My kids have been taking turns as only children this summer. Olivia was invited to the Keys by the Black family and came back tan and happy. She was able to tube, jet ski, snuba dive and play in the water. I think her favorite part was where she and two other 14 year olds would get on the jet ski and take it wherever they wanted, she loved when Colton (the driver) would jump waves and spin the machine around. Olivia is so lucky to have great friends that take her on vacations with them.

Simon is currently in North Carolina with Julia and her family. They are staying in a cabin and are making day trips all over the state. Yesterday they went to a place where you could jump off waterfalls and slide down rocks, Simon said it was incredible and even took a video of himself doing it. He’s enjoying his vacation with Julia, the two of them are inseparable and I don’t think either of them could have handled her being gone for a week.

Tommy is working for the local newspaper in Columbia this summer, he is writing for the sports page. This is a new type of writing for him, but he is doing a fantastic job and even scored the front page of the sports section on Sunday!!!! He moves into his fall apartment next week, he will be going from living with 8 guys to just one other roommate. I think he’s looking forward to the peace and quiet that only 2 guys can make. He’s also working two telemarketing jobs this summer, one is collecting debts and the other is asking for $ for the alumni association. He’s been so busy all summer, but usually calls me daily on his walk home between jobs.

Seriously? This is the list of symptoms signaling Menopause. I’ve had most of these on and off my entire life, I think I’m in trouble!
LIST OF THE 34 MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS

Common Symptoms
1. Hot Flashes
2. Night Sweats
3. Irregular Periods
4. Loss of Libido
5. Vaginal Dryness
6. Mood Swings

Changes
7. Fatigue
8. Hair Loss
9. Sleep Disorders
10. Difficulty Concentrating
11. Memory Lapses
12. Dizziness
13. Weight Gain
14. Incontinence
15. Bloating
16. Allergies
17. Brittle Nails
18. Changes in Odor
19. Irregular Heartbeat
20. Depression
21. Anxiety
22. Irritability
23. Panic Disorder

Pains
24. Breast Pain
25. Headaches
26. Joint Pain
27. Burning Tongue
28. Electric Shocks
29. Digestive Problems
30. Gum Problems
31. Muscle Tension
32. Itchy Skin
33. Tingling Extremities

Others
34. Osteoporosis

I’m in the ’summertime rut’! Have you ever experienced this? It’s where you have no reason to get up in the morning and so you sleep waaay too long, putter around the house, eventually do some chores, make dinner, clean up and do it all over again the next day. This has been my life the last week or so, but yesterday something changed. I woke up early, like 7 (gasp) and thought “hmm I need to go potty”, the next thing I know I was sitting on the floor next to our bed. (we have a high wooden bed) My back was hurting along with the back of my right arm and my head was throbbing. Tom was standing over me asking it I was okay. I sat there stunned for another few minuets (Tom had gone back to bed very quickly ) before getting up. I went into the bathroom and examined the scratch on the back of my arm, it didn’t look too bad. I went back to bed….for hours…to recover. Today my back has a gorgeous raspberry mark the size of a small tangerine and the back of my arm has a purple/red and blue bruise. My pride is bruised and I thank God no one saw me go down, not sure if I fainted or what, but I don’t want to repeat that one anytime soon.

Saturday we are hosting Olivia’s 14th birthday party!!! It’s a Luau themed party. Tom asked tonight why I can’t just throw a party without a theme, need I remind him this is the first themed party I’ve thrown in ages!!!! I hit up the local dollar store and purchased some awesome decor to make the pool deck look like a Hawaiian tropical getaway. I also purchases some hanging thingies that will bow in the wind and look cool, at least I hope they do. I got enough leis so each kid can have one. I’ve been trying to come up with some indoor games, in case it rains, like it does every day here! I’m doing chicken nuggets and homemade mac and cheese for dinner and hauling out the chocolate fountain for dessert. I think I’ll have Tom dust off the drink machine and whip up some nummy virgin drinks! (maybe mummy might add a little sumthin to hers) I really can’t believe Olivia is turning 14, I remember bringing her home from the hospital on July 4th 1996 and it seems like it was yesterday. Her and I sat in the rocking chair and enjoyed our mother/daughter bond. We still love laying in bed together and holding hands as we fall asleep. I hope she never grows out of that!

I’ve been so neglectful these past weeks, I’ve been a little overwhelmed with writing about Simon’s graduation and so I’ve been putting it off.

Simon’s grad party was a huge success!
Our family was so honored and touched by the many people that stopped by to congratulate Simon. He’s enjoyed getting cards and well wishes from all over the country, so thank you! We had a lot of family in town and Simon was able to have his 3 grandmothers and 2 grandpas there to watch him graduate. The ceremony was nice and the fireworks at the end were spectacular! Simon looked handsome in his cap and gown and was quite weighed down by all of his awards around his neck.
After the ceremony we had a lunch for the family and then that night Simon and his friends headed to Wet n Wild for an all night grad party. I worked the check in and was lucky to be back home and in bed by 1 am. Simon and his friends headed back to our home at 5 am and slept until 11:30, I woke them up to chocolate chip and sprinkle pancakes.
Simon then spent every night for the next 4-5 days going to grad parties. He’s now slowed down and is working daily at the college with Tom.

Monday night we all headed up to Gainesville for Simon’s Fall Preview, this is where we learned all about being Gators. The traditions and spirit are rich at Florida and we are all proud to say Go Gators. Simon got his schedule set, roommates and his move in date of Aug 18th. We spent 2 days in Gainesville and look forward to many more trips north!

This week marks Simon’s last week of high school, and of course me being me, I’ve done some thinking about my little man….hence I made a list dedicated to Simon

Simon is:
working on his eagle scout project
a future Gator
an amazingly brilliant student, except for a few classes this last quarter lol
like his mom, his mouth gets him in trouble
generous
messy
the best boyfriend ever, ask Julia’s grandma
remembering to take his daily Crohns medicine
an outdoorsman
going camping this summer
excited about his college roommate
a good friend
an excellent big brother
proud that he doesn’t care what others think
constantly marching to the beat of his own drum
a musician
a high school grad
a boy who prefers to have his head shaved
a person who carries all of his extra clothes with him in his car, just in case
a gardner
funny
one of those kids you just don’t have to worry about, he makes good decisions
fearless
my son, and I am so proud of him

CHICKEN BELLAGIO

FOR THE GARLIC BASIL PESTO:
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed (I used the herb mix that is found in the produce section that comes in a tube that looks like toothpaste)
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

FOR THE PROTEIN:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, (I used cutlets so I didn’t have to pound the chicken flat)
4 slices Prosciutto, room temperature

FOR THE BREADING:
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. oregano

FOR FRYING:
4 Tbsp. olive oil or enough to coat bottom of pan with 1/4 in. of oil

FOR THE PASTA:
1 lb pasta, (I used the fresh pasta so that it cooked quickly and I could plate everything at once)
2 Tbsp. garlic pesto sauce

FOR THE PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE:
1 cup half and half
3 Tbsp. garlic pesto sauce
1/3 cup Parmsan-Reggiano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

FOR THE SALAD/GARNISH:
1 cup washed arugula
half a cup of shredded or grated fresh parmigiana regianno

To prepare the garlic basil pesto, add all of the ingredients for the pesto to a food processor and pulse until well blended; set aside.

Pound out the chicken breasts one at a time in between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a ziploc bag until flattened out evenly.

In a bowl, mix salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley into the bread crumbs to season.
Dip chicken in the beaten egg, and then into the seasoned bread crumbs mix. Coat completely flipping the breasts over a few times to completely coat. Refrigerate the breasts on a plate for 15 minutes, uncovered, to get the seasoned bread crumbs to really stick. Remove the Prosciutto from the fridge and allow to reach room temperature for ease of separation.

5Boil the pasta in salted water until done, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low until needed.

To prep the parmesan cream sauce, add half and half to a saute pan and bring the cream to a simmer, and incorporate the basil pesto. Add salt and white pepper to taste, and as it begins to thicken, add the parmesan cheese and stir vigorously to incorporate it. Continue to stir until it thickens more. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat a non stick or well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium low to medium heat. Add olive oil and fry the breasts on the first side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, dip each slice of Prosciutto into the hot oil for 10 to 15 seconds, and then place on each chicken breast (2 for each breast, overlapped).Place on plate in oven to keep warm.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. (I chose to plate each person’s meal separately, it gives it a restaurant look and you are making sure each person gets all of the flavors) Mix in garlic basil pesto. Place the pasta on a plate. Pour some of the cream sauce over the pasta. Add the chicken breasts with the Prosciutto slices facing upwards. Top the breasts with more cream sauce. Top with arugula. Drizzle the arugula with some extra virgin olive oil.

Yesterday was a busy day, Olivia had her 8th grade dance last night and Simon had his band banquet. Somehow I was able to make it to both events and take pictures.

Olivia spent the day getting ready and having her makeup done; her old cheer coach came by and did if for her. Once she was ready we headed up to Lake Monroe up in Sanford for the pre dance picture get together. We spent over an hour taking pictures and admiring how gorgeous the kids were. I dropped a car full of kids off at the dance and drove like a maniac to Simon’s band banquet 20 miles away. The ballroom was decorated amazingly and each graduating senior had a table dedicated to them with some of their favorite things. Simon’s table was all about the Florida Gators and had balloons and a gift basket for him to take home. Simon received his letter in band and was also awarded a special award by the band teacher. The banquet was fun, but seriously 5 1/2 hours????????? I finally picked Olivia and McKenzie up at midnight from the after party and made it home. What a day!

Olivia is participating in a cheer video and yesterday was the first day of filming.

Olivia and McKenzie

McKenzie, Olivia and Alyse after 8 hours!

Olivia will be 14 soon and I can’t believe how quickly the years have flown by. Yesterday we went shoe shopping for her first pair of high heels, she is going to the semi formal 8th grade dance next week and didn’t have the right shoes. Every pair she tried on seemed to be “hooker heels” as I like to call them. I was told in no uncertain terms that, “just because you can’t walk in high heels doesn’t mean I can’t”. Ouch, okay I guess I deserved that, I don’t have much call for high heels in my simple life of being a mom and student. As she teetered across the floor in the shoe store she told me she’d be wearing the shoes for the next week, and that she’d even vacuum and swiffer in them. Not only am I going to hold her to this, I’m also going to be there when she falls, with a camera!

Olivia is hosting her first boy/girl party this weekend and I’m getting prepped for it! I’ve decided the easiest thing to fix is hamburgers and hotdogs, no sides, just chips. I’ve done so many parties and had so much leftover food, that I have to keep reminding myself that kids have pretty basic needs. They want some kind of main food, something crunchy (chips) and something cold (soda/water) to wash everything down. I’m also making the cookie recipe I posted earlier this week and confetti squares.

Confetti Squares
1 large box fruity pebbles
1 large bag marshmallows
1 stick butter

Melt butter and marshmallows in pan, turn off heat and add fruity pebbles. Press into a greased 9×13 pan. Watch out, these get gobbled up quickly!

This time I’m going to double the recipe and add a box of fruit loops to the mix, something different to keep them on their toes.

The plan is to play cookout, pool volleyball and rockband. I haven’t met too many of Olivia’s school friends, other than her cheer teammates, so I’m looking forward to this. Tom and Simon both have other plans and so they won’t be here to “horribly embarrass” Olivia. (for some reason brothers have a way of doing this, and dads have the potential to embarrass.