Family Beach Day!

It wasn't until my husband and I had been dating for 5 years that I realized a simple truth -

We are not beach compatible.

My husband is a cliche.  He loves long walks on the beach.
and I... don't.

I like digging in the sand, or flying a kite, or just sitting in my chair and watching the tide roll in.
I'll admit it was a tiny issue - until we had kids.

Now everyone is happy when we go to the beach.  The kid that wants to go on a walk goes with daddy, and the kid that wants to build a sand castle stays we me.  Then everyone splashes in the (freezing) Pacific Ocean, we take the required (damp and windblown) family selfie, and then go eat clam chowder.  It's a beautiful thing.

So when I opened William's May Citrus Lane box, I was very excited.  Not only did it have the Hape Master Bricklayer Set (retail $8) which is perfect for building sand castles,

but it also had an adorable t-shirt from Tea Collection (retail $22.50) and an 8 piece bento box from Goodbyn (retail $15)!  Combined with a few snacks from Plum Organics, the box was valued at over $45, which is a great value considering the boxes are only $24.95 each when you buy a 6 month subscription!

I set the sand toys aside for our first Coast trip of the Summer, and they were a huge hit!

William added some sandy 'mortar' to the first layer of bricks.

And then helped me level off the first two layers.

At this point he was ready to run off some energy and the kiddos went on a walk with dad while I kept building.

Back in Portland it was 96 degrees, but it was a fabulous 68 degrees at the Coast.

My little surfer dude was right at home in the water.

By the time the kids came back I had finished our Mayan pyramid (complete with a ramp down to a wading pool).  I LOVED the Hape tools.  They were sturdy and perfect for creating with.  They easily fit William's toddler hand, but were a great size for adults as well.  

Click to buy the Brickmaster Set from Amazon HERE.

Hape has a complete line of sand toys, including sandcastle molds of famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, and Great Wall of China - plus many more!

How neat is that!? 

A quick pregnant belly shot.  36 weeks 4 days!  BabyLUSH #3 is almost here!!

Before we left I let the kids thoroughly destroy the pyramid which, let's be honest, is half the fun of building a sand castle.  

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I've been getting Citrus Lane boxes since Hannah was an infant, and they are the GO TO subscription box for 0-5 year olds.  The brands and value can't be beat.

Get 40% off your first box by using my LINK

The Newest Ballerina | Week In Pictures

I love this picture of Hannah eagerly awaiting the start of her first ballet class.  She's been looking forward to this day for months!  We signed Hannah up for Gymnastics and Ballet this summer through the Park and Rec department.  She started Gymnastics last week (and rocked the balance beam) but she was really excited about her new ballet shoes and leotard.

The class was filled with happy and excited little girls and the instructor was great.  We left the class on a great note... Until a we got about a mile down the road and I noticed my check engine light was on.

Now I didn't talk much about this online, but a month ago the same light came on as I was dropping the kiddos off at the babysitter.  I was going to spend the whole day by myself and was only a few miles from her house.  I figured I'd make it.  

Then the car died and smoke started pouring out of the engine.  Turns out I effectively killed my minivan and the repair bill would almost completely deplete our emergency fund.  

I cussed a lot that week.

So when I saw that (effing) light come back on I pulled over immediately.  

I called the mechanic and told them to expect us (yay for 30 day warrenties!!) and called AAA to get towed.  Then we waited in the (hot.) car for Chris to rescue us and for the tow truck to arrive.  Hannah and I snapped this picture while we waited.  William took advantage of the early nap time and quickly passed out.  It turns out we have another large repair bill coming our way.  JOY!

30 minutes later Chris showed up with cold drinks and cheeseburgers and made the kids VERY happy while we transferred car seats and gave directions to the tow man.

William has been going to Gymboree for a year now, and he really enjoys it.  He's selective about which activities he participates in - he won't sit quietly while the teacher introduces the theme of the week, but loves parachute time and always drags me underneath it with him.  I love that he wants to share that moment with me each week.  His giggle is infectious and it's always the highlight of my day.

William takes a solid 2-3 hour nap each afternoon, but Hannah rarely naps nowadays.  Instead she loves to make art in the afternoon.  This is an example of one of her collages.  (I'm really proud of her for coming up with this idea on her own.  She's done it with lots of different characters and it's always really cute and creative.)  

She picks out a picture from a coloring book - in this case the castle - colors it and cuts it out with scissors, then she glues it to a blank piece of art paper and creates her own background.  Cute, right?

She's also really into Legos.  We put together this Lego Friend's set earlier this week.  (Andrea's Mountain Hut #41031 - retired)  Sadly, Hannah is completely against creatively building with her pieces and insists on following the directions (which requires mom's help).  Hopefully soon she'll give free form legos a try.  Don't tell Hannah, but the baby got her a Lego's Junior set as part of her hospital big sister gift.  I'm hoping it'll help the transition and give her something new to do during quiet time when I'm busy with a newborn.

I also (FINALLY) started getting caught up with YouTube vlogs.  I posted Hannah's Reaction when we told her about the baby, and on Thursday I posted the gender reveal.  Links below if you haven't watched these yet:

Father's Day | Week In Pictures

Although school has been out for a few weeks, this week felt like the first week of Summer.  We kicked off our Summer activities with a week of Vacation Bible School for Hannah.

Each morning I dropped Hannah off at 8:45 and picked her up at noon smiling and happy.  

Each day she'd meet me with a bag full of arts and crafts, and singing beautiful new songs she'd learned.  

Each evening we read the day's bible verse and talked about the lesson she'd learned that day at VBS.  It was awesome to hear her asking these thought provoking questions about the story of Elijah.

The last day of VBS was Crazy Hair day, and although I did exactly what Hannah asked, she declared it 'Too Cute to be Crazy' and considered it a failure - but cute.

While Hannah was busy with VBS each day, William and I had a lot of time together.  One day he spent some time with his buddy, Chase, at the playground.  William is a year younger than this little boy, but they are finally at the age where they can play as peers.

William's current favorite show is Little Einstein's, followed closely by Super Why.  For months he was obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so this is a nice change of pace with more educational shows.  He's become very interested in Letters lately so he particularly likes that about Super Why.

I still don't think William understands that there is an actual baby in my tummy (34 weeks this week), but he finally relented and attempted to feel and listen for the baby.  I'm pretty sure he's convinced I just ate too much ice cream and am making the whole 'baby' thing up.  His world is going to be rocked in July...

I'm a huge fan of Instagram now.  I find it to be an efficient way to follow brands and people that I love.  One brand I follow is Milk Makers, and recently they had a huge sale on their pregnancy cookies (which I saw during snack time) so I bought the 3 box bundle.  I can't recommend these cookies enough if you're pregnant.  They're so tasty, huge, and perfect to keep in your purse when you're hit with a craving.  My sweet tooth has been intense this week, so these were a lifesaver!

My birthday was earlier this month and I'm signed up for just about every birthday club that exists.  I'm cool with free burgers and ice cream.  I snapped this picture of Hannah and William while waiting for my Teriyaki Chicken Burger and Freckled Lemonade at Red Robin.  I order that every time I go and it's so, so, good.

On Saturday Kohl's sponsored a car seat check.  This was my first time having my car seats officially checked and it was a great learning experience.  I was able to pick the technician's brain about different layouts to accommodate foster children, and I was told that my car seats were the best installed they saw all day!!  We had to remove a headrest, and we switched Hannah to a seat belt install since she had just hit the weight limit for LATCH.  (I knew that she was getting close but waited to switch it until we had the seat professionally installed.)  She also helped me install the infant car seat base, so we're all ready for baby!  

Well, the minivan is ready for baby.  I still have some newborn laundry to do.

I can't get over how old William looks in this picture.  

My little boy is getting so big! (He turned 27 months this week.)

The week ended with Father's Day.  I snapped this picture at our Go To restaurant choice - Sweet Tomatoes.  Seriously, I love this place.  They have an extensive salad bar that the kids go crazy for, and everything is already bite sized, so when we get to our table I don't have to cut everything up for them.  Moms know - this is huge.  They also have these tiny little ice cream cones which the kids beg for.  Tiny dessert that appeases toddlers?  Winner.  I've signed up for their Club Veg and regularly get a coupon for 2 adult dinners with beverage for $19.99.  Hannah is a couple dollars and William is free.  Family dinner at a restaurant for under $25!  

I love this face.

Mother's Day and Father's Day are very laid back at our house.  There's no footprint art or ugly neckties given as gifts.  Instead we usually start the day with a great breakfast and go to church.  All day you are not the PIC - Parent in Charge.  No diaper duty, no mediating bickering kids, no bedtime duty.  You just get to enjoy your family and then when they throw a tantrum your partner takes over.  It's awesome.  Plus dinner is your choice.  

Overall this was a great week.  We were busy in the mornings, but spent a lot of quality time together in the evenings.

Note - This Summer is going to get crazy once the baby arrives in late July.  If you haven't already added me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter make sure you do!  I update each of those platforms on a near daily basis.

Preschool Graduation & the Kindergarten Decision

Hannah is officially a Preschool graduate!  We had a big decision to make in regards to PreK or Kindergarten this fall, and have gone back and forth for months.  We finally came to an agreement and I think everyone is happy.

Although Hannah was due on September 1st (which happens to be the admission cutoff for Kindergarten), she wasn't born until the 19th.  Upon first calculating her due date I remember realizing that if I went even ONE day overdue that she would miss the cut off.  Apparently I didn't knock on wood and instead she went 18 days over.  But I digress...

Shortly before Hannah turned three she began a 3 year old preschool program, and just completed the 4 year old program this Spring.  With two years of 'school' under her belt she knows how to conduct herself in a classroom, and continues to improve her social skills.

Her teacher (pictured above) did a wonderful job of teaching the children phonics, and Hannah has begun reading Bob Books and easily sounds out basic words.

After months of Hannah begging to go to Kindergarten at the 'Big Kid's School', in March we contacted our district's elementary school and spoke with the Principle about early entry.  Chris was the oldest in his class and I was one of the youngest in mine, so we had many discussions about the pros and cons of both.  Ultimately we realized that if Hannah was excited about it and the testing would show if she was ready for it, then we should at least let her try.

In May Hannah sat down for an academic test with the school's Kindergarten teacher, and last week Hannah sat in on a Kindergarten class while the school counselor observed her.

This morning we spoke with the Principle and found out that Hannah did very well on both evaluations.  We ultimately decided to let Hannah begin Kindergarten in September, and if after two months we felt that she wasn't ready, then we'd have the option of switching her to a PreK program instead.  I think this is a great compromise and Hannah agrees.  She's also VERY excited.

Part of me expected to have another year before having a Kindergarten student, but a bigger part of me knows that Hannah is independent and determined and will thrive in school.

Hannah was so proud of her graduation ceremony, but I think she was most excited to wear her new rainbow heart dress and cutout hooded sandals from Fabkids.  "I look like a Kindergartner in this outfit!"  Yes, Yes she does...

In case you aren’t familiar, they are a subscription service that offers you a complete outfit for $29.95 a month. Every outfit includes 2 pieces — so you can get a fabulous dress, paired with leggings OR a top and a bottom, etc.  They make girls and boys clothing with a wide range of sizes.  Hannah is wearing a Medium (6/7) in these pictures and it's nice and roomy.  (The Small (4/5) just became a little too tight.)   They carry XXS (2T - which William has just started wearing!) up to XL (12).

Thanks to FabKids for providing Hannah's outfit for review.  

We've been working with FabKids for over a year and I'm very 

impressed with the quality (and cuteness!) of their clothing.  

I highly recommend them.  See disclosure for details.

Hannah's New Church Dress

Hannah is officially 4.5 years old and although she says she wants to live at home with her mom and dad forever, I'm pretty sure her current career aspiration is to be a fashion designer.

Every day she wants to pick out her own outfit - complete with accessories, shoes, and purse - and then upon coming back home she asks to play dress up and change into something completely different.

This is why her favorite package that the postman delivers is the bright pink bag from Fabkids.

In case you aren’t familiar, they are a subscription service that offers you a complete outfit for $29.95 a month. Every outfit includes 2 pieces — so you can get a fabulous dress, paired with leggings OR a top and a bottom, etc.  They make girls and boys clothing with a wide range of sizes.  Hannah is wearing a Small (4/5) in this video, but I'll be moving her up to a Medium (6/7) soon.   They carry XXS (2T - which William has just started wearing!) up to XL (12).

Here is her unboxing video for April's outfit.  I love her reaction!

Thanks to FabKids for providing Hannah's outfit for review.  

We've been working with FabKids for over a year and I'm very 

impressed with the quality (and cuteness!) of their clothing.  

I highly recommend them.  See disclosure for details.

Who Does Hannah Look Like? Throwback Thursday

My mom posted this picture of me on Facebook yesterday.  

This is tiny Carla at 3.5 years old - the same age as Hannah.  

I cant believe how long my hair was, but what first struck me was the mischief in my eyes.  

I recognize it because I see the same look it in Hannah's eyes everyday.  

I've heard "She looks just like her daddy!" since the day Hannah was born, so I thought I'd compare this picture of me to some screenshots of Hannah from my recent video with her:

None of the poses match up exactly, but I think it's pretty obvious that she has my eyes and eyebrows.

So then I figured I'd find a picture of tiny Christopher and see just how much Hannah looks like him.

Isn't tiny Christopher just the cutest!?

When I added him to the mix I was blown away:

Hannah is our daughter.  There is no doubt about it.

It's like you put my eyes and hair on Christopher's face, but she really does look just like him.

It's neat to think that these little kids grew up thousands of miles apart, 

met at a frat party in college, and made a cute little family together.

Next time we'll have to compare pictures of William!

kinda creepy, huh?

Just a Dash

It would appear that nothing on our kitchen counters is safe anymore.

 Hannah has always been tall for her age, but combined with her knack for climbing and her inquisitive nature – and that girl can get herself into trouble in no time flat. We’ve always been careful with sharp objects, like knives and kitchen scissors, and placed them in the sink instead of leaving them on the counter, but we never considered spice jars to be particularly interesting.

It took me a second to figure out what was going on.
First I noticed that Hannah smelt strongly of garlic, but I chalked it up to dinner.
Then I picked her up and noticed that she felt a little gritty.
I was completely confused, but went into the kitchen to get a wet washcloth to clean her up. It’s when I rounded the corner that I saw it:

 An empty container of Garlic Powder 

its contents spilt all over the kitchen floor 

Little Hannah footprints and shuffle marks were visible, and had we left her alone long enough, I’m pretty sure that dump truck and bear would have been included in the ‘fun’.

It was a minor incident – no one was hurt and, nothing was damaged. {and honestly I wasn’t all that mad as it meant that the kitchen floor was swept and mopped VERY well by Chris while I gave Hannah a bath.}

 In our household, anything that meets the 5&5 rule 

(can be cleaned up in 5 min & cost less than $5 to replace) 

is just not worth stressing over. 

 But totally worth photographing.

{20 months old}

Meetup Gifts

Both times we’ve had Northwest vlogger meet ups, we’ve had a gift exchange for the kids.  Something small that we give to everyone.  We don’t discuss it before hand, or set a price limit, we just come bearing gifts.

This time, with Summer almost upon us, I wanted to embrace some outdoor fun.

These sand buckets and shovels are from the dollar store.  They are available in pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and have a slight glitter effect to them.  Once I got them home I used my Cricut, Sure Cuts A Lot software, and white vinyl to personalize each bucket. 

Wren, Hannah, Elise, Ethan, Leila, & Scarlet – AKA Wheels.

(Since Wren & Christina were a surprise, it was originally just Heels, but after a quick trip to the dollar store and 5 minutes in my craft room – Wren had a bucket all her own.)

Included in the buckets were:

Sidewalk Chalk:  The Dollar store sells a box of sidewalk chalk that contains 4 packages of 5 chalks, which breaks the cost down to 25cents per child with some left over for the host’s stash.

Bubbles: The Dollar store has three packs of bubbles in various colors and styles.  Seriously, what kid doesn’t love bubbles?

Coloring Books:  I tried to match each child’s interest/development level.  Make sure you flip through the book and ensure that any activity pages would be well suited to the recipient’s age.  For the younger girls, I tried to find books that had large scale simple outlines, and for the older kids, I focused on Sesame Street characters that they were fond of.

Crayons: While the dollar store does sell crayons, this is one area that I refuse to skimp on.  Crayola has been making crayons for years, and considering how many Hannah puts in her mouth, I feel safer choosing a product from a big brand like Crayola instead of an off brand.  This is your personal choice, I’ve just always been partial to Crayola.  Back to school sales are a great time to stock up of art supplies like this, and I keep a few boxes in my craft closet for gifts like this.

Snacks:  This can be tailored to the child as well.  I filled 1 snack sized Ziploc bag with goldfish crackers on one side and Trader Joe’s version of animal crackers on the other.   I separated the two with a clothes pin that made the bag look like a butterfly.  I was inspired by this Pinterest Pin.

Each bucket was about $5, so it was very budget friendly.  The items were useful, as well as season and age appropriate, and the customized bucket was a nice crafty touch. 

I considered adding filler to the bottom of the bucket (like Easter grass or crinkle cut paper) but decided that (a) it wasn’t useful to the child and (b) it would just make a mess, especially once the crayons were taken out of the box.  Sometimes simpler is better.

She's THAT kid

Hannah is an active little girl.

I know mom’s say that, but to put it into perspective -

she shocks every Gymboree teacher with her exuberance. 

(And I figure that Gymboree teachers, with their classrooms of padded 

floors and obstacles, have probably seen it all.  So that says a lot.)

She’s fearless.

She’ll jump off towers onto a stack of mats without a hint of worry.

She’ll scale a ladder and run across balance beams. 

She’ll dance wildly to the music instead of clapping to the beat.

She’s THAT kid in the class.

Part of me wants to wrangle in her energy, 

teach her to step daintily along the platform like the other girls in the class 

and methodically weigh the dangers before she jumps.

Then I tell that side of me to shut up 

and ignore the other parent’s glances.

I figure that life will happen to Hannah. 

In time, she’ll learn about boo-boos and she’ll learn to be cautious.

But right now I want her to continue embracing life head on.

To not be afraid of what might happen,

but instead to seek joy in what is happening.

Sure, we teach her manners -

“Please” “Thank You” and “Excuse Me”

are a big deal in our household.

And she’s starting to grasp the concept of sharing and

taking turns as much as a 19 month old toddler can.

But for now I’m happy that she’s THAT kid –

The boisterous one, the laughing one,

the running and jumping and leaping one.

That’s Hannah.

She’s a little crazy, a little sweet, and a whole lotta spunky.

And I wouldn’t want her any other way.

Note to Self: Do Not Nag

Chris and I made the decision before Hannah was born that we would work opposite schedules so that we could keep Hannah home and avoid daycare.  My mom was willing to fill in on the two days a week that our arrangement couldn't cover, and for 18 months it's been working pretty well.

Except that it's hard.

Chris and I hardly ever see each other, 

and the three of us only get a few hours a week together as a family.  

Entire days together are a rarity.

Reminders to 'put the diapers in the dryer' or 'can you pick up batteries for the smoke detector' are left on scraps of paper taped to the door, text messages sent before work, quick phone calls home on breaks.

quick.  short.  to the point communication.

I try not to leave imposing lists, as it's his weekend to relax too.

But there is a household to run, and we're all juggling a lot of ToDos.

Sometimes I feel like a nag.

On one hand, 

without these reminders diapers sour in the washer, 

mail doesn't reach the post office, 

and batteries are forgotten.

On the other, 

even when it's proceeded with a please, 

and followed with a thank you, 

I still feel like I'm barking out an order.

So I turn to you - 

especially those households with two working parents,

and too many tasks to do, 

What is your definition of 'nagging' 

and how do you avoid doing it?

Special Treats with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

We've had a rainy Winter here in the Pacific Northwest.

Then we had a snow storm on the second day of Spring.

So yesterday's sunshine was a welcome sight.

For a moment, it almost felt like summer.

Growing up, my favorite summer past time was visiting

U-Pick strawberry fields and loading up mismatched

Tupperware containers until they were filled to the brim.

Last Summer I was able to carry on that tradition with Hannah.

(Please learn from my mistake - 

do not put your child in white socks, 

and do not leave the baby wipes in the car.  

Strap on sandals & bring the wipes out to the field with you.  

She was a dirty, sticky, red-stained mess in minutes.  

I give myself bonus points for remembering the sun screen, 

sippy cup, and hat though.   Parenting has quite a learning curve.)

I'm a busy mom.

Between a full time job, a long commute, 

and a toddler with near boundless energy,

any recipe I attempt needs to be 

Quick, Easy, and Kid Approved.

Desserts are no exception.

Given the sunny weather, Hannah and I decided 

that a Summer inspired treat was in order.

We ran to the store and bought three ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh strawberries,
• a 4 pack of ready made shortcakes, and
• COOL WHIP Whipped Topping.

The first step is the hull and slice the strawberries.

dump them all in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar

and toss to coat:

Let them set for an hour (at least).

___________________________

Science Lesson:

Sprinkling strawberries with sugar helps to 

release juice through the process of osmosis.  

Since strawberries have a high water content, 

and sugar crystals do not contain water, 

The hydrophilic (water loving) sugar will draw out the moisture through the 

strawberry until the water levels inside and outside the strawberry are equal.

By taking advantage of this process, we can make sure 

that our strawberry shortcakes are nice and moist.

___________________________

You can easily do this step in the morning

and put the bowl in the fridge until dinner time.

Make sure to set the COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

out to thaw, so that it makes perfect dollops. 

This dessert is nearly perfect:

For Families - the strawberries can come fresh from a local 

organic u-pick farm, or straight from the grocery store.

For busy moms - It’s quick to make.  

5 minutes of prep, it sits during dinner, and a minute to serve it up.

For unexpected guests -  the ingredients are easy to keep on hand.

For picky eaters - each serving can be made to suit.

More strawberries for Susan, more whipped topping for Bill. 

From Plain to Special with just one dollop!

Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce the content. I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.