Archive for June 2016
Sharing is caring…
Posted on: June 30, 2016
First off, I can’t believe those are my kids! When did they get so old?
Secondly, when did I start dressing them all ‘matchy matchy?’ That was totally unintentional. (Confession: I ended up wearing a heather gray top that day too. It was completely coincidental.)
I can’t get over how sweet this picture is. We were about to leave to run some errands. I was gathering things to take out the door with me. K decided to distract herself with the iPad.
I was just about to tell them to go, when I witnessed this.
M was helping K with the ‘Alphabet with Elmo’ app. It’s currently K’s favorite. She loves the letters and loves the little videos that correspond to each letter. It’s a bit advanced for her because the app requires the child to trace the letter before unlocking the video. K tries her best, but at 18months, it’s not good enough to unlock the videos.
Big sister, M, to the rescue!
I love watching them work together. I love that they can share (sometimes!).
I just had to snap the picture and capture the moment before getting them out the door for the day.
It really is those small moments that make me so happy!
Influenster – Goddess VoxBox
Posted on: June 29, 2016
I got it!
I got my first VoxBox from Influenster.
This VoxBox includes the following:
- Downy Fresh Protect Beads
- Dickinson’s Enhanced Witch Hazel Hydrating Toner
- Always Radiant Feminine Pads
- Nail Polish from the Sinful Colors Kylie Jenner Trend Matters Satin Collection
- Pantene Expert Shampoo and Conditioner
- Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads
I’m very excited to have these items and to test them out. I hope I have a change to review all the items in this box within the given time frame. I’ll be doing my best to take pictures!
To check out Influenster and sign up, click my referral link here.
The reviews will start soon! Stay tuned.
Fine print: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. I did not pay to receive them, nor will I be paid to review them.
Sleep
Posted on: June 28, 2016
Summer is in full swing and bedtimes have flown out the window.
During the school year, M began her bedtime routine at about 8pm. By 9pm, all of us were in bed and the kids were usually sleeping.
That meant they woke up relatively early, even on the weekends.
Once summer hit, that routine just ended. Bedtime has started around 10pm, and there are times M won’t sleep until almost midnight!
It’s not like I wanted it to be that way.
We went on vacation to Las Vegas about two weeks ago (hence the blog silence), and bedtimes don’t really exist on vacation…
The one thing about late bedtimes means that the girls are sleeping in until about 9:30am now. It’s pretty nice. Sleeping in feels nice. It’s just that simple.
Honestly, I don’t like the super late bedtimes for the girls. I’ve been trying to get the bedtime routine started about 9:30pm, but she’s just not used to it yet. She’ll be in bed by 10pm. Then she’s tossing and turning until almost midnight!
She’s lucky that she gets to sleep in!
I’m hoping that I can start getting her on an earlier bedtime again.
But it’s summer! There is just too much to do!
Mani/Pedi
Posted on: June 15, 2016
Four years. Nine months. Eight days.
That’s how old M was when she got her first mani/pedi.
Yes. A real mani/pedi at a nail salon. She was in the big massage chair. She had her feet in the water. She had a nail tech pamper her.
Yes.
My baby girl.
She was so happy. The smile on her face was priceless.
She came out of the salon with blue finger and toenails. She had cute little flower nail art on her thumbs and big toes. She was so proud of them.
She told me after, “Mommy, I loved it!”
I’m glad.
I can’t wait until she’s truly old enough and mani/pedi dates could be a regular thing for us!
The beginning of summer vacation…
Posted on: June 14, 2016
We’re officially on summer vacation.
YAY!
I have to say that these first few days without school have been a bit weird for me. I keep waking up early thinking I have somewhere to go.
M, on the other hand, doesn’t even miss it! She’s been fine not having to really adhere to any schedule right now.
We haven’t been doing much. My parents came to visit for a few days after the graduation and we’ve just been lazy.
We’ve been giving our brains a break from the structure of the school day and the school year. We’re waking up when we want and we are doing things (or not doing things) without a schedule.
She’s been thriving. She’s feeling refreshed.
She’ll grab a coloring book and color. She’ll grab a piece of paper, some water colors, and she’ll paint. We’ll go outside, play with sidewalk chalk, and she’ll end up writing letters and words. She’ll draw shapes and pictures.
She’s implementing all the wonderful things she’s learned from this past school year and adding it to her ‘play’ time.
I love it!
As the summer progresses, I do have some educational activity books that I would like to see her play around with.
I’ll slowly reintroduce a scheduled quiet and focus time so that she is prepared for the academic environment again. I will work with her on some of the thing she needed to improve on based on her preschool teacher’s “end of the year” evaluation.
We’ll get into all of that as the summer progresses…
But for now, we’re just going to let loose and enjoy the free time.
As for K, I know she’s enjoying the fact that she isn’t constantly being strapped into a car seat and driven around all the time. She’s also enjoying the fact that her sister is around all day!
How do you usually spend your summer vacation? How lazy do you all yourselves to get?
Sidewalk chalk
Posted on: June 12, 2016
The girls’ latest obsession is sidewalk chalk.
For $1, I purchased a pack of 12 pieces at Target. I feel like ‘Super Mom’ because this chalk can keep them occupied for at least an hour, and I didn’t pay an excessive amount of money for it!
Yup, Super Mom.
The girls love it. The back yard concrete is full of colorful drawings and lines. It’s really brought our backyard to life!
The Target chalk is great. It gets the job done. It’s chalk.
However, I found an old pack of Crayola side walk chalk that we received as a party favor years ago. I brought that out to them for them to try.
Crayola chalk is vastly different than Target chalk.
Target chalk feels like, well, chalk. Crayola chalk has a creamer and smoother feel. It’s not a dry to touch.
Target chalk makes fainter lines on the concrete. Target chalk makes chalky lines. Crayola chalk makes darker, more pigmented, lines. The colors are more vibrant and noticeable. The chalk glides on the concrete in a creamier way.
But honestly, the kids don’t care. Chalk is chalk, no matter what the brand. They are having fun with both sets and can spend a whole afternoon out there playing and drawing.
I love watching them enjoy some time outside!
Personalities
Posted on: June 11, 2016
M – first born
She’s intense. She’s ‘in your face’ but in the super friendly way. She sees wants to be everyone’s friend the second she meets you. She doesn’t understand personal space because she just wants to be your best friend. She’s super sweet. She’s affectionate. She’s funny. She’s opinionated. She’s understanding and can ‘go with the flow’ in most circumstances. She’s articulate. She’s innocent. She never means anyone any harm. She can lose control because she gets so excited and happy about the smallest and simplest situations. She is a fun, but strong, personality.
K – the baby
She’s a bit quieter. She’s a bit more reserved. She can run and laugh with her sister, but you can tell she holds back a little bit more than M does. While M openly laughs loudly, K can be seen giggling demurely with her hand over her mouth. She’s a bit more cautious when it comes to other kids. She’s learning to be more friendly, but hasn’t gotten too close to people she doesn’t know. She’s opinionated. She’s strong willed. She’s a fighter. She won’t give in. She will make known when she is unhappy. She’s a little more serious. She shows affection on her terms and doesn’t like to be bothered with random hugs and kisses (especially when she’s in the middle of something). She’s the baby and it definitely shows.
I’m loving how their personalities are shaping and changing. I love the similarities. I love the differences. I love watching them interact and how their personalities affect how they play and deal with each other.
She did it!
Posted on: June 10, 2016
M graduated from preschool.
It was a great day.
They did the celebration at a local park. They played for a little bit and then the teacher gathered them around for a little “ceremony.”
They were handed certificates and then each of them were to say their favorite thing about preschool.
In true “M” nature, she said that her favorite thing about preschool was playtime.
After the ceremony, the kids were allowed to play around until they were ready to go home.
We took M to Chuck E Cheese for lunch afterward. We ended up staying there for THREE HOURS! M and K had a blast! They played endlessly. They loved every single minute they were there.
Three hours at Chuck E Cheese meant that they fell asleep in the car before we even left the parking lot!
It definitely was a great day!
I’m so proud of what M had accomplished this preschool year. She had grown so much since the beginning. She’s definitely become a better student because of this experience.
She’ll be moving on to Transitional Kindergarten for the next school year. I’ll probably do a post about it when the time comes.
Congratulations, my baby girl. Over the course of the school year, I have seen you grow up into a little lady. You’ve made friends, and learned how to be a good student. I can’t wait to see what next year holds for you. You make me so proud everyday. I love you so much and I hope we have a super fun summer vacation!
Blueberry picking… take one.
Posted on: June 5, 2016
- In: Parenthood
- 3 Comments
On Memorial Day weekend, we attempted to go blueberry picking.
We had visited this berry farm two years ago and had a blast. We knew that we wanted to take the girls berry picking again once K was old enough.
The weather had been cloudy for the past week or so. Hubby said that one of the ladies at the entrance said that the clouds had possibly affected the rate at which the berries were ripening and that we might not be able to pick as much berries as we were be expecting.
She was right. We walked through rows and rows of berries that were not yet ready for picking.
I didn’t stop us from having a good time though. The mere fact that we were there was enough to make M and K very happy.
This was K’s first time at the berry farm. She loved carrying around the bucket. However, searching for ripe berries wasn’t quite as fun as filling up her bucket full of sticks!
Asides from berries, the girls loved looking at the chicken coop. There were quite a few chickens inside and they were so cute!
In the end, we didn’t find enough berries to justify a purchase. Good thing this blueberry farm doesn’t have an entrance fee. You only pay for what you pick. In our case, we hardly picked any! We ended up leaving the bucket of berries on a bale of hay, hoping someone will find it and add it to their stash of berries.
Can you tell which one was K’s bucket and which one was M’s?
We’re hoping to make our way up to the berry farm again in the next week or so. I’m hoping we can come back soon enough to collect a bucket full!
Things my daughter says… Jokester
Posted on: June 4, 2016
M is funny. She’s suddenly acquired this arsenal of jokes. I think she heard one from school and then decided to make up a bunch of them herself.
Here are a few that she loves telling.
What do you call a witch that lives on the beach?
A sandwhich!
What do you call a pig that knows karate?
Pork chop!
What do you call a fly that lives in butter?
A butterfly!
What do you call a fly that lives in fire?
A firefly!
What do you call a cone that lives in ice?
An ice cream cone!
What do you call a hopper that lives in the grass?
A grasshopper!
Her execution and enthusiasm when she tells these jokes is what makes them so funny! She ends each joke by asking, “Get it?” It’s very cute!
I can’t wait for her to read these jokes again when she’s older to see what a silly little preschooler she used to be.
Living life in the carpool lane.. 