Grandma and Grandpa's Playground gets a new addition

Ok so this was definitely the highlight of the day, so I will just start here.  Friday nights are playground nights for our family, and today Grandma and Grandpa's playground got a new addition.



My dad started the base of a new sandbox last week, and this week we have SAND.  Super exciting.  He also found a few brand new-to-us sand toys to play with in the new sandbox.  The kids were entertained by this all evening.  Honestly, I had fun playing in it too. 



Is it too dark to go running when I cannot even see my face? Or my Garmin?



Weekend plans include: cooking, cleaning, organizing, weeding + running, skating & playing outside.  Max picked up a little bit of a cold at school, so we probably will stay even more at home than normal, so he can get rid of it fast.

I am officially ready for the weekend when I can run in the daylight!

Freshly vacuumed stairs & pizza. It must have been a successful day!

After school creativity session.



Pizza!  A new quick non-sourdough recipe to try tonight - plain old cheese for the kids & Jason cooked our pizzas on the grill (on stones) like always.



Before bedtime, I decided I needed to vacuum our stairs.  I do not think I have vacuumed them in at least two months, and I am not even exaggerating.  They were bad.  However it made them look even more amazing afterward because it was such a beautiful difference!  Yep, I even took a picture of them.



It was worth these two running around like bedtime-maniacs upstairs, while I was quickly vacuuming.



I also accomplished the meal-planning in order to do my grocery run tomorrow.

Saturday:
lunch: granola, yogurt and fruit
evening: enchiladas + kale
Sunday:
brunch: french toast/pancakes and fruit
evening: tofu, creamy noodles, broccoli
*treat: either choc cookies or choc-date cupcakes

Monday-leftovers/veggie burgers, apples + peas
Tuesday-sandwiches + zucchini
Wednesday-cashew-sauce penne, broccoli
Thursday-beans & rice + quesadillas + kale
Friday-easy stuff at mom & dad's

The End!

Weekend Adventures

I got off to an early start again on Saturday for just about 11 miles skating (10.75). It was definitely not quite as hot, but still nice to get out early.  There are less people on the trails, which means it's easier to skate freely - not worry as much about who might be up around the next corner to have to clear, or potential dog walkers with long leashes, or young kids mingling in the middle of trails.  Early is good!



I felt so much stronger this week, but still not ready to push it the full extent of my 6 mile out/6 mile back stretch - at least I think it's a 6 mile stretch. I will try to be ready to find out and try that next week.  And then we'll start working on picking up the pace.



The kids wanted to go for a ride around the neighborhood with me afterward, but they had quite the to-do list to accomplish first.  So by the time they got in the trailer, it was almost lunch/nap time and they were not interested in a very long loop.  We got fun crackers though (they always get a special snack in the bike trailer/stroller).



After nap, I really really was overdue for cleaning up their rooms - they help with the toys and clothes, and then I tackle the vacuuming, and washing blankets and things like that.  Jason was busy so I had to get our current babysitter, the laptop, out for a couple of videos to keep them occupied for a little longer.



Ultimately we did another "campout" in the basement! We watched Frozen on DisneyPlus, stayed up a little late, and then we all slept on the floor downstairs.  Eleanor did go up to her bed after the movie, because she just sleeps so fantastic that way.



Sunday, after church, we had another adventure planned.  Jason really wanted to go see this Prince statue down in Henderson, MN.  He said it was in a garden area, so we could probably explore there too - which made it sound good enough to me!  So after church we fueled up with extra cheerios and packed up the car.



And we drove over an hour to see this...



Also, it was not really in a garden...



So we went off to plan B: a little nature center not even 5 miles away.



We took a long walk through a really cool trail. It wove us back through some soybean and corn fields, to a big pond that was really pretty because it was in the middle of nowhere & usually our walks involve houses at some point.



They wore themselves out for a short nap & then were off and running again when we got back for some visits with grandmas and grandpas.



It turned out to be a successful adventure after all!



Whew we did a lot this weekend..

A new addition to my morning routine

I've been visiting this giant weed every morning. Because for whatever reason the Japanese beetles that have decided to join our flower beds find it really tasty. Every morning now, I go spray them down with a soap-water mix. It's only been a couple of days, so we will find out if it actually works! Fortunately the beetles have not destroyed any other plants like this.



Also, while out spraying I stumbled across this random pretty blue flower.  Pretty sure this one is technically a weed too - I didn't plan it.  That makes it a weed, right?  It's a very pretty weed.



Do you think if I put marshmallows into my superfoods, it still counts as a superfood snack?  It was not quite as good as my choco-chip/caco nib additions, though still a fun addition with the coconut flakes too.



My mom brought over some of her amazing fresh salsa for us the other night.  So today my lunch was covered in it - plus leftover black beans, corn, and I topped it with walnuts.  Which, I know sounds weird, but it adds a nice crunch, and I am into walnuts right now.



Fresh salsa is beautiful.



After picking up the kiddos, we headed to my parents', per our usual Friday night fun plans!  My dad has a sandbox in the works, so that's what the frame is under the swingset.  My brother even stopped by too - hooray!



Good thing these kids have both school & grandparents' houses for playing on some sort of playgrounds during this pandemic!