Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

Our first full week of Daddy’s summer vacation was fabulous, indeed...such that this is really a Fab 6 list because I couldn't narrow it down any further!

1) The girls have been playing “restaurant” a lot lately. Last week they kept saying, “I’m taking my baby to Garcia’s” [our favorite Mexican restaurant]. Then they would detail what they were going to order…”She’s gonna eat rice…and beans…and cheese…and salsa…and chicken quesadilla!” On Friday night we surprised them with an actual trip to Garcia’s. We waited until late afternoon to tell them where we were going, and they were elated! They clapped and started dancing around. Baby B kept saying (as she was dancing), “I’m excited for my dinner!”

2) On Sunday, we attended our MoMs group picnic. The girls had a blast running around and kicking the soccer ball in a big open field, and I was so proud that they played so well with the other kiddos. On perhaps a not so fabulous note, they also ate Doritos for the first time. I think they’re in love.

3) Monday was THE BEST. The girls napped so well (hallelujah…it is possible!!!), and we decided to turn our downtown post office field trip into a family dinner date, as well. We took the girls to one of our favorite restaurants. It’s not what I would call kid-friendly (they seemed to have to search for high chairs!), but the girls did GREAT! They sat like little ladies and enjoyed our appetizer, a good portion of my salad, and then they scarfed down most of my half of our gourmet pizza. It was one of the most pleasant family outings to date!

4) The girls have continued to sing a lot this week. “Buffalo Gals” is one of their faves, along with “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”…which I finally deciphered them as saying “John Jacob Jingle-on-the-Fence”! Close, girlies, so close!

5) Both girls have been running around the den this week at times, saying, “I’m imitating Sasha!” They mean they’re running really fast, like our cat does sometimes…which is cute…and just as cute is them saying “imitating”!

6) Both girls have been doing a great job at asking how our dinner is, and saying what they like about their food. Unprompted, Baby A said, "This squash is very good." It just melts my heart...that she was being so sweet...AND that she loves her veggies so passionately!

And what did I do for ME this week???

I L-O-V-E sushi. Before kiddos, the hubs and I ate it once a week, religiously. Since kiddos, it’s a rare treat.

While once upon a time I turned my nose up at the thought of buying sushi at the grocery store (even though they have a little sushi station with a little man in a big hat making it, it’s just not the same as our nice family-owned Japanese restaurant, where we have gone for years)…times have changed. I now treat myself to grocery store sushi about once a week. Whereas I do love me some raw fish, I stick with the veggie rolls…but slather on some wasabi, and whip out my beautiful new bamboo chopsticks I bought for myself, and it’s a fantastic break from my ham sandwiches.

And as a little bonus, I love that my girls can spot sushi from a mile away. They know what chopsticks are. They know what wasabi is, and that it’s hot. And they’re big friends with the little man in the big hat at the grocery store.

Thanks so much to the dollimama for hosting the 52 Weeks of ME! Challenge! I firmly believe that taking the time to think about ourselves each week...even splurging on some $4 sushi now and again...makes us better moms.

The dollimama will be hosting an awesome giveaway link-up the first week of July to celebrate being halfway through the challenge. There will be lots of us linking up with ~$10 giveaways...paying it forward to encourage our fellow mamas to enjoy a little "me" time. The link-up will be open to anyone...check it out for more details!