows in the 50s. Low humidity. And today was one of those days. I so enjoyed my errands today. I purposely parked far away from every store entrance just to enjoy a long walk in this perfect weather. Joy!
Today was a day for comfort food. It's been a long couple weeks with my son and I having strep throat, him having an allergic reaction to his meds. I'm done with the emergency room for awhile, that's for sure. I have the energy to cook and tonight was a night for comfort food. Turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots with butter and brown sugar and green bean casserole. And plenty of leftovers! Because I find joy in comfort food!
