Summer Is Coming! Are You Ready?

I love spending the summer with the boys. Its a time in our lives that I have come to cherish. Its a time when we get to sit together and plan our "Fun Thursdays" for the summer months. I want my kids to look back and remember the days at home as days filled with joy, fun, laughter and memories. I'm not sure if my kids will ever say they remember the smell of PineSol, but I do know they will remember us having picnics in the back yard, camping for months on end, endless bowling, fun Friday nights and so much more. Whether my house was perfect or how it compared to others’ is not even on their radar.

Is it good to have order and structure? Sure. But I don’t allow the pressure to be the "perfect mom" keep me from having a happy home. The unmade bed will still be there when we are through, but I promise that the time with our children will go quickly, then I'll have time to have the perfect abode.

We look at our kids and we wonder why they laugh and smile with others, but I wonder how often our kids look at us and wonder the same thing. Why does my mom have such a great personality with that person or in that place, but not with me? Take a moment today and look past the clutter and the to-do list and enjoy your family. It will be a memory that they will one day say...remember when...

Summer is coming!! Are you Ready?

A Word of Warning!!

My Dad's 70th birthday is tomorrow!! I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and he could not decide between Red Velvet or Mandarin Orange so I decided to make him a Red Velvet for tomorrow and a Mandarin Orange for our family gathering Saturday...but a word of warning! When your son finishes vacuuming and puts another can on the counter double check before spraying your cake pan because you might end up spraying your pan with....

Yep! I sprayed the cake pan with Carpet Fresh!! What are the chances of both cans having blue lids!! At least I discovered what I did before putting the cake batter in the pan!!

Lesson learned. Now on to the next one....

Vacation On The Moon!!!

Okay, so we weren't on the moon but it sure felt like we were! It was a beautiful spot set on top of the mountain. Being a scared of heights it was quite a challenge for me driving up the mountain!! It was one lane road, with 90 degree turns and a incline that scared me to death! Even my Dad who was a truck driver was a little nervous. The incline was so steep you had to lay on the head rest and the van would only go 15 mph!! Just about the time you thought you were at the top, we would turn the 90 degree turn and there was another incline, 7 total and yes, when we got to the top I was in tears!

Being on top of the mountain was beautiful. I didn't go on the balcony much...again to scared!!! The boys loved shooting their paintball guns and watching them fly!

We were above the city and the lights at night were beautiful....at least from the window they were!
Even the jacuzzi was outside on the balcony. I did sit in a chair, up against the door for about 10 minutes as our youngest enjoyed the jacuzzi...after 10 minutes I convinced him to come inside, in his swim clothes and sit in the huge hot tub in the master bedroom. I told him we can turn on the jets and watch TV and visit! Yep, I bribed him with TV so I could go inside! He wanted to visit with Mommy but I was about to have another heart attack sitting outside! It was a wonderful vacation and the cabin was beautifully decorated but next time, we're renting one that I don't have to sleep with a parachute!!! Sorry for the small photos, could not get them enlarged today!

Making The Trip Fun

When traveling on vacation, I love the car ride! There's something about the open road that relaxes me. Living far from family we have traveled quite a bit. My in-laws live to the west 900 miles away, my sisters live 950 to 1100 to the north and my Dad's family lives north east 1100 miles. We always drive when we go visit. I love it! Driving that many miles with kids can be challenging if you're not prepared for the trip. When I was a little girl my Mom and my oldest sister always came up with great trip ideas and a lot of what I do with my boys I learned from them. Here are a few fun things we do when we head off on a long road trip.

1. 50 Mileage Chart - I create a chart for each boy that has 50 mile increments. Our trip is 450 miles so I put 9 blocks and write 50 in each one (make sure to have a chart for on the way home too). I usually tape the chart on their window. I keep small stickers and every time we reach 50 miles they get to put a sticker in one block. To keep them informed I'll put a red X in one of the boxes and write lunch or hotel! Then they know when we get to that box we're going to stop. They love this! When they were younger I kept a stop watch in the car so they know about how long 50 miles is. I put 45 minutes on the stop watch and hang it where they can both reach up and look at the clock. When the timer goes off they get a sticker.


2. Party In A Bag - I usually purchase a gift bag and put small gifts in the bag then every 100 miles (or two stickers) they get to reach in the bag-without looking and pull out a prize. Its always something simple, something to keep them busy in the car or maybe a little treat. The BOF really helps and we do a little count down with the mile markers like 5,4,3,2,1 PRIZE TIME!!!!


3. DVD Player - A life saver indeed! We love to go to the library before a trip and load up on "new" movies. Now that there is Red Box and Blockbuster Express on every corner we often stop and let them each get a movie. I mean for $1 its worth the entertainment!!!


4. Personal Fun Bag - Before our trip the boys each have a back pack and they get to fill it with anything they want from their room to play with on the trip. We always get new crayons, blank art book (mine don't like coloring books), pencils and they each get a disposable camera (the pictures are always interesting). Give them space and let them fill the bag with items they like reminding them it needs to be small for the car and not something with a ton of pieces! No puzzles!!!!


5. Stop Often - When the boys were little we would stop for lunch at McDonald's or a local state park. After sitting in the car for hours the last thing little ones want to do is get out and go sit still to eat! So we decided our lunch stop would be play time! They would go right to the play ground and play for 30 minutes then when it was time to go we would set them up lunch in the van, turn on a movie and they were happy!! Take advantage of the rest areas! Stop and get out a ball, jump rope and bubbles and let them play. Its amazing what just 10 or 15 minutes will do. It does everyone good!!!

I hope these tips help spark some ideas for you if your planning a trip. Just remember to keep it fun and build special memories!!! I would love to hear tips on what you do keep your kids entertained on long road trips.

Planning For Our Trip

Before going on a trip I start planning early! I'm guilty of getting up the morning of the trip and being so filled with frustration because I did not plan ahead and get things organized. I'm guilty of filling the house with grumbles and fussing before we even get into the van! What a way to start a trip! Everyone gets in the van upset that Mom had a "hormonal" morning and it takes an hour for everyone to calm down! Okay, I know I'm the only one guilty of starting a trip like this! So, I confess!


Now when we plan for a trip I take a few simple steps to keep me from loosing it the night before and morning we pile in the van to go! The following are the steps I take to create a pleasant atmosphere as we plan for a fun time together

1. Start a two week To Do List - two weeks before we leave I start a To Do List and on the list I have the day of the week, things to do, errands to run, phone calls to make and the menu for that day. As I think of something I need to do, I simply flip to that day and write it down! I like to have the menu planned so I don't get so busy we eat out all week! I don't want to spend our spending money before we leave just because I did not plan an easy pre-vacation menu.
   


2. Plan to return to a clean house - We all want to leave the house clean and organized so why not set a plan to do that? It much better to plan ahead instead of being up until 4 am the night before working like a mad woman trying to get it all done! Again Guilty!!! Make a plan, what do you want done before you leave? Write it down and start working the plan!
   


3. Create a packing check list! As you can tell I'm a list gal! It makes life so much easier. I create a packing list for each person in the house (I type it in a word document then just print it every trip). The list consist of everything they need to pack such as number of pants, number of socks, number of shirts, deodorant, toothpaste.....as you think of things add it to the list so when its time to pack you have a list on hand. Your less likely to forget something if you start a list.



4. Pack early! We start to pack three days before leaving. I give the kids their list and have them lay it all on their bed, then when its time to put in the suitcase I go in and make sure they pulled out appropriate items. We then put it in the luggage then place in the room for those last minute items and toiletries. This makes it nice because your not running around the night before trying to do laundry and realize everyone needs socks then your off to Wal-Mart!!! Yep, guilty of that too!
   


5. Recruit help! Going on a vacation is a family affair so get the family involved in the pre-planning of the trip. Assign cleaning jobs to the kids they will appreciate the trip more if there apart of the work getting to go. Since we plan two weeks out they get one extra job a day for our pre-planning. The extra jobs are usually a $5 job so they not only help me with getting some jobs done but they earn spending money for the trip too! Its a win win!
   

Just by following these simple tips it will change the dynamics of your trip! Trust me, I know! Leaving relaxed, organized and happy is the way to start a vacation! If you would like a copy of my to do list feel free to leave a comment and I'll be happy to email it to you. I would love to hear how you plan to leave for vacation!

Going On A Trip!

Each year I enjoy taking my Dad on a mini vacation. We adopted him about 8 years ago and he has several health issues which limit him doing a lot of things he would love to do. We've had an opportunity to go on several little trips together but the past few years have been difficult for us financially as well as his health has not allowed him to travel.

This year my sister and I have been planning and plotting a fun surprise for him and the boys. My sister lives in Indiana and she is coming home for her yearly summer visit. This year we decided to meet in Gatlinburg and spend a few days together before she comes home! Wanting to keep it a surprise from our boys and my Dad we began plotting months ago!

Last week I had a "family meeting" with Grandpa and the boys and told them..."Dad and I talked and we think you boys need to go to camp and Grandpa you're going as a camp counselor!" I wish I would have had a camera take a photo of their faces! At first the boys were in shock that they were going to camp, they had no idea what I meant considering I told them we would be home on Tuesday! Grandpa looked at me like I had lost my mind, he knew with his heath, camp was the last place he could go! After I calmed everyone down and told them they would only be gone 4 days and 3 nights they realized they were not going to a "traditional camp!" After Dad realized it was not a real camp he held his chest and said with tears in his eyes "This is doing my heart good!" Excitement started to build!!

What they don't know is that they are going to "Camp Aunt Lynette" and they get to stay in a beautiful 3 story cabin complete with game room, pool, hot tubs and Jacuzzi! They have no idea what's in store for them! We have the whole weekend planned with things Dad can physically handle! The Lord even blessed this week by allowing me to find Dad a great wheelchair at the thrift shop for just $8! Isn't He good to us!

So this week we are planning, packing and getting ready to head off on an adventure!! I look forward to sharing with you our trip! I'm sure its going to be a special time building memories with Grandpa at "Camp Aunt Lynette!!!!"

Fun Day for All

This week I am planning a trip to the mall to look for some much needed shoes for myself and pants for our youngest. I never venture into the mall unless I am pulled by my hair kicking and screaming. Well, not really that bad but I really only go a few times a year if that. Since I have some coupons I am going to go and see what I can find. I thought I would make it a fun day for Mark and the boys too. I have several coupons for FREE stuff that I've been getting for an upcoming birthday so as a surprise to them we are going to take advantage of several of them. I've been surprised at all the goodies I've been sent so we are going to have fun at the mall this week. Go here for a free goodie from Orange Julius. Join the OJ Quench Club and receive a coupon good for a free 20 oz Orange Julius or Premium Fruit Smothie and they will send you another on free on your birthday! You can use it to plan a fun date too! Check back for other links to sign up for free goodies for your birthday.

Sea Creatures with Grandpa

Being a Mom of two amazing boys leads way to many adventures. I don't get to decorate anything in pink (except for Valentines Day) and cute girly hair bows have never been made in my home but ask me anything about skateboarding and I can pretty much keep up with you or ask me the best place to purchase paintball supplies and I can tell you where to get the best value in town! This past week while sitting at the doctor's office with Dad he mentioned he wanted to do something fun with the boys at home so we decided to have a special lunch and movie....on the menu,

Sea Creatures!!

Dad had so much fun making these with the boys! Cut a hot dog into three chunks and put raw spaghetti noodles through them.....

boil until noodles are done....


wallah....a jelly fish.....or.....


maybe an octopus!!!

add two boys

a Grandpa and your set for a fun lunch building some fun memories!!!

The Missing Sock

Do you ever see this on the floor? I am ashamed to say I see this all the time and I usually call the culprit to pick them up. For some reason I saw just one sock on the living room floor. I was doing laundry and it struck me that the missing sock was not with his mate, when I reached down to pick it up I noticed there was something stuck to it...

When I tried to pull it off it would not come.

Upon further investigation I noticed....
this was no mistake!

The boys hot glued eyes to a sock and made a sock puppet! They couldn't
use an old sock, they had to use a new one because it "looked better!"

Today while doing the laundry I heard what I thought was a pack of tic tacks in a pair of pants. When I pulled it out, it was the eyes on this puppet rattling!

I just love my job.

A little nonsense, now and then, is cherished by the wisest men. Roald Dahl

Valentine's Day At Our House

Often I feel so blessed to be on this amazing journey as a wife and mother. Its not always an easy journey but its one that I feel honored to be a member. Valentine's Day in our home is not only another day to express how much we love one another but its also a day for us to teach the boys the importance of making their love feel special. We do it all year but on this day we make a special point to make each other feel important and loved in a special way. I know one day I will not be their Valentine but for now I cherish the moments of being their one and only and enjoy teaching them to cherish the one they will one day love. For us, Valentine's Day is not about the gift as much as it is about doing things for one another to express just how much we love one another. Mark has adopted this as his holiday and he always has a little something special for us when we wake up. This year he gave me something I never buy myself, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Truffles. Oh, my, LOVE those!!! The boys each made me homemade card. Don't you just love homemade cards? I know I sure do.

When I was a little girl about 8 my Grandma passed away and while visiting my Grandpa he gave me these little ceramic angles and I just love them. He had tears in his eyes when he gave them to me and said; "Your Grandma always loved these." Having them on my table reminds me of the love that has been in our family for generations.

Our youngest loves brownies so a holiday is not complete without these little jewels. Just bake in a mini muffin pan, top with a dollop of frosting and add a Valentine heart and you're set with a cute dessert.

Strawberry cake with strawberry frosting is always a hit but having it on Valentine's day just adds to the flow of PINK! Its the only time of year I get to decorate in PINK and I love it!!!

I love a good thrift store find and finding two of these little bowls just made my day. They were .25 cents each and were perfect holder for PINK candy and the other one had PINK cookies. Oh, did I mention I LOVE PINK?

This parfait glass were another find this past week at the thrift shop. I found 17 of these for just $2.99!! I have plans for them in a few weeks at our ladies fellowship but today they were filled with salt and topped with a tea light candle to add shine to our Valentine table.

I love going out with my friends for Girls Night Out. This past month I found these cute heart noodles which I fell in love with. For just $3 I was excited to add more PINK to my table!

Add some Italian Dressing, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and you have a yummy pasta salad which went well with our pizza. What a nice evening we had together as a family. The boys kept saying Thank You Mom & Dad for a great day. Its not always about the big things we do for our family its about the memories we build and the things we teach along the way. Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day too!

Snow Day 2010

They say we've not had this kind of snow fall in 20 years!

Its the first snow fall our youngest has ever seen and boy what a day it was!!!

Our poor southern palm tree just collapsed under the weight of the snow

The first layer of their official snowman! Grandpa came out at 10 PM and showed them how to roll the snow into a ball! The boys were amazed at how it stuck and they made....

an official southern snowman!

Its funny how even in the snow their personalities show forth. Our oldest made the snowman complete with hair and our youngest is holding a snowball ready to hammer Mommy.......

which he did!

the house

we even had hot yummy cinnamon rolls....

and a pot of delicious chili

everyone needs a day like this every once in a while and we took full advantage of it!

Going To The Maze

We're so excited to be going to the West Farm Corn Maze on Saturday! The youth from our church will be meeting at the maze for an evening of good food, good fun and good fellowship!