#beachseason and a kid update

Hey Y'all! Lately I've been pretty quiet when it comes to blogging. Is there anything you have missed hearing about or reading from this space? The people get what the people want, so let me know and maybe you'll be the one to inject some wind into this blogger's sails.

Jude...
is crawling and has 5 teeth. FIVE TEETH. He still refuses a bottle so I'm his primary source of nutrition and he occasionally bites me. Let's just say it is not the most fun.

Ben...
just turned 3! We celebrated his big day with a Cousin Birthday Bash celebrating both he and his big cousin Molly who turned 5. One of my sister's and my better ideas if I do say so myself.

Britain...
gives us a run for our money DAILY. The other night as I was tucking her in I told her, "Britain God loves you so much.  God loves you more than anyone else." (As in, no one loves you like God loves you...) She responded, "God loves me more than Elijah!? And more than Ben? And more than...YOU?!" (As in...I knew it!) It appears she gets her confidence from her mama.


Elijah...
is almost finished with Kindergarten! He reads without groaning now - which is major progress. He's into skateboarding and karate moves (of his own invention). We're currently planning to keep him at home for first grade next year because this homeschool thing has been awesome thus far.

B Daddy...
is working hard to feed the Squirt's skating obsession. The two of us are hoping to take a parents-only trip to Costa Rica at the end of the year and apparently skateboarding is good training for surfing.

{This is where a picture of me would go if I had any. Number of pictures of me taken in the last two months - 0. Numbers of pictures of kids and/or husband - 36.}

Me Myself and I...
am determined to drop the last 5 pounds of kid weight. Or as Britain told a friend this week, "Mom still has a liiiiittle bit of a belly." I'm on my second week of eating oatmeal, egg whites and spinach and so far it hasn't been horrible. Hoping my body responds quickly and I only have to do this for a few weeks. The gym is also kicking my tail which helps. And on days I can't get to the gym, B Daddy joins me for a little Kayla Itsines bikini body workout...that guy is gonna look great in his bikini this summer. ;)

I leave you with another Master Meal recipe (because it's Friday and currently I am into TOTAL RANDOMNESS). This quick summer dinner just so happens to fit into a bikini body diet plan. You know, just in case #beachseason is a concern for you too.

Ground Turkey Lettuce Cups - Ready in 20 minutes, Serves 4 
via Ladies in Navy 

1 lb lean ground turkey
3 carrots (shredded)
1 bunch green onions (diced)
20-30 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil (could sub sesame or coconut oil)
Head of iceberg lettuce

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute until it smells yummy, then add meat to the pan with half of the soy sauce and sugar.  Brown meat about 10 minutes. Once browned, drain the meat and return to pan. Add the remaining soy sauce and sugar, chopped basil, carrots and green onions. Stir together for about a minute and remove from heat. (You don't want to cook the veggies totally through.)

Serve with wedges of lettuce to wrap it up in. We like ours with a drizzle of sriracha. Unless you're cutting out all carbs, you'll probably want some brown rice (cuz you're healthy like that) to serve alongside.

P.S. For more of our go-to family dinners, follow my Master Meals Pinterest board. I'm always updating it with tried and true, family-friendly, easy to make weeknight meals.