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End of Summer

Wow! Can you believe it?!

Summer is almost over!

Come the end of this weekend pools and waterparks will be closed; and for us on Tuesday, classes resume. This year the end of summer marks a bittersweet, exciting moment for us. Our oldest known around here as Speedy, is headed to Kindergarten. He's super-excited and we are happy for him. He's already been to Kinder Camp for a week where he got to meet the teachers and get a little practice being in a "big school" setting. I love that his school offered this and the other "back to school" events. It made the transition for us, in my opinion, smooth.

Of course you know I took several pictures


But enough about that.....

Our summer has been jam-packed with a lot of awesomeness. We didn't do everything on our list (which almost always is the case) but we did a great deal. Here's a brief review of our summer.

King's Dominion- The first (and only) big trip of the summer was our church trip to King's Dominion. It was a blast to spend the day with families we know and love screaming our heads off and splashing around. I love that Speedy was able to ride most of the rides.

Here's a shot of our group before we went in. Don't ask me why my silly husband is hiding behind the pole. I had my camera but was too busy riding rides to remember to snap a few photos lol. I have to do better.
 
Chipmunk Turned 1- In true Russell fashion, we celebrated our littlest's 1st birthday with a party full of friends and fun. Because his birthday fell on a very busy week, we opted for a weekday evening party at a local indoor jumping place. The kid's had a blast and that included my little man.





He was using his hands but decided that was for the birds lol

 
 


Speedy Started Baseball- And here's the kicker, my hubby is coaching his team. So far they have had four practices. The first game is on the 12th





Pool and Waterpark- During this summer we took several trips to our neighborhood pool and to the local waterparks. Which is one thing I love about being in this area. They have tons of public pools (with nice features) and full-fledged waterparks, which I wish we had growing up in Miami. We only had the pools, the nearest waterpark was 2 hrs away. Something I never understood for a place with such beautiful year round weather. Nonetheless, we had great fun; and so I digress...
 






Movies and Chuck-e-Cheese trips- We also took some time out and made several trips to the movies and to Chuck e Cheese's. My son loves this place, as do most kids. I wish they had more of a play structure like Discovery Zone did before it closed. This was the first summer that we did kid movies. Before this, my husband had a perpetual fear that our kid's would be the ones yelling and crying during the movie causing us to have to leave the theatre wasting our money. However, his fear was unfounded and our children did awesome each time. Among the movies we saw were: Turbo, Planes, and Monster's U.





Beyoncé- Yes! My amazing husband for my bday in May got me tickets to see Queen B when she came to DC in July. To top it off my niece (who is more like my sister) came for the week and went with me. The night was an amazing outing I will never forget.



Barbecues- My absolute favorite event during the summer. I love to entertain and I love to eat! Sadly, we didn't have many events at our home due to the lack of space. I can't wait for the day when we settle down in a house of our own with a beautiful patio where we can entertain to our hearts desire.
This has become my most requested dish for summer functions. Oh yeah and my pasta salad too lol



Motherhood Moment

Today my son has his physical for school and for Fall sports. He knows he has to get shots and he, naturally, isn't happy about it. But I'm hoping I can ease his fears as much as possible. As someone who can't stand needles, I especially hate seeing them used on my babies. But I want my son to be able to find comfort in the situation by my presence or that of his daddy's.

I'm sure he'll be fine. I pray I will be too...

In other news, I'm currently working on a bunch of posts and I'm sort of excited to get them up soon. A hint on one is that I recently have been testing out closet organizer apps on both my iPhone and my iPad; to see which one i like or if they are even worth it. Don't know what I'm talking about. Come back soon and find out.

Sluggish

My mommy life is becoming quite overwhelming. I'm finding myself overwhelmed most of the time and extremely tired ALL of the time. I'm hoping this is a phase and that I will be out of it soon. I know part of my feeling sluggish is my lack of exercise and my current fast food excursions.

 My husband has even noticed and has made comment about it. Much to my chagrin of course. I know I need to snap out of it soon; but I truthfully have no get-up-and-go to get me up and going. However, I'm going to drag myself up from off this couch and straighten up my house and take the kids out for a walk to the park.

It's not much but it's a step in the right direction....

HUMP DAY!!!!

Have you seen that Geico commercial with the camel yet? My son and I absolutely love it! The first time I saw it I had to rewind it. The simple joys in life, eh! If you haven't you can click below to check it out.
 
 

Any who, today is usually our busiest day of the week. I have choir and praise team rehearsal and following that we have bible study. Now that Speedy is starting Kindergarten and T-ball in the Fall, Wednesdays will be even more busy than normal. We will be living life in the "superfast" lane. I'm excited to now be a mother of a school aged person and can't wait to watch how much our lives change.

Speaking of superfast... Have you seen the new movie Turbo with your little ones yet?

We hope to go see it tomorrow after T gets off work. Speedy, naturally, is excited to see it. He's on pins and needles waiting for the day that he's told to get ready for the movies.

What do you have going on this hump day?

Good Eats. Tons of Heat.

In an unintentional continuation of the theme of heat this month; my family and I tried out a local Thai restaurant last night. It was the first time we had eaten Thai food anywhere outside of DC. As usual, Thai didn't disappoint. The food was delicious and now only in retrospect do I wish I had taken pics. I'm horrible with taking pictures in the moment and I struggle to correct that.

Traditionally, Thai food is spicy. So if you can't handle heat, don't come into this kitchen.

Lol. Lame. I know.

 I had the Drunken Noodle with beef and was very pleased with the flavor and heat intensity. Don't worry if you have kids or if you aren't the "spicy type", they have other dishes that are equally as good. My oldest son's favorite seem to be the Wonton Noodle Soup and my littlest; who had Thai for the first time, loved the Thai Dumplings.

I can't wait to go back and will definitely be trying new dishes from there.

Summer Tips to Beat the Heat!

Happy August Guys!

Unless you've been living under a rock, then you've been experiencing extremely hot weather for the last few weeks. We've been hovering around the upper 90s here in Northern Virginia. So it's only fitting that I take a moment to talk about it.

My family and I have been enjoying the many warm weather activities where we live which includes a visit to our community pool every other day. During these activities it's been imperative for me to be sure that I keep myself and my family safe from the harmful rays of the sun. More and more research is coming out about the extremely harmful effects of sun exposure to skin of all complexions. It was once believed by some that darker complexions were safer from the sun than their lighter counterparts. But it's now understood that the sun is dangerous to all if not properly protected.

For me it's a very big deal as sun exposure is known to have very adverse effects on people suffering with Lupus. So for me it's more of a life and well-being issue.

Here's a list of the top 5 things I do every time we go out to ensure my family's sun safety:

1. USE SUNSCREEN- Be sure the highest broad spectrum sunscreen possible is applied to everyone who will be exposed to the sun. Even babies. I use Neutrogena Wet Skin and Wet Skin Kids. This summer is my first time using these products and I mainly purchased them because they were on sale and they are specially formulated for use in water. Which is our favorite summer activity. Overall I'm fairly satisfied with them and will likely purchase again

2. USE A HAT- Try to use wide brim hats especially for babies and kids

3. LIMIT SUN EXPOSURE- Try to find shade at the pool or bring your own to the park/beach. Avoid direct sun exposure for longer than 30 mins at a time. Take frequent breaks in the shade if possible

4. HYDRATE- Be sure to have plenty of water and other liquids available for everyone on hand. Don't be fooled that you can't get dehydrated while swimming. Because you can.

5. BE SMART- If you or anyone with you begins to look or feel differently while enjoying the sun, pay close attention and seek help if needed.

Hope these tips helped.

 ENJOY THE SUN!


This post contains links for products that I personally use and wanted to share with you. I was not compensated by this company or any of it's affiliates for doing so. As with anything check with your doctor or pediatrician before use if you have any questions about this or any other skin product.

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