Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Meatball Man!

3 days leading up to The BOAT Bash Owen started to remind me that I could not make the meatballs without him.....56554345 times! ; )

So the morning of the Bash, as soon as O got up, we went to work making the meatballs....


He did such a great job, and they were perfect!!  My brother used to be a chef....so maybe O will follow in his footsteps!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Kiddie Car Wash

As stated in my post yesterday we made a Kiddie Car wash using PVC pipe for our BOAT Bash this past weekend. 


When I first showed Troy the pictures on Pinterest he thought I was crazy....then after I explained to him that it was just PVC pipe I think he jumped on board - either that or it was when he got to Lowe's and realized that it really wasn't super uber expensive.



I used the directions from HERE, but changed it a bit.  They had a swivel door to say on and off, well I knew we didn't need it, nor would use it, so I adjusted that one cut, so I had two 5' pieces.  We also went on our own with where to drill the holes for the water.

Troy and Owen worked hard to measure all the cuts and make sure the cuts stayed on point.


Then it was time to put all the pieces together - it did recommend using PVC paste - but we did not, I wanted to be able to take it apart for storage.

 

Next, we had to decorate it of course!!  We just used pool noodles and dollar store sponges, I figured the decorations would not last long, so I did not want to put a lot of money into it.


Then, we had to test it of course.....


O was out with a friend, so we let B test it out....she loved it!

 
 
This is a project that the whole family worked on and I think that is why I love it so much!
 


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Weekend Recap - Oh, and I'm back!! ; )

I'm sorry I have  been MIA lately....things have just been crazy, and I really haven't been in the mood to blog.  These last few weeks I've been staying up late working on something, going to bed super early, or just totally vegging out on a game, or 5 of Candy Crush!  I hope this is the start of my return to the blogging world, I really want to work hard to get this blog where I want it, and where my readers want it.

This past weekend was a great family fun weekend.  We decided to have our first BOAT Bash (and hopefully not our last) on Saturday and it was so much fun!  Unfortunately I was having so much fun, that I did not take a bunch of pictures.

We let each kid invite 6 friends and their families.  Luckily for us, most of O's friends, had younger siblings that B picked for her friends so we ended up with 25 people total.  (For those of you that know me, know that this amazing...normally we end up with at least 50).

We wanted it to be laid back and fun, just let the kids be kids and allow the adults to just sit back and relax.  We had our blow up water slide, a bounce house (we rented this), and our handmade kiddie car wash (thank you Pinterest - post to come tomorrow with info on this).  We also had hula hoops, our swing set w/slide, and kid friendly horseshoes.  Oh, and silly string....which was a huge hit!!



The food was typical party food - hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, dips, chips, fruits, and veggies.  Dessert was ice cream cups, ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, or freezer pops!  Don't worry, they were the small ones, so the kids didn't have to pick just one!



We had 13 kids ages 5 months to 6 years old, and they ALL GOT ALONG!  At one point the majority of them were inside playing with toys, and it was quiet and calm.  We will definitely have to do it again.



Next time, I'm thinking about adding a movie under the stars...I just need to get a projector, and decide how I want to do the screen!



Oh, I forgot, we bought this hula picture spot - it was a big hit, once we put it up!  (We don't have any standard doorways downstairs, so it was hard to find a safe spot!)  Here's one of my friend and neighbor, me, oh, and check out B's photo bomb!



Both O & B told us numerous times how much fun they had at The BOAT Bash and thanked us for having it.  We run around crazy 97% of the time, so it was nice to be able to let them have friends over for a great big play date!

That was Saturday, Sunday was spent straightening up the house, and celebrating our God Daughter's 1st Birthday!!  A fun weekend full of parties, friends, and family, we couldn't ask for more.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Way Back

So, way back huh?  Yep, these girls and I go way back, Kathy and I go all they way back to 2nd grade, and Amy and I back to high school, 10th or 11th grade.  Kathy and Amy go back to middle school too.

This picture, well that was way back from this past Sunday.....where we somewhat relaxed (you know, while chasing two 2 year olds and keeping up with a 6 year old) by the pool.  We aren't able to get together as much as we all would like, but try as much as possible. 

Nothing can replace a set of good girlfriends who like you for you, know your faults, and are okay hanging out doing nothing and consider it a great time!!!


Me, Kathy, & Amy
(So that's 2 WW back to back with an actual picture of me, and me in a bathing suit - that never happens...hee hee)

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Twins

While we were in Disney we had a few twin sightings,



T & O in their camo!
 
Me & B w/our polka dots!
 

and now that I'm looking at these, I LOVE them!!  I promise a Disney post soon!!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Where Am I?

That's a good question right?  Where am I?  I'm sure you have been wondering what has been going on since I have been super slack on the blog posts....well the truth is...


I honestly don't know where I am, or who I am.  I'm 100% stuck in a rut and I cannot manage to get out.  It sucks actually. 

Never did I think that at 34 years old, I would still be asking myself "What do I want to be when I grow up?"  much less not being able to answer it.

It's not that I don't like my job, and it's not just my job, I just don't know.  I have always struggled with the work vs. stay at home Mom options (I act like it's an option) but I'm pretty sure stay at home isn't right for me either.  I would love to plan play dates and take my kids to the library, Children's Museum, shoot, even take them with me to the doctor (yep, I'm weird like that...are you just realizing?) but I also love my work time with adult company and that feeling that I am contributing and solving problems.

I guess it's hitting me know, because I know the kids are growing up....they won't want to go on play dates and the library, and the Children's museum much longer and I feel like I'm missing out.  I want to see their face when they leave for school every morning, and see their face when they get home.  I want to be the one they run to, telling me all about their day....but now, by the time I see them (6-7 pm) they don't remember what they did that day.  I want to do homework, and struggle trying to figure out how to get one kid one place and the other in the complete opposite direction (remember the weird part?).

Somehow, I just can't find a place for me....where do I fit what exactly is it that I'm supposed to do?

I've never fully proclaimed myself in a profession, I've always landed somewhere and made that work, my first job in high school, I worked at for 3 years (after I completely rearranged my summer schedule to be able to maintain that job) then I got a part time job in college, and guess what - 15 years later, I'm still here.  There is nothing wrong with my job, and what I do, so I feel weird (yep, again) even having these thoughts but they are there and I can no longer ignore them.  I just don't know what it is I'm destined to do, and maybe this is it....but at 34 I have had a total of 3 jobs in my life, one in high school, the one I'm in now, and a small part time job at the YMCA (while still working here).  I've always thought about becoming a teacher since I have a huge passion for kids and school supplies (yep, that weird thing again) but I'm just not sure I have what it takes.

How do I explain to my kids what they need to do so they can achieve their dreams and be what they want to be when they grow up, if I don't even know my own?

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Daytona Beach

This was pit stop #1 on our way home from Disney a few weeks ago.  We were hoping to leave earlier and pick up breakfast to eat on the beach....we ended up just letting the kids play for a few minutes and then loaded back into the car.  Troy took this picture, which I adore!


It's a cell phone picture, but I LOVE it!!  We took some with the big camera, but this one was still the best.  My babies are growing up so fast!!