Bread with the Brisels

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm sharing just a few ways I'm trying my best to savor the season of SUMMER. All too soon, I'm going to be packing Sammy's backpack for another year of school, so I'm trying my very best to really enjoy these fleeting summer days. Here's a little bit of what I do to help me savor summer! 1. Slow Mornings  I try really hard for us to not leave the house before 10:00AM in the summertime. Haha. During the school year our mornings are busy, so I love mornings where we can linger in our pajamas and let the boys enjoy their breakfast and Curious George on the couch. Which brings me to... 2. Early Mornings I am an early bird so I really enjoy my quiet time in the morning while the others are asleep. Lately I try to get up by 5:20 to pray, journal, and do travel work, that way I have the rest of the morning ahead of me and my cup is full!  3. Easy Dinners Why do dinners seem so much easier in the summer? Likely we're grilling up chicken, slic...

This summer - more than ever - I am seeing the sweetest little friendship between Sammy and Jack. They absolutely have moments where they bicker, but they are also playing and giggling together more than ever.  Here are some of my favorite brother moments from the summer so far:  1. Stuffed Animals  The boys know the names of each other's stuffies and it CRACKS ME UP. The other day Jack said, "Bubba, you want me to get penguini?" So funny!  2. Willingness to Play Whenever the boys play together they have the silliest games. Sammy LOVES being the leader and Jack is all too willing to participate.  3. Water Play Nothing thrills the Brisel boys more than when there is a hose functioning on "jet power." They both love to take the hose, power it up and spray each other. It's the little things!  That's all today for this Tuesday. XX 

Here I am, joining the rest of the internet in making sure I am consuming enough protein day to day. 😅 I LOVE a chicken salad, especially during the warm months, so I found a way to add a little extra protein and make it a bit more satiating. I estimate that if you divide this recipe into two servings, each serving will have about 40 (!) grams of protein.  Protein Chicken Salad Serves: 1-2 people Ingredients:  1 chicken breast, cut into small cubes 1 cup of cottage cheese, blended  1 tablespoon of dry ranch seasoning  Salt & Pepper  *Note: If I had celery and green onion, I would have diced some up and added it for extra crunch and flavor. I didn't have any, and it was just fine without!  Directions:  In a mixing bowl, combine all of your ingredients and mix well.  Let chill until you're ready to serve & eat. I liked it with vegetables & Jackson Sweet Potato chips! 

  It's Friday, and it's the 4th of July Eve! Sounds pretty good to me. 😉 I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  to share some favorites from the week.  I'm dipping my toe back into blog world because, well, I am missing documenting my kids' childhoods. It brings me such joy to go back and read through memories from years before documented in old posts, so I'm determined to hang out here a bit more consistently to share life.  This summer, I've got a seven (7?!) year old and a new 3 year old. Someone the other day was talking about what a difference a year makes from summer to summer and it is so true. For example, this year Jack and Sammy love to go play together. Last year, both boys required constant supervision. Last year Jack hated going to the pool, and this year he is a little fish! This is a BIG favorite for me! Last weekend Sammy participated in a "Run Hit Pitch" competition and won first place for hitting in his age division. He was so ...

  I've shared before that I am an early bird, but I definitely feel like a much happier early bird in the summer months. I love when I can take my time in the morning and get a few things done to feel productive ahead of the day starting. Today I thought I'd share a few rituals that I do every morning that make my day start oh so happy.  1. Earlier alarms.  During the summer months, I've been getting up at around 5:20AM. The rest of my house starts stirring around 6:30 (on days that Dustin works) and around 7:30 (on days Dustin is off). This gives me at least an hour to have to myself and that time has become sacred.  2. Ice roller and iced coffee.  Every morning I love to use an ice roller on my face when I first wake up. Mine is nothing fancy - I got it on  Amazon  but it feels so heavenly on your face in the morning. I also love iced coffee during the summer months. A glass of coffee + a little s'mores Chobani creamer makes me happy in the morning....

  It's July! Why did May seem to last seventeen years, but June flew by so quickly? I'd like this summer to slow down a bit.  I told my cousin yesterday that I successfully hibernated for about the first three weeks of summer break (was absolutely necessary after this school year, haha), and now I've reached the "organize, purge, deep clean" phase of summer break. In the last week we've done lots of house projects that have been half finished for awhile. It feels so good to get things done!  Looking ahead to this new month, I'm excited for a couple of things.  1. More pool time. We haven't been to the pool a ton because June really wasn't that warm. Jack has been excited to go too, so it's been fun to take him. Looking forward to more of that this month!  2. More house projects. We crossed the really big things off in June, but I have a few more things I'd like to get done this month before we head back to school in August.  3. More slow mo...