T-I-M-E & What I Know For Sure

Last Sunday, we got out an old poster board and divided up the days and asked the kids "What do you want to do? The week is wide open."

Spring Break is coming to a close and I'm sad.  Even though I miss a little of my routine, I love having everyone home.  And the end of spring break means our life gets busier than normal.  Spring concerts, baseball tournaments all over the place, end-of-the-school-year mania and more.  It makes my heart race just thinking about it all.  Maybe that's why I  enjoyed this wide-open week we just had.  

Our poster board/calendar-of-fun included activities like riding bikes, nature hikes, bowling, Belle Isle, jumping rope and more.  Nothing fancy, nothing expensive.  

We did something this spring break that we've never done before, we had a Mom/Dad/Kid date with each child.  Since we didn't have much of a budget and we didn't want to hire a babysitter four times this week, we offered the kids alone time with us at home and a chance to stay up late. Each child had a "My Night"--they got to pick what we all had for dinner, choose an activity to do or a movie to watch together and enjoy staying up late.  

Lucy chose to watch The Book Thief with us after the other kids went to bed.  She recently finished the book and wanted to see the movie.  We got treats and snuggled on the couch, just the three of us.  (The movie was incredibly sad, but moving and well done.)  JT chose to play a few video games and card games with us.  Peyton wanted to watch a few episodes of The Simpsons (a show we just started letting him watch with Tim on special occasions) and eat cake.  Wade was the only one that got something a little different, he wanted alone time with Tim at the baseball field.  We thought that was a good idea since staying up late to a 4-year-old sort of wrecks them.  

We also had fun all together.  Like cheering each other on when we went bowling.

I love how they were rooting for Wade and hoping he got a spare.

Oh man, the agony of a split. Bowling, grrrrr.

I love this picture.  Peyton is trying not to laugh and look like he's having fun with us, because duh, what pre-teen has fun with their goof-ball family?  His expression is the perfect mixture of smile and eye roll, like he's saying oh-my-gosh-you-guys-are-so-annoying-but-funny-and-I-love-you.
At least that's the way I see it.

You've heard the expression how does a child spell love?  T-I-M-E.  Well, it rings true in our house.  Without spending a crazy amount of money or planning anything extravagant, our kids, our family, felt the love I know that for sure.  


Here's what else I know for sure this week:

• VEDA is hard ya'll, but fun.  VEDA stands for Vlog Every Day April.  A new vlog every day.  I have only missed one day so far.  Here's one from last week where I reveal my biggest fear about Listen  To Your Mother Metro Detroit (hint, it has something to do with Cindy Brady).

If you want to spend your weekend catching up on all my VEDA videos head on over to my YouTube channel.  Subscribe if you like.  I have some fun videos from last week, like our trip to Belle Isle, Lucy's book review and of course, a kitchen dance.

• Tulips are blooming in Holland.  When I was in elementary school, we sang this song that went a little something like this: "Tulips are blooming in Holland...Michigan.  Tulips are pretty and gay."  I don't know if every elementary school kid sang that or only kids that lived in the lower western part of the state of Michigan.  We had tulip pride.  But man, look at this gorgeous tulip pride in Holland...in the Netherlands.

Click here to read more about the rainbow fields of tulips. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/dutch-tulip-fields-create-cacophony-color-n75701

• I am not over my phobia of frogs.  I was able to pose for a silly picture at the nature center, but it is blurry because I could only sit still for a few seconds.  This phobia is crazy, but it's real, people.  I skipped the frog exhibit.

• I love what Pharrell has to say about women.  And I just love Ellen so much.

• I can't help myself.  I didn't want to, but I did, I watched the Lindsay Lohan reality docu-series and I sort of like it.  Ugh.  I know, but I am rooting for her.  

• I'm looking forward to this weekend so much--our final Listen To Your Mother Metro Detroit rehearsal and the return of Mad Men.  Ahhhhh!!!!

What do you know for sure (this week)? How was your spring break? C'mon, we're friends, share what you know. 

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