This Weekend, I

...taught my son to make microwave popcorn.

...went to the Trader Joe's grand opening in Leawood (first TJ's in the state of Kansas!).

...watched Noodle perform at the last day of Circus Camp.

...took the kids in swimsuits to run around in the fountains at Crown Center for the first time (which the 8-year-old declared was one of his best "water activities" ever).

...cleaned out the 'fridge for dinner on Saturday.

...ate ribs and corn on the cob for dinner on Sunday.

...drank two Mango Pineapple smoothies from McDonalds (and contemplated getting a third).

...cheered the Kangaroos on at their last t-ball game of the season.

...hung out at an 8-year-old pool party at the Shawnee Country Club and avoided burning my feet.

...then came home and took the three kiddos to the neighborhood pool to expend the very last of their (and my) energy.

...took the three kiddos for a walk to the park in 100 degrees so the husband could mow the lawn in peace.

...cleaned out the last of my outgrown little girl clothes (and found homes for them all).

...bowled for Big Brothers Big Sisters' "Kegs and Eggs" event on Saturday morning.

...did NOT watch Big Brother because my DVR failed me on Thursday night.

...uploaded all the vacation pictures to Shutterfly.

* * * * *

It was a BUSY and very productive weekend. But man, I could use a day off!

Down the Shore

We're back from a week on the Jersey Shore. We were in Cape May, at the southern tip of New Jersey. The beach was a little rockier than the last time we went (ouch ouch ouch) but still great. The kids all loved it. We might have the only kids in America who sit home pining to move to New Jersey.

Ernie Miller

A couple weeks ago, it was 95 degrees and humid, so obviously, a perfect day for a hike. We took the kids to Ernie Miller Nature Center, which is great for hiking, because it is (1) shady and (2) paved. Also, there is a pond and an amphitheater where kids can play on the stage. Unfortunately, when we were there, a small group of kids a bit older had already commandeered the stage, and when Noodle was up on it, dancing around, they got all indignant. Whatever, we were hot anyway.

Rocking and Rolling

Summer is rolling right along! Baseball, t-ball, hanging in the driveways til dusk, figuring out how to monitor 3 kids at the pool: in a nutshell, fun times.

Last summer, our anthem was "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, followed closely by "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Yeah, that's right. At least it's not the Dora theme song anymore! Those were the two songs that Squash and Noodle demanded every time we got in the car.

This summer..."Firework" by Katy Perry. It was the song they played at Squash's last-day-of-2nd-grade Powerpoint picture presentation and he loved it. So now we hear it a lot. Followed closely by the Maccabeats' Purim song, to the tune of "Raise Your Glass" by Pink. Oh, the wild times at our house!

Crazy Weather

It's hard to believe it's only been a week since the tornadoes in Joplin (3 hours south of us). We've had the craziest week of weather...tornado sirens one day, spectacularly gorgeous the next, cold and rainy the next, and today: wind. But tonight, things settled down, and this is what we saw out the front window.

T-Ball

Noodle is playing t-ball! She had her first game this weekend and it was great, muddy fields and all. The team has 16 4-5 year-olds on it. In each inning, every single kid hits, and every single kid runs to first (well, if they can remember. A couple kids ran to third, and one ran to the pitcher's mound!). This takes a looooong time. Luckily, I believe we only played 3 innings in the first game. Also, all 16 kids are in the field at the same time. And since no one appears to be able to hit it out of the infield, this means it should (should!) not be that hard to get the ball fielded and thrown to first each time. Oh, but it is! Gotta love t-ball!

My Morning

This was my Monday morning:

6:10 AM - Wake up + shower, get dressed.
6:45 AM - Wake up and get dressed three kiddos (with help from Dad!).
7:10 AM - Sit down to eat breakfast with Dad + three kiddos.
7:35 AM - Depart to drop three kiddos off at school.
7:40 AM - Drop Squash at elementary school. Realize that I have forgotten 2 items he needed. Plan to drop off the other two, then make a loop back around to get those 2 items.
7:45 AM - Pull into Noodle/Truck's school. Realize that I have forgotten Truck's blanket. U-Turn.
7:50 AM - Back at home. Pick up two items for Squash and blanket for Truck. By this point, Truck is yelling. WHY HAVE I BEEN IN THE CAR THIS LONG?!?
8:05 AM - Drop Noodle/Truck at school. Via fish tank stop in lobby, of course. Kids in both class are already on playground (we are later than usual). Truck cries about this change in routine.
8:15 AM - On my own. Get gas.
8:20 AM - Drop letters in mail at post office.
8:30 AM - Back to Squash's school. Drop item #1 in office, item #2 at before-school program with Squash, who is animatedly talking with friends. He waves me off.

Then, and only then, did I embark on my 30-minute commute to work! Sometimes I am amazed that I get up at 6:10, and then arrive at work at 9...as in, where did all that time go? But there you go, now I have documented where exactly...it all went!