A Short One...

Well, I don't have a lot of time...this has been such a busy end of the school year! It hasn't helped that our internet has been down at school and so even if I finish my progress reports, etc I still can't print to our copier due to some related glitch...SO I'm trying to get some work done at home :/

However-I did want to let all my Cynthiana mom friends that the Young Eagles are going to be in Cynthiana (at the airport) on June 11. This is the opportunity for kids to ride in an airplane! I have never done this before, but my kids are so excited and want to do this. This experience will be so hard for me (I am so afraid of heights!) but we'll see how it goes... Keep watching the Democrat for more details. Another event to be watching out for in Cynthiana is the Longest Day of Play. We've done this for the last few years. Kids get to go from booth to booth trying different activities that encourage exercise and healthy choices. They can register for prizes, etc as they finish their passports by completing the various activities. Both are free :)

Now, nerdy or not, last week I went to a couponing talk with the Fru-Gal! You can go online and read her blog which gives great updates on deals in the Lexington area. More on this later-I must get to work for now and of course watch Glee! Even if it is a rerun...

Summer Fun

As the end of the school year creeps closer and closer, I can't help but get excited about some summer adventures! Maybe if I think summer, the sun may shine a little...just maybe...

There are lots of fun activities that are either free or cost very little throughout the summer~ I've listed a few here and would love it if you want to share any with me as well!

Lowes Build and Grow May 28 (building a biplane) June 11 (build a Goofy Golf game)

Home Depot June 4 building a valet organizer for Father's Day

Joseph Beth has posted their events for May and June

Barnes and Noble has Story time online for your kiddos to enjoy they also have a Summer Reading Program where your students can read any 8 books and write them in their journals (which can be downloaded at this link) then return them to your store and receive a free book.

Half Price Books has the Feed Your Brain summer reading program. We did this last year and my kids loved it :) Print a reading log from this link. Set a goal to read about 15min through June and July. When your students read 600 minutes you receive $5 back to school bucks for the kids to spend.

You may also want to look at the Chuck E Cheese website where you can find many calendars under the "promotions" tab. There are reading calendars, chore charts, homework charts and many many more that you may be interested in.

Coco Key indoor water resort also has reading charts and chore charts available with a reward in the form of an arcade card.

Your local library always has wonderful reading programs during the summer. My children LOVE the library reading program. Last year Ian (who was born in May) got to participate too :) We had a log of books we read to him and even the littlest member of our family got a book at the end of the summer.

My local library is the Scott County Public Library and the Lexington Public Library is nearby too.

*Make sure you read the correct dates during which you can turn your logs in or any other important details

Regal Cinemas has the Regal Summer Movies Express (at this link you can find several locations that include the Lexington location) where they offer G or PG movies for $1 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am

Cinemark Cinemas has Summer Movie Clubhouse which offers you the chance to see 10 shows for $5 (if purchased in advance) or a $1 per show. In Lexington, you can see this at the Lexington Green Cinemark location (other locations are listed also).

Carmike Cinemas is also a great place to catch a movie for $1.50 and although I am not certain they still have it, on Tuesdays they have had stimulus Tuesdays where you can get a drink and popcorn for $1 also-you may want to check for details.

Free Friday Flicks at Jacobson Park (in Lexington) is also a great family event that runs throughout the month of June. There are other great activities listed on the LFUCG website (Parks and Recreation)

In Georgetown, the Theaters of Georgetown also offers free movies rated G and PG on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, the schedule has not been released at this time.

Check out the Collins Bowling Centers and their Kids Club if you're hoping to get active! Children under the age of 15 can register for 2 free games a day from June 1- August 15. You can register at their website to receive their coupons. If you have kids that are older than 15, you may want to look at the Family Pass option.

Salato Wildlife Center is a great place to visit throughout the summer (or anytime). Here is the link to the Calendar. Also remember that the second Saturday of the month is Safari Saturday (events for ages 3-6).

McConnell Springs and Raven Run are also local natural areas you may want to visit as well.

Fayette County Parks (such as Jacobson Park-where you can rent paddle boats, etc) are listed at this link and are also perfect places to visit with your kiddos.

Did you know that the Arboretum now has a Children's Garden? There is a small admission fee listed on the website but I am very excited to see the children's garden-if we ever get a pretty day!

Finally, don't forget to check out Ky State Parks for any activities planned, or places to visit.

If you need to top off your journeys with something to eat, here is the link to my post about kids eating free or cheap (however, don't forget to check with the restaurant to make sure the deal is still valid).

This is just a start :) There are many zoos, museums, parks, pools, and more all within a short drive (or maybe even a day's road trip)! Happy Planning!

My Treasures

Matthew 6: 19-21 says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This has been on my mind since we discussed this verse in Sunday School this morning. The question was asked, "What do you store up?" Hehehe. Well, honestly, since couponing, I have built up a quaint stock of toilet paper, papertowels, toothbrushes, vitamins and cereal :) No, we are not talking Extreme Couponing situations, but just stocking up some supplies (although, I am beginning to think that I may need to rearrange my storage). Okay, so the question was restated- "What do you treasure?" That, my friends, is easy. My most precious treasures are my family and sweet kiddos!

McKenna is our oldest child and only girl. She is definitely in her own world, but in her world, there is still a level of magic that I wish we could hold on to. She is happy (and dramatic) and full of life and music (although sometimes a little loud but pretty on key). As she watched Asher play t-ball this weekend, I heard her say, "Asher, I'm your biggest fan". She has started school this year and we've seen her start to grow as an individual and that is such a neat process for us as parents. She recently told her aunt that she can't wait to grow up and be a real grown up. To this her aunt responded "oh, goodness." McKenna said, "oh yes, kids everywhere!". When Nathan and I decided to have another baby, we wanted to make sure that McKenna and Asher felt as though having another baby makes our family more "full", that a new sibling was an exciting addition to the family, not an intrusion. McKenna loves her brothers (although she has been known to express otherwise to one of them in the midst of an argument) and I love that she loves our family.

Asher has also had the opportunity this year to be in school without his big sister in the same class (since they are 16 months apart, they were in the same preschool class last year). It has been so much fun to watch him make friends - although preschool boys are much different than preschool girls! We have become familiar with wrestlers, preschool boy humor and at times wonder if he has a selective hearing problem :/ After you get to know Asher, you may not realize that he can be a shy guy and a little anxious at times. He's a sweet guy though, who wants to please (but also has a mind of his own) and wants to make others laugh. I might also add that he loves sports and although Nathan and I are not top notch athletes- we think he's pretty good :) It's very cool to watch him grow up (but also a little bittersweet as it is as we watch all three).

We just celebrated Ian's first birthday this past week and it's always a blessing to celebrate life and family and it was special to celebrate our baby's first year of life! This year has seemed to go by so quickly! Ian has been such a perfect addition. He always has a smile and he adores his brother and sister-loves to snuggle them and laugh at them (we also think he is learning to say "away" when Asher bugs him-lol!). Ian is laid back and goes with the flow. We enjoy watching him develop his role in our family as he becomes more independent and learn each day.

These are my most precious treasures and where my heart is.

$10 Date

SO- this weekend Nathan's sister asked if the big kids could come over to spend the night. The kids of course were thrilled to see their aunt but more importantly their cousins! Yay! While the kids spent time with family, Nathan and I set out for a hot date. Ok, so maybe not-we had Ian with us but when you do my "mommy math" 1 baby is like having none at all without his siblings...

Anyhow, we set out and started with dinner! I had $10 toward Cosi from Groupon, so when Nathan and I ordered, it was just $7 for us to eat dinner. Then later we had ice cream- at Bruster's (YUM!) and with my buy one get one free coupon, Nathan enjoyed Key Lime Pie and I had New York Cheese Cake ice cream for $3! Total date $10- which also includes the free movie rental (also courtesy of Groupon also).

Now don't get too excited- we topped it off with a trip to the grocery store-I know, it's the little things. Although Nathan and I always enjoy quiet time and some quality mommy/daddy time with Ian, we missed our big kids-it is almost too quiet without them! We were blessed to top off our weekend celebrating Griffin's (our nephew) baby dedication at church. This is always an exciting time to spend with family and we simply couldn't ask for more.

Call It Crafty...or Creative Use of Super Glue

I've often said I am not necessarily a crafty person, but the kids and I do like to do things together-even if it turns out that we simply made a mess! As summer approaches, I will likely have more crafty projects and experiments that we like to do during the summer-until then, I thought I would share a couple of this past weekend's projects we worked on.

Here in Kentucky, we are getting ready for the Kentucky Derby! This means hats, hats, hats! McKenna and I worked on her hat this weekend for the stickhorse derby in her kindergarten class. It turned out to be very cute- although I must admit I toned it down a little from her original concept. As you can see we opted not to include glitter, sequence, or beads, but silk flowers, ribbon and super glue certainly did the trick. We were both happy with the fashionable derby hat! You'll have to excuse the poor quality of the picture- I took it with my cell phone and it does her hat no justice...

The second project we took on was an idea I actually took from someone I work with. A lollipop bouquet! When I saw her with it, it was absolutely fun and bright and I thought "I can do that". Turns out that our sweet nephew broke his arm over the weekend and had to have surgery-the lollipop bouquet was perfect to take to him!

I hope you enjoy these ideas and I can't wait to share a few more in the future!

Order, Order!

This past week, we have had to reclaim order in our household. We are not by any means "neat freaks" or overly structured in our household routines. However, somehow, our house has started to look like an episode of TLC's Hording: Buried Alive and our routine has gone askew. In order to implement some structure back into our home we have gone back to some of the management strategies that we have done previously. What is it that maintains order in your household? I would love some tips or new ideas, but in the meantime, this is just a little of what we do.

1. Daily Chore Charts- I have made chore charts using DLTK's Custom Chore Charts for both McKenna and Asher. Chores they are responsible for include making your bed, picking up your toys, and finishing homework. They give themselves a check mark as they finish their chores and earn a set amount each day which they put in their money jars. You can find other charts at the Chuck E Cheese website or CoCo Key Water Resort. You may also want to create your own and have various rewards available depending on what makes your children excited about their jobs :)

2. Cleaning- we have opted to choose a room each night to clean. The first time or two through the house can take a while depending on the room and what needs to be done, but after a routine has been established, the house becomes neater a little quicker and it takes less and less time to devoted to the specific rooms. We also try to have a night or two off from cleaning weekly-usually the weekends if the schedule works out :)

3. Dinner- we continue to use E-Mealz and I continue to love it. It takes the guess work out of menu planning and gives me the answer to "What's for dinner?" Our grocery bill has increased slightly but we are eating out less and we are buying "better" food. We have more produce and fresh foods-much less junk food around the house. One of my favorite things is a little surprise or variety added to the menu or website for special occassions. For example, there was an Easter menu available and this week there is a Mother's Day breakfast in bed menu (at no extra charge). Fun!

4. Homework- McKenna has homework regularly and Asher also has homework from time to time. We finish homework soon after we get home from school-the kids may have a snack or play outside for a little bit, but usually homework is finished by the time dinner is served.

As mentioned, this is just a little about what routines work best in our home. I'd love to hear about what you do that gives your household order!

Hippity, Hoppity Happy Easter Day!

It's been a little bit since I have had to opportunity to update! First, I thought I might share a little bit about our Easter! We love spring at our house and are especially blessed to celebrate how Jesus rose from the grave after he was crucified-and he still lives! This is what we want to instill within our children so that they can share such good news with others as they grow. There are so many ways of sharing the Easter story with your small kiddos and here are a few ways in which we do so:

1. Resurrection Eggs are a great way to incorporate the story of Easter into your Easter tradition. You can use items found around your house to place in to Easter eggs and then review the corresponding scriptures and items. Items may include a piece of cloth or nail. If you don't want to worry about making a set yourself, you may be able to purchase one at your local Christan bookstore or online.

2. Resurrection Rolls is a recipe that I have not had the chance to try but would like to do so. My kids love to help cook and would love to share in this experience.

3. The Jellybean Prayer is a simple way to introduce even the littlest of kids to the Easter story. This is a poem that relates the colors of jellybeans to the Easter story.

Not only did we make sure to celebrate our Savior for Easter, but we managed to dye a few eggs, hunt a few eggs and eat LOTS of candy :) I've included a few pictures to give you a peek at our Easter celebrations...