Hey, friends!

Did I mention yet that we're heading to Washington DC? I lived there from 2009 until 2014 (Cam was there starting in 2007). Honestly, out of all the places I've lived, it's the first place I'd live again. It's such a cool city - not as busy as NYC but still plenty to see and do. At the same time, many of the neighborhoods are quieter and full of long-time residents. 

We'll be there for a week. I've got my full itinerary mostly planned (did you catch the trip planning email I shared recently?). I have some wiggle room added in, but it's pretty stacked. Honestly, we'd need 3 weeks to do all the things I would like to do. If it were just Cameron and I, we'd knock it all out in a week, but the kids can't go-go-go like we can, so it's more spread out. Grumpy kids are no fun when you're trying to have fun on vacation!

Once our trip is done, I'll share everything we did. If you are planning to go before we go and you'd like to know my plan, just reply to this email and I'll help you out!

Charlie update

A few things about C-man. Ok no one really calls him that. We say Charlie, Charles, Char-char, Chucky... :D

His tooth procedure got pushed up. It was done on Friday! It was not fun. It was a very unpleasant 5 minutes. Since I haven't really said the details about it, I'll mention it now. He has what's called enamel hypoplasia. Basically, it's an enamel defect. Weak enamel. In some cases, it's just sort of gray or brown, and in other cases, it creates holes (that's what he had). I'm hoping that no future teeth will come in that way and also that his adult teeth come in nice and healthy!

Another little update is that Charlie will be 2 years old this week! We aren't doing anything special this year. We threw a little party for him last year, but this year, I imagine we'll take it easy. If the big kids want to celebrate him in some way, we'll make it happen. I'll probably make a batch of cupcakes and tie a couple of balloons to his chair!

Lavender honey latte

Don't get your hopes up - this isn't a recipe. I should figure out how to make a lavender honey syrup, but for now, this is just a heads up! If you ever see a lavender honey latte at a coffee shop, give it a try. It's delicious!

That reminds me, I've been more adventurous with my food and drink as I've gotten older! How about you?

Butter chicken with basmati rice and naan? Bethany from 10 years ago would be shocked that I tried it and even more surprised that I liked it. I think she would have liked it too, but she was not adventurous enough to try it.

Tonight we had buddha bowls for dinner. Broccolini, chickpeas, and a tahini sauce? Young Bethany would never. Big girl Bethany loved it, though.

Genuinely, it makes me excited to try lots of new things!! Is there something you were certain you wouldn't like but you ended up loving it?

3 recent recipes we loved

1. These chocolate chip shortbread cookies

2. Buddha bowls (mentioned earlier!)

3. Salmon cakes - These use fresh rather than canned salmon. They're excellent. I used homemade mayo and also almond flour this last time, and they were still great! We make a garlic aioli to have with ours, along with potato wedges and roasted broccoli.

Meal suggestions from IG folks

I asked, you answered. On IG stories recently, I asked for meal suggestions. I love making meal plans, but sometimes, it's fun trying new things. I got about 120 different ideas (plus a good many duplicates). I used a random number generator to pick out our meal plan for last week (those are the bold ones!). Here are all of the ideas, in no particular order:

7th grade band

In 6th grade, I believe, we took a music class. You know, the one where everyone learns Hot Cross Buns on the recorder? In our class, we got a chance to try out every instrument. I found the flute to be VERY difficult. The brass instruments were alright, but I had a hard time maintaining that pursed lip. The one I went with was clarinet! I never did learn how to play it very well, but I stuck with it for 7th and 8th grade. I was near the last chair.

I'll never forget this girl named Erin. I was new to this school (oof, middle school, mid year school change), and I didn't really have a lot of friends. One day, a few other girls were making fun of me in band, and Erin whipped around in her chair and said "No she is not! Leave her alone!" I don't remember any details, just that someone stood up for me. I try to tell the kids that; if you see that someone needs help, try to help. It really makes a difference.

On the other side of that, one time, at age 16 or so, my family was dining out at a Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta GA. I was on my way to the bathroom when I slipped on a wet floor (that had no "wet floor" sign). I landed right on my bad knee (that's another story) and just sat stunned for a second. There were at least 6 tables surrounding me, 3 on each side, and not a single person got up to help me. I slowly got to my feet. I was hurt and embarrassed. I cried in the bathroom, cleaned myself up, and went back to my family. 

Those people in that restaurant surely do not remember that moment. They probably forgot about it that same day! But here, 20 years later, it still comes up clearly in my mind. We can't always help. But if you can, do! (And if you can't, that's okay. Sometimes it's just not possible for whatever reason. I recognize that, too!) I've been trying to point out those moments for the kids. I think a lot of kids just don't really see the need, you know?

Somewhat related: I'm in the middle of a book about tweens that I'm really enjoying. It's called Tweens. It's only physically available in Australia right now, but you can get it on Audible here in the USA! If you've got a kid between ages 7 and 13/14, it could be very insightful for you. 

Okay that's it for this week!

Hope you have a great week. If there's anything you'd like to see in a future email, please just reply to this email. I've got an ongoing list of my own ideas, but your ideas help me a lot!

TTFN❤️ Bethany