Our Summer: Week One at Home

It is FRIDAY, but I have no idea why I'm so excited; it's not like I've had to work all week (insert smirky emoticon). In my defense, I think everyone is entitled to be excited about Friday.

Staying home but staying busy!

     If you come here frequently, you probably already know that I'm staying home this summer with our little Vaught. I'm still employed by the Oxford School District and will continue getting paid at the end of each month until August, so once we did a little budgeting and hashed out the pros and cons of my staying home, we (Eric and I) decided that it would probably be best for our family. After all, driving to and from Oxford each day ended up putting nearly 4,000 miles on my car in less than two months, and I'm afraid to even calculate the money spent in gas. My car gets great mileage, but I'm extremely happy that it gets to remain parked this summer!

     So, today finishes our first full work week at home, the longest I think I've spent at home without having to go to work. Vaught and I have left the house in the car twice, just to run some quick errands, and we have gone on a walk every day this week.

 On Wednesday, we did a 2.5 miler in honor of National Running Day!

 

 

     Backtracking a little, we drove a few miles into Memphis (13 from our house, to be exact!) on Tuesday to visit The Fresh Market for some dinnertime ingredients! I get Fresh Market's daily specials emailed to me, so when I saw they had Alaskan cod for only $8.99 a pound, I knew we had to go get some! I've never cooked cod, or any kind of fish really (does canned tuna count?), but I knew that baking fish was extremely easy. And it was! I grabbed some green onion, tomato, and lemon to top the fish, as well as some French bread for our side. It was delicious! I will definitely be experimenting with more fish in the kitchen.

 

      Yesterday, I was able to get some schoolwork done--I'm taking two classes for graduate school this summer. Our pitbull helped me out with Vaught. If you're in need of a good sitter, I highly recommend Lola! She is very patient with children, and her rates are amazing! She only charges a five minute belly rub for every half our of babysitting!

 

 

     Twice this week I have made these healthy and delicious pizzas using ingredients right out of my fridge! They take about 5 minutes to put together, then I broil them in the oven for about 6 minutes to get them good and toasty. I've put the "recipe" below. So easy!

For the pizzas, you'll need one whole grain flour tortilla wrap. Top it with two tablespoons of pizza sauce, your choice of cheeses (I used shredded taco cheese and Feta), green bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and spinach! Broil in the oven for about 5 or 6 minutes and enjoy! This is probably my new favorite lunch!

 

I think the highlight of this week was Monday night, as I was rocking Vaught, getting him good and sleepy for bedtime. Eric turned the volume on the TV down and asked me if I was still wanting to go to the beach with my family next month. We do an annual trip to Orange Beach, AL, every July, and I had pretty much accepted that this year might not be the best time for us to go. I got this big grin on my face and said, "What are you asking me?" He told me he was asking me if I still wanted to go and if so, could we do it and still be okay financially. As with most big decisions, we talked about it together for a few minutes and then decided that we would go. So, we are going to the beach in 40 days! My family vacations Saturday through the next Sunday, but we will be driving down on Tuesday and will have all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to soak up the sun. I was so excited, I went and bought Vaught a swim diaper and little hat for our trip! I just know he will love all the water!

 

Overall, I'd say it has been a really great start to our summer! I'm loving getting to snuggle with our little guy. Lola's not complaining either :)