Golf and Grandma's Blankies

Thanks all for your sweet messages after the last post. It was a big weekend. Flush with victory and pride, I took the week off from swimming and went back to my yoga mat, barre, and treadmill, but I'll be back in the pool tomorrow for meet #2. I'm just going to keep showing up for meets and see how it goes. Maybe next summer I'll graduate to going to a practice or two. ... Or the summer after that.

This week we were back to summer camps and craziness. Monday morning was a shit show, and I did not expect Monday evening after 7.5-hours of all-day-in-the-sun golf camp to go any better. I texted Tara saying "it's okay if the kids just watch a show. don't make eye contact. just turn on the TV when they walk in" but when I walked in the door after work I found three cheerful children diligently working at the kitchen table, no TV or screaming in sight! Cora was working on "her letters" and Landon and Claire were working very hard on a 60-page golf rules book they had to complete before moving up to the next level at camp.

Tara said they were very calm and chill and very focused on golf. All the golf. All the golf all the time. When they saw me, I cringed a little, remembering that I *might* have yelled "I hope you get burned!" at Landon after he collapsed bonelessly to the ground in the kitchen and refused to put on sunscreen when I suggested it in the morning, but they were all smiles- giant megawatt smiles- followed by cries of "Mom! Golf camp is the best camp EVER!"

I got to hear all about the long drive contests, the putting contests, the rules of golf ("there's ETIQUETTE mom. do you know what etiquette is? it's how you know how to behave."), all the golf clubs and their names... and other golfy things I might have glazed over a bit. We called my dad so they could talk golf with someone who properly appreciated it. When Landon got to a question in his booklet that read, "where can you find out more information about golf rules?" he answered, "my Papa."

Darn right. I may not have the tiniest iota of interest in the sport (sorry dad), but I can still be super proud of how good he is at it. He's also the reason why when Landon was talking about his "scrabble" and his ball always got chosen, I knew the right word was Scramble. I was super proud of that surprise hit of knowledge as well.

And despite two additional swim practices, more days of hot sun, and four more mornings of casual suggestions they put on sunscreen, their love of golf camp did not diminish. This might also be because our friend who picked them up each day could always be talked into a Sonic run on the way home.

For those in areas where it's available, I really cannot recommend the First Tee program more highly. The camp ran 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and cost $90 per kid. And you got a set of kids' clubs with a bag to keep so you could practice after camp is over. They learned SO much and loved every minute. They've requested another week and though they could stay home with James for free, we might add one in July as a present for them.

The rest of us muddled through the week without golf. I had another day of testimony and lots of other work. Cora went to preschool where I learned her "ballet" class has switched to "hip hop cheer" for the summer. Her recital in August is going to be amazing. Her outfit involves sequined shorts and a tank top with a bow on it. It feels very dance mom.

I ran a lot of errands including upgrading my phone today, the very first day I was eligible to do so. Apparently dropping your phone on concrete lots of times doesn't make it like you or want to listen to you when you tell it to do things. My new phone is very obedient. And shiny. And with so much storage I can download ALL the apps I ever wanted. Which is like two, but it was annoying that I could never put anything on my old one.

Also today, my grandparents and cousin arrived on their way to Wisconsin!

Chez Lag Liv is a way point on the big migration up north for summer and we LOVE getting to see them. This year my 18-year-old cousin is accompanying them and assisting with the driving, so we got to see him too! The kids love a (second) cousin.

And my grandma knit each kid a new blanket in special colors she picked out just for them. It all started last summer when Landon saw her knitting a blanket in a multi-color pattern and he asked if he could have one like it (because Landon loves all things cozy and/or homemade). She got right to work and made one for each of the girls too.

They love them.

Cora immediately made a bed with her other "Grandma-blankies."

And Claire brought out her very precious Grandma blankie that my grandma made and brought to her when she was born.

2010 throwback

She still sleeps with the original one every night- badly discolored and always smelling a little questionable (washing on gentle can only do so much), but hanging in there and MUCH beloved. It even went with her two weekends ago for her first ever sleepover.

They'll be on their way bright and early tomorrow morning, but I love and treasure each and every stolen minute I get to spend with them. I wish we were going to Wisconsin again to see them this summer too!

And finally, before I put myself to bed to prepare for my big races tomorrow, I made some delicious recipes this week:

Monday: Meatball sub, oven roasted potato wedges, steamed green beans. Handmade the meatballs, but next time it's a weekday dinner instead of a weekend extravaganza, we're going frozen because that took way too long.

Tuesday: Turkey Sausage and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner. Served over angel hair pasta with herbs (from a box; two of them, to be exact). Loved this very much. Made it with tons of broccoli, cauliflower, and red potatoes spread over two sheet pans. Super quick, everyone loved it, will definitely make again.

Wednesday: Mexican Sweet Potato Hash, with a fried egg and sliced avocado on top. SO GOOD. I loved this. Black beans and sweet potatoes are one of my favorite flavor combos (and two of my favorite ingredients). Next time I think I'll roast the potatoes separately and then toss them with the beans, shallows, and spinach. It's probably my lack of proper cooking technique, but I found they got a little mushy in the pan. I did a mix of half Russet and half sweet because James and Landon think they don't love sweet potatoes (poor confused souls) and it was great.

Thursday: Costco mahi mahi frozen filets, rice pilaf, roasted carrots. Super healthy and solidly good, but Tuesday and Wednesday's dinners were so much better.

Friday: My grandparents are here, so we went traditional: slow cooker meaty spaghetti sauce, whole wheat spaghetti noodles, salad with mango (a TJ's bag salad that was super good), garlic bread, and ice cream sandwiches. Really liked the spaghetti sauce, especially the part where you made it early in the day and just let it simmer. I still don't think I've ever found my gold standard pasta sauce (I'm not even sure what it would be), but I'll definitely make this one again.