Day In The Life - Summer Edition

Today I thought I'd share a typical "day in the life" but a summer edition.  

I try to sleep in as much as possible in the summer:)  Dave had to be at work early and I had to get Griffin to VBS otherwise I would have been rolling out of bed an hour or so later.

 

Water Beads

This wasn't the post I had planned for today but we had SO MUCH FUN yesterday that I knew I needed to tell y'all about it so you could get in on the fun ASAP!

This summer I've seen several social media posts about water beads and have been intrigued.  

Shark Week Shenanigans

We have been ALL ABOUT sharks this week, anybody else?  We've been watching and learning a TON and so I thought it would be fitting to do a couple of little shark activities.

The boys have been begging me to make slime and so when I saw this shark slime recipe HERE I knew it was finally time to bite the bullet and make some slime!

The ingredients were simple and the entire process seemed pretty basic so we dove right in :)

Friday Favorites - Fun on the Fourth Edition

Happy Friday, friends!  

Friday Favorites - Dollar Movie Edition

Happy Friday, friends! 

Camp Week - Sky Ranch Launch Camp

Last week was "camp week" at our house and it was so much fun!

Dallas Day Date

Last Friday was forecasted to be a little bit rainy and so we decided to make the most of it and head into Dallas.

First stop was the Perot Museum for a 3-D movie and some exploring...

Friday Favorites - We Love Summer Edition

I'm happy to report that our first week of summer has been everything I hoped it would be - full of rest and relaxation.  Being totally honest I left the house twice this week and the rest of the time we were in the pool, in the playroom playing games or on the couch reading.  I've slept in until 8:30 every day (#allthepraisehands), put on makeup once and cut myself some major slack on my to-do-list.  It's been perfection.

Pool Play - Easiest Project EVER

Yesterday felt like our first "official" day of summer.  We were all home together and had nothing on the agenda except hanging out in the yard so it seemed like the perfect time to try out a project that I've had on my to-try-list for EVER!

Weekend Recap - Memorial Day Weekend Edition

Happy Tuesday, Friends!!!

Sweet summertime

Summer is so close we can pretty much taste it around here.  We've been swimming after dinner, eating strawberries with every meal and trying our hardest to maintain reasonable bedtimes despite the sun and pool having other ideas.

Pool People

In about 2 weeks we're about to become pool people.  If you're looking for us in the mornings or afer dinner, we're probably at the pool.  Our routine in the summer typically looks like morning play, pool from 10 - 12 or so and then home for naps.  Every mama's favorite part of the pool???  The after-swimming nap. :)  In the afternoon we play, craft, etc. and then we like to eat dinner at the pool or go for an after dinner swim (it's a great incentive for good dinnertime behavior).

I love seeing my kids have a blast in the water, and I love that I get to catch up with their mamas while they do it.  We've been meeting at the pool since 2009.  

Exhibit A - Kensington and Luke in July of 2009 :)

In 2010 we were all about the snacks.  (PS - Look at how much he grew between 2009 and 2010!!!)

Summer of 2011 Mason arrived and premiered his baby Speedo :) 

 

2012 Mason preferred to hang out in the stroller.

And Luke (and our buddies!) were ALL about the kiddie pool!

Summer of 2013 Griffin was 2 months old and she preferred to skinny dip. :)

And then last summer I had three crazies in the "big pool".

So, yeah - that's a lot of babies.

Last summer Luke became super confident and conquered the diving board.

And we all enjoyed treats :)

Especially Mason who flirted his way into crushed and shaved ice at the pool bar every day. :)

   

With school wrapping up, we're looking forward to lots of time in the water and I've gradually been picking up suits and such to get my crew ready.

You KNOW I love some little girl suits!  I'm typically a one-piece girl ,but the ruffles and print on THIS SUIT won me over.  Can you tell she hates it??? #justkidding

She's wearing a 2/3 and it fits her with plenty of room.  I definitely think she'll get two summers of wear out of it.

And here are a few other suits that I have on my radar for Griffin.

Flamingos - Short Sleeved Rashguard - Ice Cream Cones

 

So, now on to me.

I am super picky when it comes to bathing suits.  I always have been.  I know what I like/want and I have a really hard time settling.

But before we dive into my swimsuit picks, let's all take a moment and soak in my amazing 1992 keyhole suit.  So many things to say :)

 

When looking for a suit, I like coverage.  I'm not at the pool to lay out, relax and/or impress anyone.  I'm there to hang out, chase my kids and change swim diapers.  So when I'm looking for a suit, I want to make sure that I can do all of those things comfortably and modestly.  

In my search for a great suit last year I came across Albion Fit and instantly felt a connection.  The suits were modest and fun and not overly "mom".  I ordered the midnight dip swimsuit and fell in LOVE.  I'm not going to lie - I was hesitant at first because of the price and because I couldn't try it on.  But when the suit arrived I was more than impressed with the quality and their customer service is great as well.  I actually exchanged my suit for a different size and it took only a few days.  I wore it all the time last summer and plan on wearing it all the time again this year.

I wanted something fun to kind of mix it up this summer and I picked this Antigua Peplum Top with the high waist striped bottoms.  I am a total fan of pattern mixing, and in my head I think this will look really cute.  The pieces were backordered, so the jury is still out, but I'll keep you guys posted!

All swimsuits are on sale this week on Amazon with the code FUN20SUN and I picked up this cute blue blouson top to pair with the striped bottoms for a different look.

If you're a loyal Nordstrom shopper because of the returns, free shipping, etc. then check out these three.  I don't have any of them, but they were on my short list.  If the ones I ordered don't work out, these will be headed my way ASAP.

Stripe - Boyleg Halter - Ruffle Front

 

Now, let's have an honest moment.  Swimsuit shopping (and wearing) is not my favorite thing to do.  But having a great time with my kids IS my favorite thing and, as vain as it sounds, when I feel good about the suit I'm wearing, I feel more confident and have a better attitude about the whole pool experience.  I know that confidence comes from within and not from what you're wearing - but that's often easier said than done when you're in a bathing suit.  And yes, I am so aware that that sounds ridiculous :)  

I see how Griffin looks at herself in the mirror and I NEVER want that to change. I want her to be confident and comfortable and happy with how she looks and I want to set a great example for her in the body image department.

One last thing, I haven't forgotten about boys suits - they're just not nearly as fun :)  I ordered 2 pairs of board shorts for each of the boys from GAP and called it a day.

So, are y'all pool people?  Are you swimming multiply times a week? Once or twice a summer?  Do you have a great place to find awesome suits I should know about?  Lots of questions - spill!

PS - This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a link and purchase an item I may receive a small commission.  THANK YOU!!!

Patriotic Decor :)

If you saw my yard post last week, then how many flags you'll find inside my house right now should not surprise you :)  Y'all know I love to decorate for holidays - and while Dave is ALWAYS supportive, I'm not sure I've ever seen him enthusiastic about decor... except for patriotic stuff.  He LOVES him some summer decorating!

There are a few flags on the bookshelves in the boys room...

And even Big Brown Bear is in on the red, white and blue action :)

There are a few teeny touches in our family room/entryway...

... this is on my front hall table...

... and it's partner in crime is on the dresser behind the family room.  They're not my absolute favorite decorations ever - but they were $1.40 each.  No joke.  That makes me love them a whole lot more. hahaha

My "big impact item" this year is the GIANT flag (that I made!).

I followed the tutorial from Shanty 2 Chic, but made a few modifications along the way.  I'll go into details later this week - but overall I LOVE it!

I would love to distress it a bit more, but for now it's perfect.

and the best part is that the whole thing cost me under $30 (and that includes all the paint!).  The most time consuming part was the stars... but if you're not as crazy as I am then it might not be quite as bad. hahaha

I tend to decorate the same way I dress - layered :) 

I had the flag on the mantle alone... and it was just that.  Alone.  So I layered on a mirror and new framed family pic and it was much more "me".

I picked up this garlandy stuff forever ago and I wasn't even going to put it out, but Luke INSISTED :) He loves it and so I obliged. hahaha

 And now for the infamous kitchen window :)

I made the chalkboard FOREVER ago and I use it for pretty much every holiday.  The cute little firecracker was a recent Hobby Lobby find and the EL fudge cookies are my weakness :)

I brought the toolbox in from outside because the poor little fern isn't loving the warmer weather and I'm LOVING it!!!

Luke and I made this rocket garland a few years ago with paper towel and toilet paper rolls, scrapbook paper and scraps of ribbon.

I had never made a burlap wreath until this past weekend.  I saw a picture of one I LOVED, took the plunge and was SO excited about how easy it was!!!  Seriously, y'all!  SO EASY!

You can now expect a burlap wreath for every holiday at my house :)

I like hanging wreaths here because I get to enjoy them!  When they hang on my front door I don't get to see them throughout the day.

The red/white stripe was more of a twill than burlap.  It was pricey... but I think it kind of made the wreath.

I have plans for the kids table, but didn't have time to wrap it all up - so I'll save that for another post :)  Hope you enjoyed the little tour - now go buy some flags!

Also - I'm SUPER excited about a new blog series I'm starting....

I love a great party and I'm going to be featuring some fabulous ones thrown by fellow bloggers!  How fun is that?!?!  Birthday party, graduation party, Christmas party, pajama party, etc.   Tomorrow I'm kicking it off with a SWEET SWEET social media friend who throws OVER THE TOP parties.  Be prepared to pink your jaws up off the floor!!!