Just a few Random Thoughts in Summer

Well…it is probably more than a few.

If few is actually three or more.

Although, the more should cover it.

Summer has been busy.  More busy than the school year.  Is that possible?

It is probably because I have a tendency to NOT schedule stuff.  It seems so permanent when I enter it on my calendar…so anti-spontaneous.  This sans schedule tendency is NOT conducive to taking care of multiple children.  Probably wouldn’t even work if I only had one.

Rare is the activity/camp/VBS/etc. which accommodates ALL three of my kids.  Which means they are split up.  Which means there are more moving parts.  More moving parts means that there is an increased chance of breakage and loss, i.e. Holly driving all over town in a silver minivan with a big BurbMom.net sticker on the side.

I know my life is glamorous.

This week my older two were in golf camp and my youngest was subjected to the mind numbing boredom that is mommy’s attention at home.  It actually turned out good because he is a helper.  We sorted through all the toys.

All the toys.

I repeat.

All the toys.

This is not a simple task.  No toy in my entire house was hanging out with their like kind.

Bin after basket after drawer after shelf went a little like this…

One lego.

One book.

One tinker toy.

A beanie baby.

Two more legos.

A Happy Meal toy missing a wheel.

A Hot Wheel.

A Lincoln Log.

A Magnet.

and so on…and on…and on…

What has resulted after three days of intensive organizational therapy is a garage full of “baby” toys and two trash cans full of things that were broken, lost and generally not in any shape to give away.  Please do not speak of these two trash cans with my children.  They need not know they exist.

Which reminds me to give out this general warning…

DO NOT GO SEE TOY STORY THREE IF YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR TOY OVERHAUL.

If you do, like I did, then you will feel BAD and SAD for all those toys that you are casting off.  Toys have feelings too?

I did find it a little ironic that one of the toys that has been left out of play and put in the donation bin was Buzz Lightyear.  Maybe it is because we didn’t have Woody.

Anyway, the toys are now sorted and everything has a place.

Whew.

Summer time is work.  I need a vacation from summer.

Fuel kids for summer fun and fitness

 

Ads for fast foods, snack foods, sweetened cereals and sugary drinks are frequently blamed for fueling the obesity epidemic among kids in the U. S.  But a Federal Trade Commission study found these might not be the culprits they’re made out to be.  Using Nielsen Monitor-Plus/Nielsen Media Research data, the researchers determined children’s exposure to television advertising.

Of the 25,600 TV ads 2 to 11 year old children see in a year, only 5,500 (22%) are food ads, 9% fewer than kids saw in 1977.  The majority (78%) are for non-food products with 43% promoting sedentary activity: ads for TV programs, screen/audio entertainment, games, toys and hobbies.  Ads that encourage kids to be active, like those for sports and exercise equipment, make up for less than 1% of ads kids see.

Summer can pose extra challenges for parents in encouraging healthy habits for kids.  In fact, an Ohio State University found that children gain more weight in the summer than during the school year.  But parents can help their children eat healthfully and burn more calories while out of school by using a few simple strategies:

Snack Smart

Stock the refrigerator and pantry with baked or low fat chips, pretzels and crackers; lower fat cookies like vanilla wafers, graham crackers and Fig Newtons; fresh, frozen or small cans of fruit; baby carrots; low fat cheese like mozzarella string cheese; low fat yogurt, pudding cups, ice cream and frozen yogurt.

Pare Portions

To keep portions under control buy the 100-calorie packages of cookies and crackers (Oreo, Chips Ahoy and Cheese Nips Thin Crisps, Ritz Snack Mix); 4-ounce pudding, ice cream and fruit cups; and 1-ounce bags of pretzels and baked chips.  Or use the big packages and create your own kid-size snacks by filling small plastic zip bags with baby carrots, grapes, watermelon chunks, animal crackers, pretzels or low-fat popcorn.

Fill up on Fluid

Hot summer days make it even more important for kids to get plenty of fluid to keep hydrated, at least 8 to 10 cups a day including those at meals.  Contrary to popular belief research shows that all beverages, even those with caffeine, are just as hydrating as water.  Studies also find that children drink 45% to 50% more liquid when it’s flavored, so offer them beverages they enjoy.  Options include small bottles of juice, soft drinks in 100-calorie cans, and low-fat plain or chocolate milk, or, for kids who need to watch calories, diet soft drinks or fruit flavored bottled water.

Add Activity

Summer is a great time to get the whole family active.  Instead of watching TV or playing video games, encourage kids to get outside and play in the yard or park, swim at the pool, walk the dog, ride a bike, or play tennis, golf and baseball.  When planning your vacation, consider active ones like camping, hiking, water skiing or sightseeing trips that require lots of walking.

So don’t let this summer go to your family’s “waist.”  There’s no better time to be active together, plan, shop and prepare meals together and all get on track for a healthier future.

Ahhh…Summer time in Dallas

My kids got out of school on May 10.

*gasp*

We have already been on our week-long family summer vacation.

We have been to Six Flags twice.

We have been to the Roanoke Splash Pad three times.

We have been swimming twice at pools and have spent four full days at an area lake.

We have been to countless parks and areas of recreation.

We are less than a month into summer and I am exhausted!  Oh, and to make matters worse, I don’t seem to be wearing them out at all.

THANKFULLY we live in the Dallas area where we couldn’t possibly run out of summer time activities…even if we tried.

Which we will.

I am really excited for this summer with Burb Mom.  I love reading all the stories about what other moms in this area are doing with their kids.  We had quite a few last summer that we will re-run…and we are getting new stories every day.

There is NO reason to be bored around here…check out our daily articles or skim through our archives to find something that would fit YOUR family.

Oh, and if YOU have a story to tell, please let us know!

The other thing I want to mention is that ALL of our contributors live here in the Dallas area and most have blogs of their own.  Please stop by our contributor page when you have a few spare minutes and click over to these bloggers personal blogs.

Oh, and if you find me collapsed from exhaustion in one of Dallas’ many venues for family fun, please make sure I am still breathing…

Cheap fun in Lewisville

I’m a country girl. I grew up in a farm town, and I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a community pool. Well, I saw them on television, but they looked kind of gross and dirty. So, when a friend mentioned taking her kids to the Lewisville Pool I was a little shocked.

She’s a good friend though, so I decided to trust her. I loaded up my kid, and we headed to the Old Town Lewisville Pool. This park is so cheap, and you bring your own food, so you can get out of there for next to nothing. It has a water slide for the bigger kids, and there’s almost never a line so they can slide down it all day. Your little ones can play in the beach entry pool or in the fountains.

My daughter brings her tea party set and just sits on the side all day serving tea to her friends. (Don’t bring toys you don’t want to get lost though–I had a small altercation with a woman over an ice cream cone scoop last year.)

They have season passes if you’re into the swimming thing, and they are good at both Lewisville Pools for the year. That’s nice because the other, more expensive pool across town has a lot more for kids to do as a special treat, but we usually avoid that one because of the insane crowds.

If you are like me and looking for some cheap fun this summer I suggest you check out the Lewisville Pools. Here’s all the important information you need to know!

Remember, each pool is closed one day a week, so that means the other one will be way more crowded that day, so I usually avoid Wednesdays and Thursdays all together.

SUN VALLEY AQUATIC CENTER
801 S. Valley Parkway
click for map
972-219-3743

HOURS

• Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Monday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday CLOSED
• Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Friday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Lap swimming will be available on weekdays at
Sun Valley from 6:00 pm. to 7:00 p.m.

ADMISSION

• Sun Valley Admission Cost $5.00
• Resident Admission Cost* $4.00
• Twilight Admission Cost $3.00
• (Monday – Friday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
• Under 3 Free

OLD TOWN AQUATIC PARK
535 W. College Street
972-219-3744

HOURS

• Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Monday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Thursday CLOSED
• Friday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

ADMISSION

• Old Town Admission Cost $3.00
• Resident Admission Cost* $2.00
• Twilight Admission Cost $2.00
• (Monday – Friday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
• Under 3 Free

SEASON PASS

• Individual Season Pass $65.00
• Individual Resident Season Pass* $50.00
• Resident Family Pass** $175.00

Season passes are good at either facility for the entire swim season.

*Proof of residency is required for discount.
**Up to 6 family members.

Jamie Harrington is an aspiring author that spends her days frantically writing about super heroes and band geeks. She’s married to a pretty cool guy, and has a beautiful three year old daughter that’s the topic of most of her blog posts at Totally the Bomb.com. You can also find her mindlessly chatting away all day on twitter.

Sunday – Flip-Flops

I truly believe that there is a science to purchasing the perfect pair of flip-flops, but when you find them the chemistry is magical.

It is a close relationship that should last the whole summer.

It is summer love.

Here are my top 5 flip-flop tips for courting new summer footwear:

1. Walkability.  No matter how cute they are, if you are sprawled out on the ground after tripping, no one is going to say, “cute shoes”.
2. Comfort.  They should pass the zoo test…would you wear them to the zoo?
3. Attraction.  It is impossible to fall in love with an ugly shoe.
4. Cleanability.  If you aren’t going to be able to get cherry Slurpee off them, you shouldn’t be going home with them.
5. A future.  You don’t want to be shopping again next week because you ended up with a flip-flop one night stand.

So who will I be seen around town with this summer?

I am a pretty cheap date - Target around $12.

Wednesday: Wicked Weary

Alliteration is so fun.  Expect that any Dose from Shauna will have some super fancy alliteration.  You can also expect that all of my doses will use the word “fancy.”

If you can’t tell from my delirious rambling, I am beyond tired.  Summer is killing me!  Just a few weeks ago, I was anxiously awaiting the end of the school year.  The end of all the papers coming home(Can you say global warming LISD?). The end of sending lunch money every week (I swear that has gone up.) The end of waking up at the crack of dawn.

But, summer has brought its own strife.  I really sound like a complainer. Summer has later nights..thus tired children.  Vacations that seem like quite a bit of work for what they are worth.  Sun, sun & sun…love the sun, but it is making my kids a bit cranky!

I wish there was a middle ground between school & summer.  Here is Shauna’s Ideal Scenerio:
1. School day starts at 10am
2. Attend school (starting at age 4) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
3. School gets out at 4pm
4. Because we pay so much for school lunch, LISD decides to let that account for dinner too and we get FREE Chick-Fil-A for dinner each evening
5. School District begins to post ALL of the ridiculous propaganda & activities crap on its website for parents to view at their own discretion
6. We get 3 – 1 week breaks throughout the school year until they are all in high school – then they don’t get breaks….and they have to go to school 5 days a week…

This, my friends, would be good.

Divine Connection:Self-Care

Divine Connection: For bone-weary Burbmoms who need to recollect themselves and reconnect to the Divine.

The prophetic weatherman made a shocking statement in his forecast this morning. He told an area of the country not to be concerned about a rather productive weather pattern heading it’s way, “because it is outrunning its energy source and is about to disintigrate.” Does that describe what happens to you every summer as you pack your schedule with family visits and as many entertaining activities as can be found? Is your current daily routine (where you frequently get to direct your own attention) about to be abandoned until the end of August?

I’m going to be very honest here: I love my family but the summer exhausts me! And I know I’m not alone in that. Around the end of July I’ll catch the sideways glance of a frazzled, Starbucks-slurping mom as we pass in Walmart. I’ll tap my watch and thus wordlessly offer the encouragement to hang in there a few more weeks when we can get some much needed alone time.  Usually I end the summer much like the weather pattern was described: formerly productive, fast-moving but outrunning my energy source and disintegrating. Well Sister, don’t outrun your energy source this year! Schedule time to make a Divine Connection!

If you want to end the summer as integrated and whole as you began it, you’re going to need two things: a commitment and a plan.  Make self-care an important priority and commit to do something for yourself daily, whether that’s taking time to workout, go for a walk around the block, sit quietly with your thoughts and prayers for an hour each morning, or getting a night out with the girls each week. It isn’t a “nicety” it’s a necessity that keeps us connected to ourselves and to God. Before I can truly raise my attention to God, I need to “recollect” myself…to literally recollect my senses from “out there” to the “in here” where me and God live. Remember, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19,20)  We are to have a healthy respect for our mortal bodies. As one Christian prayer puts it:

“Oh holy God, in the incarnation of Your Son our Lord, You made our flesh the instrument of Your self-revelation.”

So, I’m setting an incentive and goal to ensure I stay balanced this summer. I will actually write down on my daily appointment calendar, time for me each day. I’m going to make my plan now about how to arrange my schedule around that time. For example: I’ve signed my son up for music camp and lessons one day per week. I’ll use that for some time alone to read and reflect. I’m holding back $5 from each grocery store visit and putting that in my self-care fund. I’ll trade off babysitting days with a girlfriend so we can each get a spa day.  I’ve heard wonderful reviews of Zenity Spa in Allen and I’m going to call and schedule an appointment at the end of July. Check out their spa packages at www.zenityspa.com. (I figure Queen Esther had beauty treatments every day for a year, at the very least I can do one day this summer!)

You can do this but you need to start planning now. Here are some questions for critical reflection: What do you really need to maintain a healthy balance between taking care of others and taking care of yourself? Who can you ask for help? What resources do you have that enable you to take time for yourself? What resources does my church offer…i.e. childcare during bible study? Are you overcommitted? Are you suffering from perfect mom idealism and setting expectations too high for this summer? What do you think are life’s greatest simple pleasures? What activities give you comfort and joy? What do your children need to know about self-care…and would that enable you to have more time?

Take care of yourself, and may it be well with your soul!

God’s Peace,

Leslie Stewart

www.godlanguage.com