Do you see a money tree in the backyard?

Well, the kids seem to think that I am made of money! Wyatt keeps telling me about all the chores he will do for money and begging me for jobs to do. I think that it is time for an allowance. This will be a first for me. I explained to Madeline and Wyatt that they would get $4 for every week that they did their chores dictated on our chore chart. There are a few things that they need to know. You only get payed every other week and when you get paid you need to take out 10% for tithe and a little for savings 15%. I even made them their own envelop system. Starting them young! I wish that I had started my life debt free. The kids are so excited and have already started a wish list. I overheard a few of them: trampoline, a television in every room, an X-Box, big teddy bears, the list goes on and on. We will see if their work effort matches!

The envelope system.

The technical stuff

Here is a picture of our bird feeder that the birds have yet to discover.

Happy Memorial Day

The weather here is BEAUTIFUL today! We have spent most of the day outside having fun. I am flying solo today, but that did not stop me from throwing a few burgers and dogs on the grill. For dessert the kids had snow-cones.

Here is my patriotic version.

How do you think bed time is going to go tonight?

My patriotic pansies from Wal-Mart. I could not pass up this $5 deal last week.

The best part of the day was spending it with my favorite people!

Let Summer Begin

Today is first day of summer break! Wyatt keeps telling us that he has the next gazillion days off. Yes, we know. Last night we weathered the storms and played Just Dance. Here is a picture of the marble size hail pelting down.

Usually the kids hit the sack at 8, but I have pushed it back to 9 because it is still light out and usually they will sleep a little later. Today everyone was up a little after 8.

I have a new addiction that I drink every day, Lipton Red Tea. Hot or iced it taste great and it has zero calories because I am trying to lose ten pounds and keep it off which means some lifestyle changes and swimsuit season is approaching. My main problem is eating a little of this and a little of that throughout the day. I have decided to write down every piece of food that enters my mouth. Here is my food diary for this week. I know it is crude and messy, but it is working for me. I am trying to stay around 1300 calories. That really is not much and I am still allowing my one Dr Pepper can per day. That is 150 calories, but very worth it!

Summer Bucket List

The kiddos and I came up with a list of "must do" activities for the summer.

Here is what we have so far:

fly kites

set up a birdfeeder

visit the state museum

splash park

pick fruit at the local farm

ride a horse

catch fireflies

sleep in a tent

make homemade ice cream

go for a walk at night

nature hike

make smores

I am looking forward to this summer and can not wait to so some of these things. Some may be a little tricky, like riding a horse... we will see!

Wyatt's Note to the Tooth Fairy

"The Tof is in the cup"



Wyatt's new smile!

Soccer Finale

Today was the last day of soccer. It flew by and I am a little sad that half the season was rainy and cold and now that the weather is nice, it is over. Here are some highlights of today's game.

Wyatt posing for the camera.

Scoring a GOAL!

Luke acting bored.

Wyatt so proud of his trophy!

Red, White, and Blue

Here is my newest skirt for the DillyDally Independence Day launch. I found these cute Hello Kitty tees at a local retailer and made our signature patchwork skirt to match. The listing is for a size 5/6 and includes the shirt! See it HERE!

Outdoor Light Fixtures

Are next on my list! I have been browsing the Lowe's website and I have narrowed my choices down to three. We need two wall mount fixtures for the garage and one for the porch.

Here is what we currently have:






Here are some possibilities:





Matching porch lights:





So what do you think? I am leaning towards the last two in each group.

My Favorite Cleaning Tool Goes Green

I LOVE my Swiffer Wet Jet, but I did not love the cost and waste of the disposable pads and cleaning solution. When our house was on the market I rocked my Swiffer and cleaned my floors a lot. We had hardwood and laminate in every room but the bedrooms. Here at the new house I have linoleum in the kitchen, bathrooms, and foyer. The best part of moving was that my house did not have to be spotless all the time and time for more economic cleaning! I replaced the disposable pads for microterry inserts that can be thrown in the washer. I had some leftover FuzziBunz inserts from my cloth diaper days, but you can purchase them here for a reasonable price and free shipping! I use the medium size.

I just added two strips of velcro and machine sewed them on. If you do not own a sewing machine you could use the iron on velcro tape.

Now for the solution. I found this tip on YouTube and it WORKED! I added my own solution and now I am cleaning my floors for practically FREE!

Obsession

Ever since we got cable a month ago I have been watching Everybody Loves Raymond. It is funnier to me now that I have been married for almost 9 years than when I watched it as young, single person sans kids. I have been wanting the Fork and Spoon and was delighted when I saw them at Hobby Lobby Saturday with my bff. I did not buy them and I am regretting it now because look how cute these are in Thrifty Decor Chick's home!



And I have the perfect spot above my pantry. So the debate is... do I take the wall cutlery plunge?

Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting...

Luke has decided that he wants to join in the fun! Sometimes he gets embarrassed and puts his finger to his lips and says "Shh" because he does want us too look at him, but I was able to get this video. At the very end Luke says "that's cool". It is a little dark and grainy, but you can still see the boys' cuteness!

Easy Peasy Name Art

I love "found" letter collages, but wanted an easy one for a wedding gift. I was inspired by this Full of Great Ideas name art tutorial. Stephanie included the link to the awesome Leo Reynolds collection of letters. I picked out the letters I wanted to use and saved them all at the same size to my desktop. I chose the medium 500 size. When I had all of my letters I uploaded them to my Walgreens photo account and chose the 8x10 photo collage print.

It only took a few seconds to choose my border color and arrange my photos. An 8x10 is only $3.99 or FREE if you can score a coupon code like I did. You do not need photoshop and it will only take minutes of your time!

I plan on using a matted black frame, but I need to find a great deal on one first!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Today was a great day to break out the pool! I am trying to get all my ducks in a row before summer break begins because we will practically live outdoors and I will have to beg my kids to come indoors. At least we know that I will be working on my tan. Oh, and I stocked up on Popsicles today because that is definitely a summer staple!