Allergic to Running, Version Two

This past weekend Boyfriend was meeting some friends to play tennis so the girls and I decided to join him. Evelyn asked Boyfriend to teach her how to play so he patiently taught her some basic skills before his friends came.  Her lessons were totally unlike mine, she was still smiling and looking forward to her next one.  After my first (and only) lesson I was crying and wanted a drink.  Luckily dads can be more patient with their kids than their spouse.

While Boyfriend was playing tennis, Evelyn decided that she wanted to run around the track.  Evelyn took off, running the entire distance of one loop-Boyfriend said it was a quarter of a mile, but no matter what it was I was super impressed.  Penny was devastated she couldn't join her sister.  

I continued to ignore Penny's heartbreak so I could get a selfie with my new haircut.  Bad mom.

                                      

When Evelyn finished (and not even out of breath I might add!) she sat next to me and started scratching.  And the scratching eventually led to her clawing at her skin, all over.  I thought maybe it was the grass so we moved back to the tennis courts and I couldn't see any sort of skin irritation, beyond where her scratch marks were.  Then she started freaking out, slapping her head and screaming that she was itchy from the inside.  I started to get really worried because she was FREAKING OUT.  

I grabbed both kids and told Boyfriend I was going to go get her some Benadryl.  About 20 minutes after taking it she seemed much better and within 30 minutes she passed out.  Boyfriend was done playing tennis by this time and I was telling him about what had happened.  I told him it was just so confusing that she was so itchy when he made a joke about how maybe she was allergic to running like I am.

Once he said that, I knew he was right.  The way she was reacting is exactly the same way I react when I start itching.  It is this deep, internal itch that makes you feel like you are going to lose your mind.  I feel terrible she inherited this, but at least she is my artistic one and may never be all that interested in running distances anyway!

Mommy Daughter Day

This past Monday Evelyn and I played hooky and spent the day together, just the two of us.  I told her we could do anything she wanted to do, she picked swimming and school supplies shopping.  Easy enough!

Originally I was going to take her to a city pool but after finding a coupon for free kids entry with adult purchase for Hawaiian Falls, I decided she would have so much more fun there.  My  hunch was spot on-she had a blast! I had to beg her to stand still for just 30 seconds to take a picture before letting her jump in the water.

While we were at Long Cove the weekend before, she was swimming on her own without a life jacket for the first time.  She can go quite a distance but once she is out of air, she is done.  She haven't quite mastered the skill of being able to get more air to continue on further.  She can swim and float on her back now too, which surprised me considering we hadn't taught her how to do it.

After we swam for several hours she told me she was tired and ready to go school shopping, but first she wanted to relax.  We sat hand in hand next to the pool, eventually she laid on the ground because it was warm and she was freezing.  We stayed there for another 20 or 30 minutes in silence, people watching.

On our way out of Hawaiian Falls, texted Boyfriend at 1:36 pm telling him we were on our way to Target (which was five minutes away) to get her school supplies.  We got there and I should have known how tired she was because she asked to sit in the cart, which is something she never does!

At 3:26 pm, yes nearly two hours later, we were finally checking out.  I don't know if it was because I was a first time school age mom or if it really does take that long but I was so over it by the time I was done. Luckily they had everything I needed except for one thing (apparently bullet point tip, washable dry erase markers are a rare item) so I won't have to go through that again.

Everything we need for her to succeed in Kindergarten.  The My Little Pony blind bag was not included on the supplies list, just an extra for being such an awesome kid. I seriously can not believe that Evelyn is about to start school.

I'm so thankful for these calm days before school starts.  We will have one more this coming Monday, but Penny will be joining us as well.  My oldest girl is just so, so sweet and loving.  As we were leaving Hawaiian Falls, she told me to turn around and drew me a picture with her soaked towel drippings.  

I am so lucky.

#LifeGoals

I love being a contributor for Dallas Moms Blog.  While the relationships I have built with the other moms have been the best part of my experience, there are a lot of built in perks.  Like visiting Long Cove located on Cedar Creek Lake.

Our entire group was invited out for a "day in the life" of a resident.  I left Saturday night scheming with Boyfriend on how we could become actual residents, even if it required buying into 1/10th of a house with ten other couples. Long Cove is truly something unique and you could say I was smitten.

Long Cove isn't far from Dallas-located only far enough for Evelyn to ask me, "Are we there yet?" four times and she normally asks twice on the way to our local Target. I felt immediately transported once we were on grounds, driving through stunning landscaping, complete with three longhorns (that I later learned their names-Betty, Wilma, and Pebbles!) greeting us.

  

As all the contributors gathered around the pool we overlooked the lake and knew we were in for a fun day.  

We enjoyed boat rides, swimming, a fantastic lunch and was provided an opportunity to view one of the model homes.  Can I just move in now?  Seriously?

The community of Long Cove truly thinks of everything for their residents. You truly have the ability to pick up on Friday evening after work and head to the lake.  They will stock your fridge before your arrival and get your boat ready if you own one. They even have a toy barn so that you don't have to worry about bringing recreational equipment to play with.  All you have to do is show up with your family.

Yes, it is not inexpensive (which is why it is a #lifegoal right now for us, not a reality) but the idea of having a home where I can completely put away real life and just BE with my family is priceless.  Cheesy maybe definitely but even with my young kids I am realizing how hard it is to have quality family time, even when we are all home.  There are just too many distractions, too many things that end up on our lap when all I want to do is sit around eating Summer fruits and playing outdoor games at the lake with my kids.

I know that for these PR type events you are often given the best of the best but I can tell you, without a doubt, our experience wasn't just for show.  It was the real deal and it was obvious that all the residents we mingled with felt that every single penny spent on their gorgeous home was worth it, and more.  If you are a little more "established" than my family and looking for a second home for weekend getaways, you couldn't go wrong at Long Cove.

Permission to Blog

A few weeks ago I saw someone post a sponsored post about overnight diapers for older kids.  The post was well written and while it was a sponsored post-I know there are a lot of parents out there who need a product like the one she was describing so I got why she accepted it (well, beyond the compensation).

What stayed with me, after I had read the post, was that she used her five/six year old son as an example and how they personally used the products-her son had bed wetting issues.  Now I personally don't think there is anything to be ashamed of, nor something to make fun of but I have a feeling other six year old boys may not feel the same. And with kids these days (do I sound like an old fuddy duddy yet?) having access to the internet earlier and earlier-it may not be long before his classmates find that blog post.

It made me very conscious of what I post here. It is such a fine line of being an authentic parent who blogs-I want to share my stories and my life but I have to honor my daughter's story as well.  Boyfriend and I have never felt that it was wrong to be so public with sharing our experiences and pictures of our kids.  I don't believe that having pictures of my two year old nudist's butt on the internet will cause her emotional trauma, I don't want to raise my daughter to be the kind of person who let's things like that get under her skin.  I know we have some nature vs nurture that will play into it, but I do have (some) influence.

In my mind though, there is a vast difference between a two year old naked butt and posting a private medical issue.  That line seems very defined and easy for me to distinguish.  But what about the not so clear items-bed sharing situations, discipline problems, educational concerns?  Up until now, I have taken my children's feelings into consideration, there have been some posts I have not made simply because my gut tells me that they may not want that out there.  I suppose the obvious answer is to just ask permission from my kids as soon as they are old enough to understand.

I know how many views I get on this blog per day and while it isn't a super "successful" one by any means-I do have a large handful of daily visitors, I suppose wanting to know what is going on in my life.  For myself and my readers-I want to be real.  I want to talk about the things that so few others do.  The other bloggers out there that post about the harder subjects, sometimes those people are my lifelines-solidarity on knowing someone else is going through something I am (and hopefully how to get through it).  I hope I can inspire other moms like they inspire me.

While I'm still pondering on what is appropriate vs inappropriate I will leave you with this picture of Evelyn.  I don't even have to ask permission, I know her answer because she asked me to take the picture and post it on Facebook so our family could see it.  Which is an entirely different blog in itself.

Life in Bullet Points

Sometimes I don't really have an update worthy of an entire blog post, but I have random happenings that I just want to make note of.  So in honor of that:

* Evelyn starts school in three weeks, two days.  I apparently was supposed to order her school uniforms a week ago, whoops.  I'll get on that this weekend, hopefully.  And if not-well we just will have to keep her home for one more year, fine by me!

* I cut 14 inches of hair off.  I'm a bad blogger and don't have a picture (yet) but will post soon.  I don't know why, but I'm actually surprised at how much lighter my head feels.  (Side note-before I edited this blog, I originally included the disclaimer "off my head" to explain where I cut my hair.  Why I thought that clarification was necessary, I'm not sure-I can't think of any other place you could grow 14 inches of hair and if it were possible otherwise I would NOT admit to that, no matter how open I may be!)

* Also speaking of my hair, I was generously gifted a deluxe sample of Deva Curl line.  I have had curly hair since I was 19 and hardly ever wear it curly.  While I'm still not convinced (especially with my short hair) the after photo of my curls (pre chop) has me almost convinced.  

* I have only been on the Bachelor/ette bandwagon for three or four seasons now but now am an avid "fan."  I find that it is mostly an excuse to have a dedicated night to be lazy on the couch and have something to share with my friends.  While I am excited for Bachelor in Paradise and the ridiculous drama I am SO FREAKING ANNOYED that it is a two night commitment.  This may be where I jump ship.  

*Boyfriend and I have an (expensive) goal to eat at every restaurant at Trinity Groves.  We haven't dined at many yet-Amberjax, Off Site Kitchen and Sugar Skull Cafe, all with a stop at Cake Bar after.  We have been beyond impressed at each spot and can't wait to visit more, especially in the Fall when we eat on the patio and play on the bridge.  

Awww...family photo on the bottom corner

* Boyfriend and I have officially scheduled our first nights away from both girls!  He has a conference in Orlando so I am going to tag along on the front end and we are going to go to Universal Studios.  I'm pretty darn excited! 

* It is almost time for our yearly garage sale.  I've been in the process of decluttering and want to sell/donate everything.  I'm a minimalist on the outside, hoarder in the inside.  So basically my house looks pretty decluttered, until you open drawers and closets.  I think I have hit my breaking point though and just need it gone.

*I'm still sleeping and it is the BEST THING EVER.

Summertime

I love the feel of Summer.  I don't mean the literal feeling-the extreme heat, the inability to cool your internal body temperature after being outdoors for more than five minutes or the mosquitoes that eat me alive the moment I set my feet outdoors.  

What I am referring to is the relaxed pace everyone seems to adhere to (probably because if you risk moving too fast, you have sweat stains for days), the longer nights knowing you can sit in the backyard enjoying the later sunsets (doused in bug spray).  Getting to catch the sunrise each morning as I leave work and getting to experience the beauty of nature with my oldest.

I love the foods of Summer:BBQ, fresh fruits and veggies, ice cream and popsicles.  Sure I can get these foods year round but they taste so much better during Summer.

For the first time ever, our Summer is ending, not because we are entering Fall but because we are starting a brand new season of life-school.  I have such mixed feelings on this, one day I'm excited for Evelyn and the very next hour I'm digging my feet in the sand trying to anchor us to our current life.

These last few weeks of Summer (four to be exact) we will be spending our evenings playing outside in the sprinklers, staying up late watching scary movies (Evelyn's favorite) and taking evening walks to discover all the creatures in our neighborhood.  

Summer may be almost over, but I know we have filled our girls memories with happy times.  Water balloon fights, dinners consisting of only Bahama Bucks Snocones and trips to the splash park, I think I can safely say my girls too, are lovers of Summertime.

Blueberry Pickin

With the exception of last year due to a brand new baby, our family has made it out to Twin Oaks Blueberry Farm to fill up buckets worth of blueberries.

Can we just take a moment to notice how grown up Evelyn looks?

 We woke up abnormally early this past Saturday morning and decided to head out which ended up being perfect, it was just starting to get hot by the time our buckets were full.  Evelyn was really into it this year, taking extreme care to not pull any that weren't ripe.  Penny wasn't quite as picky and would eat any that her tiny fingers could pluck off the bush.

Admittedly it was difficult for Penny to walk around-the bushes are on a slight incline but her sister was more than happy to help her out.  I'm already looking forward to next year's trip to the blueberry farm!