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Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday


Today peaches and blueberries were on sale at the store. So we made peach and blueberry cobbler.
 It was the right thing to do.
 Today we went to the park and played outdoors.
 My tile floors are never clean anymore because of all the running in and out.
 The kids are eating us out of house and home, but I am not ready to send them back to school yet! Talk to me at the end of next month :)

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

More Summer


There is a great spot outside of the library that is shaded by trees. It is grassy and there are a few big rocks that are perfect for sitting on or posing on.
 Max was at the library's paper airplane workshop so he did not take part in our fun.

 Zackary has turned into a big rubber band bracelet fan, just like his brother.
 Mia has been insisting that she needed goggles for swimming. She wore them all day long yesterday after we bought them, and then forgot to take them to swim lessons this morning.

 Today we visited a new park.
 It was a gorgeous day.
 We loved the big fields that the park had to offer and played some ball.


 It was nice to be out in the sunshine. We want to go back tomorrow!


Saturday, June 21, 2014

Birthday

 It's my birthday! To celebrate I woke up early and bought donuts for everyone! Well...to celebrate I excused myself from making breakfast and took a break from dishes :)
 I got to watch my favorite Saturday morning Food Network shows and then there were presents.
 Mini cast iron skillets from my Mom in law.
I am so excited to use these! They will be perfect for individual skillet cookies or crisps.
 Who wants to come over for dinner??
Ty got me a couple of cookbooks that have been on my list for a while.
 I now have about 50 things on my must make list.
Ty and I are going out to our favorite burger place for dinner tonight. We even have a babysitter so we get to go by ourselves! It is turning out to be a great day!
Friday, June 20, 2014

Friday


1. Max woke up this morning and immediately wished me a happy birthday. I stopped and thought, "Is it my birthday!?" No....my birthday is tomorrow. Max was one day early, but I haven't thought about my birthday at all!
I guess I should make myself a cake or something.
This ice cream cake looks awesome and easy!


2. The kids have had 2 weeks of swim lessons and everyone is having a blast. I am starting to see some real improvement in Zackary. He has worked so hard each day. He is always on task and trying to do exactly what his teacher asks of him. He is a great little guy.

3. I took the kids to the library this morning and there were about 5 million people there. I guess we arrived right in the middle of some sort of activity. My non social children and I all just stood there not knowing what to do. Even Zoey stayed right with us. When we were finally able to move, we quickly grabbed a bunch of books and left immediately. We decided Friday mornings at the library need to be avoided.

4. Zoey was up at 5 am this morning. I saw her little pink painted fingernails peeking under the door to my workout room. I let her watch Curious George and drink chocolate milk until the older kids woke up. 

5. Ty is working late tonight. We have already eaten all of the watermelon so who knows what I will feed the kids for dinner. That is summer level motivation for you.


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Entertaining the Kiddos


I spent the past two summers planning and preparing for each new day. I sometimes put together a theme for the day based on a book. It was an awful lot of work, and honestly was not always successful.
This summer has been very different. I planned nothing.

It may seem that we were doomed for a very boring summer, but honestly, so far we have had the best summer ever.

I did sign the kids up for swim lessons. They are 5 days a week at 9:00 am. That has been a great start to each day. A little sunshine and exercise works wonders!

I mentioned that we have been at the library almost daily. I have never appreciated the free books and movies so much! Not to mention the other programs the library has going on.
 Yesterday Max was able to attend the Robot-A-Thon class at the library. He used the motor from an electric toothbrush to power his robot.
 He loves being creative and he had a great time.

I have not ruled out television....I don't encourage it excessively, but I think we have fun with it. Our new favorite show is Peg + Cat on PBS Kids.
I record it daily and we can watch it when we have a little downtime. It is creative enough that I can watch it with the kids and enjoy it!

Popsicles. One word and yet so much fun! We can take popsicles in the front yard and sit on the porch swing. It is an event in itself. It usually leads to a good amount of outside play as well.

At the beginning of summer I bought new markers and lots of paper. Even though we go through a ridiculous amount of glue and tape, I still encourage crafting.

Chores. This summer the kids have been in charge of watering the berries in the backyard. For some reason they all love this chore and everyone runs outside to participate. Getting the mail from the mail box is equally exciting.


My goal this summer was to have fun while keeping things simple and not spending a lot of money. I have been more relaxed and so have the kids. 
I love this quote by Elder Perry

The point is, my kids are entertained by simple things that I can do with them at home for the most part. We don't have to spend a ton of money or plan for days to create happy memories.





Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Tuesday Things


1. I had decided that today was going to be the day I start eating better to get ready for summer. Since summer officially begins on Saturday......and then I saw THIS ice cream
Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream from Yammie's Noshery :)
Maybe I can wait one more day!

2. I drove the kids out to Palm Springs yesterday so that we could all have lunch with Ty. I packed a little picnic and we met Ty at an outdoor patio. The kids loved seeing their dad mid day. We would love to do it again once or twice this summer.

3. Max had his fist ever orthodontist visit today. I was super impressed with the office and the orthodontist. Max did great and they were able to answer a lot of our questions. It looks like Max's smile won't cost quite a million dollars, but it will cost something!

4. I took the kids to the Fresh and Easy grocery store today. They only have self chekout and DIY bagging. I let the kids do all the bagging for me while I rang everything up. There were some very interesting in bag combinations!

5. When my alarm went off this morning I had no idea what day it was or why my alarm was going off. It took me just a few minutes to get my head together, but those few minutes are so hard!

Happy Tuesday!
Monday, June 16, 2014

Father's Day

 We had a great Father's Day weekend! The kids gave Ty his cards and gifts first thing in the morning on Sunday. My favorite part of any holiday is watching the primary children sing in sacrament meeting. After church we drove up to my parent's house in Forest Falls for a barbeque and a little wandering.
 It was a beautiful day! Just perfect for throwing rocks into the creek.
 It was so nice to spend the day together and play!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Friday


Happy Friday!

1. This weekend it's all about the dads! Ty will be working today and Saturday but he will be home on Sunday, well after church on Sunday....and then we will celebrate!
I have been working to get my mind in gear for Father's Day this year. I love love LOVE THIS video
I also listened to THIS podcast yesterday. It is all about Fathers in Zion and I really appreciated it. Also....I loved THIS story about a father who raised 8 missionary sons.

2. We are just over one week into summer vacation and we are completely out of popsicles! The kids have been enjoying them on the front porch swing at least once a day. We are headed to the store later today to restock.

3. Speaking of frozen treats! I have been loving healthier versions of traditional summer sweets this year.
I am keeping the freezer stocked with them. (The kids are loving them too!)

4. The library has really been a fantastic resource for us this summer. We have stopped by almost daily to restock our reading supply and to grab a few movies. We have been reading outside on a blanket in the yard. It is a great way to spend some quiet time together. 

5. Ty has been working kind of constantly. Around 70 hours a week for a while now! We are doing pretty well, but I am not cooking as much as I should be! When I am just feeding the kids it can be so tempting to just pick up a $5 pizza!

6. Yesterday afternoon, after the Father's Day shopping, we stopped at our nearby park. We were the only ones there! I got to sit in the shade of a tree while the kids played. It was pretty blissful!

Have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 12, 2014

This and That

 I saw this little meme on lds.org this morning.
I love having a little spiritual lift to start the day!

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I had a big crafting party.
 I pulled all sorts of tools and supplies out of our cupboards and pantry.
 The kids got creative and they had a great time.
 It kept them busy for quite a while too!
 I had a big bag of big marshmallows leftover from the Father/Son Campout a few weekends ago.
 We put them to good use!
 I used to roast marshmallows over the stove all the time when I was in college!
It was an important life skill for them to learn.

We have a lot going on today! Swim lessons this morning, another trip to the library, making granola, shopping for Father's Day gifts, and Ty will be home for dinner! (A first this week.)

Have an awesome Thursday!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Summer so far


1. We have been at the pool each morning for swim lessons.
Max and Mia are in the more advanced class and Zackary is in the beginners class.
 Zoey is watching with me from the sidelines and handling it very well!

 2.  The kids all had dentist appointments. Everyone did great. Even Zoey! I take the kids to a pediatric dental office in Redlands. There are televisions on the ceilings so the kids can watch movies during their cleanings!
Everyone got great reports except for.....Max.
Poor Max. He has a million dollar mouth. At least it means more trips to the prize box for him!

3. Reading.
I told Max and Mia I would pay them $1 for every chapter book they read this summer. (I know it's not a lot, but it is a good incentive for them!) We have been to the library twice already this week. Max has earned $2 and Mia is on her way to earning her first :)

4. I have been enjoying my very favorite salad.
Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, Shredded Sharp Cheddar.....all topped off with Onion Rings! It is so good. I made it last night for dinner and I am planning on eating it again tonight.

5. There hasn't been much baking going on at our house. I have been trying to keep the house cool, but tomorrow is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day! I think I will need to make THESE:

It has been a great summer so far. I am looking forward to the rest of it!
Happy Wednesday!