Summer Chores...

So we are one full week into summer- our chore chart is going strong and I am loving it. The one thing I've got going for me with all these kiddos is the manpower behind all these little guys. I may have been underestimating them... I wrote out these chores a little skeptical that they would be accomplished within my low standards... or without asking for so much help that it would have been easier for me to just do it myself in the first place... But seriously they are doing really great. For some chores they team up... the boys have one day where they do one load of laundry together (the girls do to, just on a different day) they did a great job, with little reminding that the clothes needed to be moved to the dryer and then folded an hour later. (you know I love you when I take a picture of the inside of my laundry room and post it...holy heck, don't you love all the hanging bathing suits)..

They also team up and take turns emptying the dishwasher every morning.   Other chores include, cleaning their rooms, vacuuming, and cleaning bathrooms.  I have enough little hands that we can split the chores so that they don't take more than 15-20 minutes of their time...

and the payoff for them is this.....

They earn a dollar a day to spend at the snack bar at the pool, there hasn't been one complaint yet!   Kind of a win/win for me as I was hating the snack bar and constantly being asked if they could get junk.. Now they can decide if they want to spend their money on junk or save it for something better.   So as I sit here this Friday afternoon, my house is clean, and I feel brilliant.   Please no one try to burst my bubble and remind me that I am only one week in...  By week 12 of summer I am hoping that we still have no complaints, an empty dishwasher, and clean"ish" bathrooms :)    What can I say, I am delusional an optimist :) 

Hope you all are enjoying Summer!  

Class of 2011

He did it...he gradulated :)  

 There's my boy about to walk across the stage...  with an ear to ear smile...  

 Proud parents , squinting and looking at the wrong camera :)  but together none the less.

 It's so fun to have such a big age range of kids.... One is turning his tassel,, one walks away from us pouting because she couldn't have candy she found stashed in my purse... Gotta love the crossed armed pouting stance.  If it wasn't so cute it would probably drive me batty.

 Way to go C...much love to you... You make me so stinkin' proud and I can't wait to see what amazing things you accomplish in the next few years!  Dream big!

Schoolz out!!!

Is the month of May just absolutely Crazy Bananas at your house?  I don't remember it being this crazy but holy cow-ser..... nuts I tell ya.  

   Ty had his preschool graduation last week...

 I tried to take photos of him getting his "diploma" and his performance, but my camera is acting up and since he was moving... my pictures stink... I'm so not ready to spend any moola on a new camera right now... so all my favorite followers will have to bear with me and my grainy pics...

 Can you tell I think this kid is ridiculously cute.. I do, I really do.  He is about to loose his top front tooth, and it makes me sad...   I want to hold on to every "baby" thing about him for as long as I can.

 I'm just surrounded by good looking men :)  I'll tell you, I am one lucky gal :)

 After Ty's graduation, the preschool had a little carnival and all the kids had a blast.

 I think I snapped this pic the one second he wasn't smiling the whole afternoon .

 And I just have to brag on this guy for a second, I know that is hands down the most annoying part of reading blogs,,,, "oh look here at my perfect life and my perfect kids"  Well we are farrrrr from perfect...but I am stinkin' proud of this kid... I hope one day I can act as much of a grown up as he does.  Last week there were soccer tryouts for a competitive soccer team.  I had my reservations about signing him up.. he is 7 for goodness sake.  But at his rec - coaches advice we had him sign up.  He is a year younger than most of the kids on the team...so we told him he was just going to do a 2 day soccer clinic. We didn't want to put any pressure on him, or disappoint him.  So we just said go play and have fun.  I know a lot of the kids were super nervous.  But Jack was just having a great time.  This boy ALWAYS gives 110% no matter what the conditions.. so we saw no need to hype him up..   Well he made the team and it was so fun to tell him, since he had no idea he was even trying out.  We are so proud of him... mostly because he always has such a great attitude and he always works hard and he never complains...(see, told ya I wanted to be more like him)  Ok,, Mama brag over :)

 Minutes ago my biggest boy just walked in the door from his last official day of high school.  So surreal.   I think having a houseful of kids lessens the blow for me a little bit.  I love this boy with everything that I am but I know for sure he is ready for this next big step.  He will be home for the summer and I better not catch him doing to much of this in the long afternoons.....

 I have issue with lazy kids.... I will admit that my issue is 90% based on pure jealousy... oh to be a lazy.. I dream of being lazy with nothing to do, no haunting to do lists...  He does have a job though...but now that school is out, and wrestling is over... It's gonna be strange to not see him going a mile a minute...

 Ty also had his last soccer game of the season...boy loves to play soccer.  Hopefully next year it will be a bit easier for him to keep up with his peers.  He has come a LONG way in the past few months.  

 The sideline crew :)

 We have a super busy week planned this week, with Collin's graduation and family coming in town...  so it just may be quiet around here for a couple days... Enjoy the first days of summer!!!

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

 the littles are now out of preschool and the bigs are counting down their last few days of school.  i am trying not to go into mommy panic over how i am going to entertain all these kiddos during the long hot summer days.   i love my kids, i really do, love every stinkin' one of them,  sure sometimes they have an off day.  and with as many kids as I have at least one is having an off day everyday...not me though.  i am always on my game, always chipper, patient, friendly, calm and in control of my emotions ( bwah-haaa-haaaa-haaa).

so instead of panicking,  i'm obsessing and making lists of fun, easy, not too messy and budget friendly ideas to keep us going.  no doubt most of our days will be spent poolside or on the sidelines somewhere, but this list makes me feel a little more in control of the situation.     we just might not get to everyone of these, but it makes me feel better to have a plan.  gotta keep them thinking i have things under control or my gig is up :)
so here is our summer bucket list:

GO TO POOL
GIVE EACH KID $5 @ THE FARMERS MARKET...MAKE A STIR-FRY FOR DINNER
FINISH READING ROOM
GO TO INDOOR PLAYGROUND
GO TO POOL
SHARK WATERMELON
GO TO POOL 
GO CAMPING
PICK STRAWBERRIES
GO TO POOL 
MAKE ICE CREAM
SONIC HAPPY HOUR
WATER BALLOON FIGHT
SLIP AND SLIDE
GO TO POOL
SUMMER FLAT STANLEY
TIE DYE
GO GET DONUTS IN OUR JAMMIES
MAKE UP A SECRET HAND SHAKE
PAINT A ROCK/ BUG GARDEN
SCAVENGER HUNT
WASH CARS IN BATHING SUITS 
CHOCOLATE COVERED MARSHMALLOWS ON A STICK WITH COLORFUL SPRINKLES
DECORATE BIKES FOR 4TH OF JULY
ORDER PIZZA AT THE POOL
LEARN NEW HAND-CLAP/SONG GAMES ON YOUTUBE 
FREE (OR DOLLAR) MOVIES
FREE BOWLING
GRILL PIZZA'S USING TORTILLAS FOR CRUST
RAINBOW PUDDING POPS  see link
(POOL)NOODLE AND BALLOON BASEBALL
LIVING ROOM CAMPOUT
ROAST HOT DOGS AND SMORES OVER CAMPFIRE
SIDEWALK CHALK PAINT  see link
LET ALL THE KIDS PICK OUT 1 FUNKY SNACK TO SHARE AT TR@DER JOES
CHUCK E CHEE@E
BIG BUBBLES  see link
BUTTERFLY ART  see link
PAINT
BEACH
SAND CASTLE CONTEST
MAKE AN ONLINE SCRAPBOOK AS WE GO, AND ORDER  IT OUT RIGHT BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS


now if i were a really nice mommy, i would post this up somewhere so that all of the kids could see it and get excited.  then we could cross things off the list as we went....but i'm not that good, i rather keep a few tricks up my sleeve.  and truth be told, if i let them know that i was planning on taking them for donuts in their p.j.'s,  i wouldn't hear the end of it and it would completely suck the fun out of it...for me at least.  My every moment would be consumed with " mama, mama, can  we go get donuts now?  how about now?  what if we put our jammies back on?  what about later?  are we going to go tomorrow?  but you said we were gonna do it?  you wrote it there?  when mama, when?  how about now mama? "   so  i'm keeping this list guarded and completely to myself.   but i thought i would share it with y'all.  and please oh please if you have any other ideas  by all means  share 'em!!!