My 5 yr old's favorite Ipad apps

Amelia is growing up very quickly. She is starting to read and spell, she can count, and she even knows a good bit of Spanish! Recently, we cleaned up the iPad to make room for more "grown up" apps.

No more monkey preschool lunchbox - I am most sad about this one! It was a big favorite of ours, but she has sadly outgrown it.

Here are some suggested apps, tested and approved by a savvy almost-kindergartner:

Where's My Water?
This was originally installed for me. I really enjoy the challenge of figuring out each level. I have gotten far enough to where it is really difficult, but Amelia can breeze through the first few levels. She is actually quite good! Pretty soon, she may beat me to the end.

#WW: Adventures in the sun

We took a break in between the moving chaos to enjoy five days at the beach with family. Photos are from my iPhone because (1) we forgot to pack the Nikon, and (2) the cord to the waterproof camera is packed inside a box, somewhere in this mess of a new home.

Amelia loved her very first waverunner ride! We saw at least five dolphins and went "super fast"!

Being Supermom: What my 5-year old taught me today

Like most moms, I do it all. I cook, clean up toys, chauffeur, stay at home, pop into to the office, support, cheer, play, and never take time for myself. My husband's demanding job does not allow me to make evening girly plans, because I can not count on when he will be home to watch Amelia. Going out on weekends would mean rarely seeing him and barely having time as the three of us. So I suck it up and do it all. I get tired and lose all patience; I am a troll when tired. Moving, of course, has put me into an even deeper realm of stress and fatigue. But I trudge through it.

Trudge, trudge, trudge.
Miserable, sore, and troll-like.

Packing and moving

Oh, the joys of moving
(Read to the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas")

12 heavy boxes (times ten!)
11 paper cuts
10 stairs-a-climbing (times fifty!)
9 bumps and bruises
8 days of shopping
7 hot baths
6 sore muscles
5 scrapes... and... dings!
4 twisted ankles
3 frantic phone calls
2 bad headaches
and a new (messy!) home for them and me

Truck day is on Saturday! The new home will be a disaster for a while, but at least we will be in one place. I cannot wait for some relaxation again soon!

What does your summer look like?

I feel like a stay-at-home mama for the first summer ever. Yes, I will be going into the office a few hours each week, but I have so much more home time with my girl this year! No summer school for her. It is going to be a fun and lazy summer, just the two of us. With Daddy for nights and weekends, of course!

In fact, I may not blog much. It is possible I will be too busy doing... nothing!

Woo hoo!!!!!

Summer summer summertime

We just returned from our annual jaunt to Hilton Head Island! I remember summer beach vacations as a kid. We went every year and enjoyed sand, surf, and seafood. Now we go with Amelia and husbands, and next year we will have my new nephew with us too! There is something about an annual trip that just feels good. We don't have to rush and see a bunch of sights, because we know the place already. We relax and play and eat. I call it perfection.

This is also the first year where Amelia is not in summer school. Today she is sleeping in late, and we will enjoy some lazy time together. It is difficult to juggle work, moving, and Amelia at home, but I really want to cherish this time with her. She begins kindergarten soon, and our "home with Mommy" days will come to an end.

I need to grasp all the extra snuggles and hold on tight for a few more weeks!

After five adorable years

I walked out of Amelia's church preschool for the last time on Thursday. It was not an easy task; I kept finding more and more people to talk with. From the teachers who held my little girl when she was only a few months old, to the ones who taught her Spanish and writing - and everyone in between. Every grown-up face smiled at Amelia. They all called her by name. She was shy from all the attention, but it warmed my heart (as I fought back tears!)

We had so many sweet well-wishes as we departed that day.

Sigh.

"It goes by so fast" is not a cliche, it is absolutely real.

Disney's Planes - August 8 (new spot!)

If your children love Disney's Cars, they are in for quite a treat in August! Coming very soon, Disney's Planes! Flying to a theater near you, on August 8th.



Follow all the latest news and clips as you count down the weeks until release...

Website: Disney.com/Planes 
Like on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyPlanes 
Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures

#WW: Birthday cake, MMMM

I had a birthday two weeks ago! I love Publix cake. Love, love, love. Mmmm.