Day camp days 3,4,5

I am already tired of blogging about day camp.

So lets do the last three days in one post. I will try to keep it somewhat short...

 BB Guns round 2 was a huge hit!

Ivan was a huge fan of the "mustache suckers"

He also made no bake cowboy cookies, but he got to do his absolute favorite...Bottle rockets!

You fill somewhat with water, pump and let it fly. It is fun to watch them fly but also to see the boys reactions.

The camp brought in a nice big climbing wall, and although I didn't think he would want to do it...he did! He got up about halfway and then decided to repel back down. He ran off crying and I couldn't figure out why. He had done a great job.

When I caught up with him, he said, "the harness kept cutting into my legs!". So yeah that could affect your climbing!

The second chance at Archery also went 100 times better than the first. We made sure he had the right kind of bow, and told him to just shoot how he felt comfortable. So he was much happier.

The last day, I honestly could have strangled some of the kids! LOL. I was done and ready to go. We played games, did an old time photo booth and then of course...the water slide.

It had been built up and built up, and so when the kids were given one turn only. There was some major disappointment. From all sides.

We only had a half day on Friday so we did the wrap up, cleaned up camp and were gone. I kept home and slept for a good couple of hours.

Day camp is over for another year. We shall see what happens next year!

Day Camp (Day 1 recap)

Last week, for the second year in a row, I got to spend some quality time at day camp.

8:30-4:30 in the sun, with 13 boys (ages 9-10), doing crafts, learning skills and running around like crazy.

It is NOT for the faint of heart. However, because of Ivan's...uh quirks, he really needs someone there with him. So I am up.

Day camp would have been one thing, but throw in Ben being on a field exercise, and Harmony being at summer school, it made for a busy week.

  I made Ethan and Connor come and volunteer at day camp, and threw Mason in to the tot-lot. Tot lot is for siblings and they get to go do some of the same things the older boys do.

Mason was a little unsure!

When the week was over, and I uploaded all my pictures, I had over 200 pictures. Between my four boys, the boys from our ward, friends boys and the boys in my den...it makes for a lot of photo ops.

Day 1:
Games, bb guns (Ivan's favorite!) crafts.

Ethan was the den chief for our den. He was amazing!

Tot lot was able to shoot rubber band guns. Mason loved it!!

Ivan was old enough to shoot a real bb gun! He did an amazing job!

 The trading post is always a hit and the boys loaded up on candy!

Making cool leather name tags...

The first day was fun yet long. At the end of the day, this is what we all felt like doing...

Kitchen memories

I do not consider myself a great cook.

I do not consider myself a bad cook.

I just consider myself... a cook. I have failures and successes. My family still wants me to feed them at least 3x's a day, so I must be doing something right.

But I do have a wee bit of a cookbook obsession. I don't know what it is about them, but I really do love them.

I love recipes. I love the stories behind them. So because of that, these are 4 of my favorites.

My Kennedy family cookbook where I share a recipe (I was a teenager) that I copied out of one of my Moms cookbooks, lol. But there are others that I have made time and time again. Recipes from aunts, cousins, friends, my Mom and my Grandma. I love seeing the "submitted by" names next to the recipes.

The next is a recent one. A gift from my Mom at Christmas time. While I love the recipes recorded...I think I love the history more! Reading about my parents & grandparents. Reading about their lives leaves me smiling. Knowing them just a little better. My Mom was careful to, as much as possible, include the original copy of the recipe. With the smudges and tears. That is my favorite part. They are real.


For my wedding, I was given a crockpot. I took it from home to home. But I never knew what or how to use it. During one of my weekly chats with my sister Susan, I mentioned this to her. She gave me my "Fix it and Forget it" cookbook and I still use it constantly!

Last but not least, is my Seabee cookbook. I actually have more than one. Once again, it is not about the recipes, but the names that I see. Memories of times spent with friends.

I started a binder for recipes that I have printed or torn out of magazines. I love this recipe for banana cookies, but I also love the fact that, Ethan found it, printed it and that his messy handwriting wrote the title. It too is covered in smudges.

So I guess maybe it isn't the cookbooks that I love. Maybe it is the stories...and the people behind them. A legacy of love handed down from generation to generation.

End of the year wrap up

This year has been CAH-RAZY!! We have been super busy...and now it is over.

Summer break has begun. Here is a look back at what the 2013-14 school year brought.

One of the last days of school

1st day of school

 

Harmony:
band, new friends, old friends,  14 years old, band comps, seminary, Rio Mesa zero period classes, AP, freshman, band concerts, band practices, "lettering" in band...everything band!

1st day of school
 

Ethan: 7th grade, Monte Vista, band, writing, baritone, Deacons Quorum president, turned 13, band concerts, bike rides, Scouts, bike crash, broken tooth, swimming, taller than Mom!

One of the last days of school

 

1st day

Connor: 6th grade, middle school, Monte Vista, band, getting glasses, new friends, new schedules, turned 12, swimming, scouts, in mutual, broken toe, good grades

one of the last days

Ivan: 3rd grade, Las Posas, hates writing, loves math, turned 9, broken wrist, red cast, learned to ride his bike, instructional aid, IEP's, highs & lows, new best friend, chess, computer time.

Mason: preschool, United Methodist preschool (UMCDC), 5 days a week, singing songs, playing games, best friends, 4 years old, counting, saying the alphabet, lots of dental work, new bike, big boy!

For me, the school year meant...driving, driving and more driving. Waking up early, making lunches, car pools, helping with homework, meetings, and driving, driving, driving.


Thank heaven for summer...or for the first couple of weeks until all the "I'm boreds" start!

my blogging history...

A loooong time ago, my family lived in Virginia. Across the country from any family. I started a blog, this blog to be exact, so that our family could keep up with our lives. My husband while deployed, was able to view pictures & read the stories behind what our kids were up too.

Then our family received orders to go to Guam. This blog became even more essential as we were even further from friends and family.

Around this time, I discovered other types of blogs beyond family ones. Homemaking, cooking, organizing, bento...and I wanted to be just like these bloggers that I admired.

I created another blog, Martha Wannabe (as in Martha Stewart) where I shared meal plans, participated in blog challenges, shared recipes and anything homemaker-y.

I tried very hard to keep up with both. I did not succeed.

Slowly this family blog was put on the back burner.

Once our family moved to California, I was able to coupon again. I was getting lots and lots of questions and loved sharing my "scores". So I started another blog, California Clippin' and later to California Cheap Chick.

This past year has been so incredibly busy. Sometimes it is even hard to contemplate how we got through it.

While talking to a friend the other day, I realized just how burnt out I really was/am. I am tired of trying to "keep up with the Jones's blogging style". Would it fun to be an insanely popular blogger? Sure.

But honestly, I just want to be...a Mom again. Not someone who is trying to keep up with others. I feel like the stories of mine and my families life has been limited to a quick facebook post. Our lives can't be described in 20 words.


I want simple. I don't want to worry about sharing my posts on every social media platform in hopes of new readers & comments.

Simplicity. Family life. Success and failures. Family life. Simplicity. MariesHecticLife 2.0

Bye bye

(Stephanie, Line and I)
(so cute! Harmony and Freddy were wearing matching shirts...and they are the same height!)

(Line and Grace..." we only sing at church"

(singing Livin' on a prayer!)


(I can't get my pictures to rotate! This is our total island baby, rockin' out to the music!)
( 2 of the Moran boys rockin' out!)

(ok so not the best picture of Stephanie! lol She is Mason's "Phillapino Mom")

( I interrupted them mid conversation!)

(Such a fun group! Love you all! )

I wanted to have a going away party, but decided it wouldn't be good manners to throw a party for myself. Luckily, my friend Stephanie had one for us! We had a great time, laughing, talking, eating pancit, and doing video-karaoke. The kids had a blast staying up late running around with their friends. By the time we got ready to go, Ivan was half asleep on their couch! We are going to miss our fun Guam friends! Thanks for the memories! (: