Our Summer Fun list

On several other blogs moms have been posting their summer list of things they want to do over the summer. Things to cure the, "I'm bored!" I don't know that we will accomplish everything on our list, but I took a few from some lists I saw that I liked and I added some local attractions to ours. If any of you local moms want to join us, please let me know! You are more than welcome and we'd love the company! I plan on coming back to this post and editing the list when we have things we can cross off. We may not do everything I listed, but it will be fun to try!

• Go to the $1 movies.
• Library storytime.
• Plant a small garden.
• Make a fun lunch. Everyone be in charge of a part of it (ie: dessert, drinks, etc.) and take it to the park and eat and play Frisbee.
• Take some white T-shirts and decorate them outside.
• Have a party with BBQ, games, and ice cream
• Family bike rides.
• Make lemonade from lemons.
• Make popsicles.
• Go to a carnival in the evening.
• Go to the library in the morning and then sit under a tree reading in the afternoon.
• Cook dinner on the grill.
• Go get an ice cream.
• Make your own ice cream (in a bag).
• Visit a museum on a hot or rainy day.
• Use a sewing machine to make a doll or a doll's dress.
• Learn how to make a custom hair bow.
• Paint on a canvas.
• Paint on the sidewalk or driveway with ice.
• Play with your food.
• Catch butterflies.
• Pick berries @ Duck Creek.
• Make a pie or jam with said berries.
• Swing on swings.
• Have a water balloon fight.
• Host a teddy bear or favorite stuffed toy themed picnic.
• Go bowling.
• Go for a round of miniature golf.
• Make snow cones.
• Eat peaches.
• Go to the Heard Muesum.
• Fill up the wagon with the hose.
• Put a baby pool at the bottom of the slide.
• Blow bubbles.
• Watch a fireworks display.
• Have a bonfire.
• Attend an Independence Day parade.
• Play in the yard with the water hose on. Make rainbows.
• Swim!
• Build a fire pit and toast s'mores.
• Build-a-Bear.
• Sleep late.
• "Here's a fun craft. Buy inexpensive flip-flops and dress them up with fabric pieces. You start at one end and work your way to the middle, then do the other side. You take a piece of fabric about 7 inches long and 1 inch wide, fold it in half, wrap it around the strap, double tie it, and there you are! You try to get them as close together as you can. My daughter loves doing this. It's easy, fun, time-consuming, and really makes a cute pair of flip-flops in any color you'd like. Great birthday party idea, too." -taken from an unpink life
• Feed the ducks at a pond.
• Have a tea party.
• Teach our children how to bake something of Mom's or Grandma's.
• Go to NRH20 or Hawaiian Falls.
• Drink an iced coffee.
• Have a drawing contest on the sidewalk with chalk.
• Make home-made play dough.
• Go to a farmer's market.
• Choose a new book at a local bookstore.
• Tint some shaving cream, spread it in a baking pan, and doodle or write words.
• Make strawberry freezer jam.
• Plan a camping trip to a state park.
• Go to Fossil Rim or Arbuckle Wilderness.
• Make homemade yogurt pops.
• Buy a disposable camera for the kids and let them record their favorite summertime fun.
• Have a bubble gum blowing contest.
• Pitch a tent in the backyard and have a "camp out".
• Visit a local farm and pick our own veggies.
• Have a treasure hunt.
• Go to the zoo.
• Learn to make jewelry.
• Visit a local public flower garden.
• Eat strawberries dipped in sugar.
• Bask in the sun. (wearing the proper SPF, of course)
• Picnic with a blanket on the kitchen floor on a rainy day.
• Go to the Aquarium.
• Make silly putty.
• Or slime.
• Star gaze.
• Have a "Spa Day" at home.
• Run through the sprinklers.
• Lay on a blanket, look up at the sky and try to figure out what the clouds look like (animals, etc.).
• Visit a local Children's Museum.
• Buy a cheap kiddie pool and sit in it while eating Popsicles.
• Play Marco Polo.
• Dance in the rain.
• Maintain our blog.
• Have a root beer float dessert night.
• Make homemade ice cream sandwiches.
• Take swimming and/or diving lessons.
• Make something pretty and refreshing to drink, with fun snacks in pretty bowls...enjoy.
• Pick out your favorite color of nail polish and sit out on the patio painting toes, giggling and just being.
• Build forts on a rainy day.
• Pack up a lunch and hit some local state parks.
• Wash the cars with daddy.
• Set up an Obsta-Cool Course.
• Have a pillow fight.
• Learn to french braid.
• Play dress-up.
• Make (and eat!) Crash Hot Potatoes.

Kaylin or Jonathan on the cover of Parents magazine?

So I submitted both kids pictures into this a while ago but I wasn't going to ask for "votes" or anything since they don't count towards the actual outcome of the winner. But then, Goodyblog went and posted this today, so I figured what the heck! Clicking below should take you to the two galleries (one for each kid) but if it doesn't, please let me know so I can fix the link!


Vote for my kid!

7 songs meme

Several of my friends have been doing this meme and tagged me. So, here are my answers.
Here is the full Meme:
You've been tagged. List the seven songs that you most closely tie to a specific memory. These songs do not have to represent your happiest memories, good memories, or even strongest memories… The connection between the memory and the song is what you should use to determine what fits the list. These songs, when you hear them, ABSOLUTELY force you to recall a specific person, time, or event. GO!

1. Good Riddance - Green Day (high school graduation)
2. I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan (I engraved a frame with some of the lyrics for someone before they left for college)
3. Shine - Collective Soul (my boyfriend in 7th grade dedicated this song to me on a local station)
4. Pop - *NSYNC (reminds me of the summer I worked their tour - really any song from the Pop Odyssey album does)
5. Heaven is a place on earth - Belinda Carlisle (Senior Prom)
6. Me and You - Kenny Chesney (Our first dance)
7. Bump - Kottonmouth Kings (Driving to Fort Worth with Karen)

I'm also supposed to tag 7 more people, but I'm pretty sure everyone has been tagged already. If you haven't and this looks like fun, go for it!

Swim Lessons

Here is the video of Kaylin's swim lessons, practicing her freestyle stroke. It was really windy that day so you hear a lot of wind in the camera.




And this video is of her floating and then swimming to the side.

Graduation video

Here's the video of Kaylin graduating preschool. At the end, you can see me give her a high five. I was down closer so I could get pictures. I think Jeremy is the one who took the video, and it took him awhile to figure out how to turn it on, so he missed her name.

Sweet baby boy

I just put Jonathan down for his nap and he pulled his paci out of his mouth to tell me "night night" as soon as I laid him down. He's never told me night night at nap before, although it is normal for him to tell us night night before bed. Before we gather up his blankey and paci I'll take him to Jeremy & Kaylin to tell them night night, or if Jeremy puts him to bed, he'll bring him to where I am to tell me night night. But, this was the first time he did it like this, and it just made my heart smile to know he took his paci out of his mouth just to tell me that, because as soon as I said it back, back the paci went in his mouth.

Awww, he did it again at bedtime. Only this time, he said, "Night night mama."

It's Summer...

and at our house, that means lots of time with the grill!

I'm basically putting this here so I'll always be able to find it and because I've received so many comments/emails on my Menu Plan Monday posts that I know you guys enjoy when I share recipes with you.

60 Cheap, Healthy Marinades

Ear infections

Blech! I have my first ear infection in years. Now I remember why the kids are so darn miserable when they get one. Good thing I had a stash of drops in practically every medicine cabinet in the house. And I already had a chiropractor appointment tomorrow, so I'm going to see if he'll also adjust my ear so it will drain properly. I've had him adjust the kids each time they've had an ear infection and it seems to work. They are back to normal the next day or so. At any rate, Jeremy got sick of my random shrieks of pain so he made me go to the doctor this afternoon. Two prescriptions for drops and I'm back home, typing this with my head sideways to let the pain drops work their magic before I attempt sleep with the help of my trusty heating pad.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Lemon Garlic Shrimp Skewers

Tuesday: General Tso's Chicken

Wednesday: Pulled Pork sandwiches

Thursday: Spicy Macaroni & Corn

Friday: Bourbon Chicken

Saturday: Leftovers or Eat out

Sunday: Mongolian Beef with brown rice

Kid updates

Jonathan seems to say a new word a day now. Every time we turn around he's repeating us. Some new ones that I can remember.
* all gah (all gone)
* cah-kee (cookie)
* ni-ni (night night)
* bye bye mimi (when my mom leaves or we leave their house)
* bye bye papa (when my dad leaves or we leave their house)
* mine! (he says this A LOT to Kaylin)
* He'll grab his nose if you ask him where it is
* He'll lift his shirt if you ask where his belly or belly button is
* If you ask if he's poopy he grabs his diaper and says something that starts with a P
* He loves turning the lights on and off for us and will say "on" and "ah" (that F is a tough sound!)

Kaylin is taking swimming lessons with Mr. Bob again this summer. Her lessons started on Monday and they spent Monday and Tuesday doing the things she learned last year. In Wednesdays class she learned the freestyle stroke and in today's lesson she learned the back stroke. Tomorrow I'll take my video camera get some video to post here.

Today, Jeremy and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Jeremy brought Pei Wei home for dinner, so I didn't have to cook. Saturday my mom is watching the kids and we will go out to a local steakhouse and hopefully catch a movie or something else that we don't get to do often.

My current favorite lotions

I was lucky enough to receive samples of two new lotions and I have enjoyed using them so much, I figured I could share the wealth with you! I'll write an update on the kids in a later post.

Dove Cream Oil Lotion for extra dry skin. I love the smell of this lotion! I don't know what it is about it, but I just love the scent. I also like the way it makes my skin feel. My skin is very dry, so this didn't feel greasy to me at all because my skin just sucked it right up! It leaves my arms feeling nice and moisturized and not with a damp, sticky feeling that you get after using some lotions.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion with SPF 15 I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing lotion on a regular basis after I get out of the shower, and throughout the day, so when I got invited to do a Bzz campaign on the new one, with added SPF, I was really excited! We all know we should wear sunscreen daily, but how many of us actually do? I know I don't. So, to know that I would always put this lotion on anyway, and know the sunscreen was already in there is was just an added bonus. I hate sticky and/or greasy lotions and this lotion doesn't have either of those traits. It also has natural colloidal oatmeal in it, which helps when my skin gets so dry that it's itchy.

I have 4 samples and $1 off coupons for the Aveeno lotion for anyone that is interested. If I am going to see you anytime soon and you want to try it out yourself, let me know!