Basically all of August

This blog post was started and then stopped several times, so it's basically just a big huge recap of August.

August is always a crazy month for us. I'm in denial that Summer is ending. DJ is back to work with a crazy busy schedule, school is starting... It tends to go by fairly quickly, and we had a lot going on this month. 

We started the month with a hat party with some of the support staff wives. Us wives have been craving community, so we just decided to start creating fun things for us to do. 

Longhorn Fashions opened up their boutique to us so we could decorate our own hats for this Fall and shop. 

It was so fun, and I loved being with the wives before the season began. 

Adalyn and Megan had friends sleepover, and we headed to the pool.

These two have best friends since we moved here and I'm so thankful they're still the best of friends 

These two are also best friends. 

We also hit up the "spider park" near our house. 

One Sunday afternon, we went to see DJ at the office. 

Sometimes these girls can go days without seeing their dad and it is hard. 

DJ was home one afternoon, and Adalyn decided she wanted to match him. 

I've been working out over the past several weeks (working my way toward 100) and I have to say, when you finish yoga, spend a few minutes on an acupuncture mat, and you'll feel so much. 

Gretchen and I found ourselves home one evening just the two of us, so we went for ice cream and then came home to watch Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. I love this movie and it was fun to watch with her! 

We dropped Megan and Gretchen off at youth group, and DJ had the night off, so we went out for pizza and these two found the free arcade game. 

Megan did this. Owe! 

And then she put on her clothes and we baked cookies. 

I took the girls to play laser tag and we hit up the arcade for a bit too. 

Megan had gone bowling and to the arcade with a summer youth group event and she was dying to have Gretchen try this game with her. 

They had a blast playing laser tag and asked why we hadn't gone more this summer! 

These two and I headed off to a family bbq after a football scrimmage. 

and then Megan tried out a stunt clinic. 

DJ came home and we had a date night later that night! 

After our quick dinner date, we came home, watched the girls play outside, and the sky was gorgeous. 

A few days after school started, the girls were all home at the same time! We had a chat session about their day, DJ came home, and

we headed out for celebratory ice cream for surviving the first 2 days of school. 

Later that weekend, these girls and I hit up the pool. 

And another Wednesday night, where big sisters were at youth group, so it was just the three of us. She is soaking it up. 

Then last Thursday, I went out with a few more wives to the Alice in Wonderland Cocktail Experience. It was a little strange, but definitely fun!

We had bring a friend to church day, Sunday, so Adalyn brought her BFF. 

We headed out to lunch afterwards, because DJ was home all day!!! 

It was a great way to end this month and get ready for the craziness that September has in store! 

 

Back to School Time!

Well, another Summer is gone, and a new school year is here. It's a little bittersweet. I love Summer time. It's my favorite time of the year because life is relaxed, we are able to travel, and enjoy the sunshine. Sigh. I wish it could stay Summer forever. 

Thankfully, the girls were more excited about going back to school than I was. They were ready! 

Sunday night, I decorated our dining room table to get us in the mood a little bit more. 

Gretchen started high school, and to kick it off, I gifted her this ring that I had when I was a teenager. I've been waiting for years to give it to her, and her fingers are finally big enough. 

On Monday, we headed to her, gasp, high school, for her Freshman orientation! 

I mean, it was just yesterday that I was dropping her off for her first day of preschool.

and her first day of Kindergarten! I mean, how do I have a Freshman?!

She totally rocked the high school vibes on her first day of school. 

Her shirt is here. 

Her high school back pack. Sigh. This back pack caused a lot of drama. 

Her first day was a total success though. She has a few classes with friends. She didn't get lost, and she said she loved her geography teacher! 

Adalyn started 4th grade this year. on Friday, we had meet the teacher. I've heard fabulous things about her teacher, so fingers crossed for a great year! 

Adalyn picked out her outfit from Shein, and she made it a full cat theme with a cat ear headband. 

She picked out a new purple sparkle backpack, and we embroidered a soccer ball on it. 

She came home saying her day was "amazing!" But, she was disappointed to only have two friends in her class, and not have recess with her very best friend. Also, her teacher's lizard pooped, and she said it was disgusting! 

Megan is starting middle school, and Friday night we had her 6th grade orientation.

She picked out her 1st day outfit from Shein too, and new pink nike's. She also insisted that her hair be in a high ponytail and slightly curled. 

And picked out a new blue striped backpack with her monogram. 

She came home saying her day was great, and she only cried once. She was also really worried about the bathroom schedule, because you're only allowed to go so many times in a semester. But, she found some friends at lunch and was able to sit with them! 

She has off campus p.e. this year because of gymnastics, so I picked her up early, and she thought that was awesome! 

We are looking forward to a great school year! One day down. (Yes, I'm counting down until next Summer!) 

 

Getting Back to School Ready!

Back to School is here, and I am not ready for it! In fact, my kids start today, but I know lots of families have already started! 

I thought I'd share a few easy tips for getting back to school ready made easy!

1. Buy new backpacks & lunchboxes. We order these online every other year from Pottery Barn Kids or Pottery Barn Teen. I love that they hold up so well, so my kids don't need a new backpack every year!

2. Stock up on school supplies.  We go through leftovers from last year (my kids bring home what they didn't use, and we'll re-use those.) and see what you need. Don't forget to pick up a few supplies for the house too. Pencils, scissors, glue sticks, and a few markers or crayons 

3. Pre-make muffins. I spend the weekend before school starts baking lots of muffins and freezing them. They're easy to pull out of the freezer on busy mornings and will quickly defrost in the microwave. 

4. Set out outfits. The first day of school outfits are typically easy, because they're new. But after the first day, my kids pick out whatever they have. Gretchen is pretty self sufficient, but we try to narrow it down for Adalyn and set out several outfits for her week at the beginning of the week, so it's easier for her to choose when she's cranky in the mornings. 

5. Get your calendar ready. I've spent the past few days writing down everything I could in my planner so I'm ready for whatever comes our way. We have football games written out, appointments logged in, as well as gymnsatics meets. 

6. Cancel appointments. Did you accidentally schedule something for the first week of school? Cancel it In fact, I'm having all of my speech parents cancel speech if their appointment is on the first day of school. Teachers and staff have enough chaos as it is and tracking down your child to check them out the first week of school is going to be crazy. Plus kids come home tired and exhausted. Just cancel what's extra that week, and take the time to readjust. 

7. Clean out closets. Go through closets and toss out or give away anything that your kids have out grown or might have stains or holes in them. There is nothing worse than your kid coming down in a shirt and then they have to change because it has a stain or a hole and they didn't notice it, 

8. Stock up on snacks. I go to Costco the weekend before school starts to make sure we have plenty of options for snacks and lunches. I also made an order from Thrive Market and stocked up on a few things the girls wanted to try!

9. Fix as much lunch as you can ahead of time. Sunday afternoons, I lunch prep. I wash fruits/veggies, and portion them out in to little containers. You can do this with chips, snacks, popcorn, etc. I even pre-make sandwiches and throw them in the fridge. Then, when we are fixing lunches, it's literally a quick grab & put in. That being said. we always make lunches the night before! 

10. Give yourself grace. The week of a school starting again and getting back in to the routine. Give yourself, and your kids lots of grace!

 

Back to School Snacks w/ Thrive Market

With back to school right around the corner, it's been super easy to use Thrive Market to stock up on some back to school snacks for the girls! I just log in to the app on my phone, let the girls scroll and pick out what snacks they'd like, and I checkout! It's super easy! 

The girls love these snack bags of this popcorn. And, I love that it's a healthier option for them! 

Adalyn picked out this peanut butter cereal, and she's loving it! I'm all about a quick breakfast in the morning, and I don't mind cereal as long as it's not completely full of sugar. 

The girls picked out this dried fruit. I would have never picked this out for them, but if I let them choose, then I know they're more likely to try something! 

These carrot chews are another snack that I wouldn't have picked out, but Adalyn did, and she'll want to try them more, since it was something she chose! I tend to give them my phone, and let them "add to cart" as much as they desire, and then I go back through and delete or add things if necessary. 

Gretchen picked out these Brownie Thins! Yum! With Thrive Market, you can search by dietary needs, so she can filter it for gluten free, and find snacks that she'd want to try. 

 I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for Fall. I love baking with pumpkin in the Fall, so I went ahead and grabbed two cans. Plus, I can make some pumpkin muffins and freeze them for another easy breakfast or school snack! 

The girls picked out these Dragon Fruit chips! 

And we love these "pringle" type chips. They're just way healthier for you! 

Yum Earth is one of our favorite "candy" brands. Adalyn picked out their fruit snacks. 

And we bought these small chip containers for school lunches. 

This Vinaigrette was free with my order, and I thought it would make a great marinade for chicken for an easy school night dinner!

You can shop Thrive Market here and save 40% off your first order!