Weekly Wrap- Up: The Week We Finished School!

We're finished school for the year!!  Alec finished up his math book on Wednesday and Evan finished up his spelling unit on Thursday so I told the boys they could have a good 3 or 4 weeks where we'll just take a break from everything before easing into some easy summer review work.  We've had some pretty decent weather this week and spent lots of time outside again.  We're getting in lots of hiking and walking since temperatures are still fairly cool and we even squeezed in a few kayak rides.



Friday I had an early morning dentist appointment and I asked the boys to get ready nice and early so that we could meet up with our hiking group and go for a nice hike afterwards.  Ian ended up heading out to work instead so I just took the two younger boys hiking.  We had fun but it was a bit chilly and we all found several ticks on us; not a nice way to end the hike.  The boys and I all took nice long showers when we got home and I made sure to wash all our clothes too.




Saturday and Sunday my husband and I were gone for the weekend.  We wanted to celebrate our anniversary a bit early and we left the boys in the care of my mother in law.  We weren't sure where we were going until we actually got in the car on Saturday morning and settled on Burlington, Vermont.  The weather apps all predicted a rainy weekend for all of New England and even over into New York and down into Penn. so pretty much anywhere we could have picked probably would have been wet and miserable.  We decided to buy some umbrellas and make the best of it! We had fun and came back late Sunday night refreshed and ready for the week ahead.


Dinner on the train

Two of the boys had dentist appointments on Monday and we had a bit of schoolwork to get to first.   It was beautiful sunny weather and I told the boys we were getting in some walking and outdoor time.  They recommended a hike before the dentist and we squeezed in an hours walk in the woods.  After the dentist, we came home for lunch and made up our weekly menu and grocery list.  We got groceries finished and put away.  It was such a beautiful day that I kicked them all outside.  Evan asked if I wanted to go for a walk and Ian joined us then the boys decided to head out kayaking.  They asked me to join and we spent an hour kayaking around the lake.  After dinner everyone headed back outside.  We helped stake out the neighbor's property line (they're selling and needed to know what was theirs and ours), went to vote on our town's budget, and took stock of the garden that we're hoping to overhaul during the long weekend.



Kayaking we found LOADS of blueberry bushes alongside the water 

Alec had karate on Tuesday and I convinced the other two boys to come with me so we could walk the river trail while Alec was in class. Evan was quite excited when we found a bunny hopping across our path; we stopped for a few minutes to watch and take photos.  We ran a few errands after karate and went back home for lunch.  After lunch Evan worked on his new Lego set and Ian worked on his modeling kit while Alec and I made some fabric covered terracotta pots.   It was a pretty rainy day so I let the boys watch TV and play video games.







We had plans to meet up with my sister and some friends to hike on Wednesday but we had no idea Vice President Pence was flying in to a neighboring airport to attend a coast guard graduation that same day.  The park was closed and so we all decided to just head to the beach. It was pretty cool and windy but we enjoyed the sand and sun and the sound of the waves just the same.  The kids had a great time playing on the playground and on the empty lifeguard stands.  It ended up being a great day and we got to see Air Force 2 taking off right above us as we were leaving the beach!



We were all fascinated by this sailboat cruising along just on the horizon 


We had plans to meet up at a local pond with some homeschooling friends on Thursday but Ian and Evan wanted to go on a kayak ride first.  We kayaked around a few coves and then headed to the store and to run some errands.  We had a fun afternoon visiting with friends and pretty much had the whole pond to ourselves.  It was still way to cold to go in the water but we all stuck to the shade and enjoyed the views.  We were home early in the afternoon so Alec could get ready for his karate graduation-- he's getting a green belt!  Ian headed out on another kayak ride and then we settled in for a quite night at home (since I watch Alec each week my husband takes him to graduation without me; our building is TINY and there are always so many graduating that seating is really tough and usually standing room only for the 2+ hours so I stay home with the other two boys).







Health/ weight loss weekly tracker:

Friday- 30 minute hike with friends.  Down another .4 lbs.  

Saturday and Sunday-- Didn't keep track at all while on vacation.  I did try to make healthier food choices (eating fish when out to dinner instead of steak, etc).  But mostly I didn't worry about what I ate and we spent so much time in the car driving that we didn't get in much exercise either.  

Monday--  Weighed myself and found that I lost .2 lbs from Friday!  Took an hour long walk with the boys before lunch and went for a 30 minute walk in the afternoon and an hour long kayak ride.

Tuesday-- Down another .4 lbs! Walked for an hour and 20 minutes while Alec was at karate.

Wednesday-- I was so sure I was going to gain when I got on the scale since I felt like I had completely pigged out on Tuesday I was down another .6 lbs!  I was so tired after our day at the beach that I didn't exercise at all and I hadn't bothered exercising before leaving the house since our original plan had been to hike for a bit before stopping for a picnic lunch.  I altered my food and only ate chicken with lots of veggies for dinner.

Thursday-- Weighed in for another .4 loss!  Went on a 30 minute kayak ride and did some push- ups and light weight lifting for another 30 minutes.

Down another 2 lbs this week for a total of 5 lbs lost.

Linking Up With:






Homeschool Coffee Break

Comments

  1. You are surrounded by the most glorious forms of nature!! Have a super sweet Holiday weekend!

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    Replies
    1. We sure are! Of course my allergies are going nuts right now with everything blooming and turning green but after that long cold spring I am trying so hard not just enjoy it.

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  2. It's wonderful that the kids love being out and active.

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    Replies
    1. I can't say they always love it but they are willing to humor their mom and I love them for it.

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  3. Hooray for a sweet summertime break and your early anniversary getaway! Dinner on a train sounds like so much fun! Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!

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    Replies
    1. It was so neat. I hadn't really traveled much by train before and it was a really delicious meal.

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  4. Wow! What a great week. So much nature and great job an the weight loss. That is hard to do.
    Blessings, Dawn

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    Replies
    1. It is! I know that for me the hardest part is keeping up with the exercise but I know if I can make it a routine and keep with it for a good month I'll finally start to see results that will keep me motivated.

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  5. Congratulations on a well deserved summer break! Happy Anniversary, too! Great job on losing weight.

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  6. Happy Anniversary!! Looks like a wonderful start to the summer break for all of you!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! 17 years sure goes by fast when you're having fun.

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