What I'm Reading!

I haven't done a "what I'm reading" post in awhile because I haven't been reading too many really great books lately.  As a matter of fact, I've read a couple books that I wish I hadn't wasted my time, got half way through one book and said to myself "Seriously, why am I reading this stupid book" HA and have even thought about going to the local Christian book store, looking at "real" books, making a list of what I want and budgeting a little more money for my book habit so I can get so GOOD books!! GEESH!!

With my rant done, I do have a couple of books to pass on to you.

First up is an actually book I read - I have this series, as well as the original series, in  hardcover thanks to my mom.  A Wandering Heart (An Angel Island Novel) by Thomas Kinkade is the third book in this series.  This one bring a movie crew to the Island to use the perfect setting to record.  The main star meets someone on the island who changes her life.  The story winds through that discovery and is just so enjoyable to read!   Now, here is the sad news .. .. you may or may not know that Thomas Kinkade passed away at the beginning of April (just a few days after this book was released).  I am hoping that Katherine Spencer will be able to continue the books - I'd hate to lose "touch" with the great characters in both of the series.

This is one of those books that you shouldn't judge by the cover - when I saw this cover my thought was that it would not be a good book because it looks kind of cheesey . . .but A Dream Unfolding by Karen Baney was a great book.  It was a story that made me want to curl up on the couch and just read to get to the end to find out what happened.  Sometimes, an author writes a bunch of sentences and it gets published - sometimes though, they write a story that allows you to feel part of the lives of the characters and that is what I found from this book.  It is historical fiction and tells the store of a young wife who learns from many difficult lessons as she and her husband travel west in a wagon train.  I've added books 2 and 3 to my wish list :-)

I'm working now on clearing out my Kindle and deleting some books from my account.  Did anyone else end up with tons of dictionaries uploaded from Kindle?  I have them in about 6 languages - I think it was an amazon error but now I have to delete them all!!  I really want to get rid of stuff I am not going to read so I can stock up on some GOOD stuff for this summer - I'm sure I'll be outside a lot while the kids play so books are needed!

99 Things

It's been awhile since I've seen anything in blog land that I've wanted to "copy" but I saw this idea over at Our Happily Everafters (and have seen it a few other places too) and decided to join in on the fun!

The things in bold are things I've done/accomplished/experienced.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii


5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Given more than you can afford to charity


7. Been to Disneyland


8. Climbed a mountain


9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo


11. Bungee jumped


12. Visited Paris


13. Watched a lightning storm


14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning


17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty


18. Grown your own vegetables


19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
 (Ok, I didn't actually see it but we went to the museum to see it and didn't know it was  a holiday so it was closed!)

20. Slept on an overnight train


21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort


25. Held a lamb


26. Gone skinny dipping
 (don't freak out - it was at camp, in the dark, with a few girl counselors - the things you do at camp)

27. Run a Marathon


28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice


29. Seen a total eclipse


30. Watched a sunrise or sunset


31. Hit a home run


32. Been on a cruise


33. Seen Niagara Falls in person


34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


35. Seen an Amish community


36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person


39. Gone rock climbing 


40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt


43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant


44. Visited Africa


45. Walked on a beach by moonlight


46. Been transported in an ambulance


47. Had your portrait painted


48. Gone deep sea fishing


 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person


50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling


52. Kissed in the rain


53. Played in the mud


54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie


 56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business


58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen


61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies


62. Gone whale watching


63. Got flowers for no reason


64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma


65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy


70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt


73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades


75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person


80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican


82. Bought a brand new car
 (Does a lease count?)

83. Walked in Jerusalem


84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House


87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating


88. Had chickenpox


89. Saved someone’s life


90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby


95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit


98. Owned a cell phone


99. Been stung by a bee

 

I was actually surprised by how many I've done . . but there are some on that list that I don't even plan on doing either!!

Too Cute Not to Toot!

So, let me explain a little something.  I have a few key blogs that I use to pick out my ideas - they host weekly linky party for crafts and such and gives me lots of opportunities to visit other blogs I would otherwise never find.  One of my loyal blogs has stepped back from blogging to focus more on her family (which is fantastic!) so I lost one of my favorite resources.  I'm trying to avoid using only Pinterest for the sole reason that Pinterest has kind of taken the personal touch away from blogs. No worries, I just have to find some other prime resources to get great ideas from to share with all of you!

First up is this cute idea from Artsy Va Va  and is perfect as so many in my region, at least, are getting ready to plant.  I know you can purchase corks online if you are like me and don't buy anything that has a cork :-)

I will admit that I first saw this idea on Pinterest but I'm putting it here because I also found it on a blog through a linky party.  The idea comes from Stars and Sunshine and looks so yummy!!

This idea from The Oxford Place Diaries and the real reason I'm posting it is to remember it.  It's a filing system and, if you know me, I'm always looking for ways to be more organized and even though I think setting up a system like this one might be time consuming - I like the over all idea and might try to incorporate it more into my day!

I love strawberries (and so does my son Josh!) so when I saw this great recipe from Recipes We Love, I couldn't pass it by.  I might have to try it out for the family party this weekend!

I love photos, as you may know, so when I find a cute idea that uses photos I have to share.  Ask Anna shares an easy tutorial for making photo blocks.  They would make a great gift for the grandparents but also a fun toy for the kids or a great conversation piece sitting on a coffee table.  What a great fun gift for a bride using engagement photos too!

You may recall that a few months ago I attempted to make a wreath using a pool noodle but it did not stay together.  After looking at this tutorial from Fox Hollow Cottage I think I discovered my problem . . . I cut the noodle in half!! :-)  Well, anyway, I think it is a cute idea  for a wreath overall whether you use a regular form or a pool noodle!

I created a summer planner for all of the activities we are going to hopefully do but it is open for change as I come across new ideas.  I love this idea from Train up a Child - I know my boys would love it and I think it is something I need to do on a day my husband is home too - he loves stuff like this!  As a side note (more to myself as a reminder) this site is one I want to check out for ideas for homeschooling and other things - it looks like a great blog.

This idea from Pre K and K Sharing because it is a beached theme unit and I have a three year old that has been asking to go to the beach since we had that really hot week in March.  We are actually hoping the weather cooperates and we can go to the beach Memorial Day weekend!!  This unit is a little old for my kids but I think I can take it and make it fit their level if needed.

Growing up, every once in awhile my mom would make homemade donuts.  I saw this post over at Life.Love.Larson and it made me hungry for just that :-)

I absolutely love this idea for a huge photo statement from This Girl's Life.  Down the road, I've mentioned wanting to go towards a beach/cottage feel in the living room so when I saw this idea I knew instantly that this will be an art piece in that room.  I'll be working on taking photos of the beach - the sand dunes, the water, the tall grasses - all to incorporate into a canvas like this . .. can you tell this makes me happy???

This cute wreath idea comes from Simply This and That and is cute but I can see, just as is stated in the tutorial, that this would be time consuming.  I think it is cute enough to warrant the time though :-)

My laundry room is out of the way where no one but me sees it but I still like to have it look nice since I spend a fair amount of time in and out of that room.  I really think that this idea from Burton Avenue is cute and easy.  To be honest, I like it best before it was antiqued but that is just me :-)

This idea from The DIY Dreamer is one of those "smack myself on the forehead ideas".  Why?  Because I've seen the magnets all over blogland using the glass beads but never ever thought about buttons!  Not only would these look cute in a craft room they would be great for working with kids on color!

As you can see, I had no problem finding some new sources - some right on my own blog list that I hadn't taken time to look through before :-) 

Coming up soon - I'm going to show you how I organize all of these ideas that I want to make - admittedly, it is time consuming to go back through all of the blog post and look for a particular idea plus I tend to get distracted and find millions of other ideas.  Instead I've created something that is working for me and I'll share that with you too!

Screen Doors and Fresh Wave

I bet you wonder where I'm going with a blog title like that, don't you?  Well, I really just want to share a couple of new products we've tried recently and actually really like.  (And no, I have no affiliation with any company - this is just my own personal opinion!)

First up is the Magic Mesh Instant Screen Door from Bed Bath and Beyond.

I had seen this in a recent flyer from BBB and thought it might work for us and then, much to my surprise, my mom picked one up and gave it to us.  Our main entrance is our Sliding Glass door in the kitchen.  Nope, not ideal but replacing it with a nice set of french doors is pretty far down on the list right now.  Our regular screen takes a beating throughout the year and now that the kids run in and out, that screen tends to get left open all day long.  Sure the dog loves it, but so does the outdoor cat (who, by the way, got in before we left on vacation and we didn't know it  . . until we got back!  It wasn't a big deal but boy was she glad to get back outside HA!).  When my husband looked at this, he was pretty skeptical that it would work and I was a little concerned that it would be a pain.  We figured we would try it and if it didn't work to keep it up, we could take it down and I could put it up on warm days when the slider was going to be open all day.

Boy we were wrong.  The screen is perfect.  Now, as with all things, we learned things after we put it up that would have made it a little neater but it still works fine.  The magnets REALLY pull it back together.  Even on a windy day, when the wind caught it a little while it was open, you could actually see the magnetics trying so hard to pull together HA  The kids quickly figured out that they can walk right through it and yes, you can really go through it with full hands.  The dog has NOT figured it out yet but has accidentally gone through it a few times.  The only time it is a pain is when the slider is closed and you have to go through both the slider and the screen to get out - but it is really similar to have a door and a screen door to go through I guess. 

When my husband put the sticky tabs on it to hang it, he did not realize they were actually Velcro so the Velcro didn't go on the same direction which is why we have a slight problem at the top - the pieces don't stick.  I really just need to pick up some more Velcro and we can fix that easily.  Also, we had to hang it, obviously, on the outside because there was no where to attach the second side if we hung it inside the door.  Even hanging  it outside, we had to attach one side to the glass door that doesn't open/close since the screen is bigger than our door opening but I don't think anyone would notice just walking in and out the door.  We both think it looks nice too and because it is darker/thicker, it also helps shield the sun a little from the kitchen too.


The next item is also from Bed, Bath and Beyond and is called Fresh Wave.  It is an Odor Neutralizing Product.

A little history.  When my husband was traveling over the road down to Chicago a few times a week he listened to a Chicago Radio Station every day and they would have a pet specialist come on the air periodically.  This Fresh Wave product is what they recommended to help neutralize any pet smell in your house.  When Darryl told me about it, I tried to find it but couldn't.  Well, last weekend while out and about, I got to spend a little time in BBB (my favorite store right now, by the way!).  I went into the bathroom and thought "Wow, it smells nice in here" and then I noticed a canister of the Fresh Wave Crystals sitting on the counter.  Needless to say I picked some up!  There was a combo pack with a 14 oz jar and then a small "sample" jar for $14.99.  We have a few stinky areas in our home (HA) one is the kitchen/stairwell/basement.  Because the stairs come right up to the basement - all musty, pet related smells (the little box sits near the bottom of the stairs) greet you as you walk in the door.  I placed the 14 oz canister on one of my new shelves in the kitchen and it actually blends in with the wall :-)  It really works - it smells good and keeps odors at bay.  Now for the true test.  I took the small one and put it in Nate's room.  No he doesn't stink but his diaper trash pail gets more use than any other one because all three boys end up getting changed in there at some point during the day (My two and the munchkin I babysit).  I can change the trash daily but throughout the day, wow, some days it's enough to knock you out.  On Thursday evening of last week I finally put it in there (there were some nasty diapers that day - so I doubted it would work).  I opened his door to get him up on Friday and it smelled clean and fresh in his room despite the trash (yes, I left it in there on purpose).  What a difference!!   Even if your home isn't "stinky" this product is just so fresh smelling.  I did not get one for the bathroom but I am going to - it's too good NOT to have one in there!!


There is one last product I picked up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond last weekend and that is a two pack of the Damp Rid tubs. 

The photo just shows the refills but I purchased the starter "kit" with the buckets - two for $5.99.  My sister-in-law uses these in her house and told me they actually worked so I picked them up for my bathroom and basement.  I've noticed a difference in the moisture level in both areas.  The one in the basement is placed in a little area right off the laundry room and within 24 hours I noticed that the floor in that area didn't look as damp and this morning I noticed it is dry looking.  I placed the 2nd one in the bathroom and have noticed instead of staying damp all day, it dries out pretty quickly after showers.  I plan on picking up the refill pack (4 refills for $6.99) soon so I have them when the others are gone.  Sometimes it is just a little thing that helps out :-)

I did pick up a few other things on my outing like a new paper towel holder that hangs in the kitchen (one less thing on the counter!), a banana holder (wait, a NEW thing on the counter HA!) because we ALWAYS have banana's sitting on the counter in our house, and a bottle to hold olive oil.  I used to have one but the cork eventually fell apart and I just never replaced it - my husband has been asking me too for . .years :-)

Have you tried any new products that are worth sharing? 

Goals For May

I'm trying to get back into setting some goals each month and yes, it is almost the end of May, but I still wanted to focus on some things this month.  With a wedding and vacation at the beginning of the month, my whole focus was getting things ready for that - now I'm focusing on some other things!

One thing I struggle with daily is having tasks to do that are not computer based.  I know that sounds dumb but with menus, grocery lists, planning activities, making lists . . . it is easy to spend hours in front of the computer.  I hate that feeling. 

You may recall that my theme word for this year is Celebrate.  At first, as I was writing this, I was thinking that I had kinda lost focused but really, I haven't.  I'm up to date on birthday cards; I planned a great vacation - the first one in 2 years; I put together busy bags; I have our summer plans almost set; we have a camping trip scheduled.  That isn't failure - that is Celebration at its best :-)  I do feel like when I set up my original Celebrate plan that I put myself in a box with certain areas.  Instead, I want to focus on things that need to get done and then explain how they show that "Celebrate" theme. 

My goals/plans for May are:

1.  Plan our 1st (maybe annual) family Cook Out Memorial Day Weekend - the date is set.  Now I need to think about food and some fun activities.  I'd like to set up some sort of fun photo area and get everyone doing some fun things.  This Celebrates family.

2. Declutter my basement.  Again.  - Oh my basement is my nemesis.  I cannot seem to come up with an organized way to keep up with it.  I've decided to do a couple of things.  One, I'm tired of having so much stuff stored - for so long I had this mindset that I need to keep things in case I use them in another house.  My mindset has changed - I've realized that my tastes are changing and, in reality, the stuff that is packed away is not stuff that fits my style which is why it is packed.  I plan on going through every tote again and cleaning out stuff that has been packed away with that mindset.  I then need to arrange the basement in such a way that it can "breath" so we don't have the same moisture problem we had last year.  I am then going set up bins for specific occasions/holidays so that when, for example, we get a bunch of plastic eggs from Easter Egg Hunts, they will have a home instantly.  Finally, I want to set up an area for putting things away.  This will include a good will bin - when the bin is full, it goes out.  Everything else should have a bin with room in it so that things can just go "home".  This Celebrates home.

3. Finalize our summer plan - I have everything written down and now need to refine it just slightly and then make a "purchase" or need list.  I'd like to have everything for June on hand and ready by June 1st.  I'm super excited about this plan and think it will be lots of fun and start to prepare us all of preschool this fall.  Part of this plan is making a place for easy storage/organization in the basement.  Some things will be used up and some things will be reused so organization is key!  This Celebrates My Kids

4. Next up is me.  I have two habits I'm trying to work on.  1) Daily quiet time.  I've talked about this before - I struggle with finding time for this but I actually like having my daily devotions in front of my kids; it sets a great example.  The latest Good Morning Girls study started on May 14th and is on the Proverbs 31 woman - something I've wanted to study for awhile.  2) Exercise and eating habits.  I'm really working on making changes - that's all I'm saying for now.  Well, I'll also say I'm working on ideas that fit into my life now.  This celebrates ME!

5.  Finally - misc things.  I have a whole list of misc things to accomplish this month:  Working on my veggie garden, canning plans and also sharing some canning info with my brother Jeff; I have some trips to work on - camping plans, our anniversary get-away, a week for my kids to go to my parents; I'm a little behind on scrapbooking so I need to order March and April photos and work on those this month.  I also need to look at my outstanding scrapbooking projects and figure out what needs to get done next; I have books to sell for my nephew and I REALLY need to get them listed THIS month. 

Notice I've dropped my Pinterest goals for this month?  I need to regroup on those and my Too Cute Ideas - I still love them both but I was getting overwhelmed with projects.  Also, I've had to not worry about my "Mantel" right now.  I was in the middle of Easter, A Wedding Shower and then all of the vacation stuff. . .something had to give.  For the summer, I really just want to pick up fresh flowers each week and keep a vase full on my table :-)

Sometime at the beginning of June I'll let you know how I did and also list my plans for the following month :-)

This and That and our Menu for the week of May 20th

Welcome to another weekly installment of . . our menu :-)  I also use this post to catch up on our week too so it is now our "Catch up" post too !  After a busy 8 days of vacation, this week was pretty quiet.  I ended up with nothing this week - no choir practice and a scrapbooking crop I was going to attend got cancelled.  Darryl had practice but that was it :-)  The weather was beautiful so we spent a lot of time outside and I'm almost getting an "itch" to do some yard work.  Each summer I try to do one outdoor project - last year I planted a garden for the first time and the year before I put in a border around one area of our back yard.  I really do not like working in the yard so one project is about all I get done :-)  This year, besides putting in a small garden, I want to lay down a border in another area of our backyard and also move my black eyed susans, which are getting smothered by kids, dogs, day-lillies and rain to another area of the yard.  Wait.  That's three projects HA  Well, I also need to get some plants to put in along the garage and I'd like to plant some things in the area I'm going to lay the border.  We'll see how much gets done - my kids play outside almost every day unless it gets too hot so even if I take 15 minutes a day I think I can get a lot done.  (Unless we have a summer like last year where it is 90+ with humidity every day. .. .then nothing will get done!!).  With Memorial Day just around the corner, I need to get busy on the garden first :-) 

Enough of that - lets talk food :-)  Last week I do something I don't always do - I stuck pretty closely to our menu plan!  I must have picked stuff that we really liked ;-) 

Here's this weeks plan

Saturday: I had originally planned pizza for tonight but on Friday I mowed the lawn and was just too beat to cook despite having a pork loin in the crock pot so we ordered pizza.  So, we are going to have pulled port BBQ sandwiches tonight along with french fries.  .

Sunday: Cook out!  BBQ chicken on the grill, corn on the cob, Cherry Fluff Stuff salad, and biscuits

Monday: Man Pleasing Chicken (This is a new recipe!), Mac and Cheese and Roasted Cabbage Wedges.

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner - Amish Breakfast Casserole, Lemon-Poppyseed Bread, fruit salad

Wednesday: Tortellini Soup with homemade bread.  Yes, I know it is pretty much summer but I noticed that tortellini was on sale and it made me crave this soup!!

Thursday: Darryl and I really love shrimp/fish tacos but I really haven't found great recipes - I have a new recipe to try for Shrimp Tacos . .. we'll see how it goes!,  homemade garlic bread and roasted green beans.  Nothing else to say except YUM!!

Friday: This is my husband's last day of work after working 12 days in a row so I think the kids will have hot dogs and we'll order out :-)

I also have a new cookie recipe to try as well as a new banana bread recipe to try . .. what?  I need some recipes to post ! 

Vacation Day 5 . .and then some . . The zoo, unpacking, Playworld and Mother's Day!

This post will wrap up our last day in Toledo as well as the rest of the weekend!  Feel free to catch up on Days One, Two, Three and Four before reading this post!

Day 5 was our last full day of away from home vacation and we planned a full day of fun!  We learned on Wednesday to not take the kids to the continental breakfast . .. there are way too many choices and too many distractions for them.  Instead, we gave them their favorite - PopTarts and Chocolate Milk while Darryl and I took turns getting breakfast from downstairs (don't worry, we brought them up some yummy cereal and donuts!)  This made life much easier and gave us time to actually eat :-)  Once we were done with breakfast, we packed, loaded up and headed off to the Toledo Zoo for the day.  Now, we are zoo people - we love to go see the animals and all the fun stuff and we had heard great things about this zoo.  It was the perfect day for walking around the zoo, and walk we did HA!

Now, I'm going to keep it real.  The Toledo Zoo is not on our list of favorite zoos.  There really are not that many animals compared to many other, even small, zoos.  Add to that the Lions, Hippos, Rino's, Wolves, and Elephants were not on display due to renovations; they have no big bears, zebras, camels and so forth and it really is not worth the price that is charged.  I did something I rarely do - I contacted the zoo after the fact through Facebook and stated what I thought - I was not surprised to see many people agree with me.  Don't get me wrong - we had FUN!  The boys loved the zoo and had no idea what wasn't there - they had a Sloth Bear lick the glass in front of their noses; a gorilla the size of king kong walk by in front of them and fell in love with the Aquarium and the fish!!!  I kept hearing these cute words, "Mom, I want to see more aminals" (yes, that spelling error is on purpose!) We did walk the whole zoo and came to the children's area at the end - there were the cute masks that you see in the pictures that the boys loved and then a little play area that was just great.  The boys loved the slides!!!  It was really, truly a great day!

Once we left the zoo, we had one last stop and I did not get any photos!!  Boyds Retro Candy Store is fantastic.  It's a little store on a street corner just off of I-75 packed full of just about every kind of candy you can think of.  The boys had so much fun!  From the moment we walked in, it was a treat.  They boys were each given their own basket and we let them pick out what ever they wanted.  They also have a cooler filled with all kinds of Soda's - all in glass bottles :-)  Afterwards I wished I had taken my camera to capture the boys picking out candy - it was just so cute!!!  You can also order online so if you are looking for a specific candy for a party - check out their site!

One we got our fill of candy, we headed on our way with one final stop to make.  IKEA.  Yes, you read that right :-)  There is an IKEA store that I have never had a chance to go to; since it was on our way home we stopped.  We went right to the children's area because I was looking for ideas for the boys rooms - in the showroom there are areas set up to look like kids room and the boys found toys and fell in love.  At one point, Josh laid down on a bed and told me that he needed to sleep there - he wasn't going home HA!  Next time, I want to go back without kids so that my husband and I can really look at some things and make some plans.  They have some great stuff and we even have some Christmas gifts picked out for the kids.  Do you know what else we did?  We ate dinner there.  Let me say . . it is good and it is cheap!! 

Once we had finished up, we headed home.  All we did when we got home was put the kids to bed, unload, and crash HA!  It always feels good to come home doesn't it? 

The last few days of our vacation - or staycation - were pretty simple.  On Friday morning, we went and got our dog.  She smelled pretty since we had her groomed (the kids were SOOO disappointed when we got home on Thursday and China wasn't home!!).  Then Darryl worked in the yard and I unpacked, did laundry, and went grocery shopping!!!  Saturday was a nice family day - we took the boys to Playworld and they had a blast.  Again, I chose not to take my camera - I wanted to be able to just have fun without a camera around my neck :-)  We were there for over 2 hours and the boys could have played longer.  For fun, we got Chinese to go and ate at home - it was sooooo good!!!

To end the week with Mother's Day was perfect!  Darryl "let" me sleep in as long as I wanted because he knows I love to just lay in bed.  Shoot, I didn't even turn on the TV - I just went in and out of sleep :-)  Once I got up, he fixed a great breakfast and totally took care of the kids too.  I even snuck outside and sat in the sun, reading, for over an hour . . it was so quiet out there HA!  Later in the afternoon we took the kids for ice cream and then Darryl took care of making dinner and he completely cleaned up the kitchen.  It was the perfect day off!

So, did we have fun on vacation with two toddlers?  The answer is YES!!!  I have already had people make comments to me about how crazy we must be but our kids were perfect.  It was overall an easy trip to take with them and they are already asking when we can go back to a hotel again.  Oh, and every night, Nate crawls into Josh's bed while we say bedtime prayers and then tells us he wants to sleep there.  Maybe putting them into one room isn't such a bad idea . . .HA!