it's here

The school year is pretty much over. Tomorrow is the last day of school. It's fine. I'm fine.

Dan usually works a lot in the summer. So I am with the kids a lot. All of them. All day. Obviously I love them. So much. Individually. With breaks. Like school. And having a few minutes to myself. In the summer, it's just me and them, all of the time. And so far, being a parent in the summer isn't as fun as being a parent during the school year.

Okay I feel like I'm complaining and maybe I need to explain. Especially if you don't have kids. Or your kids are grown and you totally forgot how physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting they were when they were little and you only remember them as cute, sweet and uncomplicated without all those hormones and you're one of those people that say, Oh just enjoy every minute. It goes so fast. Let me just remind you that 3 year olds have the 3 year old version of hormones where they like to scream and fall on the floor because they need to ride their bike at 5:30AM or eat cookies we don't have for breakfast or they hate clothes, especially pants and need to be naked when they leave the house.

I've thought of a little analogy if you will.

Let's say you are a hiker. You're like a really good, in shape hiker. After all, you've been hiking daily for about 9 years now. You love those hikes to waterfalls and those streams you pass occasionally. And you absolutely love hiking up a mountain to get that amazing view at the top. And you plan on hiking for the rest of your healthy life because you LOVE it. It makes you feel alive and it makes you feel like you.

BUT. Occasionally you come across a gnarly part of the trail that causes you to breath really heavy and stumble on rocks and you wonder why you started hiking in the first place. It's too steep and all you see is dirt and bushes. Then gnats start following you. And you are SOOOO thirsty but you've run out of water. But then the brush clears and you see that amazing view again. Another hiker gives you some water and you are reminded why you love hiking. And so you keep going.

Parenting is like that. And summer is like that awful part in the trail where you run out of water and you're tired and it's too steep. But then school starts again and you are reminded that you do love being a parent. You just need some water and a view. (Some sleep and 5 minutes without people needing you)

And the hardest part about summer is the pressure to go do fun things with your kids while also shaping them into little decent human beings (hopefully) while making them read and do math so they don't fall behind in school. And there is no one helping shape them into decent human beings, like teachers, because they are taking a VERY WELL DESERVED BREAK. However, I'm wondering why the year round school idea fizzled out so quickly. That was big in the 90's. What ever happened to that?

Okay I promise that is the last time I complain about summer. Well... I will try not to complain anymore k?

Anywho...

I made a list of things for my kids to do so they don't sit around and watch TV or play games on the computer or fight all summer. I'm kind of excited about some of them. I'm making an awesome treasure hunt for them. It's going to rhyme and everything. Mya and Winter are at the prime age for most of this stuff. Addie can do some of it. I have fond memories of making collages with my aunt Debie during the summer. My sister and brother and I made forts out of chairs and sheets and pillows all the time. And my cousin and I used to make dance routines to Madonna songs. So fun. I have big plans to watch movies with the big girls during nap time or after the littles go to bed. And eat popcorn of course. This is my list so far. I plan on putting them on those giant popsicle sticks like they do on Pinterest. That way they can just pull one out of a jar and do it.

1. Scavenger hunt
2. Bake something
3. Make a collage
4. Write a letter to a friend/relative
5. Build a fort
6. Paper mache
7. Make puppets and put on a puppet show
8. Put on a fashion show
9. Make up a dance routine
10. Hide and seak
11. do a puzzle
12. play a board game 
13. Movie and popcorn
14. make friendship bracelets
15. have a breakfast picnic somewhere outside
16. hide something and make a treasure map
17. print out coloring pages of their favorite things and have them color them.
18. paint pictures

That's all I have. Feel free to use my list of ideas if you have girls! If you have boys, I'll borrow your ideas in a couple of years. 

And now for the random May pics. 

Rain boots when it’s dry out. PJs at 4PM. The bar is low with the fourth. 

Going to do some yard work.

Yard work is hard work. Omg I didn’t even mean to rhyme but that worked out so great 😀 

They are fighting, crying and wrestling over a lego train.
Angus is missing pants. Addie's missing a shirt. Again. The bar is low. 

Angus: I wuv ma ayee (I love my Addie)
I complain about these kids but I totally dig them too.
They make me looooose ma mind. But they melt my heart daily.
That’s like the definition of being a mom I think.

Selfies with Addie.

She's still learning.

I took the older girls out to lunch and thrift store shopping. They got to pick out 5 dresses each which is like $20 at the thrift store. We went to Community Thrift in Glendora. A gold mine for girls' dresses. They actually picked out like 20 but we narrowed it down. It's fun hanging out with these two. They are old enough to behave (for the most part), but young enough to keep it super silly and giggly. Especially after some sugar.

Dan has taken it upon himself to help Mya improve her money counting skills. He thought Monopoly would be a great way to practice math and introduce her to real life. You know, mortgages, utilities, jail... 

He didn't expect to get SCHOOLED. And he HATES losing. 

Mya is such a showoff when it comes to crafty things. A talent that hasn't really blossomed in her mom... yet 😀

We went to visit and congratulate a dear friend on her new engagement. Mya took it upon herself to make flowers and a vase out of tissue paper, a water bottle and washi tape. Whattt? Amazing. She even asked me if we had craft wire. I told her I didn't even know what that was. But I actually had some and she found it. 

Something I'm loving these days is the best podcast ever, The Lazy Genius. Okay, this is the first podcast I've ever listened to, but I'm sure it's the best one out there. Mari told me I should listen to it. I always listen to Mari. She was right as always. It's awesome. This lady totally breaks down anything in life and makes it sound simple, doable and easy. And she's funny and lovable. I feel like we could be best friends. So if you're a parent and you're kind of freaking out about summer, listen to her summer series. You can click here or use your podcast app. I lost mine and had to find it on my phone. One of my kids put it in a random folder. But everything is okay now and I can listen to podcasts.

Amie's random tip of the week:

A sweet mom at church shared a coffee tip with me at the Ladies' Tea at church. Haha kind of ironic learning about coffee at a Tea. Or is it? I'm not really sure I understand irony. But, this is a great tip.

She told me that if you use one of those reusable mesh filters instead of the paper ones, it makes the coffee taste better and you can use less creamer in it. She actually has started drinking her coffee black.

Here's why. The mesh filter allows some of the natural oils from the coffee beans to go into the coffee pot. The oils take away some of the acidity and bitterness from the coffee and make it taste really smooth and great! The paper filter doesn't allow those oils in.

So I bought myself a mesh filter from Target and what do you know? She was totally right. I use less creamer and I'm loving the taste of my coffee. That must be why restaurant coffee always tastes better. Maybe they use mesh filters. Thanks Gillian if you're reading this!