Monday Bits & Pieces...

Not as smooth a title as Monday Musings, but oh well! It feels more bits and pieces today.

Yesterday, we headed out to a free mini-workshop offered by Lowe's. The kids got to construct a dragon (the dragon in the Shrek movies) from a simple kit. Hammers were involved, so it was fun!

I'm back at work this week, regular hours, more or less. My boss and I did adjust my schedule a bit, so I work 5 hours on Mondays, and 4 hours a day the rest of the week. I will have an occasional longer day here and there, as my target is 1000 hours per year. Since M is home, the kids are only heading off to my mom's house a couple of days a week right now. Things are definitely a bit different when I have work... and I am going to try from today on to establish a good rhythm to our days, perhaps something like this:

~ When I/we get home, I will have the kids do a couple of chores each while I make lunch.
~ While we eat, we can watch a documentary.
~ Everyone clears up their dishes, and then we settle in for some reading from the Afternoon Basket (which yes, I am putting into full use this week. I decided to add it another subject or two a week over the next couple of weeks rather than starting up out of nowhere in September.)
~ Then, they can play while I get my workout and some housework out of the way, before tackling dinner, etc.

I'd like to establish this routine now, and get everyone into the groove soon, since next week I go back to school myself, and September is drawing near!

This week's agenda:

~ Establishing a routine
~ Getting my project/experiment book basket set up
~ Switching out some books in my Afternoon Basket
~ Finish cleaning the kitchen, and get the living room done (I am deep cleaning one room at a time)
~ Go swimming at a pool with friends!
~ Try to get out hiking again over the weekend, or maybe even mid-week
~ Get geared up for the big airshow that happens around here next weekend!

It should be a good week. And just for fun, here is a recipe for the recent family favorite...

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa:
Rinse 1 cup quinoa well. Add to 2 cups boiling water, bring back to a full boil, then cover and simmer about 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Put quinoa in a bowl, and chill.

Once the quinoa is chilled, add the following:
About 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, or larger tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh salsa
About 3/4 cup cooked corn kernels (I like grilling corn for this recipe)
1 avocado, cut into small cubes
A good handful of chopped cilantro
A squeeze of lemon juice
About 1 Tbsp. good olive oil
A few dashes cumin, salt, and pepper

Mix well, return to fridge until nice and cold. You can serve this by itself, with meat or shrimp or black beans, over mixed salad greens, etc. Yum!

Hope everyone has a good week!