Saturday was a tough day for me, but yesterday made up for it. Was VERY nice.

**Dh made the meal he learned in his cooking class. It wasn't necessarily Indian restaurant stuff, but it was delish. Different, but good.

We had Minted Basmati Rice Pulao with baby potatoes, spicy caulifower with braised tomato, gingered chickpea salad, and date & raisin chutney.

He was also going to make pistachio fudge, but changed his mind at the last minute. Just difficult/time consuming.

I figured the kids wouldn't eat anything. The rice came out way too spicy.

The chicpea salad had a strange test but the kids didn't care. They LOVED it. They just love chickpeas, and the strange taste didn't deter them. I like it, just thought it would be much for them.

Veggies - I will eat any veggie cooked Indian style. Didn't have a lot of spice - but was just GOOD. Unlike plain veggies.

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Oh, and we have been trying some Greek meals and buying pitas at the store. & well, they just SUCK. So anyway, we have something VERY exciting. A NEW Indian grocery store in our neighborhood. Dh went to check it out and was skeptical if they would have naan, but he tried. They did, in the freezer section. & it was actually REALLY good. Screw the pitas, we're switching to naan.

Anyway, dh is trying to learn homestyle Indian cooking, but I will probably go by the store and pick up some sauces. I am in heaven. Just give me the sauce - can smother it on everything.

I hope they can stay in business. The businesses around here seem to open and then close down before you can blink. *sigh*

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This week we are getting grapes, tomatoes, melon, arugula, pears, cherry tomatoes, peaches and peppers, from the farm. I am very pleased.

Seems a lot less veggies. But I found a couple of very interesting recipes for arugula.

The preschool LOVES cherry tomatoes so I will pass those off to them.

Dh may make some salsa with the tomatoes. I am sure he will find something. & the peppers, we'll find something. We love peppers.

I think my body is in shock. My diet has been significantly more varied lately. Getting better on the fruits and veggies.

We have SO MUCH food too. I wondered if dh was going overboard on trying recipes for all these veggies from last time, and trying this Indian feast, etc., etc. But we have only spent $300 on groceries this month and we have food through next week (PLENTY!!!!!!!). So I feel like we have been eating like kings, eating better, and our grocery bill is somehow lower. It's just weird. I can't explain it.

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Yesterday I playes MArio KArt and Mario PArty for the first time. That's actually what we spent the morning doing. They got me hooked now. I had avoided it, but it was really fun. Best of all, all the stuff (controllers, games, mic, etc.) were essentially free. Thanks to dh.

LM was better than I - he's had some practice I can see. LOL.

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We took the kids swimming before lunch. LM is actually getting a little brave in the water.

& the kids wanted to go to the track in the evening. So they just had a blast. BM decided the track is more fun than the pool. They are just weird like that.

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Oh yeah, and we even practiced bike riding with BM. Dh took off his training wheels and we were running back and forth in front of the house.

OMG, dh tired out quickly so I offered to help.

I almost died. What a workout. I told dh if I made a pass or 2 with BM every night I would lose some weight, for sure. What an insane workout. It was more holding him up and running then anything. Once he gets more balance of his own, should be better. I got a little too winded though. Dh too.

Anyway, he did well.

This is LM. He was trying his tricycle and he kept stomping his feet and having a fit when it was difficult. & lots of screaming and crying. That is so totally LM. HE is only 3 but he has always been rather stubborn and impatient.

This is BM. HE was giggling like a loon the entire time. He didn't care how hard it was, he was just having the time of his life.

But yeah, BM did rather well. I have no idea how long it will take for him to get it down. But seeing his friends ride their bikes, we figured it was time.

We actually went on a hike last weekend that was a popular bike path in the area. So I told BM I would take him there when he gets solid on his bike. I don't have a bike, but I will find one. I used to do much bike riding with my dad. He may even have a spare bike I can borrow/have. Or we may peruse Craigslist and get some bikes. Dh is not into biking, so I figure it is something we can do. & the weather is getting nicer anyway (less hot)...

I've always been kind of dissapointed with the flat lands of Sacramento. BAck home we would bike into the hills, was just SO fun. But we could bike from our front door to a variety of interesting landscapes. Here, it is just flat. But the more hikes we seek out the more bike spots we find. It is a bit of a pain to have to drive to them all, but I feel better this is a hobby I can revisit with the kids when they are older. I like hill riding. You bust your butt to get to the top, and then you coast all the way down. What a high. You get all that working out endorphins with the joy of "flying" down the hill. So it is something I miss.

Which reminds me I can always take BM on some of those bike rides back in San Jose too. So exciting! In a couple of years...

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Anyway, with the way August has been going, we are VERY broke. I have no complaints though. I think we have found plenty "free" activities to keep us busy.