Thursday, June 27, 2013

This Happened

 15 years ago today!

 we became husband and wife....
there was some kissing....


some laughing...
 and dancing...

and yes...we were children!

I'm not going to blog about
*15 things I've learned in 15 years or
*15 reasons why I love him more now or
*15 things I wish I knew before I got married...

I just wanted to simply say that getting married at 20, although young, was the best thing I have ever done.  I am thankful to God for putting Beau into my life, thankful we married when we did, thankful we chose to have our children when we did...
Beau is a great husband...he's not perfect...
I think I might be an okay wife...I'm not perfect...
we try to always communicate our feelings...
we don't always do that as calm, rational adults...
but we do communicate...
I know he's not a mind reader...
even when I drop amazingly obvious hints...
I can't get mad at him when I haven't communicated what I need or want from him.

Our goal for our marriage is to be in relationship with God and each other and to grow in that relationship.  We are not trying to change the other person {or train, like some would say} into the man or woman we want them to be.  We are hopefully helping each other grow and change and become the man & woman God would have us be.

and that, for us, is what marriage is all about.

Our marriage has been blessed and for that I am thankful!
I love you Beau!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

summer plan...where are you?

Last summer I was all over it...I had our summer plan planned before school ended...
I knew how to make our summer not too boring, and not to scheduled and we had a wonderful summer...

We are 2 weeks into summer and I keep thinking I need to look at last years plan...so I finally did, this morning...wow I was on top of it!

We did start the summer by camping on the Oregon Coast {only a 7 hr drive on the last day of school!}...

I can also see how things are a little different this summer but I still like the basic idea...and to top it off the kids and I have been brainstorming some 'bucket list' ideas, things we want to do before summer is over!

Here is our plan for summer this year...

*Swim Team again...and boy to they love it {sarcasm!}, it's a little earlier this year starting at 8 rather than 8:30 and that 30 min make a HUGE deal...there have been 4 practices so far and my kids have made 2 of them, {that's 50%}...I'm buckling down on bed times this week so they can actually wake up...and by 'buckling down' they need to be in bed by 9:30, last week they were getting in bed after 11, it was CRA.ZA.Y! around here, we took the whole "Schools out for Summer!" and lost it a little!
anyways, M-W-F an hour in the pool...it's great for them!

*Summer Reading Program...they are signed up for the reading program at the library, and the boy child will participate in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading again {it only goes to 6th grade and girl child is going into 7th!...so disappointed in B&N for not continuing to reward and encourage older kids to read!}.  The reading is actually huge this summer, the girl child got reading glasses the last day of school,

that coupled with the 'reward' for completing the Library Summer Reading {for teens} is that they are entered into a drawing for a Kindle...she has had her nose in a book most afternoons, this.is.not.normal!  I usually have to encourage reading using various little tricks, but I have actually said to her, "you need to put that book down!"  Seriously, this is a sentence I never thought I would utter in my life to her, I am so blissfully excited about her reading!!!

*Piano...summer is the easiest time of year for them to buckle down and actually get in ALL of their daily piano practicing and listening {they have a CD that they are supposed to listen to daily}...and it helps me when they are begging to watch something or play a video game to say, "have you done your piano yet?"...

*Summer Journal...I didn't do this last summer and it was obvious when school started up again that they weren't use to writing...we have always done summer journals, not sure why I flaked last summer, and when Wilson was too young to journal he had a summer doodle book, where he would draw things he had done.

*Limited Screen Time...I know it's summer and summer is all about zoning out and losing yourself in tv right?  wrong...I HATE the kids to be zoned out in front of that thing!  But I also know it's summer so I relax my tone just a bit.  They are allowed 30 min screen time before they have to do their reading and piano for the day, and then after that I will look at our day and decide if they need/can have any more screen time....but also depending on the day we may be too busy for them to have their 30 min before reading & piano and I may use it as a reward for them getting all their tasks done and with a good attitude.

Now for our weekly 'schedule' {I use that term loosely, it is summer}
Movie Monday's...either a trip to the 'dollar theater' or a movie at home.

Work Day Tuesday's...this is the day we will pack up and I will drag them into work with me {they can take their bikes and ride in the HUGE empty parking lot}!  And then when we get home they will do any 'work' they need to around the house above and beyond their normal daily chores {clean bathrooms, organize bedrooms, help to clean the garage, weeding, etc}...I figured we should get this done earlier in the week...help the rest of the week go more smoothly.

Activity Wednesday...their piano lessons are early {right after swim and before lunch} so we have the whole afternoon to do whatever, this is one of the days we'll try to check items off our bucket list.  This is also the day that the library has activities planned that correlate with their summer reading program...
And of course it's church night, this is a great night for them to have a friend spend the night because they can come to church with us {or pick them up from church} and bonus no swim team Thursday morning so they can play all they want on Thursday.

Bucket List Thursday...I will let the kids sleep in while I head into work and get a few hours of stuff done, my goal is to be home by 10:30 on Thursdays...then we will do an item or two from our bucket list, we'll probably choose the items at the beginning of the week so we can plan accordingly.

Family Fridays...Friday is Beau's day off so we will treat it like a Saturday and just do whatever needs to be done or whatever we want to do....hopefully we can also check off more bucket list ideas on these days.

to create the Bucket List I opened up my pinterest and had the kids look over ideas I had pinned in 'School Vacation,' 'Yum - Cookies,' & 'Craft Ideas'...and other ideas were just theirs...

and now the Bucket List!!!

just in case you can't read the list above or want links to some of the ideas...

flubber ... Paper beads … Glitter play dough ...  paint rocksGlow in the dark slimeNewspaper fort ... Bubble week {giant bubbles, bubble blowers, bubble snake}... Water blobBleach t-shirts ... Soda can jewelry ... Duct tape purse & Walletpaint t-shirts ...  homemade tootsie rolls... homemade nutter butters ... Make pudding pops ... Make butter ... make bagels... Bake treats for neighbors ... film a cooking show ... Circus animal cookie truffles … Berry picking ... Kayak {picnic on an island}... Bowling ... Museum ... Zoo beach {sand castles} ... go to the snow {Lassen National Park usually still has snow in late July}... Bumpass Hell ... Sun River {we usually go to Sun River every summer with my in-laws, great summer place}... bike river trail ... Build a catapult ... Make sling shots ... origami ...  Fireworks
.....
so that's our summer...
do you try to organize your summer with a plan or do you just let it happen?

Sunday, June 16, 2013

He Doesn't Babysit

Nope, my husband doesn't babysit!
And will NEVER babysit our children!

He is their father...gave them 1/2 of their DNA...why would anyone ever assume that he would merely 'babysit' his own children!?!?

We live in a era that women are put on a pedestal for all they do...glorifying women and all their choices...{don't get me wrong, I think some women are pretty darn amazing}...but for some reason to make everyone believe that women are amazing we had to be fed this plate of lies that men are idiots!  That the only way women can be amazing is if men are the opposite.

Sitcoms show us the bumbling, stupid father that can't make a trip to the store without making a mistake.

Commercials show us that the biggest challenge a diaper can be put to is to leave a diaper clad baby in the care of their father while a football game is on, because a father is to single minded to watch a sport and care for their child!

And society in general...they always assume if a man is with children he is 'babysitting' them, that he's 'stuck with the kids' for the day...that no man would actually choose to parent their own children, choose to hang out with their kids and be their dad!

Let's get real here, I believe in equality...some women are pretty darn amazing...and there are plenty of men that are bumbling idiots...
but their are plenty of women that share the title of bumbling idiots!  And there are some pretty darn amazing men!

I married one...and had his babies...
and he will never babysit our children...he is their father...he will parent our children!

When they were babies he changed diapers, he burped them, he fed them {when they weren't nursing}, he bathed them, dressed them, rocked them to sleep as infants, read to them, sang to them.

As they grow his role is changing, he still tucks them in each night and reads with them, helps them with their homework, makes them dinner, washes dishes or sits back and relaxes now that our children wash the dishes.

He has taught them that being yourself is way more important than being what others want you to be.


He takes them to old bookstores and thrift stores {helping them to respect the things from past generations}.

He teaches them about music; from Benny Goodman, to the Beatles, to Abba, to Journey, to Michael Jackson, to U2 {my kids can play the "who's this band/singer?" game WAY better than I will ever hope to}.
He helps them with their piano or just sits and plays with them.

He takes them on bike rides.

He dates our daughter, teaching her how and what to expect from the men in her future.

He plays games with them {board games, card games, video games, role playing games}.

Starting from a young age he taught them the history of the original Star Wars {and although he's morally opposed to the new movies has left it up to them to make their own choice}.

He is teaching them to mow the lawn.

He watches 1950's horror movies with them.

He takes them kayaking.

He has taught our son that hair style doesn't make you a man.

He loves & respects their mother.

He baptized both of our children!
He has taught them to pray, he has taught them to seek out God's truths in their lives, he has help them memorize God's word. He has put God first in his life and has modeled for them how to live a life that glorifies God.

He has never.once.babysat our children!  From day one he has been their father.

Happy Father's Day Beau, I love you, thanks for being my babies' daddy!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Summer Menu {1/2 camping addition}

a fast little menu post while I have a break in between errands...

School is out tomorrow...it is HOT here in Redding...headed towards 110 on Saturday!
{so sad that we'll be at the Oregon coast in the 60 degree weather and missing the 100's}

Making menu's around the weather is a must, no soup or hot baked dishes for summer in Redding,
I.just.can't.do.it!

Our Menu

tonight-breakfast {eggs, bacon, fruit}

tomorrow night =McD's for us...{our kids get McDonald's twice a year, 1st day of school and last day of school...}

Friday & Saturday- Camping food {chili dogs one night, hamburgers the next}
we have a few camping desserts planned camp fire conesbaked apples & of course S'Mores
source: Chef Jessica Bright
source: Cooking Outside the Box

Sunday -sandwiches and leftover camping buffet {we'll probably be driving, so we'll just snack, and stop and make a sandwich on the road somewhere}

Monday-Chicken Patty Sandwiches {girl child's request}

Tuesday-grilled chicken pasta salad {so many recipes for this}

Wednesday-Indian Taco's
source: the Pioneer Woman
Thursday-Tuscan Garlic Chicken
source: the Recipe Critic 
Friday-Easy Mandarin Chicken
source: Yummy. Healthy. Easy 
Saturday-Honey Mustard Pretzel Crusted Chicken with Salad
source: Half Baked Harvest


and that's all I have for now...
what's a favorite for your family in the summer...