Han-or-ama

Summer holds so much magic for me. From an early age, I came to understand that summer time meant being outside, playing foursquare in the cul-de-sac, heart beating out of my chest at the sound of the ice cream truck [I only have one memory of actually purchasing from said truck however haha] hands scratched and covered in sticky juice while enjoying raspberries right off the bush, but mostly soaking up sun alongside the concrete neighbourhood pool. We swam endlessly and tirelessly, loving every moment amidst the din of giggles, laughter, shouts, and conversations.

This past week we embarked on a family vacation, and most of our time was spent in the pool. Eli brought his trunks to us daily, bobbing up and down with excitement before the word 'pool' even crossed our lips. Darius made breakthrough after breakthrough with his swimming, charging through the barriers of fear he had previously established, and plunging into the water! Here is a little recount of the swimming adventures had by my sweet man-o:

"my swimming adventure was awesome! I wish I could be in han-or-ama again! I love papa so much and wish we could swim all day together!My jumps are amazing and awesome! I love my jumps and wish I could do them again! Swimming underwater feels so good! My favourite part about swimming underwater was when I swam across the pool and did dives into the water! I even got $5!! I am an Olympic swimmer and do great Olympic dives!"

Darius was non stop action in the pool, and inspired his brother to blow bubbles, dunk his head, and even jump off the side of the pool! Here's a little photo recap of the swimming adventures in 'han-or-ama' [I love the way he pronounces that haha!] We loved our time with Papa Aquaman and Karen, cousin Ayden, and all the aunts and uncles that were able to steal time away along with us! We love you guys!

Vacation Fare

When you think of "vacation" or "road trip" food, what comes to mind? Greasy, heavy, too rich foods are typical (hello Munchin' Mix, Cheetos, and nightly desserts!) but this was not so on our adventure. We packed a cooler of snacks for the road, including baby carrots, sugar snap peas, cherries, Cookie dough bites, Cliff bars, and Fruit Source bars. Then, our week in San Diego was made all the more enjoyable with fabulous home cooked food (and some meals provided by Trader Joe's.) If you're looking for some dinner hour inspiration, here's a look at some of the meals we enjoyed during the week:


Sunday: Mexican Inspired Salad, and Chocolate Mousse
Monday:Cornbread Quiche
Tuesday: All Bean Chili for lunch, then Pizza, watermelon, and a Green Salad for supper
Wednesday: Chinese Food
Thursday: Chocolate French Toast (breakfast), and Felafel's for Supper
Friday: Lasagna, a fabulous rice salad (will share with you soon) and the most AMAZING garlic toast ever even though it was rather crisp from too much time under the broiler ha!

I hope these ideas help you out this week. Seriously, I would recreate any and all of these meals, oh and I'd also recreate tonight's delicious salad even with my liberal alterations to the linked recipe.

What do you like to eat on vacation? Do you prefer to cook while away from home? Or do you long for a break from the kitchen?