Kerrie's Favorite Affordable Beauty Products

These are products I swear by, and I hope you give some of them a try and fall in love with them too! 

Also, I'd love it if you'd follow me on my Facebook fan page for more updates! I'm also on Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram! And if you're a writer, blogger, proofreader, or just love words, follow me over at The Published Parent! Here we go with 13 of my most favorite beauty products:

Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Face Moisturizer, Normal/Combo, 1.7 oz. was only $6.43 at WalMart (doing the grocery pickup*, of course). It's lightweight and perfect for summer or when you just want something NOT thick. My 15-year-old daughter loves it too and kept using mine so much I got her one for herself. We've probably bought this about 5 times so far. It's great for a quick moisture touch-up when your skin feels dry, during travel, first thing in the morning, last thing at night, etc.

Update as of 12/13/24, my youngest child, my son, just stole this from me! Teens love it because it isn't too thick and definitely isn't greasy. It doesn't contribute to the pimple problem, is what I'm saying! The price has gone up quite a bit from when we were first buying it but it's still worth it.

What is Attachment Parenting?

Originally posted January 2016 (update at bottom)

Dear New Attachment Parenting Mother,

My youngest attachment-parented kid of 5 children has been sleeping around.

Around the house.

And I want you to know that this is going to happen to you someday, at your house. Tell your husband this is going to happen and have him read this. But you only need to show him this if he is a naysayer and thinks your baby or toddler who is sleeping in your bed and is attached to your breast nonstop is soon going to be a teenager who still sleeps in the shape of an X in between the two of you. You might also want to send this link to your mom, mother-in-law, sister, neighbor, and/or friend who think you are hurting your kid by sleeping with him.

We started attachment parenting in 2001 with our first kid. I say "we" because my husband was supportive and that is VERY important. Having a kid really tries a marriage and being on the same page with anyone about anything most of the time is hard, let alone when you are dealing with an extra human life in your house that is so very easy to mess up. (aren't we all messed up a little bit, in some way? nobody gets out totally healthy)

Check out this little thing I wrote back in 2012 about the Attachment Parenting Debate.

History of 9028 Grant Street in Overland Park, Kansas from 2000-2017

My husband and I moved into 9028 Grant Street in Overland Park, Kansas on April 1, 2000. 

We brought home each of our babies from the hospital, all five of them, to this home, starting with Joel in June of 2001, then Michael in April of 2003, Callie in February of 2005, Eva in December of 2007, and Samuel in October of 2009.

We homeschooled them all here as well. 

I started blogging in 2008, and you can find a lot of the history of the house, including photos, on this blog.

Things we loved about it:

Being across from the school = free playground on nights, weekends, summers, and school holidays.

Being within walking distance of the library!

2023 Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day Dress Like a Cow Day Free Food!

2023 update: Not only is it Cow Appreciation Day on July 11, 2023, but it's also 7-11's Free Slurpee Day!

This is a post I wrote in 2012 about doing our family's first Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day, and here are some photos, both vintage and from last year!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017 is the day/night to go THIS YEAR ...

This year I took 8 kids plus my husband and myself and we spent $8.47 on fries only :-)

Please check out the details here first ... they stop serving this free deal at 7 p.m. and you don't get an entire free meal anymore ...

     

Bottom line is YOU GOTTA DO THIS! When we do this with our entire family it amounts to $60 in free food for dinner alone. I thought that was awesome. However, my friend Liz can always do me one better! She says you can go for ALL THREE MEALS OF THE DAY!

Are you going? So easy to toss together an outfit that resembles a cow (just think black and white, brown and white, spots, ears, tail, nose -- they aren't too picky as long as you give it a shot). Now for the vintage 2012 photos I promised you!

Getting ready to pull out my udder for my little calf

Grumpy calf donning ballet shoes

Eva was Karate Kow

Getting ready

Little Passports Travel Tips and 20% off Promo Code

Let's get right to it. How about 20% off sitewide at Little Passports with the Pre-Black Friday code NOVEMBER20? If you use my link to purchase a Little Passports subscription, you get a great deal and a great learning activity for your kids. It's the perfect birthday or Christmas gift from grandparents or Santa!

I've written before about how much we loved Little Passports when we had the subscription. The kids loved getting them in the mail, and they are great for all ages. Sam and Eva got their little suitcase starter kits and carried everything in them. The older kids got their bigger-kid kits and learned geography and all sorts of other fun things. 

Today Little Passports is bringing you some travel tips for the upcoming holidays (or summer vacation, or just an hour-long trip to the apple orchard). 

Making the best of a road trip with Little Passports Travel Tips

“Are we there yet?” was a term coined by the family road trip! While new technology and toys may have silenced backseat conversations, spending time together in the car can still be a great opportunity for family bonding and learning. Even if you plan on bringing the latest gadget to pass the time, try saving them for the end of your trip when everyone is tired and cranky! 

Here are some ideas from Little Passports that are sure to make the time fly by (or at least go by a little faster):

Save your most recent Little Passports delivery from Sam and Sofia for your road trip so your kids to learn and explore during the car ride.

Say goodbye to your trusted GPS! Bring back the memory of car trips as a kid and use a map! The night before your trip bring out an actual map (if you can find one!) to show your intended route to your child. Even better, copy the map and pull out a highlighter so your child can follow along – and let you know when you missed a turn.

Build in time for pit stops – and if time allows, make short stops that incorporate fun activities along the way. Everyone will need a bathroom break and a meal, but if that happens at a place right off the highway and near the playground it can be better for everyone! The kids will get fed – and burn off some energy.

Hit up a dollar store before you leave and stock up on small toys and activities to give to your kids along the way. Every hour let your child choose a surprise – a great incentive for good behavior! You can even wrap the toys for an added element of excitement.

Every Kid Loves #TaterTotCasserole and Campbell's Soup #EasyDinners

I've been blogging here for nearly 12 years, so it's important to me to go back and update old blog posts so you can see how the kids are changing and how my family is changing. This post was written originally on December 3, 2013, and was begging for an update! Enjoy!

I don't know why I thought that when I had kids they would all be the same, or at least very similar. Turns out all five are extremely different, and that goes for their taste in food as well. Here's how they shake out:

• Joel is 12 and will eat anything. His taste in food has changed a lot over the years, and he appreciates food with onions, tomatoes, and any veggie these days. He likes to try new things and likes it spicy quite often. (Now he's 18 and loves everything, but especially healthy things. He cooks for himself often.)
• Michael is 10, and we've always joked that he's our vegetarian. (Now he's 16 and cooks for himself and loves everything.)
• Callie is 8 and can be picky, but has always loved things like broccoli, asparagus and any green veggie! (Now she's 14 and still loves veggies and eats just about everything.)
• Eva is almost 6 and is super picky because she would eat sweets all day if she could. Isn't a cookie/fruit pizza a meal, after all? She will eat green beans all day long if you let her, though! (Now Eva is 12 and loves chocolate milk most of all.)
• Samuel is 4 and will shovel anything in simply because it's fuel for his energy streak that is nonstop. (Now Sam is 10 and still eats anything that isn't nailed down and still has that nonstop energy.)

Mealtime at my house this past summer of 2013. Party of 9 on this particular evening. Yes, we do eat in our swimsuits sometimes!

I like to use a lot of soups in my cooking because they are kid friendly. I use 'cream of' soups to make gravies and sauces. They go great in a slow cooker with some chicken and rice and veggies. And, of course, you have my famous Tater Tot Casserole, which I know how to make 35 ways! I love Campbell's soups because they have so many varieties of cream soups that really help me to make my cooking creative and varied. And the kids eat it, which is significant!

6 Reasons to Consider a Career in the Beauty Industry

 Photo by Greta Hoffman

The beauty industry is a lucrative one. If you're looking for a career with plenty of growth potential, you should consider becoming a makeup artist, hair stylist, esthetician, or nail technician. There are many reasons to consider a career in the beauty industry. In this blog post, we will explore six of them. Keep reading to learn more!

The Beauty Industry is Booming

The beauty industry is booming. It's estimated to be worth almost 500 billion dollars by 2024. And it's not just because people are becoming vainer. The industry has a lot to offer regarding career opportunities and earning potential. Here are six reasons to consider a career in the beauty industry:

• You can be your boss: There are opportunities to be your boss in the beauty industry and run your own business. This means you have the potential to earn a lot of money and be in control of your career.

How to Easily Save All Year for Christmas

A wonderful candle from my sweet Eva

I love Christmas! 

My family loves Christmas! 

I love shopping for my kids, my husband, my parents and step-parents, my grandmother, my friends, neighbors, extended family, teachers at the homeschool coop, the mailman, kids I don't even know, EVERYONE!

How are you supposed to save up to have a meaningful Christmas full of gift-giving and donating to the poor when you have to pay for things like clothing for growing kids, stove repair, surprise dental work, and so much more? 

Well, you start very early and you keep your eye on the prize of peaceful family togetherness and financial independence (eventually)!

#WorldsofFun — the Perfect Family/Fun Day! Find Your Amazing!

So I initially titled this post "Perfect Summer Day" ... but we've been to WinterFest and it was a Perfect Winter Evening. How about The Haunt? That would be a Perfect Autumn Evening! Carnivale? The Perfect Summer Night! We are so fortunate to have Worlds of Fun here in Kansas City, and it's no wonder people come from all over the country in all seasons and in all types of weather to enjoy it!

All photographs you see in this post that are of my family on a ride were taken while others were still loading onto the rides. We did NOT take any photos while a ride was being operated. You are not allowed to do this, and we did not do it!

*I need to start by sharing how great the Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun park app is. It stored all of our tickets and passes, including meal and drink passes. It showed wait times of rides and had a map of the park. It also made it quick and easy to get into the park.

River Market KCMO Date: Pigwich, Planter's, Lock up Your Love, Betty Rae's, Opera House, a Park

So when you've been with someone almost 26 years (we met in July of 1995, and here's our love story) and you have 5 kids together, it's easy to get into a routine of work, kids, busy, house projects, dishes, cooking, laundry, driving, errands, homeschooling, dentist, eye doctor, orthodontist, social stuff at home and other places, taxes, fishing, etc.

Maybe you try to carve out a day, put it on the calendar, but then something else comes up and you have to move the date to another time or maybe it just falls off the radar altogether. Also, with 5 kids coming and going, a couple driving, some with other plans, it becomes a homework assignment in rocket science to make it all work out. Not to mention you have to make sure there is plenty of food at home, and then you have to run down the ground rules again.

I'm happy to report that, although my husband and I didn't date much when the kids were younger (simply because we enjoyed being with them so dang much and also we had like 6 years together before we ever had kids), we are dating more now, when we can. Recently we went to Ronnie's Restaurant in Lenexa and it was fantastic!

I put this date on the calendar several weeks ago. It was originally supposed to be May 8, but I was consulted and agreed that a fishing trip with Mr. McLoughlin and Twin and 6 of the kids (4 of ours and 2 of Twin's) would be fine as long as we could move the date to May 1. 

Look, I know the MALE is supposed to plan the date and all that. I get where you're coming from, and we teach our boys that THEY call the girls and not the other way around. And we teach our girls that they should expect to have doors opened for them, etc. They are very blessed to have many friends whose parents have similar values. 

But sometimes you want to plan something nice for someone, you know? I chose a restaurant I knew he would like, a shopping experience I thought he would enjoy, and some exercise I knew he was craving. Then I got one more surprise idea. Here's our day in pictures! I hope it gives you some inspiration!

Fall Starbucks Dates with My Kids

Yes, these are fall dates even though the weather is cold and it has already snowed here. Ah, but then the next day it might be 60 degrees and you are breaking out the shorts. Welcome to the Midwest!

I'll post these as we go on the dates; we're trying to do one per day for five days. We chose Starbucks since they all love coffee and want to try new flavors. It's a great place to go and chill in the middle of the day, listen to some good music, and chat. Also you can play Pokémon Go every 5 minutes there to get your digital goodies (I do it for Sam!).

Here is a post from 2015 about when we used to do dates.

Up first: the middle child on a Thursday afternoon. She got the toasted white chocolate mocha and I got the egg nog latte. We sat in comfy chairs by the front window and she answered some of my date questions. Then I asked her the Love Languages questions for teens so we could determine her love languages: first was Quality Time and second was Acts of Service. Later that day she did one of her favorite things: went to the eye doctor. She loves picking out new glasses frames each year!

Friday I picked up Sam from a sleepover and we headed out for some lovely coffee and Pokémon Go. He wanted the egg nog latte like I got, but he didn't like it. The barista then made him a Pokémon Go Frappuccino for free because they want to make sure everyone likes their drink. WOW! So I took home the extra latte for the other kids to devour.

 

Sorry about the wonky formatting. You would really think Blogger would get their crap together after 12+ years of me blogging here, but nope. They are pretty much the same as the day I started my blog, unfortunately. If I had the time to learn WordPress, that's where I'd be.

So here is Michael's Saturday date below! We headed out and figured the place would be packed but we found a table no problem. He took the Love Language test but got 8 on THREE different things! He's not into words and he's not into touch, but he likes time, gifts and acts of service. We talked about his work and some other things. It was great to spend time with him (and play Pokémon Go). He got a mocha frap and I got a straight mocha. It was a chocolate kind of day.

Normally we don't do things on Sunday that involve paying money (kind of a fast from spending and a focus on God), but today I made an exception so we could get all the dates done before Daddy got home from Kuwait. Eva and I headed out after church for a nice chat and coffees.

The final date was with Joel, my oldest. We went out on Monday and spent some time together figuring out his personality type as well.

#MyLittle Pony 3DLightFX Deco Lights Night Light Makes a Great Christmas Gift!

UPDATE: we have had this product almost 2 years now, and my daughter still uses it every night!

You may remember I posted a couple of weeks ago here about the 3DLightFX  Deco Lights and was so excited to try out the product. When it came, Eva was SO EXCITED and had her dad put it on her wall by her bed immediately!

Eva loves Rainbow Dash!

We enjoy so many things about this product and think it'll make a great gift for anyone we know, especially since they have so many different characters!

We love that it's Rainbow Dash.

We love that it's 3D and comes out of the wall like it's alive!

We love the bright colors.

We love the decals that come with it to jazz it up!

We love that it's the perfect brightness for falling asleep.

We love that it shuts off automatically in the night so it doesn't waste the batteries, but it's next to her bed so if she wakes in the middle of the night and wants it back on she can easily take care of that!

Her 3DLightFX next to her Funko Pop Rainbow Dash

This could not be any cooler and I wish they had these when I was a kid!

Here's how to purchase or head to your local Target to check it out!

Update one year later: this product holds up very well, even through being dragged all over the house to different locations where my daughter likes to sleep. It survived a move across states. It survived being taken from Kansas to Florida by car and back and survived two weeks on vacation. It survived being dropped multiple times. I highly recommend this product a year later!

2019 Homeschooling Books Grades 4th through 12th (updated regularly)

Welcome to the place I park my book ideas for reading to my kids for homeschooling. If you're looking for a list of books that I have read in 2019 and the ones I plan to read (some may end up flowing over into 2020), just click here. (disclaimer: I might get a few cents if you buy a book or ebook using the links in this post)

Please check back because as of August 11, I am still working on their reading lists for 2019/2020. This post only has books for 2019 but I'll give you the sneak peek for 2020 books as well.

If you purchase something using my links below, I might get a few pennies from Amazon. But I also recommend Scribd because many of these books can be found on that audio and ebook service for just $8.99 per month (you get two months free to try it first) and you can organize your choices by child or topic or grade... however you like! Some choices are on audio AND ebook, which just gives you more choices for that kid who likes for you to read to them or they read to themselves but also sometimes you want to snuggle up and listen together!

Let's meet the kids!

L-R Callie (14), Joel (18), Samuel (9), Eva (11), Michael (16)

Joel is 18 and a senior this year. He'll be taking an online Psychology course at our "local" community college this fall. I put local in quotes because we live in a rural area and our city definitely does not have a college. I consider us extremely lucky to have a winery, a greasy spoon, and an amazing drive-through coffee spot, as well as some dang good tamales! Joel also works for a lawncare company and will be taking Biology at home. This kid likes to go to the gym and hang out with friends.

Michael is 16 and a sophomore. He'll be taking some fun classes at co-op (half an hour away) one day a week, like Cooking/Baking, Psychology, Build a Business, and Lessons with Father Mike Schmitz. He just got his first major job, half an hour away, so he'll be getting himself a car soon. This kid likes to read for pleasure, as well as engineer cool LEGO creations and play Minecraft.

Callie is 14 and 8th grade. She also will attend co-op one day a week, taking Creative Writing (taught by me), as well as PE, Study Skills, Build a Business, Speech, Games, and Drama (taught by me). She loves creating fun Instagram posts, staying organized, being with friends, and creating cool outfits out of what she has in her closet.

Eva is 11 and 6th grade. At co-op one day a week, she'll take Creative Writing (taught by me) and other fun classes like Art, Geography, STEM (taught by me), Build a Business, Games, and Drama (taught by me). This kid likes to read for pleasure as well.

Samuel is 9 and 4th grade. At co-op one day a week, he'll take a class on States (taught by me), as well as Creative Writing/Drama, PE, STEM (taught by me) and Art.

"To be brave in whatever situations you encounter—to be someone who can be kind...you've lived those hard decisions in your imagination, which is really almost as good as experiencing it yourself," Carolyn Leiloglou, children's book author on an episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast.

*Please leave book recommendations in the comments!

I used this as a guide for some of my choices I've parked here:


Reading this during the summer to my teenage boys for homeschooling:


And before that we read this, then watched the movie:


And before that we did this one:


And this is what I'm reading to Callie, who is 14:


This one will be on our school year list for the big boys:


This is what's next for the big boys:


And I should have read this a long time ago to them. One of my favorites. "Nothing gold can stay":


Important:


I also like this:


Can you believe I never read this one? Time to read it to my kids!


Sam and I are reading this first this year:


This is what Eva and I started on audiobook August 27th by the pool:


This one looks good and is recommended in The Read-Aloud Family as well:


Also looks good. We love historical fiction and anything with a good message of understanding other people:


This one looks great too … my husband likes to read to the kids at night as often as he can and this kind of thing looks perfect for all the kids to listen to and fall asleep to:


And this:


More important messages:


Curious about this one:


Preach it, Mrs. Roosevelt!


As a girl growing up watching all things Little House on the Prairie, this is a must!


We read the summer version of this family's adventures and want to read more!


This kid reminds me of Eva, so it's on the list!


Love this for reading a little at a time and keeping it by the nightstand in my room:


As well as this one:


Then I should also get this one!

FREE: Try Scribd as a Frugal Alternative to Kindle Unlimited and Audible

Recently Eva asked about her Big Nate books we had put on hold at the library. I told her the library was closed all weekend for a computer maintenance situation, so we could not get our holds. Then it hit me that I should check Scribd to see if they had any Big Nate books. They did. TONS OF THEM, including the "complete" books that are over 350 pages long. Problem solved. Kid reading. Mother of the Year award on the way.

When my husband was out of town and I was too whipped to read aloud to the kids at bedtime, we all snuggled up in one room to sleep and I turned on a Magic Tree House book or something like Frindle or The Penderwicks, and it was the perfect way to go to sleep. Another problem solved. Listening to a book counts almost like reading it. Bam.

Still Alice was popping up all around me, as a movie suggestion and as a book suggestion. I like to read the book first if I possibly can, so I put it on hold at the library. Couldn't get it yet (see above). Logged in to my Scribd account. STILL ALICE! I've been reading it on my phone ever since, in a doctor's waiting room, all over the house, by the pool, anywhere. When Mommy gets some brain break sanity, everybody wins.

So let me answer some questions for you about Scribd.

What's the selection like?

The books I find on Scribd for homeschooling are wonderful. The bestsellers I find for myself are also fabulous ... I don't have a lot of time to read lately but I have been MAKING time, and it's easy when I always have something on my phone.

For those of you who are over 40 like myself, yes, you can adjust the size of the font. I am not in love with reading on my phone, but it works when I'm waiting in the car, when I have just a few minutes to myself, when I want to sneak away. I am absolutely in love with all the audiobook options and I always have something great to listen to when I'm walking. I'm discovering things to listen to that I would not normally choose.

The screenshot at the left shows how you can browse by what's on the top charts right now.

Downside: not all books are available as audiobooks. What I do like is that some are available as BOTH!

I also appreciate that I can save titles for later, whether I ever get to them or not. It's nice to have options. It also recommends books for me based on what I've saved in the past, both for myself and for the kids. This is going to be huge for making my Winter Reading List (see Summer Reading List here).

The book icon means it's a book and the headphones mean it's an audiobook. I haven't gotten into the
Magazines section yet. There's more exploring to be done!

How do you organize them all?

When you find a book that grabs you, you can SAVE it then put it in a collection. I have collections for each of my kids, for homeschooling in general, for myself (fiction and nonfiction). The picture below shows some of what I have so far: some books for Sam and something the girls are loving right now. There are more collections as you scroll to the left. I don't know about you, but I am NOTHING without organization! This screenshot also shows titles I might like that are available soon or that I have already saved, as well as what I'm listening to or reading now.

So how much do I pay for all this? 
Just $8.99 per month. (although if you sign up for a free 2-month subscription to Scribd to try it out and then decide you love it, I get a month for free ... full disclosure ... then you can start telling your own friends how much you love it and get a free month when your friends fall in love with it like you did!)

And hey, guess what? You don't even need a smartphone to do all this. You can do it on your COMPUTER or laptop! Read, listen, sort, all of it.

Why I didn't love Kindle Unlimited at $9.99 per month
Kindle Unlimited is a good price, but you really have to track down what's available, and the search function is not the best as far as holding your place, so you go down rabbit holes and forget what you were trying to find in the first place. I personally have my own books on Kindle Unlimited so I do think it's a great service sometimes. Obviously I think my books are a great value on there, but I have downloaded some really crappy books on KU. Also, it's not free to listen to books instead of read them.

Why I didn't like Audible at around $15 per book
Too expensive, even with freebies here and there and even with a plan where the more you get the cheaper it is. Yes, it's great to have the audiobook and own it forever, and I understand it costs a lot of money for an author to get an audiobook made. Hence the authors who choose to read their own book to save money, and we sure wish they hadn't. Not many people have a voice for reading books. I would never read my own books to save money because I have an annoying voice that would take away from the content. But I digress. This is too rich for my blood, and I felt a lot of pressure to make a good pick since I was spending so much money.

This is what the screen looks like when I'm listening to a book. Of course you can make the narration go faster or slower, fast forward, rewind, and even make it stop after a certain amount of time. This is in case you fall asleep quickly like I do when you're being read to at night or you just want to listen to 15 minutes then go to sleep.

Get two free months!
Like I mentioned, if you sign up using my Scribd referral code here, you get TWO FREE MONTHS to try it out, and I get a free month. We both win, and I love to bring you offers where we are both happily skipping around holding hands in interwebs land :-)

I also talked about Scribd here on my 2018 Summer Reading List. No, Smarty Pants, I didn't get to all of the books on my list, but I read others instead and next year will make my reading and listening list more realistic and will share with you! Maybe I'll make a 2018 Winter Reading List!

Originally posted August 2018. Since then we've listened to so many books! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wednesday Wars, The Wife Between Us, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Kristin Hannah books are about to be devoured by me as well. So many options!

The Kerrie Show's Take on Swim Lessons

Originally published August 3, 2017

I just wanted to park that loaded question somewhere for you to ponder and comment on. I have now graduated 5 kids to Swimming Status ... mostly by myself but with some help from their dad and even a tiny bit of help from their grandmother, my mom. I can't tell you how many hours I spent catching jumping kids and making sure kids did not drown. Applying sunscreen, packing pool bags, making sure we had goggles and towels and toys and balls and dive sticks and snacks and cash for the occasional snack bar drink or nacho.

I contend that if you are a stay-at-home mom and like to swim, teach your own kids how to swim! Save your money and your time and your stress and don't do swim lessons*. You are the best teacher for your kids in most cases. You know them best. You have this cool things called intuition and instinct (hopefully!) that help you teach your kids and care for them and know what they need.

Every now and then I like to parent by common sense and realized I could teach my own kids how to swim. Not by pushing them or pressuring them. By going to the pool with them on a regular basis whether I felt like it or not. By waiting until they were ready. Go figure. 

Joel was ready when he was 7 and we were in a pool in Phoenix where you can have a ring floatie (something you can't have at our local pools). The security of the ring floatie helped him figure it out over the course of three weeks. The other kids learned around the same time, with the exception of the two youngest ... they did it faster. Sam was going off the diving board at age 5 and it freaked me out entirely but that's parenting for you. 

No hate comments if you did swim lessons. I just like to do junk myself and save money and drive time. And I like the pool, so it made me the perfect candidate to be Swim Teacher Mom. There wasn't a lot of teaching involved ... mostly just playing. Which is how I like to homeschool also (wink).

P.S. We live in the Midwest, so it's not like we are at the pool 365 days a year. These days you might find us with a 3-month membership to our indoor pool, but when I was teaching the kids to swim it was just 3 months in the summer, baby!

Michael

Callie

Joel, Samuel and Eva

*Full disclosure: I schlepped some of the kids to swim lessons when they were tiny, around 2006, and it was kind of a waste ... they mostly just wanted to hang and play in the pool with ME and not mess around with some strange teenager. Conversely, if I want to learn how to ride a bike like a professional, I'm not going to pay someone to teach me when my own husband can teach me for free. Then I can figure out the rest.

*Obviously, if your kids are star swimmers and want to learn cool junk like how to do neato dives from a professional, get them some classes! If they just want to swim in a recreational way, then DIY.

Photos from August 2013 taken at our local pool

UPDATE: now it's summer 2019 and all my kids can swim just great and we have our own backyard swimming pool!

Happy 14th Birthday to Callie! + Leah Darrow + Callie's 12th and 13th Birthday Parties

So today is my daughter's 14th birthday! She is my third child and my first girl. I'm just now posting her 12th and 13th birthday party pictures! Today is ice with a coat of snow in the Midwest so I'm not sure what we're going to do to make today special for her (she wants chocolate chip waffles, which I can do!), but we'll think of something!

Her party is tomorrow night and she's still having girls-only parties. It's going to be a huge sleepover and she's very excited! Recently she and her sister split up their single bedroom into two so she has her own space to decorate. Callie has always been fashion-conscious and knows how to decorate, so she is loving customizing her space! She is a woman of virtue!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CALLIE!

We went to the thrift store up the road from our old house and got a necklace for each guest for her 12th birthday party.

I snuck out to the bakery for macarons (NOT macaroons), something she has always been fascinated by.

I got a bunch of different fancy flavors and a swan … is that like an éclair? My girl has always wanted to go to Paris.

Here are some of her friends plus her sister Eva.

Also in February 2017 the kids went to see Leah Darrow speak, former America's Top Model contestant and amazing Catholic woman!

Happy 13th birthday to Callie in our new house with her dad!

Callie's 13th birthday party friends!