Warning: We were so busy this week I didn't get any pictures!
Sunday, June 17--A wonderful Father's Day it was! My parents were in town and we went for lunch at Dublin Bay followed by a DQ Blizzard Cake at our house--per Brandon's request. A nap for all 5 of us was in order as we head into another busy week. Our backyard neighbors' kids (William and Ella) came over to play while their parents went out for date night. 5 kids makes for a crazy household, but our kids play so well together so it went smoothly.
Monday, June 18--Happy 7th Anniversary to Brandon and myself! Right away in the morning, my van didn't start so Brandon called his dad, and he thought the starter was going out. Luckily, we turned the engine over the phone for a repair service here in Ames, and they said it sounded like the battery was dead. We 'jumped' the van with Brandon's car and were good to go! The girls and I spent the morning at vacation bible school. The theme this year is Operation Overboard and we've been listening to the songs in the car for a week :) After Mylie's nap, we went down to Huxley to my friend Anne's pool. She has two daughters (Emma and Lainey) who the girls love to play with. It was a great pool day and we were joined by Heidi and Beckett! We sure will miss the Speers when they move to Cedar Rapids later this summer :(
Tuesday, June 19-- Brandon spent the morning at grad class in Des Moines; Myah, Maysen and I went to bible school; and Mylie spent the morning with Karman (one of our wonderful babysitters). The plan was for me to pick up Mylie and then we'd head to the library for K-Club, but once we were home, the van wouldn't start again. I called Brandon on his was home from class and he stopped to buy a new battery for the van. We'll take an $80 battery over a several hundred dollar starter any day! Nap time was had by all and followed by swimming lessons in the evening.
Wednesday, June 20--Off to VBS again. Mylie spent the day at Sue's. After lunch, the girls and I headed to the Big Bucket for a few hours. I finished a book while they swam and then we all went around the lazy river a few times--something we can only do when Mylie isn't with us. Of course we couldn't make it through the day without something not working correctly. This time it was our high speed modem, which is in high demand right now with Brandon's grad class so he was off to Best Buy to get us a new one! It's always something!!!
Thursday, June 21--Today was our busiest day of the week! Bible school again in the morning and then attempted our plan from Tuesday. I came back home to get Brandon and Mylie (yeah! van has been working great since getting a new battery) and we drove through McDonalds for lunch (mom of the year award here--haha--but we don't do it as often as we have in summers past!). Spent about an hour at the library. Myah and Maysen went to the K-Club program and learned about nocturnal animals and made owl puppets. Brandon and I sat in the kid's section while Mylie played with the toys and kids there. We checked out a few movies (FREE!!). I got "The Help" since I finally finished the book (and finished one on Wednesday since!!). After naps, the girls had swimming lessons and then a Vacation Bible School celebration/Ice Cream Social. We didn't get home until about 7:30--Mylie's bed time! Brandon's friend Mike Tierney (an usher from our wedding) is moving back to the Ames area and was in town to complete some paper work so they went to the late show at the dollar theater. I think they saw "Battleship." Thank goodness he has friends to go to those shows with:)
Friday, June 22--Last day of VBS (it sure wore me out!!). We went out for lunch at Hickory Park as a late anniversary celebration. It was delicious......we went all out with cheeseballs, full meals, AND of course ice cream--who can resist there?!?! After Mylie's nap, I took all three girls to the big bucket for about an hour and a half. After supper, we spent about 30 minutes playing outside---I take extra measures to be sure they're ready for bed time :)
Saturday, June 23--Did you notice anything missing this week? I didn't have time (or the energy) to run even once! SO....I got up and ran 7 miles with the Vardo Running Group here in Ames. Many of them got started with running with the Team 12.4 (Dam to Dam Training) like I did and they run every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning, which is what I need to keep me going if I'm actually going to do the High Trestle Trail Half Marathon and/or the Des Moines Half Marathon in October! I took the girls to the Ames Main Street Farmer's Market. We'd never been there before, and wanted to scope it out. Luckily for us, Dutch Oven Bakery had Dutch Letters on special for 6 for $6 (6 are regularly $13.50) so of course I got 12! There were so many fresh vegetables, I think I'll go back sometime in July when we aren't going to be gone a lot the following week. The weather didn't really cooperate for us to go to the pool, but we entertained ourselves anyway. Our wonderful friend (and babysitter) Mallorie King came over for supper and to get some laundry done. It's always fun to see her!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Summer Vacation Recap--Week 3
It's been another busy week at our house!
Friday, June 8-- I took the 3 girls to the ISU Dairy Farm. June is National Dairy Month, so they were offering free tours to see how they milk cows, cool the milk, and store the milk until it's shipped to the processing plant. We got to see a calf that was just about 10 minutes (yes, you read that correctly) old. The free milk and ice cream samples were pretty great.
In the afternoon, Myah, Maysen, Brandon,
and I joined his parents and brother's family at Adventureland in
Altoona, IA. It had been years since I'd been there, and I had
obviously not realized that I'm not as young as I used to be. Way too
much spinning, swinging, and zipping around for this ol' mom!
Saturday, June 9--All 3 girls and I joined my college friend, Sarah (Robinson) Streeter and her two sons at Chuck E. Cheese in West Des Moines. We were there for about two hours--the perfect amount of time do devour some pizza and let the kids spend 25 tokens each (thanks to a good coupon, of course!).
After a two-hour nap upon returning home, we tried to go to the pool for
about an hour. Someone pooped in the pool (thankfully it wasn't one of
my kids!) so we had to go home after only half an hour.
Sunday, June 10--I finished pulling the weeds in the landscaping around the house....my least favorite job for sure! The girls played in the water table and we walked around the block before it got too hot outside. I got to have some one-on-one time with my beautiful sister (lunch at Panera Bread and a quick swoop through TJ Maxx). The 3 girls and I spent about an hour at the "Big Bucket," which was enough in this heat! Spent some outside time in the sprinkler with the Geisler Family in the backyard!
Monday, June 11--I always make the weekly menu sometime over the weekend, but since there really weren't any activities on our calendar for today, I saved the actual grocery shopping for this nice Monday morning. HyVee has these little green carts for kids so we really look like quite the crew when we grocery shop! Myah and Maysen still take a nap about every other day so everyone in the house took a much needed two-hour nap.....glorious!! I took M&M to the Big Bucket for about an hour. The day was concluded with supper at home, and a trip to Orange Leaf--thanks to a gift card I had gotten from a student. If you haven't discovered the Fro-Yo revolution yet, you're really missing out!!
Tuesday, June 12--I had looked ahead at the weather for the week and saw that today was going to be the coolest day--and too cool to consider the pool, which was ok (that's why we went the last three days in a row!). We had planned ahead for lunch at the Pizza Ranch (due to some coupons soon to expire for free kid's buffets--can't beat that!). Then I took Myah and Maysen to the library for their first K-Club experience. It's an hour of activities at the library just for kids going into (or just finishing) Kindergarten.
Wednesday, June 13--In an effort to keep Mylie from forgetting her babysitter, Sue, she went and spent the day with her and the other kids at the day care. She was excited when I dropped her off so that was a good sign. Myah and Maysen and I went to visit my Aunt Suzi (who lives two blocks away, but we rarely see her) and had a tea party and played some games with her. While I was at my annual physical, Brandon took the girls to the pet store to look around after lunch at HyVee Chinese. They had as much fun there as they would at the zoo--and it's FREE! We chose to spend our last few hours without Mylie at the Big Bucket--it wasn't the warmest day of the year, but that's what they wanted to do.
Thursday, June 14--I am running a 10K on Saturday morning, so I needed to get out for one last run before race day. I did a 'quick' 3 miles and then took the girls on a 2 mile walk. Mylie was in the wagon, the other girls actually walked. It was a beautiful morning. We made lunch at home and took a nice afternoon nap. We rounded out the day with an hour and a half at the Big Bucket.
Friday, June 15--Brandon had grad class again in the morning so the girls and I did some work around the house, finished the yard work (is it ever really finished??). We went for lunch at Noodles and Co. and then to the wading pool. Not only do we have the Big Bucket, but also this nice little wading pool.
It costs $1 (whereas we have a season pass to the aquatic center), but it was definitely worth the money because sometimes I just don't have the energy to chase Mylie in the larger setting. We went home early afternoon to rest and then Rooney came to visit while Eric and Kelsey went to a wedding.
Saturday, June 16--I gave running another try with the Hope Run for Hospice 10K. It turned out to be a nice morning and it the run felt good. Brandon and the girls were at the finish line cheering me on so that made it extra special. The girls have a birthday party to attend this afternoon and my parents are coming down to visit. I think Brandon and I are going to go to the 'dollar theater' to watch The Lucky One to celebrate out anniversary that's coming up next week.
Next week, we have Vacation Bible School so that will take care of our mornings. We hope to also give the Ames Farmer's Market a try.
Some (more) randomness:
It's no wonder Mylie won the Raising Reader's Photo Contest and is featured on their magnet. This is how I find her in her room often. Pulling books off of her shelf and looking through them. How sweet is that?!?!
Friday, June 8-- I took the 3 girls to the ISU Dairy Farm. June is National Dairy Month, so they were offering free tours to see how they milk cows, cool the milk, and store the milk until it's shipped to the processing plant. We got to see a calf that was just about 10 minutes (yes, you read that correctly) old. The free milk and ice cream samples were pretty great.
Saturday, June 9--All 3 girls and I joined my college friend, Sarah (Robinson) Streeter and her two sons at Chuck E. Cheese in West Des Moines. We were there for about two hours--the perfect amount of time do devour some pizza and let the kids spend 25 tokens each (thanks to a good coupon, of course!).
Sunday, June 10--I finished pulling the weeds in the landscaping around the house....my least favorite job for sure! The girls played in the water table and we walked around the block before it got too hot outside. I got to have some one-on-one time with my beautiful sister (lunch at Panera Bread and a quick swoop through TJ Maxx). The 3 girls and I spent about an hour at the "Big Bucket," which was enough in this heat! Spent some outside time in the sprinkler with the Geisler Family in the backyard!
Monday, June 11--I always make the weekly menu sometime over the weekend, but since there really weren't any activities on our calendar for today, I saved the actual grocery shopping for this nice Monday morning. HyVee has these little green carts for kids so we really look like quite the crew when we grocery shop! Myah and Maysen still take a nap about every other day so everyone in the house took a much needed two-hour nap.....glorious!! I took M&M to the Big Bucket for about an hour. The day was concluded with supper at home, and a trip to Orange Leaf--thanks to a gift card I had gotten from a student. If you haven't discovered the Fro-Yo revolution yet, you're really missing out!!
Tuesday, June 12--I had looked ahead at the weather for the week and saw that today was going to be the coolest day--and too cool to consider the pool, which was ok (that's why we went the last three days in a row!). We had planned ahead for lunch at the Pizza Ranch (due to some coupons soon to expire for free kid's buffets--can't beat that!). Then I took Myah and Maysen to the library for their first K-Club experience. It's an hour of activities at the library just for kids going into (or just finishing) Kindergarten.
Wednesday, June 13--In an effort to keep Mylie from forgetting her babysitter, Sue, she went and spent the day with her and the other kids at the day care. She was excited when I dropped her off so that was a good sign. Myah and Maysen and I went to visit my Aunt Suzi (who lives two blocks away, but we rarely see her) and had a tea party and played some games with her. While I was at my annual physical, Brandon took the girls to the pet store to look around after lunch at HyVee Chinese. They had as much fun there as they would at the zoo--and it's FREE! We chose to spend our last few hours without Mylie at the Big Bucket--it wasn't the warmest day of the year, but that's what they wanted to do.
Thursday, June 14--I am running a 10K on Saturday morning, so I needed to get out for one last run before race day. I did a 'quick' 3 miles and then took the girls on a 2 mile walk. Mylie was in the wagon, the other girls actually walked. It was a beautiful morning. We made lunch at home and took a nice afternoon nap. We rounded out the day with an hour and a half at the Big Bucket.
Friday, June 15--Brandon had grad class again in the morning so the girls and I did some work around the house, finished the yard work (is it ever really finished??). We went for lunch at Noodles and Co. and then to the wading pool. Not only do we have the Big Bucket, but also this nice little wading pool.
It costs $1 (whereas we have a season pass to the aquatic center), but it was definitely worth the money because sometimes I just don't have the energy to chase Mylie in the larger setting. We went home early afternoon to rest and then Rooney came to visit while Eric and Kelsey went to a wedding.
Saturday, June 16--I gave running another try with the Hope Run for Hospice 10K. It turned out to be a nice morning and it the run felt good. Brandon and the girls were at the finish line cheering me on so that made it extra special. The girls have a birthday party to attend this afternoon and my parents are coming down to visit. I think Brandon and I are going to go to the 'dollar theater' to watch The Lucky One to celebrate out anniversary that's coming up next week.
Next week, we have Vacation Bible School so that will take care of our mornings. We hope to also give the Ames Farmer's Market a try.
Some (more) randomness:
It's no wonder Mylie won the Raising Reader's Photo Contest and is featured on their magnet. This is how I find her in her room often. Pulling books off of her shelf and looking through them. How sweet is that?!?!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
It's Lunch Time--What's For Lunch??
Once "What's for Lunch?" Is asked, I feel like breaking into song like the Bubble Guppies:
Now, I doubt my kids would eat TubaFish sandwiches, but I want something a little different and creative. So today, we tried a new recipe, and it was delicious. Something my sister would LOVE! Mini Corn Dog Muffins. I found the recipe on Pinterest. However, I modified it a little and used Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix instead of making the recipe.
With the extra batter, we made two mini loaves to have with supper tonight.
What are some of your (or your kids') favorite creative lunches?
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Routines and Responsibilities
It might be summer vacation around here, but there's still a routine to our days. Yes, I'm a control freak, and yes, I'm super organized, BUT it's a proven fact that people function best when they stick to their routines.
During the school year, Brandon is up and out the door by 6:15 leaving me with three kids (we are all usually still in bed) to get up, fed, dressed, and out the door by 7:20 so I can arrive at work no later than 7:45 (and this includes two different drop offs, touching base with teachers, etc). We have to have a routine, or this doesn't happen.
Once summer comes, we still function on a routine, though it's not quite as strict. It goes something like this:
--girls get up (usually between 7 and 7:30), and are allowed about 30-45 minutes of TV while they are waking up
--breakfast
--some kind of outside activity (riding bikes/scooters or walking around the block, going to the park, watering plants, yardwork) if it's raining, we do puzzles or crafts. This is also when a household task (or two) gets done (laundry, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming)
--lunch (30 minutes of TV while I'm getting lunch ready)
--nap about every-other day for M&M
--afternoon activity (pool, library, park, play outside)
--dinner
--evening activity (swimming lessons, play outside)
--baths/get ready for bed
--watch 45 minutes of TV before bed or play games until bed time
--8:30 bed time and read for about 20 minutes
Because we have a schedule/routine, the girls know what to expect each day. There is little time for them to get bored and watch needless TV. Television is more special this way and they really think about what it is they want to watch. On top of these routines, the girls also have a chore chart for each day.
I edited it a little to meet our needs. The jobs are:
Make Bed
Exercise (was take a bath)
Comb Hair
Clear the Table (was brush teeth)
Pick Up Toys
Be Happy
I changed 'take a bath' and 'brush teeth' because those are things that we usually still have to help the girls with, and I wanted their chores to be things that they can do on their own. Now, instead of nagging them to do things around the house, I simply tell them to go and check their chore chart. They are proud to get to cross off their tasks each day. If I ask them to help do something extra, I usually give them a sticker (yes, these are still motivating when you are 5!) for helping me. Especially when it involved cleaning up a mess that Mylie made.
Sometimes I under estimate the things my girls are capable of doing, and other times I know I have really high expectations of them. It's hard to know exactly what to request of them, but most of the time, they surpass my expectations. If you have kids, hopefully this gives you an idea of how to keep routines even in the summer.
What are some things you do to keep consistency for your kids once school lets out for the summer?
During the school year, Brandon is up and out the door by 6:15 leaving me with three kids (we are all usually still in bed) to get up, fed, dressed, and out the door by 7:20 so I can arrive at work no later than 7:45 (and this includes two different drop offs, touching base with teachers, etc). We have to have a routine, or this doesn't happen.
Once summer comes, we still function on a routine, though it's not quite as strict. It goes something like this:
--girls get up (usually between 7 and 7:30), and are allowed about 30-45 minutes of TV while they are waking up
--breakfast
--some kind of outside activity (riding bikes/scooters or walking around the block, going to the park, watering plants, yardwork) if it's raining, we do puzzles or crafts. This is also when a household task (or two) gets done (laundry, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming)
--lunch (30 minutes of TV while I'm getting lunch ready)
--nap about every-other day for M&M
--afternoon activity (pool, library, park, play outside)
--dinner
--evening activity (swimming lessons, play outside)
--baths/get ready for bed
--watch 45 minutes of TV before bed or play games until bed time
--8:30 bed time and read for about 20 minutes
Because we have a schedule/routine, the girls know what to expect each day. There is little time for them to get bored and watch needless TV. Television is more special this way and they really think about what it is they want to watch. On top of these routines, the girls also have a chore chart for each day.
I edited it a little to meet our needs. The jobs are:
Make Bed
Exercise (was take a bath)
Comb Hair
Clear the Table (was brush teeth)
Pick Up Toys
Be Happy
I changed 'take a bath' and 'brush teeth' because those are things that we usually still have to help the girls with, and I wanted their chores to be things that they can do on their own. Now, instead of nagging them to do things around the house, I simply tell them to go and check their chore chart. They are proud to get to cross off their tasks each day. If I ask them to help do something extra, I usually give them a sticker (yes, these are still motivating when you are 5!) for helping me. Especially when it involved cleaning up a mess that Mylie made.
Sometimes I under estimate the things my girls are capable of doing, and other times I know I have really high expectations of them. It's hard to know exactly what to request of them, but most of the time, they surpass my expectations. If you have kids, hopefully this gives you an idea of how to keep routines even in the summer.
What are some things you do to keep consistency for your kids once school lets out for the summer?
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Summer Vacation Recap--Weeks 1 and 2
It's summer vacation here at the Smith household, and it's gotten off to
a busy but wonderful start! My last day of class with students was
Friday, May 25 (Brandon's was two days prior). That weekend, we
celebrated Myah and Maysen's 5th birthday with a friend party on
Saturday and a family party on Sunday. I/We chose a luau theme complete
with lei's and hula skirts. There was also a face painter!
The girls got some wonderful gifts. Among my favorites from their
friends were personalized aprons and animal-themed kitchen utensils as
well as Flexees and a Bloco building set.
If you have a 5-year old to buy for in the near future, consider these
as gifts. We have had so much fun with them already! From family
members, the girls got a lot of clothes, which they love--they are such
fashionistas! They also got new bean bags and some new board games
(Super Why ABC Letter Game and Sequence for Kids). Since Memorial Day,
here's what we've been up to
Monday, May 28--our first visit to the "Big Bucket" (Furman Aquatic Center) for the 2012 season.
Tuesday, May 29-Thursday, May 31--Kari's teacher workshop day/TQ planning days at school so all three girls went to their care facilities. Myah and Maysen's actual birthday on Thursday so we celebrated with dinner at Hickory Park.
Friday, June 1--The summer reading program at the Ames Public Library begins so we went to pick up our logs for that. Kari, Myah and Maysen get their summer haircuts,and Kari heads to Des Moines for Dam to Dam race.
Saturday, June 2--5:00am, Kari loads bus downtown Des Moines to head to the Saylorville Dam for Dam to Dam 2012 and finishes with a time of 2:20:22, which was 10 minutes faster than originally anticipated, AND I ran the whole thing, which was my ultimate goal! Myah and Maysen attend friend, Bailey's, birthday party at The Playground for Kids in Ankeny.
Sunday, June 3--Recovery day for Kari. Took the kids to Daley Park near our house.
Monday, June 4--Myah and Maysen 'passed' their 5-year well-child appointment. No shots were needed, Maysen's hearing check came out perfectly (finally!), and Mylie's hemoglobin was up where it needed to be at 11.9 (after being low at her one-year appointment and then still a month later). We celebrated with a trip to Target and then to the "Big Bucket" that afternoon.
Tuesday, June 5--Third trip of the summer to the "Big Bucket" and then Myah and Maysen started swimming lessons that evening as well.
Wednesday, June 6--Spent the morning running errands including dropping off physical and immunization records to M&M's elementary school--can't believe Kindergarten (that K word!) will start before we even know it. The girls chose going to the park instead of to the pool, which was kind of nice. Mylie couldn't get enough of those slides!! I attended a Vacation Bible School meeting that evening--the girls are looking forward to that in a few weeks!
Thursday, June 7--K, M1, M2 and M3 went to the library for the StarLab (planetarium) experience. While Mylie napped, K, M1 and M2 went to Culvers for ice cream to meet up with Kari's PEO Star Group. M1 and M2 had swimming lessons in the evening.
This may not be important to many of you, but several family members like to know what we are up to, and one of the main purposes of this blog is to be a diary of sorts. We hope you are all enjoying of your summer (we certainly seem to be making the most of every minute of ours!).
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| The Three Muskateers |
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| Myah |
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| Maysen |
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| Party Friends with Princess lucinda |
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| Who's birthday was it anyway?? |
Monday, May 28--our first visit to the "Big Bucket" (Furman Aquatic Center) for the 2012 season.
Tuesday, May 29-Thursday, May 31--Kari's teacher workshop day/TQ planning days at school so all three girls went to their care facilities. Myah and Maysen's actual birthday on Thursday so we celebrated with dinner at Hickory Park.
Friday, June 1--The summer reading program at the Ames Public Library begins so we went to pick up our logs for that. Kari, Myah and Maysen get their summer haircuts,and Kari heads to Des Moines for Dam to Dam race.
Saturday, June 2--5:00am, Kari loads bus downtown Des Moines to head to the Saylorville Dam for Dam to Dam 2012 and finishes with a time of 2:20:22, which was 10 minutes faster than originally anticipated, AND I ran the whole thing, which was my ultimate goal! Myah and Maysen attend friend, Bailey's, birthday party at The Playground for Kids in Ankeny.
Sunday, June 3--Recovery day for Kari. Took the kids to Daley Park near our house.
Monday, June 4--Myah and Maysen 'passed' their 5-year well-child appointment. No shots were needed, Maysen's hearing check came out perfectly (finally!), and Mylie's hemoglobin was up where it needed to be at 11.9 (after being low at her one-year appointment and then still a month later). We celebrated with a trip to Target and then to the "Big Bucket" that afternoon.
Tuesday, June 5--Third trip of the summer to the "Big Bucket" and then Myah and Maysen started swimming lessons that evening as well.
Wednesday, June 6--Spent the morning running errands including dropping off physical and immunization records to M&M's elementary school--can't believe Kindergarten (that K word!) will start before we even know it. The girls chose going to the park instead of to the pool, which was kind of nice. Mylie couldn't get enough of those slides!! I attended a Vacation Bible School meeting that evening--the girls are looking forward to that in a few weeks!
Thursday, June 7--K, M1, M2 and M3 went to the library for the StarLab (planetarium) experience. While Mylie napped, K, M1 and M2 went to Culvers for ice cream to meet up with Kari's PEO Star Group. M1 and M2 had swimming lessons in the evening.
This may not be important to many of you, but several family members like to know what we are up to, and one of the main purposes of this blog is to be a diary of sorts. We hope you are all enjoying of your summer (we certainly seem to be making the most of every minute of ours!).
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