checking in...

sorry about the silence over here.  i've been so busy enjoying the summer and trying to soak in time with my kiddos before they go back to school. once they are back in school i will have three hours a day all to myself! still bittersweet though.  today nolan was ''screened" for kindergarten and he did great! i guess that means he is really going and i no longer have a little kid anymore- just two big, school-aged kids. sigh.  sorry this post seems so weird, i am way over tired from getting no sleep due to a runny nose and scary dreams.  i promise to post something of substance tomorrow and maybe even finally post something that was promised weeks ago.  we'll see : )

p.s. here is the much anticipated video that i teased a few weeks ago.  keep in mind that it is my directorial debut and that youtube messed it up a little bit and sorry in advance for the loud music.  i had to cover up nolan saying nonsense and me yelling at them when they went too close to the street. enjoy!

finding my voice.

blogging is harder than i thought it would be. i'm having a hard time finding my "voice" and making sure i sound like myself and not like a robot or someone writing a middle school essay.  i have not had to really write anything since college which i graduated from over 6 years ago, so i'm constantly second guessing my grammar and spelling. i'm sure i use way too many commas and probably don't put them in the right places. i know i don't capitalize anything, but it's one part laziness and one part a (silly) style choice. i'm very hard on myself with everything i do, so the fact that people may see my blog with me not being 100% happy with it is a little scary.  i thought about making the blog private until everything was 100% ready and perfect but i am impatient and who knows if that day will ever come. i just need to put myself out there and shoot for the best. go get 'em tiger! (i'm a dork.)

i promise within the next few days i will post something (semi-)worthwhile.  i need to share our fourth of july celebration, that batman and joker video i promised last week, and a few other things.

stay with me!

our summer bucket list.

i should have posted this way earlier, not right smack dab in the middle of our summer vacation.  but better late than never, right?

using a coffee can as our bucket, i lined the rim of it with clothespins that have the things that we would really like to do this summer written on them.  once we do one of the things, we place that clothespin in inside of the bucket.  very simple! and i painted the can with leftover chalkboard paint for fun. i should have actually wrote something on it, huh?

in case you were wondering, here are the things we put on our list:

(HAVE NOT COMPLETED)

-make homemade lemonade
-go on a hike
-have a water fight
-visit mammoth cave
-go to a concert
-spend a day in cleveland
-go to the indianapolis children's museum
-go to sawyer point park
-go to an arcade
-play mini golf
-farmer's market
-red's game
-cosi
-book party
-drive in movie
-boat ride
-beach
-camp out
-star wars marathon
-lego day
-harry potter day
-grill out
-pajama day
-walk to the toy store
-family video

(HAVE COMPLETED)

-bowling
-cincinnati museum center
-library
-go to the movies
-make s'mores
-picnic
-swim



yikes. i just realized after typing everything out that we have a lot to do! i will update you on the things we do from now on, and there will also be posts coming that highlight some of things from our list that we have already done.  i'm excited to get more of these things done!

: )

a birthday wish list.

i have a birthday coming up in a few weeks so i thought it would be fun to make a dream list of things i'd enjoy receiving.

    1. a maxi dress.

                      i've never owned a maxi dress but
                       i've been eyeing them all summer.

                           ones from target like the one above are

                       super cute and affordable!

                                          2. a pair of saltwater sandals.

again, i've never owned a pair of these but have been seeing them everywhere lately. 

 not only are they cute, but also waterproof and (from what i hear) comfortable.

3. a disney dooney and bourke wristlet

i know i'm probably too old for this, but i really want one!  i love all things disney and this is no exception.  it would be perfect on the days when i just need to carry my phone, money, and chapstick and don't feeling like hauling my huge purse around.

4. a tent

a little random, i know.  but I've had dreams about taking my little family camping for awhile now.  even if it's only in our front yard. this one would be perfect for us.

5. a new necklace

elephants have always been my oldest son's favorite animal, so i have a soft spot for them as well.  

and this necklace is pretty and only a few dollars.

6. a watch

i have not had a watch in years and i'm getting tired of having to dig through my purse every time I need to check the time.  so, i need a watch and i want this one.

7. a few new bracelets.

i have no cute bracelets anymore so here are some fun ones from etsy that i'd like to own! 

8. a new iphone case.

my lovely kate spade case that i've has since january has finally been cracked for the last time.  it currently has a piece of black duct tape holding it together. so, it's time for a new one.  

i like this one that pays tribute to my favorite children's book.

well, that's it.  thanks for letting me indulge myself!

: )

banana pops.

the other day i made banana pops while the boys were at art class.  they are so ridiculously easy to make that i feel silly typing out the directions, but here goes anyway!


                                 1. put on good music to listen to while playing in the kitchen.

                                                            2. cut bananas into thirds.

3. put a stick into each third.   

                           
                              4. put them on a tray covered in wax paper and place in freezer.

                                     
                                            5. remove them from freezer after 20-30 minutes.

       6. melt chocolate chips ( i didn't measure how many chocolate chips, i just grabbed a handful)
                             in microwave. i heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between them.

                    7. once, melted, dip banana into chocolate and return to wax-papered tray.

                                8. add whatever topping you'd like (i chose rainbow sprinkles.)

i returned mine into the freezer for about two hours, and then let them thaw for a few minutes before eating and they were perfect... they tasted just like banana flavored ice cream with chocolate!

such a fun, easy summer treat.

enjoy!

today.

today i:

-supported a lemonade stand.
-watched my sons do karate.
-took those sons to the park.
-let them play with my camera.
-had story time outside in the shade.
-watched the movie Holes for the first time.

here are a few photos from today...

(don't mind the messy-ish house in the background.)

enjoy your holiday tomorrow!

keeping my word.

look!  i'm here again and it isn't july 1, 2013.  i'm proud of myself!

anyway...

july.

we have so many things planned for this month that it kind of makes my head spin.  this weekend had been perfect preparation for that since we had no plans at all.  i was able to get a lot of cleaning, organizing, planning, and resting done. aside from going out for dinner with my dad and brother last night and taking a quick trip to walmart, the boys and i haven't had to leave the house at all.

mondays are especially hectic, but fun!  the boys have art class bright and early, then we go to the library for story and craft time. then we come home for a little bit to have lunch and the boys get changed for karate.  then we go to karate and another library for a differnt story and craft time. 

i won't bore you with the other days' activities, i will just say that there are a lot of other library events, karate classes, and park happenings sprinkled in it.

here are the things that I am most looking forward to:

-seeing the amazing spiderman.  it comes out tuesday but we probably won't have a chance to see it until saturday. spiderman is my favorite superhero (kind of weird that i have a favorite, but i think it's required when you're the mom of two young boys.) and i've been forward to it for several months!

-independence day.  this will be our third year going to our town's parade and we can't wait.  the boys have so much fun looking at the floats, and of course getting candy and other goodies from the people in them.  after the parade we will probably go to my grandparent's house to visit with family which is always a good time!

-july 15.  this date probably is not significant to you, but it's been a date i've been anticipating for the past few months.  not only does breaking bad (best show ever!) begin it's final season, but i will get to see my favorite favorite favorite singer fiona apple!!  i've seen her once before about 6 years ago and it was amazing.  like, top ten days of my life amazing. ah! sorry, just thinking about it makes me a little crazy.  before my husband and i head out to indianapolis for the show, we will be attending a family reunion with people who i have not seen in years.  it's... just going to be a good day.

- dilon's birthday.  my oldest son will turn 8 on july 23.  i say this every year, with every age, but i cannot believe he will be EIGHT YEARS OLD. then his party will be the weekend following his actual birthday.

-vacation!  we will be taking a little trip either late late this month or early august to visit matt's mom and stepdad in virginia.  it will be so great to spend time with them and dilon and nolan can not wait to see them and their two dogs, who they call their aunts. we will also be going to virginia beach!  i have not been to a real, ocean beach since dilon was one!  so it will be nolan's first time and dilon's first time that he will remember. 

a few other things i'm excited for this month are: big brother starting a new season (i know, so embarrassing.), school clothes and supplies shopping, king's island and museum trips, seeing fireworks and going to the county fair with best friends, and spending quality time with my little family once my husband is done with summer classes in a couple weeks.

thanks for reading!

p.s. don't be alarmed if my bog looks different every time you visit my page.  i am just getting to know blogger and playing around with everything : ) !