Monday, June 20, 2016

GO FOR THE GOLD

Fridays around here are reserved for family activities; the littles work all week to earn what we call Friday Fun Day. Each day they have the opportunity to individually earn up to five stickers. Chores. Behavior. Quiet time. Listening. Bed time. Twenty stickers earns them Friday Fun Day. Twenty five stickers earns them a special treat during Friday Fun Day. And a full chart of thirty stickers earns them a one-on-one ice cream date with me or the mr. in addition to Friday Fun Day. So far, we have gone out for snow cones, had an extreme pizza party, held our own Olympic Games, and gotten soaked with water activities.
The Friday before last was our own version of the Olympic Games. Truth be told, the littles ALMOST didn't earn it, so we procrastinated planning until the night before. When it became clear that Friday Fun Day was still on, I browsed Pinterest for a few ideas. A quick trip to Walmart and $15 in pool noodles later, we were ready. I crafted a torch using card stock and tissue paper. I assembled medals using patriotic ribbon and york mints. I taped several pool noodles together to create the Olympic rings. Once the mr. arrived home from work, we jumped right in. We started with a torch relay around the yard, giving each the opportunity to carry the torch from one person to the next. After the torch made it to its final resting place for the Games, we blared the Olympic Fanfare and Theme and proceeded with the parade of nations. Six little American flags fluttering around the yard. At the conclusion of our opening ceremonies, the athletes were ready for the Games to begin. First up was the javelin throw, where each athlete aimed to toss a noodle through any hoop in our Olympic rings. Second was the obstacle course, where athletes had to do a quick step through the Olympic rings, crawl under two noodle arcs, run through the sprinklers, weave through noodle posts, crawl under two more noodle arcs, and cross the finish line. Third was the ring toss, where our athletes threw noodle rings whist trying to ring one of two posts. And finally our soccer match, where each athlete aimed to score as many goals as possible in a series of noodle arcs. Though some dominated our Games, all participants were given the opportunity to stand on the platform with flag in hand and awarded a medal. It was a night we won't soon forget.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

ICE, ICE BABY

Two years ago, I was awesome; I did preschool all summer long. Last year? We did whatever it took to survive. It was brutal. THIS YEAR, I am happy to say that we are back in the swing of things. Learning. Creating. Adventuring. We do summer school activities a couple of days a week. Preschool prep for the littlest littles. Refresher course for the biggest littles. We recently did one of my favorite summer activities of all time: ice art. I blogged about it a couple of years ago, which you can read HERE. Easy peasy. A few drops of food coloring in each compartment of an ice cube tray before (carefully) filling with water, covering the tray with aluminum foil, popping a stick in each compartment, and placing in the freezer overnight. Just be careful because food coloring and cute clothes don't mix well... If you are in search of an simple summer activity, give it a go. It really doesn't get much easier.
Also, I decided to change my blog a bit. Nothing huge. Just a different header background, a new photo of me, and some links to my other sites. BTW, did you know that I am a photographer? Probably, right? Did you know that I write letters to my littles?
Check 'em out.

Monday, June 13, 2016

365.2: WEEK 23

Our month has slowed down a bit, but we have still kept busy. My soon-to-be kindergartener started his summer jumpstart program to familiarize him with his school. We made a spontaneous trip to our favorite splash pad to play with some of our dear friends. My oldest finished reading the first Harry Potter book, a book well above his grade level. We enjoyed a week in the pool and remembering how to swim. We ate popsicles out front with our favorite neighbor girl. A few of us had a dental appointments on Saturday morning, which may or may not have caused tears for some. And my second oldest finally lost his first tooth and had a visit from the tooth fairy. Overall, I'd say we are surviving summer just fine.
June 6th - June 12th

Monday, June 6, 2016

365.2: WEEK 22

Last week was our first full week of summer. Wow. Is it time for school to start yet? Only slightly kidding... Last week was likely the busiest it will get for June and I am SO OKAY WITH THAT. Monday: finished off our Memorial Day camping trip and headed home in time for a BBQ with the mr.'s family. Tuesday: a day devoted to laundry, plus a visit by my grandma, affectionately known as Gigi to the kids. She had missed out on the middles' birthdays, so she came bearing gifts. Wednesday: started our homeschool summer program with ice art, one of our favorite activities (which I'll likely blog more about). Thursday: the mr. and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. Nothing fancy since I had to meet with a bridal client, but take-out from our favorite restaurant. Friday: the oldest met with an ENT, who determined a tonsillectomy was in order before the end of the summer. Saturday: the first swim of the season before I headed off to photograph a wedding in the 118 degree heat (after unknowingly being glutened). Sunday: church. I feel like the next two months will mostly be full of "summer school" and swimming. Because Arizona.
May 31st - June 5th

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

365.2: WEEK 21

Last week was busy. Like SUPER busy. We were constantly on the go, leaving little time for photographs. Luckily, I hit the highlights. We ran many errands, with babies falling asleep in the car. The middles finished off their preschool year. My birthday boy got kindergarten shots ON HIS BIRTHDAY, which also happened to be the same day his older brothers BOTH had classroom awards ceremonies. The two oldest finished off their school year. We kicked off summer vacation with our traditional trip to get Tropical Sno. And the weekend came with our first solo camping trip as a family.
May 23rd - May 29th