The Hamilton Boys: May 2012

Somedays Bedtime Just Needs to be 7:00

Today has been one of those days... 1) Miles had a nightmare last night- this has been going on a lot lately and I'm not sure how to help him. More nights than not recently he sprints down the hall in the middle of the night and vaults into our bed, hysterical. He usually ends up staying there for the rest of the night. He is restless and we are all tired the next day, as in today. And yesterday too. 2)I've been a complete slacker about exercising for the past few days (after walking or working out almost every day since we moved and losing 15 lbs!). This morning I decided to get back on track and got Miles loaded into the jogging stroller and Jack on his scooter. 2 minutes into our walk we were surprised by a coyote. The walk was over before it started. 3) Jack is usually a really good kid, but today he was not. Every time I asked him to do anything, he was whiny and argumentative. That just wears a mom down! 4) Miles didn't make it to the potty in time, for the first time in a long while. Poor boy was so, so, so upset. When Miles is upset, he is REALLY upset. 5) We ran one errand today, ONE! And Jack managed to complain the whole time. Then he bumped his head (hard) while goofing off in the store. He has a big bruise above his eye and he was so upset (hysterical) that we ended up going home. 6) And, Evan is out of town. Tomorrow will be a better day. Right?!?

Our Summer Survival Plan

I didn't sign the kids up for a lot of activities this summer- we're doing one session of swim lessons and the boys each have a once a week activity for a few more weeks (tennis lessons for Jack and gymnastics for Miles). Last summer I felt like we had too many obligations in the form of lessons and camps and not enough days where we could stay in our pj's all morning building a fort or go out for ice cream on a whim. And, isn't that what summer is all about?!

That said, we have about 7 weeks until our trip to California and I need a little routine to help us manage our time. So, when I stumbled across the "Summer Survival Plan" on barefootinthekitchen.blogspot.com (one of my favorite blogs to read!) I knew it could be a good plan for us too.

Here's what we do:
Job(s)
Fun
Lunch
Quiet Time
Pool
Dinner
Baths
Bed

Jobs: We spend the first hour of our day (after breakfast and taking a walk) doing jobs around the house. I tackle my housekeeping chores and assign the kids a job or two as well. Jobs that I ask the kids to tackle: dusting, vacuuming, bringing dirty clothes to the laundry room, putting folded laundry away in drawers, picking up toys, taking things up or downstairs. I like giving the kids a set time each day where they help around the house and reinforcing the idea that we work before play. Getting jobs out of the way each morning also means that our house is usually pretty picked up and clean which makes for a happy mom.

Fun: We choose 1 fun activity each day. Frequent choices include a trip to the library, a bike ride, playtime at the park, a playdate, board games, or time in the playroom. Sometimes we have to run an errand (usually the grocery store of Costco which I try to make fun by letting them choose a small treat or having lunch at Costco). I like being free to join them in whatever we decide to do, as opposed to trying to keep them busy while I work on getting stuff done around the house.

Lunch

Quiet Time: A nap for Miles and reading time for Jack

Pool: We've been hitting the pool around 3 or 4 each afternoon and swimming until dinner. We don't go everyday, but about 3 times a week seems to work well. It's a nice reward at the end of the day and the kids come home starving and worn out!

Dinner
Baths
Bed

We've been giving this plan a try for about a week and I love it. We are fitting in lots of summer time fun, but the house is under control too and the kids are learning how to be good helpers. Win Win!

Memorial Day Weekend

It's heating up this week here in Hotlanta, which means the upcoming Memorial Day weekend will definitely signify the kickoff to all things summer. Here are 5 things the Hamiltons have planned for the long weekend:

1) Grill dinner every night- we are all looking forward to some of our summer favorites. On the menu this weekend: steaks, BBQ chicken, and shrimp skewers. Watermelon and corn on the cob on the side. Ice cream for dessert!

2) Enjoy our new chairs on the deck. We just bought a few white Adirondack chairs and I plan to relax in one as much as possible this weekend. Coffee and the Sunday paper outside (before it gets super hot) is in order.

3) Shop for outdoor pillows for our new chairs. Thanks to Grandma Eleanor's sweet housewarming gift, I am on the hunt for a few pillows for our new chairs. Pottery Barn Outlet here I come!

4) Swimming- we just might be at the pool every day.

5) Sprinklers and popsicles. In addition to the pool, this is what the boys will be doing :)

Summer Fun 2012

I am having a few issues with my laptop- namely, I am out of space on my hard drive (I guess I have a lot of pictures stored there!). So until my tech support (Evan) is able to solve this problem my blog posts will have to be photo free. I have some fun pictures to share from Julie's visit with us and Mother's Day too- coming soon. Until then, here is our "Summer Fun" list, mostly created by Jack, but for the whole family to enjoy!

1) Go swimming (maybe everyday!)
2) Go to a baseball game (I think Aunty Julie has this covered when we come to CA)
3) Watch the Olympics on TV
4) Buy a slip 'n slide for the backyard
5) Play on our new swingset (definitely everyday!)
6) Make homemade popsicles
7) Make frozen strawberry lemonade (this was a big hit last summer)
8) Go out for a milkshake
9) Eat ice cream for dinner (once, not everyday!)
10) Make s'mores on the BBQ
11) Go on a nature hunt in the backyard, take pictures of what we find, and make a book
12) Go the movies and get popcorn
13) Watch Star Wars with Daddy
14) Visit our California friends
15) Go to Lake Tahoe
16) Play tennis
17) Watch fireworks
18) Fly our flag on the 4th of July
19) Play at Grandma and Grandpa's parks with the brand new equipment (this was being installed when we stayed in Fremont before our move so we are very excited to give it a try)
20) Take a walk along the Chatahoochie River and visit the Nature Center there
21) Walk the trail at Webb Bridge Park
22) Do the summer reading program at the library
23) Visit the Atlanta Aquarium
24) Celebrate Jack's 6th birthday (he wants a baseball party in the backyard- perfect!)
25) Run through the sprinklers
26) Do art projects
27) Play outside on bikes/scooters/skateboards
28) Learn to skate (Jack)
29) Sit outside under the stars
30) Play lots of backyard baseball
31) Visit Daddy at work and have lunch downtown

We Love It When Grandma and Grandpa Are Here

Last month, my parents were here for a week. We had such a nice visit- full of kids activities, yummy food, trips to the park, and even a few projects around the house.

Grandma and Grandpa were able to catch 2 of Jack's t-ball games

Grandpa, and his 2 assistants, planted lots of flowers in our front yard

Jack gave Grandpa a few iPad lessons. They spent many hours together like this!

Grandma and Grandpa treated the boys to a morning at Build-a-Bear

We shared our favorite parks

We are crossing out fingers for another visit soon!

Learning to Fish

We spent one afternoon in Florida down at the marina teaching the boys to fish. Jack really got the hang of casting and reeling the line in. Miles' favorite part was the bait- he happily plucked the shrimp out of the bucket and helped Evan put them on the hooks!

Jack's first fish of the day. He quickly cuaght a second, but I wasn't quick enough to snap a picture!

A little while later, Jack realized he had another fish on his line- a bigger one!

I love his face here!

Not sure who's more proud!

Miles wanted a picture with Jack's fish too

Sun, Swimming, and Sea Creatures...in Florida!

We flew to Stuart, Florida the first week in April for what has become an annual spring get-away to visit Evan's family. After so many hectic days surrounding the big move, we were more than ready for a week of relaxing at the beach...which is exactly what we did!