The Saturday 7

1. I started reading The Boxcar Children to the girls at night before bed. We're only 3 or 4 chapters in, but it's kind of blowing my mind. Who are these mysterious children with remarkable survival skills? How do they stay so optimistic in the face of adversity? Why aren't they more worried about their future? Are they ever going to go to school? Aren't people going to start asking questions about why Henry keeps appearing in town looking for odd jobs? Don't they get hungry on a diet of blueberries and milk? Do they live in a cold climate? What's going to happen when winter comes? What happened to their parents? Why did they think to pack a "cake of soap?" What kind of kid packs a bar of soap when running away? Is this how kids thought/acted in the 20s? My girls are not nearly as concerned as I am about these children . . .

2. I think I mentioned that we had a YouTube-free summer. I was feeling convicted about how much the girls were watching and the slippery slope of what was acceptable for their ages, so I outlawed it all summer (hoping they'd forget about it - haha). But they started begging for it again as soon as school started, so I re-instated it with some stricter rules. They're not allowed to have the app on their tablets - only my computer or the TV. And they're only allowed to watch the channels I subscribed to for them. Most of the time they watch Family Fun Pack - which is a vlog, but it's all about the 5 young kids in the family. I've watched many with the girls and it's totally innocent stuff. The other channel they're obsessed with is Kelli Maple. She plays with Baby Alive dolls and has these elaborate scenarios that she acts out. I actually don't mind my girls watching her, because they're inspired to create their own imaginary adventures with their own dolls. They play babies for hours sometimes. I love it.

3. Levi mastered clapping his hands and sitting up this week, at just shy of 7 months old. And he finally had his "6 month" doctor appointment. He's 15 lbs. 9 oz. (9%) and 25.5" tall (3%). The doctor was very happy with his weight gain, and impressed with his clapping skills. Apparently most kids don't start clapping until 9 months+ (#prodigy). She gave me some remedies for his terrible constipation that has cropped up since we started baby food. And he got 4 immunizations - which messed him up for the rest of the week. The kid just stopped sleeping. I don't even understand how he functions. He wakes up every 2 hours all night, screams for a while, I nurse him, he screams some more, falls asleep for an hour or 2, then does it again. And he suddenly stopped napping too. I finally got him to sleep on me yesterday, but we are not going to make a habit out of that. Oy. I'm exhausted.

4. I'm a little bit discouraged that my new depression meds don't seem to be doing much. Maybe I'm expecting too much from them, but I don't feel any different. In fact, I actually had kind of a rough week. I was extremely irritable all week. And I just feel lethargic. Like I can't do anything. I'm hoping a lot of that has to do with sleep deprivation. I'm also hoping it just takes a while for the Zoloft to start making a difference, and happiness is on the horizon for me.

5. I made a few good meals this week. I was looking for a recipe with meatballs and came across this one for sliders. It was so easy and delicious. I even added spinach for a modicum of healthiness.

Food photography is not my calling. Lol.

And then I made this spread:

Actually, the meat was all leftovers from a friend that I just warmed up in the oven. But I made that beautiful salad and pan-fried potatoes for the first time in my life. I was so proud of myself. I even added onion, garlic, salt, and pepper without a recipe. This is a big deal, people.

My new obsession is "hash." Diced potatoes, eggs, sausage, peppers, and onions. This week, I found a pre-made package at Daily Deals for $3. I just had to add the eggs. Win!

Justin said he could eat this once a week. We just might do that!

6. Here comes a sad one . . . I think I need to take a facebook fast. Ugh. I've just been convicted lately that all I do is stare at my screens. I do the bare minimum for parenting and housekeeping, but spend hours scrolling through facebook. And it just makes me angry. I can't handle the politics, and I'm so sick of everyone's opinions on every hot button issue of the day. I have major FOMO (fear of missing out), but I think it'll be good for me. I think I'll take the rest of September off and come back in time to start sharing my "Write 31" blog posts for October.

7. And now for this week in pictures:

Little stud and blue-girl

Little multi-tasking mommy

The only reason to look forward to cooler weather is the chance to get out some of Levi's adorable cool-weather outfits.

Snapchats from Lena. Lol.

Foggy morning beauty on the way to school. 

Adventures with food

Apple

Um, Hitler?