Friday Thoughts – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Happy Friday!

This summer has been strange. It is a new phase of life for us where my children are still working mainly and my 13 -year -old son is busy playing tennis/volleyball, selling mass of cookies, helping at home and property (including feeding three calves) and reading in all their spare moments.

What that means is that there is basically no one to go to the community pool with me in the afternoon or make arts and crafts or complete home task graphics. 😉

Gone are the summers of the past (flashback ⬇️ going to the zoo with my children 8 years ago). It is bittersweet. 😢

Questions for you

• If you have children, your children/adolescents have summer jobs? Full day? Part -time?
  • My teenagers tell me a lot that they are the only ones of their age who have full -time jobs in the summer. While that is not entirely true (one of my children works with his best friend, for example), it seems that many teenagers in our area do not work during the summer. Leave me with many questions. Do you have the answers? 😜 I am asking these questions in good faith, which means that I am not criticizing other schedules/families. I am really curious!
    • Namely, who is paying for all his “things”? We pay for the automobile insurance of our teenagers, half of their monthly gas, school sports rates (and reasonable equipment, if necessary), and by phone, but otherwise, they pay all their own social activities, clothing, rest of their gas, food outside and anything else in which they want to spend money (which is much or a little, depending on the child 😆). They also save 50% of their profits for the future (universities, church missions if they choose to go, etc.).
    • Whether your children work or not, do you need summer tasks at home/patio? Daily? Weekly? How do you see that at home?

I am fascinated by how other families handle life, so thanks for intervening in this!

I love things

• September travel plans. After years (decades?) To talk about that, I am actually following a dream of a lifetime and go to Switzerland in September (with my mother, my sister and my cousin). My sweet grandmother (my mother’s mother) was born and grew up there, so she occupies a special place in the history and hearts of our family. I am excited (and nervous! I am a body of origin … Traveling is out of my comfort zone). 💗
• This crepe creator. I even made an Instagram video about it. Not all kitchen devices are created the same (as in, most of them are overvalued) but this is worth it. Absolutely hated cooking crepes before obtaining this. Here is my crepe recipe.
• These two games of cards. Flip7 and trio. Both are fast and easy to learn, and therefore, very fun to play. They are full time at our table at this time, because we are playing them so frequently. What are your favorite games at this time?
• This puzzle. I like to keep a puzzle all the time during the summer. I find that my children will stop and work on it for a few minutes here and there, which is an appropriate time to chat and connect with them. It also means that I stay too late most of the nights. The puzzles are addictive!
• My night walks. During the last month or so, I have made an intentional effort to get out of the house at night and take a walk. It has been something really beautiful for my emotional and mental well -being simply walking through fun and enjoying outside. It is not for exercise, not to count steps. Sometimes fast on the way, sometimes slowly. Sometimes someone comes with me, most of the time I go alone (some nights amount to my “grandmother” bike instead of walking!). I usually appear in an audiobook, and I love it. Apparently, night sunlight is good for you? So I guess I will also take that as an advantage.

I don’t love things

• The tragic floods in Texas and New Mexico. I have been sick and disconsolate when I see the news stories of the devastation, particularly in Texas in the girl camp, Camp Mystic. I sent my own daughter to the camp this week and I could not help saying additional prayer (okay, many additional prayers) for their safety and also for those who live in the midst of loss and pain at this time. I donated to convoy of Hope, a very good organization in the field in Texas at this time. Of course, he doesn’t feel enough, but he didn’t feel so helpless. I read an appointment on social networks this week that said something like “do for a person what you would like to be able to do for everyone.” I guess in times of helplessness, all I really can do is Get up where I’m standing. I am trying to be better in that. 🤍

All my other complaints ⬇️⬇️ seem very trivial after talking about the devastating floods. So please take the rest of these points with a grain of salt and a roll of eyes.

• Do not sleep well. I am testing a bed jet (not sponsored, I bought it myself) to see if I can sleep better/cooler at night. There is no opinion yet, they have only been a few nights. Have you tried one? Thoughts? I am also dealing with a constant morning/afternoon light. Honestly, I would give my right arm to sleep well right now (does anyone else feel this?). 😴
• Falling recipes. In general, the recipe test for a full day every week to get recipes to publish. This last week, it is not a joke, I made six recipes, and most of them were quite insurmountable failures (Brussels Salad outbreaks, new brownie recipe that has so much promise, frozen drink). I had a small pity party for wasted ingredients and what seemed lost time. Forward and up! I will persevere (especially with that Dang Brownie recipe).
• The heat. Oh my God, I’m dying. Give me the fresh, mountain air and crunchy climate, autumn any day of the week. I am not a summer girl.
• The pressure of being thin. I feel that the influx of medicines for easy -to -access weight loss has exponentially increased the pressure of being super thin, fast (and has destroyed a lot of body positivity work/neutrality of the body in recent years). My thick and athletic thighs and loots are definitely not “in trend” these days, but surely I appreciate them! They lead me to walk, they help me lift heavy weights and give me many damping for the observation and puzzle of K-Drama. 💪🏼😍 I will go to my grave talking about how my body is an instrument, not an ornament and how I appreciate it for what you can do for me. This is a message that I want my children and my daughter (and I) to listen to strong and clear, again and again.

If you are a woman of age, any age woman like me who is doing everything possible to keep her head over the water (and drink enough water 😆), exercise for health and strength, and eat a well -balanced diet, just know that You are doing enough. Even if you No Doing all those things, if you are TryingWhatever it looks, you are doing enough. We are much more than our bodies are. 😘

If you saw the salad that I published on Instagram the other day, it will come to the blog on Monday! The only recipe that really worked … and it’s incredible!

(In addition, we loved having my eldest son, Jackson, at home for a few days during the room! 💙)

I love reading and listening to the opinions of others … So please do not hesitate to share yours below in the comments! ⬇️