Keeping it Simple

I am sure my kids will not say this phrase once this summer...ha! So in preparation...we have brainstormed a list of 100 things we can choose from when we are bored...instead of another game of Minecraft. (I have traded my boys minute for minute of summer learning time for screen time...Day 1 a success so far...we will see how long this lasts.)  Hopefully I actually get this list printed and cut into strips for a jar of anti-boredom activities! Help - we are brain dead and need like four more items to complete our list... 100 Things to Do This Summer beach (Burfoot Park)   bowling - check out Kidsbowlfree.com - there is one in Olympia - Yeah!  blow bubbles  make lemonade  finger painting  water fight  make Popsicles  treasure hunt  swim birdwatching reading party dollar movie cookout  hike make ice cream visit farm sidewalk chalk origami bean bag toss badminton “drive-in movie”...

Summer is here...our first day and the boys are still sleeping! Yeah!  There are so many different activities offered and sometimes I have one of those summer days where I just need something to help entertain my little cherubs. I am sure this summer being pregnant, there might be a day or two that I need a little added entertainment while I just take a second to absorb it all!  (or just catch my breath...) Every summer, I try to take all the free and inexpensive activities that take place around the area and put them on a calendar. It just helps for those evenings when I have no plans the next day and want some. Hope this helps you as well! Looking forward to meeting up with many of you at some of these great afternoons or evenings! (Note: Tum - stands for Tumwater...Century Link is not the one in Seattle as my sweet hubby asked in a concerned voice....it is the movie theatre at the Olympia Mall.) Please let me know if there is something fun that I am missing.....

It is summer vacation…my five and seven year old have learned that it is ok to sleep past 7 am…I am enjoying a cup of coffee and getting laundry folded before the rush of the day begins. Then, I hear the sound of my seven year olds bed as he wakens… (I keep thinking I am going to add a few more screws to his bed so it quits making this sound, but now am kind of use to it and think it might be nice as he gets older – there will be no sneaking out of his bed.)   I kept waiting to hear his pitter patter down the stairs and in search of me…so I can hear the normal morning requests, “Can I watch TV? and/or Can I play Wii with you?” Not this morning…instead I hear him moving around upstairs and not coming down. I finish the laundry and decide I will go check on him. Earlier in the morning, I had been on the phone with my DH(Dear Husband) and he had asked me to set some tape and wrapping paper out for them, I thought I could do this after they woke up…cuz after all in my mind I thought ...

Gluten free, egg free, nut free and almost dairy free... Let's start with my oldest boy...E...he has been gluten intolerant since about the age of two and is very allergic to eggs. We do our best to help him fit in when it comes to snacks and eating out...and sometimes I find it is just easiest if I volunteer to do the cooking. Then all the kids have the same cookie, cupcake or whatever the item might be. Well, the first grade classes are ending the last 26 days with an alphabet countdown...Friday happens to be C...which is Cookies and Milk with your teacher day. I saw this and thought, "If I volunteer to make the cookies then E will get to have the same cookie as everyone else." So I volunteered and of course the teacher was very excited to have one job taken care of for her. So I asked about the other allergies in the class. I found out that there is a dairy as well as a nut allergy in his class. I looked over some recipes and realized that I can make a flour ...

The other day, a parent from preschool let me know she would be bringing oatmeal cookies to share at school. Side note: I love it when other parents give me a head's up so I can be prepared with an option for my gluten free kiddos. It takes away the last minute stress of what am I going to do - spend $4 on one cookie at the coffee shop, give him a piece of candy, or have him feel left out because he doesn't get the special treat that everyone else does. So thank you to those who take the extra minute to share with us when you have special plans. (I know if you are like me, sometimes, I do not know what my plan is until is over...but thanks for those times that you do know.) So I decided that I was going to try my hand at making some yummy gluten and egg free cookies again!  I have tried many in the past and it is hard when they do not turn out or your kids do not beg for more. Actually, this past Christmas, I went on a cookie strike and did not make any...I ...