Summer Schedule

Whew! This week has been a whirlwind! I meant to sit down and blog this morning, but we got a surprise visit from Gammy and PaPa Ron last night through today, so I have been visiting instead. (And, I got the pure blessing of running the dreaded Wal-Mart errand with NO kids, due to the surprise visit of grandparents who can babysit!!)

We are also still in swimming lessons, so that seems to take up WAY too much time. But, I will proudly announce that Kendyll is officially a fish. She now swims by herself under water wtihout tears! I have been so proud of her. She even told Mrs. Linda yesterday that she wants to be a swimming teacher when she grows up. That meant so much to Linda, since Kendyll may have been her biggest challenge of the summer! She is doing great in the water, and I look forward to enjoying the rest of the summer in the pool.

I've also been busy with VBS organization after the tornado that hit our workroom and storage closet last week (not a literal tornado, but it sure looked like it after a crazy VBS week! And, see my post yesterday for how much I love organizing!!) A group of us also went to see Les Mis on Tuesday night, which was such a great night away. Les Mis is amazing and always a tear-jerker at the end. I had fun, girls!

So, all of that, combined with doctor's appointments, family visits, and errands, is the reason why I still haven't posted the Summer Schedule blog, that was requested. But, without further adieu (how do you spell that?) here is what a day looks like at our house:

(Please Note: The times listed are not always exact around our house, so add an "ish" to the end of each hour! Also, this will obviously be different depending on the ages of the children.
For example, our summer last year looked very different because Carlie was only a year old.)

Carlie's Day

8:00 Wake Up & Get Dressed

8:20 Breakfast

8:45 Outside Time (backyard, duck pond, park, or swim)

9:45 Playtime with Mommy

10:30 Art Time (Library Storytime on Wednesdays)

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Playtime with Kendyll (in bedrooms or playroom) or Errands with Mommy

1:30 Naptime

4:30 Wake Up / Video (usually Elmo!)

5:30 Daddy Playtime

6:00 Dinner, then "Everybody Clean-up" Time

7:00 Family Time (and baths)

8:00 Bedtime

Kendyll's Day

8:00 Wake Up & Morning Chores (make bed, get dressed, brush teeth, & comb hair--she doesn't leave her room until these are done---and she LOVES these new responsibilities!)

8:20 Breakfast

8:45 Outside Time

9:45 Video or Computer Time

10:30 Art Time (Library Storytime on Wednesdays)

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Playtime with Carlie or Errands with Mommy

1:30 Reading Time and School with Mommy

2:00 Choice Time (play with toys, or one TV show)

2:30 Rest Time

4:00 Get up & Chore Time (this varies...I give her different jobs depending on what needs to be done, and what she needs to clean up!)

4:30 Play with Carlie, Help Mommy with dinner

5:30 Daddy Time

6:00 Set Table, Dinner, then "Everybody Clean-Up" Time

7:00 Family Time (and baths)

8:00 Night Time Reading

8:30 Bedtime

I won't post my whole schedule too, but I basically decided what time I could wake up to have at least an hour of alone time before they were up too (not including getting-ready time). This is when I'm TRYING to have my quiet time and computer time. I also have specific things I try to do during their different playtimes. For example, when they're outside playing, I sit out there too and go through mail, read, etc. That way I'm still available to say "Good job, Carlie!" or whatever, but still get other things done. I do art time with them, lunch with them, playtime with each of them, so that I'm completely theirs for a few hours. During their rest times, I work on my summer projects, rest myself, or clean up the house (although I'm trying to wait until later in the day to do that, so that everyone participates and the girls learn to clean too! And, so that I actually get something done during their rest time!) Family time at night is going on a walk, going to the pool, playing games, or just playing in the playroom. Then, after their bedtime, I have computer time again and hubby time too. I guess I should have just written that schedule out after all!

Anyway, there it is for the whopping three of you who wanted it! :) As I said before, this is all in my ideal world. It doesn't happen exactly this way very often (especially on the days we're not home for more than two hours!), but it at least keeps us on a track of some kind. So, I hope it helps...and happy scheduling to you all! (And, those of you who have other ideas at your house, please share them too!!)

Passing on my Anal-ness

I don't know if "anal-ness" is really in the genes, or if it is possible to create and foster that in your children, but either way, Kendyll has a smidge of it from me. (Okay, maybe a little more than a smidge). All of you who know me, know that my lists and schedules are sacred to me, and are, at times, way out of control. I thrive on a schedule, enjoy order, predictability, and am a master at making any kind of list. For example, right now, I have lists sitting on my nightstand that are "still in progress", including my trip to Target later today, vacation ideas for our cruise coming up in a few months, my summer projects to be completed, ideas for Carlie's 2nd birthday, books Kendyll has read on her own, and VBS suggestions for next year. And, those are just from this last week. :)

For the last two years I have also been making a "summer schedule" for our house. I know...so many of you are laughing right now. And, I can understand why. "Summer" should never be used in the same sentence with "schedule", but at our house it is.

My intentions behind these schedules, are to maintain order in our lives, and not let our time "waste" away in the summer months. I found last year that I was allowing the TV to run all day long, and felt like many of my days were aimless, without a beginning or end. I wanted to start scheduling in quiet time for me, as well as one-on-one time with each child, so that I would really do it. Plus, the schedule helps cut down on the "What are we doing now?" and "I'm so bored!" comments that I was getting often from my oldest daughter who is used to lots of fun activities and places to go during the school year.

Last summer, I did this as an experiment...and Kendyll LOVED it. I would even say that she loved it more than I did! Throughout the day, she would ask "What does my schedule say?" or "Is it art time now?" or even "Is it time for me to have Mommy playtime now?" It was amazing to see how much this helped both of us know what was coming next, and it especially helped me to be accountable to my little three year old schedule-nazi for our one-on-one time or Bible Story time or even our grocery store time. (See what I mean?! I have created a carbon copy of me!)

So, now that our VBS crazy month is over, I have designed our new version for 2006 Summer. We printed it out and hung it by the back door. Kendyll can now read alot of what it says, so she is soaking it in and loving it already. She helped me decide ideas for what our special activity time would be each day, and we have all kinds of plans to make new kinds of cookies, make crafts, and make our own storybooks, just to name a few.

Even today, I have reaped many benefits of my anal-ness. One of the blessings was my one-on-one playtime with Carlie while Kendyll got to watch one TV show. I realized how long it had been since I played with JUST Carlie for 30 minutes straight. It was priceless. She is growing up so fast and we had so much fun playing baby dolls, learning colors, and reading at least 25 books. Why don't I do that more? Why do I let my daily to-do list involve everything BUT my kids sometimes...when my first and foremost job is to be Mommy? I keep getting re-determined not to be like that, and I'm hoping that this schedule will help me be more about them and less about me...at least for a couple of months.

Of course, we won't follow this every day, but for now, it makes all of us happier people. Especially my four year old, who, at this rate, will be making to-do lists by the age of six.

Swimming Update

Thank you all for your comments and encouragement on Kendyll's swimming dilemma. ;) They have really helped alot! Just thought I'd update everyone and let you know that we had a MUCH better day today. Carlie and I joined Kendyll for her lesson, and that made a world of difference. Although she still had her moments of crying, and didn't want to do a couple of things, she still tried really hard to do everything that Mrs. Linda told her to. (The deal we made before we got there is that Carlie and I would swim with her as long as she had a happy face. That helped alot.)

Tonight at dinner, Kendyll prayed and thanked God for swimming lessons. She asked God to help her go under the water without being scared at all and to trust Mrs. Linda. Then tonight at bedtime, she prayed that God would be "all around her" when she was not very sure about the water tomorrow. This is coming from a girl who would scream at me last summer if I ever mentioned swim lessons in a prayer. Her sweetness today melted my heart.

The funny thing about swimtime today was that Carlie was begging to go back under the water everytime we came up for air. And, she loved "diving" for the rings too. That girl is so funny...especially when her sister isn't so sure about this whole swimming thing.

But, thanks again for the mommy wisdom everyone! Hopefully each day will be better, with less tears, and more comfort and confidence for Kendyll.

A Big Week!

The Arctic Edge is underway! Here are a couple of pictures from Kendyll and Carlie's first day of VBS this year. It has been so much fun so far, and I can already say that all those days of working long hours to get ready, have been completely worth it. Just seeing the kids loving everything and watching everyone work together for the sake of the children, is wonderful. Three more days to go, and then my summertime becomes much more "summer like" with days of going nowhere and playing all day. :) As much as I love VBS, I'm ready for that too!

The other big part of our week is Kendyll's swimming lessons. We tried them last year, only to end up with a child that was MORE scared of the water than when she started. Kendyll had nightmares about being underwater and wouldn't get in the pool without a fight for the rest of the summer. So, I thought this year would be better. So far, no such luck. She did great for the first 15 minutes of the first lesson yesterday. We've been downhill ever since. We're hoping tomorrow might be better because we're going to try Kendyll and Carlie BOTH having lessons at the same time. Even though Carlie is two and a half years younger, she is willing and ready to do everything that Kendyll is scared of. So, we're going to see if that helps.
It's amazing how much a mother can worry and fret over such "little things" like swimming lessons. I have had a hard time with this, and am trying my best to make a good decision for Kendyll. She has always been a cautious child, who is just naturally more fearful than many others. Although many don't understand that part of her very well, and think she should just "snap out of it", I do understand! Because I was just like her.

So, Kendyll, when you read this someday, and wonder why you had to swim when you didn't like it and didn't want to, just know that we are trying every day to make the right decisions to make you a strong, confident girl, who knows that she is capable of more than she thinks she is. And, that, with God's help, you can be brave in all situations. Meanwhile, in my own head, I go back and forth about what is best. Do I force (or strongly encourage) her to continue on in lessons even though she's terrified to the point of not even wanting to take a bath (last night) because it involves water? Or, at some point, do I just back off and forget it until she decides it's worth it. For now, I've gone somewhere in the middle by making her go, but trying to help her understand that I know how she feels, that I'm not going to let anything happen to her, and that, starting tomorrow, I will be right next to her in the water too.

Oh, the issues that become important when you're a mommy to little ones. I apologize to all of you who are not mommies to little ones and have to read silly blogs like this one from me. I know in a few days this will all be better. But, man, watching your child be scared, no matter the reason, is so tough! At least I won't be doing this at all with Carlie. :)

Top Ten

I'm playing catch up from last week on this one. So, here are the top ten updates that were fun for our family over the last few days (in completely random order).

10. Carlie discovered high heel play shoes. She may have tried them on before, but now she lives in them. I have the CUTEST picture of her walking around naked with only her heels...but it's probably not "blog appropriate".

9. I got an email from a reporter in Washington DC wanting to include Kendyll in her news story on the classic timelessness of lemonade stands. It was pretty funny! After checking her background out a little, I think we're going to go forward with it. It will be great for her scrapbook someday.

8. VBS. I really hate that it even gets a number on my list of things we've been doing, since I've already mentioned it before. But it's true. VBS has been a large part of our month. And, it finally starts on MONDAY!!! We're all so excited around here!

7. Kendyll, Carlie, and Daddy got to go to a Ranger game this week and hang out in PapaRon's company suite. Apparently, they had a blast. Carlie was still going strong when she got home at 10:00. And, Kendyll got to see the homerun fireworks and have a hotdog and popcorn. They were happy. And, I was even happier. Because a) I wasn't at a baseball game b) I was at Mommy's Night Out with a group of friends. We have season tickets to the Summer Musicals and we were off dancing to "Shakalaka Baby". I know. Sounds scary.

6. We got to have birthday lunch with Grandad (my dad) on Thursday. PF Changs! It was very yummy and we had a great time with Dad. The girls and Braden gave good b-day kisses and hugs, and were fairly civilized, considering we started lunch after naptime should have begun for two of the three kiddos. And, we had taken them all for pictures right before. It was a fun cousin and grandad day. As you can tell from the pictures below, Carlie found a new way to be the clown...chopsticks stuck to her face. 5. This one is number 5 AND number 4. COUSIN LOVIN' TIME! We got to keep Braden last Friday night while Cortni and Adam went out on the town to celebrate their beginning of summer! We had so much fun with our big boy nephew. He got to laugh and play with the girls alot, and was introduced to swimming in a floatie and watching Veggie Tales. He was an angel and slept and ate so good for us. And, there really isn't enough time in one night's stay to kiss all of his many rolls. So, Cort, I guess he'll have to come back next week! 4. Following our time with Braden LAST Friday, we got to have Sophie Lynn this Friday! Our sweet niece got to spend the night while Brad and Jodi went out on the town with their friends. We have so much babysitting debt to both Aunt Jodi and Aunt Cortni, that we might as well book every Friday night for the rest of the year to start getting "even"! Sophie was all smiles and even laughed a couple of times for us. She stared at Kendyll and Carlie and watched them play and run crazy. She slept amazingly well and is getting so strong and big! She even has a few "Braden-like" rolls on those thighs! We had so much fun getting to be the aunt and uncle and can't wait to watch little Braden and Sophie run around with our kids someday soon. 3. "Girl", also known as my friend and college roomie, Angie, came over to visit for lunch on Friday, and I got to meet baby Nora!! They were here all the way from Memphis and we needed a few more hours to fit our visiting in. As you can tell, it's been baby central around here. Kendyll can't stop talking about them all. She made fast friends with sweet Nora Kate, and we all got to get some good cuddles with her. She is pure sweetness and is one of the most laid back babies I've ever seen. Ang, it was so good to catch up. I look forward to the day when you live down the street and our girls are BFF. :) 2. Kendyll and I have had lots of good hang out time this week. Although Carlie is so much fun in her own way, it's been nice to take my "big girl" on special errands. We have gone shopping, gone to visit friends, and today we went and had pedicures and lunch together. We gave Daddy a break to watch World Cup soccer alone while Carlie slept. And, we did a girly day. Kendyll was so cute getting her feet soaked in a tub and a mint scrub for her legs. She picked flourescent pink and as much as I HATE flourescent anything, I agreed. She thinks it is the most beautiful her toes have ever been. We had a fun day. (And, her mini pedicure was only SIX bucks! YES!)

1. And, last but definitely not least, we had a great "Day before Father's Day" today. Since tomorrow (the real Father's Day) is full of VBS work time for Mommy, we wanted to celebrate with our sweet Daddy all day today. The girls and I made pancakes for breakfast, gave him his three father's day gifts, and Kendyll wrote him a Father's Day letter. We gave him the afternoon to himself to decide what he would like to do. He did not even hesitate with his answer. His dream afternoon was spent laying on the couch watching sports with no interruptions. What fun is that? Apparently, alot of fun, when you have college baseball, world cup soccer, and the US Open all in one day. Then, we went to Outback for dinner to celebrate his fifth Father's Day with a big old steak. It was a great day for a great father. (There will be more about that tomorrow though.)

That's our week in a nutshell. A VERY large nutshell. (Jenise, that one was for you...)

Lemonade For Sale!

Around mid-March, Kendyll started the countdown to summer because of one important thing that she wanted to do. We counted down the months, the weeks, and the days of school that were left before it would be officially summer...and THEN she could have her lemonade stand.

It all started when Max and Ruby (a TV cartoon about a brother and sister bunny rabbit) had their own lemonade stand. And, from then on, it became an obsession of Kendyll's to someday have a stand of her own. So, after talking about it for months, planning it out repeatedly, drawing pictures of it over and over, and talking to all of her friends about it so much that THEY became obsessed too, we finally had her lemonade stand!! We decided to set it up at the church building, since so many of us were there for VBS work days. All of her church friends would be there too, and she could hardly wait to give them all her lemonade and cookies.

We surprised her with a REAL lemonade stand the night before (from Target), and no amount of money would have been too much to pay for it when I saw how happy that made her. She immediately started practicing and gave Mommy, Daddy, and Carlie lemonade for the rest of the night. (We even had to pay for it!!) She helped me make dozens of cookies, mixed her lemonade, sliced up the lemons, and made signs for the prices of her drinks and snacks. It was precious to watch her get everything ready and then finally get to do something that she had been patiently waiting for for months. (which is a really long time in a four-year-old's world!)
The lemonade stand was very successful in every way. Kendyll was so proud and so excited to give away her "delicious lemonade". Although she got a little shy when the kids finally came to buy some, she asked every customer "What would you like?" and then gave them a very full glass of lemonade, complete with a lemon slice and straw, and a chocolate chip cookie. Her friends seemed to enjoy being customers too, and came back for seconds and thirds, always bringing their nickels with them. All in all, Kendyll made $10.15!!! She thought this was SO cool, although I still don't think she has a concept of what that really means. The most fun part of making money was hearing the coins clink in her piggy bank with each sale. And, the REAL dollar bill she got from Mrs. Kristen, who overpaid just a little for her nickel lemonade! So, after giving $2.00 to God at church on Sunday, and giving one dollar to Carlie ("for when she is old enough to buy something"), she now has $7.00 to spend this summer. She is still deciding what she wants to do with her profit. I'm sure it will be some great gadget that we can't live without. So far, the two ideas have been Floam (don't ask!) and a new movie. It was a great day for Miss Kendyll. And, Mommy is happy to now have that part of our summer complete! :) And, I'm also happy to have such cute drawings and pictures for our scrapbook.

This is my favorite picture (above). This is Kendyll's first customer. Can you tell how comfortable they both are with each other? She was not so sure about having an older boy as her first sale. She whispered to me "I'm a little bit nervous about him." It was hillarious.

More fun with boys...I hope she stays this way for years to come!

Our Weekend and a Blogging Lull

The weekend around here was very relaxing and quite productive, my two requirements for a great Saturday, especially. Friday night, we had our good friends, Jimmy, Alisa, and Katie over for dinner and playtime. It was so nice to grill out, play in the backyard, and spend lots of talking time with our friends, while the girls played together. Every time we do something like that, we say "We really should do that more!". So, that's what I'm hoping to do. Have family friends over more this summer, when traffic is lighter, days last longer, and our kids need more playtime with friends.

Saturday, we did nothing. It was awesome. We got up late, ate Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast (Carlie's favorite!), and set up all the fun outdoor playtime things. We filled the pool, started the Elmo sprinkler, and created our own water slide. We got out the bubble guns and the sidewalk chalk, the paints and buckets, and opened the sandbox. And, we played and played and played.

We also spent time cleaning out the garage and both cars, while the girls rode the tricycle and cars around the driveway. Then, went in for naps for all four of us. And spent the evening eating and relaxing indoors. It was the way every Saturday should be.

Sunday was church with promotion to new classes (my girls are getting so big!) Then, we had lunch with Mark's family at his parents' new townhouse nearby. Everything was delicious and it made us so excited that they will be here more now to have these kind of days. We also had a family auction for all the decorative pieces in the pre-furnished townhome that Pops and Grandma didn't want. It was pretty funny what we ended up with. A coo-coo clock, some decorative trunks and vases, a baseball lamp, and a whole bunch of other things. There was no minimum bid for any one item, so Mark got quite a few deals for 5 cents each! I even got an overstuffed sitting chair for $5.00! Kendyll had her own table of items up for bid, and she was very excited that no one outbid her for the miniature Barbie dolls or stuffed Furbies. She was a sweet sister and bid on some stickers for Carlie too, since she was down for a nap during the fun.

The end to our weekend was an empty house while the girls spent the night at Pops and Grandma's! After a marathon Sunday VBS meeting yesterday, Mark and I went to dinner at Rockfish and caught up on one of our favorite shows, House.

Which brings me to today. And, the next half of my blog title...the upcoming Blogging Lull.


There it is. My reason for what will be my "slow" blogging weeks of the summer. It's VBS TIME! We begin our "working weeks" tomorrow for Vacation Bible School at Prestoncrest. Although we've been meeting since March and I've been working on the curriculum since then too, this is when it truly gets busy. We put in all of our hours decorating, organizing, planning, and finishing up all the details that make the church become "The Arctic Edge". So, I'm telling everyone (especially the family, who clicks in daily to see pictures of the girls) that I will be around less often than usual until June 24th....the day after VBS.

What's funny is that even though it requires many, many hours, it is something I absolutely love doing, and will probably continue to be involved in as long as my kids are. There is something about Vacation Bible School that reminds me of what it is like to be a "church kid" in the summertime. There are so many great memories I have of seeing my friends every day for a whole week, learning fun music, making the coolest crafts, and, of course, learning more about the Bible. As the curriculum planner, I am hoping these children learn all they can about Elijah, Esther, Saul, Ananias, Peter, and John this year. And, I hope that they have a great time doing it!

So, I will be back sometime soon with updates on VBS, as well as Kendyll's lemonade stand that she is finally getting to have after waiting for months! What fun summer things lie ahead....