Mommy & Me Monday: Pokemon Go Edition

It's all about Pokemon Go here at our house right now. Yes we are those people. The boys are obsessed! I snapped this photo of Cam when we were out hunting Pokemon recently:

I snapped this one when we were reading through his Pokemon Handbook. We don't know everything about how the game works but we have a lot of fun trying to catch Pokemon! It makes us get out and walk around together as a family and I like that!!

Linking up at Mommy & Me Monday over at Really, Are You Serious?

Melaleuca & Why I Order It

Have you ever heard of Melaleuca? I hadn't until last year. They are the largest online wellness shopping club in North America. This has been a total game changer for me though. For the past few years I've had some nagging health issues. Over time and after encouragement from a friend, I just started researching what the chemicals in everyday products (even the ones that no one tells you are in them) could do to our bodies. Without getting into great detail (because there's plenty of that online!), I made the decision to sign up to be a Melaleuca preferred customer. My top reasons had ZERO to do with making money (and I still make ZERO money from being a customer). Here were my top reasons:

1. To promote our overall health (especially mine since I was having issues) by using safer products.
2. To save money by buying the things I know we'll need for the month through one website. 
3. Not only are the products safe for us but they are also safe for pets and better for the environment.

I was at a place where #2 really appealed to me because I could quit going to Target so darn much. I love Target as much as everyone else. But every time I go to Target, I spent $75 easily and wonder what the heck happened when I leave without the two things I went in the store for!! It was time to take back control of my wallet. :-) 

By having these items delivered to me, it eliminates my need to go to the store. I have cut my spending by A LOT. I've also learned how to budget for what we will need for the month and how to buy in advance. This saves me money too. I buy what we will need, not what I want. 

We have pretty much converted everything over to Melaleuca at this point. There are some items I still use (cosmetics being one because I love makeup too much to give it ALL up), but all of our cleaners and personal care products are Melaleuca. 

So my order this month consisted of:

• Melapower laundry detergent- I got two of these because they were BOGO.
• Melabrite oxi tablets - Keep our colors bright and our whites white.
• Affinia shampoo and conditioner
• Lemon brite - hand dishwashing solution. Super concentrated! The tropical is J's favorite scent.
• Some travel size body lotion and my holy grail hand lotion RENEW! It's my favorite.
• Affinia face scrub (love this!!!)
• Clear Defense hand sanitizer (because I'm germ crazy)
• Tub and tile cleaner - the 12x concertrated version. This stuff is BOMB!!! I've never been able to get our shower super clean and this stuff killed the soap scum that we had such trouble getting off our shower.
• Some lip balm and lip gloss (supposed to be plumping but I don't notice that much - I like how it feels though)
• Clarity step 2 - For M's acne. They have a whole acne line that has really helped her.
• And last but not least, some Gold bars and Platinum bars (soaps). Love these!! So moisturizing.

So that's Melaleuca and that's our July order!! I may share our August order here soon. I ordered super late in July because I was a slacker. :-) If you have any questions about our switch over, leave them below I'd love to help you out!

I was not compensated for this post, I just love Melaleuca products and wanted to share them with you! If you have more questions about Melaleuca, just send me an email. :)

My Boys Layout

I used some Ali Edwards stamps from the Wild story kit and some left over embellishments to create this page. I wasn't sure about it when I was making it but I love how it turned out.

July #ipsy Bag Review

It's that time again (already!) for my #ipsy Glam Bag review for July. I've spent the past few weeks using these products and I'm ready to let you know what I think (a hit or a miss?!) and if I would re-purchase.

#1 Too Faced Hangover Primer - Miss!
Not a huge fan of this one. It claims that it moisturizes, but it didn't moisturize for me. Actually, it didn't really feel like a primer to me either. It has good reviews online so I'm super confused about why it didn't work for me. The formula is thinner so maybe that's why? I don't know. Disappointed because I love Too Faced.

#2 Revlon Travel Brush - Hit!
I love this little brush! It really picks up powder and blush. It is amazing!! I put it in my work makeup kit since it's so small. I kinda wish I had another!!

#3 ModelCo Powerlash - Hit!
I really like this little mascara! It really defines my lashes and makes them look a bit fuller also. This was a win for me this month! And now I have 3 mascaras open. Ooops....

#4 Mr. Write Now Liner in Jac - Miss!
Not a fan! I don't like these types of eyeliners anyway because I'm terrible at using them. I'm guessing it is a personal issue (lol), but I am always breaking them even when I try to be gentle. Also, I never feel like they are opaque enough. I feel like you can always see through them. Regardless, this one did not work for me AT ALL. After I spent five minutes wrestling the plastic off of it and attempted to use it, it broke off multiple times. Also not a fan of this color. I was really hoping for the dark purple. Regardless, I don't think I would have liked it anyway!!

#5 Palmetto Antioxidant Face Mask - Meh!
I like this mask and my face did feel cleaner afterward, but I personally didn't feel like my face felt super different afterward. I didn't leave it on for a long time because there were a lot of warnings that there could be a reaction. Maybe I'll leave it on a bit longer next time, but I've liked some of my others masks better. I also didn't care for the scent. Nice to try, but I definitely won't be repurchasing.

What did you get in your #ipsy bag this month?! If you aren't a member and want to check it out, please feel free to use this link. (Disclaimer: It is my referral link and I will get points from it if you use it. :-)

Our Top 5 Crockpot Recipes

I have become somewhat of a Crockpot Queen this year. I work late on Mondays and Thursdays so it makes my life way easier if on those days, I throw something in the crockpot for dinner. My husband has dinner when he comes home (our kids are super picky) and then I do too! Everyone (except the picky kids) wins!!

Here are our top five favorite recipes (all images are from the respective linked websites):


#5 Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork
We aren't BBQ fans so we just don't add the sauce. It is fantastic on it's own!!! SO GOOD.




#4 Easiest Slow Cooker Pork Chops
So delicious!! I try to mix it up from just chicken, and when we get bored I always make these. Our oldest (M) will actually eat these as well.




#3 Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos
My favorite thing to do with this chicken is to put it in a tortilla, spray the tortilla with some spray butter and then bake it in the oven with the cheese inside already for a few minutes. It makes the tortilla just a little bit crunchy which I love!!



#2 Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Due to diet restrictions for my husband, we don't eat a lot of carbs or breads around here. So I made this soup and it's perfect. No extra bread or anything like that and it's delicious. It's like having just the filling of a chicken pot pie!




#1 Slow Cooker Everything Chicken
We use this chicken on sandwiches and wraps mostly. It is so good!! Super easy to throw together too.




Share your favorite crock pot recipes with me below!! I'd love to try some new things!!

Five Drugstore Favs: July Edition

I'm starting a new series here on the ol blog called Five Drugstore Favs. It'll be a once a month deal where I tell you about five things I've tried and am loving!

Lately I've been shopping it up in the makeup departments across town! I was honestly a little out of control this month, but it is what it is! I love me some makeup. Here's what I am currently loving this month:

I am obsessed with this Loreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation. I purchased this is the lightest shade that was made (because PALE) and it is amazing!! It is Classic Ivory. It gives me the perfect amount of coverage and glow, but it doesn't make me look like I'm glittery or anything. It lasts me through the work day just fine. It is a very thin formula, reminds me a lot of the consistency of Maybelline's old BB cream. But I just dot it on my face and use a foundation brush and I'm good to go. Be sure to shake it up before you use it! :-)

I'm also loving the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. I got this one in the lightest shade available  and it is just as amazing as all the YouTubers I watch suggested it was. Coverage is excellent, and I'm hoping it helps with my under eye area. They are getting darker and more wrinkley all the time. I used a beauty blender to blend this in. 

I'm also loving this NYC bronzer in Hamptons Radiance. I'm back into bronzing. I took a break on bronzers, but I'm "warming" up to it again though (pun intended). I have my eye on another bronzer at the drug store, but I haven't purchased it yet. I'm saving it for next month.

#4 on my list this month is this Elf Eye Primer. It was recommended to me by a friend and I was skeptical about it, but I really do like it. I notice a difference when I don't use it that my shadow doesn't stay on as well.

For a $5 primer, this Wet N Wild Coverall Primer is pretty awesome. I have been using this consistently and I really have noticed a difference in how well my makeup stays on. I actually prefer this to another high end primer I have been trying.

Mommy & Me Monday: Date Night with Cam

Cameron and I went to see The Secret Life of Pets movie last week. He had been dying to see it and was so excited when the time finally came to go. We had snacks and he got to see Chloe (the cat), which was what he was most excited for. We definitely need to do little outings like this more often with just the two of us. I enjoyed spending this time with him, it was so much fun and The Secret Life of Pets movie was super cute. I would recommend it to everyone. 

Linking up at Mommy & Me Monday over at Really, Are You Serious?

You Two

I love watching my son and step daughter together. I just had to scrapbook this photo of the two of them!! They have such a special sibling relationship and friendship. M is always watching out for Cam and being so helpful toward him. She treats him just like an older sister would a younger brother. Their relationship is so much better and just MORE than I ever could've imagined it being.

St. Louis Zoo Trip & Tips

We had another great trip to the St. Louis Zoo recently! It is seriously one of my favorite places to take our kids. We always have so much fun. We are actually zoo members and really love it. We get free passes to different places inside the zoo including the train. 

We've learned a lot since we started taking these trips. Here are some of our top tips!

#1 Take a backpack!
This is an absolute must for us. J takes a backpack and then I take one of the string backpacks as well. They especially come in handy when you are purchasing souvenirs as you go along. We collect pennies (which I am writing about soon), but there are also various gift shops throughout the zoo which have items other than the main gift shops. We have a spending allowance for souvenirs when we go (the kids know this), and they are allowed to purchase from other shops as long as it's in the budget. But ain't nobody want to carry that souvenir around the whole zoo! Enter the backpacks - we just put whatever is purchased in there and carry on. We also keep snacks and drinks in the big backpack which brings me to my next tip...

#2 Pack your own snacks!
The first time we ate at the zoo, we ran behind on time because of construction traffic (so tired of road construction, can I get an AMEN?!). We got to the zoo right at noon and ended up starving so we had to eat at the cafe. We had budgeted for that this trip, but since we learned how expensive it actually was there, we pack our own lunch, snacks and drinks. We actually have two of the Zoo sipper cups and you can get them refilled for a lower price than a normal drink at the zoo. We planned on picnicing in Forest Park, but that didn't work out because TRAFFIC!!! Which brings me to my next point...

#3 Get there EARLY!!

Getting five people out of the house?? The struggle is REAL, you guys!! The last trip we actually got out of the door at a decent hour, but we still should've left earlier. It was prime time for everyone else to get there and it took forever for us to find a parking place because we kept getting guided to overflow lots. Very frustrating for everyone involved. Take it from me and leave earlier than you think you need to!

#4 See the sea lion show!
This is a must! Even though our kids have seen it more than once, they still love it. Also, this is a great time to bust out some of those snacks you packed and rest your legs. It's a win for everyone!!

#5 Ride the train!
If you go to the zoo, you have to ride the train! You will see areas of the zoo you can't see from anywhere else. It's a blast. We rode it with the kids for the first time last time and they had such a blast. We rode it all the way around the park. You can go stop-to-stop or just ride the whole thing all the way around. I got my best photo ever of a tiger from the train!

Normally it is an all day affair and we close down the zoo when we go. It is so much fun though and we have made so many great memories with the kids. We've never had to wait a long time for anything either except the train. We waited about 15-20 minutes to board it.

Have you been to the STL Zoo? What else should I know for next time, if so? Let me know below!

School Supply Shopping On A Budget

Tis the season!! It's time to get those school supplies again. How did we get to the end of the summer already?!

As the mom/step-mom, I'm always the one that buys all three kids' school supplies in our house. Sometimes I have to ask for help because some years it gets a little ridiculous ($$$). This year, it turns out that it's not too bad, but let's be honest we are all on some sort of budget.

Here are my top tips for school supply shopping on a budget:

1. Shop early!
The early bird gets the worm. I started my school shopping a few weeks after the supplies were out, but about 6 weeks before school started. This means you get first pick of ALL supplies because no one else is shopping yet. When I went to Target, there was only one other Mom in the whole school supply section. Get out there, y'all!!!

2. Cartwheel!
I used the Target Cartwheel app this year to get some good deals also. I took advantage of a coupon they had where if you purchased $25 in supplies, you got a $5 gift card!

3. Check the ads! This seems like a no-brainer, I know, BUT you have to check the ads weekly. Some stores have better deals than others on different weeks. If you are seriously on a budget, you have to check the ads. I know it seems like a lot of work (ain't nobody got time for all of that!! at least I don't), but I was able to get Crayola crayons for 50% off at Dollar General recently by doing this. And when you have three kids to purchase for, these savings really add up!!

4. Dollar stores aren't always best.
This goes along with the above - the dollar stores don't always have the best deals! Some products are a steal for a dollar, but I actually had more success shopping at Walmart or Target. I found the supplies there were normally way under a dollar (except for pencil pouches).

5. Make sure the school supply list is right. 
This is kind of joking, but also kind of true. I had my step-son's school supplies completely purchased... OR SO I THOUGHT!!! Until a teacher let me know via Facebook that we had the wrong list. Well, that was the list they sent with the registration information so I figured it was accurate but apparently not. Real life?!!!!

What is the best school supply shopping tip you have??

June ipsy Bag Review

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but my name is Laura and I am a closet beauty freak. I love all kinds of makeup and beauty products. I could spend so. damn. much. money in Ulta, IF I was allowed to.

I had more than a few friends that were subscribing to ipsy and I just couldn't resist it any longer - I subscribed a few months ago! My first bag was the May bag. I may do a review on it just so I can talk about the products and show you the bag because it was AMAZING. It's one of my favorites and I keep it at work with a backup makeup kit in case I have an issue during the day.

BUT this review is about the June glam bag. I'm not really a fan of this bag's design - I'm not a graffiti type of gal really, but I could totally see how this would be popular. (I am currently using this bag though - I use it at work to store lady products in.)

First thing in the line up is my Urban Decay Fireball eye shadow. The info on this shadow says "is it pink or is it coral?" and honestly I have no idea, BUT I LOVE IT. I have green/hazel eyes and it looks so good. I totally see this working for anyone. It's not quite as bright as in my photo. Trust me, it is gorgeous on. I'm not sure if I would repurchase it because it's $19 and I don't know if I love it $19 worth, but I will use this until it's GONE y'all.

Next up is the hey Honey 24Seven Day & Night Moisturizing Cream. I am loving this right now! I wish the sample was bigger, but alas! This is ipsy and it's not. This retails for $38. I am considering purchasing this with my ipsy discount code because I'm in the market for a new moisturizer and it seems to be a pretty safe product (more on what I consider a "safe product" another time). And because I love how it feels! I really like this one.

Next up is Formula X nail polish in Wing Woman. I liked this polish, but I found it took a few coats before you couldn't see through it. I'm not making a lot of time for nails these days, so it was a bit more effort than I wanted to put in but I do like it and it does last on my toes.

Seraphine Botanicals blush in Happy Hibiscus is up next. They claim this is a highly pigmented product and it really is! I hardly have to use any, and I am absolutely in love with the fact that it is 99% natural. It is something I feel totally safe using and the color looks great on my fair skin. It retails for $18. I'm not sure if I will purchase this again, but I am planning on comparing it with another natural blush and we'll see what happens.

Last but not least.... Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray is a dream come true. I really love this spray! It makes the waves really come out in my hair. I'm not sure if I would re-purchase this because I have a curl cream I really love already, but I love these type of sprays. I snapped this while sitting in a parking lot on my lunch one day because I was IN LOVE with my hair when I used it.

So that is my official review of my June ipsy bag! I plan on doing another review of July's bag once I've used the products a few more weeks. I just got that bag the other day (LOVING the bag itself). What did you get in your last ipsy bag?? (Whether it be June, July, January, who cares!! I want to know!!)

Disclaimer: There is one referral link in this post and that is to the ipsy sign up. If you sign up, I do get some rewards for it. All opinions are my own and there are no other affiliate links in this post. The rest are purely for your shopping pleasure.

Cam's DIY Boy Cat-Themed Birthday Party

This year, Cameron asked for a cat themed birthday party. I wasn't exactly sure at first how I was going to do that. I was really expecting to have an Avengers party. We went over his past themes before we settled on this one:

1. Fish theme
2. Cars theme
3. Thomas theme
4. Angry Birds theme
5. Ninja turtle theme
6. Ninja theme

Obviously normally it is whatever he is into at the moment and also normally a licensed birthday theme (lol!). This was not exactly a normal request for a 7-year-old boy, but I decided if that was what he wanted, that's what we were going to do so I go to work!!

First, I knew we needed decor. I found a template for this awesome banner here and go to work. I just used construction paper from Dollar Tree and some string I already had on hand. I purchased the letter stickers from Hobby Lobby.

Next, I got to work on figuring out the decor and favors. I wanted there to be a few small items for the few kids we had coming to take home with them. 

I ended up purchasing a few cat toys at Walmart to put along with the centerpiece and I also went to work gluing yarn on Styrofoam balls I found at Walmart. (The Styrofoam balls I found at Walmart were cheaper than the ones I found in the craft section.) I also got my yarn (except for the ivory yarn I already had on hand) at Walmart. I had an idea to put them in a small hurricane vase from Dollar Tree. 

I also picked up some cat food dishes from Dollar Tree to use for decor. I ended up finding some really cute cat figurines, paw print balloons, and the paw print stamps at an online store called Party Palooza. Best price I found, and they shipped pretty quickly. (I apologize for how yellow-ish these photos are. Wrong white balance setting on my new camera. lol)

The kids didn't end up taking any of the favors, but I think that is due to the fact that they are older than Cam. They might've just though they were decor also. Wasn't a priority that day to make sure all the favors were gone. :)

I normally get Cam a special shirt to wear on his birthday and I really wanted to do that again this year since I skipped it last year. The one I purchased from SiblingSpecialtees was purr-fect (as Cam would say!). It did fade a bit when I washed it even though I followed the directions that came with it, but it still looked great for his day. Here he is with it on... this is one of his new go-to "smile" faces...

When Cam and I first starting planning his birthday he saw cat photo booth props that he really wanted me to buy from the Printable Prop Shop on Etsy. So I did and planned out how we could have a photo booth. I just used a yellow plastic table cloth and taped paw prints to it. I got wooden rods at Walmart (BIG shopping trip to Walmart was involved here lol) in the craft section and just used a piece of regular Scotch tape on the back of the props.

The day of his party, it was super humid and rainy so we had to improvise and have the photo booth inside. Not ideal at all but it worked out fine and everyone thought it was super cute! 

I happened to be super busy the week of Cam's party, so I asked my Mom if she would make Cam's cake. She did and it was based on this pin on Pinterest. It turned out very cute and Cam loved it! And I loved my Mom for making it. Brought back the days when she'd pull out all the stops to make me some awesome cakes (but that's a story for another day!). 

M, my step daughter, is super artsy, so I asked her to draw a picture on our little white board.

My stepson, C, wanted to draw Cam a picture so we put this up on the fridge for decor also. :)

I am posting this in hopes that it can help someone else. Every post I saw online for just a regular cat birthday (NOT Dr. Seuss or Pete the Cat) was for girls. It's cool that boys like cats too and I hope this helps someone else plan a perfect cat party for their son also. (If that's you, be sure leave me a comment!!)

Date Night Scrapbook Pages

(Photos from 2015)

I have been busy in the scrapbook room lately. Trying to scrapbook all of the giant container of photos I've had printed for Project Life and our scrapbook. Since I graduated from school, I have had time to actually scrapbook and it's been awesome!! The page above is from a mini golf date night we had, and the page below is from a date night when we went to a local concert. Not a fantastic photo of it, but I love the layout in person. 

(Photos from 2014.)

One of the things I make sure we do occasionally is go on dates still. I think it's so important to keep "dating" your spouse even after you are married. I absolutely still need that alone time with him even though we have kids 24/7. (I also make time for myself in the scrap room - also important! ;)

#8

Last weekend I ran in the Go St. Louis 5K. It was a great experience and I'm super proud of myself because I jogged the whole thing! It's my first time in my 4 years of running to do that. This was my eighth 5K. I was pretty nervous about it overall, but I was 'in the zone' that day and that was everything. By the time I reached mile #2, I wasn't letting myself stop!!

I changed how I trained for this one and it paid off. Instead of running on tracks, I ran around our property. I was able to figure out one lap around the property was 0.25 miles. So I ran and ran and ran for the weeks leading up to my 5K. Sometimes the weather forced me inside on the treadmill, which I hated every second of, but I did it.

While I ran around the property, I was able to take some awesome photos. I ran either in the morning or the evening so there was some excellent lighting. I even had a running buddy...

My walking/running buddy, Loki. He goes about 3 laps and then he has to take a break. 😻☺️

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:04pm PDT

3.1 miles. 🙌 I wouldn't say I'm ready, but 1.5 in I decided might as well go the whole way! #run #5k #gostlouis

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Apr 5, 2016 at 5:50pm PDT

Morning walk/run. I'd rather always run outside even if that means a lot of hills and uneven terrain. Last workouts before my first 5K in a year and a half this weekend.

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Apr 4, 2016 at 6:32am PDT

My next 5K is coming up and I'm excited for it. I'm just hoping to beat my last time of 42:24.

A photo posted by Laura Menser (@lauramenser) on Apr 9, 2016 at 7:06am PDT

Spring Light

I snapped this photo the other day from my deck before going to work. I noticed how pretty the light looked coming through the trees and had to snap it!

A lot of the trees are starting to bloom here in IL, and some of the flowers have been coming out too. I'm loving it! Now if it can just warm up a little more - it is a little chilly here this weekend!

Linking up at Photo Friday today.

Hippo Love

Last year when we went to the zoo Cameron just loved the Hippos! I never expected him to be so obsessed with them, so I had to document it for his scrapbook.

I mostly used the Bella Blvd Zoo Crew Collection Kit to create this page, along with a graph Project Life 3x4 journaling card that I cut down to fit. The alpha is this one from Ali Edwards and the chipboard I had on hand already.

Open House

Last Wednesday, we went to Cameron's school's open house. He begged me to come so I promised I would. I also invited my mom, and his dad came along as well. 

Kindergarten has been a struggle for Cam. He has really had a tough time transitioning to his new school from the private pre-school he used to go to. He missed his friends and didn't know any of the teachers. He has had a lot of behavioral problems, even though he is thriving as far as academics go. His grades are perfect, yet his behavior - not so much! We have tried SO MANY things. Things from lists on the table reminding him what to do to pictures of him making a "be quiet" face taped to the table. Recently, his teacher has allowed him to bring a small stuffed tiger to school. He seems to be doing really well with his tiger as his companion and is focusing much better recently.

He was having issues socially too early in the year. And just when it seemed like he had found a good friend, the one good friend moved. It's been exhausting trying to keep him on track. Finally, we decided it would be a good idea if he went weekly to visit the behavior/social counselor once a week. It seems to have helped him and he is slowly warming up to this new group of kids. (Just in time for school to be out in a few months! I hope some of his friends are in his first grade class!)

Finally, it seems we are having somewhat of a breakthrough with him. Transitions of any kind have always been hard for Cam so I wasn't surprised, but I was surprised at how long it took for him to accept this new school and all the new people. 

At the open house it was so good to meet everyone Cameron interacts with, besides his primary teacher. One of my favorite visits was with his librarian. That boy has a deep love for books, and I just love that. When I was young, I loved going to the library and checking out books, and I'm so happy he shares that same passion. His librarian said "boy, he sure does love cats". Oh yes, he sure does. She told us all about his library routine and how great he does at story time. 

It seems we are on the downhill side of this new school transition. Here's hoping the upcoming spring break doesn't completely throw us off!

Linking up with Mommy & Me Monday at Really, Are You Serious?

Today

I'm taking Ali Edwards' class Storytelling with Project Life right now, and this week has given me so many ideas! I decided to document our day today here on my blog so I can use this post later on for a page or in our Project Life.

Today we...

...spent time apart while M went to a girl scout event, and the boys and I stayed home.
...birdwatched since I refilled the bird feeder last night. (I had to refill it again this afternoon!)
...grilled out and had hamburgers and hot dogs. They were so good.
...went outside and enjoyed the AWESOME weather.
...played horseshoes just for fun.
...played with the dogs and jumped on the trampoline.
...took turns riding the 4 wheeler with Jer.
...spent time petting and playing with the cats. Loki was especially lovable today.
...used walkie talkies while playing outside (the boys).
...chilled out watching TV.
...ate tacos for dinner together (J+L).
...did the dishes because they were so darn many.
...just enjoyed spending time together.