High Dive! Did he or didn't he???

Yesterday Max said he wanted to jump off the high dive. I was sure he'd get up there and freak out and come back down....

But he did it! Good job buddy!

(wish my pictures were better...time for another lens!)

Swimming Lessons 2010!

Two years ago, my kiddos wouldn't even hardly get their faces in the water....look at them now!

Maggie at lessons this morning!

Mr. Max at lessons too!


But the best part of swimming lessons for them....jumping off the diving board at the end of each session!
(it cracks me up how they both even jump the same!)

Max says he's doing the high dive tomorrow....we'll see!

VBS!

Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow night! My kiddos are very excited.
I am too! It's always a great week!

If you are in the local area and want to join in the fun and have your kids experience a great week of VBS...Join us! We'd love you have you!

You can find out more information and register here!

Swimming + Sun = Sleepy!

You know you have a tired kid when his feet are hanging off the side of the bed and he's sound to sleep. I sure hope his feet aren't asleep when he wakes up!

**Update - this crazy position made him sleep in till 8:45...so I'm not complaining...just wish it would have been a Saturday!**

WFMW - Summertime "Mom" Time!

One thing I've learned over the past few years is to take time for myself. It's not always easy, but I have found that it's the magic key to helping me be a better mom.

When school is in session, it's a little easier to find a few hours of "me" time, but with summer here, and the kids bickering at each other ALL the time, I have found that summertime is when I need that "me" time the most.

A few years ago, I started hiring a teenage girl (usually one from church) to come and watch the kids for a few hours. Honestly, it was just so that I could go to the grocery store by myself, in peace and quiet. Nothing is more frustrating that trying to get your groceries with whiny kiddos. We've all been there.

But this year, I'm trying something a little different.

Yes, I've hired another teenager from church (Thanks again Hannah...you really don't know how much I appreciate you doing this for me!) I have a set day. Friday mornings from 9-1. My kids are at a perfect age for a young babysitter...they really don't need a lot of care. They don't need diapers changed or to be fed a bottle. They are pretty much self sufficient. They just need someone here to make sure they don't run with scissors or eat too many fruit snacks.

I pack their lunch before I leave....just one less thing for my young babysitter to do. I also have asked my young babysitter to bring her lunch. Now, that isn't because I don't want her to eat my food, but because I don't want her to starve searching for something in my house.

She gets paid a certain amount and she knows that every Friday morning she will get that amount. (She just might be saving for something like a laptop or something, she might even have a nice spreadsheet that she might be recording her earnings into.....oh, wait....that was me...years ago when I was babysitting!)

The different part, that I'm trying this year is that I'm trying NOT to do errands. I'm trying to do something for myself. Like going to TJMaxx or Marshalls without anyone saying, "when are we done?" or "can we buy this?" Using this time to actually look at stuff.

Now, I'm not completing wasting my time...browsing. I do run into a few places...and get some errands done. But it's just so nice to know that I can do those errands without everyone having to get in and out of the car each and every time. It's heavenly!

So Friday is on it's way...and this week I'm off to get a massage and maybe just reading my book while I sit in the park.

I'm sure it's not too late for you to start taking some time for yourself. Find yourself a young babysitter and start your own summertime "mom" time!

It works for me....checkout more Works For Me Wednesday tips over at We Are That Family!

Father's Day Weekend!

The four of us took off late last week for a little getaway! We had a great time, and it was an awesome way to celebrate the #1 Dad in our life!

We stopped for the day at Six Flags, St. Louis...

We didn't take too many pictures...we were too busy trying to keep the camera dry from all the wet rides we went on. Everyone's favorite was Thunder River! We got soaked!

Then we went to The Magic House, children's museum! What a fun place! I totally recommend it if you haven't been there!

Then we went here

But the kids would have been just fine doing this the entire time!

Then on the way home we went up in this

Sure hope our #1 Dad had a good weekend...we sure did!

Another one bites the dust....

It was already loose, but as she went to give her daddy a great big hug...he bumped her just the "right" way...then after about 15 minutes of crying, she pulled it out herself!

The tooth fairy is really going to have to stock up on gold dollar coins at the rate this girl is loosing teeth! Two within one week is a little much!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! It's a day to celebrate her! It's a day to show her lots of love!

The kind of love she shows to all of these people all the time!

Happy Birthday Mom....hope you have a wonderful day!

Worthy to share!

Friends...what would we do without them?

"Mommy" friends, these would be friends who also happen to be moms, going through the same stuff we are! The crazy daily routine stuff that seem so simple.

One of the best things about "mommy" friends is all the great parenting tips, information and support we give each other. Right?! Sometimes I don't know how I would get through the day without you guys!

A few weeks ago, one of my friends shared this fantastic piece of information with me and I totally think it is blog worthy!

Some of you might be past this stage and some of you might just be starting...so I'm sharing, just in case someone finds it useful.

My friend Polly, introduced me to these cups:

They are made by Thermos. They don't leak! They keep your water super cold! And the kids love them! Max was with me when we purchased them at Target. He picked the plain blue one for himself and the Star Wars one for Maggie. They have a straw...like this

and I find that my kids are drinking a lot more water than they did before. I have only put water in ours...just for the fact that water is a lot easier to clean verses juice or milk, but I'm sure you can put whatever you want in them.

Polly got her kids these cups to use at Disney, and she said that they would fill them up in the morning and late in the day the stuff would still be ice cold. Max has proven that fact as well, he left his outside all night and popped the top in the morning...."Wow mom...it's really cold!"

I also love that they don't get condensation on the outside of them. Great for the car, throwing in a bag or taking to the game.

They are a little bit pricey. But I honestly think that sometimes you have to pay a little more to get a quality product. They come in a ton of different characters...and our local Wal-mart has a few styles. The Wal-mart price was also a tad bit cheaper than Target, I think Wal-mart has them for $12.97....and I paid $13.99 on sale @ Target. But Target has a lot more styles to choose from.

I also got one for myself! Isn't she cute! Oh, and I'm drinking a lot more water too! The straw thing is wonderful!


Anyway...check them out! Watch for the sales...and let me know what you think! Thanks again Polly for sharing...I'm so glad you did!