Sunday, July 30, 2017

PSA: Be As Specific As Possible With Your Children



I should know this. Nine years in and you'd think this would be second nature for me. I mean, it's kinda my job to make sure I'm aware of these things. However, it was the weekend. I had a long list of To Do's. My minis are at an age where they can entertain themselves (and they do it well too). They're creative and imaginative kids, which is something I strive for for them.

I was busy staining our front deck while the three played in the backyard. They came to the front yard and asked if they could play with some bowls. "Sure!" I replied, promptly forgetting about it. Now, a little back story. I've told them a million and one times what they can and can't do in the backyard. Pulling grass, digging holes in the middle of the yard that mom can twist her ankle in while mowing are no go's. Bringing out inside toys is okay as long as it's brought back inside and cleaned when they're done. Simple enough. I'm a pretty laid back parent when it comes to those things. 

Twenty four hours later, I'm greeted by a panicked husband.

"Did you know the two younger ones have ALL of our mixing bowls in the backyard???!!?"

"No," I said, giving him a not so nice look as I was thinking 'why do I have to be the only one to know that? You're responsible for them too (insert not nice wording here).'

"They're all filled with dirt! And grass!"

"Okay, so have them clean them out," I replied, helping him through this issue that seemed like a no brainer to a seasoned vet like myself. So, he told them to do just that. 'You made the mess, you did something you weren't supposed to do, so clean it up.'

Pretty simple. To an adult at least. To a five and seven year old, that surely means to dump the bowl's contents into the bathroom sink because that's where they could reach to turn the water on and clean them out. Logical thinking on their part. Not so logical on our part (I'll take partial blame on this one because apparently my husband needs specific directions too).

In related news, I learned not only how to stain a deck in two hours, but also how to unclog a sink.....and to be specific with my children. Or you could end up with pounds of mud and grass in your drain.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

The Dad Way



It's a pretty known fact (especially in our house) that dad does things different than mom. Let me preface this by saying that there's nothing wrong with that. I would never expect my husband to do things the exact same way I do. While we agree on how to handle the major issues, it's just a fact that we do not parent the same way. My husband does not like the kids being loud in the house (so he sends them to backyard so the rest of the neighborhood can endure the loudness?), while I hardly notice.

Dad does Spaghetti Works and Red Robin, while Mom can't stand chain restaurants. Dad doesn't adhere to early bedtimes. Mom adheres to earlier than usual bedtimes. Dad doesn't care if you leave the house in pajama bottoms. Mom very much so does. Dad has no issues with donuts for breakfast....well, I guess Mom doesn't either really, as long as it's paired with a fruit.

My husband is the looser parent in all of the areas I'm not and strict in the areas I'm not. It works well for us. While parenting is always challenging, we (usually) have a decent handle on our circus train. So, when June 30th date night rolled into a "sick" mom the next morning, I didn't hesitate to send the minis off with Hubs (actually, to be completely truthful, we had a Netflix morning with the kids on the couch before either one of could move around much). 

He took them to the zoo for a nice long visit. A longer than usual visit. I didn't think much of it, but instead relished in the silence of the house. Then they returned home.

"Dad let us pick out our own fireworks!"

"What?"

"We all picked out our own fireworks! We got a whole bunch!"

So, let's review: while mom was hungover and sleeping, my husband took the minis to buy explosives (something I would never do, fyi). My dear sweet children had never mentioned going "fireworks shopping" to me, but as soon as they were in the car with just Dad, they instantly brought it up. While I would have taken them to Target to pick out a new game or the book store for new books, my husband takes them to the "big fireworks stores." Well played children. They've officially figured out the dad way and the mom way.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Let's Get Caught Up (Weekends Since Vacay)

Things I've come to the conclusion about: 1.) We've been taking it pretty easy this summer as far as adventures go. 2.) I take a lot of pictures. 3.) I take so many pictures that I had a hard time keeping up with blog posts since getting back from vacation. 4.) There are have been 4 1/2 weekends since returning from our family vacation. Therefore I have 4 weekends worth of photos in the post. 5.) Sorry but not sorry about it.


As you may remember, we returned home from vacation the night before Father's Day. Hubs and I definitely crashed, while the minis woke up early and got everything ready for a special Father's Day breakfast. There was cereal (that sat in the milk a full 45 minutes before it was to be eaten), cold waffles with jelly and cherries on top, coffee, a canned coffee drink, 3 cups of milk each with their own special mix (strawberry syrup, chocolate, and chocolate caramel), and ice water in the travel coffee cup. 


The chair decorated with pipe cleaners.


They even made cards and wrapped up random things they found around the house. Harrison kept a card he had made at school hidden in his backpack until that morning.



The minis are excited about our growing adventure rock collection! Read more on that here.


At our favorite Mexican restaurant with big plate portions.


No words. Other than my daughter yelling out the window.


Elizabeth saying hi to/torturing the cat from the front porch.


The weekend after we returned home from vacay, was a family reunion out of town. However, Hubs had to work and I had plenty to do around home. So, we sent the oldest mini with family to the reunion while the two younger minis and I ran errands (also know as "shopped til we dropped"). We got new shoes, back to school clothes, and had a fun Mom and 3 Kids Day.


In the evening, we took the two to Zombie Burger and the Art Festival before coming home and doing some backyard camping (a request of the middle mini).





The youngest mini has been asking me for fake eyelashes (among other beauty and make up products). I had never used fake lashes before, so I told her mom had to try them out before I got some for her. Let's just say I'm a fan (although I don't think the five year old is quite ready for them yet).


S'mores on the grill and flashlights. You don't need much more to have happy kids.





Plenty of date nights to recharge my sanity after 10 days on family vacation and then jumping right back into the day to day of daycare. We tried Simon's for the first time and LOVED it! It's easily one of the best restaurants in Des Moines!



I really don't remember what was happening in this picture, but he keeps me laughing. He manages to keep me sane while driving me insane. Funny how that works.


The day after date night I was not feeling well. Hubs took the minis on a Dad and Kids outing....and came home with fireworks. I shouldn't have been surprised.


Family movie night with surprise popcorn and M & M's.


Hubs talked me into a new grill. We promptly put it to use with grilled fruits, veggies, breakfasts, and dinners.


I'm all for the kids making discoveries on their own. Sometimes I just wish they didn't make discoveries with my breakable decorations. Alas, the youngest discovered the cool shapes in the glass ball when  you hold a flashlight into it.


Cuddles on the couch on a Sunday morning. My favorite way to spend a Sunday morning is curled up for longer than usual (bonus if it's in my bed, but I'll take what I can get).


Grilled watermelon, pineapple, and bacon. The bacon and pineapple were heavenly, but I just couldn't get on board with the watermelon. Something about eating it warm I couldn't get over.



A round of Pie Face. Always entertaining.



I was thrilled to take a peaceful shower while Hubs had the minis in the backyard. Imagine my surprise when I was in the middle of my shower and heard: "mom! What are you doing in there?" Never a moment of peace for a mom!


Keeping cool in the inflatable pool and doing fireworks with dad.









We spent the 4th of July at my Aunt and Uncle's house doing a giant slip n' slide and setting off our own fireworks. It was a wonderfully relaxing 4th!

















The cat tells us so subtly when she's out of food. She opens up the cupboard and meows. If we don't come soon enough, she'll pull out the bag herself.


I went to 80/35 for the first time to see MGMT with my sister and cousin. We ate at RoCA first and walked through downtown to go to the music festival. 




When I open up my glasses case the next morning and find my contacts and fake eyelashes thrown in there, I know it was a sign of a fun night!


We got a sitter for all of the cousins and all of the Sheaffer siblings (and spouses) went to dinner at Christopher's. Great food, great company, and relaxing (for me at least, since I wasn't dealing with the minis!).


My favorite thing to order at Christopher's: chicken parmesan. It's heaven....especially when paired with cheesesticks for an appetizer and chocolate falling down cake for dessert.


Elizabeth is the only girl cousin (that status will be changing in a few months though!), so I wasn't surprised to come home to find grass and pee on the toilet seat. Boys crack me up!

The next morning we woke up and went to Matt's family reunion at Thomas Mitchell Park. It was very HOT outside (the oldest mini actually developed heat exhaustion later in the day) and we were all pretty wiped out when we left.


Another potty picture. Although this was not toilet, this was a toilet at the shelter in the park. The "little" spider was waiting for me behind the toilet. I've never been so scared to pee in my life!


Playing frisbee.


Since the heat got the best of all of us, we took it easy the rest of the day. Jimmy John's delivered our dinner and movies were watched. Also, the cat felt he needed to be a part of our dinner in the living room too....and the minis wonder why he always begs for their food!



Play time in the backyard in the dirtiest pool water. They didn't seem to mind though.


Breakfast of mom champions to start a Saturday: a donut from our favorite shop (Donut Hut), a protein shake drank out of kid's cup, and fruit salad in a Cookie Monster Bowl. #momlife


A hot morning at the Blank Park Zoo.





Getting more rocks for our rock collection.


We took the minis on a date night. Read more about our night here.


Our week days have been super busy so naps on the weekends have been incredibly needed! Wake ups are tough.


We went to a family swim night at Valley View Aquatics Center. I was surprised to find it wasn't incredibly crowded. We had a great time!







Our favorite summer ice cream spot (Snookie's)




The remaining summer weekends will include hiking, swimming, mini golfing, and the amusement park!