What Ana Does

We caved and got the girls a trampoline this summer. I was reluctant because of injury. Dave was reluctant because of the cost.  But the neighbors all seem to have one. And Alice promised she's never be "bored" for the rest of her life. So, we ordered one off Amazon.  It took Dave and his friend just over a day to assemble it. And it seems really sturdy. The netting around the tramp makes it "safer" -- or so I'm told.  And ever since, the girls move from the tramp to the basement (where it's freezing) and come up with all kinds of games and activities.  It's a WIN. 

Let's overthink my lawn for a post, shall we? Leah Mowing Like a Pro While we were in Paris, my Mother moved into my house (temporarily, as it turns out), fired my lawn guy, bought a gas-powered mower and was planning to take care of the landscaping herself. She enjoys it. But circumstances took her to Florida and now I'm left with no lawn guys and long grass. No big deal, really. But it started me thinking about lawns. Then I read this article  that summed up the environmental issues of our lawn obsession. We, as a nation, over-water, over-fertilize and over-mow our lawns. And it's having a negative effect on our environment. While, yes, there are absolute positives for having a lawn and taking care of it, we're often doing way too much . Sure, grass is a plant and pulls a little carbon from the air, and is way better than paving or anything else, BUT it's doesn't need to look perfect all the time. I live in the midwest, so I only need to worry a...

For a very long time, David has been dreaming about buying a Jeep Wrangler. Just a fun third car to drive to the pool or beach, out for ice cream. Have his girls' hair blowing in the wind and enjoying a summer day out. For reasons only he understands, this dream took on some movement while we've been in Paris. He's been scouring ads for months, understanding pricing, milage, wear-and-tear, etc. and all there is to expect from a used Jeep. Yup, it's our first weekend in the States and he found one that fit in his criteria. It's a 2008 in olive green and it was love at first sight. For a used car, it's looking pretty good. Soft top. Manual transmission and all. My argument was, this is as good as it's going to get, it's in the budget he set aside and it's ready to go. I'm not spending all my Saturdays in the States going from one dealership to another looking at subtly differences in used cars. After long deliberations, it's ours! And ...

This week was the "gap week" -- the week in-between school ending and day camps starting. And with my "flexible" schedule, they were able to be home with me. (A good and bad thing.) I will say they did a pretty good job keeping themselves occupied so I could work -- with only a few whining episodes to go to Toys R Us or the goofy skatepark. Yes, my expectations were low.  A new slip n' slide was purchased and used. And our membership to the town pool got a lot of use since it was warm and sunny. Joy!   Caption 1: Pin Heads! Caption 2: Alley Champion! Town Pool  Now I'm just waiting for the farmer's market to open up and summer will officially be rolling! Related Posts:  Summer Planning From This Winter Summer Transitions 100 Things To Do This Summer - 2013

This summer is going to be bananas! I've been working through calendars and laying out plans for our summer months and it's starting to scare me. Let's review what's on the way: Dave has a week-long conference downtown and a European trip -- back to back. That's two weeks of single-parenting! I have a work conference for four days in Denver  A week later, we're flying out for a week-long camp on the east coast The day after we get back, Dave and I are getting a couples weekend in Las Vegas  A week later my in-laws are visiting, with possibly my sister-in-law and her family And my sister and her adorable daughters may also be coming for a visit around that same time.  Not to mention the mix of day camps I scheduled for the kids. Some weeks they'll be in our town, others they'll be near my office.  All wonderful, exciting events I am looking forward to, but it will make our summer -- our short, wonderful summer -- just fly by. Keeping Coo...

With each season comes the opportunity to do some shopping for my girls. They continue to grow like weeds -- especially Alice. Her feet keep skipping shoe sizes! Anyway, there's nothing I love more than scouring my favorite kid clothing sites for some adorable clothes. And even though shorts and t-shirts are most needed for summer camp, it's more fun to look at dresses! Hannah Anderson is my current favorite place to shop for "good" essentials, especially the leggings, because they hold up soooo well. This little  nautical outfit  is on Leah's Spring list. I'm completely in love with it, too. And they've got red corp leggings to go with it. Hannah Anderson: Ribbon Sundress While packing for Orlando a few weeks ago, I discovered Leah has NO summer dresses that fit her. So we hit the mall Saturday evening to see what we could find on sale. Leah just got this green dress from the Gap  that's one of her favorite colors. Gap: Floral Bloom Flut...

July means that when puttering around the house I can thoughtlessly step outside, almost without realizing it.  No clenching for the blast of cold air. No reaching for a scarf or an excuse not to exit the house. July means no socks. And I don't like socks. July means the sun sets later in the day, so evening reading, after household chores, can happen in the falling daylight. July means haphazardly pulling tomatoes or strawberries out of the garden. And eating them right away. July means more fruit than I can eat in one sitting. Especially plums and nectarines. July is optimism. Smiles

It's just not summer without ice cream... Ice Cream Girls