Back to School 2013

Somehow the summer flew by and it is already the first day of school again! This year, my oldest started college at Oklahoma State University. She started last Monday and was kind enough to send me a picture of her continuing the tradition of holding a 'First Day of School Sign.' I was so excited when Family eGuide posted a Back to School Tips post that linked to a post by Digital Mom Blog that had a First Day of School Sign for College students!!! It was part of a series from Pre-K up, so my First Grader had the same design too! 

I wish every morning went as smoothly as the first day of school. Madison was up at 6:30am on her own after her alarm went off and by the time I went to check on her, she was already dressed and her bed was made! In no time at all we were off!

She was super excited to have her own desk this year, as opposed to a shared table last year!

Last year my husband took her to school every morning because I am not anywhere close to being a morning person. I felt guilty this year, because I do stay at home, so I vowed to get up and take her every day. Since I am doing mornings now, I also have pre-planned lunches and outfits. I don't want to just pack her a sandwich everyday so I found a TON of great ideas on the 100 days of real food website.

Her lunch today was a whole wheat waffle sandwich with cream cheese, Agave sweetener, cinnamon, and raisins mixed inside, petite baby carrots and ranch dip, pears, strawberry milk and a fiber one brownie for desert. I would like to eventually fix lunches that do not include any pre-packaged or canned items at all. That is my goal.

In preparation of outfit planning, I made sure I sprayed all of her shoes, her backpack and lunch box with protector spray so it is much easier to keep clean during the year by wiping them down periodically.

 Then I made sure I had all of her outfits preplanned including socks, hair clips, and shoes. I made sure she was good with wearing each outfit, since she's becoming more independent and wants to pick out her own clothes.



I chose a dress for the first day of school, but I always have her wear a pair of comfy shorts under it, because she is 6. :) The teacher wanted them to always wear closed toe shoes, but the flip flops match the dress...so I just sent a pair of tennis shoes to school to stay in her locker and she can change shoes if she needs to.

On meet the teacher night, her teacher thought that P.E. might be on Tuesday, so we planned an athletic outfit.

Wednesday's outfit includes pigtails, because in First Grade they're still cool!

Thursday:

And Friday:

Now that Madison is back in school and Alyssa is away at college, I think I can clean the house and it will stay clean longer than 5 minutes! I can't wait to get to spend more time blogging, organizing, volunteering and doing household projects. Here's to an awesome school year! *Clinking coffee mug*

June 2013 Summertime Fun Update: Perot Museum, Swimming Lessons, Father's Day Fun and More!

It's amazing how fast summer can fly by! We had a super busy and exciting June. It started off with Madison graduating from Kindergarten, Alyssa graduating from High School and Madison's 6th Birthday, all in the first week of June.

My parents came down to visit and attend all the fun events. We went to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science which was on our Summer Bucket List. Because we love the Perot Museum so much, we have an annual family membership so we are able go often and we were happy to be able to share the experience with my parents.

Madison loved drawing a picture on the computer and then spinning the wheel fast enough that the light projected the picture onto the wheel.

The Perot Museum is so cool, I will have to do a future post all about it, but in the meantime here is a great quick article to read. After having lots of fun at the museum we went down the street to the Spaghetti Warehouse for lunch. They have a trolley in the restaurant! It was really cool!

Madison was able to grow a Zinnia plant from seeds in school. It was outgrowing it's little cup, so she had a blast transplanting it all by herself! She is very proud of how well her plant is growing.

Madison really enjoyed going to a Calloways Kids Workshop. She listened to the book, Princess and the Pea and then planted pea seeds in a cup. It was a nice, quick morning activity. The next one is August 21st!

We went out for Madison's birthday to Texas Roadhouse. It is a tradition and she LOVES to sit on the saddle while they shout out Happy Birthday to her!

We are a foster family for the Humane Society of Flower Mound. In June we welcomed our current foster dog, Sadie. She was kept outside most of her life until she was surrendered by her owners to an animal shelter where she stayed for 5 months! She's only a year old. She is very sweet and loving, but really shy and in desperate need of socialization. She's come a long way so far and I know soon she'll find the perfect family that will welcome her into her forever home.

We had a great time doing a 'Naked Egg' science experiment. We placed an egg in a container with vinegar so it would dissolve the outer shell so we could see the inside of the egg. Madison really enjoyed this! In the end, we couldn't see the yolk as well as we thought we would have. I am not sure if it's because we used an Eggland's Best egg versus a regular one. We'll have to try it again before the summer is over and see.

And after the shell dissolved, we had a squishy semi-see-through egg:

I signed Madison up this year for her summer swimming camp at AquaKids and after being inspired by her swimming Coach, she decided to work very hard to move up 5 levels throughout the summer and join the Swim Team in the Fall. In June, she completed Elementary 3 and Intermediate 1. We are all very proud of her and extremely happy with AquaKids for helping her obtain her goal. I am very grateful that they truly cared about my daughter's love for swimming and that they went out of their way to help her reach her goal! I cannot express enough what a wonderful place AquaKids is. They are currently looking to expand to a third location and are taking suggestions, so if you would be interested in having an AquaKids close to you, please let them know where by clicking HERE. They are in the final three for the Best of Denton County 2013 for Best Swim Instruction, so if you have a moment to vote, it only takes a second (no registration required). Thank you!

This year on Father's Day, Jeff took Madison fishing for the first time. She caught one fish and was SO proud of herself! (Since they left early in the morning, I wanted to note that he dressed her, not me! LOL)

Then they went to Bass Pro which offers a lot of fun and free activities every weekend over the summer. They had a blast!

Madison did a couple of summer dance classes at Top Hat Dance, but then decided swimming was her thing. She is continuing to do gymnastics and tumbling too.

Madison has really enjoyed hanging out at the pool with friends. Here she is going down the outside waterslide!
 

We are currently working on some workbooks and reading books every day so that we don't have the summer brain drain. I bought marble jar reward sheets and marble stickers from the teacher store and when Madison completes a chore (make bed, brush teeth, etc) or does a workbook page, then she gets a marble. When she fills up the sheet, she can either pick a prize from the prize bin which consists of dollar store toys and stickers or she can earn iPad time.

Here's a great blog post on 7 ways to Boost Brainpower Over the Summer Vacation!

At the end of June we temporarily watched another foster family's puppy while they went on vacation. His name is Tony and he was a bundle of puppy love! He has already found his forever home, but I feel really good about fostering for the Humane Society of Flower Mound and teaching Madison to give back to her community. She now knows that she is the voice for those who cannot be heard.

Tony was 8 weeks old here and had just found his unknown love for sprinklers and mud. ;)

Jeff took Madison to the skating rink on Memorial Day for a free skate special we saw on FamilyeGuide and she was hooked. She has been skating every week since. The local skating rink, Interskate has skating lessons every Saturday at 9 am for $3 and she LOVES them! She is learning a lot and becoming a great skater!

Madison also started a musical theater camp at Studio B at the end of June. I'll post pictures and videos from the production in my July post.

Check out our 2013 Summer Bucket List! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and having lots of fun!

Look for more upcoming posts on Walt Disney World, toy room and American Girl Doll accessory organization, and July's Summer Update!

Support Small Businesses Series - Best Gymnastics

Madison started taking gymnastics classes at Best Gymnastics when it first opened in Flower Mound, TX over two years ago. Best Gymnastics is an exceptional business because of the values the business was built upon and the amazing staff that carry out the vision of Best Gymnastics every day.

In Madison's first class, I noticed that she was being taught gymnastics like I had never seen it taught before. She was 3, and she was taught how do skills from beginning to finish. The coaches weren't just 'going through the motions' they actually cared that she learned how to do things the right way! She was really learning gymnastics while having fun. And she LOVED it! As she has progressed throughout the years, the quality of instruction has been extraordinary regardless of her level or coach. I have never experienced that with any other activity she has been involved in.

What do I love most about Best Gymnastics? There are many things, but the main reason is the feeling of being treated like family. The coaches are all very close and would do anything to help each other out. This extends on to their classes...they care about the kids as if they are their family too. All of the coaches want the very best for the kids in their classes and teach them correct gymnastics, exhibit an amazing amount of patience, are very encouraging, and work with them every week to help them master different skills. They go out of their way to give their all to every class they teach, every day. They are not there for 'just a paycheck', but because they love what they do and they want to make a difference in every child's life. That is why Madison takes classes three days a week and has gained such a sense of accomplishment and a high self-esteem. I am impressed with their emphasis on safety because they are very well organized and follow safety rules and have an age appropriate learning progression so my child is safe while learning gymnastics. I know that Best Gymnastics has the cleanest gym in Texas. That also shows how much they care. Best Gymnastics is also very fair to me as a customer and they don't charge 'member' fees for events or annually, or try to lock me into a contract. They don't have to. Best Gymnastics is a business with integrity.

If you love Best Gymnastics, please vote for them to be nominated for the Best of Denton County 2013 award HERE. Just choose Sports & Fitness, Gymnastics and fill in Best Gymnastics as the Nominee. You don't have to register and it only takes a moment.

If you would like to try Best Gymnastics, they offer a free trial class. They also have AWESOME  activities for kids and if you are interested in signing up for one of their camps, FamilyeGuide has a coupon HERE!

You can also check them out on Facebook!

Support Small Businesses Series - AquaKids

AquaKids is the BEST and ONLY swimming school in the area to take swimming lessons! We have only gone to their Flower Mound location, but they also have another location in Keller. My daughter, Madison, can't wait to go to each lesson and doesn't want to leave when her lesson is over. Also the pool is warm, so she doesn't have to take time to 'get used to it'. She just jumps right in!

I love AquaKids because I can trust all of their instructors. AquaKids has a great employee selection process which is very important to to me.

Madison has learned SO much more with the AquaSteps program.at AquaKids than she has with any other swimming instruction. The amount of skills and how quickly she learns while having fun is just amazing! I can say without any hesitation that the amount of skills Madison has learned is worth far more than the amount tuition we have paid for them! I am so glad we decided to give AquaKids a try last year!

The instructors at AquaKids are awesome and have instilled the love of swimming in Madison. Ms. Mackenzie was so encouraging and fun while she challenged Madison during lessons, now Madison wants to work her way up to be on their swim team!

If you love AquaKids, please vote for them to be nominated for the Best of Denton County 2013 award HERE. Just choose Sports & Fitness, Swimming Instruction (at the end of the drop down list) and fill in AquaKids as the Nominee. You don't have to register and it only takes a moment.

If you've never tried AquaKids, coupons can be found for them on FamilyeGuide and Flower Mound Family!

They also have an awesome special going on right now:

Check out the list of my favorite small businesses in the area HERE.

Next up is Best Gymnastics!

Support Small Businesses Series - ART house

My daughter LOVES taking art lessons at the ART house. She has the opportunity to learn many different art techniques and types of art, refine her fine motor skills and learn some art history too! The classes at the ART house allow her to express her creativity, which is very important for her development. She is beaming with pride when she brings home her artwork every week. I like the small class size and personalized attention she receives. Not only are the classes here fun, but she learned so much that she received an E (Exceeds expectations) on her report card in Art class for school!

ART house has two locations, one in Flower Mound and one in Southlake. If you love ART house then please nominate them for the Best of Denton County 2013 award! If you would like to try a class or camp at the Flower Mound location, Flower Mound Family offers a coupon HERE!

Why Small Businesses Are the Best!

Small business owners have a special place in my heart. In my opinion, not only do they give better service, they are the heart of what the American Dream stands for. My grandpa owned his own business for his entire life and was happy and successful. He left a legacy that will be handed down from generation to generation. Work hard-play hard. I truly believe in supporting small business owners that work so hard, day in and day out so that they can provide us with a quality like no other. Franchises loose the 'heart and soul' of quality and the 'hometown' feel.

Here are the small local DFW business in alphabetical order that I am going to write posts on that I believe are exceptional. If you have the opportunity to nominate any of these for the Best of Denton County Award 2013, thank you in advance! You don't have to register and it only takes a moment. Right now with the economy, it is more important than ever to support them! If they are nominated and win they are given free advertising and a prestigious title. This means a great deal to each of them. This is an easy way to give back to your community and make a difference! I am not affiliated with any of these businesses or paid for these posts. All opinions are my own. If you are not familiar with any of the businesses below, please take a moment and check them out.

Art House

AquaKids

Best Gymnastics

Cross Timbers Animal Medical Center

Enzo's NY Pizzeria

FamilyeGuide

Studio B Theater

High School Graduation is Bittersweet

It only seems like yesterday when Alyssa started Kindergarten...

And all of a sudden she's graduated High School and will be turning 18. When they say the older they get, the faster time goes..they are right!

See the problem is, Alyssa is a very enjoyable child. She's not perfect, but she's close. She's always been very easy to raise and the teenage years weren't really so bad. So while I was able to sit and be very proud of her during her graduation, I was also sad because it means in a couple of months she will be going to college. It is surreal.

It also means I have to let go. I'll have to take pictures of her bathroom and room right now so it will make it easier...they are never clean. LOL. That's seriously the only thing I have to go on...

This is pretty much what she looked like throughout graduation:

After she accepted her diploma:

And at the wonderful party that her friend Bonnie's mom threw for both of them:

With Diplomas:

Here's to a successful and fun four years of college with lots of memories!

Congratulations girls! I am so proud of you! I can't wait to see what the future holds for you both!

Words of advice to anyone with children....save a TON of money, starting NOW. You have no idea how expensive these suckers are until they drain your bank account..and it's not until they are 18...it's really until they are 22... :)