June SUMMER ACTIVITY Plans!

 This summer, we're going to take some time off of school. I still want to read with the kids everyday (we're going to be doing our summer reading program, which the girls are excited for) and I still want to do activities with them, to make sure I'm spending lots of time with them. I do best with a plan, so I'm going to be planning out the activities just like I do during the school year. 

Monday, May 31 

I got an email with worksheets for an ant life cycle. Because the girls love ants and bugs, I thought it would be a fun thing for them. 

Tuesday, June 1 

This is Parker's birthday! We're going to do a special date with Parker in the morning while Caleb watches Ashtyn and Rylee. Because she is doing a unicorn party, I also found these color-by-number unicorn pages for the girls in the afternoon. 

Wednesday, June 2

Today, we're going to be recovering from all the birthday stuff, so I wanted to do something simple. I found this idea for a science experiment to see what melts in the sun. I'm hoping since it's June, it'll be hot enough to do it. 

Thursday, June 3 

Mud painting is something that I have wanted to do for awhile, but every time I planned it, it ended up being too cold. Now that it's June, hopefully we can finally do it! 

Monday, June 7

I found this fun idea to make nature bookmarks. The girls can gather leaves and maybe some weed flowers out in the creek, and then we can use Lindi's laminator to make their bookmark for them. I think Ashtyn (who loves flowers and reading) will especially love this activity.

 Tuesday, June 8

Today is World Ocean Day! I got these count-by-number ocean pages in an email and thought they were a perfect way to celebrate. I also have some other ocean animal sheets. We can also watch some videos to learn more on YouTube or watch  Octonauts. 

Wednesday, June 9 

Today is Donald Duck Day! I'm going to have some coloring pages for the girls and we'll watch some of the Mickey Mouse shows on Disney+. 

Thursday, June 10 

A simple outdoor activity that we have fun with is rock balancing. The girls love finding the rocks and trying to get them to balance. We can do this in our backyard or out in the creek.

 Monday, June 14

Today we're going to do a simple shadow drawing activity. It will have an easy set up and I think the kids will have a lot of fun with it. 

Tuesday, June 15

Moving outside, we are going to use chalk, rocks, and plants to make people on the cement. I know the kids will love this one, especially Ashtyn. 

Wednesday, June 16 

We love to do painting outside. I thought we could do this fun activity and let the girls make a name sign. It'll be easy for me to set up and the girls can paint the papers however they want. Doing it outside will help minimize the mess. 

Thursday, June 17

Today we're going to make some cards for Father's Day, so I have time to send them out before Father's Day comes. 

Monday, June 21

Painting is a great thing to do during the summer because we can do it outside to help with the mess. Today, I wanted to try frozen painting, a fun summer twist to art!

Tuesday, June 22

Another fun activity I saw the idea for was to make a sundial. It'll be a fun way to talk about time and clocks, and we can learn about the history of it. 

Wednesday, June 23

Today my activity is to play games together. We'll keep it simple and play some of the board games we have. 

Thursday, June 24

Today is International Fairy Day, and since the girls love fairies, we have to celebrate! I'm going to buy a wooden little house for the girls to paint and then take them in the backyard to help them decorate their fairy houses. I also have some fairy coloring pages. 

Monday, June 28

Another craft I got through email was the idea for a mermaid handprint craft. The girls absolutely love mermaids. I thought after we made the crafts, we could take their mermaid Barbies outside into our little kiddie pool. 

Tuesday, June 29

This day, we're going to make toilet paper roll bird feeders with peanut butter and bird feed. We will probably need to hang them up at Ben's parent's house because we don't have a good place in our yard to hang them up. 

Wednesday, June 30 

Today, I wanted to do something special and go get ice cream together. I'll stop at a local fruit bar to get a sugar-free fruit smoothie for myself since I'm not eating sugar right now. 

Thursday, July 1

With the Fourth of July close, I thought I'd let the girls try some salt painting. The paintings end up looking like fireworks, which will be fun. 

The Flow of Our Days - Our Current Routine

 As seasons of life change, the flow of our days changes with it. The biggest changes recently have been my focus on pregnancy health and the warmer weather. 

Ben and I have been trying to get to sleep between 10 and 10:15 and to get up by about 7:00 to shower and put away our laundry before we get the girls at 7:30. I do my scripture study and journal writing before I shower. I also have started doing 300 squats a day. I have reminders on my phone for doing squats throughout the day, and I start off the morning doing 30 squats and the exercises that help the baby be in the right position. 

Ben has started taking a walk in the morning in an effort to get more sunlight to help his sleep. I also go out and walk in the mornings, because walking is really good for pregnancy. We take turns so someone is always home with the kids, usually while they watch a math show on Netflix and eat breakfast. 

While Ben is walking in the morning, I clear out the dishwasher and make eggs. I've been making hot chocolate with beef gelatin in the morning to drink while I write in my journal. For breakfast, I have eggs with fruit. My snacks are often fruit or dried fruit with nuts, cheese, or beef jerky. Sometimes I will make a diet approved treat and have that as a snack. For lunch, I have leftovers, tuna fish with crackers, or chicken with some sort of carb like sweet potatoes. I also usually have carrots with my lunch. For dinner, I just try to make sure we have a protein, a carb, and at least one vegetable. And then after we put the girls down, Ben and I often make homemade ice cream or white hot chocolate. 

When Ben and I are done with breakfast, we do ten minutes of yoga together. He then goes to work and I do my other exercises. I try to do some weights and I have some different stretches and exercises I do to prepare for labor. 

Once I'm done with my exercises, I finish getting ready, which includes doing my hair and making my bed. Then I do the girls hair and if they aren't outside already, I read to them. Then they often end up outside in the backyard to play. If they are busy playing, I don't stop them to do school stuff. If they come in or it's cold, then we'll do our normal school stuff. 

The girls usually have a snack around 10:00 and eat around 12:00. I have some things I try to get done in the morning (more walking just inside the house, making bread, doing laundry). As soon as lunch is over, I help Ashtyn with her piano practice and then put Rylee down for her nap. During naps, the girls usually end up playing with friends or talking with their cousins on Facebook chat. This is also a good time for me to get some one on one time in with Parker (I usually get this in with Ashtyn during our "school" time). Parker loves playing tea parties while Rylee is asleep right now. She also loves cooking in the kitchen with me. 

During naps, I do my writing and work on my own stuff. Right now, that includes YouTube videos and the deep cleaning I've been doing because I'm nesting. Around 4:00, I start dinner, so we can eat around 5:00 or 5:30. If I don't have a lot of dinner prep to do, I'll take the girls outside to play in the front after Rylee wakes up from her nap. 

During dinner, we try to have conversations that engage the girls. We'll tell a story, each of us coming up with one line; tell two things that we did that day and make up one thing while everyone guesses which one is the lie; say something good and something bad about our day; do would you rather questions; or tell jokes. 

After dinner, Ben and I try to do an activity with the girls. I love doing silent reading time, though we don't do that as consistently. We'll sometimes go outside for a walk or a bike ride, or do something simple inside. We have a list of ideas for when we're not sure. 

Bedtime starts around 7:45. We brush their teeth, then go upstairs to get on their pajamas. Then we sit on the couch in Parker's room as a family and read, sing, and do scriptures. Before we tuck them in, we do family prayer and help the girls do their prayers. We try to have them in bed around 8:30. Parker usually goes right to sleep, but Ashtyn gets to read for 30 minutes in bed before going to sleep. 

We have different things on different days as well. 

My cleaning routine is grocery shopping on Mondays, cleaning bathrooms on Tuesdays, cleaning the floors on Wednesdays, a deep cleaning item on Thursdays, and helping the girls clean their bathroom and rooms on Fridays. Saturdays, we do a little bit of cleaning as a family, sometimes cleaning walls or something. Recently, we've been doing yardwork as it has warmed up. Saturdays and Sundays, I plan and prepare for the next week. We also have Ashtyn's piano lessons on Tuesday afternoon. 

In the evening, we talk with Melissa after we put the girls down. On Tuesdays, we have writing group, so Ben and I read the submissions after dinner and then meet with our group after the girls go down. I also have a presidency meeting for my calling every other Tuesday at 7:00. On Wednesdays, I have young women's, so Ben and the girls have a no mom party while I'm gone. Ben and I also set aside Wednesday nights to spend time together after we put the girls down. Thursdays we don't have anything, so we often go to Ben's parents' house and watch Leverage with Caleb after putting the girls down. Fridays we have movie night. 

Weekends we follow a different routine. 

Saturday mornings, we let the girls watch a show while I do my planning or read. Usually around 10:30, we turn off the show and do things together. Recently, it's been doing yard work and bike riding. Ashtyn also loves to do special things (like chess, making video games, or doing pixel art) with Ben since he doesn't have work. After Rylee's nap, we almost always go do something, whether it's something like a hike or simply going to hang out at Ben's parents' house. We'll head home for dinner and baths before bedtime. Then I finish getting ready for Sunday by packing the diaper bag and setting the girls' clothes out. 

We have 9:00 church, so Sunday mornings are busy. Ben gets the girls and makes breakfast while I do scriptures and finish up my planning stuff. I get out of bed by 8:00 to start getting the girls ready while Ben showers. Then I get myself ready while Ben gets the girls' shoes on and loads them into the car. 

We have recently gotten to go back to the 2 hour block meetings and it's so nice. When we get home from church, we have lunch and relax after church. During naps, Ashtyn and Parker get to watch something while Ben and I spend some time together. Around 3:00, we talk with my mom and then have an early dinner afterward. After dinner, we get together with Ben's family for a treat (we rotate who makes the treat). 

We have liked our current routine, though I'm trying to do too much probably. I have a big list of things I want to do to prepare for the baby (because of nesting) on top of my regular things. But I also don't feel a lot of pressure to get everything done. I have certain things that I prioritize and am okay if the rest doesn't get done. I am liking the balance we've found right now. 

Pregnancy Health - What I'm Doing to Feel Good and Prepare for Labor

This pregnancy I have felt really great so far! I felt great during Ashtyn's pregnancy, but both Parker and Rylee's were a lot harder on me.  I wanted to talk today about why I thought that might be and some things that I'm doing to stay feeling great and prepare for labor. 

Time between pregnancies 

I think that this is one of the biggest factors of why I have so much more energy this time around. I was still nursing Ashtyn when I got pregnant with Parker and I'd had a two month break from when I stopped nursing Parker to when I got pregnant with Rylee. I can feel the difference that my body has had in recovering with the extra time between when I stopped nursing Rylee and when we got pregnant with this baby. 

Diet 

I do a pregnancy diet each pregnancy to help me feel good and not gain too much weight. The two biggest things are not eating sugar and not eating flour. I also actively work to get protein, fruits, and vegetables in. 

I have done this with my other pregnancies (not as well with Ashtyn, because I didn't understand it very well then). One thing I am doing differently this pregnancy is having a good mindset around my eating. I am really focusing on what I want to eat (like finding fruits and vegetables that I enjoy eating, or thinking about what macronutrients I need to get in when I'm hungry), rather than what I "can't" eat. It has made a huge difference for my emotional health to view healthy eating in this way and I have rarely felt picked on for avoiding certain foods this time around. 

Exercise 

I have been really working on my mindset around exercise and finding exercises that are great for me but that I also enjoy. Before I got pregnant, Ben and I started a habit of doing ten minutes of yoga together in the morning. I have a playlist on YouTube of ten minute yoga videos that are pregnancy friendly (or if there are any moves that aren't, I can do something different for that move). I also have a playlist of prenatal yoga for when Ben can't do it with me. 

After I do yoga, I do some exercises, usually with weights but sometimes just using my body weight. I have found different pregnancy friendly exercises (and ones that specifically help prepare for labor) on Pinterest that I often do. 

I also have started tracking my steps on my phone and it has really motivated me to walk a lot. I was walking with my other pregnancies, but I'm way more consistent this time around and I am active more frequently. I use Google Fit, which also tracks heart points, which is motivating as well. I do at least a mile each morning outside at about 4 miles per hour and then try to get 1000 steps at least twice more throughout the day. I also try to walk stairs at least twice a day. I usually end up with between 7000-8500 steps in a day right now. 

Somewhere I read that doing 300 squats a day is great preparation for labor, so I've worked up to that as well. I do 30 in the morning and night when I do my exercises to help the baby be in the right position (a variation on cat and cow). Then throughout the day I have a reminder to do 40 squats. I will do 20, then walk (usually around the couch or on the stairs) and then do 20 more squats. I'm really good in the morning and afternoon, I'm not as consistent in the evening. I do get between 220 and 300 a day though and it feels really good. 

With my mindset, thinking of myself training for labor has been really helpful. I don't see it as something I have to do or should do, but rather as an opportunity. I also have worked slowly up to this. I didn't start with 300 squats a day, for example. Same with walking. I started walking just five minutes a day initially and have built up to what I do now. I also am not trying to do exercises that feel too hard for me. I remember feeling guilty when I was pregnant with Rylee for not doing the 21 Day Fix exercises, even though they were too hard for where I was at at the time. I understand right now that what I'm doing is great and that the trajectory I am on is the direction I want to be going. 

Water 

I have a bigger water bottle than I did with the others (though I did have a good size one then). I get about a gallon of water each day, in addition to things like my prenatal tea. 

Supplements 

I am following my midwife's supplement program. One that I am taking this pregnancy that I wasn't in my others is Magnesium. It made a big difference for me during the first trimester in lessening my morning sickness and I think it is still making a difference for me. The other thing I am doing is making sure I get enough iron. I am iron deficient even when I'm not pregnant and it makes a huge difference for how I feel to make sure I have enough iron in my system. 

One thing I want to start doing, to help with minor symptoms I'm having, is to get more beef gelatin in. I want to start getting at least 2 tablespoons in each day consistently. That's going to be the next change I make to improve my pregnancy health. 

Things my "Mothers" Have Taught Me

Happy Mother's Day! I have so many wonderful mother figures in my life, including my own mother, that have taught me so much. I am so grateful for their influence and examples in my life. Today, I just wanted to share a few who have influenced my life. 

My mom has taught me that true joy comes from devotion to your family and to God.

Lindi has taught me to accept and love others as they are.

Grandma Call has taught me to care about others' lives and show them that care.

Grandma Leah has taught me to work and play hard together.

Grandma Netta has taught me to study and stand up for the Gospel.

My Grandma Pat taught me that small acts of service have long lasting ripples.

My Grandma Sue has taught me to create a safe place of love and listening and traditions.

My aunt Ardis has taught me to never give up on my dreams. 

My aunt Kim has taught me to make others part of your family. 

So many of these lessons overlap, since I learned so much from each of these women. I also have so many more I could highlight, other mother figures or friends who are such examples to me of the way they parent. I love that God has blessed me with so many wonderful women figures in my life and I know they are doing His work. 

Our APRIL Highlights - So much Family Fun and Easter!

 April was such a fun month for our family! We had so many wonderful events and visits and really enjoyed the warm weather and being together. 

One of the most fun things to happen was we had our ultrasound to find out we're having a baby boy! We're all ecstatic. I honestly didn't care either way. I would have loved to have four girls and I was also excited to add a boy into the mix. Ashtyn really wanted a brother and Ben really wanted a son, though, so I was rooting for a boy and would have been disappointed for them if it had been a girl. We're all so happy to be having a baby and that he's a boy. 

Easter was a lot of fun! We had an Easter egg hunt at Lindi's with cousins from out of town and other family living in Vernal. The kids had a blast both helping me fill the eggs with candy and finding the eggs. I went with Rylee to help her, but she did not need my help. She knew exactly what to do and lost no time in filling up her basket. The kids ended up with way too much candy, but they loved it. 

After the egg hunt, we had the gender of our baby written on an envelope and let Ashtyn read out to everyone what we were having. She was so excited! She told me, "I thought it was going to be a girl, but I really wanted it to be a boy!" 

On Easter morning, the Easter bunny came and we made a little pregnancy announcement for Facebook. We also got to watch General Conference all weekend, which always adds such a sweet spirit to Easter. During conference, we made and decorated sugar cookies, decorated Easter eggs, did jelly bean sculptures, and drew and did some activity pages. 

That evening, we went to Lindi's for a barbecue. My favorite part was the potato salad I made, though Parker's favorite part was the sugar cookies. The kids had a lot of fun playing outside--it was uncharacteristically warm, reaching almost 80, and it felt so nice to be out in the warm weather. 

We also had a lot of fun visiting with family from out of town! At the beginning of the month, Melissa and her family were able to visit for almost two weeks and we had so much fun. 

We tried to let the kids play as much as possible. A few days, they got to be together all day. Often, we would do our morning stuff and then get together after naps. We had a hot dog roast, karaoke nights, a pizza party, a park day, a water day, and lots of just hanging out. We got to writing group in person, which was so fun. 

One day, we left the kids with babysitters and their cousins (which was so fun for them to get to spend the whole day playing together) while Lindi, Melissa, Ben, and I drove to the Jordan River Temple for Ben's cousin's sealing. They have a little girl and have been working towards this for awhile. It was a beautiful experience. I hadn't realized until we were in the temple how much I missed the peace and Spirit of the temple. We went to the cheesecake factory for lunch afterwards and I had a really yummy hamburger lettuce wrap.

At the end of the month, Jessica and Donovan came down for a short visit from Texas. It was really fun to see them and visit with them! Rylee was especially excited to see them, though all the girls loved spending time with them. 

April, Ben and I also had our 8th anniversary. We took the kids to spend the night at Makenzie's house and it was so nice to celebrate together! We relaxed together and learned to make steakhouse style steak. It was really yummy! 

Some other highlights from the month: 

A little jump spider that Ashtyn found. The girls and Ben all love jump spiders. 

I'm not quite as scared of them as I used to be. 

A cute picture of Rylee sleeping. We really wore our kids out by being outside so much, especially when their cousins were here. They were all falling asleep sooner and sleeping in longer.

When I took Rylee to the library once without her sisters, she was so proud to pick out and carry her own book. 

Gee, I wonder who wrote on the car ... 

This month, we started doing silent reading as a family after dinner sometimes. We just do it whenever we can and I love it. The girls are growing to like it. 

This was a picture of our family, drawn by Parker. 

This was one of the days I went to tell Ashtyn to turn off her reading light and found all the girls asleep already. 

Ashtyn and Parker love their gameboys. 

Grandpa Danny hatched some eggs in an incubator and the girls loved the chicks. 

For astronomy day, one of the activities we did was make the planets out of Legos. 

They are not to scale lol

For Earth day, the girls tore up and cut up paper to make some Earth pictures. 

Ashtyn loves Legos. This was when she was making Narnia. I wish I had gotten a picture of the finished product. 

Ashtyn's favorite activity recently has been doing Pixel art on Ben's laptop. She does mostly Pokemon, but sometimes does other stuff. 

For Superhero Day, the girls colored and put together these superheroes. They had a lot of fun, though Parker got frustrated because hers (the middle) didn't turn out how she wanted. 

This was when Rylee dressed herself up like a mermaid and it was too cute not to share! 

We had so much fun in April. It's almost a let down for it to be over. We are still excited for May though and the fun things we have planned! I am also already preparing for the baby, which is always fun (for me, I love planning and preparing :)). And we have a fun trip to see some of my family, which we're all way excited for!