Bag of Tricks

Yeah buddy! It's been an awesome week, full of sunshine, warmth and best of all....little wind! Yippee!! We are so enjoying this weather even though it's making us super antsy for summer. The count down is on. Only three Mondays left, and exactly a month from today.....FREEDOM! My kids and I look at the pool every time we come into town, waiting impatiently for it to be filled with water because once that happens, we know that summer days are a comin', and that most certainly means pool time!!


However, we all have our own little bag of tricks to get us through those moments that seem to draaag on. My bag includes many things, and since I'm so very ready to have the school year over, I tend to pull things from this bag often.


Escaping from reality:

Our annual shopping trip finally arrived last weekend. It couldn't have come at a better time. We were all in a funk and didn't have much money, but that didn't stop us from having a ball. Our favorite part is never the shopping anyways. We love relaxing by the pool on Friday, show and tell time on Saturday, going out to eat (duh), and singing ridiculously loud in the car. It's amazing how quickly the stress goes away when you are with those you love! We tried out a new restaurant this time also. If you ever get the chance to go to Benihanas, I totally recommend it. It's a Hibachi style setting and it's super fun when you are with a group of people! We had a ball. Not to mention, the food was  UH mazing!!

Getting my hair done:

Since I only get it done 4 times a year, I usually go big. I like different and change, and I love not knowing exactly what it's going to look like when it's done. After a whole lot of time (5 hours) of toning and cutting and laughing, we finally had an end result. Renee does a phenomenal job! I'm never disappointed. I'd recommend the Hair Clinic in Orange City any day!

Drop everything and go to the Park:

When I'm overwhelmed with the list of to-dos on my plate, which is all the time, I find that not doing any of it sounds like the best trick of all. Especially now that the sunshine is out and it is warm enough not to have a jacket on some days, the park sounds like a delightful place to be.

A little niece love

Making a change in the house:

My husband and I debated this for a long time. He has wanted hard floors in our living room forever. He loves the look. Our dog ruined our carpet. The list goes on. I love the idea of carpet because it has a more homey feel. It's warm in the winter and it's cozy. We agreed to get the hard floor, but save money for a LARGE area rug in the future. So, last minute, my boys wanted to go to my mom's overnight and Jaedyn was at her other grandma's, we decided to make a date of it. We went to Sioux Falls to get the floor and ate our body weight in Mexican at Chevy's. It was glorious. Not to mention, we didn't have kids running around while we were working on the floor the next day. Thanks Mom and Dave! My hubby did a great job despite having to start over twice. I love having a handy man!

So I suppose you could call this bag of tricks a bag of excuses not to get crap done, but regardless, it makes me happy. So there. Here are a few other things we are enjoying lately!

Early morning cuddles never go out of style. PS How come he looks so friggen old here?? NOT okay with it.

Trader Joes needs to make an appearance close by right meow. I'm always finding things that I love when I go there. These toasted coconut cookie thins dipped in yogurt are the bomb.com

Mowing lawns, getting crafty, and making a "house" outside

Cousins shooting hoops

Annual fort making while mom's shopping

What a fun dad!

Last skating party ever! :( (Insert tears) The building will go up for auction next month. Why do all the good past times go to crap?

Random crazy face selfies are our expertise. No duck faces here.

A social butterfly and her friends. Deja Vu. This is me 15 years ago. ( I suppose it could still pass for my current status as well)

Looking forward to May- a trip to Florida for our 10 year anniversary, summer vacation, birthday bashes, lots of outside time, and softball/baseball!! Bring it on summer! We are ready and waiting!