Summer Bucket List

My kids are half way into their first week of summer vacation.  It seems like school finished much earlier than usual which leads to many extra days to fill.  Since Monday is my day off, the kids and I got to celebrate the first official day of summer vacation together.  The question was what were we going to do?

Like other years, we decided to make a summer bucket list with all the things we'd love to do this summer.  Each day we have nothing planned we will look down the list and decide what we will do that day.  This is the list we have for this year.  I'd like to say the kids helped me but the only one they came up with on their own is Build a Bear. Notice it is at the top of the list.

Build a Bear
C-train ride to meet James for lunch
Swimming pool - indoor
Swimming pool - outdoor
Mini Golf
Calgary Tower
Zoo
Bike Ride
Library
Pool Party in the back yard
Heritage Park
Calaway Park
Trampoline Park

The funny thing is that after our list was compiled I realized that a large majority of the items on the list are indoor activities.  While I would prefer to do outdoor activities in the summer months we can do a little of both and save some of the activities for rainy days!

So Monday we scratched one item off the list and headed to Heritage Park where we walked away with annual passes.  I guess we can leave it on the list since I'm sure it will be on repeat this summer.

Welcome summer - we've been waiting for you!

Birthday Interview - Grady, Age 8

On Friday we celebrated Grady's real birthday with BBQ'ed hot dogs and lots of junk food. I bought all the fixings for a wiener roast and then we got rained and hailed on.  Grady turned to me while we walked home from his last day of Grady 2 in the rain and asked if we could still roast hot dogs.  Sorry buddy, maybe next year.  

Here is Grady's annual birthday questionnaire, my comments in italics.  You can see my answers to the same questions here.

Who is your best friend? Alex, because I see him the most.  Unchanged from last year.

What is your favorite animal? A hippo.  Unchanged.

Whats your favorite subject at school? Math because I'm really good at it.  James and I are thrilled that he loves math.  Future CPA?

What do you want to be when you grow-up? Hockey player.  The first time I asked him he said barber.  Not even a word we use at our house.  I had to hold in my chuckle.

Who is your favorite hockey player?  Patrick Kane and Mario Lemieux.  Much to James dismay he got a Patrick Kane jersey for his birthday.  While he hockey skills are on point, his life choices - not so much.

What is your favorite show? Team Titans Go.  This happened to be the show we were watching.  I would say it is YouTube.  Heck, Cooper says he wants to be a YouTuber when he grows up.  Let's see if this answer changes by his birthday in November.

What is your favorite book? Brady Brady.  Unchanged - not sure why he said this as we haven't read one in ages.  I would have said Diary of a Minecraft Zombie.

What makes you happy? When mom hugs me.  Love this!

What makes you sad? When I don't get to play xbox.  Which is most times.

What is your favorite food to eat? Burgers. 

Favorite treat?  Gum.  Not my favorite since I currently have a big piece stuck in the carpet.  Fawk.

What is your favorite song to sing? I don't really sing.  I'm sexy and I know it.  

What games do you like to play?  Dodge ball.  I would have guessed tether ball.

Favorite Sport? Hockey. Surprise, Surprise.

When I was little I used to? Cry.  A LOT.

My favorite season of the year is?  Winter - because there are no tornadoes.  Have I mentioned Grady's fear of natural disasters??

A food I don't like is? Salad.

My best memory is? When you were a baby and went to San Diego.  Ironically, this is my least favorite trip.  Ever.  You can read about the time our flight was cancelled and we spent 16 hours at the airport here.

I was surprised to see how many of his answers stayed the same this year.  I also wonder it I would have asked the same questions the next day how many of the answers would change.  The opinions of an 8 year old are forever changing....

Eight is Great!

Dear Grady,

Today you turn 8 years old.  In the last year you have grown up more than I would have ever imagined.  You want to walk to school by yourself, you have a great circle of friends, you are listening so much better, most times.  The independence that you are showing makes me so proud of you.  Yet, there is a part of me that misses that younger Grady that needed me for everything.  You no longer need me to get dressed or to help you get a snack.  You know how to operate the TV and the iPad better than me.  You shower on your own, get dressed on your own, you need me so much less then you once did.

As you get older and can do so much more on your own, I hope you always know that I am your biggest supporter.  I will always be on the sidelines cheering at sports games, helping you with your homework, and lending an ear if you need to talk.

While I see this growing 8 year old boy in front of me there are still parts of my sweet baby boy that shine though.  I love how you want to snuggle each night before bed and how you insist that I read my book in the hall while you fall asleep.  I love how you are still excited to have me in the classroom volunteering and aren't afraid to hug me in front of your friends.  I love that you want me to manage your hockey team.  Every time you tell me that you love me my heart melts.

As you celebrate your 8th birthday, I celebrate 8 years of motherhood.  From the time I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mom.  The day you were born was the happiest of my life.  I was a finally a Mom.  The time is going so quickly and I want to cherish every moment of my time with you as a little person.

Love you to the moon and back.

Mom

Now let me tell you a little about your 8 year old self.

This year was your first year of novice hockey and it was quite the step up from timbits.  You played 3-4 times a week compared to 2 times, we played in 3 tournaments compared to 1 and your love for the sport grew exponentially.  I have loved watching you play as much as you enjoy being on the ice.  When you ask me who my favorite hockey player is I say YOU!

You've pretty much given up playing with toys in lieu of sport stuff.  You like to watch sports on TV and most recently stayed up to see the Penguins win the stanley cup.  You know all sorts of odd hockey stats that I don't know or care to know.  You prefer to play mini sticks, soccer, and color.  The days of our house being cluttered with toys may be nearing an end.....

You played spring soccer with 3 of your friends.  Your team was way too competitive for the rec league.  We may have to upgrade to competitive next year.  I love the spring nights standing on the field chatting with the other parents, sometimes in the sunshine, sometimes in the rain.....  Dad was your coach again this year and I think you like having him on the field with you.  I know he loves doing it.

This spring you are also in an art class with your brother.  I love that I drop both of you off and you explore your artistic side.  You still have the love of coloring and are so detailed in your drawings.  I want you to always nurture that artistic side.

Your reading and writing continue to improve.  I wish you liked to read more than you do.  You certainly can do it but isn't' something you like to do for fun. I've bought you so many different books to try and peak your interest but you would still prefer I read to you.

You have a drawer full of shirts and you wear the same 5 all. the time.  Either your hockey/trails west shirts or the quicksilver one.  You are into matching your outfits, but to you that means wearing all the same color.  It is not uncommon for you to come down wearing an outfit of red pants and a red shirt.  I love your style.

I have lost total control in what you wear. For the most part I have given up.  I like that you choose an outfit you like and feel confident even if it wasn't something I would choose.  I only force your outfit on family photo day once a year.  So far you have obliged with wearing jeans for me this one day.

You have lost 6 teeth total, only 1 this year.  You have a wiggly tooth right now and I think you are excited after months of not getting money from the tooth fairy.

You are a saver.  You had a 50-50 party for your birthday this year where you collected $320 from your friends that was split between you and the charity of your choice.  You chose to donate the money to the Fort McMurray fires.  You promptly gathered up your money and put it in your piggy bank with no plans to spend it.  You are saving for goalie pads which you don't yet know your dad and I bought you for your birthday!

While I call you by your full name most of the time, the nicknames Gray and G seem to have stuck. I love that we have a pet name for you now.

You've started walking part of the way to school on your own.  Jasmin walks you half way up the hill and you and Alex walk to the school door on your own. While it made Dad and I nervous at first you have been so responsible about following the rules and meeting at the right spot.  Next year when Cooper is in kinder you'll have to walk from his door to your door every day, so this is a good transition for you.

You are still coming out of your shell.  You've gone from a very shy boy that only opens up with a select few to having many friends.  When I ask you before a parent teacher interview what the teacher may say about you tell me she will say you talk too much.  While some parents may not want to hear this, it is music to my ears to hear that you are engaging and sharing in the classroom.  It hasn't gotten you into trouble... yet!

Your favorite subject is math which isn't' surprising since your Dad and I are both math geeks to.  I hope that your love for numbers continues. Maybe we'll have another CPA in our family.....

It is lights out in your room sometimes before 9pm.  We've gotten out of a good bed time routine this year and I'd really like to get it back.  With that being said, you sleep all night in your own bed and have learned to stay in your room until 7am when you are allowed to come and get us up.  You only come in our room if you have a bad dream and I'll go lay with you.  While your Dad and I love snuggling with you in the morning, we have an adults only bed in our room.

You are scared of natural disasters, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, hail storms and any unusual weather event.  You check the clouds regularly to see if there is any indication of rain.  You like to see blue skies because that means it is nice out.  You are a resident weather forecaster.  Despite reassurances that there has never been a tornado in Calgary, you are always on the watch for one since a funnel cloud was spotted in Calgary last summer.  I hope you get over this fear but unfortunately, you've passed it on to your brother.  No watching the news or the weather station for you!

You are still a crappy eater.  No fruits or veggies except corn on the cob and broccoli.  I've offered you $10 to lick an orange and you wont' do it.  You love orange juice so know you would love oranges too, but no, you want nothing to do with it.

Your favorite food is Salmon.  You are a protein junkie.  Most nights for supper you have meat only since I rarely cook a carb with dinner and you won't eat the greens.  I was a picky eater to so I have faith you'll grow into a more mature food palate.

You love your brother most of the time. You have to be extra nice to him if you want him to play mini sticks with you since it isn't his favorite.  You are great at including him with you and your friends and truthfully, I think your friends kind of like him.  I hope that you always have a special friendship with Cooper.

You are such a gift in my life Grady.  Never stop being you.

Happy 8th Birthday Grady!

Preschool Graduation 2016

In November 2013 we dropped our barely 3 year old littlest boy off in Miss Marilyn's classroom for his first day of preschool. Now, 2.5 years later, he is a preschool graduate.

Mr. Cooper had the pleasure of spending 3 years in Miss Marilyn's class.  We decided to wait until he was almost 6 to start Kindergarten, choosing for him to be the oldest instead of the youngest. Truthfully, this was one of the hardest decisions we've made to date in our parenting careers.  This year has been a tough one.  A year of making new friends, learning the same songs, and watching your friends go to Kinder without you.

As the year went on, Cooper make tons of new friends, played hockey with some of his old friends, and showed an eagerness to learn that I didn't expect.  This kid can already add and subtract!!  We watched him go from being a follower to a leader.

While we will never know if we made the right decision, I know that at this point I have no regrets.  The year went fast and we have an almost 5.5 year old that is more than ready to go to the bid kid school.  

I remember sitting at the graduation celebration last year knowing that he was not 'graduating' with his friends.  What I didn't know was how fast this year would go.  And how lucky for us that we got to see him graduate twice!

Without further a due, I introduce you A Child's Garden class of 2016!

Cooper is in front of the fire place in his black tie, that he wore willingly I might add

I just couldn't be prouder of this little nut.  Can't wait to drop him off for his first day of Kindergarten next year!

Here are a few videos from the celebration if you are interested in seeing them.  

The password for both is 2016.

Untitled from Christy R on Vimeo.
Untitled from Christy R on Vimeo.

Create 28: Mustard Mania

Welcome to day 21 of Create 28!  Today we are talking mustard.  IF you would have told me 2 years ago that I would not one but TWO mustard colored shirts AND a pair of mustard pants I never would have believed you, BUT it has quickly become one of my fave colors.

I picked up this shirt in Edmonton on our girls weekend from Express.  I am a big fan of their dress shirts for tucking into my skirts and this pattern caught my eye.

I love how it looks with Jeans and I've also worn it to work untucked with a pencil skirt.  For these photos I chose to wore it off the shoulder since that is really in.  Truthfully, I'll probably never wear it this way.  I wore it to work with the shoulders so it looks more like a boat neck and more work appropriate.

I don't feel like it is very comfortable with the shoulders pulled down.  With every arm movement it just creeps up.  I mostly love how I look with no glasses.... if only I could make contacts work with my huge astigmatism...

Check out TBB tomorrow to see how everyone else styled the prompts this week.

HEre is what you can expect to see next week.  Join in and link up!

Happy Father's Day 2016

Today the kids and I are celebrating James from afar.  While he is out catching us some salmon, we are at home doing our regular Sunday activities.  Grady gave James his gift early.  While I love his felt lighthouse, what I really loved was the top 10 list he put together about James.

This is what Grady's list included:

10.  You are a great cook

9.  You are great at caring about me

8. You are a super snuggler

7.  You are an amazing soccer coach

6.  You are the best at making a backyard rink

5.  Best at putting hockey equipment on

4. You're the fastest runner

3.  You're the best mini stick player

2.  You're an awesome soccer player

1.  You're excellent at being a Dad

Cooper didn't bring his gift home until Friday so it is still sitting wrapped waiting for James to get home.  We all know it is a pencil holder as Cooper told us and he made the same thing last year. 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, especially my Dad, my John (lol), and of course, James.

Fit week in review.

I'm stealing Becky's idea from Uniquely Becky and recapping what a typical week of fitness looks like in my life.  When I think about my activity level, I wouldn't necessarily say it was crazy high, but when I document in day by day it is a reminder that I make a conscious effort to be active every day.

Monday

As most of you know, Monday is spin day!  James and I go to spin together once a week.   I love spin.  I don't love actually spinning but I love the feeling of sweat dripping off my face and my heart pounding.  It is an aquired taste.  You don't love it off the bat but you grow to love it more with each class.

Fitbit Stats
Minutes in Peak Zone: 4 min
Avg heart rate: 141 bpm
Steps: 1,649 (worn on wrist, not foot)

Daily Step Count:10,144

One problem with spin and fitbits is it doesn't count as many steps.  I choose to wear it on my wrist because I am more interested with the heart rate information but it does not help my daily step count.  I ran on the spot for 1500 steps this day just to barely make it over my 10,000 step goal.

Tuesday

Me and this Lug bag headed to the gym to work with my trainer. A coworker and I have 2 training sessions a week. Like me, she was a runner by nature.  A self diagnosed cardio junkie.  When we joined this gym almost exactly a year ago you got one free personal training session. While it was way too expensive to do private sessions, the cost was much more reasonable if you had a buddy to go with.  A year later and we still go twice a week.

This particular day we worked our core (which is my very least favorite thing to do) and shoulders.  I much prefer leg workouts.  What I love about personal training is that I would never go into the weight area on my own.  It is intimidating and I don't know what to do.  He takes the guess work out of the weight program and the size of weights to use.

The most important thing with training is finding one you like.  We've had 2 trainers since joining and we've been so lucky with both.  Both have pros and cons but what I love is that it feels like you are working out with a friend.  You are much more likely to go to the gym if you like your trainer. That and it cost you an arm and leg and you don't want to waste it!

Fitbit Stats
Minutes in Peak Zone: 0 min
Avg heart rate: - bpm
Steps: <2000 p="">
Daily Step Count: 12,588

While I do understand the importance of weights in a fitness program, I hate how it doesn't even register on my fitbit that I even exercised.  Most of the steps come from the lunges and just walking around in the gym.  For warm up our old trainer liked the treadmill but our new guy likes to rower = no steps.  I keep reminding myself I am getting stronger and leaner and I don't need cardio at every session.  This cardio queen misses the cardio workout on training days!

The only reason I made my step goal was because I walked to and from soccer.  This is one area that the fitbit really does motivate me.  I see that I haven't made my goal and I want to get extra steps in, so walking to soccer it is.  In years past I would just drive.  I get about 1500 steps each way.

Wednesday

Wednesday is cardio day!  In the winter I would go to the gym and use the stair climber (not the stepper, the actual big stair machine) and run while watching Netflix.  In the summer Wednesdays are for appointments and running outside.  After a quick chiro appointment I hit the running paths minutes from my office along the river.  I feel so fortunate to work so close to such a great pathway.  Me and 1000s of other people were on the paths this lunch hour!

Fitbit Stats
Minutes in Peak Zone: 8 min
Avg heart rate: 148 bpm
Steps: 5,309

Daily Step Count: 11,654

This run may have been my best run of the season so far.  You see, I live in a very hilly area, so when I run from home, it is far from flat.  The river path is long straight and for the most part, no hills.  I use map my run for every run to track my distance and my pace.  I ran 5.3 kms in under 30 minutes.  I was pumped.  I would love to finish my 10km next month in under an hour and I wasn't sure that was realistic, but this run gave me confidence that I may be able to pull it off!

Thursday

Back to the gym for traning session #2.

This is my actual gym.  While the World Health sign in below the Bay sign, it is actually above the bay on the 8th floor.  It is an ancient building and the elevators are old and rarely are both working at the same time.  There has been the odd time you show up at the gym to work out and you have to climb the stairs.   I don't want to workout before I workout, thank you very much.

Fitbit Stats
Minutes in Peak Zone: 0 min
Avg heart rate: - bpm
Steps: 2000

Daily Step Count: 12,698

Friday

Today there was no formal exercising.  At noon, which is my normal exercise time, I served lunch at the Drop in Center for the second time.  It was amazing how less busy it was on a nice summer day then when we served in cooler weather.  With that being said we walked a total of 7000 steps to and from the DIC, so I did get some activity!

I only know this because a coworker was wearing her fit bit and a I asked.  For the first time ever I forgot to wear my fitbit to work!  I estimate that I got just over 10,000 steps since I put it on as soon as I got home.  

Saturday

James was out of town this weekend so I didn't get a chance to get a good workout in.  Instead, I settled for doing laps around Coopers soccer field while Grady played field hockey with the older kids.  I walked about 20 minutes to get a few steps in since I knew the kids would be choosing what we did the rest of the day!

Fitbit Stats

Daily Step Count: 9,795

Sunday

The kids have art class on Sunday mornings together, so I dropped them off and headed for the park to do a quick 30 minute run.  This has been a tradition since they started the class in April.  I love getting that run in right away and most days James ran with me or another mom from the class.  Great way to start the day, except yesterday it was raining and wet.  I didn't let it stop me.

Fitbit Stats
Minutes in Peak Zone: 1 min
Avg heart rate: - 138 bpm
Steps: 5,444

Daily Step Count: 13,027

My run wasn't as good as Wednesday but I was still able finish the 5k in under 30 minutes.  Just barely.

Overall stats for the week
Total steps: 79,961
Average steps per day: 11,251
Average active minutes per day: 37 minutes

I am happy with my week.  I wish I could get my active minutes higher, like 60 minutes, but that seems out of reach.  I'd like to do more walking.  Walking to the library, to run some errands, and just to relax after a day at work.  For the time being, the kids fill the time that I would use for that and that is ok.  Someday I hope the kids will exercise with me!

What is YOUR exercise routine?

five on friday

{one}While I was away with my friends the other weekend, they were all super excited to see a pop up Hillberg and Berk store in the mall.  I had never heard of them.  It is a little jewelry boutique that started in Regina and has gained popularity over the years, including with the queen and several other celebrities.  You can read a bit about the company here.  The girls surprised me with a pair of sparkly earrings in none other than Christy blue as a very early birthday present.  I love how when I wear them I think of our weekend away.  Best. Friends. Ever.

{two}  Since we are talking about jewelry.... my ear climbers were delivered this week.  I love them!

{three}  I am happy to report that over 2 months have passed since I decided to start painting my nails regularly and I am still keeping up with it!  My favorite polish is the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel.  I like the colors, the wide brush, and the thick polish.  You can buy it at most drugstores for $10 each.  I recently treated myself to 3 at the grocery store.  It's the going rate for grocery shopping at our house. #don't tell James

{four} I had a bit of a pant saga while in Edmonton shopping.  You see, I have these Allant pants from Aritzia in black and I just love the fit.  I wanted a second pair that was similar and tried 2 pairs that both got returned on the trip.  One pair was too light and showed too much and the other pair I decided was to expensive with hemming. Then I found the dexter pant.  You see, apparently Aritzia really likes black and beige during the summer as that was the only color I could find in Edmonton.  The dexter pant was available in this powder blue in the Calgary store.  We all know my love affair with blue....

Bathroom lighting sucks

Because you can't really see the pant in the photo of me, I included the pant of the model in the beige pair so you can see how they fit baggy.  They also have pockets and an elastic waist.  Score!  I took the tags off so these are keepers!

{five}  I really don't have a #5 this week but I'll give you a little sneak peak of what I'll be doing tonight.

I hope your Friday is as wild as mine.  Have a good one!

Celebrating 8 years of Grady

This past weekend, 2 weeks before the actual day, we celebrated Mr. Grady turning 8 years old.  For the first time in those 8 years, we had his friends party at our house.  

When James and the boys left for shinny on Sunday afternoon, I took on the task of decorating the house.  

Lesson #1:  Buy a helium tank and fill our own balloons.

I went to dollar store and bought the giant 8 and the 10 green and black balloons for pick up the next day.  It cost almost $50.  How was I too know it was so expensive, when you host a party elsewhere balloons aren't allowed for the most part.  

Lesson #2: Don't waste your money decorating at all.

I was so excited to hear the garage door open and to see Grady rush inside and see all the decorations for the first time.  Instead, Cooper came in crying and Grady didn't notice at all.  Only James commented on the my hard work.

Lesson #3:  Do not decorate outdoors.

Grady seemed to be most impressed with the giant poster that we hung on the garage door.  What you can't see from this picture is that it is actually 4 different pieces that were a pain in the @ss to put up when the wind was blowing like crazy.  While Grady did like it, it also alerted the neighbor kids that there was a party happening and 2 of them knocked on our door looking for cake.  Oy.

Lesson 4:  Do not allocate more than 10 minutes for the kids to eat.

This year his birthday, Grady wanted an xbox party.  I promptly assured him that I was not hosting 15 of his closest friends in my living room.  I googled it and found Gamers Fun Truck which hosts the party outside your house in a self contained trailer where the kids can play video games for 2 hours straight.  Sold!  The only catch was that I could only get it from 5-7.  So... we decided to feed the kids pizza before the party and started it at 4, they would go in the truck at 5, and at 7 they would emerge for cake and leave at 7:30.  If you did the math there, that is 3.5 hours that I committed to being responsible for 15 boys.  Fifteen.

What I found out is that it takes 15 boys approximately 10 minutes to eat, not 60.   What did they do for the remaining 50 minutes you ask?  They ran around the house, turned my basement into a dodge ball court, and were all around loud and rowdy.

Notice that the balloons are kind of blurry, that is because 8 year old boys use them as weapons.  Definitely no balloon next year.  Or ever again.

Lesson 5:  Keep the door and windows shut to keep excitement low.

Then the gaming truck arrived and started setting up.  The boys noticed and some of them started forming a line at the door waiting get out to the truck.   Imagine the excitement when the dude started walking to the door.  The kids broke out in screaming.  Not yelling, screaming.  James asked them if they were a bunch of girls and said they couldn't go out if they didn't stop.  I made my way through the crowd to speak with the barely 20 year old young guy where he asked me if it was too late to change his mind.  He asked if we wanted to break them into group. NO, please take them all.

Lesson 6:  Plan an activity that the group is interested in.

The boys followed the young dude into the truck and we didn't see them again for 2 hours.  2 hours.  They stayed in that truck and played videos games the entire time.  That is something girls just don't do.

This is the inside of the truck.  A big long bench just the perfect size for 15 little bums.  And James'.

Some of the kids, like Cooper, where very expressive and yelled and cheered.

Others, like Grady, zoned right out and payed hard core vids the entire time.  You would not believe how hard I tried to get a picture of Grady smiling.  Just to prove he was in fact having a good time.

For interest sake, here is the other side of the truck.  4 TVs, 4 consoles, 16 paddles.

Lesson 7:  Move the party outside if it gets to rowdy.

After the 2 hours were up, the young dude brought the kids back to the house where we promptly guided them outside.  No more indoor dodge ball for this house!  As they were filtering though I heard one of the boys say that it was the best party ever.  All the smiles told me that the kids had a great time.

Lesson 8:  Take your photos before the party.

It is a good thing that I took pictures of Grady with the cake and with the giant 8 that he at first thought was 2 donuts.  For real.

In years past we've taken a family photo with the cake.  This year it was too wild that the thought crossed my mind for only a second before I quickly decided it wasn't worth the hassle.  There was no way I was making my way through this crowd to get my photo with the guest of honor.  Maybe on his real birthday.

Lesson 9:  Kids love the cake.

Even at 8, the kids still love to see what the cake looks like.  Our cake is always made with love by Nana.

Thankfully she made 2 green cakes.  The kids whipped through that first cake so quickly and they all wanted seconds!  I was really starting to wonder if I was going to get a piece at all!  In the end, we had 2 pieces to spare.

Lesson 10:  Have many MANY napkins on hand.

Many of the boys wore more cake then they ate.  And with green icing it really showed!  I texted the moms of this photo to warn them of what was coming home.

Lesson 11:  Reward yourself for getting through the party.

I may have enjoyed a beer to reward myself for getting through the first hour of the party.  Heck, I needed that full 2 hours to recover from the chaos that ensued before the truck arrived.

The next day while the kids were at school I had an hour to kill, rather than running an errand, I stopped at Starbucks and grabbed a frappacino and finished my book.  Has anyone else read Me Before You by JoJo Meyers?  So SO good.  Highly recommend. Now I have to find someone to see the movie with me.....

Back to the party.  Yes, it was crazy. Yes, it was loud.  Yes, it was expensive.  Would I do it again?  In a heartbeat.  While this may not have been a party  I enjoyed as much as other years, I know it was exactly what Grady wanted. This is after all about him and celebrating the fine young man that he is becoming.  If he asks me to have a home party again next year I won't say no, but I will strongly suggest an activity at a different locale.  If all else fails and he really wants it at home, I would invite half the kids as I did this year.  Apparently I am not as qualified as the teenagers that hosted the kids at the gym in the past.

Today I a patting myself on the back that we survived another year of birthday parties.  IF only Cooper wasn't already asking for a Gaming Truck party as well.... is it bad we've told him that you have to be 8?  Nah, I didn't think so.

Create 28: Bold Bottoms

A post from me on a Sunday.. now that doesn't happen every day.  Especially since this is the day that I will entertain fifteen 8 year old boys at my house....   Oy.  So let's talk fashion before testosterone takes over my house.

I ended up getting a Sunday date since I picked based on the prompt, not realizing it was a weekend.  The prompt is just SO me.  Bold Bottoms.   I am a girl who has to be forced to buy black shoes or a black purse.  I have to reminded that neutral outfits are actually ok to wear.  Because when it comes to clothing, I usually go bold.

Let's explore a few of my bold bottoms.  While I could have chosen to go with bold colors, which I have plenty, I instead focused on patterns.

Let's start with leopard print.

Love me some leopard print.  Some will even argue that it is a neutral.  I usually wear this skirt with black and tights, but in an attempt to 'spring' it up, I chose a cream shirt and neutral booties.  I was happy with how it turned out.

Next up we have Christy blue printed pants.  I picked these up at The Limited in Vegas.  You may notice I buy many items while in Vegas.... The key to choosing a bold pattern is the rest has to be relatively neutral.

Finally we have shorts, something that is only recently being worn outside.  I wore this exact outfit to the soccer field this week.  I grabbed these floral shorts at Old Navy last season and while they don't have them again this year, they have many fun prints to choose from.

For some reason, in the summer, I love prints, bright colors, and beer and clamato juice.  Ha!

What are some of your favorite ways to wear bold bottoms?

Five (plus 5) on Friday - Girls Weekend Edition

{one}  Last weekend I headed north to the West Edmonton Mall to visit my BFFs from Saskatoon.  It is the most anticipated weekend of the year.  Since my Calgary side kick couldn't make it this year I drove the 3 hours solo.  Let me tell you it was a sing-a-thon the whole way there.  I was listening to the 90s dance party play list on Google Play and it kept me singing very loudly the whole way there.  Who doesn't love a little Ice Ice Baby, Larger than Life or Livin' la Vida Loco??  If you graduated in the 90s this play list is for you!

{two}  We entered the mall about 3pm on Friday and departed at noon on Sunday. We had to walk outside the mall for about 1/2 a block to get to the restaurant on Saturday night but other than that we spent the whole weekend inside while the rest of the city was enjoying a heat wave. No one seemed to care about the hot weather outside except me.  I wanted a patio with a beer and clam.

{three}  There were 5 of us that met up this year and we all stayed in the same themed hotel room.  Ours was the roman room and came fully decorated with a roman statue.  We named her Amber, Athena, Venus.  I asked a random guy on the elevator if they named their statue as well.  They did not.  But he did offer us a piece of pizza which we all politely declined.

{four}  As usual, the focus of our trip is shopping.  If you don't like to shop, this trip is not for you.  Each year there is a store that we all find success, this year I would say it was a toss up between Express and Loft.  On Friday night each of us broke the shopping seal at Loft and exited with a bag.  Two out of three of us may have walked out with this maxi dress in our bag.  I may be one of them.

A dress with pockets is a win in my books!

{five}  This could also be declared the year of the converse sneaker.  I went wearing my white shoreline converse slip and 4 of us may have come with a new pair. I, again, may I have been one of them.

Let's not kid, I got the navy ones.

{six}  Let talk returns. Each year we have a fashion show in the room when we get back on Saturday night. This year was no different.  And every year, there are a bunch of purchases that go back to the store.  Either because you no longer like, you found something better, or you spent too much money.  Up until this year I have never done a return. I am very decisive and rarely go back on my decisions.  This year I returned 2 items and exchanged 2.  What's up with that?  For the record I was still the lowest spender though my hubby doesn't believe it!


{seven}  This may be my favorite purchase of the weekend. Totally out of my comfort zone but with the encouragement of my friends I went for it.  36 isn't too old for a tutu, is it?

{eight}We had a little weekend warrior fit bit competition going on and I am proud to say that I won by 17 steps.   Can you believe that we got over 17,000 steps on Saturday shopping.  See, shopping is a sport.

{nine} While Moms are away, the kids and husbands will play!  In all honesty, James is a rock star with the kids.  He got them to soccer, 3 birthday parties, art class, and set up the pool for a play date.  As Moms we are our own worst enemy.  I fret over being away and have guilt about taking the weekend off from parenting.  Bottom line, I shouldn't.  Things were more than under control while I was away.

{ten}  I feel so fortunate to be 'doing life' with these gals.  We've known each for 20 years or more, we share a history, we share secrets, we share successes, we share failures, we share almost everything.  The tradition of escaping your responsibilities for the weekend to be goofy, have dance parties, drink wine, and make memories is one I don't take for granted.  Thank you to my friends for making this the best weekend ever.

Happy Friday!