Day 59 Work hard, play hard, eat yummy stuff

Day 58 Fancy fun with a view

Day 57 stocking up and jamming out

Day 56 Quality time

Today I got a special treat. I got to hang out with my Brookie. We went shopping. We got lunch.  We talked and laughed and I loved every minute of it. I just love hanging out with this beautiful girl! 

In the afternoon, the younger kids and I had a little bit of time to kill before Hailey's dance class, so we looked for a park to visit. We ended up finding a state forest nearby and went exploring for a little while. 

The weather was cool and comfortable. There was no one around.  We drove through mud puddles. The kids ran and explored. I got to use an outhouse.  It was fun! 

 We even found a heart made of pine needles that someone else had left us and everyone loved it. ❤️

These cute shirts say it best, my kids are gonna be my friends, forever. 

Day 55 Pancakes and Pardi

Luckily, I have a fun daughter who taught me about international pancake day! Brooke picked up Hailey from school and I picked up Cameron and we met at IHOP for free pancakes!

We were do excited to eat pancakes,I forgot to get a picture of us. Boo. But I got a picture of how much we enjoyed the pancakes!

After Brooke went to work, the kids and I met John at Baytowne for a Mardi Gras celebration. While we were waiting for it to start, we looked up a little history about Mardi Gras.... 

 Mardi Gras is just French for Fat Tuesday.  I literally had no idea! It's called Fat Tuesday because it's the day before Ash Wednesday when people give things up for Lent! They get all fat on rich foods and party a whole bunch, because starting on Ash Wednesday they can't do those things for a month until Easter. . . .I feel so informed now.

So, since the kids and I indulged on pancakes for free pancake Day at IHOP,  on Fat Tuesday, we will be giving up pancakes until Easter, for Lent. ... Maybe. 😁

When a French explorer settled in Louisiana, in the 1600s, he had a little party, get together, because it was fat Tuesday back in France, and that became the beginning of Mardi Gras in North America.