Five on Friday: Summer Fun

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We have had a busy but fun week this week! Here's a little glimpse into what we've been up to.

__one__ We had a fun filled weekend last weekend with a trip to the city pool, lots of shopping, and swimming at our own pool at home. Emery insisted on putting sunscreen on herself. Full disclosure: I may have had to google "What to do if your toddler ingests sunscreen" shortly after this photo was taken.

 

__two__ They try to make summer really fun for the kids at daycare, and they had mud day this week. It is basically my worst nightmare, but since I didn't have to physically witness my kids rolling in mud I just sent them to school in old clothes that didn't really fit, and hoped for the best. From the pictures, I'm pretty sure they had a blast.

__three__ Caroline asks every few days or so if she can have another sister. I told her that 1) you can't pick if you have a brother or a sister, you are stuck with what you get, and 2) Mommy doesn't have a baby in her belly. Somehow, she got it in her head that I do indeed have a baby in my belly and she told our neighbors I was having a baby. It was a very awkward conversation to explain that no, I am not pregnant. I can only imagine how many people she has told this to at her school.


__four__ I got a call from daycare yesterday that Emmie had a fever. I rushed her to the doctor, since there was no way I was going to be caught with some terrible illness over a holiday weekend. The verdict - a viral infection, and after a dose of Motrin the kid is acting fine.

Sippy Cup//Britax Car Seat

__five__ The other day I picked Caroline up from school, and she was playing with something the teachers described as "water beads". Caroline was OBSESSED, so I quickly prime-d her some from Amazon. We started soaking them last night and hopefully they will be ready to play with tonight!

It's a great sensory toy and they feel really cool. We bought these tools to use with them.

Five on Friday: Sleeping Advice

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__one__ So, lately, Caroline has found it completely acceptable to wake up at 5:45 a.m. every morning and come into our room. Sometimes she'll fall back asleep in our bed, sometimes she cries to watch Doc McStuffins and PJ Masks, and sometimes she just comes in crying for no reason.

I found this alarm clock on Amazon, but I'm curious if anyone has had any luck with something similar? Also, do you have any suggestions on bribing your children to nap on the weekends? Caroline straight up REFUSES now, and I have tried bribing her with activities, money (pennies), treats, etc. She doesn't fall for any of it. She told me this past weekend she wanted "green" money if she napped....the girl is getting smart.


__two__ This girl LOVES watching her sister at gymnastics. This weekend, she had a friend from daycare with her watching. Her big sister just joined the class too so now both girls have a friend at gymnastics!

__three__ I dropped Emmie off with my parents and then took Caroline to a water birthday party after gymnastics. The first entire hour she debated out loud if she should go down the huge water slide or not. Right before we left, she took a leap of faith and did it, and then told me "That wasn't terrible, Mommy". This kid cracks me up.

__four__ After the birthday party, I dropped Caroline off at my parents to spend the night, and I got some solo time with my littlest love. This kid is the silliest toddler I have ever met. She loves her puppies fiercely, and she'd rather eat cucumbers than donuts (yes, I let her eat cucumbers for breakfast one morning after I basically tried to force feed her donuts. I realize how ridiculous the idea of force feeding a child 1,000s of calories is). She's also obsessed with that kitty cat in the photo - we actually bought her a second one just in case the first one encounters an unfortunate accident.

 __five__ I just realized that the Dollar Tree has tons of kids puzzles for $1! Caroline is in a huge puzzle solving phase right now, and it's an activity I like for her to do. They have all different kids - I just got her a PJ Masks one, but they had Shimmer and Shine, Paw Patrol, and other characters too.

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! We plan on spending lots of time outside enjoying sweet summertime!

8 Years

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Tuesday was our 8 year wedding anniversary. Since I knew I would have to work, we both took Monday off and spent Sunday night/all day Monday together. It had been so long since we had that much uninterrupted time together!

Sunday night, I made reservations at Kayne Prime in Nashville. Oh. My. Word. I used to work in Nashville, and it's rare I make the drive up there now when I don't have to, but if you are closeby you MUST go to Kayne Prime.  First, we tried the butter popcorn lobster appetizer. It was fantastically unique, and the lobster was really delicious. Then, we had the BEST steak I have ever had in my 30 years on this Earth. They prepare it sous vide style, which I happened to (sort of) understand due to my obsession with the Food Network and Iron Chef. We also got the creamed corn brulee, which was amazing in its own right, but just make sure you save room to finish your steaks!

 Eyebrow pencil//Blush//Lip gloss

Monday, we had a low key morning after dropping the babes off at daycare, and got massages. We came home, ate lunch, took a nap, and then did a two person escape room. It was SO much fun, and I am pleased to say that we a) did not kill each other, and b) escaped! I highly recommend doing an escape room, with your significant other or with a group of gals, because they are really a great way to spend an hour.

Michael Kors Tote//Escape Room

We both decided after our fun day and a half together that we MUST make time to do this more often. And the girls had such a great time Sunday night with the babysitter, who was a teacher who used to work at their daycare. Monthly date nights are now going to be a ritual for us!

Five on Friday: June 2

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Happy June, y'all! I love how fast the work week goes by when you have Monday off. I'm ready for another fun weekend with my girls!

__one__ We have THREE birthday parties over the next three weekends, two for girls turning 4 and one for a little boy turning 2. I was trying to think of what to get them, and for the girls I found these fun Melissa and Doug magnetic dress up dolls.








__two__ Speaking of birthdays, Emery's birthday is coming up in August and the plan right now is a Sesame Street/Elmo party. If anyone has any great ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them! I love doing theme parties (last year, we did Emery's BEE-day party with a bumblebee theme and it was my favorite party I've done so far!). My favorite place to find cheap party favors/balloons/etc. is Dollar Tree (you'd be surprised what they have!), so I am eager to see what I can find inexpensively for her big day. I think I'm going to have to splurge and get this party game though:


__three__ Monday, I made my tried and true boston butt recipe in the crockpot. You cover a boston butt with any type of brown soft drink (Dr. Pepper, Coke, etc.), and let it cook on low for 10 hours. At that point, you just shred it, add it back on warm on the crockpot with bbq sauce, and you have the most amazing pulled pork! I didn't get a picture of it this time, but it's a favorite with everyone in our family, even the girls.

__four__ We got a new blow up pool this season, and it's the perfect size for the girls (and I can fit in too and lounge if I want!). The girls have had a blast so far in it. My only complaint is it's kind of a pain to empty the water, but I feel like that's going to be an issue for any pool under $30. My goal this year is to keep it clean and grass free (insert eye roll....that's never going to happen).

 

__five__ This is the first weekend since Caroline started gymnastics in February that we don't have it, and I must say I am relieved. She LOVES gymnastics and we wouldn't miss class for the world, but I am looking forward to sleeping in (HA), cooking breakfast for my girls, and heading to the playground or the strawberry patch in the morning before it gets too hot. The strawberry patch is about to close for the season, so I'd like to go one more time and get some delicious fresh strawberries! (For those local to Middle TN, we go here and have enjoyed it).

 

Have a great weekend!