Happy May! The year is flying by all of the sudden and it feels like Summer is almost here. I've got a lot to get done around the house in the next 16 school days before the kids are home 24/7 for Summer break. Grab a cup of coffee! We've got lots to chat about today.
1. We're going to a Kentucky Derby party this weekend and I'm so excited! It's a fancy one. We have a babysitter for the kids. Hats and dresses required. I can't wait to tell you all about it.
2. I have the best system for returns to share with you. Keep all of your returns in the front seat of your car. Keep the receipt with them and then when you find yourself near those stores you can return the items. I like to return items ASAP when I know they aren't going to work for us and this system helps ensure that I don't miss return windows and don't lose money. I do the same thing with library books or items that need to be dropped off to friends. My front seat is the perfect visual to do list.
3. I was so proud of tackling a project - organizing my bill pay binder. I updated forms, cleared out the clutter and got everything organized. I also apparently threw away last month's water bill without realizing it. It's one of the only bills that I don't have on autopay. I might need to update that ASAP. I got a higher than usual bill this month and realized it never got paid last month. I guess I was a little too ruthless in my decluttering efforts. Whoops!
4. How's your Summer planning shaping up? We have the kids signed up for one camp and have two trips on the calendar. We're hoping to sneak in a beach trip maybe in June. What's your favorite beach to visit? Bonus points if it's within driving distance from Indiana.
5. It looks like we have another night owl on our hands. Olive has always been a night owl like me and Leo seems to be following in our footsteps. He's so sweet and snuggly late at night, but I'm ready for some quiet time when 10pm rolls around.
6. Have you planted your Summer flowers yet? I'm tempted because it has been warm in the Midwest, but I usually wait until Mother's Day weekend. I'm getting ferns, planting pots on my patio and I have a bunch of seeds to try growing this year. We'll also plant our vegetable garden later this month.
7. Family reading time. Is this a thing? We're trying to get into a good rhythm of reading with the kids or idependent reading time. I know it'll take some practice to make it a habit, but I'd love for this to be something we all do after dinner. Or all do in the afternoon during the Summer. Stay tuned.
8. I ordered some lighter wash, boyfriend fit jeans from Old Navy and I'm hoping they'll be perfect for Summer. I ordered my favorite Sofia Vergara jeans from Walmart in a lighter wash and a looser fit, but I was so disappointed that all of the distressing was at the top of the jeans meaning that underwear was visible. Ewww! I'm hoping Old Navy will come through for me.
9. I read an interesting hair tip recently: If you are struggling with oily hair very quickly after washing it, make sure you are blow drying your hair. It helps the scalp dry better and keeps your hair cleaner. It's working!
10. Do you have any flowering bushes that you love in your landscaping? I'm thinking of spending my plant budget on some flowering shrubs that I could enjoy and also cut from throughout the Summer. I've had Limelight Hydrangeas before and Butterfly bushes at our last house. Comment with your favorite flowering bushes for my full sun yard.
11. I washed all the kid's coats and cold weather gear yesterday. What are the chances that it'll get cold again or that we'll get some Midwest snow in May?
12. Olive's birthday is coming up! She'll be 11 at the end of the month. What are your best gift ideas for an 11 year old girl??
Let's chat in the comments!
Yay! Coffee chat!
ReplyDeleteI do the front seat return system but sometimes it bites me if we get to Sunday and I haven't made it to the stores-- I have to move everything so I can sit shotgun on the way to church, haha!
We loved Silver Beach on Lake Michigan (in St. Joseph, MI)....great kid-friendly beach and looked like the ocean. We are planning our kids' first trip to the Atlantic this year, including flying. Excited and nervous! If you have any tips on flying with kids, I would LOVE them!!
I thought about washing coats but held off! We will see!
Happy birthday to Olive soon!! Journals? Hair stuff?
Can't wait to hear about your Derby party! My aunt in Lexington, Kentucky, always hosts fun Derby parties. It's such a great tradition!
ReplyDeleteCoffee chat time!! So much fun!
ReplyDeleteI used to do the front seat return/library book thing...but now I have kids that are old enough to sit in the front seat and my front seat is no longer free. Now I have a counter area neat the door out to the garage and I leave things there that need to be taken out of the house. It makes a little bit of clutter there, but if I put the stuff into my backseat/trunk I will forget about them forever.
I just started drinking coffee (mocha, does that count?) on a trip to Indianapolis. Being in your state made me think of you :-) I loved visiting Indiana - what a beautiful state - and hope to get back there again soon. Also, at Meijer the other day, I saw a gentleman wearing a University of Evansville sweatshirt, which also made me think of you.
Summer is getting crazy! I am spending some time today looking over our calendar. Between drivers education, gymnastics, soccer, summer homework, space camp, and VBS - it's looking pretty busy. There is a beach in Canada that I went to growing up (my dad also went there as a child) and I'd love to get my kids over there this year just for the day! It's only about 2 hours from our house depending on bridge/international border traffic. The beach we always went to is called Ipperwash, but that stretch of beach is closed to the public now, so we'll go to the one nearby called Kettle Beach.
I hear you on the night owl kids and just wanting some time to yourself by 10pm! My kids are getting a little older (b15, g11 and g10) and they are all staying up later and later (especially the 15yo with his homework). On the plus side, I'm having fun helping him with his Algebra homework and having him up keeps me from eating ice cream, which I only ever do when I'm alone.
For 11yo girls...that's a tricky question. My 11yo loves all the art supplies - Posca markers, Sharpie markers, origami papers. We also got her a subscription to Mark Rober's Crunch Labs. It's a STEM related activity that she really looks forward to getting and doing. For her birthday celebration, we take the whole family to the local baseball park and have a birthday message put on the big screen for her during the game. We've been doing that since she was little, and even though she's not a big baseball fan, she loves the experience of going to this baseball park (it's not an MLB team, it's not even minor league - but it's so family & budget friendly, my kids love it!). This year, as she turns 12, I'm thinking of taking her to a concert or a musical/theatre production. There are a couple of universities nearby that put on great productions and we have several theatres here in Detroit and lots of smaller (and HUGE!) concert venues, I'm sure we can find something she'd love.