The After School Hustle

This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

This is it folks. The final countdown. May, June, SUMMER. We are so close!! We can do this! Somewhere between the projects, end of the year parties, sports championships ... everything starts to feel a little more stressful than usual. Not that the late afternoon and evening hours are ever NOT stressful. They don't call them the witching hours for nothing! At our house those few precious hours between the last school bell and the last bedtime story is nothing short of NUTS. Sound familiar? We've gotten into a sort-of routine, and I thought I'd share what it looks like for us, in case any of these tips might help you too!

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. The minute my kid is in bed I'm already getting set up for the next day. Packing lunches, snacks, signing forms, setting out clothes, and just making sure everything in general is ready for the next day. This helps our morning go smoothly, and when our morning goes smoothly the rest of our day tends to follow suit. I also use this time to prepare anything that can be done ahead of time for the following days dinner. This leaves less prep work to do during those stressful evening hours.

2. Keep Snacks on Hand. When I'm packing the night before I'm sure to also pack some snacks. If little man gets hungry, he gets CRANKY. Nothing will derail your night faster than a cranky kid. I like to pre-portion snacks into snack cups or ziploc bags and keep them stashed in my purse. That way they're available on the drive home from school, while waiting at sports practices, etc. Goldfish are one of our favorite snacks because they're made with real cheese, have no artificial flavors or preservatives, and I know they won't spoil dinner. I like snack cups for the car because my son is pretty prone to spilling things out of ziploc bags. Having to clean up a mess in the car just adds one more thing to your already full to-do list.

3. Multi-Task. This helps get more things done faster. Snacks can 100% be done while kids complete homework. Flash cards can get practiced while they dress for activities. I like to get my kiddo settled with a snack and his homework and then get started on dinner while he's occupied. If he finishes, I send him to start getting dressed for his evening activities or put him to work helping with dinner. Many hands make light work!

4. Everything in it's place. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is to have a designated spot for homework with all the tools they need so your little darling isn't wasting time wandering around the house looking for scissors, glue, a sharpened pencil, or anything else they may need. It's also helpful to stash anything they need for clubs, sports, or activities in one spot so that when you send them to get dressed they know just where to go to find everything. This will help you avoid those "MOM! I can't find __________________!!!!" while you're in the middle of helping another kid with homework, feeding the dogs, washing vegetables, or whatever else you need to get done.

5. Keep a routine. When you have a good routine in place your kids can anticipate how the evening is going to go and can be more independent. For us, that looks like a healthy snack (like fruit, yogurt, or Goldfish crackers) and homework while mommy makes dinner, followed by dressing for evening activities, dinner, then off to swimming or church. Once we get home it's bath, story, and then into bed. Since he knows what comes next Jacob is more helpful and able to complete some tasks on his own to help hurry us along. Once he's in bed I get started preparing things for the next day. (see #1)

For more on-the-go survival tips check out the Goldfish Pinterest page HERE. There are SO many helpful ideas there! And to learn more about Goldfish Colors, check out the Goldfish Colors page HERE. Goldfish Colors are also made from real cheese, have no artificial flavors, and the colors are sourced from plants! Happy moms + happy kids = win/win for everyone!

A Day at Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve

This weekend we got rained out of a planned Legoland trip, so on a last minute whim we decided on a beach trip to Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve. I've wanted to go for a few years now, and despite it's close location we've never made it up there! It's definitely one of the most unique beaches we've been to here on South Florida's east coast. Once you park you follow a short boardwalk where you pay your donation (suggested adult donation $2) and then you follow a path through the mangroves and saeagrapes until you end up in the sand! 

Once you follow the stairs down by the water turn right and head south for a little ways until you see the big rocks. This is where you want to set up camp, as it's where the "blowing" occurs. You need to be there at high tide to see it happen, when the waves come in and shoot up in between the rocks like a geyser, but low tide is cool too as you can see tide pools and get down into the water easier.

It was super windy the day we went and the tide was coming in so no one went out past putting their toes in. Jacob was perfectly happy to play in the sand and watch the water. The sand here is super dark, almost black which I'm guessing is from the limestone, but it's unlike any sand I've ever seen down here. The whole beach is amazing and we're so glad we made the trip up. There's a nature center across the street too, but by the time we left we were all hungry for lunch, so we didn't stop in there. We'll definitely be back in the future and next time we'll aim for high or low tide, instead of in between! 

Spring Break Faves: Kiddo Edition

All right friends, it's crunch time for spring break! I shared all my momma faves earlier this week, but we can't forget about the kiddos! I swear I always end up packing twice as much stuff for my kid as I do for myself. Going to the beach with kids pretty much requires you to bring your entire house am I right? I mean, you might as well just move in. We just picked up a beach buggy to cart all our stuff down to the water, and you can see some of our favorite gear and toys below. When figuring out what my kid is going to wear I always look for maximum sun protection in clothing. And whatever you do, wherever you go, for heavens sake don't forget the snacks. You can see some of our pool specific favorites here too! 

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX // SEVEN

EIGHT // NINE // TEN // ELEVEN // TWELVE

Spring Break Faves: Momma Edition

It's been a while since I've shared a round up of our favorite things, and since I've got spring break on the brain (3 days and counting!!) I thought I'd share a few of the things I'm swooning over. Most of these have made their way into my online shopping cart this past week and as you can tell, I'm loving rose gold for spring. We're headed to the beach again this year, but we're super excited to explore a new island we've never been to here in our home state. Check back on Thursday, as I'm rounding up my faves for little man too! Who's headed somewhere exciting for spring break?? Do you prefer low-key relaxation or high-energy adventure?? 

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX  

SEVEN // EIGHT // NINE

Investing in Our Boy // A Day at Legoland Florida

This past weekend we had the most wonderful family trip to Legoland Florida. We were invited by Vanguard to experience a day in the life of a long-term investor. Jacob is growing so fast and we are really realizing how much we need to seize these moments while he's still so small. People always try to warn you just how fast childhood flies by, but it's hard to grasp just how fast until you're in the midst of it. Planning for his (and our) future is super important to us, but we don't want it to take away from living right now in this moment. Legoland is only a 2.5 hour drive from home so we decided last minute to make a day trip. Vanguard clients don't live to invest, they invest to live! And that's just what we did. We lived it up, with our favorite boy, in his favorite place. 

Jacob was MORE than excited when he woke up in the morning and we told him we were going. We could barely get him dressed before he was trying to rush us out the door. We spent the entire ride listening to him babble on about how he was going to go on all the rides and see his Lego friends. The look of excitement when we pulled up was priceless. 

We made sure to grab a photopass on the way in to preserve our memories as much as possible, and we took lots of photos and videos too. We've made a few trips to Legoland before, but there were still quite a few first for us. It was the opening weekend of Christmas Bricktacular which made everything that much more magical. We got to listen to story time with Mrs. Clause, see the light show on the giant Christmas tree, and check out all the amazing lego displays.

Jacob was besides himself when we said we could get ice cream before lunch, and quickly picked out strawberry as his choice. His kids cone was huge and dripped all over the place, but his sticky smile was totally worth it. 

We also caught the pirate show for the first time and I'm not sure why we never made it a priority before. Our pirate obsessed kid was glued to the edge of his seat the entire show, and we must admit that their water skiing stunts are truly impressive. You can see some of their stunts in our recap video!

We hit some of Jacob's favorites - the Beetle Bounce, and Merlin's Challenge, but we also took some time out of our day to let Jacob play a carnival game. We've never done this before, but it was nice to take a break from rushing around to the rides. Jacob was over the moon when he won a giant dragon, and even insisted we strap it in next to him on the way home! 

Overall this was a more relaxed trip than our past ones, and it was so nice to focus on Jacob and what he wanted to do. He's growing so fast that we want to savor every last moment of who he is right this second. A recent study reveals that Vanguard clients spend 6 hours more per week with their kids compared with clients of other investment firms. I don't know about you, but I see that time as six precious hours we can never get back once the week is over. We're sure going to make the most of that time! 

See what makes Vanguard clients different here, and see if Vanguard is the place for you and your family! Have you started investing for the future?

The Where Investors Belong survey was conducted by market research firm Kelton Global in 2016. It polled 1,000 Vanguard clients and compared them with 1,000 clients of other investment firms. All differences between Vanguard clients and clients of other investment firms are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The parental stat refers to clients with children of any age who provided the number of hours per week they typically spend with their children or who, compared to other people they may know, believe to be more involved in their child’s life. . The experiences of these Vanguard clients may not be representative of the experience of other Vanguard clients and aren’t a guarantee of future investment performance or success.  

Riding in Cars with Kids: 4 Road Trip Essentials

 

We seem to have reached that milestone age group where our little guy, who used to fall asleep easily in the car.... no longer does. We started to notice it when we turned him forward facing, and it's only progressed with time. The soft white noise and swaying of the car no longer lulls him right to sleep, only to be woken when we arrive at our destination. Now he watches the world go by with his big, blue, eyes, and often demands to be entertained. 

We take quite a few car trips, both long and short, and we always try to be well prepared with ways to keep him a happy kid. Car trips can be stressful even with the most agreeable child, but throw a whiny one into the mix and it's a nightmare. I find that taking ten minutes to pack a few extra things helps me feel more prepared and less frazzled. Here's what we bring when we hit the road!

1. Snacks and more Snacks. The fastest way to make our guy fussy is to let him get even the slightest bit hungry. I like to pack a gallon ziploc full of snacks so that he has plenty of choices. Fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, yogurt pouches, and Happy Kid Fruit and Oat bars are some of our go to choices. Happy Kid Fruit and Oat bars are made with no added sugar, colors, or preservatives and are gluten free. By keeping our snacks on the healthier side we avoid a sugar rush that is inevitably followed by an epic meltdown. Don't forget a water bottle too, preferably a leak-proof one!

2. Lovey or Blanket. Just in case he does end up tired enough to fall asleep, having his blankie on hand makes him more comfortable and more likely to doze off. 

3. Fresh Tunes. We like to listen to spotify or make a cd before we leave with songs that the whole family will enjoy. Movie soundtracks are often a favorite. 

4. Games. We make sure our Ipad mini is charged up before we leave so that Jacob has a smorgasboard of games to choose from. But we also keep a list of fun games in the car that don't require electronics. Some of our favorites are: I-spy, I'm going on a picnic, and searching for letters or numbers. 

What are your go-to items for keeping Happy Kids in the car? We get our Happy Kid Fruit and Oat bars at Babies'r'Us, but you can also find them at Buy Buy Baby, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Sprouts, and Shoprite. For a $1 off coupon, click HERE!

The Fourth of July

Whew. We had the longest, fullest weekend celebrating Independence day at the lake and our hearts are absolutely bursting full of memories. I grew up spending weeks at a time with my grandparents at Crystal Lake during the summer and it makes me so happy to share those same good times with little man. There's just something about a small town 4th of July that's quaint and nostalgic. 

Our days were full and little man napped a solid 3 hours each day - a sure sign of a day jam packed with adventure. We drove up Friday night so that we could have a full three and a half days. Jacob handled the four hour drive (+2 extra hours of traffic) like a champ, thanks to a nap, iPad and several pit stops. Fresh cherries from a roadside stand? Yes please! 

Saturday we ventured to the beach, which is full of sand, rocks, and swings - all of Jacob's favorite things! After approx. 2,347 pushes on the swings we convinced him to leave with us to grab lunch at our favorite spot - StormCloud Brewing Company. The nachos, beer cheese soup, beer flights, and kids pizza all get two thumbs up from us. 

After we filled up we headed to the Point Betsie Lighthouse. The museum there is full of interesting information about the lighthouse and the people who have worked there, and it's great for kids too. We climbed to the top of the light house and were rewarded with amazing vistas of north and south Manitou island, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Jacob was a champ climbing up, but freaked out about going back down the ladder. We'll probably wait a few years before trying that again. After a LONG nap, we ate dinner at the Cherry Hut before spending some more time at the  beach.

 

Sunday we returned to Frankfort for some playground time, they have the BEST kids area there. The playground is right on the water, and the equipment is shaped like lighthouses, boats, and trains. We grabbed a quick lunch at the A&W in town, which still has it's original drive up ordering, and little man tried root beer for the first time. He wasn't too sure about it! 

Sunday evening we went into Traverse city where the Cherry Festival was going on for a little fun at the carnival. I've dubbed this year the summer of 1,000 carnivals because I've lost count and I'm not exactly sure how many we've been to. What I am sure of is that Jacob has loved every single one. I"ll always remember this as the summer he found his brave. He loves the rides and will go on pretty much anything he's tall enough for.

Monday we spent some time back at the lake, and went berry picking. We picked both Saskatoons and raspberries, then baked up a yummy raspberry cobbler! We ate it after a yummy dinner of grilled hamburgers, corn on the cob, and all the fixins'! We went that night to Crystal Mountain where Jacob and I had our first chair lift ride together up to the alpine coaster. The coaster is really fun and even little kids can ride if they go with an adult. Jacob sat right in front of me on the sled and hearing his giggles as we raced down the mountain was the best. They put on quite the fireworks show that night, and I'm happy to tell you that unlike last year, Jacob now loves fireworks! 

Tuesday morning we went to the main street parade in Frankfort followed by, you guessed it, another carnival! I'm really not sure what Jacob's going to do when we go back home to Florida and there isn't a carnival every weekend! He's going to be one sad kid.

We drove back down state during nap time and ended the day with a dip in the pool, confetti poppers, and watching our neighbors shoot off fireworks from the back deck.

I hope you all had the most amazing 4th and made memories to last forever!