{weekend} lovelies
{image via: the jew in jcrew, tumblr}
:: Weekend Lovelies ::
Whoo Hoo! School’s out for Summer! Although fabulous to have a break from the normal school routine, it’s usually a bittersweet time for us parents, right?! I mean, let’s be honest… the kids are home around the clock so there can be a lot of sibling bickering going on and requests to play on electronic devices or watch television. If you’re anything like Nicole and I…. you are wondering how you’re going to keep screen time to a minimum, and instead, actively engage their minds with something more worthwhile! This Weekend Lovelies is dedicated to just that! You will find several amazing links for outdoor activities, kid-friendly recipe ideas, DIY play projects, and much more! Enjoy, friends…. and have the loveliest weekend! {xo} [Read more…]
Happy Birthday, Seth!
:: A Love Letter to our Little Man, on His Birthday ::
Dearest Seth,
You are SEVEN today…. How in the world did time go by so quickly?
In all honesty, it seems as if only yesterday that we were frantically driving to the hospital to deliver you. I remember your birth so vividly in my head, perhaps because it was a bit traumatic on my end! Your daddy and I barely made it to the hospital before you decided to make your entrance into the world! Just 35 minutes we had to endure patiently before meeting you. You were our tiniest baby…. just 6 pounds, 9 ounces. I’ll never forget those first tender weeks cradling you in my arms and keeping you all to myself. It was hard for me to let you out of my arms. As you grew…. you had the same issue with me! You only wanted Mommy to hold you. No one else! We called you my little koala for that very reason. [Read more…]
That’s a Wrap!
Prep for Summer!
Nicole and I were recently asked to write another “Family Focus” article for our local community magazine! We are so excited to share it with you! The focus is on prepping for summer: getting organized, setting a summertime routine, planning activities, going on day trips, and adopting a few seasonal traditions for your family to enjoy and remember for years to come!
So, read on for a plethora of fresh summer ideas… and please feel free to add your own personal favorites in our comment section! We’d love to hear from you! Summer is right around the corner… We’re ready, are you?!!
It’s hard to believe that summer is right around the corner! Soon our children will be out of school and we will have the large task of keeping their minds and bodies busy in what we hope will be constructive play, quality time spent with friends and family, and educational outings.
Last summer, we sort of winged it… we hate to admit! Although we had every intention of having more structure during our time off, and sending our kids to a few summer camps, not all of our plans came to fruition. We did have our share of lazy beach days {which was great}, but we could have made a few minor adjustments that would have made a big difference in the functioning of our homes and the daily squabbles between siblings that ensued. We hope with a little more time spent on the planning and organizing phase, we will be able to execute a seamless summer spent enjoying each day with happy children! We hope to give you a few ideas on how you can do the same through setting time each day to get organized, having flexible routines and daily rituals, making a summer wish list of activities to do, and setting seasonal traditions to create memories that will last a lifetime {or, at the very least, will last until the beginning of next school year when they have to share what they did over the summer}!
[Read more…]
Family Time
:: FAMILY TIME ::
I’ve been having a hard time accepting how much time my family spends away from each other… whether it’s Husby at work for days at a time at the fire station, or just the kids weekly schedule with school and other activities. As much as I try to soak up quality time with my family during the week, it never seems like we get enough. Our schedule seems consumed by the runaround schedule of drop-offs, pick-ups, homework, and other obligations…. as I guess it would with four children.
So… just over a week ago, Husby and I decided to forget about the never ending to-do list at home and take our two youngest to the beach while our older boys were at school. It seemed horribly wrong to leave Ryan and Seth out of the fun…. but I reminded myself that they had this alone time with us when they were little, too {right?}! We packed up a picnic lunch and headed to one of our favorite secluded spots in Laguna Beach….
