Summer Ideas

Seasons Graphic Comments

Summer is in full gear here and of course, hotter than ever! By Weds. this week it is supposed to be 111 degrees! Yikes!
I have been trying to plan activities for us to try to keep busy. I saw one friend who has activities EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WEEK! Ok super mama, let me know how that works for you and how much prozac you were poppin to accomplish it! One or two things a week is fine for me thank you very much! I am just too dang lazy to load up all the little ones and herd them places!
I also am trying to do it on the cheap! I just don't want to blow money.
Here's what we have done so far!
Taco Tuesday~ We hit Rubios for some $1.49 tacos! My kids LOVE Fish And Tacos! They thought it was awesome!
The Movies~ We went and saw Shrek 3! They loved it. Adelynn behaved perfectly and slept through the whole thing. Since it was just me and the 4 little ones I brought the stroller and she was perfect. Ethan was too. Almost to the end!
The Local Pool~ It is only 50 cents per kid to go the pool. It is one of their favorite places to go. It has water slides, a lazy river, geyser's, and a whirlpool. We pack a lunch and I sometimes let them buy a Italian ice too.
Check out this lady who sat in front of me! Freakishly anorexic! You could see every bone in her spine! And her arms! Whoa!
People watching there is a crack up.The clothes instead of swimsuits, the thug wannabees, The tattoo's. Oh the tattoo's! What were they thinking? Oh and a bonus is that there is usually someone grosser, or trashier than me so it helps me not feel so bad about myself! The bikinis with their goods hanging out is scary/crazy. Lots of wild things I'm surprised to see. Fun for the kids, fun for me.
The Zoo~ We happened to pick one of the coolest days of the summer. It was perfect! We packed a lunch and ate by the lake. Ethan kept screaming he just saw a giant walleye jump!
We saw lots of fun animals,played at the kids playground, petted goats, and even splashed at the splash pad. Awesome zoo trip!

Krispy Kreme~ We went for national donut day! Free donuts. who doesn't love that?
So for this week I think we might be busy. The library has some fun stuff going on.
Tomorrow we are going to go to the Library for a free craft. (FREE! I love free!)
Tuesday we are going to the farm/peach grove to pick peaches then we are going to water and ice to get a ice cream. That night we are having the missionaries over for dinner. We love our missionaries! (chinese take out!They are stoked and I am too since no cooking!)
Wednesday I am taking Hannah and her friend to the library to make Free jewelry! It's a beading class, and once again....FREE!
Thursday we are hitting the library again for a juggler that sings and tells stories! Should be fun~ For the kids anyway!

So~ tell me what you are doing for summer. Do you have any good ideas that are cheap (cause I am kinda...) or even better, free?
The week after next I have scrapbooking with Hannah at the scrapbook store and the pool. What Else can we do???

Just Another Sunday

I always thought Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest. A day to renew your spirit. A day to bring you and your family closer together and closer to God. So if this is supposed to be the case then I have to wonder what exactly it is that we are doing wrong here! Cause I HATE Sunday's anymore. I seriously dread them. I start getting a sort of sick to my stomach feeling on Friday and by Saturday I am in full fledged dread mode.



My mouthy teen accepted a calling and it is important for him to be there. I am embarrassed every time he lets them down. I finally told the bishop I have to wonder why he felt inspired to call him to this cause it has become a huge battle and fight weekly.

I fight every single week with my kids trying to get them to church. I mean it becomes a screaming match with one of the mouthy teens telling me I am crazy. Certifiable. I should be put in a loony bin.And that he hates me.And still I can't make them go to church.

it seems like I fight with them and in the end I am fighting with my husband too.

Last week I finally had the family go ahead of me. I downloaded some lds music on itunes and I put it on trying to calm myself. I was in tears at this point.

I pulled myself together and made it to church.

Sacrament was as usual embarrassing. Yes, Ethan was his usual animal self, and the same ole people were giving us the same ole stink eye. By the time Sacrament was over I was emotional so I stayed in the chapel and pulled up conference on my iphone. I was reading a talk on mothering. It really hit home but also was making me super emotional. I was trying to hold it together when the bishop came over to ask how things were going and to tell me how well mouthy teen did on the trip I forced him to go on. I of course broke down sobbing. Nice humiliating moment! I told him I feel like my family is going to implode every week with the contention and fighting over church and at this point I am wondering why I am even there. I told him I had to go and I left church.

But after awhile I calmed down and thought I need to go back. Show my kids I think being at church was important. So I went to Relief Society. And it was good. Kinda funny cause the lesson was actually on the exact conference talk I had been reading earlier.

After church I went out to my car and the freak who hates me ( she's never spoken to me, she just hates me) was sitting in her car next to mine with it running.She was bending over biting her thumb. I waited and waited for her to go cause I had to put Adelynn in her car seat and I didn't want to be in her way. She didn't drive off so I figured she must be waiting for someone so I opened the door to put the baby in the car and this lady GUNS her car! She peels out of there. She almost hits me and my baby! If there had been a kid behind her car she would have killed it! Like what the hell???? Yeah... just another shinning Sunday moment! So once again I am thinking, what am I doing here?

This last Sunday Tony and I got in a fight before we even got started over something stupid! Over him taking the baby so I could sleep. I was so frustrated. And mouthy teen spent the night at friends house and promised to be home in time for church but didn't come home. Surprise, surprise, Sunday was just the usual Sunday.

So I decided I didn't have it in me. I was tired,cramping like crazy and just plain sad. So I did what I do best and I went to bed, and pulled the covers over my head and didn't get out of bed for most of the day. I didn't want to look at my husband, mouthy teen or the super freak at church. Worked for me.For this week anyhow!

So I am now sitting here trying to figure out why this has gotten so out of control and hard right now. I am seriously trying and things are the worst they have ever been when it comes to this. It has hurt my relationship with my son. It is causing me huge anxiety and frustration and sadness.

Somehow I am wondering why doing the basics is anything but basic for my family.

Summertime Swimming

We have been spending everyday in the pool. Sometimes for hours. And miss Bailey loves taunting Ethan and Grace with the fact that she can swim without floaties and they can't!

But the other day it pissed Ethan off this time. So he ripped his floatie swimesuit off and ran and jumped into the pool. Then he kinda sank. And just as I was getting ready to grab him he made his way to the surface. And got out of the pool and did it again. And again. And again. Till instead of sinking he was swimming! He looked straight at Bailey and said HA!! I AM BIG TOO!

Woohoo Ethan! Yes you are!

Grace then had to follow cause she wasn't about to be the only one if a floatie! So I guess the fighting finally paid off cause my kids can now swim! And I didn't have to pay anyone to teach them either! HA!