the mom car

You might be a mom if you have some interesting contraptions in your backseat. We got our trusty Jeep car organizer from a garage sale. It holds all the fun for a short drive or a cross country extravaganza. And it has adjustable snaps so I can't even feel it while I drive. Even though she's much older now, I feel confident knowing books, drawing, and other activities are a fingertip away. This helps prevent the dreaded screen addiction and car sickness from too much screen time.

We got the gray bucket at Goodwill. It was too cute to pass up. It has now become a snack bin for any day of the week or any purpose. Drinks and snacks go on one side and garbage goes on the other. It can be wiped out or washed if needed. No, we are no longer in the juice box phase. However, we go to her gym a lot and snacks are always welcome for anyone stuck in the backseat or needing something extra before practice.

She's already 12. We are closer to teens than toddlers. Yet, I keep finding better solutions and better ideas for life simple problems. The newest Taylor Swift song keeps rolling through my head. It's me, HI, I'm the problem it's (NOT) me :) No one goes bored or hungry in my car and I have all the snack stains to prove it...

ice day, snow day, fun day!

Another day home from school means another day to plan some fun! We slept in and then created a tour de casa so we had something fun to do in each room of the house. We had fun collaborating on what to do. The kitchen is our sweet spot, so we decided to create some beignets. I think Princess Tiana would be pleased 😀

Den- PE (aka Twister)

Kitchen- Science (make beignets)

Computer room- Math (start a puzzle)

Living room- Language Arts (aka watch a movie and discuss)

Her room- Health (spa stuff)

My room- Study hall (Play a game)

She enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. It was a nice break from her e-learning and I can only do so much laundry! I could probably craft all day every day, but even I needed a break from my current project.

the best midwest plans include snuggles

After an amazing and fun weekend, it was time for some downtime tonight. I had three choices for movies and the little lady chose Leap Year starring Amy Adams. It is a cutsie movie about a girl trying to propose to her boyfriend while in Ireland. It's just an easy watch that you don't have to explain or be embarrassed about watching. Every once in a while, you just need an easy, enjoyable movie that is NOT on Disney+ or a sci-fi.

We grabbed pillows and blankets and actually put phones down for a mother-daughter snuggle. When the lights got too bright we turned on the astronaut light she got for Christmas. It was perfect mood lighting. Perfect rest. A perfect end to a great weekend.

Every once in awhile the stars aline and the plans fall into place perfectly. We couldn't have tried to have a better family fun weekend! And to end it with snuggles from my pre-teen who isn't too cool for me quite yet... I am lucky. This chilly weather adds even more reasons for snuggles, so I guess I can say I am even grateful for the chill if it gives me the warm blankets and biggest snuggles.

it's Clue 2.0

The 80s and 90s are back, ya'll!!! Someone I know got a Walmart giftcard and used it to buy Clue. She acted shocked and amazed that I have heard of the game. And played it. AND seen the movie!

A $10 giftcard and a $10.88 game. Well worth the dollar I fished out of my wallet. We brewed some hot beverages and played the inaugural round. Then Friday we played as a family. Minus the graphics, it is just as I remember! Everyone now looks fancy. The rooms have better decor and the clue cards are more entertaining, but still the same!

I am so glad that we have a kid who plays games. She plays card games, board games, and (on occasion) video games. She is always down for some friendly competition. And She loves nostalgia. This includes retro games. 

I say it's Miss Scarlett in the dining room, with a candlestick!

getting organized

Huge thanks to Marie Kondo, Tiny Home Nation, and The Home Edit for getting my kid hooked on organization! We love those Netflix shows and actually have some great new storage ideas because of them. We are pretty organized anyways, but going through all the little places no one looks made us realize we could do better. It didn't cost much. It simply took some time to find matching bins/containers.

The linen closet now has all matching baskets. Our closets have all matching hangers. The coat closet has bins for gloves, scarves and hats. The junk drawers have tiny baskets for all that junk. Even the pantry got sorted. 

She actually asked for clear, small bins to put in her bathroom drawers. Thank you, Amazon! She even asked for under drawer storage. Also an easy Amazon purchase. Anything that makes clean up faster and easier is a good purchase!

The after.

Totally worth it!

plants might be the sign of good times!

We got a Christmas cactus 14 years ago. It was huge and pretty, but didn't flower a lot. Then we moved and it flowered almost 6 months of the year. Once 2021 hit, the plant stopped flowering. It was kind of an ironic and sad reflection of how the world was going. 

Last year it started dying. It was the weirdest thing ever. The same lighting, same water, same watering routine. I began to think it was another reflection of how the year was going. I tried everything to save it.

I can't grow anything. I have a black thumb. BUT this plant was symbolic of our new home and new careers in a new town, so it meant something. And for 14 years I had kept it safe and not killed it. We ended up splitting up the huge plant into small little starter plants and sharing them.

My four small plants are safe and well. They are something my daughter and I can tend to together. We check on each other's plants and remind each other to water weekly. My daughter was excited to have a starter plant in her room that came from MY plant that came from my MOM'S plant from many years ago. And finally, her plant is flowering!

Who knew that having a plant could create a mother-daughter hobby and strengthen our bond? She got so excited to show me :) We saved it. And go figure, life is good. We are healthy, happy and employed with good grades and attitudes all around. We will never be the crazy plant ladies, but we have a sign that life is good and maybe 2023 will be, too :)

It's about that time!

 

Fall is on the back burner, ya'll! We already hit up Curran's Apple Orchard to get our apple cider slushies with a dozen apple cider donuts. And now it's time for the best fall food of them all... Soup season! You make a crockpot of chili for football Sundays, I make soup.

We already made our loaded baked potato soup and even bought bread to make bread bowls. I can already feel the warmth of the crackling bonfire, smell the spiked hot chocolate, and envision the leaf piles waiting to be jumped in. Don't get me wrong. We LOVE summer! No work, no alarms, no worries and tons of camping and day trips, BUT fall... Sigh...

Football, soup, bonfires, movie marathons by a fire in the living room, pumpkin decorating, homemade costumes, fun townie events. I love it! Even as I write this, my heart is fluttering with all the happiness from those cutie fall crafting sessions. Before I get too far ahead of myself, though, our favorite weatherman is informing us it's going to be a HOT weekend. Oh, Illinois! Get it together! Lucky for me, I get one more crazy summer weekend with flip flops and swimsuit options before I pull out my oversized sweatshirts and fuzzy fleece socks :)

my heart can't handle the changes some days!

I needed to take a writing break to just take a few deep breaths... We had some big changes recently. I got over the shock and sadness of my daughter starting middle school. She has a look. A fashion. A groove. She is LOVING IT!!!

I, on the other hand, am working on getting used to all the new changes: 

-We do our hair and find matching earrings now. 

-We wear flannel shirts around our waist now. 

-We pack fancy lunches and eat chef salads.

-Parents are NOT ALLOWED to wait for the bus any more! (As soon as the bus rounds the corner, I am asked to step back inside).

-We talk about rec nights, dances and lock-ins (my heart can't handle that!).

Just when I feel like she's turning a leaf and growing up, she does something to grab my heart. Today she hooked her arm through mine while we were in the store. We chatted like old bitties. I heard, "Mom look! How about this?" We shopped and laughed. It was amazing. My heart loved all of the time we spent together today.

It's not that she's growing up and turning out amazing. It's that all the little things are becoming less things for me to do for her. No more piggy back rides. No more pigtails and naptimes. BUT instead of mourning the loss, I am trying to find the joy in all the little things and celebrate who she is becoming. I am finding joy in all the new things instead of being sad for what is changing. 

I plan to make all the small moments my joy!

we finally made the drive to see all the pretty things!

We finally made the drive a few weeks ago to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Their gardens and sculptures are simply amazing. The bright colors of the foliage and variety of plants and flowers was stunning. I have NO IDEA how to identify plants besides the obvious ones (except even poison ivy!) and this place was dazzling to even the newbies like my daughter and myself. My personal favorite area was the tea garden where they were growing tea plants in colorful teapots on stakes.

Although it was a steamy, hot day they had shade and plenty of places to cool down during our visit. We walked what we could and drove through certain parts. The trails were marked well and easy to navigate. The roads to navigate each section were very maintained as well. We probably could've stayed a lot longer that day if it wasn't a million degrees out.

The sculptures change and vary depending on the season and theme. This particular sculpture was one we drove past and had to wedge the car at an angle to get a good view. It was one of my favorites. Even from the air conditioned car it was a beauty. This was one of the most thought provoking and conversation starting pieces.

This sculpture looks like a mom holding out her arms for a hug. Or a friend offering support. Or (if you believe) a holy spirit reaching out to say it's going to be okay. While you are able to touch the sculptures, you cannot climb on them. This would have been SUCH a great one to pose with.

Even my kid loved this place. She liked reading the descriptions of each sculpture and guessing the titles. I thought she'd love the children's garden more, but it was definitely enjoyed. They had interactive features everywhere, things to smell and touch, slides and climbing areas, even a huge watering can mister to cool everyone down. 

We rarely willingly drive so far for plants outdoors, but this drive was worth it. I am guessing it's just as amazing in the fall. The garden maze was fun and it will be even more full and colorful in the fall. Whether you like art or plants or just a stroll through the fresh air, this place will not disappoint! Just Google Morton Arboretum. You'll thank me.

enjoying summer while we can, however we can

How did summer start zipping by so quickly?!?! My heart can't even handle it. We pulled up the ol' bucket list to see what we may have missed and we're on the right track. Even our own personal bucket lists are almost complete (we still need to make pierogies- her suggestion, zipline- her suggestion, and fully bake/decorate a cake- my suggestion). My summer of just enjoying has been a success thus far. 

Every summer I make a personal to-do list with household chores or tasks to complete. I have painted walls, gutted rooms, created things, whatever. This year's summer to-do list was simple: put in her flower garden and get the yard looking nice again. Nothing more, nothing less. Not sure why I insist on killing each summer with these insane to-do lists.

 What am I trying to prove??? A bucket list each is plenty. She is enjoying this summer of fun and adventure with little setbacks or expectations beyond Relax and Have Fun. No longer will I kill it with my own personal to-do lists. It's stressful enough being a girl mom! ;) 

New goals: slow down, say no, ignore my phone, read, smile, enjoy nature. I do MOST of these things. Now I just need to do them MORE! Taking advantage of all the local entertainment our area has helps a lot to keep things fun, easy and laid back.  Now excuse me while I go soak up more of summer and probably check something off the fun list!

every summer day is an ice cream day

There's nothing better than some ice cream in summer. It's a nice cool down on a hot day. It's a fun treat for the kids AND the parents. Drumsticks and Choco tacos are good, but if you really want the good stuff you have to hit the local stops. Anyone from my area knows that the Dairy Haus is the spot that has it all.

The Dairy Haus is by far the best ice cream shop around. They're in a historic limestone building that matches the history and charm of the town. There's cute landscaping,  plenty of seating and fun, local flavors. They use Rockford coffee company coffee for one of my favorite ice cream flavors. Towards the end of summer, the apple orchard even gets a tie-in with apple cider donut sundaes.

I got so excited to get my local magazine and realize that Dairy Haus was listed as the number ONE ice cream shop around! Not surprising at all, by the way. Shop small, shop local. Keep the small town vibes! Support local by stopping over on a hot day for an amazing treat :)