Our Summer Bucket List

Our Summer Bucket List

Although June is coming to an end, I thought I might as well post our summer bucket list. We are on a good pace to check all of these off the list, especially since the kids don't go back to school until September.

1.  Go Bowling!
Thanks to the national KidsBowlFree.com initiative, bowling alleys across the country are providing two free games of bowling every day this summer. Parents register their children online. Locally, free games are offered at Hermitage Lanes at certain times Monday through Sunday. Click here to register online: https://www.kidsbowlfree.com.

2.  Fizz, Boom, Read!
The Mount Juliet Library's summer reading program celebrates science with a wide variety of programs for a variety of ages. Highlights include a planetarium theater show, Adventure Science Center programs, environmental science experiments, Mr. Carl the Science Guy, Meteorology Day with Snowbird and Lisa Patton and Toy Physics. Other non-science programming includes magic shows, music programs, balloon fun and story time. Of course, don't forget to sign up your kids, ages two and up, for the summer reading program to earn prizes. Adults can also sign up for an adult summer reading program to win an e-reader.

3.  Splish, Splash!
Ava's Splash Pad is an awesome place for the kids of Wilson County. I like it here so much better than at the downtown Cumberland Park. Although I wished they opened much earlier in the summers (say 9am), it is a great way to stay cool locally. I've heard great things about the Jimmy Floyd outdoor pool. Plus, Old Hickory Country Club has a wonderful swim team for youth.

4.  Snowball Fight!
I found this great recipe on Pinterest to make snowballs out of corn starch and shaving cream. My friend and I did this one day recently and it was a blast.

5.  Stamp Our Passport!
We are taking a family vacation to Cancun, Mexico in July! Andale! The kids' passport photos are hilarious. Pray that we don't get sick!

6.  Take me out to the ball game!
We've got to get our kids out to a baseball game this summer.  We could check out the Nashville Sounds in their final season in Greer Stadium or make the trek to Atlanta to support our Braves.

Snapshots of our summer from 2011

I never got around to posting these pictures from 2011 and I don't know why! Jason Thomas was just the cutest!

Playdate Idea: Summertime Snowball Fight!

It's 90 degrees here in Tennessee and what better way to beat the heat than to have a snowball fight! I found this easy recipe on Pinterest and I have been OBSESSED with trying it out. You should too! It is cheap, easy to make, the kids had so much fun and it was easy to wash off.

Recipe: 2 boxes corn starch, 1 can shaving cream
Makes 25 snowballs (good for two kids)

Helpful Tips:
*Make your snowballs outside and without your kids around (if possible). It took us about 20 minutes to prepare everything.
*We divided the kids into teams and put the snowballs in between them. They had to run to get them.
*Even after the initial fight, parts of the snowballs were still intact. Parents or kids could make more to extend the snowball fight.
*It washes off the kids surprisingly easy.
*If you want to get fancy, or if this is for a birthday party (like a Frozen themed party), you could add glitter, confetti or essential oils to your mixture.

For more play date ideas, follow my Play Date Board on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mproctor3514/play-date-fun/

36 Hours in Williamsburg, Virginia with Kids

My family just returned from a weekend trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. We took the trip with our close family friends, The Skippers. Between us, there were four kids, ages 7, 5, 4 and 2. We dared to see all that Williamsburg had to see in 36 hours. Could it be done?

A donut social for tiny friends.

Day 1 - Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Bowling

Every great journey begins with a little pomp and circumstance. When traveling with young children, it's usually strong coffee for adults and something sweet for the kids. In our case, it was the Big D - donuts. Ben took all four kids for a special secret mission our first morning in Williamsburg to pick up donuts for the mommies. They were good (the kids, I mean). It was special. They got donuts.

We were out the door by 9 or so. Our first stop was Jamestown. Jamestown is historically important because it was the first permanent English colony established in 1607, thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. There. You learned something today. Reading this blog post wasn't a waste of your time.

After purchasing tickets, we took a leisurely stroll through their indoor museum. There was an informative movie playing, but we had fun looking at the wide variety of exhibits. The original site was discovered nearby in 1993 and many of the artifacts are on display in the museum. The walk through the museum took about 20-30 minutes. My four year old son's favorite part was the interactive map that allowed him to push buttons to display the location of fights with the local natives, the Powhatans. He talked about this a couple days after our visit. My two year old girl stayed the longest at a journal preserved by one of the settlement visitors. She pretended to read me a story, "Once upon a time..." It was precious.

After the indoor museum, we walked outside to the full replica of a Powhatan hut village. The kids were able to go inside the huts and learn about life in the village. They used shells to hollow out a log for a canoe. Next, they also used shells to comb the hair from a deer hide to make clothing. This part also lasted another 20-30 minutes. Everyone had to wash their hands after handling the deer hide. Smelly, but worth it.

Next, we walked to the water to tour the recreated settlement ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery. Each ship had an actor onboard that provided interesting details. 106 settlers came over on these three ships. They slept on top of their luggage. It must have been brutal. The kids enjoyed exploring the ships and playing with the cannons. The ships were a highlight for the adults in the group. We stayed about 20-30 minutes here, too.

Those tiny dots on top deck are the three boys and my friend, Jen.

The last stop was a short walk to James Fort. We followed the chickens to a thatched-roof structure with a large kitchen. The actor told us about the foods the settlers ate (pottage), how they preserved meat (boat loads of salt) and how they used to trade guns for food. We toured a recreated settler's home, the Governor's house and the blacksmith building. Here, the kids were able to sample swords. See below to see my son holding a pirate sword and making his best pirate face.

After Jamestown, we took a twenty minute ride to colonial Williamsburg. Home of the College of William and Mary, the town is quaint and collegiate. Parking could have been tricky, but we found a spot close by our destination, The Cheese Shop. Located in Merchants Square, The Cheese Shop is a family owned business that provides gourmet sandwiches, specialty snack foods, cheese and wine. It has been featured in The New York Times and Frommer's. Their known for their homemade House Dressing (awesome). I had a wonderful roast beef on sourdough with a spicy ginger ale. This is perfect upscale picnic food. For fine dining sans children, our friends also recommend the sister restaurant The Fat Canary next door.

After lunch, we took the mile walk down Duke of Gloucester Street from Merchant Square to the Capitol Building. If you want to go into many of the homes or buildings, you can pick from several ticketing options. We chose to keep it free and just take a stroll. It was an easy walk with lots of diversions for the kids (see below). Beware, Virginia is hot and muggy in June. The perfect end to this leg of our trip was a stop at the Wythe Candy and Gourmet Shop. It is a wonderful specialty store with unusual candies and treats. I have seriously thought about how to ship their German gummy bear cubs home. Yum!

Photo at Parents' Request.

After an hour or so respite at the house, we rallied and took the kids bowling. Williamsburg Lanes is seriously the cleanest and brightest bowling alley I have ever been. For some reason, I have a thing about really clean establishments and high heath food scores and what not. I was so impressed that I had to ask the manager about it. He had spent 20+ years in many bowling alleys and agreed that this was, by far, the cleanest one he had been in. I knew my instincts were right. Anyway...bowling was also fun. My son kept getting "stripes," or spares. The kids practiced their victory dances.

Day 2 - Yorktown, Local Mexican

On the final morning of our trip, we visited the Yorktown Victory Center. Located adjacent to the Yorktown battlefield, the Center brings the period of the American Revolution to life through exhibits, first hand accounts, a recreated Continental army encampment and a 1780's farm. To be honest, I remember nothing from the indoor museum.  The army encampment was intriguing because you could pick up everything. The soldier below showed visitors how cannons were prepared and fired prior to a live cannon shooting. It was loud, but one of the top highlights of the visit.

Though the Center was under construction, it did not hamper our visit. The farm was a short walk across the parking lot from the museum. The first stop ended up being the favorite among the kids. Can you guess what it was? A clothes washing station. The kids loved stirring the socks in the giant pot over the unlit campfire. Each took turns and then came back later after looking at other things. The kids also helped an actor pickle cucumbers as she explained how they prepared their foods. They loved being involved. Plus, their garden was lovely, orderly and enviable. I liked the Yorktown farm visit better than the Jamestown Fort partly because it was not as overwhelming for the kids but also because the garden was great.

We were probably in and out of Yorktown in about two hours. Spent, we finished the trip with lunch at a local Mexican joint and headed back to Charlottesville. We feel pretty good about getting as much in as we could with kids in Williamsburg. Of course, we didn't do and see it all. Below is a short list of other attractions that are worthwhile for families with young children in Williamsburg.

Other things to see and do in Williamsburg:

The Yorktown Battlefield, the site of the last major battle of The Revolutionary War
Busch Gardens
Water Country USA
The Williamsburg Battlefield, Civil War battlefield site

Other cute pics of the kids in Williamsburg:

At James Fort, the kids tried on kid sized replicas of soldier gear.

The grass isn't always greener...

I'm going to pull a Michael Jordan and bring this blog back out of retirement. My apologies. I thought I wanted a shiny new blog, "Sentimental Mom Blog." I had good intentions and big plans one day. Of course, that was a long, long time ago in mothering minutes. Gone are my big aspirations for my mommy blog. Back is my love for all my previous posts and comments. I regret breaking up my previous blog thread. JockMomma represents my first year as a mother and I want to build upon  those memories.

Right now, I've abandoned my children to the bonus room. Both have electronic devices. Both are stark naked after having run through the sprinklers this morning. It is the unofficial start to summer. Their mother's day out program ended last week. We have about 100 uninterrupted days together. SMILE. I am equal parts terrified and excited at the prospect of having no school all summer. I'm sure  most parents can agree.

Life is N-U-T-S with two kids this young and close in age. I abandoned my blog for almost the first two years of my younger child's life. It was THAT hard. Mostly because the 2nd child was 1,000% more difficult than my first. Some call it the "2nd child syndrome." She has beaten me psychologically, emotionally, mentally and physically many a day. Many a day...Woe to us when she enters adolescence and woe to any man who ends up marrying her. Love you CeCe! More posts (and therapist conversations) about her later.

The minions are stirring, got to go.

Moving This Blog...Follow me!

I've decided to start a new mommy blog for lots of reasons:

• I can hardly claim jock mom status anymore...
• we welcomed our second child back in September, a sweet and sassy girl and I want a new blog to reflect our family and 
• this blog is tied to an old gmail address of mine and for some INSANE reason Blogger will not allow you to transfer blogs from one account to another.

Since I was 12, I have kept a journal, recording my every secret thought and desire.  Starting this mommy blog has been a fun experience for me. First, it's a great way to share all of the ups and down of becoming a parent with your "real" and "cyber" friends. Second, I always enjoy practicing writing and story telling and it makes me happy when people tell me they enjoy my stories. Thirdly, since I don't scrapbook or maintain any baby books, this blog has been a good way to keep track of my baby's milestones.  Finally, I have enjoyed connecting with other mom bloggers primarily through SocialMoms.net.  You read that one of the biggest rewards of blogging is forming new relationships. Whether you are a SAHM, WAHM, or a working mother, we become so busy taking care of our little ones that we easily become isolated from our friends and those who can relate to our new realities. It's remarkable when a stranger (and not your grandmother) comments on your most recent blog post and a nice reminder that we all have something important to say.  

I invite you to follow my new blog, My Mom Michelle (that's me!) over at www.mymommichelle.blogspot.com. 

Put on Bed Rest for Pregnancy

As of today, I have been put on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy.  It wasn't a total shock.  We knew there was an "issue" that we were actively monitoring, but we weren't necessarily expecting bed rest so quickly.  I am only 27 weeks along.  The baby is fully developed at this point, but she needs the extra time to develop her organs and gain weight.  She is roughly 2 pounds 4 ounces and is doing fine right now.

The "issue" is a growing hemorrhage at the insertion point of the umbilical cord into the placenta.  The hemorrhage occurred as the cord developed.  It was initially noticed on my 20week ultrasound, but it didn't become an "issue" until my ultrasound during week 24.  The hemorrhage has been described as a big bruise on the placenta. Based on its location (right at the insertion point), it can put pressure on the cord and affect blood/oxygen flow to the baby as/when it grows.  During my 27thweek ultrasound, they also found a resisted blood flow to the baby; this development is new and another reason I'm now on bed rest.

Nothing could have prevented the hemorrhage from happening.  My lifestyle or activity level didn't cause it.  It just happened.  I've learned that pregnancy and having babies really is a miracle and out of our control for the most part.  You just have to learn to deal with whatever happens.

My specialist is Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine.  They deal with high risk patients all of time and see this issue on a regular basis.  I also consulted with them during our last pregnancy loss.  They have been great to work with so far.  I will have (at least) a weekly ultrasound and they will also measure the blood flow from the cord to placenta and in baby's brain. They also gave me two steroid injections to help prepare baby's lungs in case of a premature delivery.  I'll still do all of my normal OBGYN stuff with Dr. Amanda Barrett, whom I love. She has been a great support during all of my pregnancy trials.  If the "issue" worsens, I will be hospitalized for bed rest and increased fetal monitoring. In the hospital, I would have daily ultrasounds and twice daily stress tests for baby.

I found a great article online, "A Primer on Premies" that describes the five most common medical ailments of premature babies. I found it informative and thought others may, too.  It's my understanding that nearly any baby born before 36 weeks will need some time in the NICU. But, my doctor said that I will be pleasantly surprised with how well baby could be if we can keep her in as long as possible.  And, Baptist has a tremendous amount of resources to treat premature babies, so I am confident that all will be done that can be done. We know some friends who've had premies that led to healthy babies. I'd love to hear from you if you had a really early delivery.

The drudgery of bed rest is unappetizing. I can only get up to use the rest room, take a shower once daily, and fix a quick sandwich.  I have a good chance of gaining a lot of weight. Thankfully, I have a contract with the University of Tennessee that I can work on from my computer.  Otherwise, insanity may be at my door and quickly....or a large online shopping bill.

I worry about J. While we have day care for JT covered through next week already (what a blessing!), he will have to bear the entire burden of watching him, cooking and cleaning on a reduced work schedule. I know he'll do a great job, but I worry about the extra stress as we want to avoid premature labor as long as possible.

I miss my health insurance policy with the State of Tennessee.  We paid $100 for all of my prenatal care and delivery.  $100!  It was an unbelievably generous policy and has unsurprisingly become less generous over the last year.  We'll easily pay $1,000-$3,000 for out-of-pocket expenses and co-payments with our new insurance.  If anyone has experience or knows how much NICU costs, I'd love to hear from you.  My sister-in-law just told me that my insurance may help with costs associated with bed rest, e.g., paying babysitters.  I'm definitely going to look that up and call them tomorrow.

If you have any experience with premies, I'd love to hear from you. Learning from others' experiences is a great way for us to understand what we are in for and prepare as best as we can.  Trying to manage the unknown is the most stressful part of this experience. I will have a lot of time on my hands, so feel free to call. We also won't turn down any offers to bring over dinner, fruit (and other healthy snacks to avoid obesity), TV show dvd series or hanging out with JT for an hour of two.  But, if life's too hectic, and I know how it is, just pray for us and baby Caroline (her name for now!); that she has the best outcome possible; comes into this world as healthy as possible; and helps us deal with whatever comes our way.