Appreciating Cows, Water, Words, Cupcakes, Critters, and Selfies

Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day has become an annual tradition for us.  Usually I dress like a cow and take the kids, but this year, my husband took them so I could catch up on work back home.  The things we will do for free chicken.  We almost always see church friends when we go to Cow Appreciation Day.  This year, friends saw our family, but our family didn't recognize them.  They must have had some really elaborate costumes.

Orwell was hoping to get in on the free chicken offer as well, but his cow costume made him look more like a Holland Lop bunny, specifically our late pet Cody, than a cow, and I'm assuming that the only pets allowed in public restaurants are trained service animals.

We joined a pool/fitness center this summer, but we haven't had too many opportunities to go with so many summer activities.  Plus, I'm not a big fan of the pool now that my vein disease has gotten so bad I don't want to gross out strangers in public with the sight of my spidery legs. Our nanny took the kids a few time while I worked.  But who really needs a pool when you have a water spigot, balloons, buckets, and an imagination?  Water balloons and paint buckets have been favorite recreational toys this summer.

During the few moments of free time our daughter could find this summer, she wrote another "book". I am thrilled that she is actually writing out some of the wild and imaginative stories in her head. I'm also reminded of a promise I made myself many years ago to write and publish a true story that shows God's sovereignty when things seem out of control. It is a story of redemption, hope, and grace that should inspire others in their faith journey and possibly serve as a ministry resource for women in crisis. But I have a feeling my little tween who charges through life without seeing any of the obstacles in her way will get her fiction stories published before her mama writes the first chapter of the only story she knows.

The kids' interest in culinary arts continues.  Our daughter is still cooking most of her meals and preparing dinner for all of us a few nights a week.  

She's also teaching her brother to cook.  He mastered eggs and cupcakes last week.  Their culinary skills are derailing any summer nutrition goals I may have considered setting for myself. These blueberry cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting were delicious!

 We finally found a temporary solution to Orwell's destructive tendencies.  Each month, my husband and daughter trim his claws and cover them with fake nails called "soft claws".  These fake cat claws come in all colors. I'm tempted to get him glow-in-the-dark neon green claws next, but he's wearing the clear version now. They are working as long as he doesn't pull them off.

Orwell continues to amuse me by his sleeping positions. He must have been having a really good dream the other day because he looked like he was clapping. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your [paws]".

Orwell certainly leads a luxurious lifestyle, though you would never know it from the discontented expression he always wears on his face.

Muffin has been collaborating with me on the development of a STEM lesson on pendulum motion.   I think my students will appreciate all her demonstrations.

When I don't see the Roomba on the charger/docking station, it's sometimes because Muffin has been taking it for joy rides around the house.  She still loves hopping onto the center, activating the start button, and going for solo rides.

I don't get to see the Mighty Moms (my workout group) when school is out of session, so Muffin has been filling in as my workout buddy and coach.  She watches and critiques me very closely.

To increase my workout intensity, she'll hop on my back while I'm doing push-ups to add more weight or tickle my arms and push me up higher when I do starfish push-ups or side balances.

Sometimes she'll demonstrate various HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout routines, but she gives out after about 24 seconds.  She's definitely better at speed and agility than endurance.  I haven't perfected the wheelie as well as she has, but my binkies are improving. :-)

When Muffin isn't pushing me hard in our home gym, I like to go biking on the greenway.  Recent flash flooding destroyed the large section of bike trail that connects the section behind our neighborhood to the lake, so it will be a long time before I see the sun set over the lake.  This picture, taken on July 9, is the last one I'll get to take from my bike for a few months.

When I first attempted to bike to the lake after the big storm and before I realized that entire section of greenway was closed due to damages, I learned a value lesson. After flash flooding, take the sharp turns slowly if you bike the greenway, or you could end up like Absalom. Had my tires been fully inflated and my frame a tad bigger, I'm not sure I could have ducked low enough.

 

The tween hijacked my phone again and changed my screen background to this photo. She either forgot my promise to share all the pics she posts to my phone background or she thinks this picture needs to be immortalized.

Instead of selfies, I'll close with mini-me pics instead. Here is a side-by-side of my husband in his geeky 6th grade phase vs. our son in 3rd grade.

Little boys with glasses and smarts
Become handsome men who melt girls' hearts.

As long as he lives, the one on the left is mine.
And I'm treasuring my time with the one who is nine.