Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend



Last weekend we went up North to my parents for Memorial Day weekend. My sister and her family came along. We celebrated my dad's birthday and Conrad and I's anniversary. We also went to my mom's friend, Doc's ranch for some amazing food and pony rides!  We got some good pictures too.


The highlight of the weekend was my cousin Shannon, who just started her own photography business, taking our family pictures. I don't have them all back, and I'm dying to see them, especially after the first couple of teasers. If you are in the Northern Ohio area and need a good photographer, you have to check out Heart of Me Photography. She's very reasonable and heads above the rest with her eye for art and her skill in photoshop! Check out the below pictures, don't you just love the firefly photo?

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Welcoming Summer 2012

I'm having a hard time believing that Isabelle is graduating from kindergarten in less than  a week! What? Where did the time go? I'm not going to lie to you, it was a rough start. What can I say, the girl has my genes, and we don't always do well with change.  Note to future Isabelle, from your mom, who's been there and done that: It get's easier, baby.  We get better with change the older we get.

Now that that's out of the way, we are looking forward to a footloose and fancy free summer. No school, no ballet, no home group.  No real committments. And my children are young so I am raging against the machine that tells me they have to be scheduled into every little activity that comes around. I can see the benefits for some kids at some point.  But we are just not there yet.  I want them to be able to run and play and be care free for a bit longer.  Thier daytimer days will come soon enough!

So, in order to maximize the summer fun, I've put together another list of fun things for us to do this summer. MOST of them are free, and we probably won't hit all of them, but making a list, forces me to look up the info, schedule it in and that way, if we are free and feelin' it, we can make a fun outing out of it. 

  • Go to the pool
  • Do  sprinkler Drive Thru Bike Wash
  • Bonfire/Marshmellow Roast
  • Weekend at Lake Erie/Mini Staycation
  • Go Fishing
  • Go to Outdoor Movie
  • Go to Drive In
  • Watch Fireworks
  • Creekside Paddle Boasts
  • Make Sandcastle
  • Go to Big Splash
  • Go to Farmers Market
  • Fountains at Easton
  • Go to  Parade
  • Ride Carosel at Columbus Commons
  • Take kids to eat at Food Truck
  • Find an ice cream truck
  • Pick strawberries/blackberries/raspberries
  • Go to Columbus Metro Parks Activity
  • Go to kids activity at Homestead Park
  • Paint with Pudding
  • Do Library Reading Club
  • Go on a family picnic
  • Go to Cosi
  • Go to Zoo
  • Catch fireflies to use at nightlights
  • Ohio Craft Museum
  • Columbus Latin Festival
  • Arts in the Alley
  • Star Gazing
  • Go caving in Hocking Hills - another staycation
  • Go to the Works Children's Museum
  • Go o the Wilds
  • Easton Lego store free activity morning
  • Surla Table children's cooking class
  • Free movie morning at local cinema
  • Children's Theatre-Sleeping Beauty
  • Mini Golf
  • Play in fountains at Scioto Mile
Shew...how many weeks do we have in summer? What did I say about being non schedul-y this summer?  Well, I guess I also want to create memories and keep the crazy to a minimum...so the flip side to that coin is just say no to boredom, television watching, and fighting sisters!