Summer Slow Down

I've been trying to figure out who coined the phrase the "lazy" days of summer. Because, there don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. My computer time goes WAY down in the summer, thus the lack of blog posts. Between being a full-time SAH mom, working a part-time job, caring for a large garden and vegetable garden and playing tennis 4-5 times a week...there's little rest for the wicked.

We've been to the pool nearly everyday. Even this day.

It was windy, less than 70 degrees and empty. Dev was thrilled to have the pool to herself. Thankfully, Matt was with us to swim. I sat, wrapped in towels, playing Words With Friends on my iPhone. (A lovely break, actually)

Father's Day/Birthday

I'm so excited about Matt's Father's Day/Bday gift! My canvas arrived from Cafe Press.com and I'm thrilled with the results. It's 2.5 ft by 1.5 ft and is a "Museum Wrap" style. (Meaning the picture wraps around the sides of the canvas. The colors are rich and clear. Not bad for $39.99!!!

(I got a great deal from Groupon...make sure you're signed up for those emails)

Now let's just hope he doesn't read the blog.

This may cost me the Parent of the Year Award

So. Dev started talking about wanting some pink streaks in her hair this summer. I have no idea where it came from, other than a few of her Barbie mermaids have color changing hair. I mentioned it to my friend and Dev's "Aunt" Debbie. I told Debbie I was hesitant to put dye on Dev's hair...maybe a Henna or something? My first stop was Whole Foods to look for a natural, plant-based dye. Then, I came to my senses and told Debbie we would wait until she asked around. (She's an ex-stylist)

Debbie came up with a no-dye solution....pink hair extensions. (And, yes...I'm officially insane)

Although, I secretly hope by honoring these requests now, it may curb more serious requests in the future.

Apparently, this man is the local expert on the process and is good friends with Debbie. So, he put in 1 extension on one side and 2 on the other. She is beyond thrilled and it's actually a very subtle look.

In keeping with the pink theme, we visited the Derby Dinner Playhouse to see, "Pinkalicious." It's a short children's musical based on a popular book & we thought the play was adorable. This little playhouse provides a wonderful introductory experience to theater in the round & Dev loves each production we attend.

We're in the 2nd week of her preschool summer camp and she starts Ballet/Tap class next week. It's hard to describe the level of excitement she has about starting dance class....it rivals our trip to Disney and Christmas. Yesterday, I took her to the dance wear shop to get the required color of leotard, tights and shoes. She insisted on opening everything in the car and immediately trying it all on when we got home. She spent the ENTIRE day in her leotard and tights, alternating between the ballet and tap shoes. And, then she slept with her ballet shoes right next to her head. I spent many years studying ballet, pointe, modern dance and movement....I understand her enthusiasm.

iPhone Days

It's been so hot the past few days, I haven't felt like lugging around my camera. So, I snapped a few pictures with my phone instead. We splashed at the Zoo splash park this morning, but (to my amazement) Dev's basically outgrown the area. She's so into actually swimming, she seemed bored by splashing and sliding and asked to put on her regular clothes within 30 minutes.

She spotted a face painting station...why not?

Then she decided to just ride the Zoo tram for several 15 minute laps around the park. We rode the carousel, pressed a penny flat and bought some butterfly wings at the gift shop.

I guess this is what goes on while I'm at tennis.

Dev's apparently painted her own face, Matt's wearing a deflated kick ball as a hat and they're swinging in a camping hammock.

This is Matt's room aka: the Ping Pong room. Make sure you take it all in...The B&W checked floor, the old bedspread hanging around the sump pump, the CD racks on the walls, twin mattress and box springs, old furniture...needless to say, it's the catch-all room of the house.

More Summer Fun

I finally took Dev to the local library last week. I guess living a 1/2 mile from the used bookstore and the fact that our libraries are majorly sub-par, didn't have me in any rush to get our cards.

But, the experience was fun for Dev as we searched the computer for books of interest and then hunted them down in the stacks. She chose a couple of books about ballet, a few Martha Speaks books and I found a Tyler Florence cookbook.


We've been having regular play dates with her BFF:) These two are so amazing together...they're so agreeable when they play. I overheard ballet class, tea party, cooking, lots of Barbies and we did several crafts together.

Dev starts a series of 2-week Summer Camps this week. She goes in the mornings to the same preschool, with her favorite teacher and her friends. They spend most mornings outside as much as possible and focus on fun activities, splash days, crafts, nature and field trips.

We're wearing a path to the tennis club and pool. Dev's officially addicted to swimming...constantly pushing herself to learn more and do what she sees other kids doing. There's a 4.5 year old she sees a lot and plays with at the pool. Yesterday, we watched Maddy go off the diving board....alone. And, swim to the side. Guess what Dev wants to do now??

Starting Summer

Summer is here! Preschool's regular schedule is over, which I admit, brings me some relief. There's something about rushing around in the morning to drop her by 8:45, only to go pick her back up at 11:45...

Our schedule is much more open in the summer...time for twirling!


We visited my friend Debbie, who has 2 Goldens...Zoe wanted to go home with us!

Debbie also used to be a hairstylist and gave Devin her "summer cut." She (Devin) was reluctant to cut off her "Rapunzel hair." However, the daily tears and screaming from combing out the tangles were too much for me. Luckily, her friend Alana has shorter hair & Dev was very pleased with the results.

Last week, we (mostly Devin) accomplished something very difficult.

She quit sleeping with her Binkies cold turkey.

I know, know. She just turned 5. We should have just taken it away a loooooong time ago. However, we decided to stick with our "child-led" approach to things like this. It worked so well for Devin with eating, potty-training and sleeping...letting her take the lead and decide when she was ready for what. We restricted the binkie to sleeping only, but up until last week, she really seemed to need it for relaxation and sleep. I could still see her doing the same nursing pattern she did as a newborn. The dentist said the binkies weren't a problem and her Dr. warned taking them away could lead to finger sucking. So, we waited.

And, waited.

And, finally last week at bedtime she said, "I want to quit binkies, but I don't know how."

I told her most people quit one of two ways. Some people like to gradually do something less and less, until they stop. And, some like to just quit and get it over with. She quickly decided to stop all binkies, but keep them in the room that night.

The next morning, they were untouched and she never looked back! We made a HUGE deal of her being such a big girl and making such a good and mature choice. She's growing and learning so much right now...but we're stopping to enjoy summer and slow down a bit. Our trips to the pool are much more fun, as she's much bigger this year and more confident in the water.