Archive for September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Weekend Update: Treat the Kids


Kids have stressful days just like adults. 

(Don't be one of those adults that think kids don't have any stress in their lives. Yes, the type of stress may be different but it's not fair to discount their feelings. We're all fighting battles of one kind or another.)

After a stressful week I treated the kids to root beer and cookies after school on Friday. It was a good start to a great weekend. Hope you had a good one too. 

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In detail...

We closed the door to the seasons of both baseball teams on Saturday. Vance loves playing but I think we're all ready for a break from the practice schedule. This frees up two nights a week for us! Guess who's eating a real dinner tonight? Us!

Vance also had soccer this weekend. It was a good game and the boys scored the tying goal with a penalty kick at the last second. So much fun to watch!

We visited with friends at our town's local BBQ competition which was a lot of fun despite a little rain. 

My mom surprised the kids with the bracelet maker that they've talking non-stop about. I took the "teach a man how to fish" approach and made the kids learn how to do it. (I had to watch a child explain it on You Tube to learn.) Once I knew I taught them and surprisingly Vaughn can even make the basic type on her own. Vance has taken off and has learned how to do some of the tricker styles. Rubber bands are everywhere but I love that they're working with their hands! 

Happy Monday!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Family Vacation: How We'll Do Disney Differently Next Time

There should be an in-between place for those returning from Disney. A half-way house, if you will, that integrates you slowly back to the harsh reality of a life without dessert after every meal, sparkly pixie dust everywhere, and all that magic that you grow accustomed to while visiting the most magical place on earth. 

My husband and I just returned home from taking our kids on their first Disney visit. While it was awesome! amazing! and fantastic! it was also equally exhausting. This is the type of vacation that needs a vacation afterwards. 

A million memories were made though and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I have been looking forward to this trip for years and am so glad that I was able to have this experience with my kids; to see Disney through their eyes. Dopey, but true. Here's a glimpse into our vacation.  














There is no time for us to check in to Disney rehab now. No choice other than to jump both feet back into the busy lives that we came from. Believe me though, our next trip to the most magical place on earth will include a side trip to the beach for detoxing, relaxing, and shaking off the pixie dust afterwards.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

7 Year Itch: My Blog Birthday

A few days ago this blog turned 7 years old. I started it as a way to keep family up to date on baby Vance since we lived so far away. I would have started blogging sooner but I couldn't think of a title name. Tired of waiting, I just went with one of the scratched out ideas and here we are today - still not loving the name.


{the Madtown was because we were living in Madison, Wisconsin at the time and my last name may or may not contain a version of Mac.}

Seven is fitting because I do have an itch to change things up. The majority of what I normally talk about here is changing which means there is less to talk about. 

Projects for kids? We don't do many because they're both in school full time. 

Stories about the kids? As they get older it's harder to share. Their privacy is important and I don't want to embarrass them. 

Cooking? Being busy with after school activities means barely any time for cooking.

Beauty tips? Long time readers know that my Perfect Polish post was a fluke. I just happened to share how I paint my toenails and it took off. Way off. And to this day it pains me that my big toe has graced so many computer screens. 

Crafty Lady stuff? This seems like the only thing I have left to chat about but come on - there's a ton of better craft/art sites out there. Also, there's a lot of crafty crap out there and it feels as if everything is being overdone.

So that covers the majority of reasons on how you found this site. Now I just need to find a way to keep you! 

It's time for a change and I'm not sure what that looks like yet.  What I do know is that I am struggling with finding new things to talk about. I enjoy writing and love all the surprises that have come my way because of this blog, so I won't be quitting or anything like that. It just may take me a bit to find my groove. That being said, I am looking forward to seeing what another year will bring.  

Thanks to all of you for stopping by and reading throughout the years. I truly appreciate it.     
    


Monday, September 16, 2013

Weekend Update: Pumpkin Muffins

It's a shame weekends aren't longer. Ours was crammed full of activities as always but we did manage to find a couple of hours yesterday to make pumpkin muffins. The weather is beginning to change and we couldn't be happier about it. Bring on Fall!

Vance and I did a quick search for pumpkin recipes and he picked this one out. It's from Two Peas and Their Pod - click for link to recipe.

I'll warn that it makes a ton. I scanned the recipe just to make sure we had everything and missed the fact that it makes 3 loaves of bread. (We opted to make the majority muffins and just 1 loaf.) Also notable is the fact that are not healthy by any means. But they're good and we all need a treat every once in awhile. 

Anyone need to practice their patience? Have kids fill muffin tins using a scoop. They're little hands have a hard time with the scoop but they're just so darned determined that they won't give up. Practice makes perfect though! 


I'm off to dig out the fall wreath and a couple of pumpkin decorations. I'll try my best to withhold from decorating for Halloween. I can't wait! 
 Hope your weekends were great too! Are you doing any fall decorating yet? 

Friday, September 13, 2013

Friday 5: Celebrating Simplicity

5 noteworthy and toast worthy happenings from the week. 

Here's to the few remaining toys in the bathtub. 
A sign that there are still kids in the house. 

Here's to Super Vaughn.
And to her rose wielding sidekick Birdie.

Here's to being co-room parent for Vance's class. 
Here's to squeezing in haircuts on an already jam packed day. 
Of course this meant that Claire needed a haircut too. 

Here's to staying on task amidst a sea of distractions. 
Stick a fork in the curtains! They're done!

Cheers!
What are you toasting to tonight?

Monday, September 09, 2013

Here's the Plan: I need a plan.

Here's the plan: I need a plan. The honeymoon phase of both kids being in full time school is wearing off and I am finding out that I have no idea how to schedule myself. 

The obvious and important tasks are getting done - laundry, grocery shopping, Target trips, but a ton of other stuff keeps falling through the cracks. I know how my brain works and I operate best if I have a schedule with deadlines.

I sat down yesterday and wrote out a simple weekly calendar and just started filling events in. I also forced myself to make grocery lists. I tend to do these in the mornings while I am rushing to pack lunches and get the kids out the door and it makes everything so much more chaotic. If a day has been unusually crazy I take time at the end of it to think what would have made the day better. The answer is always me being more organized. So that's my goal. 

Also, I am going to start announcing more projects here in hopes that I stay on top of everything. This weeks project is boring but needs to be done. 

Task #1: Hem the curtains.

I have 4 panels that have needed to be hemmed for over the past year. I had them pressed two weeks ago and actually got a little head start on one of them last week. 



Are you a seamstress? Did you feel a sharp pain last Friday afternoon as if something was amiss? Sorry, it was just me mistreating my window treatments by not taking them down to hack them off. Be prepared to be underwhelmed on my finishing tactics! I'm hoping that the iron on tape will work but if not I'm going to have to drag out the sewing machine. Fingers crossed!
Deadline: Friday 

How do you stay scheduled? Let me know!

Friday, September 06, 2013

Friday 5: Celebrating Simplicity

5 noteworthy and toast worthy happenings from the week. 

Here's to celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with family.

Here's to the start of dance class for Vaughn.

Here's to 3rd grade cursive writing.

Here's to...laundry? In a sense, yes. Thankful for my health and that I am able to do these everyday, simple tasks. 

Finally, here's to the weather which seems to be breaking. It was  actually enjoyable sitting outside for soccer practice yesterday! 

Cheers! 
What are you toasting to this weekend?  



Thursday, September 05, 2013

Getting Ready to Meet The Mouse.

My kids have done their fair share of traveling. More times than I can count we have been asked by other airplane shuttle passengers if we're going to Disney World while riding from the parking lot to the airport. I guess they see a family with kids and assume that we're going to meet The Mouse. The kids, who always know where we're going, always look to us in these moments with wide eyes as if we've been lying to them. "No, guys. Where are we going?", I ask them while they look crushed. 


I'm happy to say that our time is finally near. 



Vaughn can't stop twirling.


Just when you think a trip to Disney can't get any more exciting they Fed Ex you with news.


I had heard of Magic Bands before so I already knew how awesome this was going to be. 

All of your information - room key, meal plan, reservations, Fast Pass selections, etc. are loaded into one bracelet that way you don't have to carry separate cards or ID's. We went online, selected our colors and days later they were delivered.


A perk of where we're staying is being able to pre-select our Fast Pass times which means we won't have to race to scan for ride times at the park therefore we won't miss out on any rides because they're too busy. 

So that's it! All the planning is done! I'd say I wish we were leaving tomorrow but I have some packing hurdles to clear first. More on that later though! 

Happy Thursday! 



 

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