Behind the Screen: It’s Gettin Hot in Here…

Gracious y’all.  This has been the hottest summer ever!  Completely and totally ready for fall this year because the triple digit temperatures are wreaking havoc on my hair, my energy levels and all the flowers I planted in Spring have just about had it.

Do you have time to catch up a bit?  What shall we get?  Where shall we go?  Are you thinking a Frose?  How about some fresh lemonade?  It is just so darn hot I want to be home all the time.  Please tell me I am not the only one that just loves home?  Remember when the best part of waking up was Folgers in your cup?  Well that is still the case here but pj time comes in a close second.  Usually pj time is about 5 seconds after we walk in the front door from soccer practice every night.  🙂  Is that the case for you too?  I knew there was a reason we are such good friends- you totally get me!

The kid’s squeezed a bunch of lemons and we made lemonade- care for a glass?  There is really nothing better than fresh squeezed lemonade is there?  And hold on I think we have some watermelon chopped up- let’s go sit out by the pool.  There is a little breeze and we can hide from the kids for a bit.

How was your summer?  Filled with adventure or filled with laying out by the pool?  A bit of both I hope!  Our soccer schedule has been pretty all consuming with games, practice and tournaments so we didn’t get to do as much as I hoped but all in all I got in a lot of quality time with my little fam so that is what really matters.

I love it when we can get a few minutes to chat with you though!  Are you looking forward to school starting?  It starts Thursday for us!  I know this sounds ridiculous but I have butterflies in my stomach.  My girls are incredibly excited (the only children ever to say- how many more days till school starts Mom?  Every.single.morning.)  The kids were in private school and it just wasn’t a fit for us and we were on the waiting list for charter schools hoping to transfer them and once we accepted that the waiting list was going to be indefinite we decided to pull them out and try a few months of home schooling. That was OK and I loved having my besties with me all the time but honestly with the blog I just didn’t feel like I could give home schooling my full attention.  So off to public school it is and by some miracle we got two spots in a great public school just 3 miles from home.  (Apparently this is the place to be because all the public schools are full in our area.  You wouldn’t believe the ridiculousness of trying to get two spots- I would have better luck getting the last Tickle Me Elmo at Walmart on Black Friday.)

We haven’t had a chance to chat in so long!  I love belly laughs with you- now I feel like I can skip the gym today because surely this counts as an ab workout right?

My Dad bought a new boat this summer so we really enjoyed a family day on the lake.  (Lake Tahoe that is- please put Tahoe on your bucket list if you haven’t been.  It is a stunning spot.)

Have you seen these inflatable chairs?  I nixed them at first because it looked like something that would last five seconds and pop.  Nope.  Friends get this into your life.  A teammate brought one to a soccer tournament and they are awesome.  You need to run to fill them with air- then twist to secure and you can sit very comfortably pretty much anywhere- including the pool because these suckers float.

We did make it out to the sunflower fields in the area- I love sunflowers.  Our house is filled with them at the moment.  (And how cute is this little top from Justice? One of my favorites and only $8!)

We scouted out this stunning lavender farm a few miles from our house for family photos later this year.  This is a private residence and they open it to the public for U Pick lavender and photo sessions.  We have been feeling like we will never get away from our little box house and find property and this little trip renewed our hope that magical little spaces do exist and one day we will have our own spot.  My girls sat so quietly on the edge of this dock looking at the pond for ages.  Can you imagine looking out at this from your home each day?  What a dream.

Have ever ever tried paddleboarding?  I have been nervous to try this because I thought the girls might be too little.  We gave it a shot though with Mommy right behind in a kayak ready to dive into the shallow water at any moment to save a kid that fell off the paddle board.  Lol.  The kids totally took to this though and we had so much fun.  Next summer we might consider investing in paddle boards because the kids really loved it.  Always on the hunt for activities to keep us all together my friends.  You too?  I know this time is fleeting and they will want to be with their friends more and more in the coming years so the more fun stuff we can do as a family the better in my book.

This kid cracks me up.  Sassy little thing she is.

And we survived my big girl’s 10th birthday.  Slumber parties are no joke my friends but we lived to tell the tale and she had so much fun with her little besties.  We did a camping theme with little tee pees for each kid and they played in the pool, had a blast on this slip n slide and we tried water balloon baseball which is crazy fun.

So that about wraps up the summer for us.  I am so happy we had a chance to catch up.  Sorry to talk your ear off yet again!

Here are a few things I have been loving lately:

Slip n Slide (this was so fun.  I got the best photos of pure joy on the kid’s faces.  Be sure to get no more tears shampoo to squirt before the kids take a turn- makes this thing so much more slippery and fun!)

Inflatable Lounger  (just get it.  The kids will love it.)

My new sneaks. (Not exactly the same but similar and I love them! Perfect with pale grey and jeans for fall).

New boots for my kiddos.  Super cute with little dresses and skirts for fall.

World of Dance.  Ha!  This has turned into our favorite family show.  My kids actually love this and we have watched the same episodes over and over.

Mini outdoor grill.  This is on clearance for only $10 and I picked it up for my daughter’s slumber party.  We sat outside and made S’Mores and it was so fun!  The kids loved it.  Grab this for your own summer S’Mores parties.  I am for sure taking this on our next overnight soccer tournament.  The team is going to love S’Mores at the hotel and this is so light and portable.