Oh hai....it's JUNE!

Yes. I'm still here.
Yes. I still blog.
Sometimes.
Most of the time I just THINK about blogging and then I get sidetracked and nothing happens.

Anyway...here we are...three weeks into summer "break" and I've been on the GO since the end of May.

We took vacation to the Outer Banks at the beginning of the month. Truth be told, I'd rather still be at the beach. I'm pretty sure I need to retire (someday...hahahahaha) to the beach. Specifically to the OBX.

For real. I'd never get tired of looking at the sunrise.

There's just something SO relaxing about the beach - and I have no problem waking up at 5:45 a.m. almost every day to see the sunrise.

Back to reality now....
This summer is going to be SO BUSY.

Between two weeks of religious education (yep, I'm THAT mom), golf lessons and PGA Junior golf matches (for Emma), ballet classes and two weeks of pre-intensives (for Olivia) there's not much "free" time. Our calendars are quite full.

But we're squeezing in a trip to CT and NYC and a trip to Orlando.
So it's not all work and no play this summer.

Times flies when you're having fun. ;-)

School's Out for Summer!

OK so this is just crazy.

Today is the last day of school.
What the what?!?

I think it seems so freaking WEIRD because this is the first time EVER that the girls will be done with school BEFORE June 1.

But as it is, I packed the last lunch this morning (until August that is) and I took the requisite "last day of school photos"...

And that's that.

It's crazy how much the girls have changed since August. And now we have a summer full of fun stuff planned, including the Chaos Party of 10 Cruise to the Caribbean.

Happy summer!!

Back to School

Today is the day.
Back to school.

Somehow I have a second grader and a fifth grader. Not sure how that happened...other than the fact that time flies when you're having fun.

The house is strangely quiet this morning. As a work-at-home mom I get used to having the kids at home all summer...watching Disney Channel, playing in their rooms, building forts in the basement.

This summer was full of fun and adventure and was the busiest summer we've had. And now it's back to the daily grind of wake up early, pack lunches, wait for the bus, and homework.

But the kids are excited to head back to school ... and I have to admit it'll be nice to get back to my "school year work from home" routine.

Here's to a great school year!

Wrapping Up Summer

Well here we are ... nearing the end of summer.

It's kind of hard to believe that summer break is over in just two days and the kids are heading back to school. I think that summer feels as if it flew by because, well, it did.

Emma says it feels like it went really fast because it was winter FOREVER this year and summer was way too short. I think she's right.

We had a summer bookended by vacations. We started the summer with a week-long trip to a beach house in the Outer Banks. And we spent last week at Walt Disney World.

I have to say that beginning and ending summer with a vacation is the way to do it. Although in all honesty I'd rather still be at Disney World.

The past couple of months have gone by quickly and it seems like July was a blur of activity. Once the OBX vacation was over the kids had two weeks of summer religious education, and the had golf lessons every Friday. The Olivia had a week of basketball camp. And there was more golf. And then it was mid-July and there was no stopping summer.

And then POOF! It was August and the girls finished their golf lessons with a tournament (Emma placed 2nd for her age group; Olivia placed 3rd for hers). And then the car was packed and we were off to Disney World.

Now we're home and trying to get back into the swing of post-Disney reality. Tonight is open house at school. And Thursday is the first day of school.

Liv is starting the 5th grade which seems impossible. This is her last year of elementary school - next year she moves to the "middle school" - or as we called it when I was a kid, junior high (GULP!). Emma is in the 2nd grade. Again, this seems impossible.

So here's hoping everyone has a lovely end of the summer and a great start to the school year. Also, here's hoping we don't have a repeat of the winter of 2014 this winter. I know I can't handle that and will be packing up and moving to Florida if it happens again.

Wordless Wednesday - 32 Days

32 days until I'm at my happy place. 

Not that I'm counting down or anything.

Happy First Day of School!

My fourth and first graders!

Today was the day - time to head back to the classroom. End of summer break. Back to our regularly scheduled programming. And all that jazz.

I heard a lot of people saying "wow, summer just flew by!" and yeah it sort of seems like it did. The kids got out of school in early June and the next two weeks were filled with religious education classes (not fun but necessary). Then July started out with a bang celebrating the 4th of July.

The girls had golf every Friday and then in late July we headed to Connecticut for a few days, and had a chance to spend two days in New York City. That was a really fun trip and I promise I'll be writing more about our NYC adventures soon.

Then July was over and it was suddenly August and the girls finished their golfing summer with a tournament where Emma was the "club champion" in her age group (for girls AND boys) and Olivia placed second for her age group.

And then it was time to do some back-to-school shopping and get organized for school. Just like that summer was officially OVER.

I think the kids had a good summer - it rained a lot and we didn't get to do as much as I would have liked. I've also realized that being a work-at-home mom is really difficult during the summer months. Emma even said "all you do is work, mommy." (LOL).

But the girls managed to find fun things to do - Emma mastered several games on the Wii and devoured many, many books. She also learned to ride her bike without training wheels! Olivia discovered the Rainbow Loom and our house is full of rubber band bracelets.

As it is, I think the kids were ready to head back to the classroom and I KNOW that I was ready to get back to some sort of schedule - for work and play.

So...if you're kidlets are headed back today, tomorrow, or next week (or if they have already gone back to school), happy back-to-school time! Here's to a great year.

Kalahari Resorts Summer Splash Celebration Giveaway!

With several weeks of summer left, there's a lot of fun to fit in before the kids head back to school.

To help in the endeavor, Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, Ohio is celebrating with a Summer Splash Celebration. This African-themed celebration is happening through Labor Day. The resort is celebrating African music, food, and art with special events and daily on-site activities including bracelet making, animal safari sand art, and more.

If you haven't visited the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, let me tell you about it! The resort is home to America's largest indoor water park with authentic African-themed decor, giving guests a "world away" experience. The Kalahari Resort features indoor and outdoor water park attractions along with the Safari Outdoor Adventure Park with animal exhibits, rides, and challenging activities for the whole family.

A few weeks ago Kalahari Resorts sent me an amazing Summer Splash Celebration goody box with two Kalahari T-shirts, two pairs of sunglasses, magnets, baseball hats, a music video DVD, a Kalahari mask for craft time, and a voucher for a one-night stay in a Hut or Desert room including water park passes and passes for the Safari Outdoor Adventure Park.

Sounds nice, right?

Well guess what? One of my LUCKY READERS is going to win the VERY SAME PRIZE PACK!  Yep. You read that right. One of you is going to win the Summer Splash Celebration Goody Box that includes: two Kalahari T-shirts, two pairs of sunglasses, two baseball caps, two Kalahari magnets, a music video DVD, a mask, AND a voucher for a ONE NIGHT STAY in a Hut or Desert room (for a group of four people), with water park passes and passes for the Safari Outdoor Adventure Park. [As an added bonus the voucher is good until August 2014, so it would be perfect for a fall or winter visit!]

You heard what I said, right?

The goody box includes a VOUCHER FOR A ONE NIGHT STAY AT THE KALAHARI  RESORT IN SANDUSKY, OHIO! 

Seriously. That's like a mini vacation people. You KNOW you WANT this.

In order to be entered in the contest you MUST use the Rafflecopter form (below). This contest requires a mandatory blog comment - tell me what you want to do at Kalahari, whether taking a ride on the Swahili Swirl or learning to body surf on the FlowRider, or maybe just relaxing at the Spa! 

The contest is open until Saturday, August 3!
Good luck and happy summer!

(Disclaimer: I received a Summer Splash Celebration Goody Box from Kalahari Resorts. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are mine.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway