summer break is back!

Summer break is a long awaited experience for this family. My daughter has already been off for TWO weeks! She has already built up tan lines and burn lines, bike rides, day swims at the local pool, night swims and sleepovers at a friend's pool, shopping, and all the things. My only request is that one day a week we do what I want to do and I get a heads up instead of last minute plans. The summer bucket list has been created and tickets have been purchased. We are off to a great start. 

We got a family pool pass to the local pool. She also has a friend who has a trampoline at one house and a pool at the other. Lucky for me, BOTH houses are a bike ride away! Due to the small size of our town, convenience and fun are around every corner. I also don't have to run an Uber business to make it happen.

I, on the other hand, have only been on summer break for one week. I think my body has finally remembered how to pause and relax. I have gone swimming, shopping, to a movie, lots of walking the dog, binging shows, and to-do lists. I agreed to clean something, read something, and craft something daily. The rules are loose, but it keeps me busy and ensures I don't waste this precious gift called break, especially when my high schooler still loves me and wants me around!

Yesterday I spent some time in the basement going through our "garage sale" pile. I looked up local charities and matched what we have with what they need. I now have 6 boxes to distribute throughout Rockford to animals, people, and charities that need our old stuff more. I consider that crafting because it was a creative way to get rid of things and make sure our family is green. 

Other items on the summer list are lots of music. Playlists for swim, craft, bike, or home time are a must. Games every week ensure we use what we have and stay together. Last night we hosted a game night and played the horsey game. Even my daughter participated. Who knew how fun rolling the dice and moving some horses could be?! 

I hope everyone's summer breaks are filled with laughter and memories. I hope you stay safe and have fun. I hope you experience sunrise, sunset, and everything in between with renewed spirit and hope. May your ice always stay cold and you get the best snuggles when the day winds down. And if you play games, may the Playlist rock the house and may you win! 

mixing and matching experiences...

There are many occasions we experience in a big group. There are also experiences that are better suited for smaller groups. It kind of depends on a personal preference. One year we had a sleepover with all the friend groups: cousins, camping, sports, school, and OH BOY. It went great, fortunately, but it very easily may not have. 

We like to hang out with friends and do things, but just like matching an outfit, you have to match the friend to the event. We found out last year one of my daughter's friends doesn't know how to swim, so she doesn't get invited to the pool with us. And rightfully so! They do tons of other things together to have fun! Those girls paint and make slime EVERY time they're together. And other kids? They hate slime, so we bake, shop or watch movies. It's just a simple matching game of fun. 

Today we decided at the very last minute to have some water fun. I gave a list of suggestions on who to invite and my kid flat out said, "No. I just want to invite E. She loves water and we have had so much fun this summer. Please don't invite anyone else. I want her all to myself." Uh, perfect!!! And guess what?

Those girls are having a blast, laughing and enjoying. Everyone helped with sunscreen and snacks. No one is fighting for attention. No one got the bad seat in the car or is being ignored. My kid is wise beyond her years! 

Yes, groups are fun. Big or small, having fun with friends is fun. But on the water is different. Now we have to think about safety and sun, too. My kid knows when she wants to go all out or just pay one friend attention for the day. And no one's feelings are hurt. No one is disregarded. She just sees them on separate days for separate events and spreads out the fun!

I love this. I really do. It spreads things around. Summer never gets stale. I can slowly take in the moments instead of getting anxious, doing head counts, and scolding my kid for ignoring others. I am not constantly cleaning up after large groups or preparing gobs of food for larger groups. 

Summer equals fun. Summer equals memories. Summer equals experiences. Summer equals laughter. And if you try to cram it all in, then sometimes you get overtired kids who are overstimulated and overwhelmed. No thank you 😀

farewell old traditions, hello teen Christmas years!

This year christmas break feels a little bit different. It will continue to do this, I am sure, as my kid grows up and becomes her own person. We took down the Advent calendar because she has aged out of it. We talked about not having to go sing carols. We move the elf when little kids are coming over, but even the elf is just a traditional formality.

Stockings are still hung. Presents are wrapped with bright labels and bows. There are a few things I refuse to give up yet: walking the lights at Sinnissippi gardens, a full blown pj day with movies and snacks, and baking. The rest just doesn't bring all the feels like it used to. We have already checked off all 3 of my non negotiable winter break fun activities, so we are on the right track.

Yesterday we sat in our pjs most of the day and read books, played games, made Chex Mix, and binged Netflix. I changed from pjs to jeans for a few hours so we could head out for some indoor mini putt, but then it was right back home to fresh pjs and more lazy fun. The rest was appreciated and welcomed. Since we live so close to town, a walk to DeeDee's coffee shop for cocoa is always an easy way to support local and get some fresh air. Two little kids I know got a Grinch themed cocoa with a smile in town.

Then we pulled out the games we insist on keeping, yet never play. Sometimes, the slow lazy days are the best ones. I have some fresh snowmen in my yard, a stack of games on the table for down time, and a list of baking to get to. That sounds like a good time, if I do say so myself. Breaking away from what we knew to explore the older, more mature holiday options is actually quite nice. And I have a second set of eyes, hands, and wrapping partner now.

As weird as it is to not force her to smile next to Santa or throw glitter and oatmeal in the yard for those dang reindeer, now we are content knowing she got her turn and it's time to share that love with the younger kids. We have enough Littles in our life that we are okay with it. I will take my cocoa/pj/game day any day of the week knowing it means I am with my family and we will laugh, play, and enjoy the time together. Time for newer and better traditions. It's finally time to just sit back and watch the fun unfold naturally instead of forcing smiles, forcing myself out of bed to move the dang elf, and forcing what we "have" to do instead of what we GET to do.

Bring on the games and cocoa. Bring on the pjs. Bring on the family fun days. Farewell glitter. Farewell elf. Farewell stress of trying to make it all perfect. True perfection lies in happiness and I am a very happy, very content mama.

trying to embrace the traditions

There are certain things that we are outgrowing in this household. We have a very well stocked craft room, for example, that no longer sees as much love. Gone are the days of junk journals, scrapbooks, coloring, sewing, and all things girly. It's okay, for now. Aging brings progressing and my little teenager has progressed into a lovely child who crafts less and wants to hang out more.

Gone also are a lot of the cutesy holiday traditions. We have not colored Easter eggs, painted them, or decorated them in at least 2 years. We still have egg hunts, but it's the decorative plastic eggs or the ones filled with fun directly from her Easter basket. That's okay, too. That one always confused me. How did we get from the true meaning of Easter to a bunny to egg hiding? 

No longer do elves hide on shelves for us, either. We do get him out from time to time and hide him from each other. She now enjoys hiding our elf before smaller children come over, so they can laugh at whatever shenanigans our elf is up to. Passing on the joy is part of the fun. We enjoy that part now. 

On to Halloween. Our little town hosts a Main Street trick-or-treat complete with a party and we outgrew that about 2 years ago. Now she trick-or-treats with friends and I pick her up with just enough time to spare to watch her trick-or-treat at 2 amazingly decorated houses on our street before it ends. This one hit me in all the feels. For 3 years now she has gone to a friend's and years 1 and 2, mom and dad trailed behind at a safe distance. Last year they walked the neighborhood alone. 

Halloween has never been my favorite. I appreciate the costumes and decor, but ehhh. Not my thing. I enjoy creating my daughter's costumes and for a while, she would let me go as her matching pair. That was the best. We were Ariel and Irsula. We were Gamora and Groot. We were Alice and the white Rabbit. We were Wonder Woman and Super Woman.

Now that is gone, too. So no matching costumes, trick-or-treats, and no party. Even the pumpkins got the shaft! Last year's pumpkin sat on the porch until it rotted because it was supposed to get painted and never was. Same with the year before. It has been almost 3 years since she willingly carved a pumpkin.

Insert: younger cousins! They wanted pumpkins, they went and got them. She actually enjoyed carving this pumpkin until it came to the goo part in the middle. She says EW to the goo. But she created a design and carved it all by herself. So not all is lost in the land of wonderment and childhood. I have hope yet 😀

we got a family safety app

We got the Life 360 app so that we could originally keep track of our teenager once he got a job. It gave us peace of mind to know he was being safe. It is a free app and easy to use. There's not much effort to it. Even someone like me can figure it out!

Once the teenager became a man and moved out, we stopped using the app. As fun as it is to track my husband, it's really not. We both work, camp, and hang out with friends. Not a ton of traveling without one another. Although it would be fun to track our dog, I don't think they offer that!

Now that we have a new teenager in the house, we are back to Life 360. This time it is to make sure she gets off the bus safely. It is to make sure the bus gets her to school safely. It is to double check she is at her sleepover/practice/fun night with friends. I feel much better with this extra piece of technology keeping our family in the know.

HOWEVER... that kid is keeping tabs on US! I love it. I will randomly get a text, "Where are you heading?" And I know she has checked the app. Somehow she is always ready and waiting for me to pick her up at the gym. Somehow she always knows when I am almost home so she can have the next round of, "I was wondering..." or "Is it okay if...". 

I am guessing someone turned on notifications or checks her phone too much. I use my app in an appropriate mama bear manner for safety and I don't get obnoxious with it. Either way, this free app works for us. Safety first and I appreciate the ease of feeling safe. Even in our cute little small town, you just never know. And if she feels like she is sneaky and one up-ing me by keeping tabs, then so be it. She likes it and she feels included. WIN! 

family fun at the zoo

I don't know what it is about animals, but they are fascinating. They are magestic. They bring families together for a lovely day out. They provoke smiles and conversations (my favorites!). They are just fun.

Our lovely local library had end of summer giveaways and my kid and I each won family passes to the Brookfield Zoo. We invited a few different people to go and ended up with a rag tag group heading into Brookfield, IL. It was our first trip there, so we left early with plenty of snacks, drinks, sunscreen, road trip games, and battery life in our phones.

Despite the day being September 30th, it was really warm outside! We laughed and walked and saw all the animals. The zoo was lovely. It was set up so that each animal felt more at home in nature with natural looking habitats and enclosures. I would highly recommend this zoo for anyone willing to make the drive.

We even did our good deed and gave away our last free ticket to a family who wanted it. We had an extra. Since there's only so much room in my car, that means one less seat to fill so one extra ticket left. I hope I never get to old for a day at the zoo. AND I hope my daughter always finds joy in family time, nature, and the outdoors.

one little jug does so much!

Our favorite drink has become a trusty container for fun. Last year our 2021 goal was to be more grateful. A few times a month we would write a comment or two on scrap paper and drop them in there. It was especially nice when we were having a rough day to step back and see the bigger picture. It enouraged the power of positivity. 

On New Year's day we dumped the container and lined them up. Then we read them out loud. It was a short little activity on our lazy day at home. It was nice to hear some ideas for the first time or to reminisce on the fun that we wrote about. We were able to find out what the other one of us appreciated the most.

Now our huge container became a coin jar for the yearly coin challenge. We have done this one before. Each day of the year gets a numerical value. January 1st is 1 cent. December 31st is 365 cents. Each day you put that amount of change in the jar. 

At the end of the year you end up with just over $600. Since my short person wanted to do this, she is in charge of it. And, as promised, she gets to decide how we spend the money. Fingers crossed she chooses wisely! Whatever it is, we will definitely have fun. 

It is funny how one jug of punch became something that encourages family time. Whether we are being grateful or using math, being positive or counting coins, it is all stuff we can do together with little effort. And in these cold weather months, it all counts! 

be grateful you get to be here

As you prepare the hot dishes and make your last minute preparations, don't forget about those that won't get the opportunity. I felt guilty about no Christmas cards. For about 5 minutes! I prepped for good behavior, the perfect gifts and lots of tasty food. We cleaned and booked and prepared. We baked and did the advent calendars.

Then we started doing our charity work. How many dogs are in the shelters? How many hats and blankets can we crochet for the homeless? Are soldiers getting gifts and love? Cue the commercials of soldiers overseas sending their love home. Cue the tears.

So very grateful for our military relatives and all they have sacrificed. Hoping everyone gets to be with their loved ones this season. As I prepare to spend time with my own family this weekend, I send peace and love to everyone, but especially military families. My military roots are pulling at my heart strings a bit extra right now. Always proud and appreciative to have been a part of the biggest and greatest family ever.

The season, be aware. Be grateful. Be blessed. Be present! Happy holidays!

tis the season for some baking

When the weather gets cold and you have some time with your favorite little baker, you pull out the recipes from the family cookbook. Shortly after I got married, I asked family members to give me some recipes they love. I was able to get recipes all 4 sides of the family and put them in a little recipe box. We don't use the recipes often, but it's fun to see the names at the tops. We love to make recipes that make us think of our family.

Fast forward to now. We pulled oatmeal chocolate chip cookies out of the box. It is so nice being able to share a hobby with my little lady. This hobby is tasty and doesn't require much money or effort. It teaches patience and paying attention.

Little does everyone else realize, baking teaches math. A lot of math! We worked through the recipe and cut it in half, so there were lots of fractions. So you get bonding, hobbies, family nostalgia, and math. I win!

If we make small batches at a time, we can have freshly baked goods on the counter daily. Do we need them? Nope. Do we care? Nope! Here's three cheers to cookies, families, and memories!

wise words while we are cooped up

One of my good friends posted this the other day and it gave me SO much to think about. My family is good during the quarantine. We are warm, healthy, fed, clean, and still all getting along! That's a lot to ask for, but we are managing this experience with creativity, grace,  and extra patience. 

Some things to think about before we start complaining... Not every kid is warm, safe, happy, and fed. Schools are giving out sack lunches, but not everyone is picking them up. Students have access to e-learning but they may be babysitting or stressed or unsure of what to do.

Some people lost work, some people gained work and others are working at home while navigating e-learning, cooking, cleaning, etc. Some people's lives are unchanged and some people's lives got rocked. Either way, as weird as it sounds we are all in this together.

I am trying to make sure that whatever happens, my family stays as strong as ever so that when we finally get re-released in the wild, we are helpful and respectful members of society and not reminiscent of wild animals. I want my daughter to remember this time in history when we banned together to learn new recipes, try new foods, experience new ways to communicate, work on schooling, and adjust expectations. I want these memories to remind her that together, we can do anything and we managed to stay IN the house for 5 weeks without bloodshed :) 

Now is a great time to work on smiles and memories, remembering the little things, and starting new traditions so that when your family does get a break from one another, they will have a whole new mindset and respect for one another!

creating new traditions

I am a day late, but Happy Easter! I hope everyone was able to have a quarantine Easter of good faith, family, and fun. This was a year of firsts for us in so many ways! 

We made salt dough eggs and painted those instead of coloring actual eggs. My daughter never wants to color eggs and, of course, this year she asked! The salt dough gave us hours of fun and creativity in painting. Now I will have them for years to come.  

Also, for the first time ever we watched online mass. It was fun getting all dressed up with full hair and makeup, then watching mass from our bedroom. We were able to watch Youtube clip for kids about Jesus on the cross and I felt that made a bigger impact for us than sitting and listening to a sermon.

I would say the best part of my day was being able to see my family. We have taught our family how to video chat, so using filters and being able to chat outside in the beautiful weather definitely helped make the day better!

We hid the plastic eggs outside and timed ourselves trying to find them. We had 17 eggs and 2 minutes. We each took turns hiding the eggs and my daughter just laughed and laughed. When she said that was the best part of the day, I knew we had won the Quarantine Easter battle.

Things were different, but we were together. We were clean, fed, and happy. We are all healthy. We had love, laughter, and good desserts. We had sunshine and made memories. That's really all I can ask for on any given year. 

It will never be about the baskets, the gifts, and the frills. My favorite part of Easter is the mass with the story of WHY we have Easter. The brunch afterwards is another favorite but this year we made do with a smorgasbord of food throughout the day. 

The point is, we focused on the reason for the season. We focused on family and faith and fun. This will definitely be one of my most memorable Easters yet because of that. Slowing down and focusing on us is maybe what we all need to do from time to time and if it takes a quarantine to realize that, then so be it.

music and kids

Listening to music is easy when your kid is small. You pop in some cutesy CD you got and sing along. Fast forward 5 years later when the music is on your last nerve and your kid actually understands the lyrics on the radio. You have to get a bit more selective. We use google play and they have a whole section to choose from on moods. We chose family time for our game night and I must say, they kept the hits coming! Ultimate family party was the best, but I didn't listen to them all. Trying to keep them young while they're young isn't always easy but picking safe music is :)