What's been going on lately...

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

It has taken a few days but I am working my way out of my funk. So, what's been going on lately....

1. Mulder has been super cute as always. Lately, he has been hanging backwards with his body draped over the couch so he can stare into the yard and watch the squirrels.

2. Yesterday, the teenager came back from a week long overnight camp. I am so happy that he gets to experience overnight camp. I spent my summers at an overnight camp and met some of my closest friends that way.

3.  I must admit that it was nice to have a week "off" from parenting. During this time, Ryan and I got to spend time as boyfriend/girlfriend instead of as parents and although that aspect was so wonderful, it really had us in a deep conversation about who we are, what we want in our lives, and all the other "big stuff". Eek.

4. For the first time this summer, I spent the day at the beach. Aaaah, my happy place.

5. I've been making some progress on the 2000 piece puzzle but it is taking up my entire coffee table. I used to use a flat piece of cardboard, covered in wax paper but this one is too big. Does anyone have suggestions as to where/how to store a puzzle? 

6. Ryan stopped by the farmers market earlier in the week and picked up some some of the biggest asparagus I have ever seen and another bag of fiddleheads. 

7. After months of searching for the perfect lunch bag/cooler, I finally found one at Stop and Shop the other day. I had been looking for a bag that I can carry on my shoulder and is big enough to fit a few containers and/or some bottles for when we go to parties. Success!!!! 

8. I have a pretty laid back work schedule for the summer. I'm working a few hours in the afternoons on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and one hour in the morning on Wednesday's. 

9. I completed an item from my 101 in 1001 list! I registered for a library card and got my first book, The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark. I started reading it while at the beach but it's taking me a little while to get into it. In any case, another $5.00 to go into my savings account! 

10. I started collecting paint samples for the two bathrooms as well as the kitchen/living room/dining room and hallway. It's slightly overwhelming as it took me nearly two months to pick the paint for the bedrooms/foyer when we first moved in. I have no idea what sort of color scheme I want in the rooms so I grabbed a variety of samples and laid them all out on the stone work in front of the fireplace. For the living/dining/kitchen area, I want something that will work with the brick fireplace and highlight the dark wood and furniture.

That is a lot of paint swatches

Possibilities...

11. Bauer turned 8 on July 2nd. Happy Birthday Bauer! My mother, who is not a dog person, thinks of Bauer has her fourth child. She absolutely adores him and treats him like a king! She sent this picture to me on his birthday. 

Side note: I got Bauer after I graduated from college in the summer of 2005. When I moved to Florida for grad school in 2007, Bauer stayed with my parents. He goes to work almost every day with my father. He is such a sweet boy! 

12. Step-parenting is tough. Someone once told me that being a step-parent is the hardest job in the world because you have all the responsibility of a parent but none of the unconditional rewards from the child. I posted about the no-yelling challenge but I think I need to update and re-evaluate this. As a step-parent, I am automatically resented by the teenager when I tell him to do something -even something as simple as brush your teeth before bed. I am not yelling or raising my voice when I ask/then tell him to brush his teeth (or any thing that a parent would tell or ask a child to do) but like I already said, I am immediately resented. I am desperately working on handling these situations in a different way. Suggestions are welcome!!!! 

Questions for you:

Are you a step-parent? Any words of advice?

What have you been up to?