Dear Reader:

Happy Fourth of July!    I celebrated Independence Day by going to a play about a British nanny (Mary Poppins), of course.   And, I also watched a couple of episodes of Poldark last night (the new/old PBS series about a British Revolutionary War veteran).   Clearly, I am an Anglophile, but still, dear reader, I am happy to be American, even with all of our crazy, self-destructive, deeply ingrained awful social patterns.  The democratic experiment is a beautiful and amazing and constantly surprising human invention.  Bravo, Founding Fathers (and Mothers)!    I salute you!

Meanwhile, I am feeling some momentum in my new, freshly scrubbed, health and wellness restart.

Here are some good choices that I made in the last couple of days:

Broccoli/Cheese Casserole from 100 Days of Real Food (I also let my kids pick out one recipe each from this book to help me make this week).   This was yummy, but it needed more rice and I need an olive oil spritzer to cover those bread crumbs.   I joined this with pork chops.   Good decision.

Tonight's dinner goodness.   Cube steak, cashews, grapes, applesauce, peas (I actually really do love peas.  Always have.  My son does, too.   My daughter?  Not so much.), crusty toast.

Pineapple/Mango Smoothie:  My new weekend summer treat.  I close my eyes and imagine myself in the US Virgin Islands.   Need I say more?

Just downed this one.  I know, I know.  It is green.  But, that's OK, dear reader, because if you add pineapple to the spinach and orange and coconut water and banana, you have something quite lovely. Add pineapple to anything and you have something quite lovely, IMHO.   Also, this is a little break from my kale smoothie (side note:  you cannot convince me that kale tastes good unless it is masked in a smoothie.  DO NOT TRY TO DISSUADE ME FROM THIS OPINION.  My mind is uncharacteristically closed on this point.   Believe me. :)).

The main thing here is that I have put some thought and effort into making stuff at home for myself and the kids.  And, I've put some thought and planning into making sure it is relatively healthy.   I am now patting myself on the back.   I went to yoga twice this week.  Also, good choices.  

And, I have been spending a bit more time with each of my children separately which has been fantastic for all of our souls.   Case in point:

Ignore the fact that my eyes (in this photo) look like something out of The Exorcist.   Look at how happy that boy was to spend time with me at Mary Poppins this afternoon.   I cannot tell you how much I also enjoyed it.   We spent a couple of minutes at the fountain in front of the theatre after the play and he threw two coins in the fountain and told me that he wished for two things:  that he could love me forever and that he would never be separated from me.   Now, I think that language may have come from some over-dramatic literature we may or may not have been reading at bed time, but the sentiment was genuine.   He kept thanking me for spending time with him.   I can't tell you how fully this boy has my heart.   Completely.   Totally.  THIS BOY.

So, anyway, gratitude is filling me today.   And, I have made the maybe-not-so-great-decision to let the kids stay up and watch fireworks.   Because, AMERICA!   Land of the free.  And the brave.

Even though I will admit to finding this particular British soldier very, very attractive:

Sundays, you guys.   9pm.  PBS.   I'm just putting that out there.

I hope to move more next week.   Maybe a bike ride on my new bike on the trail.   More yoga.   Some treadmill action at home.   We'll see how it shapes up.    I also have a massage scheduled for Tuesday.

I have two big projects to finish at work next week.  Some serious memorization practice at the piano.

But, I am feeling good.  And resolved.   And grateful.   For the moment.

Thanks for reading.