Staycation Week In Review

I mentioned in my last post that we had decided not to take a vacation away from home this year for a variety of reasons. So instead, my hubby took the week off, and we decided to do some fun, local things.

You may remember that on Monday we went to a local splash park. 

Tuesday, we let each of our older 3 kids invite a friend to the pool. I brought a bunch of snacks, and they swam for hours. The kids had a blast! Here is the boy with one of his besties. How cute are they?!

After the pool, we came home and roasted hot dogs and 'smores in the firepit Jeff built in our backyard last fall. He's totally talented.

It rained on Wednesday, so we decided this was a good opportunity to go see a movie. We saw Smurfs 2. It wasn't quite as good as the first one (are sequels EVER as good as the first?!), but it was very cute.

The bag I am carrying in the picture was my diaper bag when the kids were babies. It makes a great movie-snack-smuggling bag today. There is a part of me that feels bad about smuggling snacks into the movies. But the cheapskate frugal woman inside me usually tells that part to sit down and shut up.

Thursday we took the kids bowling. It was the first time the younger ones had ever bowled, and they LOVED it! We played 2 games. I was terribly out of practice, although I did get a couple of strikes.

Friday we went to a local miniature golf course. I thought this would be the highlight of the week, but it was hot, and the kids weren't very into it. After we golfed, we rode the bumper boats. It was a ton of fun, but we were drenched. I failed to get any photos of this part of our adventure.

We did follow up the golf course with pizza and Bruster's ice cream. Jeff and I both ate pizza, but we were well behaved and didn't eat any ice cream. 

Saturday, my parents hosted a back-to-school bash at their house. They rented an inflatable water slide and had all the kids and grandkids over. It was a ton of fun! Some of the adults even got in on the action. Can I just say that water slides seem WAY scarier as an adult than they did as a child?!? I screamed every time I went down.

I am so sad that the kids go back to school in a couple of days! I always miss them when summer is over. But I'm glad we could end the summer with this fun week together.

Question of the Day:

Do you bring your own snacks to movies?

Father's Day Festivities and T25 Challenge Group

We celebrated Father's Day last Sunday with my wonderful husband. At our house, special occasions generally translate to some sort of delicious food. We kicked things off right with some Special Occasion Cinnamon Rolls.

The kids and I baked them on Saturday while Jeff was at work. The cinnamon rolls reheat beautifully, so we had them ready to eat in just a few seconds. The eldest made chocolate milk to go with the cinnamon rolls. Because if there's anything a boatload of sugar needs, it's more sugar. Then, we delivered breakfast in bed!

The kids made Jeff several cards, and we presented him with our gift.

The gift came with an obligation on Jeff's part to take an online chainsaw safety course. Because we've got 4 kids. And I need him to stick around. With all his limbs intact. He can come cut your tree down as soon as he finishes that course.

After breakfast we headed to church. I took pictures of all my sweet Sunday school babies to make a present for their daddies. Here is baby girl's photo.

We headed home and feasted on Jeff's favorite: spaghetti. My guy is pretty easy to please.

After lunch, we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon nap. Then we made our poor man's water slide in the front yard. One tarp + a little baby shampoo = TONS of fun!!! The kids had a blast.

I will refrain from posting my pictures on the slide. Some beauty should only be imagined and not displayed on the Internet for all the world to see.

On a side note, I am super excited about the new Beachbody workout that is coming out this Monday!!! It is from the Insanity creator, Shaun T, and the workouts are all only 25 minutes!!! It's called Focus T25, and it is for everyone from beginners on up. If you're interested in this program, I am starting an accountability group on July 8th. We will divide into teams and post about our workouts for points. The winning team will receive a prize! You can join the group here. And you can learn more about Focus T25 in the video below.



Have a blessed day!