4th of July

I always forget how much fun the 4th of July is. It usually creeps up on us before we even think about making any plans. Honestly though, that is when we seem to have the most fun.  The one thing we knew we were going to do was watch the Gahanna 4th of July parade that morning.  The parade is something we try to never miss but this year's was extra special because Ethan was going to be in it!  Ethan's Cub Scout troop enters a float in the parade every year but this was Ethan's first time participating.  He was excited and so was I.

                                     

The downside of being in the parade is you have to be there waaaaaaaay before the parade starts. The upside to being there so early is that I got us a great spot. The Gahanna parade is a small town thing but it sure does bring out a lot of people so it was nice that I got us a great spot and Joe could show up with Eli closer to the start time and we didn't have to worry about not being able to see everything or dealing with Eli having a meltdown which would have been inevitable had we made him sit there for an hour before it even started.  The weather wasn't blistering hot (like it was last year), Eli sat nicely and our troop's float won 2nd place!!

Later that afternoon, we took the kids to a festival to watch the fireworks. Of course Eli found the fire trucks and crawled right up into the seat.

Gotta love glow sticks!!  They kept the kids busy while we waited for the sun to set and the show to start.

2014 marks the first year Eli got to see fireworks and after the first few minutes, he fell in love with them proudly exclaiming "boom, boom" at the top of his lungs.  It was such a fun day!

Soda Explosion!

I'm always on the look out for fun new things to do with the boys. I turned to good ole' Pinterest for some ideas on experiments to try. As with most boys, Ethan is fascinated with anything that explodes, fizzes or pops. Oh, and the messier the better.  I, however, am fascinated with things that are inexpensive and not so messy. I came across Soda Explosion and thought it would be perfect for us.  All we needed was a 2 liter of Diet Coke (apparently diet works better for this experiment) and a pack of mint Mentos candy. The soda was on sale 3 for $4 so I bought 6. The 6 pack of Mentos was also a better deal than buying them individually.

We headed to the backyard and got started. I originally was under the impression that an entire roll of Mentos was needed in one 2 liter for there to be a decent size explosion but 3 or 4 works well. Also, it's quite difficult to successfully empty an entire roll of candy into the 2 liter before it starts to erupt.

Ethan really enjoyed this experiment while Eli was bored with it after the first two.  I had fun watching Ethan and some of the neighborhood kids have fun with it.

Glow Putt - A Fun Rainy Day Activity

With all the rain we've been having lately, the boys and I were in search of something fun to do indoors. Ethan has been wanting to play miniature golf for some time now which made me think of Glow Putt in Gahanna.  I drive by this place all the time and each time I think to myself "we need to check that place out".  So I called my sister and invited her and her boys to join us. A couple hours later we were on our way to play some glow in the dark mini golf! This turned out to be a really fun activity for the boys. Inside is decorated with an African Safari theme with large glowing pictures of elephants, snakes and other wildlife.

 Everything and I do mean everything glows in the dark. From the score sheet to the golf balls. It only cost $5 per child for 18 holes.
They even have party rooms which I'll have to remember when Ethan's birthday rolls back around.

We had the whole place to ourselves for most of the time which was nice considering Eli did not stop running from one end of the place to the other.

Glow putt is a great rainy day activity and I'm sure we'll visit again!


Glow Putt
161 Granville St.
Gahanna, Ohio
www.glowputtohio.com

A Trip to the Zoo

Living in a city like Columbus comes with the advantage of being able to visit one of the country's best zoos, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, whenever we can.  This past Sunday, which was also Easter, seemed like the perfect time to go.  The weather was a perfect 70 degrees and sunny so after the boys found their Easter baskets, ate breakfast and devoured as much candy as their tummies would allow, we packed up the car and headed to the zoo!  I was looking forward to a nice, quiet day at the zoo with the fam.  This past winter was brutal and seemed to be never ending so being outside in the sun was exactly what the doctor ordered. 

(Don't mind my little grumpy pants.  Terrible two's have officially set in!)

 

 

First stop is a must if you have little ones...the petting zoo!

 

Next we took a ride on the train.

         (source)



A quick stop to watch the polar bears.



Then we made our way to the aquarium.

 

 

No trip to the zoo is complete without a picture on one of the many animal statues.



 

After a nice picnic lunch near the aviary, we made one last stop to see the lions and tigers.

 

 

After 4 hours at the zoo Eli was exhausted and Ethan was coming down from his sugar high so it was time to go.  It was such a nice day that we may have to make it our new Easter tradition.

 

 

 



 





Coat Closet Makeover

When we purchased our house three years ago, one of the things I loved about our house was the entryway.  An open space with tall ceilings, beautiful hardwood floors and a coat closet.  Fast forward to 2014 and that coat closet had become such a "blah" space that frustrated me DAILY!! Over time, it had become a catch all for everything from coats and shoes to board games, tools that we were apparently too lazy to return to the garage all the way across the hall and even flower pots! (It's not like I was about to use those flower pots....it was February.) It was also really dark.  I felt like I was in a cave whenever I had to search for something in that darn thing.



(This picture was taken after I had thrown out about half the junk that was in there.) 

And then there were the doors.  The doors were sliding doors which looked nice enough but if more than one person was trying to get something out at the same time it became quite frustrating.  More than anything I fantasized about ripping those doors right off the track and throwing them out into the street.  (I don't have an anger problem, I swear.) I had to do something asap!



We took the doors off and immediately I felt like I could breath!!  Then, we took everything out and removed the shelf, and filled/sanded the nail holes.  I brought in a garment rack for a temporary solution for hanging coats and such.

 

 

 

Next I had to take care of the lighting issue.  I wasn't too excited to find an electrician and pay him to do wiring and lighting for such a small space.  After I did some searching on the internet I found the

solution.  A battery-operated, motion sensing light perfect for small spaces.  No electrician needed, no reminding everyone to "TURN OFF THE LIGHTS", and it was only 20 bucks!!  Woo-Hoo!!!  Installation took minutes (seriously) and then it was time to paint.  I used the same color that I had painted in our entryway.  I love it.  Light, calming and refreshing.  I was already loving this space.

 

 

 

The next step was to buy some wood planks.  The guy at Lowe's was super helpful because while I knew exactly what I wanted, I didn't have the lingo.  It went something like this: "So, I'm redoing my
coat closet and I need some wood to attach those coat hanger thingies and but I don't want to spend like a bajillion dollars for 2 wood planks or whatever they're called, can you help me?"  He showed me exactly what would work and cut them in the size I needed.  I took those bad boys home, sanded and painted them with a bright white semi-gloss and the hubs attached them to the wall.  While at Lowe's I also picked up some coat hanger thingies  garment hooks and easily screwed those into the wood.  Later that week I headed over to Home Depot to get the beadboard paneling I wanted.  I love the look of the beadboard but it also serves as a nice shield protecting the wall from scuffs and marks when the kids kick off their shoes and fling them into the closet.  After this pic was taken, I used some spackle to fill in the gap between the two sheets of beadboard.  We also put up some trim around the outside of the beadboard to give it a more finished look.

I also knew we needed a "home" for little things like sunglasses, keys, etc.  So I bought a few organizational accessories and mounted them to the inside of one of the side walls that way all of our everyday stuff is kept together for easy access but it's not something you see when you walk in our front door.

 

Ta-Da!  The finished product.  Simple, functional and so much prettier than the dark cave it once was. I love it!









 


Products I used for this project:

Paint:  Belle Grove Aloe Green, Valspar Signature, satin finish -Lowe's
Lighting:  Mr. Beams MB980 Battery-Operated Motion Sensing LED -Amazon
Beadboard:  Home Depot
Garment Hooks (top row):  Brainerd Zinc Die Cast Garment Hooks -Lowe's
Garment Hooks (bottom row):  Gatehouse 2-Pack Zinc Die Cast Garment Hooks -Lowe's
Clock:  Chantal round iron clock -World Market
Key Rack:  Target
Plastic Organizers:  Command Caddy (large) -Target

Nap Time - Happy Monday!

This video made me laugh so hard but now I want to take a nap!

(source)

 

 

Happy Monday!!

It's a Boy!!! (again)

We recently adopted a beautiful blue crowntail betta fish and yes, it too is a boy.  Zeus aka "fishy" swims happily in his tank that's perched high upon our mantle where we all can admire him.  He's been a fun addition to the family and Ethan takes great pride in taking care of him.  Mostly, Zeus is a pretty easy pet to have but as with any new pet, there was a lot to learn.

Three interesting facts I learned about betta fish:
1. Betta fish are carnivores.  Yep, meat eaters. We feed Zeus betta pellets but in the wild they eat things like shrimp or worms or mosquito larvae which we'll do from time to time.
2. Their fins are incredibly fragile.  I was told when setting up his tank to use silk plants and smooth stones.  If I wasn't sure if everything was smooth enough, I should do a "panty hose test".  If panty hose could get snagged/tear on the plants or stones then so could our fish's fins. 
3.  Betta fish find security in close spaces.  Basically, they like to hide.  A tank with plants and little hiding places are best.
Here is a picture of our Zeus. (Not the greatest picture but you get the idea.)

Welcome to the family, Zeus!!





April Fool's Day - Happy Monday!

Since tomorrow is April Fool's Day I thought I'd post a video I found on YouTube of a great prank a son played on his dad.  Hilarious and clever!!!

(source)

 

Happy Monday!!

Easy Lunchboxes

At my house, we are packing lunches every day.  Joe packs his lunch at least four days a week and Ethan takes his lunchbox to school almost always.  It's way cheaper than buying lunch every day and usually healthier too.  But like most people, I get in a rut and usually pack the same thing every day.  So a few weeks back I was searching the web for some healthy, new options to spice up Ethan's lunches.  I came across this website www.easylunchboxes.com which has hundreds (yes, I said hundreds) of lunch ideas that are great for kids as well as adults.  That's also where I saw the Easy Lunchbox products.  Reusable plastic containers with separate compartments for your food that fit easily into pretty much any lunchbox.  That right there got me excited as I briefly pictured a life without using those plastic sandwich bags that take up way too much drawer space and probably more times than not aren't getting put into a recycle bin at school.  So, I headed on over to Amazon.com to check out prices and reviews.  The reviews were great and so was the price (free shipping for Amazon Prime members, woo-hoo!).  I snagged a set of the 3-Compartment Bento Lunchbox Containers,



two of the Insulated Lunchboxes,



 as well as a set of the Fit & Fresh Cool Coolers Ice Packs.



All for around $37!!  Everything fits perfectly into the lunchboxes with plenty of  room for other things like water bottles, eating utensils, or a grab and go snack.  Less space, less cost, less waste and less time?  Yes, please!!

    

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Dear Flu, You Win.

What's a girl gotta do to get her family well again? That's what I've been trying to figure out over the last two weeks. First, Eli got sick with the normal runny nose/cough.  Then the unexpected happened.  I got sick!!  I NEVER get sick.  I CAN'T get sick...I'm the MOM!!  Who's going to take care of the sick kid if I'm sick? Who's going to make dinner?  Who's going to do the laundry? Yes, I know, there are 2 grown ups in this house but let's face it, the hubs just isn't going to do it all.  And when you're a child and you're sick you want your mom to hold you and make it all better.  So for an entire week Eli and I lounged on the couch together, sniffling, sneezing and aching.  The housework and everyday stuff was put on  hold for a whopping 7 days.  Boy oh boy was this house a disaster.  But I just didn't care.  I couldn't.  I was miserable.



Finally my little guy started feeling better and I managed to pull it together and drag myself off the couch.  Then what?  You guessed it.  Joe got sick.  At this point I felt as though I was living in a giant petry dish full of bacteria and yuckiness.  He was home from work for 3 days.  Today, I woke up and finally felt almost normal.  Eli woke up a happy camper and I can tell he's back to his bubbly self.  Joe was off to work.  Just when I thought we were out of the woods, Ethan woke up with a stuffy nose and a terrible sore throat.  UGH!!  Really?! So, he's home from school today playing video games resting and being medicated.  I'm hoping he doesn't get any worse.  So that was my defeated rant about how the flu won.  So, come on Spring!!  I know you're out there!!  Help a sister out and come to town soon.  We need you!!

Mom Dancing -Happy Monday!

Jimmy Fallon and Michelle Obama on The Evolution of Mom Dancing from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Happy Monday!!

 

 



Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!  Valentine's Day isn't a holiday we normally go all out for but this year I decided to make it a big deal for everyone in the house.  It all started with Ethan's Valentine's party at school.  This is the only party the students get all year long so the teachers and parents work hard to make it a special day.  Ethan chose Despicable Me cards for his classmates which then led to us making a minion Valentine's box.  Thankfully Pinterest had lots of pictures and inspiration for this project.  We were both really happy with how it turned out!

Next I had to focus on the activities I planned for Ethan's class party.  I decided to make a treat that I saw on Pinterest.  They're fortune cookies made out of fruit roll-ups.  Such a cute idea and really easy to make.  It was, however pretty time consuming.  I had to write "fortunes" to put inside each one and of course I wanted them all to be different.  Even with using Google, finding 21 kid-friendly Valentine slogans wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  Writing each one out also took extra time.  I had to use parchment paper (because regular paper would stick to the fruit roll-up) which just soaked up the ink from my Sharpie so I had to go over each word 2-3 times for it show up brightly.  I bagged them separately and tied them with red ribbon.  The picture below is from the SheKnows.

I also came up with a worksheet for the kids to do while they were at the estimation station.  It's funny Valentine's Day riddles with answers that need to be decoded.  Basically just a fun time-filler before the kids move to the next station.  

What did the stamp say to the envelope?

I'm stuck on you!!!!!  

 

Finally, I had to come up with an activity.  I swear, as the kids get older finding activities for them to do seems to get more difficult.  I knew I wanted something that could be messy but not too messy.  I got the idea of searching "Minute to Win It" type games.  I knew I'd find some fun ideas but I also needed the game to be quick as the students only get about 10 minutes at each station.  I came up with the toilet paper game ( I have yet to give this activity a clever, Valentines-y name so just go with it or.....roll with it?!).  I put two rolls of toilet paper on a pole (in this case I'm using an old broom stick) and I had heart cut outs with an action written on them.  Two kids would choose a heart out of a bag, do what it said (crab walk, disco dance, etc.) across the room, race back and compete to see who can unravel all the toilet paper first.  Simple, fun, messy and thanks to The Dollar Tree, inexpensive.  I got 24 rolls of tp for just six bucks!!  Yessssss!!  Along with all the other activities and treats from the other room parents the party was a great success!

 Luckily the school party was on the 13th this year which allowed me to spend all Valentine's Day with my boys. I decided to give Joe and the kids a goody bag with a new movie. Joe had to work of course so I got up extra early (4:30 in the A.M.!!) to make him a special breakfast and give him his gift.  A gazillion years ago when we had our first date we went to the movies to see The Big Hit.  With all the movies in his vast collection that's one movie he didn't own so I thought it would be a cute gift to give him.  It's not the greatest movie of all time (or 1998) but it's sentimental to us and gives us something to chuckle about!!



 

Ethan got The Croods (which is a pretty funny movie) and Eli got a Mighty Machines DVD.  Add that to a breakfast of homemade Belgian waffles and I had some happy kids on Valentine's Day!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

 

Now this mama can sit back and enjoy some of those delish chocolate covered cherries the hubs so thoughtfully surprised her with. 

 

 







I hope your Valentine's Day was as sweet as mine!!

Happy Birthday Eli!!

Happy 2nd birthday to my baby boy.  I waited for God to bless me with you for 4 years and you've been worth every second of that.  Your smile, your laugh, your silliness and even your stubborn little attitude has completed me. I can't even begin to describe my love for you.  Thank you for choosing me to me your mama.  I love you my little monkey!!!

Pinewood Derby 2014

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Pinewood Derby race for Ethan's cub scout troop.  If you're not familiar with the Pinewood Derby it's an annual racing event for The Boy Scouts in which each scout is given a kit that includes a block of wood, four tires and four nails.  A car is built from that kit usually with the help of a parent and then it's put to the test at the Pinewood Derby.  This is what the kit looks like.

A few weeks before, Joe and Ethan did some research online to  find a design that Ethan wanted for his car.  This is what they decided to go with.

 

 Joe added some weights in the back to make the car heavier so it would go down the track faster.  Then we sanded it down.  Once that was done, Ethan and I started talking about colors and decals and what he wanted his car to look like.  We went with blue (since that's his favorite color right now) and he liked the idea of flames down the sides so that's what we did.  Joe put on the wheels and we were ready to go.





  

When you get to the derby the first thing you do is have your weighed.  Derby cars cannot weigh more than 5 ounces. Then your car is put with the other cars while you wait to race.

 





This is video of Ethan's first race of the day against his friend "K".  They were both so excited!

 

Ethan didn't win this year but was excited to get his derby patch and he's already looking forward to next year!

 

 



 

 











Travel -Happy Monday!

One thing that ALWAYS makes me happy is traveling!  Whether it's far away or close to home, one night away or two weeks...it makes me happy. I love seeing new places, trying new things and creating new memories with my family.  I feel getting away from your normal routine and re-connecting with your family rejuvenates the soul and makes you appreciate your normal day to day life because let's face it, no matter where you go or how much fun you have it's such a good feeling to come home. Usually I'm exhausted the day we get home from a trip but I'm also really happy to get back to "normal" and I feel that, especially for us moms, we need that.  You need a little time away to help you remember how important those daily tasks of helping your child with homework, making dinner for your family or fighting your toddler to take a bath (then fighting with him to get out of the tub) actually are.  I love that tingly excited feeling I get in my stomach when we're planning to get away and I'm starting to get that feeling again because in a few short weeks we'll be hitting the road for a little family getaway and I CANNOT wait!  I'll be posting more on this later but in the meantime, can you guess where we're going???  Here's a clue:

Happy Monday!!

I Can't Put My Arms Down! -Happy Monday!

(Let's pretend it's Monday and that I'm totally on time with my Happy Monday post, mmmkay??)

This weekend just totally flew by and before I knew it we were facing another Monday.  Also returning way too quickly were the freezing below zero temperatures.  As I was helping Ethan bundle up before we headed to the bus stop to brave the -12 degrees outside I started to laugh to myself.  Trying to stuff him into all these layers and wrapping a scarf around him made me think of one of my favorite Christmas movies, A Christmas Story.  In fact, everyone in our house loves that movie.  As soon as I told Ethan I was thinking about that movie he knew exactly what I was talking about and with a chuckle exclaims "I CAN'T PUT MY ARMS DOWN!" to which I reply "Put your arms down when you get to school".  I love when Ethan and I can share a laugh in the morning. It's a wonderful way to start the day!

Our morning wasn't quite this exhausting but you get the idea.

Happy Monday!