SCHOOL

My biggest three are back in school and I've got to say, this new freedom is pretty amazing.

365.2: WEEK 31

We're trying to cram in as many activities before summer break officially ends and three of the six go back to school. Playing out back. Back to school shopping. Surprise trips to the beach. Building sandcastles. Visiting the library. Watching the Olympics. And just plain enjoying one another's company. Our week, in a nutshell.

August 1st - August 7th

NORTH

Just shy of two weeks ago, I took my littles on a mini adventure. We loaded into the car after breakfast - with our neighbor friend in tow - and drove north to Precott. We spent about an hour playing Pokemon Go around the court house grounds (yes, we are those people). We ran around in the grass while taking in the historic sights. We enjoyed the cool weather and watched a storm roll in. When we had had our fill, we hopped back into the car and drove several miles down Old Senator Highway to Goldwater Lake. $3 parking and a whole lot of fun. We ate a picnic lunch under the safety of a large ramada during a torrential downpour. We played on the still-wet playground once the rain eased and got thoroughly soaked. We hiked down to the edge of the lake and threw rocks into the water. It was a pretty magical experience.

365.2: WEEK 30

Life has been CRAZY as summer is drawing to a close. We've tried to squeeze in as much pool time as possible. We made a day trip up to Prescott. My oldest had a tonsillectomy. We've splurged at Barnes & Noble. We've hosted a glow stick swim party. My youngest boy got some one on one time with his dad. And we've [barely] survived the woes of Sunday. Not only this, but more. And every single day before school is crammed with go, go, go.

July 25th - July 31st 

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW

One of our recent Friday Fun Days was to create fairy and dinosaur gardens. While that may sound simply adorable, mind you this is Arizona. And it is hot. Ridiculously hot. We made a trip to Home Depot as a family to gather supplies. 45 minutes in the 115 degree heat. Gross. But we found the perfect plants for our activity. At home, another 45 minutes in the 115 degree heat while assembling. By the end, I had retreated to my cool, dark bedroom to revive. Awesome activity in theory, but still trying to decide whether it was worth my brief lapse in sanity.

SNOW DAY

A few weeks ago, back when I was doing summer school, we did a unit on weather. And because it was so blasted hot, I decided to make fake snow for the littles. Lotion and baking soda - seriously easy. But I cannot express how messy this activity became when my littles decided to have an all-out snowball fight... But of so fun.