What's My Kid Wearing Today

So we are somewhat recovered from our days of driving.  Lots of new things have come about in the last couple of weeks.  We were originally going to move to Asheville, NC next summer, so we'd been researching the neighborhoods and restaurants there.  Then, out of the blue, the owner of the restaurant where the hubs currently works called and offered him a general manager position in a restaurant that he'd just bought.  This is a huge opportunity for us, so we had to take the offer.  So, our move plans have been cancelled and we are Oxford, MS residents indefinitely.  The rest of our summer activities have been pretty routine - library workshops, fencing practice, school and co-op etc.  Jena is enjoying every moment of her time in France and we can not wait to see her and see pictures and hear all about her adventure!  

On to what my kids were wearing today...

Ashni

grey flip flops - Old Navy ($1 at Old Navy)

shorts - Judith March (previously featured)

t-shirt - Old Navy (I'm not sure where this shirt even came from)

Total Outfit - approx. $5 max

Zion

boots - Crew Cuts ($2.99 previously featured)

yellow skinny jeans - Gap ($14 previously featured)

teal polka dot tank top - Old Navy ($.99 at Goodwill, I think)

pale green button up shirt - Children's Place ($.99 at Goodwill)

Total Outfit - approx. $19

Lots and LOTS of driving

We are home from three days of LOTS of driving.  Ashni competed in the National Championship for fencing.  The competition was is Columbus, Ohio on the 4th.  This was a huge competition for her and gave her a good idea as to what to expect at bigger tournaments.  I think the size of the whole thing may have made her a little nervous (although she is not one to admit to being nervous).  She was knocked out in the first elimination bout, but she was still ranked 50 or so in the nation, so that is something to be really proud of.  We are very proud of her.  I told her she has four years to get ready for the Olympics in Brazil (and I need to go to Brazil).

So, we drove to Ohio on the 3rd, fenced on the 4th and had to drive back to Jackson, MS on the 5th so that Jena could make her flight to France this morning.  It was a 12 hour drive, but thanks to some really sweet friends we had a place to crash overnight.  We got Jena on the plane this morning with no trouble.  She should land in Paris in a few hours.  She was SUPER excited and I can only imagine the great time she will have.

Ahhhh, summer.

Tomorrow is the first day of summer!  Yay!  So, I figured I'd share some things that we've done over the past couple of weeks (as well as some cute outfits).

We took a group field trip to a small local farm and look at the sweet little farm girl that I found there!  The girls had a great time.  They picked and ate blueberries, fed sheep and horses, milked goats and fed the babies.  Zion gathered eggs and diligently (and carefully) carried them in the little basket for the rest of the trip.  She was excited to bring these eggs home and have them for dinner.

Summer has provided us with much more time to spend with our friends.  There's nothing better than sweet friends, sprinklers, Popsicles and backyard picnics!

Then there's this.  This girl is the sweetest little human being.  And this frilly, sheer floral top (Guess - $.99 at Goodwill) is one that she LOVES!  Look at that face...

Ashni is discovering her love of accessories.  This fedora gets worn a lot.  She looks so grown up when she accessorizes.

My girls are plagued (ha) with long legs and super thin waists and my husband is plagued with his disdain for them showing too much skin.  This makes buying shorts difficult.  Bijou, on the other hand, is just the right size for her shorts to fit in the waist, but not be too short.  Yay!

pink shoes - Keds ($2.99 at Goodwill)

shorts - not sure of the brand ($1.49 at Goodwill)

tank top - Land's End (free, hand me down)

Total outfit - approx $4.50

Our annual Father's Day spread.  Every year on Father's Day, I make my husband a spinach, portobello and Gruyere quiche.  It only happens once a year and it is a huge hit every time.  This year, we also had roasted potatoes, cherries with fresh whipped cream (thanks Jena) and the girls squeezed two dozen oranges for juice

School, of course, continues over the summer.  Bijou has been working on adding two digit numbers with carrying and Zion is still working on her letter sounds.  She really wants to learn to read.

It's always fun to find pictures like this on my phone.  This is what happens when kids sneak and use your phone while you are getting dressed.  (Notice the stockpile of Girl Scout cookies in the background.)

The playground is a good (free) way to kill time between afternoon activities.  We spent a little time there this afternoon.  I love this lucha libre shirt (Boo Homes - $1.49 at Goodwill) that Bijou is wearing.  LOVE IT!

Zion at the monkey bars

desert boots - Crew Cuts ($2.99 at Goodwill)

trousers - Old Navy ($.99 at Goodwill)

popsicle tank - Gap ($.99 at Goodwill)

Total outfit - approx $5

This is what big sisters are for - to wear little sisters like hats! 

pink sneakers - Vans (previously featured)

shorts - Judith March ($2.49 at Goodwill)

t-shirt - Cherokee (free hand me down)

Total outfit (without shoes) - approx $2.50

We leave in two weeks to take Ashni to fence in the Summer National Championship in Ohio.  Jena leaves for France two days after.  We will go to St. Louis at the end of July to pick up my mother for a visit.  There will be field trips and play days and workshops to fill up all the rest of our long summer days. I'm looking forward to having a great and productive summer!

What's My Kid Wearing Today

We took the kids to breakfast (well, brunch really) yesterday.  It is becoming a Sunday routine because it seems that we are too lazy to get up on Sunday mornings and cook.  Eh... Anyway, I thought the girls looked pretty cute yesterday.  I showed Ashni how to put her hair up so that she could wear the fedora that she has.  She was pretty excited to finally get wear it.

Ashni

pink shoes - Vans ($3 at Salvation Army)

jeans - Gap ($1.49 at Goodwill)

blue and white striped t-shirt - Ralph Lauren, I think (free from a hand me down bag)

blue button up shirt - Gap ($1.49 from Goodwill)

fedora - Not sure of the brand ($.59 at Goodwill)

Total Outfit - approx. $7

Bijou

sandals - Elephantito ($2 at Salvation Army)

shorts - Cherokee ($.99 at Goodwill)

orange t-shirt - Roxy ($1 at Salvation Army)

Total Outfit - approx. $4

Completely NOT staged room redo pictures

I feel as though I am turning into my mother.  When I was young I could guarantee that I would come home from a friends house or the mall and our house would be completely rearranged.  I used to say that was the reason that I never snuck out.  I wouldn't be able to find my way back through the house when I came back in.  I, on the other hand, despise rearranging furniture.  My furniture will be in the same position for YEARS. But as I get older, I find myself waking up in the morning with these brilliant rearranging plans.  It's like my subconscious is drawing up blueprints while I sleep.  Well, on Monday, I woke up with the brilliant idea to pair and older girl with a younger ones in their bedrooms.  To my surprise they thought this was a brilliant idea too and actually decided who would sleep with who WITHOUT fighting!  Bijou and Ashni chose to share and room and Jena and Zion share a room.  So we set about shifting toys, clothes and shoes between the two room.  We separated the little girls' toys so that they each have 5 or 6 bins in their rooms (and they can play together in either room) and did the same with the older girls' things.  So far, it is working like a CHARM.  The little girls are going to sleep faster at bedtime because they don't have the other to keep them awake (they go to bed an hour before the older girls).  And the older girls have been making sure that their rooms stay tidy, which has never happened.  I think my mother would be proud.  These pictures are not staged, so it has its "lived in" feel.  But, this in the neatest either of these rooms has been (without my constant nagging) in ages.

Jena and Zion's Room

Jena and Zion share a full sized bed, which you would think would be a pain, but they all really like to sleep together.  They certainly didn't get that from me, but it's cute to see them spooning in the middle of the night.

Zion's tiny boots next to Jena's boots are just the cutest thing ever!

Bijou and Ashni's Room

Why yes, that is a ballet barre in their room.  It was given to us by a friend.  You can't see it in the pictures, but there's a dance floor there too.  They should never be out of practice!

Crates make great, free book storage and also works as stairs to get into the top bunk.  They are attached to one another with zip ties.

What's My Kid Wearing Today (and a Summer School Update)

Ah, I just completed my first full week back home with the kids.  I think it was a productive week.  We did some school work and decided on a summer school schedule that everyone is happy with.  We will do math and writing everyday and the rest of our subjects will be:
Monday - Science
Tuesday - Grammar/Essay Writing
Wednesday - Geography
Thursday - History
Friday - Art
This way, they have time to really get immersed in what they are working on without having to be concerned with the 4 other subjects that they need to get done before the end of the day. We also got the house somewhat organized (color coded our school library...again).  And my husband has been able to get more than four hours of sleep each day (working nights and homeschooling days is tough).  So, I think everyone is happy.
Yesterday, we were invited over to a friends house for a crawfish boil and general smorgasbord.  Bijou, Ashni and Jena even tried raw oysters for the first time.  They oysters received mixed reviews.  They gorged themselves on fruit, crawfish, cheese and crackers, veggies and popsicles.  SO many popsicles. And I'm pretty sure that several hula hoop contests occurred.  Anyway, this is what they wore.

This is five minutes before they all turned into America's Next Top Model and the pictures got goofy.

Bijou

pink sneakers - Keds ($2.99 at Goodwill)

dress - Cakewalk (free from a hand me down bag)

Total Outfit - approx. $3

See the madness...

Zion

Grey sneakers - Converse (gift from my mom...pretty sure they were $3 at Goodwill in St. Louis)

leggings - Old Navy ($.99 at Goodwill)

denim skirt - Justice (previously featured)

Super Grover t-shirt - Old Navy ($.99 at Goodwill)

Total Outfit - approx. $5 

Jena (and her legs...)

shoes - ana ($6.99 at Goodwill)

tights - Target (maybe $2 on sale at Target.  She bought these herself, so I'm not sure)

patchwork skirt - Gap ($1.49 at Goodwill)

ruffle tank top - Crewcuts ($1.49 at Goodwill)

Total Outfit - approx $12

Ashni

fancy pink tank top - Old Navy (free from the hand me down bag)

black jean leggings - Gap ($8 from Gap)

yellow sneakers - Converse ($6.99 from Goodwill.  She bought these herself)

Total Outfit - approx. $15

Bringing home the gold...

Ashni has been fencing now for a full year and she is really excelling in the sport.  Her coaches are very impressed with her progress this year.  You may remember last year around this time, she won a bronze medal at her very first tournament.  She has since competed in several tournaments and has qualified for youth summer nationals.  Today, she fenced in a local tournament and swept her division.  She won every single bout (except for one of the preliminary ones that determined their bracket) and won her very first gold medal.  We're pretty proud of this kid.

Ashni's last big party!

The Janelle Monae dance party is done and so is my birthday party season for now.  Phew!  The kids had a great time.  I'm pretty sure that Just Dance is the absolute best birthday party activity for girls aged 8 to 13!

The birthday girl looked quite dapper in her bow tie and jacket.  She really looked the part (fortunately the hair do is much easier than it looks)

The cardboard boombox was a last minute decorating idea.  For some reason I drew a blank on party decor for this one, so we just had tons of black and white crepe paper and balloons.  So it just felt like we needed something else.  Fortunately, I always have lots of cardboard on hand.  Nothing like free table decor.

This was, by far, the coolest cake topper ever!! Someday I will learn to stage things and have a nice blank background so that things will pop, but right now, I photograph my regular old life.  So you get to see the wall map and green high chair in the background.

A great time was had by all and I am glad it's over for another 8 months or so.  Time to take a party break!