It’s been all Olympics, all the time at our house ever since the Opening Ceremonies. My little boys are completely enamored with the swimming, the gymnastics (“The women are better than the men, Mommy.”), the tennis, the volleyball, and the medals. Oh how they love those gold medals. If they aren’t watching, they are re-enacting, and vowing to become Olympians. Go for it, kiddos. Go for it. I’ve found some fantastic Olympic themed activities for family gatherings or to occupy…
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Recently America celebrated Independence Day, the 4th of July when the whole country goes bananas with fireworks and parades and family picnics. The 4th of July happens to be my favorite day of the entire year, and not just because I love celebrating with my family and a watermelon salad at the city swimming pool, although I won’t lie, that doesn’t hurt. I really love the whole concept of independence, whether that of kids forging their own, or brave citizens…
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If you’re in Utah for the 4th of July we need to have a little chat. Dreyer’s ice cream, you know the Slow Churned business with half the calories? They’ve set up a booth at America’s Freedom Festival in Provo, (Freedom Days) and are handing out scoops of ice cream. Straight up, free ice cream. But let me tell you the best part. Dreyer’s has a photo booth set up for you to flash your pearly whites, take a photo…
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You guys! The Fourth of July is almost here! Even though it’s been an absurdly complicated weekend between Allison’s household (broken collar bones!) and my own (road trips! fevers and tummy aches!) we are all pretty stoked for our favorite holiday. I’m itching for some last minute ideas to make our gathering extra festive. You too? Check out these bits of cleverness and Americana from my Pinterest wanderings. All easy enough to put together this evening. paper craft fireworks would…
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Today I’m feeling wistful for the happy summers of my youth. Those carefree days of running through sprinklers in the front yard of my childhood home, wearing a hand-me-down swimsuit from one of my sisters, pieces of wet grass stuck between my toes. The sunny days of eating Popsicles on burning cement sidewalks, hot ridges of concrete patterns imprinting on the back of my legs, watching forlornly as fallen chunks of Popsicle melted in the gutter. I roamed the neighborhood…
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Things I’m thinking about today: I feel happy every time I look at the smattering of shells on my patio table outside. Some of the shells still have chunks of sand inside which is the only way I can distinguish which ones came from Costa Rica or Hawaii. The sand from Costa Rica is grey and Hawaii’s sand is chunky and sand colored, little bits of shells all crunched up. I can’t get Costa Rica out of my head. I…
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I was a shy kid. I still am really. I’d rather sit in a quiet corner of a restaurant with 3 or 4 people I know than go to a huge party with hundreds of people – those make me hyperventilate. I’m pretty shy at heart. When I started preschool at B.Y.U. at the age of 3 it was a super hard for me to make eye contact with my teachers, even though they were perfectly lovely. By Kindergarten I…
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Parenting doesn’t come with a handbook. Not really anyway, and you should trust me because I’ve totally looked. (High and low) The car seat comes with a manual rivaling most graduate school textbooks and assembling the stroller takes NASA’s best, but the actual baby? Nope, no manual for that little human. You’re kind of, well, it. Which is why you really should snatch up this palm sized how-to parenting book written by two of the smartest women I know, Rookie…
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Did you know it’s teacher’s appreciation week? Even if you don’t have kids in school, I’m sure there’s a teacher in your life who could use a little thank you gift. My mother is a retired 1st grade teacher, my brother-in-law teaches Junior High, and my sister teaches special education. It can be a rough job with low pay and thankless struggles, so let’s all do something awesome for the teachers we know. They deserve a standing ovation. And probably…
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