I did it!!

I am very proud of myself. I started knitting a dress for Mackenzie about 6 weeks ago, and I was able to finish it last night! Correction, it is 99% finished, I have to get a button for the back, but besides that it is finished. And the best part is that is actually fits Mackenzie! She is going to wear it to church on Sunday where I am going to tell everyone that I made it myself.

It's a No-Go

Every year at this time (ever since 2002) our family has gone to Louisville, KY to the Hot Rod Nationals. I personally am not a hot rod lover, but my husband works the show with his dad and spend special time together. I enjoy going because we stay at the Hilton (which has the most comfortable beds ever!), we go out to dinner every night, and see friends that we don't usually get to see. This is probably the last year we will be able to go, with my father in law retiring in the near future so we wouldn't get the free hotel room or dinner or gas there.

Yesterday, Mackenzie woke up feeling warm. It was close to a million degrees when she woke up, so I thought she was just hot. Then she was acting crabbier than usual and didn't have much fun at the pool. I knew she just wasn't herself. Sure enough, she has a temperature. She was up in the night with her fever and crabby again this morning, so I had to say goodbye to Bailey and my husband. I let them take the trip without us.

It was a hard choice, especially knowing we probably won't do this again. But I figured I would have more regret if I took her and she was sick the whole time, or even part of the time, than if I stayed home and she was all better tomorrow.

I hope that Bailey has a lot of fun though. This show has always been one of the highlights of his summer. He likes "working" (especially when our friends give him money for his work!) and just being around the whole car scene.

I am hoping that my time at home minus husband and 7 year old will yield some productivity in me. My house needs some cleaning and I have a knitting project that I am ALMOST finished with. I can't wait to share it!

Remember the good ol' days?

When back to school shopping was fun? When it meant getting new fall clothes and a new pair of shoes, a new lunch box because the old one smelled from being closed all summer (and because you left a half eaten salami sandwich in it), and of course, a new Trapper Keeper. The new Trapper Keeper is a must because last year's model was covered with "I Heart Mark" and this school year I am sure to heart at least 3 different boys.

Now that I am grown with a school aged child of my own, back to school shopping is no longer fun. This is mostly because of what I have to buy. I own a house, so I pay taxes that go to fund the schools. So why do I have to buy paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, 8 glue sticks, scizzors, tissues, and hand sanitizer that will all turn into community property? It just doesn't make sense to me. And I have wondered what would happen if I didn't supply these community supplies. Would they charge me for them? Or not let Bailey color the book he is writing? He wouldn't mind that at all, since he hates to color. He isn't a very artistic child, but not everyone can be.

When we went shopping for supplies in kindergarten and first grade, it wasn't a very fun experience. I somehow picked the same time as a thousand other moms and their 3 kids trying to get 100 different things off their list. Not a fun time. I am not a fan of big crowds. This year had been lots easier. Target at 8 pm on the Saturday before the sales tax holiday is a great time to shop for school supplies. Not a crowd at all!

I am excited. Only two more things on the list: very specific pens (for the teacher I think, and I can't find them) and 1 gallon sized ziploc bags.

Summer Fun

I just love this time of year, can't you tell? Although it is hard to believe that 3 weeks from today Bailey will be back in school. How did the summer go by so fast? Maybe because summer will still be going on for 6 weeks after he is back in school.

I am very excited. Because I think Mackenzie is going to be one of those "swimming kids". You know, the ones who stay in the water all day only coming out to eat. Bailey enjoys the pool in moderation but doesn't like water up his nose. Yesterday Mackenzie was sticking her whole face in the water, eyes and all and she loved it. Maybe she will be a future lifeguard?

An Outdoor Shower

Since it is summer, my favorite time of year, I have been thinking about some of my favorite things in summer. Something I LOVE is to take a shower outside. Now stop your dirty minds. I don't mean like that. At the Jersey shore where I have taken many a summer vacation, most of the houses have outdoor showers so you don't track sand all over the house after the beach. They are usually attached to the house by one wall and look like a shed. They aren't the fanciest of accomodations, but I love them.

There is something about showering after a long day at the beach and feeling the cool breeze as you are getting clean that is so invigorating. I love still being able to smell the salt of the ocean while smelling the sweet smell of shampoo and soap. It is one of those things that all people should have a chance to try out! Showering in my own back yard just wouldn't cut it, besides, I don't have a good spot for a shower, and during the winter it would be a bit underused.

By the way, my favorite movie of all time is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 2nd place is Sixteen Candles. They just don't make movies like they did in the 80's!

Just Like Her Mom!

Yesterday we went to the free kids' movie that was playing at the movie theater. Bailey was excited to go for weeks, and we were also able to bring his cousin along too.

Luckily I had already seen the movie, because Mackenzie could care less that there was a huge screen playing a show. She was so not interested. She only sat as long as she did because I had a few snacks in my purse for "emergencies". So we spent most of our time in the hallway running around. Fun stuff. I was glad the older two kids enjoyed it.

I am not a movie goer. Or watcher. I don't find watching movies a good way to bond with the people around you. You can watch a movie by yourself or with a group of your closest friends, but really it doesn't matter. Besides possibly discussing the movie afterwards, you hardly even know they are there. What is the fun in that? To pay $10 per person so you can sit in the dark and eat extremely overpriced food that makes you so thirsty you HAVE to buy a $5 soda. After 2 hours, what have you gained? Five pounds? Or maybe more from fluid retention? Rarely the occasion will occur that I will want to see a movie. Guess what usually happens. The critics absolutely hate the movie, which makes me not want to waste my time or money to see it. The last movie I saw besides the free one was Juno, which was worth it. Before that, it had been years, so long that I could not remember what movie I had last seen.

So I think that Mackenzie may have inherited my dislike for the movies. Maybe if the movie was about Yo Gabba Gabba, she would have been captivated.

I am wondering, does anyone know my favorite movie?

The Smell of Summer

One of the things I love about summer are the smells. I love the smell of freshly cut grass, of the outdoors after a rainshower, of grilling on the BBQ, of a chlorinated pool, and of course, the beach. When we drove to the beach last month, I rolled down my window to see when I would get the first whiff of the ocean. Oh, I love it!!

Another smell I love is sunscreen. Coppertone is OK, but not my favorite. I discovered that Hawaiian Tropics makes an actual sunscreen. Usually they just make suntan oil that has a negative SPF. I love the smell of that stuff, and a few years ago I bought the suntan oil just to wear over my regular sunscreen. Imagine my joy when I found Hawaiian Tropics in SPF 55 and it smells just as good as the suntan oil!! I am in heaven! I love applying it to my kids just so I can hug and kiss them more often!