Ready (?) for Back to School

We have two more weeks until the kids head back to school. Are we ready? Maybe not, but we’re getting there. Q has had the same backpack for about three years and it was looking a little worn so we thought it was time to get a new one. He wanted the same style and same size, and just a different shade of blue. Hershel definitely holds up well so this one should carry him through for another few years. 

(E got a new backpack halfway through last year so he is good to go.)

We also got these adorable shoes for Q. Aren’t they so cool?!

(I’ve offered to buy E some new shoes but he says he’s good for now.)

These lunch bags have also been around for a few years and after a fresh wash, they are ready to go again.  I got these from Fluf, and yes, the corners are a little worn, but they are still in good shape. I don’t like to buy new things every year if the other things are fine. 

I always try to institute some good habits for the start of the school year - no TV or iPads in the morning, reading practice, making lunches the night before, etc. - but I’ll admit that they never last as long as I want them to, so wish us luck that we start out strong!

Grade 5 and Grade 10 - here we come!

Friday Favourites

Friday again! Let’s go!

I started my Monday morning off right with a good book, a coffee, and a little outdoor time before I started working.

Because I hadn’t gotten a workout in all day I decided to go for a walk. I love that I get to go through the woods and walk beside the water while still being in the heart of Toronto.  We are so lucky to live where we live.

We set up the badminton net in the backyard and had a few family games. It really is a fun sport!

My dad was in town and got to golf with E. 

Q pitched in his house league game on Tuesday. He did well!

He also had some private pitching lessons. He was doing some bicep curls (with 5s) beforehand.

Last house league game this week. The team finished in the number 1 seed, so bring on the playoffs!!

I golfed on Thursday night and got to meet a few new people. I didn’t take any photos but I was pleased they bought back the green goddess salad as a special.  It was delicious!

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Rainy Days

We have pretty great summer weather in Southern Ontario but we occasionally get a rainy day. I don’t like when I need to cancel plans because of it or if I need to drive on the highway with heavy downpours. There are some nice things about a rainy day:

No guilt about staying inside, you can watch movies or read and not feel like you should be doing something else. 

Plants and grass get lots of water. Yes, I’m officially old if I’m saying “well this will be good for the lawn!”

The rain usually breaks the humidity and that’s a relief. 

Thunder and lightning are exciting to listen to. Noting of course when you are safe inside. 

Rain sounds are calming. I love listening to rain on the roof and there are two parts of our house where I get to do that. 

Weekend Recap

This weekend recap is short and sweet.  It was our first weekend of the summer without a baseball game or practice and we all sort of felt like this:

We did go over to our neighbours' house for drinks that evening, our first opportunity to get together with them. Q came over for a little bit to jump on their trampoline.

Dave golfed the next morning. I did a little cleaning, made an apricot tart, and then got the boys going for a walk. 

First stop was the baseball card store.

Then we got Booster Juice, picked up a library hold, and continued onto High Park. 

We took the stairs down to the forest path.

From there we watched a bit of a tournament happening, and then went swimming. Followed by an ice cream cone and then home on subway in time to watch the Blue Jays game. We made some smash burger sliders for dinner. E went for a bike ride with friends, and Q had a friend over for the evening while their parents were out. A busy day but not many photos!

On Sunday Dave went to golfing again. I got up to do a workout, then got groceries, and did some yard work. My dad arrived for a few days, and we watched the Blue Jays game again.

That night we made pizzas in the pizza oven. they all turned out really well.

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday. We had a fun week. 

On Monday I took the boys over to the golf club to do some practicing while I worked in the ladies' lounge. They did some stuff at the practice area and then on the putting green. 

On Monday evening our neighbours had a little get together down by the river. 

The four of us golfed on Tuesday evening. I had my best round of the year with 45 :)

And we enjoyed a nice meal on the patio afterwards. 

Speaking of achievements, I did my 500th Peloton ride this week. It was an NSync themed ride with Cody, perfection!

I didn't get a picture, but I did make this delicious salad. I feel like you could put the cilantro lime dressing on anything, so that is what made the meal, but the roasted corn, grilled chicken, and corn chips made it even better. 

Hope you have a great weekend! Summer is not over, don't let the school supply stores tell you otherwise!

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

 

Sharing Our Lives - Current Favourite Music

 

This month's topic is our Favourite Current Music. I'm a little late in linking up for this, but I couldn't miss it completely since I listen to music all day long (unless I'm listening to a podcast). 

My current favourite songs fall into two categories - country and dance party/high energy. The ones that I tend to queue up first are as follows:

Country

You Look Like You Love Me, Choosin' Texas - Ella Langley

Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker

When It Rains It Pours, Where the Wild Things Are, Guy For That - Luke Combs

 Tennessee Orange - Megan Maroney

Dance Party

 Free Bird - Moonlght

Love Tonight - Shouse/David Guetta 

Bring Em Out - TI

Where is my Husband - Raye

The Days NOTION Remix - Chrystal

Thunderstruck - AC/DC

Linking up with  Adrienne, Dara, Jen, and Joanne.  

Let's Look - What We Miss

 

This is an interesting topic this month - things we miss.  I’m a little late linking up, and I read a few other posts on this so I was reminded of a few things that I added to my list. 

I mean, there are certain family members that have passed away that I miss, that goes without saying, but I'm going to keep this more on the light side. I should also preface this by saying although I miss these things, I am not upset about getting older or having things change as time goes by. 

Catching a song that I love out of the blue. Remember when you could only hear music that you owned on physical media or that you caught on TV or the radio? Now I can listen to whatever I want, which is great, but it loses the novelty of some of those songs. Ones that spring to mind are Independence Day by Martina McBride, Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie, Video Killed the Radio Star, and If I Had $1000000 by the Barenaked Ladies. 

Watching TV when everyone else was. Those shared cultural moments when everyone watched the season finale of a popular show, or the episode after a cliffhanger, etc. We would all be talking about the same thing and excited about it together. 

Seeing everything at the theatre. I went to the movies a lot and it was always so fun to go to the theatre. Now I will go and see a few things but mostly I wait until we can stream it. Part of that is a function of having kids, it wasn’t possible to go and see everything. 

Watching movies over and over. We owned a few movies on video tape but it wasn’t a huge collection so I ended up watching a lot of movies again and again so I could recite the dialogue. I will still rewatch movies now, but it’s not the same as the choice are unlimited. 

Drinking without feeling like garbage. Age is catching up with me, and while I certainly do drink alcohol, I have to follow certain “rules” to avoid feeling terrible the next day. I limit myself to much less, I don’t drink more than one or two beers at a time, I don’t drink sugary drinks, and I can’t have a Negroni after 7:00 pm. 

These little faces. Even though I love their faces now.

Linking up with Shay.