Magic Milk Experiment

Blake LOVES science projects. It is something that he really gets excited about doing - so this Summer we are going to try out a few projects. We had a oddly cold and rainy summer day, so that was the perfect day for our first summer science project.

We did the Magic Milk Experiment. You start with a little bit of milk in a bowl. Then you add little drops of food coloring all around the bowl.

Then you take a Qtip, with a little bit of dawn dish soap on it, and place it into the milk. The soap will react with the food coloring and milk and make it spread and mix. It does it with a little force so that it shoots away from the QTip.

Finally it leaves this really awesome Tie Dye design. It was a great first science project!

Family Lake Day

It is a tradition, on my moms side of the family, to have family lake days during the summer. My mom and Greg just got a new boat, so the tradition has now gotten bigger and better. We kicked off our summer with family and the water!

We had a quick pool day at Tiffany's house. Blake and all of his cousins were there! They were little fishies having a blast!

That weekend we also all went on the boat. Blake rode the tube and loved every second of it. His little dare devil side came out and he kept wanting it to go faster. Haha.

This was the perfect way to start the summer. We are finally getting to feel a little like normal in the midst of our hect COVID Spring.

Summer Time

Well, life is slowly going back to normal. It is still NOT right and there are so many things still going on with society right now, BUT it is finally our SUMMER TIME and we are excited.

Summer is always a fun time for Blake and I. We get the whole summer for bonding, adventures, and still a little learning (Teacher Mom Probs). We always set a few goals for our adventures - kind of like a bucket list for what all we want to do. Yay!!

Our Summer Bucket List:

• Learn to tie shoes (Blake)
• Get married (Joyner and Sarah) and create our little family 
• See the wild horses at the beach 
• Learn to ride a bike (Blake)
• Read - LOTS of books!
• Explore new places to hike locally
• Dog train our pups
• Maybe a mountain trip
• Work on swimming skills 
• Family Garden

COVID Update

A simple post to update the Coronavirus whirlwind...

North Carolina is starting to slowly open back up. The Governor is doing SLOW reopenings of business and public areas but they are still under strict requirements to wear face masks and do social distancing. Cases are still increasing and testing is taking place all over the place.

Our school year has ended basically and we are hearing that there will be an abnormal start to next year. I am super nervous to hear what that will look like!

As for our family - we are still enjoying LOTS of time at home and we are cautiously going back out into public. I am still being very cautious with Blake and we all still wear our masks and wash our hands a lot!

We are still going to make the Summer the best we can - even though it might be a little off.

Be Awesome

I know I am biased but I think I have one SUPER AWESOME kiddo. Blake is amazing and funny and happy  - and a typical 8 year old boy. This is the time of his life where the tough lessons start. I am no longer just keeping him fed and rested and social. Now I have to teach him the important stuff like being honest and treating other people right. Those are tough lessons!!!!

I found this book about 6 important traits in order to be the best you can be. Blake and I are reading this together and focusing on a trait each week. We having important discussions together and holding each other accountable for being that trait each week. We are trying to be the best we can be together!

I am so proud of everything that Blake is becoming. Blake will always tell you that my job is to raise him to be a gentleman....and I think we have a good start!

Mothers Day

Mother's Day is always one of my favorite days - simply because motherhood is my favorite thing in this world! Don't get me wrong - it is also one of the most overwhelming, frustrating, emotional, exhausting things too. But it is SO much more joyful, happy, loving, and just the best thing EVER!!!!

The cool thing about moms is that none of us know if we are doing it correctly, but we wake up every morning and give it our best shot. We are constantly selfless - not because we are these amazing saints - but because that is our only option. We HAVE to put our children/family first because that is the only way it will work. Then we just love fiercely - because we created all this and it is our happy. At least that is how it is for me. 

Being Blake's mom is the best thing in this world. It gives me the best purpose. It gives me the most happiness. And it makes me the most proud. I have a million HAPPY moments  - 8 years of happy moments that will be the best thing in my life. Being a mom will always be my greatest adventure!!! 

Normally Mother's Day is a little challenging for me because for the past 5 years I was a single mom. So I made my own breakfast on Mother's Day and I would create an adventure for us to do for the day. Blake was too young for it to be any other way. This year Joyner stepped in and gave me the spoiled treatment - I got an amazing breakfast served up, flowers, and he helped Blake make by mday amazing! Even in the midst of the Coronavirus stuff - we went on a safe outing to the Farmer's Market! It was a wonderful day and another wonderful celebration on being a MOM! 

COVID Update - What We Do...

The Stay at Home Orders continue... and our family has been trying our best to stay busy, happy, healthy, sane, fun, learning, and everything else. I think we have done a pretty good job at it - TOGETHER! We are all in this together and we are staying strong together.

Everyone says that this COVID pandemic is history - which it is. Never in my lifetime did I think we would be remotely learning from home, being told to stay at home, having the economy crash, having trouble finding groceries, and more.

So here is what WE have been doing in the midst of this history in the making. We have....

Eaten watermelon on the porch....

Learned about Michael Jordan in The Last Dance Documentary (10 episodes)...

Played Basketball - trying to be like Michael Jordan. Haha...

Walked on the greenway...

Kept our plants alive and enjoyed the sunshine...

and we even played with our hair - with a mohawk!

I do not know how much longer the COVID pandemic will be taking over our lives - it has to end soon right??!?! We are about to start to ease the Stay At Home Orders. We are starting Phase 1 of reopening NC and starting to transition back into somewhat of a normal life. We hope!!! We hope we are all going back to normal. We hope that we will return to our friends, our schools, our activities, our normal lives. That is the hope that we hang on to. We are going to try to continue with our patience and our fun at home. Thank goodness we are blessed with great weather and sunshiny days! :)