the (sometimes) lazy days of summer

Ahh, summer vacation. No real schedule, no real routine. Sounds like a personal nightmare of mine but I embrace it. The kids are home with me and I embrace it. The good times full of laughter, smiles and relaxed sighs of content. And the not so good times...the sibling squabbles, the bad attitudes and the signs of frustration. This too shall end. Summer is coming to a close and pretty soon my littles will be in school. And I will miss their voices mid-day in the house, their giggles and yes, even having to intervene in another sibling square-off.

Summer, where did you go?

A quick trip to the ocean

The kids and I went for a quick trip to Bethany Beach this past week just to partake in some good ol'fashioned ocean fun before school starts in another week. There was a sunset over the bay, crab dip, boardwalk ice cream and miniature golf. Doesn't get more traditional ocean fun than that for us!

Boardwalk Kohr Bros is SO yummy!

My mom surprised the kids for the day too and we all went to Assateague Island which was a first for the kids and lots of fun. We checked off another state park visited!

We lucked out with endless blue skies

And after driving by and critiquing all the miniature golf stops Ocean City, MD has to offer, we finally settled on one and had a lot of fun. There was a lot of noise from our tiny group of four, especially after Sofia nabbed a hole in one!

Picture perfect sunset on the bay

A visit to Padre Pio

The kids and I spent two nights in the tiny hilltop town of San Giovanni Rotondo to visit the church of Padre Pio. Padre Pio is sort of the patron saint of Puglia and seeing how our kids go to Catholic School and their family also comes from Puglia, I loved getting to introduce them to this town and the story.

We left the main highway and found ourselves within hills and then we slowly - very slowly mind you as we have individuals in the car that are prone to being car-sick - very slowly, wind our way around the hills until we came upon our destination. Our hotel was amazing with a cool loft room that the kids thought was out of this world and great views of the valley below.

Olivia had broken a religious bracelet while still in the US, but she brought it with her anyway. She left it on the hand of Padre Pio in one of the churches we visited and replaced her bracelet with another from the same church. She was so happy and insisted I take a photo. There it is below on his right hand.

After visiting a couple churches we took a walk up maybe 200 steps through a nature preserve that is dedicated to a monastery. This nature preserve is intended for visitors to recite the rosary quietly as they wind their way through the park. There were signs everywhere to not use loud voices which is interesting when coaxing three kids up 200 steps. They did their best and no one seemed offended by us.

View from the top. Well worth the climb. 

My pensive little man. Hopefully taking in the view but probably wondering why is mommy makes him walk up 200 steps. 

Once we ventured down through the preserve and took in the statues dedicated to each station of the cross, we came upon this gentleman playing the violin. We were so taken with him, Mario gave him some coins.

Taking a break, sitting in the piazza of the Santa Maria della Grazie.

Outside the Santuario of Padre Pio, compared to the other churches in town dedicated to the saint, this one resembles a hockey stadium. Incredibly big and very modern design.

The mosaics in the basement of the sanctuary were very impressive though and we walked the basement halls a few times to take them all in.

Inside the crypt where Padre Pio is laid to rest, also all mosaic art.

No matter how big or small, I love taking adventures with my family. The kids enjoy it (most of the time anyway) and I think there's something exciting about calling our activities adventures. Makes us seem like explorers or pirates discovering new lands. For all the griping of "are we there yet?" to "I'm hungry, I need to go to the bathroom, It's hot/cold," I love it all and in the end have made a new memory for them.

making pasta memories

Each year on our summer trip to Italia, we make homemade pasta. The tradition began when Sofia was young and Olivia just a baby and my mom making the pasta for our Sunday lunch, probably the most important meal of the week. Later both girls would be sitting with her, rolling out the dough and using dull knives of their own to form out an orecchiette. Mario has since joined in and enjoys eating the dough and making a couple of the pasta shapes to call how own too.

All three enjoy the process with Nonna Lisa from watching her prepare her big wooden board, mixing and kneading the dough to them pulling up a chair to the "table" to begin their work. Of course, they enjoy when the pasta is cooked and we're seated around the table eating all their hard work too.

Olivia is a perfectionist when it comes to making orecchiette. The pasta, which is shaped like a tiny ear, has to look just so to sit alongside Nonna's pasta. There is some frustration on her part in the beginning but she catches on fast and is on her way to making the most adorable orecchiette ever. 

Mario is happy to just be with them at the board getting his hands in the dough. He takes little pieces for himself to eat raw and then continues in his "work" alongwith the ladies.

Sofia will name all the pieces as their being made. Some are chewy, spicy, sweet and then of course, perfect. The perfect ones are usually the names reserved for the ones Nonna has made.

So happy I have these memories for my kids. I made pasta with my own Nonna many years ago and those memories always bring a smile to my face. My Nonna could roll out the dough faster than I could, scoop out perfect looking orecchiette with little effort and still slide a piece of raw dough to me every once in awhile.

This is 40

I celebrated my 40th birthday this weekend. The weekend began with a day out with the kids to the aquarium, followed by some down time at the pool and then dinner out with a girlfriend celebrating my last dinner in my 30s. I threw in a vinyasa yoga class, some light pampering and dinner out in the city with just us and the kids. I like to celebrate with a wide range of activities.

I have been thinking about this number for awhile. When I was younger and heard of a family friend that turned 40 or was in their 40s, I was always struck by how mature or sophisticated they seemed. Looking within myself, I don't think I'm either all that mature or sophisticated. I suppose just not in the way I define the word at least. I think I need a new definition of those words.