Flashback: Fun in Midland, Michigan

 This post was originally published last year, and references a trip we took in 2010. Look how little my munchkins are! Midland makes a great getaway from the Metro Detroit area, we've even done it as a day trip.

Chris's aunt and uncle live in Midland, aptly named as it sits in the middle of the state. Midland is known as the home of the world headquarters of Dow Chemical. But to our family it is known as where Aunt Nicki and Uncle Bob live. A couple years ago, we decided to be tourists in Midland while we were in town for a visit. We had such a great time, and I hope we get to do it again soon!

Lucy and Mattie at the Midland Tridge

There is a great park within walking distance of downtown, with a splash pad, a playground, and the very unique Tridge (triple + bridge = Tridge). Although I love the picture above, it doesn't really do the Tridge justice. It is really big, and connects paths of separate areas of the park. A lot of people ride their bikes. We packed a picnic lunch and had a beautiful day.

Cousins on the Tridge

Bethany cooling off at the splash pad

Lucy

We walked around downtown Midland. There are flowers everywhere in Midland, along the side of the road and in front of the shops and restaurants. At the time there was a turtle themed auction going on, so we saw all kinds of turtles too.

See that turtle, hidden among the gorgeous flowers?

Even the courthouse is pretty

We also visited the Midland Center for the Arts. They had a Lego exhibit going on then, but there are always fun, hands-on exhibits for kids. Sometimes they have shows too. Check out their website HERE for more information. This summer it looks like they're having a Bob the Builder Exhibit...sounds like fun!

Mattie and the giant Legos! Back then we couldn't keep shoes ON her, now we can't get them OFF of her!

Lego Mt. Rushmore...this summer I'll get a picture of them in front of the real thing!

Lego peace sign...notice Lucy is really trying to hold up her fingers in a peace sign! Also, I think I want to be a pro Lego builder! That has to be the best job ever!

Have you ever been to Midland, Michigan? If not, it's definitely worth a visit!

Thankful Thursday: Foreign Exchange Students

We're in the middle of a pretty wicked heat wave, an 84 degrees at 2 a.m. kind of heat wave. I'll admit that I kind of love it, although we have been largely holed up in the air conditioning. We are enjoying our summer, when I'm not yelling at my kids to stop yelling (call it a parenting fail if you must, I call it being heard). Dang it but they're loud!

Bethany and Connor started a three week day camp on Monday as part of a Chinese cultural foreign exchange program. They have a very busy and fun-filled itinerary, and Friday night we'll be bringing two Chinese students home with us to stay for two weeks. This means all kinds of things.

For starters, my house is still not ready for overnight guests. So I'll be doing some mad crazy cleaning and prep work Thursday and Friday. I mean, we got home from vacation on Saturday and I still have managed to not go grocery shopping. I won't mention the lingering suitcases. Clearly I have a lot of work to do!

Then I have to make sure I'm sufficiently entertaining Lucy and Mathilda because they know that Bethany and Connor are doing all kinds of fun things all day, and it just wouldn't be FAIR* if they didn't get to do all kinds of fun things too. My bare minimum strategy is to at least plan fun outings on the days that the campers go on field trips. When we're at home, they pretty much just have to be happy trying to out scream each other and fighting over whose turn it is to choose a show on Netflix. I'll try to do better next week.

Notice the lack of SMILE.

Tuesday the campers spent the day at Partridge Creek (local outdoor mall) to see a movie and do some shopping, so after I went to the gym and got us three girls ready, we went to Partridge Creek too. The campers saw Monsters University, and while Mattie was gung ho to see it, there was no convincing Lucy that it's not strictly a boys' movie. We even had a Monsters, Inc. family movie night Monday to try to sway her, but that didn't work, so we saw Despicable Me 2 instead. After the movie, we bumped into some friends, and went over to the fountains so the girls could splash around and cool off, but that lasted all of 5 minutes. Seriously. They said the other kids were hogging the water. Whatever. Sometimes your fun plans just don't work out. Instead of joyously running around in the water as I had envisioned, they sat with me on a bench, eating left over movie theater popcorn and getting all up in my business while I attempted to have an adult conversation with my friend. I turned to Starbucks for support (it's been awhile) and appeased Lucy and Mattie with cake pops. The day was a semi-success.



Wednesday Mattie had a dentist appointment, and then a birthday party for a preschool friend. Lucy and I got to hang out at the party too, which was unexpected and fun. After that, I knew the campers would be at our city pool, so we went and did that for awhile too. Being blazing hot, it was a good day to be in the pool. Friday the campers are going to the zoo, and the girls and I are definitely not doing that in the 90+ degree heat, so I need to think of something else.

Making pizzas at the birthday party

So then. Starting Friday we will have two strange kids who are thousands of miles from home and barely speak English staying with us. And I'm a tiny bit concerned about how that is going to go. I think it will be fun, but we've never done anything like this before so I'm kind of nervous. I'm so thankful that Monday through Friday they'll be in camp all day, and all their activities are planned. (My friend has an exchange student from Spain for a whole month, with no planned group activities of any kind. She is struggling to keep him entertained.) But that still leaves two whole weekends and lots of week nights. The school gave us a list of suggested evening activities, and I think we'll do a few of those, hopefully meeting up with a lot of other families in the program. It is pretty exciting to have the opportunity to host these kids and immerse them in American culture. Haha. Hopefully they're not too freaked out by the mayhem that prevails in our house.  Because, no, really, I'm not kidding when I say my kids are loud.

Friday night all of the host families are having a pizza dinner together at the school, and then we're on our own for the weekend. I made plans for Saturday which should last all day. I'm hoping the kids click well enough that it's not just all awkward silences. When I was a kid I went to a bi-lingual school, plus lived in an apartment complex that seemed to be the meeting ground for transients from all over the world. I had plenty of friends with whom I didn't share a language, and yet we always had a great time together. I'm hoping that's a universal kid thing, and that they'll all get on fine.

I'll update, but I'm not making any promises because we all know what a slacking blogger I've been.

Oh yeah, incidentally..."Host a foreign exchange student" is on my Life List, so I get to tick that one off! Yippee!

I hope your summer is going well, and I'd love to know what you've been up to!

*Lucy is my Fair Fighter. Everything has to be fair and square or else look out.

2.5 Days To Go: We Can Do This

We are on the final stretch of the 2012-13 school year. It feels a little impossible to get through full days Monday and Tuesday, and a half day Wednesday. I'm not even the one going to school. The last few days are for field day and cleaning out lockers and desks, the learning portion of the year is done. Theoretically, it shouldn't be that hard. Nonetheless, we've reached the the point when I wish I could just snap my fingers and be done with it.

I'll still be driving all the time, considering the stuff we've scheduled so far for the summer. The girls still have dance for two more weeks, Bethany will be going to basketball camp the week after school gets out, Lucy will be going to Vacation Bible School the week after that, Connor still has Cub Scout meetings, and Bethany and Connor will be going to a day camp Monday-Friday for three weeks. Plus all the other stuff we'll be doing, so I'll actually be driving more most days. But being on Summer break is freeing and wonderful, no matter how much we have planned, and I relish this time of year more than any other.

Besides our definitive plans that I listed above, we are heading to Port Austin for a week in July, and hosting two Chinese foreign exchange students for three weeks. They will stay in dorms for one week, and with us for the other two weeks. During the three weeks they are here, Bethany and Connor will be going to that day camp I mentioned with them everyday. They will be doing all kinds of fun activities and going on awesome field trips. I will have to be on my best game to make sure Mattie and Lucy have as much fun with me during that time.

I mentioned on Facebook that the kids and I started brainstorming summer fun ideas. In case you missed that post, here is what they came up with so far:

• Go camping
• Make giant bubbles
• Have a bon fire
• Water balloon fight
• Silly string fight
• Play with the new sprinkler Mattie got for her birthday
• Go to the zoo (Bethany & Connor will be doing this as a day camp field trip)
• Trace each other with chalk
• Go to George George Park

To their ideas, I added:

• Lakeport State Park
• Belle Isle
• Detroit Historical Museum
• Detroit Riverwalk

I'm hoping that Mother Nature steps it up because this cool weather we've been having is just not all that conducive to my kind of summer fun.

There are so many other things I'd like to do this summer too, and I hope we get to do lots of it! I know that life tends to get in the way, and I'm always up for spontaneous fun, so whatever we do, it will be all good.

So far the day camp itinerary with the exchange students does not include anytime in Detroit, so I'm hoping to knock a few things off our list on one of the weekends they are with us.

I also signed the kids up for the library's summer reading club, and I'm kicking around the idea of making a weekly schedule with various activities. We got a book of gross science experiments, and maybe I can come up with some other fun learning activities. I'm also considering purchasing a pass for our city pool, and getting Bethany and Connor to start running with me. I just want the kids to have  great time, and I really don't want to listen to anyone fighting about Netflix, iPads, Mindcraft, or anything like that. 

I do want to keep in mind that I need to remember to be flexible and to not try to plan or do TOO much, because I don't want to set anyone up for disappointment (me), I don't want to put undue pressure on anyone (me), and I want to make sure we have time to lay around and be lazy too, and let the kids pick what they want to do sometimes too.

As I get our summer mapped out a little more thoroughly, I'll try to post about it some more. 

I'd love to know what you guys have planned for summer! Vacations? Camps? Three months of lazy pj days? Tell me!

The End of the Line

We have one more day of summer break, and then it's back to the grind. I am not ready, the kids are not ready. We have not been practicing early bedtimes. We don't have everything we need. I'm behind on laundry and I need to go grocery shopping. Lucy needs a hair cut. Bethany needs a school bag. Instead of doing all the things we were "supposed" to be doing, Chris and I went away for the weekend and left the last minute stuff to the very last minute. And today, instead of getting busy, we swam at my father-in-law's house for hours and then left three out of four kids with Grandpa for a sleepover. After years of doing the back to school thing, I know by now that it'll all come together, whether we want it to or not. Maybe it would be smoother sailing if everyone were back in the habit of early bedtimes and we didn't have to run five million errands the day before school starts. But we're okay with milking every last ounce of summer goodness for all it's worth. We don't want to let you go, summer; not without a fight.

I'm in a mild panic thinking how quickly life is going spiral out of control. Juggling three schools, homework, after school activities, social calendars, my duties as board president of preschool, running the elementary school book fair. I keep telling myself it's all going to be GOOD. It is all going to be good.

I have a reluctant acceptance of fall. The excitement of a new school year...changing temperatures...new clothes...the world is open to new possibilities. I like sweaters and tights and boots and apple cider and field trips. I dislike getting up early, losing my kids to the regiment of school and all it entails, and the looming, dreaded winter.

This year is different because my baby will be in preschool, and for the first time I'll have a preschooler with no little ones at home. I'll enjoy unhindered trips to Target, Starbucks with friends, and trips to the gym. All in four and a half hours a week. It's something to look forward to, and also something to mourn. Because this is the last time I'll have a kid starting the 3's class.

While my youngest is running off to preschool, my oldest is starting middle school. I'm a little scared because it's going to hit her hard that this ain't no grade school picnic. My daughter has to be more organized and responsible than she's ever been in her life, and I worry about how much I should interfere and how much I should let her be, making her own mistakes along the way. I'm scared about the new friends she'll meet, and the terrible things they'll teach her. I know she's going to meet new people, but I like her friends and I hope they stick around too. I think about when I started middle school, how much my social circle changed; but times are different now. Yeah I sound like an old lady, but truly. With texting and all that jazz, kids today are way more connected than we were when I was in school.

We had an incredible summer. Life-changing, I might even venture to say. We didn't do everything I had hoped we would do, but then again I tend to set the bar kind of unattainably high. And now we're going to have an incredible school year. We're going to make it happen, because we can.

Good bye, summer. 'Til next time...xoxo

My Love Affair With Summer

Not long ago I was lamenting my lackluster feelings of summer blah. I'm happy to report that I'm now happily in summer love again. Love, love, love. All it took was a few days of sublime summery perfection. I am still insanely busy, but I don't see that ending until after Bethany's birthday (August 20), so I'm just rolling with it as best as I can. Hopefully we'll have a couple weeks of rejuvenation before the school grind begins again. Probably something else will come up by then, but whatevs. In the meantime I'm enjoying the moments of bliss between the chauffeuring, nagging my kids, appointments, planning, work on the blog, duties as preschool President, trying to make sure my kids' brains don't turn to rot, etc. etc. etc.

Saturday was dance recital day, and I was filled with pride as my girls took the stage. Lucy did a ballet routine, and Bethany was in a jazz number. They worked hard and it was obvious in their performances. This was their first year at a new studio (new to us AND new-new) and I was impressed with how well the show turned out. Lucy was just in the matinee performance, but Bethany was in two Saturday recitals, so it was a super long day. But I enjoyed watching the show two times, and seeing my girls up there dancing brings me to my happy place. I wish the pictures were clearer, but I did my best with no flash.

My little ballerina, Lucy

Bethany, my Dancing Queen

Dance recital time always brings with it all kind of crazy chaos, and this year was no exception. But it's a chaos I know, this being Bethany's 7th dance recital and Lucy's 2nd. I'm no Dance Mom, but it is fun having dancing girls.

We've also been spending a lot of quality time with friends, and enjoying the beautiful weather. My heart is full.

Lucy resting in my friend's backyard & waiting for the fireworks show to begin

Airborne Mattie, entertaining everyone while we were waiting for the fireworks.

Connor concentrating on not burning his fingers with a sparkler

Killing time at the community college while Connor was at his Lego class

I think this is my favorite picture of they day!

A nice lady walked by & offered to take our picture. Thank you, nice lady!

Could she get any cuter??

Mattie wanted to take a nap in the wagon after we went for a walk around the block

I hope you are having a fabulous summer so far too! I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds for my family and me. I trust it will continue to be awesome!

Everyday Victories

Thank you to P&G and Kroger stores for celebrating “Team Mom’s Everyday Victories”! Please visit the P&G's event page to play games, win money off your next Kroger trip and more fun!

As you may have noticed, I tend to ramble on quite a bit about how much I love summertime, and how I can't wait until summer break, and that I live for warm weather. I do love Michigan, but sometimes I think it gets harder and harder every year to get through the cold months.

Today, I'm patting myself on the back for surviving another year of school, and for enduring another Michigan winter. Yes, I know it was a mild winter - but winter is not summer, any way you spin it! I made it to summer break, my favorite time of year, fully intact.

Lucy finished her first year of elementary school and thrived in all day kindergarten. Connor made it through third grade with flying colors. Bethany successfully completed elementary school. They all worked hard throughout the year and had great report cards. They've had great times with friends and participated in after-school activities as well. Together, we made it through early mornings, lots of homework, playground drama, shuffling extra-curricular activities, projects and reports, and so much more. We made it to school on time every single day, even when we had to bundle up in boots and hats and mittens, in large part because they did a great job staying on task every morning. I'm so proud of my kids, and need to spend more time focusing on how great they are and less time thinking about the multiple reminders I gave them to hang up their jackets and put their dishes in the sink.

Our reward, the way I see it, for getting through another hectic year of school, is summer break. I am so happy and relieved that our reward is finally here. At least for a few months, we get to pretend that the long cold days of winter are but a bad dream.We get freedom to spend our days as we see fit, to wear skirts with no tights and open toed shoes without freezing to death. About the only downside I can think of at the moment is the constant need to shave, but that is a very small price to pay - and I'm more than willing to pay it! Products like the Gillette Pro Series razors and Pro Glide shaving gel can help to make that chore a little more bearable. And then, of course, I also have to remember to moisturize daily now that my bare legs are on display for all the world to see. No one wants to see dragon scales, least of all me!

Even though small, everyday victories sometimes might seem unimportant, those little achievements are the building blocks for the big ones. Leave me a comment and share: What is a recent everyday victory that you are proud of?

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At Kroger and its banner stores, more than 30 of your favorite P&G brands are at HOT sale prices through June 23, including Tide, Charmin, Cascade, Pampers, Crest and Olay. Look for tags with special prices throughout the household needs and health and beauty aisles, and be on the lookout for even bigger offers – like getting serious dollars off when you buy a bundle of products.
Before hitting the store, visit P&G’s event page on Kroger.com: http://bit.ly/KG6dw5
You can play games like basketball, track and gymnastics to win money off your next Kroger trip, download digital coupons, print a shopping list, and learn more about P&G products!
And as part of this event, consider trying one of these fab products from P&G:
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I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.
 

Sum-Sum-Summertime

The first week of summer break is behind us. I'm feeling kind of, well, less over-joyed than I thought I would be feeling. My immediate sensation, the day after school let out, was of a great weight being lifted from my shoulders. I guess I still feel that, but I also feel like it's not long enough! Break just started and already I want more. We have so much going on, which I love. But it also puts this pressure on me, like there is no way I'm going to get to do everything I want to do this summer. Not even close. Then before we know it, we'll be back to school again.

This past week has been crazy with all kinds of stuff. Friends and sleepovers and chauffeuring and meetings and doctor appointments and phone calls. There is no end in sight. Carefree days of summer? Hmph, not hardly. We have someplace to be just about every single day. I have to-do lists running through my head 24/7 -yes, even in my sleep! 

My head is buzzing and it won't go, in case you don't know.

I spend my life anticipating summertime. That's kind of sad, and I'm working on living in the moment more. But summer is my season, without a doubt. I love the warmth and the freedom. I love bare feet, sleeping in, and eating outside. I love swimming and the smell of sunscreen and relaxed bedtimes for the kids. I love bathing suits and beach towels hanging on the gate and more time with my kids. My love for summer knows no bounds.

This year is a little different. It's more of a transition, since three of my kids were in school all day. I was getting pretty used to spending my days in relative quiet, with just Mattie. Now my house is loud pretty much all the time. Like LOUD. People are talking to me, or at me, all the time, usually more than one at a time. The kids want to spend more time with their friends, which means things are not as simple as they used to be.

So. I'm not really sure why, but I don't feel quite myself and I don't feel quite YAY! happy. I am still more than glad that summer break is here. And I have tons of great stuff to look forward to. We will have a fabulous summer. I need to work on thinking less in terms of AFTER_____________, then I'll be happy/relaxed/whatever. For example, dance recitals are next weekend, and after that I can have fun. No, no, no! There is a whole week between now and then, and despite parties, basketball camp, dress rehearsal, and dance recitals, we are going to have a good week! We are going to enjoy this 2nd week of summer break, even though it's going to be busy, maybe even hectic.

Are you gung-ho thrilled for summer break? Or are you going through a little bit of a transition period too? I'll be fine, I just need to I don't know what. But yeah, it's all good.

Summer Can't Get Here Quick Enough

This post was published last year. I accomplished a lot on my list, but not everything. I haven't made a complete Summer Bucket List this year yet...what's on yours?



May sure is busy this year. This weekend we will be celebrating our sweet and sassy Mathilda's 2nd birthday, and next week Lucy will be graduating from preschool. Bethany & Connor have only 16 days left of 4th and 2nd grade, respectively. And then summer break, the time I look forward to all year, will be upon us at last! 

I can't wait to sleep in. I can't wait to go to the beach. I can't wait to hang out at the park. I can't wait to go swimming...outdoors! I can't wait for day trips and long, lazy play dates and trips up north. I can't wait for freeeeeeedom! Blissful freedom to choose what I want to do with my kids everyday for 3 whole months!

Every summer, it seems, I have grand plans and a long, ambitious list of things I want to do, and I never ever get through the whole list. This year will be no different, I'm sure. Here's this year's agenda, off the top of my head and totally incomplete:

• Spend a week in Port Austin (booked!)
• Go to Roger's City (la hotel de Aunt Donna always has an opening for us, right Aunt Donna?)
• Take the kids to Tahquamenon Falls in the U.P., a place I visited when I was a kid which maybe marks the beginning of my love affair with waterfalls. Also, Chris's grandparents went there for their honeymoon about 70 years ago, how cool is that?!
• Visit family in Grand Rapids, and take the kids to Meijer Gardens while we're there. My mom and I took Bethany & Connor there when they were very little, and it was so much fun - I want Lucy & Mathilda to get to experience it too.
• Make my kids take an entire month off of the television, including video games. I've already been talking this up. I think it's going to be July. I hope they don't cry about it too much, but guess what? They'll get over it!
• Visit family in Midland
• Go back to Chris's dad's cabin
• Go camping
• Go to the Detroit RiverFront and let the kids splash around in the fountains like we did last summer. Preferably, do this more than once.
• Go to Belle Isle, an annual tradition. 
• Go to Mexican Village and eat outside.
• Visit the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, something I have yet to do.
• Visit the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), something I haven't done in a couple years.
• Go to Greenfield Village
• Go to the Toledo Zoo
• Read Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl with Bethany and then take her to the Holocaust Memorial Center where we can meet actual survivors of the Holocaust
• and...well I could go on, but see what I mean about long and ambitious? I wonder how many of these items I'll get to cross off my list...

I seriously might be more excited than the kids. Truly. My only slight hang up is that I've been leery and ahem, maybe just a bit lazy, about working out since my health scares in November and then again in February. Since I need to be able to keep up with my kids, I really need to get on a walking regime. Starting...well how about tomorrow? Tomorrow is always a good place to start.

Lucy at Belle Isle

Lucy at the beach in Lexington, MI

Connor, Lucy, and Bethany at the beach in Port Austin, MI

Mathilda sleeping at the Port Austin beach

Ocqueoc Falls

The beach in Rogers City

9 Days and Counting 'Til Summer Break

Including today, we have nine more school days to get through before summer break. I'm worse than my kids because I'm about done with school already. It's hot here. It feels like summer. We've been letting the kids stay up later than normal because it's so nice out and nobody wants to come inside. 

The last couple weeks  of school are busy with fun stuff like field trips, field day, and award ceremonies. Can't we just cut the crap and be done with it? Maybe if I promise to take them on field trips, plan a mini field day in my backyard, and print out some awards to hand out? Please?

Oh fine. I guess I can be patient for a little while longer. And besides, these are also the last nine days of Bethany's elementary school career, and I'm not terribly anxious for that to end. It boggles my mind that I've been a parent long enough to have a middle schooler. I can't believe my first little baby is old enough for this either. Switching classes. Sixth grade camp. Band. Middle school drama.

But this summer is going to be awesome. I am not even considering anything less than spectacularly awesome as a possibility for this summer.

Rose bush I have no idea how to tame

We have been working like crazy to get our yard really cleaned up and nice for the summer. This will be our fourth summer here and the first time we have done a total yard clean-up. That sounds really bad, I know. But let me explain that there is a lot growing in our yard. An overwhelming amount of greenery. And neither Chris nor I have green thumbs. We don't know what to do with this stuff. Plus our neighbor's totally overgrown yard has been overgrowing into our yard (so much so that I didn't even realize that all this stuff was coming from his yard until a couple weeks ago when he and Chris started clearing it out). We have a lot to do, but I'm feeling really good about the progress that has been made. Last summer we got an obscene deal on a swing set, and our friends gave us their trampoline before they moved. We're talking about expanding our patio. We have this really great yard, and this is the year we start bringing it toward its full potential. Last summer, our neighbors behind us told us that there used to be in-ground pool in our yard, but that previous owners had it filled in. That hurt, because we would love nothing more than to have an in-ground pool in our yard. Maybe some day.

When we're not hanging out in our soon to be fabulous backyard, we have lots of other fun stuff planned. We will be spending a week in Lexington, Michigan (our Port Austin vacation fell through due to the owners selling the cottage at the last minute) with my mother-in-law. We've been to Lexington many times for day trips, but never stayed there for vacation. Actually, I used to stay there often when I was a kid and my grandparents had a place there. And Bethany spent this Memorial Day weekend there with a friend. But for all of us together, this will be a new thing.

And then we have our big road trip to Idaho and Washington to look forward to. I've been planning away, and I still have a lot to do. I've never taken the kids on a trip of such huge proportions before, and there is a whole lot to think about. I have started a notebook with my various lists. Things to do to get the van ready. Stops along the way. Things to pack for the kids. Things I need to buy. I have an entire notebook. I predict it's going to get pretty full.

Bethany's birthday is in August, and like usual, she has been talking about her party for a couple months already. She has big plans. And since we'll be gone a lot this summer, I think I'm going to have to cave and start planning it early with her.

There are other things I want to do too. Lots of other things. For example:

• Belle Isle
• Historic Fort Wayne
• Detroit Riverfront
• Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario

I'm going to stop there, because I don't want to get too ambitious quite just yet.

What do you have planned for this summer?

KaBOOM! Summer Challenge

I have 21st century kids. They are modern, tech savvy, gadget lovers. Mattie is not quite 3, but she can play a game or open up NetFlix on an iPod Touch (even choosing and starting a show) all by  herself. We don't allow them to be tethered to electronics 24/7, and they do enjoy things like dance lessons, bike rides, and jumping on the trampoline. But...sometimes, I will admit it feels like we're fighting an uphill battle.

We have a pretty big yard with a trampoline and a swing set. We have a garage full of bikes, scooters, wagons, and balls. Our porch is always littered with bottles of bubbles and tubs of sidewalk chalk. We have a basketball net on the driveway (actually, one for the big kids and one for the little kids). We go to parks and pools and lots of other fun places.

Still, though, my kids are perfectly happy inside. YouTube, OnDemand, Wii, and Leapsters could entertain them almost endlessly. At times they need to be reminded to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Sometimes they whine and moan because they don't want to be separated from the constant flow of information, stimulation, and communication with friends that they have grown up with and become accustomed to.

Times have changed, and I'm all about embracing change. In some ways, the world is a vastly different place than it was when I was a kid. In other ways, it's quite the same. Kids still have a boundless, enviable supply of energy that allows them to run, ride, jump, skip, swim, dig, chase, and climb to their hearts' content. But they have a lot more distractions drawing them inside. They rely less on playing with kids in the neighborhood, and more on texting/emailing/Skyping/Facebooking to keep in constant touch with all of their friends. Diversions come at the the push of a button. (Not that I didn't watch my fair share of Brady Bunch and Leave It To Beaver re-runs when I was a kid!) I want my kids to be up-to-date and to know how to do all the latest and greatest. But I also want them to enjoy and appreciate the world in more of an old-fashioned way. And yes it is hard to acknowledge that the ways of my own youth are now considered to be old-fashioned.

Last summer we sort of implemented a month long television hiatus. I say "sort of" because we made way more exceptions than we originally intended. But I would still say it was fairly successful. This summer we plan on doing the same, as well as having stricter day-to-day rules regarding screen time. And a year makes a big difference in the life of a toddler/almost preschooler. Mattie can now go outside with the big kids, without me needing to be out there with her constantly. I am really looking forward to a summer full of digging up worms and running through the sprinkler. While I watch from the comfort of my air-conditioned family room. Joking!. Sort of. I will be outside with them quite a bit too, playing and tending to the outdoor chores.

We will be traveling quite a bit this summer, but when we are home I want to spend lots of time with friends and family, as well as checking out local attractions. Through Mom Bloggers for Social Good, I learned of KaBoom's Summer Challenge. KaBoom is a national nonprofit dedicated to getting kids outside to play and keeping them active. They strive to ensure that all kids have someplace safe and fun to play. You can register now and start the challenge July 1. There will be an app that participants can use to check in to as many playgrounds as possible. You can earn points and badges, and complete challenges to win prizes. Plus, the three top point and badge earners at the end of the summer will win a week long trip for 2 to Washington, D.C.! I signed up to be a BETA tester for the Android app. While I don't anticipate being one of the top three earners, I think this might be a fun summer for our family this summer.

Let me know if you decide to participate too!

Summer Fun

Summer is coming, my favorite time of year. My kids have a mere 8 weeks of school left! I am probably just as excited as they are. Our vacation plans are going to take up a huge chunk of our break this year. We'll be spending a couple weeks on a beach vacation in the thumb, and then we'll be taking our epic road trip to Washington and Idaho. Hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in a couple shorter trips as well. As always, I'm ambitious and optimistic when it comes to planning. In my mind we have lots more time than we actually have to get everything done that I've been dreaming about since last summer.

Even though we'll be traveling a lot, we'll still have quite a bit of time to do all the other fun summer activities that we love. Like going to parks, visiting with friends, and staying in our pj's all day. One thing I know we'll be doing a lot of is swimming. We'll be swimming on vacation every chance we get, but we'll also be visiting local pools and my father-in-law's backyard as much as we can. Last year was great because Connor overcame his fear of the deep end and mustered up the courage to jump off the diving board, which he now loves. This year's goal will be to get Lucy swimming without a flotation device. Maybe we'll even do a couple weeks of lessons at the beginning of the summer to give her a little jump start.

Last year we got a small pool for our backyard. It's just big enough for all of us to get in and cool off, but not deep enough to do any real swimming. However, sometimes the convenience of going out the back door to cool off and play in the pool instead of having to drive someplace else to do it, just can't be beat. We haven't decided if we're going to put it up again this year. One factor to consider is the expense of keeping it going, including electricity and supplies. Doheny is an online retailer selling discounted pool supplies. If we do decide to use our little pool this summer, we will definitely look into purchasing our supplies from this website.

I am so excited to get our summer under way! Do you have any special plans for summer? Does your family love to swim? Where do you swim - in your own backyard, a local park, or a private club?

Can We Just Fast Forward to Next Summer?

Temperatures have been dropping here in Michigan. Winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves are being donned on a daily basis now. We've had a light dusting of snow, and I've been using the remote start to warm my van up every morning. It's not officially winter, but nonetheless winter has arrived. Which naturally means that I'm craving warm sunshine. And I don't mean 35 degrees and sunny, I mean 80 degrees and sunny.

I have to admit, we've had it pretty easy so far. Lots of years we've already seen some quite nasty weather by December 8th.  So far we haven't had a need to shovel or salt, and it's cold but definitely not bitter cold. Even so, I'm missing my beloved summer in more ways than one. I miss those warm, sunny days. But I also miss those long, carefree days. I miss having days on my calendar that aren't loaded with commitments. Right about now, I'd love to pack up a picnic lunch, slather my kids with sunscreen, and head to the local splash pad for the afternoon. Oh summer, I miss you. But we'll meet again before we know it. In the meantime, I  must do my best to learn to love winter.

My kids love to have indoor picnics when the weather is not cooperative for the real thing. We spread a big blanket on the floor and have snacks and goodies. I've been looking for picnic baskets because I'd like to get one for Lucy for Christmas. So far I haven't found the ideal of what I envision in my mind, which is a kid version of the one pictured above. I think she'd be tickled to have one, since she especially loves a good picnic.

Soon enough we'll be able to enjoy a real picnic again, pesky bees and all. Maybe I'll even be able to convince my husband to take his wife on a romantic two-person picnic (hint, hint!). I know my in-laws have a wine bag/picnic basket for just that purpose. I don't even drink wine, but I think that's a really great idea. Maybe they'll let us borrow it and we can get a bottle of sparkling cherry juice or something like that. Look at me, making plans for six months from now. Perhaps I should concentrate on decorating the Christmas tree first...

Summer Run Down

This summer has been sublime. Back in May I wrote about some of the things I wanted to do this summer, so I thought I'd go back and review. And I'm surprised to see that we did quite a few things on the list (plus lots more not on the list!).

• Spend a week in Port Austin - DONE
• Go to Rogers City - DONE
• Go to Tahquamenon Falls - DONE
• Make the kids go TV-free for a month - DONE
• Go to Belle Isle - DONE
• Go to the Toledo Zoo - DONE
• Go to the Detroit RiverFront - DONE

And then of course there's a lot we didn't get to.

• Go to Grand Rapids - maybe this fall
• Go to my father-in-law's cabin (Chris went for a weekend with his dad, the rest of us will have to wait)
• Go camping - hopefully next summer!
• Go to Mexican Village 
• Go to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History - maybe on a weekend this fall
• Go to the DIA - ditto
• Go to Greenfield Village - ditto again
• Read Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl with Bethany, and then visit the Holocaust Memorial Center - ditto yet again

We've missed a lot from my list, but the ones we did were pretty good! And then there's all the other stuff we did that wasn't on my list, like:

• Whitefish Point and the Shipwreck Museum 
• Oswald's Bear Ranch
• African Safari Wildlife Park
• Bowling
• Going to the local beach/park/splash pad/nature center
• Having a garage sale
• Spending a day at the beach in Lexington
• Seeing a children's play downtown 
• Going to a concert at our local park
• Sleepovers with friends
• Many days at various parks
• Days spent swimming
• Jungle Java, a local indoor play place
• Sleeping Bear Dunes
• And lots more!

It really, really was such a fabulous summer. As always, I'm sorry we didn't get more in before the start of the new school year. But we concentrated a lot on doing nothing this summer too - which definitely has its own charms!

Happy back to school to you. Happy end of summer, happy fall. 

Bethany & Mattie at the pool

Hanging out with cousins ~ Lexington ~

Connor, Lucy, Bethany, and Mathilda ~ Lexington ~

Sno Cones with friends at the park

Splash pad

Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~ 

Mattie & Bethany ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Starting the climb ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes~

Connor & Lucy ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

Kiddies with their Auntie Mary ~ Sleeping Bear Dunes ~

The kids at Sleeping Bear Dunes with my 'lil sis

Lovely family picture ~ Frankfort ~ Lake Michigan ~

Bethany ~ crystal clear Lake Michigan ~

Lucy ~ beautiful Lake Michigan beach ~ Frankfort

Lucy

Cottage in Frankfort

Connor & the Playmobil pirate ~ Frankfort ~

Lucy enjoying a caramel covered rice crispy treat ~ Frankfort ~

Downtown with friends

Playing in the fountains outside of the Renaissance Center

Oh Canada ~ view from Detroit RiverFront

Carousel ride downtown