Friday, December 29, 2017

Christmas In The Tropics

Ramada Tropics, that is... Okay, so we didn't exactly go somewhere warm this year, but we did take a quick trip down to Des Moines for Christmas because the kids asked for a water park. This is something we did even when I was little, and while it isn't a tradition we celebrate every year, it's definitely a great one. Baby Evelyn had her first swim experience (because I was able to buy a swim diaper in the gift shop), the kids enjoyed the slides, and we spent the whole rest of the night playing games and ordering room service. We didn't spend a ton of time in the pool, even though that was the part they asked for, but it does include a huge pirate ship play area, a "regular" pool, hot tub, sports pool (basketball and volleyball), and then the area at the base of the big water slides, as well. The staff to swimmer ratio was also something I noticed - they were definitely ready for the influx of family Christmas parties

If you haven't been to the Ramada Tropics in Des Moines I'd definitely recommend it. The breakfast in the restaurant is really good, the price is reasonable, especially on the off-days, and the facilities are clean. They also have an arcade where we spent about 45 minutes and the princess won two jackpot prizes! While they don't have a ton of games, it was enough to keep the kids happy. It's also conveniently located near several restaurants and just a short drive from Merle Hay mall, which has really stepped up it's game from the slightly sketchy place it was when I was younger. They have some great stores and, if you're without the kids, be sure to check out Flix BrewHouse while you're there!

The other waterpark hotel we love in Iowa that we love is King's Pointe in Storm Lake, but their waterpark wasn't open on Christmas day, so we skipped that one this time. We also can't wait to try out the new Great Wolf Lodge in Minneapolis! What are your favorite places to stay with kids?

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Once Christmas Is Over...

Once Christmas is over and the gifts are unwrapped, boxes broken down, and food put away, what do you do? Well, if you're my kids, you ask to make YouTube videos with your gifts. While the older two are waiting to make their own, Monks was excited to record himself making his own surprise chocolate eggs right away. I'm not exactly sure what's up with this child-YouTube phenomenon. Why would you want to watch another kid sit and play with toys? Why wouldn't you just play with your own toys? But at least now I can say my kid(s) are creators instead of consumers!


Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Lessons from Pregnancy #4

Photo from Noss Photography & Designs
I had a realization today in a brief break from the mommy fog that has taken over my life - you know the one, where you don't know what day it is and you're not sure of the last time you spoke to an adult about something other than diapers or sleep patterns or feeding time. Anyway, I realized I never formally introduced Evelyn! Shon and I, along with three SUPER excited siblings, welcomed Miss Evelyn to the family exactly two months ago today! We couldn't be more in love.

A few things I learned during this pregnancy that I thought I would share with you.
1. I've only ever been induced with my babies. With #4, I went on my own, and it is so much faster! We got to the hospital at 6:15am and Evelyn was born at 7:43. Which brings me to...
2. If your contractions feel different than normal, and you're not sure if you should go to the hospital because you don't want to wake up the kids and you don't want to be "that girl" who gets sent home because it's not real labor? GO ANYWAY! I was seriously only one "let's just wait and see through one more contraction" away from a) my water breaking in the car, and b) not getting any drugs. Neither of those would have been a happy scenario. If you're questioning it, just go.
3. If you are offered an extra day in the hospital, and you don't medically need it, tell them no thanks. I thought the rest would be nice, but I wanted my own bed, my own TV (hello, no Netflix to binge on?!), and to be able to move from one room to another. Our hospital staff was awesome, but I would definitely do that part differently.
4. Apparently hospital food is no longer terrible. For the record, I had the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich of my life. Twice. I'd have another baby just so I could have some more of that grilled cheese! I have no idea what the secret was, either. Real butter? Somebody else made it and I didn't have to? They didn't burn the first three pieces of bread? The world may never know...
5. It's nearly impossible to find cold weather clothing (think October in Iowa) in baby Florida Gators design. So if you're thinking of being unique with that coming home outfit? Start planning ahead of time! And definitely make it your own. You are totally allowed to go grossly overboard on your baby's first outfits. I give you permission. You'll have those pictures saved forever.
6. Having a baby at 31 vs 21 (or 19 or 25) definitely has its advantages: maturity, stability, other -ty words... but it is a LOT harder on your body. I fully support each person's right to choose the family planning path for them, and I know some rockstar moms having babies at 40+! But holy cow, I'm not as young as I used to be!

Monday, July 17, 2017

To My Family

There are two types of family in this world. The family you are born into, and the family you create. The family you are born into is one of chance. You learn together, grow together, and hopefully, as has been my experience, you stand together no matter what. I have been blessed with an incredible family, and even though sometimes they do things to make you mad like steal your birthday cornflake chicken (*cough*ANGELA*cough*), and they sometimes have to tell me the hard truth, I know they always, always have my best interest at heart. I wouldn't trade them for the world. But tonight I want to talk about the families we create.

Two years and three summers (football seasons) ago, you may remember that our family became part of the semi-pro football world. You may also remember that I was less than enthused at first. We drove up to the first game to play the Tri-State Buffalos. I heard that one phrase that changed it all, "Welcome to the family." And from then on, the world was different. Dramatic much? Not really. Sure, it would be easy to say that my summers were different, or football was different, but I honestly mean my whole world was different. My family and I had become a part of something bigger than I'd realized. We were part of a family that had been created.

What is a "created family?"

It's a family who chooses to be beside you when you're down, call you when you're sick, pick you up when things haven't seemed darker.
It's a family who chooses to include you in holiday dinners and christening the new baby and stands beside you on your wedding day.
It's a family who chooses to accept your faults and your flaws even though they don't have to and who celebrates your achievements.
It's a family who has absolutely zero obligation to do any of those things, and chooses to do them anyway because they care and they want to.

As my family heads into the 2017 SPFL Championship game this weekend, I want to thank each of you who have been a part of the journey, because it's important to appreciate your family.

Thank you for the highs of winning and the lessons learned in loss.
Thank you for the carpools and road trips.
Thank you for the meals shared.
Thank you for being there when I needed a shoulder to cry on.
Thank you for being my mentor.
Thank you for helping me with my projects at work.
Thank you for saving my life (on more than one occasion).
Thank you for always making me feel like my small contributions to the bigger picture matter.
Thank you for making my children feel loved and included.
Thank you for becoming crazy "uncles" to my babies, but also for being incredible role models.
Thank you for watching my kids.
Thank you for the invitations to be part of some of the biggest events in your lives.
Thank you for the inside jokes.
Thank you for fixing my flat tire, carrying my cooler, grabbing my kid a Gatorade.
Thank you for having my back when things got tough.
Most of all, thank you for the memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.

I don't know what next summer will bring, and I don't know what Saturday will bring (yes I do, and obviously it's a W), but I do know that I couldn't have asked for a better family to experience it with.

Monday, June 12, 2017

How Do You Like Your Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes. For many, it's another gross baby food. For others, it's a Thanksgiving staple. It took me until I was 21 years old to figure out that you could have sweet potatoes in months other than November. Nope, not even lying. It seems as though in recent years it's become a popular menu item in many restaurants and households. Lucky for me!

At my last OB appointment my doctor asked me about additional testing, which I declined. I've never done it, and I figure my baby is my baby either way. Because I have a history of miscarriage, she recommended that I change my diet just in case, since I didn't want the testing, and gave me an order to eat sweet potatoes every. Single. Day. The first thing I did was drag Shon to Hy-Vee and buy fresh sweet potatoes, canned sweet potatoes, and sweet potato fries. I'm going to be honest, I like sweet potatoes, but I've struggled with this task. Right now I'm trying to get them in a few times a week. Next I reached out to my North Iowa Blogger friends for recipes. Kristen, of Make The Best of Everything, shared these sweet potato brownies and sweet potato fries! Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs, and Kids shared her favorite Pinterest recipe for sweet potato noodles. Thank God for good blogger friends!

I started doing a little research of my own when I realized that I wasn't going to be able to bring myself to eat sweet potatoes every single day, even with the great new recipes. Knowing that the desired goal was to increase my body's levels of progesterone, I found a great blog that shared more foods than just sweet potatoes for promoting the body's natural process of producing the hormone. While no foods are an actual natural source of progesterone, there are many foods that help your body produce more on its own. After discovering that foods I eat on a regular basis including whole grains, spinach, oranges, and olive oil all made the list, I feel confident that I can maintain a healthy diet with plenty of exercise for my little Flash!

Do you have other sweet potato recipes to share? Have you had to get creative with your diet for pregnancy health reasons? I'd love to hear about it!

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Peace of Mind with Ultrasound1

I have been extremely paranoid about this pregnancy. It may be number four, but that hasn't made it any less unnerving during any ache or pain or headache. Part of that comes with pregnancy after a loss, and I think, honestly, part of that comes from just being older now. I know 30 isn't the "end of times" in terms of child birth, but I do know that as you get older risks can increase, and I also know that my body in general doesn't bounce back from things as easily as it used to. On top of everything else, while my head told me it was still early, I started to get nervous that I wasn't really feeling the baby move much yet.

Our little zombie looking baby
After spending weeks worrying from appointment to appointment (and we all know that stress isn't good for me or the baby) to hear the heartbeat, I did some research online, and came across a service that I actually used once long ago when I was pregnant for the very first time. I connected with Joyce from Ultrasound1 in Mason City. Joyce has been doing ultrasounds in and out of hospitals for decades, and was SO easy to work with for scheduling. I made my appointment when I was at 18.5 weeks and while yes, we did find out the gender, it was really important to me just to see that my baby was okay, had the basics like two arms and two legs, and hear a heartbeat again. We got to take home a DVD of our session, several pictures, and an offer to come back at a discounted rate (I did the $119.50 internet special) for a second ultrasound if we choose to do another one for ourselves or with the kids.

I love this sweet, snuggled in pose
Ultrasound1 is a really cozy space located on the backside of Willowbrook Mall. I sat in a recliner chair with Shon next to me holding my hand, and we watched as Joyce talked us through the different things we were seeing on the screen. She was *awesome* at keeping a secret when we said that Shon wasn't going to find out what the baby's gender is (of course that lasted about 5 minutes after we walked out the door), and showed us all the comparison pictures of the 3D/4D images and baby pictures that former clients had shared with her. She made it an incredibly special experience for both of us, and I hope we do get the chance to go back later in the pregnancy.

While Ultrasound1 is a non-medical ultrasound, Joyce was able to help me see that the reason I probably hadn't felt a ton of movement was because of an anterior placenta. Basically there is a giant pillow between me and the baby. In fact, "Baby O53orn" was pretty content to just snuggle into that "pillow" the entire time we were there - yet another indicator that it is my child (Shon hates my pregnancy pillow ;).That was pretty much all the reassurance I needed. If you're looking for some peace of mind like me, a way to bond with your baby during pregnancy, or a special experience to share with loved ones, I highly recommend visiting Joyce at Ultrasound1!

Stay tuned for the details of the gender reveal party that the princess is planning for us!



Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Summer STEM at Home

One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to explore new facets of education. One of the BEST things I've seen come to education lately is the emphasis on student creativity, making, and STEM.

One of the biggest complaints parents seem to have about summer is that they don't want their kids sitting inside on electronic devices all day. However, it's not always easy or feasible to keep kids entertained on your own. Especially kids who can't drive somewhere.

This year as part of my personal professional development I worked with one of my kids' teachers to create opportunities for families to learn more about how easily household items can become fun, educational learning experiences. As part of that work, I wanted to share with you a few resources from my "Making at Home" Pinterest board!


You can check out the projects, books, and resources for parents to use at home, or you can try connecting with your local extension office or 4H group. I found a lot of Hamilton County summer 4H opportunities on their Facebook page!

Friday, June 2, 2017

And Baby Makes 4 (or 6?)

I wanted to show the front and back, but Shon quickly
pointed out that I should clarify we are *not* having twins!!
I promised you new adventures from The Gym Mom in 2017... We're going to be a family of 6! Four kids will be quite an adventure, but we think we're up to it, and I'm sure I'll have some fun "first time dad" stories to share on the blog as Shon adds "dad of newborn" to his new "step-dad" role. ;) For our "Facebook official" announcement we wanted to include our love of football and the Midwest Rampage in our excitement, so I had Alyssa Noss of Noss Photography and Designs make up an AWESOME replica onesie for our new little one! I know I'll be following fellow North Iowa Blogger, Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs, and Kids to get some pointers on being a mom of four, but I'd love to hear from you as well! Share your best advice in the comments!


Monday, May 29, 2017

Summer Fun with Kelly Gau Studio

I received a free creation session to facilitate this post. My opinions are my own. 

Last week I visited Kelly Gau Studio in Albert Lea, MN and discovered what true love is. True love is holding a nail and giving your 4-year-old a hammer.

When the North Iowa Bloggers were invited to Kelly Gau Studio to try out an activity for her upcoming summer creative kids sessions, I was super excited to be able to take the boys. I'd never been to the studio (and actually she's now at a new location just a block away from the old one), but had heard my blogger friends talk about it many times, so I knew it would be a fun trip. When we walked in there were beautiful lights and paintings covering the ceiling, walls, and even the floor! The vibe in the space is super fun and relaxed.

While a lot of people know about Kelly and her painting classes, she set up a different activity us that night. We were going to do some nail art. I don't know if that's the technical artist name, but that's what I call it! This activity is one of ten that she'll have set up during her ten-week summer kids program. I wasn't sure how the nail art would go with a 4-year-old, but he was anxious to try, so we rolled with it. Spoiler alert: He loved it and only required minimal help!


We started by picking a paint color and an apron. This is no small task, but the boys settled on black and orange, and found a red and a green apron. I opted for Gator blue paint and skipped the apron, although there were plenty for everyone. Once I realized Monks wasn't going to need as much help as I thought, I realized I could make my own while we were at it!

Step one was to sand the wood blocks to create a smooth surface. The boys did a pretty good job on their own, though I did help Monkey finish his up and just give it a once-over. Bug was able to do his own for the most part.

Step two was to paint! Of course both the boys enjoyed this part, and were able to complete the task on their own while I did my own. When they were finished painting we took their wood blocks over to the hair dryer and then the boys washed their hands at the kid-height friendly sink.

Step 3. After the blocks were dry, we traced hearts onto the wood using a stencil, and then it was time to pound nails. Bug was pretty well off on his own. With a few pointers from Kelly, he was able to space the nails and pound them in like a pro. Then there was Monks. He let me do the first two nails (the top and the bottom of the heart), but he wanted to do the rest. First I started the nails for him and then let him pound away. Sometimes they were crooked and I'd pound them back out. Then, and this is where the true love comes in, he wanted to do it himself. You heard me folks, I held the nails and handed my baby a hammer. Obviously it was completely supervised and he doesn't hit very hard, but anyone who has ever done any home repair or building project knows that a slight miss can lead to a very sore thumb! He actually blew me away with his hand/eye coordination - he didn't miss once! He even did one nail completely on his own! I guess all those chores with dad on the farm are paying off!

Next up, step 4, was to weave the yarn around the nails to create a design. Again, Bug took off on doing his own thing, while Monkey waited (mostly) patiently for the color he wanted. Kelly had various yarn balls available, but Monks had a very specific design in mind and only wanted red. When it was his turn I tied his starter knot (which I actually had to do for Bug as well) and tried to let him do his thing. This actually proved a little difficult as he didn't quite understand the concept. I started him out by wrapping the first several layers around the outside of the heart to give him a base and tried to let him go again. Kelly stepped in to help a couple times when he struggled. The biggest issue he had with this part was keeping the yarn pulled tight. I appreciated having her there to guide when we got stuck.

Our first creations were a success! After posing for a group photo Bug told me he knew that we definitely needed to bring his sister in sometime because this was the kind of place she would love - she's very into art and creating new things. I think she'd love the dreamcatcher session that Kelly was telling us about! To sign up for the kids' sessions you can purchase a punchcard, which guarantees you a spot each week, but for people like me with a crazy summer schedule, you can also do a drop in option (although it is recommended that you call ahead). To check out Kelly Gau studio, the summer kids club, and her other great sessions like "Paint with a Princess" you can visit her website or check out her Facebook page! I know we'll definitely be back with our princess!






Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Will you be my bridesmaid?

You'll notice the red bottle - my princess,
as my pre-teen maid of honor, got cherry
limeade soda instead of wine #solidparenting
I truly believe that one of the best/worst changes in the last five years has been the introduction of Pinterest to our lives. I love Pinterest. It has helped me plan a huge chunk of my wedding, find new exercise tips, given me some of my favorite meals, and has helped me plan awesome activities for the kids. However, I am the queen of the "Pinterest fail." I am also just not super creative. So when it came time to ask my girls to be in my wedding, I knew that the "new" way to do it was with a fancy, creative, adorable invitation. Ring pops, puzzles, elaborate gift baskets... when I got married in 2007 we just asked people. I think I may have texted a couple. NOW, the pressure is on.

The lucky thing about the internet age and the Pinterest world, is that unlike me, many people are SUPER creative, and are selling their super creative goods on Etsy! So what does a self-proclaimed Pinterest Fail Queen do in a time like this? Go shopping! Crafts? No. Online shopping? I'll take home the gold medal. I was able to find these simple, yet chic labels and tags, lucked into a peach moscato at Hy-Vee that was IN MY WEDDING COLORS, and put together a fun way to ask my lovely group to be in our wedding, without getting paint on my clothes or hot glue in my hair, AND without breaking the bank (I don't know if you know this, but weddings are a little bit on the expensive side).

Moral of the story? I hereby give you official permission to a) not play TOO much into the crazy world of Pinterest when it comes to all of life's biggest moments, and b) let someone else be creative for you.

Friday, May 19, 2017

That 2nd Shift Life - Creatively Connecting With Your Spouse

A night at The Buffalo Tavern
Burlington after work
One of the things I cherish most about my relationship is our commitment to making time for each other. In the crazy day-to-day life that is work and kids and friends and family, it can be really easy to lose sight of your partner in the mix. You can easily become partners in a taxi cab service instead of partners in life who are connected and invested in each other as much as (or more than) the world around you. One of the things that can make that particularly difficult to manage, is when you have opposite schedules. I work a more traditional "first shift" job with schools, while Shon works a 2nd shift job. I am home to see my kids at the end of the school day, but Shon leaves shortly before they get out of school and isn't home again until after bedtime. It's not unheard of for the kids to go a couple weeks without any real time with him, depending on the schedule with their dad (but I'll save
step-parent bonding for another post).

So what do you do when from 7am until 11:30pm you're on opposite schedules, just in time to go to bed? Sometimes I whine about it, to be honest. It's not convenient or ideal most days. But it's our life and we make it work for us. Here are a few of the things that have worked best for us!

1. Finding a show to watch together. Right now we're watching The Game on Hulu, which consists of 20-25 minute episodes. I know, you're shocked, we're watching a show about football. Having a short sitcom we can watch together means we can sneak in an episode if we happen to have a lunch break together, or maybe catch one or two before I fall asleep for the night.

That one time I beat him at darts...
2. Naps! I've found that if I can catch a little nap after the kids go to bed, but before Shon gets home, I will occasionally have the energy (if he can get me to wake up again!) to stay up and talk or watch a movie once he gets home.

3. Bar games. I'm 30. I'm not about going out and drinking very often at this point (if at all, it seems like), but when Shon was working weekends it was not uncommon for us to plan a date night that didn't start until 11:30. We'd pick some music and, while I'm still completely terrible at it, I found that I really enjoy
playing darts! I even got my own pink set for Christmas last year.

4. We protect our weekends. If you've ever read my blog, you know that a free weekend is hard to come by, but we've made it a priority to try and protect at least a chunk of "us" time on the weekend as much as possible - usually Sundays. Sometimes that means taking the kids to the park and sometimes that means spending the day in bed with Pizza Hut Cajun fries and binge watching Netflix. It's not always easy to carve out the time, especially when it seems like there is always something coming up or going on, but we make it work.

5. Lunch dates. On days I work from home or nearby we can sometimes sneak in a date at Subway or Whoop-ti-doo's (stay tuned for that blog post because the Big Boy panini is ah-may-zing). It's not super fancy, but while some people do dinner dates, we just happen to get lunch. We work with what's in our schedule.


I know a lot of my friends are in similar situations. I'd love to hear what other ideas you've come up with!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Spring Break in Estes: A Mountain Proposal

We didn't have a long trip planned in Estes, so we wanted to fit in as many sights and experiences as possible. On day two we planned a trip into Rocky Mountain National Park before our dinner at the historic (haunted?) Stanley Hotel. Across the road from Della Terra is the Rocky Mountain Gateway gift shop and Trailhead Restaurant where we picked up gifts for the kids and breakfast before driving into RMNP. We drove around, taking random lefts and rights, taking in the views and catching photos. Eventually, since it was March, we ran out of road. We were around "Many Parks Curve" when we found a place to park and got out to walk along the road for a while. I even decided it would be a good idea to hike off the road and up the side of a mountain for a little ways. The weather was beautiful, but I was definitely not dressed for hiking in my Rampage sweatpants, sweatshirt, and KMart "Ugg" style boots. It wasn't long before my pant legs and boots were water-soaked.

We went back to the car, went about 100 yards to another lookout, parked, and followed a boardwalk around the curve to take in more views. We stood on the boardwalk, agreeing that Long's Peak was one of our favorite views of the trip. After establishing that I was getting cold (remember, mountain wind and wet clothes), Shon stopped me as I turned around, got down on one knee, and asked me to be his wife. He told me later that he had a big speech plan, but when the moment came all he could think was that he just wanted to hurry up and ask me so I could say yes. I confessed later that the first thought in my head *might* have been, "Do not drop that ring over the side of the mountain." After the obvious answer of yes, we asked another group to take our picture. Because the world is tiny like that, and the world of Iowa is even smaller, it turned out that the woman who took our picture had previously recognized Shon's Des Moines county plates in the parking area - she was from Mount Pleasant, just down the road! Remember those Rampage sweats that were not ideal for hiking? Let me tell you, if I had to do it over again, and I knew I was going to be getting engaged, I would DEFINITELY choose a different outfit! Although... Sweats and a messy ponytail and he still wants to marry me? That's probably a good sign. ;)


Our RMNP trip was cut a bit short - there's no cell reception in the park, and clearly at that point my priority was sharing our exciting news with everyone I knew. After calling the kids and asking their permission to marry Shon, and messaging all our closest friends, we went back to our suite to get ready for dinner.

If you've never experienced dinner at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, I would definitely recommend a visit. While a bit pricy, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was what I was looking for in a "nice" restaurant - not too stuffy, but more upscale than we would typically go to at home. It was worthy of dressing up. My only complaint, if you can call it that, was that other people didn't necessarily feel the same way. So while I was looking forward to a dinner where I could wear my new dress (as were most other patrons), others felt as though jeans were appropriate. Not that others' clothes should affect my evening, but it did detract a little bit from the ambiance I was hoping for. The service was great, and we had our pick of local game meat and craft beers to choose from. It was the perfect way to celebrate our big day. It was also the perfect way to get another picture of our engagement day so I could ditch the sweats and ponytail!

Monday, May 15, 2017

Spring Break in Estes Park: Day 1

Over spring break, after a whirlwind visit to Kansas City to see Legoland and Sea Life with the kids, Shon and I made the 11 hour drive out to Estes Park. At first we were going to spend the night in Nebraska, but since late nights are sort of Shon's thing (#2ndShiftLife), we ended up driving straight through and getting a last minute room at the Quality Inn. Free wifi, free breakfast, and clean room with a mountain view? Yes please. The lovely woman at the desk even gave us a discount for it being so late.

We spent day one driving around Estes getting the lay of the land and visiting all the little shops, including, obviously every single one of their Christmas stores. I would love to hear from anyone who knows why there are 57 Christmas stores in Estes Park, but I'll save that research for another story. We stopped to visit the exact spot where my mom and step-dad got married, sending them a quick photo, and of course, Shon listening patiently as I replayed the events of that day 11 crazy years ago (down to finding the Safeway where mom got her flowers and posing on the rock where they took their wedding photo).

For lunch we ate a ridiculous amount of delicious food at Ed's Cantina and Grill - we had queso with ground bison, and I had a bison taco, a lamb taco, and a chicken and avocado taco. All three were excellent, but my favorite was the chicken. Someday I'm going back to try the chimichanga. Unfortunately the chimi is a new discovery for me, and I had no idea about the amazingness I was missing out on.

After a full day of shopping, Christmas, and old school rock candy, we were able to check into our actual hotel, the Della Terra Mountain Chateau. A destination wedding location, Della Terra is home to several very private suites with private balconies and hot tubs. And the bathroom. Oh my goodness, the bathroom.  Someday when I win the lottery and we build our dream home, it will have this bathroom.The trick is, if you go in the off season, you get the rooms for half the price of what you would pay during tourist season. We borrowed a movie from the theater room, ordered room service, and I'll be honest, I crashed early. Altitude plus a full day of walking plus a full stomach? I didn't stand a chance.

Stay tuned, it gets better!

Friday, May 12, 2017

Celebrating My Athletes: Easy ways to make an event feel special

Hyvee meatloaf pans, Gatorade, beef jerky,
 Snickers, protein bars, and chapstick
This spring I've been inspired by my lovely friend Lori, who always has clever ways to celebrate her children. So for the big events in my athletes' lives, I've been doing a little celebrating, myself.

In the last few weeks, the princess had her state meet a(qualifying all three events to USTA national in June!), we had our first (and second) Rampage wins for Shon and Bug (my little ball-boy), and Bug had his first baseball game! It's been busy in our house, as you can tell, but making these events special was important to me. Of course you'll notice that the Monkey was sort of left out, but don't worry, he got his own treats on the side so he didn't feel left out at all.

I wanted to take a few minutes to post some pictures of the "creative" (I don't know if I have a creative bone in my body, but I tried) gifts I came up with. If you're ever in the mood to make the people in your life feel special before a big event, I completely recommend checking these out! Everything pictured came from the local grocery store or from Dollar Tree, and the kids (and Shon) were beyond excited for their treats! Don't worry, not all of the ideas included candy. For state week I just chose fun items, and of course on the final day she received flowers. For the football game and the baseball game, I tried to think of things that would fuel their bodies or they would enjoy on the sidelines. You'll notice that hydration and protein were key themes.

From L to R: Dollar store pot, soil, seeds; clearance Easter candy; king size Starbursts

From L to R: Dollar store water glass; dollar store emoji notepads; dollar store erasers and a Milky Way

Beef jerky, Twizzlers, Sunflower seeds, Body Armor 



Thursday, May 11, 2017

A new season, a new gym mom

Life is strange. There are a lot of curve balls that you just never see coming - appropriate since tonight was the start of Bug's baseball season. I've started more than one new chapter in my life since I last sat down to write on my blog, and with new chapters you'll see a new me, and new types of posts! What kind of new posts will you be seeing as summer approaches? Well, you'll still see gym mom posts, of course - we've still got tumbling (though the world of power tumbling is a bit different than the gymnastics life I miss so terribly), baseball, and Rampage football of course, but we're adding in youth football later this summer! You'll also see some new thoughts on blended families, wedding planning, and I've headed back to school!

Stay tuned!