Summer Update~

Essentially, we have one week left of summer before I report back to duty.  I'm sad, but it has been a great summer!  Probably one of my favorites as both kids are old enough to really go, and I've loved being home with them.  I'm not certain we will finish out the list, as there are still some big ones left, but we have made some progress if nothing else!  It has been a blast!

1.  Go to the North Pool
2. Summer Reading Program for All-Done and prizes collected from library!
3. Swimming Lessons-Done and success!
4. T-Ball for Rowan-Done!
5. Firepit-
6. Snow Cones
7. Happy Hour at Dairy Queen
8. Cupcake Trip We stopped at Billy Vanilly one day last week.  It was yummy!
9. Go Fishing-
10. Chuck-E-Cheese  Alex took Row on an outing last Sunday for this one.
11. Vacation Bible School-This was a big one.  I was glad to see this one done!
12. Discovery Center Camp for Rowan-Starts tomorrow a.m.
13. Bike Ride at Lake Shawnee We've been on several bike rides since we got a seat to put behind our bikes for Isla!  She adores bike rides.
14. Feed the Geese:-o (Insert horrified look here-I hate geese)
15. SpRiNkLeR!
16. Bake Cookies-
17. Discovery Center-
18. Bowling
19. Paint Therapy Uncorked
20. Movie Theater-
21. Make Homeade Ice Cream
22. Picnic at Park
23. Paint own rock
24. Donut Shop
25. Go to Branson
26. Video Games with Dad

Day 29: Five songs that describe you.

I can't even do this post.  I'm so not a music person.  I grew up in the country where we seldom got more than one radio station, and I honestly don't think I owned a cd until I was at least 24.  Music is just not my thing.  I like the quiet of my own thoughts, so even still today, I seldom drive with the radio on.  Weird, I know;-)

Day 28: Only Pictures

Oops!  So I missed a few days.  The prompts were rough, and this blog everyday deal is a big commitment;-)

 We went to Tulsa this weekend to see Julie, a roommate of mine from college.  It was a quick trip, but it was a fantastic family-friendly trip, and it was so good to see her.  Maybe I'll see her in less than 2 years this time;-)

 We went to Tulsa's Discovery Lab.  They have an entire tunnel made out of packing tape.  Seriously.   It is impressive, and it can even handle big people.  The kids ran through this tunnel more times than I could count. 

Isla is in the middle of the tunnel, and Row is just about to the end of it.

Eight layers of packing tape is all that holds it together.

Bed of Nails.  So brave.

Row could have slept on it, I think.

Big Al!

Rowan, Lexi, Isla, and Thomas

Isla fell asleep on the way home.  She was a tired girl.

Day 24: Top three worst traits of yourself...

Gosh. 

1. I bite my fingernails.  I do, and I have for as long as I can remember.  It bothers me a lot, but it is a nervous habit.  I'm able to stop in the summer as my stress level comes down, but once the stress is back up, I can't do it. 

2. I dwell on my shortcomings.  I often relive choices or events that I thought could have gone better over and over and over in my brain.  Sometimes I relive these for days or even weeks until I come to an impasse that I can't change the situation now.   It is a hard character trait to live with.

3. I break out in a rash when I am placed in an uncomfortable or nervous situation on my torso.  I found this out when I was in college.  It includes any situation that is a high stress (i.e. meetings, public speaking, uncomfortable social situations, etc).  I get massive red splotches all over, and I get really really hot.  The doctors tell me it is an increase in blood pressure that causes my body to respond this way.  It is annoying to literally wear your blood pressure on your chest.  So, if I'm ever talking to you, and I have a red rash on my chest, you will know I'm upset;-)

Day 23: Things you've learned that school won't teach you...

1. I learned how to manage money from Dave Ramsey and the Internet. I'm still frustrated I learned this later rather than sooner.

2. I've learned collaboration is how almost anything in the real world is accomplished.  Rarely, do you keep your eyes on your own paper;-)

3. I learned naps really are the epitome of heaven most days. 

4. I learned one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life is the selection of a spouse.  This will shape so many facets of your world~

Day 22: A pet peeve...

I was reminded of this one this morning while eating my breakfast!

Notice the coffee cup, and who's spot she took at the table;-)

I'm not a sharer of my food. Think Joey on Friends-you know the one where his date tries to eat from his plate in the restaurant;-) Okay, so maybe I'm not to that extreme, but it really bothers me to have my food messed with.  It drives me ever-loving crazy when I sit down to eat, and my children eat from my plate or drink from my cup.  I lost quite a bit of weight between Isla's first and second year, and I attribute it to this!  She's the worst!

 Any meal time at our house goes like this.  We all sit down with the same variations of food on our plate, but daughter leans over into my space until she steals whatever it is that she was after.  If she likes it, then you are lucky.  If she doesn't like it, then she spits the half-chewed remnants back out on your plate.  Alex and I play musical chairs at our dinner table, because neither one of us really wants to deal with this while eating;-) Sometimes, I just concede and give her my plate and go hungry.  Some days it seems like the better option than eating schmutzed on food. 

Day 21: Your favorite posts...

I maintain my blog as a record of our life.  I don't scrapbook or print off photographs, but I hope to use this as the timeline of my children and our lives.  So, I headed back through the timeline to find my favorites.

And I camped... I won't say I loved this, but it was a great memory we made with the kids.  Rowan still talks about it and wants to do it again.  Someday....

Week in Pictures-Last Edition 2012-The end is near.  It is something about the last week of summer that makes me savor it a little more than the others.  It is bittersweet. A reminder of the gift that summer is to me, but also a reminder that I will bid my carefree days of motherhood behind for the rugged pace of life teacher brings to our home.  I remember this week well and what a difference a year makes;-)

Stop and Smell the Roses-I think it was my mom that told me fairly recently, "Honey, find contentment."  So true it is.  There is always something better, bigger, or more promising, but the truth is, what I have is more than enough.  

Family Pictures-I adore these pictures!  They are probably my favorite of all of our pictures we have taken as they are just so candid.

 

Day 19: 5 Blogs you follow....

I follow a plethora of various blogs.  Of course, summer allows me more time to blog read, but I still hit or miss throughout the school year as well.  Here are my favorites.

Good Cheap Eats- Jessica has ties to Kansas, and I originally found her over here at Life As Mom.  She now lives in California where she homeschools her 6 children, runs two blogs, and wrote a cookbook this year!  Good Cheap Eats is basically menu plans to feed a family on a reasonable budget.  Her meal ideas are generally healthy and typical for someone with small ones at home!  That I appreciate!

Whatever-Meg is from here in Kansas, and runs Craft Weekends at her farmhouse.  Essentially, you go for 2 days and spend endless hours crafting, and they take care of you;-)  I stumbled upon her blog from another that I read, and I was just inspired.  She is an amazing photographer and also posts about her own family as well! She became a runner this year too;-)

The Bloggess-I got hooked on this one after Lindsey read her book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened.  She is hysterical, honest, and highly offensive.  There is just no edit on this gal.  I often find myself reading her posts out loud to Alex, and we laugh and laugh.  She just has a way with words;-)

The Pioneer Woman-I've followed Ree since before she was really famous.  She is a ranch wife from Oklahoma who is an amazing cook.  Note-you will not get skinny with her recipes, but they are usually amazing!  She is also a fantastic photographer, and I appreciate that she loves living on the farm. 

Hmm, food, crafting, and humor are apparently my interests.  There are also my real-life friends that I follow as well. There is Chelsea-the girl who inspires me to be mindful of what I put in my hole.  If only God hadn't made me to like chocolate so much... I also follow Randi who makes everything look so easy, Lindsey who is a go getter if I've ever known one, Shanna who is a college friend and probably the most eloquent writer of all of the blogs I follow, Candice who is a teacher friend but moving to be a work at home mom, Kayla who is a teacher friend and going from a stay at home mom to working mom (Yeah, Kayla!), Elexis who just left our teacher clan to move with her husband to KC (sad heart), and my bff from college Julie who has helped me through every hump in the road I've had in the last 11 years. 

There are others, but this is a good amount of those I read thoroughly~

Day 18: Tell a story about your childhood...

I'm not much for rehashing the olden days, so we will do a little meet and greet...

My parents are Greg and Gayla Flavin.  They have been married a long, long time, 39 years if my math is correct.  My mom is a LPN at a rural hospital where I grew up, and my dad carries mail for the rural community.  They milked cows for many moons, so we enjoy these rather typical jobs they both now have.  They at least allow for vacation time;-)

My mom and I on the farm in 2008.

I have 2 older brothers.  My oldest brother, Tyler, lives with his wife, Heather, and their four children in western Kansas.  He is now a principal and his wife is a teacher.  We were married the same summer, but they have outnumbered us with children by far;-) 

Tyler and Heather sans Kemper.  He wasn't around just yet;-)

My middle brother, Seth, works in Salina at the tech school working with electrical students.  He has an associate's degree as an electrician and a bachelor's degree in agriculture business. He traveled the country for many years working on rewiring large factories for a company.  He was doing some management, but ultimately wanted to stay in one place for a while.  He is an eligible bachelor and a kind spirit if anyone is looking;-)  He's a fixer, a handyman, and a gentle soul.

Seth and Tayte

I believe they were messing with my phone.  Gotta love big brothers.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Seth.

So, there you have it.  Three kids who grew up on the dairy farm all turned into teachers.  What are the odds?  Our hardwork as children led us all three to college degrees;-)

This is the whole clan-Tyler, Heather, Kemper, Dad, Kynlee, Mom, Tayte, Seth, CJ, Me, Rowan, Isla, and Alex

Day 17: A favorite photo of yourself and why...

This photo was taken at Alex's company meeting last November.  It is an accurate representation of me now, we are all glammed up, and I felt pretty this night.  Alex bought me the dress I was wearing, which was so not something I would have picked out for myself, but I received lots of compliments on it throughout the evening.  We had a great time that night, and I loved that my husband had put the thought into buying my dress for me;-)

Day 16: Something difficult about your lot in life and how you are working to overcome it.

I'm going to have to say college loans is this one for us.  While I know our "lot" is similar to many others who have gone to college, it is a challenging one.

Alex and I are going on 10 years out of college.  When we exited KSU, together we had close to $50,000 in student loans.  We both worked a great deal during school, but we still had to carry loans.  It was daunting to think about, so we just didn't.    For those who aren't as fortunate as we are;-), student loans are set up for 15 years.  So in essence, if we keep paying our monthly payments, we will finish paying them off in 2019.  Ugh.  

Shortly after we had Rowan, we talked seriously about our desires and dreams for our children.  We want them to go to college and find a career they love!  We also hope to ease the burden of the university experience price tag as well.  So, while we contribute to 529s for both of our children, we are still chipping away at our own educational experience each month.  Sidebar-if you don't have a 529 for your own children, I would highly encourage you to do so.  We were told if we put in 300 each month from birth to age 18 per child, we would probably be able to cover their educational career 100%.  Yeah, that is not a typo...  Time is on your side, but you need to start now to allow the money time to grow!

Not once will we ever say we regret this "purchase," but it is a costly lot in life each month until we get to the finish line in hopefully less than 5 years;-)

Day 15: A day in the life...

6:08-My alarm goes off as I was planning on going for a run this a.m.  But, I have a stiff shoulder and neck.  Clearly, a run isn't going to happen.  I doze a bit as Big Al gets up and ready for work.

6:45-Big Al walks through the bedroom ready for work.  I get up with him, and we drink our coffee together at the table.  He plays Candy Crush, and I look at the newspaper and catch up on Facebook.

7:15-Big Al leaves for work for the day, and I head to the shower.  Still no children, but it was late last night when they went to bed, so they may sleep in a while.

7:50-I'm showered and ready for the day.  Still no kids, so I throw in a load of laundry, so we have our VBS shirts for tonight and clean up the kitchen.

8:05-Rowan wakes up and heads through the kitchen to our room to watch cartoons for a bit. 

Rowan snuck breakfast and water in our bed.  I know, parent fail.  He's watching cartoons.

8:17-Isla wakes up.  She eats her breakfast with me at the table. She complains about her back hurting, so I give her some Tylenol. My own neck is horribly stiff and sore.  If I had someone to watch my kids today, I'd be headed to a Chiropractor ASAP. Instead, I call Alex and whine about it. 

8:45-TV off, and I switch laundry over.  We all get dressed, and we head outside for a bit. Rowan brings up the trash can, as they have already come this morning. I have flowers to water, and the kids play around in the garage and on the porch. I look through my car and spiffy it up as well as the garage.  

10:00-We have a couple of errands to run for VBS, so we load up.  We head to Target and the dollar store to get the necessary items.

11:35-We are back home, and we play outside some more while I unload the car.  The kids find the sidewalk chalk and take to that in the driveway.

11:50-Everyone's hungry, so we head inside.  I make lunch while the kids destroy play in the living room!

Pretend sleeping

She's sleeping too;-)

11:55-Lunch is served. 

Tomato basil soup, cheese pizza, watermelon and cucumbers with basalmic, and strawberries for the kids

Tomato basil soup, salad, cheese quesadilla, and strawberries for me!

12:30-Lunch is cleaned up and dishes are done again.  I pull out my clothes from the dryer to fold.  I fold them in the laundry room now as I always have "help" if I do it in the open.  I really hate that kind of help;-)

This is my help at work!

12:40-The kids and I go read books in Isla's room before her nap.  We read Curious George, Princesses, and Pinkilicious before Isla lays down.

12:45-Rowan and I come to the living room for his reading.  We are working our way through The Magic Treehouse, and we finished #7 today!

1:10-Rowan goes to watch a movie while I catch up on the checkbook, pay 2 bills, and then work on a video I am making for church.  I'm in charge of making an appreciation video for our volunteers to be shown at training the end of July.  I have a really good start, but I spent about 30 minutes doing some voice recording and editing while it was quiet in my house.  I'm hoping Alex can get me the last of the video tonight during VBS, so I can call it done!  That will make my heart happy.

1:47-Isla is crying.  That wasn't near a long enough nap for her after her late night last night.  I'm not going into her room in hopes that she will soothe herself back to sleep.  

2:00- Rowan's cartoons finish, so we turn off the tv, and he heads to his room for some quiet time. He pounds around in his room with a sword and constructing a "car wash" out of legos.  It's cool.  I grab my Nook and read for a while. He wants me to play downstairs with him, so I do.  He cooks me food, I eat it, repeat.  It was pretty precious.

3:37- Isla's awake!  Now, that's a nap. She's happy.  Yeah!

3:45-Snack and outside we go!  The kids get into the playdoh and ride around the sac on bikes until Dad gets home!

5:13-Alex is home, and I fly out the door to run to VBS.  I have to switch over the crafts for the 4 little classrooms and make sure all is set for the night before our campers arrive between 6:00 and 6:15.

8:45-VBS is over and we tidy up our room.  We head out the door.  Alex and I drove separately, so we part ways and head for home.

8:50-I run into HyVee to grab something we need for VBS tomorrow night.  We had to adjust a craft!  

9:05-We arrive home and scurry everyone inside.  We have to do baths, teeth brushing, and books.  We emerge from respective rooms at 9:40.  Late night for the kiddos, but we hope they sleep well tonight.

9:40-We both sit down for the night and talk about business for the next day as well as schedules while cutting the holes in the cups I just bought for VBS;-)

10:20-I'm finishing the last 3 hours of  my day on the blog, and I am headed to bed!  The kids are silent, Big Al is sitting in the chair still, and I'm ready for my own bed and some quiet. 

That's a wrap for us!

Day 14: 10 things that make your heart happy

I kinda already did this prompt, because I didn't like an earlier prompt.  Oops, I guess I should have looked ahead.  So how about some pictures of the day instead;-)

Rowan and Alex played Wizard 101.  Alex promised Rowan on Wednesday they'd play Sunday.  Rowan remembered;-)

Alex painted Miss Isla's toe nails per request. 

It's VBS week!  I love this week!  Probably a post all of it's own!

Rowan proudly made his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  So independent and intent!

It's a busy week here with VBS every night through Thursday!  Have  a blessed week!

Day 13: Picture of the Day

Alex is golfing today for work (rough, I know), so the kids and I ran errands this am to pass the time.  Rowan picked out his backpack for Kindergarten!  Have I mentioned how much I love school supplies, so my heart was ecstatic when he squealed with delight at a backpack! He's excited!

Day 12: One thing you miss...

I really had to think about this one.  I'm not overly sentimental about stuff, nor do I really reminisce about what "used" to be.  I'm a live in the moment kind of girl, and I find that works for me.

But, I do love Christmas... a WHOLE bunch.  So on this day, Christmas is the one thing I miss;-) 

I love how full my house feels with all of the decorations up.  I love shopping for presents for people, wrapping them, and placing them under the tree.  I love the excitement the season brings and getting picture cards from all of my dear friends;-) (If you don't send me one, you should.  I keep them up all year round). I love the yummy treats and cookies you eat during the season.  I love the sparkling lights shining all over town.  And the music just makes me smile.  I love the church message you hear during the Christmas season-I never tire of the good news!

The Christmas season is certainly my favorite time of year hands down.  Love it and miss it~

Day 11: Sell yourself in 10 words or less...

Devoted to inspiring young minds with compassion.

Day 10: Things that make my heart happy...

1. Coffee!  I love a cup of coffee with International Delight creamer in it to start my day.  I only drink one cup, but it is oh so inspiring for my mood and my taste buds!

2. Pink!  I adore the color pink.  If it were appropriate, I would wear head to toe pink everyday of my life.  Unfortunately, I just don't think I'm in the age bracket to pull it off, but I adore pink in any sense!

3. Books!  I love reading books.  I have my favorite genres, but I get sucked into the written word easily.

4. Peanut Butter M and Ms!  I don't buy these, because I will seriously eat an entire bag, and I really try to be mindful of what I eat, but they are so ever-loving good!

5. Christmas! I would celebrate Christmas year round if it were socially acceptable.  It isn't, so I'm not allowed to leave my tree up for 12 months, but I do put it up by November 15.  The hubs used to balk when I asked him to help, but after 13 years of Christmas, he simply complies now and helps me start the celebration early;-)

6. School Supplies!  I love school supplies and the order they bring to anyone's life!  There are bright colors and sticky notes and pens and paper and oh so much to make my heart sing!  Makes me giddy just to see them put the supplies out.

There you have it, my happy heart list;-)

Summer Update~

Here's the update to our list.  Slowly but surely, we are making progress on it!

1.  Go to the North Pool
2. Summer Reading Program for All-ongoing.  We have read 7 of The Magic Treehouse books together. 
3. Swimming Lessons-One week down and one to go.
4. T-Ball for Rowan-ongoing.  Rowan's last game is tomorrow night!
5. Firepit-
6. Snow Cones
7. Happy Hour at Dairy Queen
8. Cupcake Trip (I'm seeing a trend here)
9. Go Fishing-The crew went fishing on the 4th of July.  Look what they caught!

 
10. Chuck-E-Cheese 
11. Vacation Bible School-This is next week.  I've been in charge of getting preschool crafts together.  I'll be thankful when it is over;-)  I've done lots of cutting!
12. Discovery Center Camp for Rowan
13. Bike Ride at Lake Shawnee We've been on several bike rides since we got a seat to put behind our bikes for Isla!  She adores bike rides.
14. Feed the Geese:-o (Insert horrified look here-I hate geese)
15. SpRiNkLeR!
16. Bake Cookies-
17. Discovery Center-
18. Bowling
19. Paint Therapy Uncorked
20. Movie Theater- Rowan and Alex tried to go to Despicable Me 2 on Saturday night, but it was sold out.  They ended up at the cheap theater seeing The Croods!  Rowan loves movies, so he really doesn't care what they go and see.
21. Make Homeade Ice Cream
22. Picnic at Park This was an impromptu trip, but it was beautiful weather for July, so we ended up going after we ran errands. 

 
23. Paint own rock
24. Donut Shop

25. Go to Branson
26. Video Games with Dad

It was also the 4th of July this last week.  Our neighborhood had a party complete with waterslide. I wish I had taken more pictures, but truth be told it is just kind of a chaotic day.  We ended with a massive barbecue with oodles and oodles of food and fireworks.  It was a great time!