Let It Go Summer Fun

Hello Foxy Friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! Two exciting things happening today. First, I wrote an article for my good friend Abbie from Grumbling Grace asked me to write an article for her series called Mombies Unit. Go check out my article From Manners to Confidence - Raising Polite Confident Kids. I'll wait while you go check it out...then come back for my second exciting thing happening today!

I was super excited when these fabulous ladies asked me to be a part of their Summer Fun blog hop! I mean who doesn't love Summer activities? The question was...what the heck am I going to write about? I thought about the normal stuff, swimming, park dates, etc, but ultimately I thought about what makes for a great summer? Things that you wouldn't normally do, so today I'm telling you to follow Elsa (currently one of Mini Fox's favorite movies and I'm cheesy like this) and have a Let It Go Summer Fun! Meaning, do what's out of the ordinary, let the kids stay up a little later and do something they'll remember looking back on their summer vacations.

 

We are pretty strict with our kids as far as eating goes, we make them sit at the table and they can't get up till they are done, mean I know. But every once in a while, we'll meet up with some friends in the town square, they have a small grassy amphitheater, bring dinner and let them run around and eat as they please, and we don't totally harp if they don't eat everything. Just let them roll down the hill and have fun. And then usually we follow it up with some ice cream or frozen yogurt (both located in the same center).

 

Only one kid was really interested in eating...

 

Water balloon fight and really get into it. I wish we would have bought this...but we had to fill them up by hand, we got a package of water balloons, and it came with a nozzle attachment at the Dollar Store, I've also seen them at Target and Party City. Super easy, cheap and they had a BLAST.

What says summer more than a splash park? We have the big ones over here, but then there are the small ones at the mall, that the kids love just as much! Take them there and let them run through with their clothes in (of course bringing extra clothes) But make it seem like it's spur of the moment...they'll love it, and have a blast whether you bring a bathing suit for them or not.

Build a fort in the house with blankets and let them sleep in it. I know some of my best childhood memories come from sleeping in a fort that my brother and I built in my room. Yes we might have woken up earlier than normal, but you know what? What's what Summers are for, staying up late, waking up late, taking a ton of naps.

My kids are a little too young to be sleeping in forts just yet, but we have one up and they are loving it. Before bed they like to play "camping", it's the cutest thing ever. Baby Fox pretends that the different lights in our rooms are various times of the sun coming up. Telling us when to wake up and when to go to sleep.

Go on special dates with just you and one of your kids. If you have more than one do separate dates. The kids get a kick of getting to spend one on one time with each of their parents. So many times they have to share with your spouse, other siblings, work, life... that it's a treat to get you all to themselves.

 

Today, I am joining eight other bloggers in sharing encouragement for your summer! There is a little bit of everything in these posts and we hope they encourage and inspire you! Go check them out for yourselves!

 

Summer Reading Tips for Preschoolers at Grammie Time 

Summer Fun on a Budget at Life Planted Here 

Let it Go Summer Fun at Foxy's Domestic Side 

Celebrate Summer at The Queen in Between  

A Summer of Grace & Gratitude at Oh Tiny Gifts  

Craft with Purpose this Summer at While I'm Waiting Summer Fun at Home: 

Family Picnic Favorites at Sweet Little Ones Blog 

Taking Babies Camping: What to Pack at These Kids Mom  

Finding Balance with Summer Routines at Living In This Season

Linking up here  

Friday Favorites #73

Happy Friday Foxy Friends! Another week past, it was a long one for me, I only had to work two days last week, so coming back to work five...LONG! Anyway, here are some of my favorites from the week.

First up, as always in case you missed it this week, this is what happened on the blog.

Sunday: Create 28: A Warm Summer Wedding
Monday: May in Numbers
Tuesday: What's In My...Bag
Wednesday: Create 28 Week 1
Thursday: Kids Behind the Blog and Picture Perfect

Bonus post: $200 giveaway to Target!!

Didn't get a chance to recap our Lake Arrowhead trip, we had an absolute blast, hanging out with 2 other families and all of the kids running around and playing. We had 7 kids 5 and under and 6 adults in one house, it was awesome. Each of the families was in charge of specific meals, so that all worked out great. Plus we found a fantastic pizza place, next time we're ordering one or two more! It was great to hang out with friends and not anything anything on the agenda.

Bedtime! There were 4 sets of bunk beds in this room and these two decided they wanted to sleep together. So cute...side note: They are only 3 days apart in age.

Something we didn't know about Lake Arrowhead, that it's really a private lake...as in it's hard to get access to the water. We finally got access, with a gate code the owners had left, but man was it hard!

Getting 6 kids to cooperate for a picture...near impossible (the 7th kid is a 7 month old and was already in bed).

Saturday we finally made it down to the actual beach, it was so much fun! Wish we could have gone back the next day, or that we had discovered this on Friday.

Most of the time we sat around and did nothing, but chat and watch the kids play.

I of course had to braid someone's hair!

Hey they are at least standing still!

Tried to get a jump shot...didn't really work out...LOL

I just love this picture so much!

The kids all wanted to be Zombies...

Group shots with these people are my absolute favorite! Wish I would have noticed the tiny bit of shade there before we took them...but hey what can ya do?

 

Obgligatory Zombie shot.

These three kids have grown up together, they were all born within three weeks of each other and are just the cutest together.

Going back a bit...to when they were about 3 months old.

I didn't find any food videos to tempt you with...so here's a video I put on my own YouTube channel yesterday. I went to the Nordstrom Beauty Event, if you haven't heard of it, it's when Nordies opens at 8 for a fashion show/showing us everything that is new for that season (skin care, make up, clothes, everything!). We happened to go to the Spring show, and are planning on going back for the Fall show, you just have to call your local Nordies to find out when they are! They also give you some deals too, so it's not to be missed!

I broke it into two parts, because it was just getting long. First part was the information part, the second part is all about the products and what we found! I have a third and final Haul Video that I'll hopefully post next Friday!

 

Happy Friday Foxy Friends, we made it!
 

Linking up here

Kids Behind the Blog and Picture Perfect: June Edition

Today you get a double hitter. It just happens that Kids Behind the Blog and Picture Perfect land within a day of each other and I already had something planned, so I figured, they both have to do with my kids, lets combine them!    First up is the Picture Perfect Project. I decided to make this about capturing an intentional pictures for the yearly calendar we do for the grandparents. I know they look forward to getting them, and last year was a disaster and super hard to find a picture for each month. So this year, I decided to take an intentional picture I was going to use for the calendar. This past weekend we were at the Lake, so what's more appropraite for a June Calendar than a picture by the water? It was taken with my iPhone, but I love it, it's just so sweet.  

Next up Kids Behind the Blog with Crystal, Beth, Meghan, Jessica, and Stephanie. While I we were at the Lake I asked the kids a few questions. Their answers were so cute.  

Baby Fox Age: 5 years 5 months

Mini Fox Age: 2 years 9 months

Baby Fox

What do you like doing with Daddy? 
Going to the movies.

What was Daddy like as a little boy? 
I don't know

What’s Daddy’s favorite food? 
Nachos

What does Daddy do at work? 
Work on computer.

What is your favorite memory of Daddy? 
Going to the movies.

Mini Fox

What do you like doing with Daddy? 
Um go to park with Daddy.

What was Daddy like as a little boy? 
Mini Fox: Um...too....
Me: What do you think he was like...
Mini Fox: Um Mashed Potatoes?
Me: oh you think he liked eating mashed pototoes?
Mini Fox: Yeah...

What’s Daddy’s favorite food? 
Mini Fox: Steak
Me: Anything else?
Mini Fox: Umm..Park with Mommy!

What does Daddy do at work? 
Mini Fox: Um...work at his work. 
Me: What do you think he does? 
Mini Fox: He throws down there..

What is your favorite memory of Daddy? 
Um...go to ticket store to buy tickets...and go on the rides and on Chuck E. Cheese.

Go check out what she says at 1:44, it's super cute, I asked her if she had anything else to say.

Linking up here

Create 28 Maxi Dress and Hair Challenge Week 23

Last week was the last week for our Style Perspectives, in case you missed it you can see the last 16 weeks here. Don't worry The Blended Blog ladies have something else in store for you! We are doing a Create 28, created by our very own Whitney and Carrie.

I didn't have time to do all of the looks, but my day was day 5, how to dress for a Warm Weather Wedding. I even gave you several options for great summer wedding dresses and how I would style one of them.  Here's a preview of what I'm wearing to a wedding I'm going to at the end of this month:

I also decided to style a Maxi Dress, I just love maxi dresses in the summer, super easy to wear, you can dress them up or down and they just make you feel a little more put together.

I'm loving that I can take the dress I wore for our family pictures and dress it down by simply adding a vest.

For the hair, I don't know about you, but I know I like having my hair up. There are a bunch of up ponytails that I want to try out come summer. But I really like this one. Pretty easy to do, and it looks fancy right?

Up close, I wish I could have changed the bottom topsy tail, next time.

Now onto the hair challenge, week 23 yikes! Where did the time go? I decided to change up my top knot and add a tiny French braid to it. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Saturday I decided to do the triple French Braid again. It's hard to see it in the pictures, but it did turn out better than the first I think.

Sunday to go home I just needed my hair out of my face, so I turned to my favorite side braid, super easy to do and quick but makes it look like I tried.

Go over to The Blended Blog to check out a recap of our last Style Perspectives: A Summer dress by the lovely Andrea from Living On Cloud Nine. I think everyone smashed it out of the park.

Now for next weeks prompts for Create 28. I hope you decide to style one of these next week and link up with us next Wednesday!

Don't forget to enter my $200 giveaway to Target! Woo hoo!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up here