June 2008
What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I read a lot of what I call “beach books” – perfect for a read on the beach but the kind of books that your English professor shudders at. LOL! I read several Harlan Coben books and Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich. Nothing fantastic but they were easy reads and a fun diversion.
I also read:
The Ultimate book of Homeschooling Ideas – a great resource!
Everything Kids Science Experiments
Martha Stewart Living Magazine
What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
Hubby and I have been watching season 1 of Heroes on DVD. I wasn’t too sure about it for the first 2 episodes but now we are both hooked and enjoying it a lot. We are almost done with season 1 though and season 2 doesn’t come out on DVD until August 26th so now we will have to wait.
We had fun as a family going to see Get Smart and Kung Fu Panda. The night we saw Kung Fu Panda we also went out for Chinese food so that was a great activity!
What special days did I celebrate and how?
I hosted a family dinner for my brother-in-law’s birthday and father’s day. My Dad’s birthday was in June but I didn’t get to see him since he lives in another state. My hubby’s birthday (he turned 40!) was in June also. We went shopping and bought him a new suit. We attended 2 beautiful wedding receptions.
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
I helped my kids pick out treats for Dad for Father’s Day and sports equipment for Dad on his birthday. I helped my hubby pick out a new suit for his birthday. I sent my Dad an amazon gift card for Father’s Day and popcorn balls for his birthday. We gave my Father-in-Law and Brother-in-Law the most delicious cookies for Father’s Day and birthday gifts. We also had a few other gift giving occasions like weddings, graduations, neighborhood kid birthdays, baby showers, etc so we bought a lot of gift cards and presents this month.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
This is a strange one… I’ve had a pain in my upper right abdomen for awhile so I finally got it checked out. Because my blood tests showed an elevated count for my liver my doctor was concerned enough to have me go in for an ultrasound. We were all a little worried about that. The ultrasound came back normal. When my blood was retested my liver was normal. So the good news is that I’m ok. The bad news is that I still have the pain (it’s not unbearable) in my right side so now I need to follow up with some other doctors.
In other good news, my Father-in-Law was released from the hospital after being there for a week because of blood clots in his lungs. We also had a big scare as a family as the doctors were pretty certain he had cancer when spots showed up on his liver in a scan. They were totally benign though so we were so relieved!
My daughter came down with a cold in the last few days of the month. Both of my kids went to the dentist and had no cavities. My daughter does have to go back in July to have a frenectomy done (cutting part of the tissue that joins the lip to the gums) because her front teeth are spread too far apart.
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Besides all the movies, tv shows, reading and special occasions I’ve already listed, we also went to Lagoon. My daughter finished her 5th grade school year in public school and joined us here at home for homeschooling. My son finished his 8th grade year of homeschool. We have been doing our own version of summer school which has included swimming, cooking classes (for my daughter), going on walks, graphing m&m candies, working on puzzles and doing some light learning. We’ve had a lot of fun so far!
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
We enjoyed trying a lot of new recipes in June while my daughter worked on her cooking skills. We tried a new coleslaw recipe, 2 new cookie recipes, homemade apple pie, homemade sloppy joes, and fresh squeezed cherry limeade. Yum! It’s neat to see her love of cooking develop even more.
We also found a new Chinese restaurant to enjoy and ate there twice and had takeout once.
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
We booked and paid for a fall vacation in Walt Disney World. Everything is paid for except for our food.
I put a down payment on a sectional couch that will come later in July. We haven’t bought a couch since 1998 so that was fun (but expensive) to do. I also ordered this rug from Pottery Barn. We are doing a much needed update on our living room. The rug is back ordered until late July though.
I feel like I spent a lot of money in June with nothing to show for it.
I did buy some inexpensive patio chairs at Target so now we can finally sit outside. We’ve been enjoying some late summer evenings in our backyard.
And Binky the bunny got new digs. Check out how fancy her new outdoor apartment is!
What were this month's disappointments?
My health issues were a bother and a worry. I also gained a few pounds at the start of the month which is frustrating because I’ve been more active recently with swimming and walking. I have such a hard time losing weight as it is so I decided I better really cut back on my eating and focus on being healthy.
The duck who made a nest in our backyard and laid 7 eggs in it abandoned the eggs. We kept hoping she would come back but when my Mother-in-law brought over her dog, the dog found the eggs and ate some of them. Yucky and sad.
What were my accomplishments this month?
In the latter part of June I made a commitment to myself to cut back on my eating and to really focus on healthy foods even if they don’t help me lose weight. I’ve been eating lots of fresh fruits, cottage cheese, and veggies and only drinking water.
I finished and photographed our new homeschool studio room. I’m very happy with how this project turned out because the room is incredibly functional for us.
I wrote a 5 part blog series on photography and put together a lengthy blog entry on scrapbooking in general.
I completed 8 scrapbook layouts and I finally got my mojo back for digital designing. I’ve been invited to sell my designs in a great online store and decided to go for it. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Don't forget to do your roundup!
