Friday’s Ideas – Mel’s Kitchen Café

Happy Friday!

This summer has been Strange. It was a new stage of life for us, my boy was still working from home, and my 13-year-old was busy playing tennis/volleyball, selling cookie dough, helping around the house and property (including bottle feeding three calves), and reading in all her free time.

This means basically no one goes to the community pool with me in the afternoon, or does crafts or fill out homemade trivia charts. 😉

Gone are the summers past (Flashback⬇️ I went to the zoo with my kids). It’s bittersweet. 😢

Questions given to you

• If you have children, does your child/teen have a summer job? Full-time? part time?
  • My teenagers told me a lot that they are the only age to work full-time in the summer. While this is not entirely true (for example, one of my sons works with his best friend), many of the teenagers in our area seem to be working in the summer. This left me with many questions. Do you have an answer? 😜 I sincerely ask these questions – meaning, I don’t criticize other schedules/families. I’m really curious!
    • That is, who is paying for all their “stuff”? We pay for teenagers half of their monthly gasoline, school sports fees (and reasonable gear, if needed) and phone calls, but otherwise, they pay for all their social activities, clothing, leftover gasoline, dining out and other things they want to spend (according to kids 😆😆) for all their social activities, clothes, leftover gasoline and anything else (according to kids 😆😆). They also save 50% of their future income (universities, if they choose to go to church tasks, etc.).
    • Is your kids working and do you need summer chores around the house/yard? Daily? weekly? What does your home look like?

I’m fascinated by how other families manage their lives, so thank you for your interest in this!

Things I love

• September travel plans. After years (decades) talking about it, I was actually experiencing a lifelong dream and going to Switzerland in September (with my mom, sister and cousin)! My sweet grandma (my mom’s mom) was born and raised and therefore has a special place in the history and heart of our family. I was excited (very nervous! I was such a family…traveled outside my comfort zone). 💗
• This crepe maker. I even did an Instagram video on this. Not all kitchen gadgets are equal (as, most of them are overrated), but it is worth it. I absolutely hate cooking pizza until I get this. This is my favorite crepe recipe.
• These two card games. Flip7 and Trio. They are both fast and easy to learn, so it’s fun to have fun. They are now full-time on our tables because we play them a lot. What is your favorite game now?
• This problem. I like to stay confused all the time during the summer. I found that my kids would stop here and there for a few minutes to work, which is the time to casually chat and connect with them. This also means I stay up late most of the nights. The puzzle is addictive!
• I’ll take a walk tonight. For the past month or so, I have intentionally worked hard to leave my house for a walk at night. It was a very wonderful thing for my emotional and mental health, just to enjoy it outside for fun. This is not for exercise, don’t calculate the steps. Sometimes I walk very fast, sometimes I walk very slowly. Sometimes people come with me, most of the time I go alone (sometimes I ride my “grandma” bike instead of walking!). I usually pop up in audiobooks and I just like it. Obviously, is the evening sun good for you? So I think I’ll give it a reward as well.

Things I don’t like

• Tragic floods in Texas and New Mexico. I’m already sick and saw news reports about this destruction, especially in Texas at Camp Mystic, Texas. I sent my daughter to camp this week and couldn’t help but say extra prayers for her safety and people who are now in the loss and grief. I donated to Hope Convoy, a very famous organization currently in Texas. Of course, it doesn’t feel enough, but it makes me feel not that helpless. I read a sentence on social media this week that said “Do for one person what you want to do for everyone.” I think in the moment of helplessness, what I can really do is Lift up where I stand. I’m trying to get better. 🤍

All my other complaints⬇️⬇️ After talking about the devastating flood, it seems to be stale. So take the rest of the warhead points away with a grain of salt and a roll of eyes.

• Not sleeping well. I’m trying a Veget (no sponsorship, I bought it myself) to see if I can sleep better/cooler at night. No comments, only a few nights. Have you tried it? idea? I’m also trying to have a steady morning/night sunshine. Honestly, I’ll give my arms now and have a good sleep now (anyone else feels it?). 😴
• Recipe failed. I usually spend a whole day a week on recipe testing to get the recipe just right. Last week, I didn’t drive you, and I made six recipes, most of which were irresistible failures (Brussels sprout salad, new brownie recipes, lots of hope, ice-cold lime drinks). I had a little pitiful party because the ingredients were wasted and it felt like wasted time. Upward and upward! I’m going to stick with it (especially that Dang Brownie recipe).
• hot. Oh my god, I’m dying. Give me cool mountain air and crispy, autumn weather any day of the week. I’m not a summer girl.
• The pressure of thinness. I feel the influx of easy access to weight loss pills has doubled up with ultra-thin, fast stress (and has ruined many body-positive/body-neutral jobs over the past few years). These days, my thick thighs and loot are definitely not “trends”, but I will definitely thank them! They took me for a walk and helped me lift my heavy weight and they brought me a lot of k-drama viewing and puzzle making buffer. 💪🏼😍 I would go to my grave and talk about my body being a musical instrument rather than an ornament and how I appreciate what it does for me. This is the message I want my son and daughter (and myself) to hear over and over again.

If you are me every day, women of my age do their best to keep their heads on water (drink enough water), exercise health and strength, and eat well, just know You have done enough. Even if you no If you are tryyou’re doing enough, no matter what it looks like. We are more important than the appearance of our body. 😘

If you saw the salad I posted on Instagram the other day, it will arrive on Monday’s blog! A recipe that actually worked… It was amazing!

(Also, we love having my eldest son Jackson, on the 4th! 💙💙)

I love reading and listening to others’ opinions…so feel free to share your opinions in the comments! ⬇️