Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday...Summer has Commenced!

Hello.  It's summer!  It's summer!  It's summer!  OK, so maybe not officially, but unofficially it has begun because the girls are done with school.  I'm so happy!!!  But enough exclamation marks; let's get the show on the road.  

 

1.  When it was cold and crappy weather the hubby and I were the only ones to take Winston for a walk.  Now that the weather has been pretty much perfect lately, the girls like to join us.  It's always a different combination but it's always enjoyable.  The little girls love to ride their new bikes, although sometimes #3 rides her penny board.  The big girls walk when they are around to join us.  It's one of my favorite aspects of summer - leisurely summer walks.  The big girls talk more when they are relaxed and it's so nice to have a nice chat with them.   

The funniest part of the whole walk is the last half block up to our house.  We live on a cul-de-sac on a small hill.  The girls run up to our house and we wait until they are almost home when we let Winston off his leash.  He's so FAST!  He races up the street and almost always manages to catch them even though they have a huge lead.  Then he continues to run back and forth between the girls and those of us still walking up the hill.  When we walk in the door he does this:

Yep.  Hot and tired.  (This only lasts a few minutes and then he is immediately ready to play some more.  #puppyproblems)

 

2.  The last day of school was on Friday.  #1 missed it because she went to the State swim meet.  The other three girls each had two friends come over.  I got a sandwich platter from Subway, four bags of chips, and a bunch of fruit and they went to town!  

The little girls were really excited to walk both ways - to and from school.  (They normally ride in a carpool.)  Here are the little girls on their way home:

They tried to walk really far in front of me or behind me because they are just too cool to have a mom walk with them.  So cute!

 

Of course, here is the mess from one backpack.  Ugh!

You should have seen the other one - so gross!  Seriously, kids are gross.

 

3.  The A/C at work was broken last week.  Of course I had no idea it was broken when I showed up on Monday morning.  And by Monday afternoon my office was 86*.  (I made it until 4pm.).  While nearly everyone in the office worked from home, most of my team and I chose to work in the office because we couldn't access our database from home and/or we missed our two huge monitors when working from home.  But it was so HOT!  Tuesday and Wednesday found me in full-on workout gear.  Seriously, capris and tank tops.  Thursday I had to dress up for 8th Grade Farewell at #2's school but I chose a dress with just straps.  Thank goodness the A/C was fixed on Thursday.

 

4.  I mentioned #1 swam in the KS State Swim Meet again this year.  And just like last year it was such a fun meet!  Plus, the competition is pretty fierce at the state level which makes it even more fun.  Unfortunately, she had some sort of infection and got antibiotics for it on Tuesday afternoon so she wasn't 100% but that didn't stop her.  She swam great.

She swam two individual events and two relays which is the most the girls are allowed to swim, regardless of how many events they qualify for during the season.  So, she swam in the 200 IM and the 100 Breaststroke events.  She placed 13th in 200 IM and 9th in 100 breast.  Let me to tell you about 100 breast which is her favorite high school event.  On Friday (prelims) she was seeded 7th.  She wore her best super suit (kneeskin) and swam her heart out.  Unfortunately, she missed A Finals by 0.04 seconds.  Yes, four hundredths of a second.  She was really bummed.  She swam her stroke nearly perfectly but her turns needed work.  By placing 9th place in prelims, she "only" made it to B Finals on Saturday.  Therefore, the best she could do was 9th place.  Even though she swam the 8th fastest time on Saturday, she still only placed 9th.  Needless to say she is going to work on her turns this summer.  I have complete faith that she can shave off a couple seconds by next year because her stroke looks so good.  (Plus, she is such a pretty swimmer to watch.  All of her strokes are just gorgeous!) 

Her relays were just as exciting!  Her 200 IM relay (she swam breast stroke) placed 12th and her 200 Free Relay placed 4th.  They were so, so, so close to third place but were out-touched.  It was such an exciting final to watch.  Seriously!  

The other girls on her team swam well, too.  It's always fun to watch the entire team swim all their events and makes the meets a joy to attend.  (Because let's be honest, some clubs meets are mind-numbingly boring because they are SO LONG and I don't know very many girls swimming.)

Here's a few pics:

This is during her 200 IM.  I love watching her swim fly - probably more than she loves swimming it!

 

This is during her 100 breast stroke.  

 

Here is the whole team who made it to state:

 

And here she is with her 200 Free relay team on the podium.  (She swam her leg in 25.12 which is so fast for her!)

 

5.  We had a nice day until #3 got sick.  All she wanted to do was go to Petland today to play with the bunnies.  Well, by the time we got there she had to leave because she felt so awful.  The poor thing came home and slept for a couple hours, then woke up and puked.  I have now lost track of how many times she's puked this afternoon.  I feel so sorry for her!  I swear, she is the only kid in our family who ever gets stomach viruses.  I just hope she wakes up tomorrow and magically feels better.

 

6.  I made a little calendar today and slipped it under the glass on our desk in the kitchen.  I asked the girls to plan out their week each Sunday afternoon.  I just meant high-level - like when does #1 have to work at her Swim Quik job and when do they each

have their activities.  We just need to make sure we have everything mapped out and know who is driving.  Well, they took it to the next level!  Check it out:

I am so proud of them.  They all worked together (well, except #3 who sick by this time) and mapped out their week - including breakfast and lunch!  And they are taking this seriously so far.  They have an activity planned for each day.  They are planning a lot of it around #1's work schedule since she is the main driver but I'm feeling really good right now.  I think it's going to be a fun summer for them and I also think this is going to keep them close.  For sure it will be a summer they always remember and that makes this mama's heart happy!

They can also write notes to themselves since it's just whiteboard marker.  Anyway, I just really hope they continue this routine through the summer.  I've got my fingers crossed.  (And my toes, if I'm being honest.)

Phew!  There you go.  Have a great week!
 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there - whatever format you come by the title!  I hope you had the beautiful weather we had today.  It was simply amazing.  Let's get the show on the road, shall we?

 

1.  This is the last week of school!  I can hardly believe I just typed that sentence.  But it's true.  I am so excited so you can only imagine how the girls feel!  The little girls will just have an easy, fun week.  The big girls each have a slew of tests but they are still pumped to be finished for the summer.  I love summer - even though I am working and won't be home with the girls this summer.  It's still such an easy pace of life filled with sun, flip flops, and nights at the pool.  I love it! 

 

2.  We watched the first half of Saturday Night Live last night.  I was so excited to watch Melissa McCarthy host but it wasn't as funny as I was hoping.  I think her first skit at Sean Spicer was almost impossible to beat.  Or maybe they keep trying to one-up themselves and they just can't do it.  It was entertaining but just a little.  Did you watch it?

 

3.  The hubby and I joined our friends, Chad and Christi, for The 1975 concert last week.  

It was held out at KC Starlight which is a venue I love.  And the band itself was great!  I am not as familiar with all their songs as other bands we've watched but they put on a great show!

Their set-up was very simple but the lighting was spectacular.  I loved it!

My only complaint was that I was SO TIRED the next day.  Ugh!  I cannot stay up that late anymore.  I'm too old for that shit.  (But I'll do it again I'm sure!)

 

4.  We had a great weekend.  Friday night we were short two kids so we took the other two (#2 and #3) to miRanchito for an appetizer dinner on the patio.  Seriously, the weather couldn't have been more perfect and I felt like celebrating Cinco de Mayo a week late.  It was such a fun dinner.  When #1 got home from babysitting she picked up #4 and took all the kids to Sonic for half-price shakes.  We ate out on the deck under the lights.  I would bribe them any day of the week if it meant I could hang out with the whole family in the dark under the twinkle lights!  

Saturday was a normal day around here - errands, the grocery store, laundry.  But it was so nice to be able to do it at our leisure.  No soccer games or guitar lessons or anything!  We even made a trek to Home Depot with the three little girls to pick out flowers for the garden.  Plus, it was absolutely perfect weather which made me want to be outside all day.

Today was a really nice, easy Mother's Day.  I started off the day with hot yoga followed by coffee.  Then the hubby and I ventured to a nursery along with #2 and #4 to finalize our flower situation.  When we got home the girls all helped me plant everything in the vegetable garden, cutting garden, and containers.  After a shower, I took #3 to pick out a new pair of tennis shoes.  Then I took the Middles with me to Target.  We had fun just shopping around and looking at stuff that piqued our interest.  We ended the day with #2's soccer game and a delicious dinner that was truly a team effort by all of us.  

Here's our raised vegetable garden:

Half of one bed is a salsa garden with tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, and cilantro.  We also have sugar snap peas and a watermelon plant in there.  The other bed has basil and oregano, along with a cucumber plant and a zucchini plant.  We also planted beets and radishes.  The girls were a huge help and have said they will make sure everything is watered and picked this summer.

 

We have little garden in the back we call the Cutting Garden.  It is truly a hodge lodge of what will survive (I have a a survival of the fittest attitude), and what the girls have randomly chosen.  There is no rhyme or reason and I am truly fine with it.  I learned long ago that sometimes it is best to give up control when dealing with kids - it just makes life so much easier!  

 

5.  Remember how I talked about ClassPass?  Well, I cancelled it.  When I originally signed up it was unlimited.  Then, they decided they were losing money on that option (Duh!) and lowered it to 20 classes per month as a grace period.  But when it officially lowered to only 10 classes per month, it just wasn't working anymore.  So I joined Simoneau Sports & Performance (SSP for short) for $99/month unlimited.  I really wanted to do an outdoor boot camp this summer but the one I did last summer moved to 7am.  That is just not do-able as a working mom and it made me so sad.  So, this was the next best thing.  The gym has several garage doors they open up and we can work-out both inside and out.  It's basically the next best thing.  Plus, the instructor is amazing so it's all good!

Well, I went last Friday and we did a Progressive work-out.  That's where you repeat the sequence from 1 through 10.  So you start with one lap.  Then you start from the beginning and do one lap followed by say, 10 goblet squats with a weight.  Then, you start over again and do one lap, 10 goblet squats, and 10 push-ups.  You get the idea.  You go all the way to 10.  So at first I always think, this is so easy.  But by the end I die.  That's what last Friday was like.  Only then the hubby wanted to go running and the weather was absolutely perfect and he talked me into running with him after work.  Can I just say it has hurt to sit down the last two days.  Ouch!  I am not used to two work-outs in one day!  Sheesh.  (Don't feel sorry for me, though.  I made it up to myself by drinking a big margarita Friday night and two Moscow Mules last night, and two glasses of wine tonight.  All good.  In fact, I probably should have done two-a-days the last two days, too!)  

 

6.  It's been awhile since I posted a menu so here goes...

Saturday:  Cheeseburgers with fried shallots and mushrooms.  Watermelon and Crispy Potato Snack Stacks.

Sunday: Steak and Sweet Potato Bowls with Avocado-Cilantro Drizzle

Monday:  Tacos and Fruit

Tuesday: Marinated Grill Chicken with Cucumber Watermelon Salsa and Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday: Quinoa Burgers, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Thursday:  Breakfast for dinner (waffles, turkey bacon, sausage, OJ, fruit)

Friday:  Homemade pizza or take-out pizza, depending on how the last day of school and festivities play out

 

All right!  That's all I've got tonight.  Have a fabulous week!

 
 

 

Six on Sunday

Hello and happy Sunday!  I hope you had the beautiful weather we had.  It was great!

 

1.  This was a big weekend at our house.  #4 had her first communion last night!  All the family came over to help her celebrate and she loved being the center of attention.  (For once!)  Mass was at 7pm which was an odd time.  We had dinner at our house before church and came back for dessert.  I didn't get my big girl camera out but used the Hubby's iPhone 7 Plus which has a great camera so here are the snaps I captured:

The dress was a hand-me-down from #2, to #3, and now to her.  I love it so much!  I am still not tired of it and think it's beautiful.  She did get to pick out new shoes, though.  She chose gold jelly shoes and they were adorable.  And only $16 from DSW Kids so a major score!

 

The whole fam:

 

With my mom, her Gamma:

 

And with the hubby's parents, Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Sean:

 

My sister and her family were there as well but I failed to get a picture.  Womp-womp.

All in all it was a really nice night.

 

2.  Uncle Sean is awesome!  He took all 6 kids to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 this morning.  (My niece and nephew just slept over last night.  Of course the kids love a sleepover and that way they were at the house ready to go.  Perfect, really.)  They all liked the movie but I heard it was very loud in the theater and there was a lot of killing.  They still had a blast and no one came home mentally scarred so I think you can count that as a win.

 

3.  The middles each had a soccer game this weekend.  In fact, #3 had two games - one each day.  I have loved watching #2's team play for awhile now.  They've been together a long time and are just fun to watch.  #3's team has struggled this year.  They get smoked every game and that's hard.  But, this weekend was a different story.  I mean, they still lost their games but they looked awesome!  They played so well together.  They passed really well.  I saw a lot of give-and-go's which is so fun.  And the girls NEVER got rattled.  They never play kickball.  Everything they did had intention.  It was really fun to watch.  I feel like they are starting to understand the true fundamentals of soccer.  I'm excited for their future!

 

4.  This was a big weekend for #1 as well.  She swam in the Varsity EKL (East Kansas League) meet on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.  She had an incredible meet!  It was such a fun meet to watch, too.  The air was electric and it was just so exciting.  The grandparents were all able to watch finals on Saturday so that made it even more special.  

She took 3rd place in 200 IM with a best ever time of 2:16.75!  

 

She just missed the podium in 100 breast with a time of 1:09.82 which earned her 4th place.

Her 200 Free Relay team came in first place and beat the school record.  They swam it in 1:41.85 which was faster than they swam it last year at State.  In order to get that time all the girls had to have swam a best-ever 50 free!

 

5.  Today was a productive day!  The hubby and I managed to build another raised vegetable garden bed.  I also built a tomato cage from a bunch of scrap lumber.  My tomato cages last year kept toppling over and this baby is sturdy.  I'm thrilled with how it turned out considering we only bought six stakes and the rest was just scrap lumber.  I'm so excited for this summer.  We are going to have a salsa garden in one bed and veggies in another.  The girls and I can hardly wait to plant everything next weekend.  I just need to get the soil delivered this week and we'll be golden.

 

6.  My parents have always enjoyed buying the girls bikes for their birthdays.  My mom has continued on with this tradition which is awesome.  (I didn't realize how expensive bikes can be - even kids bikes.  Sheesh.)  She bought #4 a bike for her birthday this past April.  Well, then #3 sort of felt left out because she hasn't had a new bike in years since the one she was riding was a hand-me-down. So, my mom took her to Dick's yesterday and she picked out a brand new bike.  It is her early, early birthday present since she doesn't turn 11 until November.  Both girls are THRILLED!  #4 loves to ride her bike when we take the dog for walks and #3 rode it all over this afternoon.  They are adorable.

 

Phew!  I'm beat.  That's all I've got for the night.  Have a great week!