2 fun with work ideas

Okay, so work is the focus for us this summer, but it doesn't have to be torture. The more I think about it the more I realize that teaching your children about team work (and just work in general) eliminates trouble with so many issues - sharing, sportsmanship, friendliness, the list goes on.

Saturday we washed the car as a family. So fun and my kids worked so hard! They loved sudsing up their sponges and each having their own special spot to clean. And of course, they loved getting wet. We did it early in the day so it was also very refreshing!

Today we all worked in the garden. Oh my gosh, the ideas that came to my head with this one. My youngest 2 just wanted to play with the hose, which is like UGH. Right? So I set it to a trickle and they were in charge of filling the watering cans. Genius. It took them forever but they did not care at all. And they didn't get soaked. And as an added benefit, they didn't come over with their little sand shovels and dig up all my mulch. Lol. My older 2 wanted to fill things with water too, and I realized it could have easily turned into a lesson on volume and measurements. Maybe next time. But they were very helpful in cleaning up - the sweeping and cleaning of garden tools, etc. No complaints! And the reward was a walk/ride on scooters and in the wagon and a nice big lunch. :)

Who else has been hard at work this summer, and what are your ideas?

Join me in the movement!

I've made a decision. We're not going to have a perfect summer... there will be no regular craft day, library day, activity day, baking day. That's right. I said it. We're not going to have a perfect summer! We're going to get in shape this summer, that's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna be a mean mom. Can you believe it? Me.

We'll be learning to make beds. We'll be learning to make breakfast and lunch for ourselves. We'll be learning to tie our shoes and put together our clothes for the day. We'll be learning to clean up the table after dinner. We'll be learning to fold!


I've got a lot more house to keep now and so I've decided... I'm not going to do it alone!

So there.













(Except I won't be totally mean, because you know that's not really who I am... I just wanted to sound tough and stuff... in fact, we ARE going to the library. This afternoon. We're just not going every week. And I don't feel guilty about it. At all.

Hmph.)

And the winner...

... picked at random, is Jane who said "I love the Nicole dress too.What a cool give away you are doing. And thanks for sharing a new website for me to get cute dresses."



Congratulations, Jane! You gift certificate will be emailed to you shortly!

Time's up!

... for the Mika Rose give-away. I'll announce the winner at noon CST, so stay tuned!

oh what do you do in the summertime?

Well, summer is half over and I feel like we are just beginning to enjoy it. C'est le vie.

The kids are really enjoying their new playroom, and one of the new features in there is a fully stocked dress-up trunk. Highly recommend it. They play for hours upon imaginative hours with this stuff. Nothing delights me more than the sounds of make-believe!

Today Adriana marches Sasha into the office where I am and says "Hear thee, hear thee. (snicker) Introducing... Dr. Sasha!" And this is what Sasha looked like:

Hmmm, I thought. Doctor of what? Pimpology?

Savoring moments, my friend., I am savoring these precious, rarely dull, *innocent* hilarious moments!

I am still getting settled in our new home and decorating and redecorating and undecorating and so on. It's slowing down now that guilt has set in over summer being half over and us not having much to show for it. But I finally finished this painting which I have been working on for some time. It was originally intended for our old house, but I stalled and stalled, unsure of where it was going. New home, new inspiration, and voila! My interpretation of the Tree of Life.

Hope to post more "oh what do you do in the summertime?" ideas. There were several great ones last summer!

Have you entered the Mika Rose give-away yet? Don't miss out!

Mika Rose give-away

I love to get dressed up. Love. And I love these classy dresses from Mika Rose!

What's that? You do, too?

Well, did you know that most of their dresses will cost you less than $60 shipped? Yeah. Good deal.

And if you can pay them a visit and tell me which one you like best, it might just become yours. That's right, Mika Rose is giving one My Many Colored Days reader a $60 gift certificate!!!

You may even wish be gracious with your gift certificate, and instead go with a cute little number for your daughter/granddaughter/goddaughter/niece/friend's daughter.............. :), like this one:

Either way, do your research, and then come back and leave me a comment!

Winner will be announced on Friday, July 18.

Technorati tags: Mika Rose,summer give away

Do I have a good looking family, or what?

I'm so thrilled with these pictures. As much as I'd like to keep her all to myself, Leisha Kelsey is the photographer. Totally book an appointment with her if you live in the Salt Lake City area. She is wonderful!

She's 2!

Our very own little miss independence celebrated the big 2 today!

So far there has been a lot of wearing of the new-ridiculously-large-clogs-meant-for-the-future (but hey, they match my new outfit, mom!):



and some emotional overload:


but most of all a lot of cuteness:









Enjoy your 4th!!!