Summer Activities...so far

Today's post is a bit of a photo dump...just to share some of our summer adventures (so far) with family and friends. I mean, who doesn't want to look at lots of pictures of Hudson??

Hudson would stay outside all.day.long. Seriously.

And I just love when he is wearing plaid shorts and his little sandals. At first, he was not too thrilled with the sandals. But after some negotiating, I convinced him sandals are way cooler than sweaty sock feet all summer.  Both practically and fashionably.

He also enjoys a dip in the pool every once in a while - and I must confess, I don't mind using this little pool during his nap times.

Our deck doesn't have stairs that lead down to the backyard. I call it my "Rapunzel Tower." I must admit it is super convenient with an active toddler. I can sit out there and let him play without trying to to keep him from going down the stairs. Containment is key at this stage.

You can see in this picture, the screen that we added around the bars of the deck. They were spaced a little too far apart for my liking. A side-ways Hudson could fit right through - and that wasn't my idea of a fun time.

My husband stapled regular mesh screen around the deck, making it more secure. It also keeps Hudson from throwing all his toys down the the yard below.  Again, containment is key!

A few weeks ago, I picked up this super cool xylophone at a thrift store for 99 cents! Hudson thinks music time is super fun. I play music and let him bang out notes and such while I prepare dinner or empty the dishwasher. For now, he is content to sit in the high chair to play with this toy. I learned that trick from my mom - keep certain toys for certain areas.  And it doesn't hurt that he is contained in the high chair for 10 minutes.  Most moms can get a lot accomplished in 10 toddler-free minutes. If I throw a couple raisins on his tray, I can get in an extra minute or two!

Recently, thanks to a sweet Groupon deal and an online coupon code and Ebates (if you don't use Ebates, you really should... and you should use my referral link so I get rewarded too!), we bought a family membership to the zoo for super cheap. This membership also gave us free or discounted admissions to many many more zoos around the country.

Last week, we took Hudson for the first time.

I was probably more excited than he was - I just love seeing that little pointer finger reaching out to different things he notices.

He is really into making animal noises. It was fun to show him those animals live -

He would look around the little viewing areas, just waiting for something to move.

He and this little muskrat had quite the staring contest.

Our zoo has a petting area - Hudson wanted down until...

He realized those goats were a lot bigger when you were eye level with them.

He barked a lot that day - I guess when he didn't know the animal noise, he figured the bark was the best solution.

I look forward to more summer adventures with this little guy.

He sure makes life fun!

Simple Summer Updates

I needed some things to cheer me up. I needed to make a few updates. Several weeks back, I attempted to rearrange the living room to accomplish this - alas, every other arrangement I tried looked terrible. In the end, I moved all the furniture back to its original homes. Ugh!  (At least I got some exercise! ha)

I was discussing my frustrations with my mom. She suggested moving little decorations around to change things up. And so, I added some Easter decor to my home. 

However, as of this morning, the eggs were still on the front door. It was time for a change again. And, might I add, I think I should have people over every weekend. In preparation for a little get-together that I am having, I am definitely more motivated to vacuum and clean mirrors. And Hudson has been playing more on his own, allowing me to get more accomplished. 

All that said, I started this morning off by changing the wreath on the front door. Back to my favorite wreath...Good old "Sham-Wow." (Read about it's creation here.)

We have this handy little closet under the steps to our basement. 

My husband hung a few nails for me, and it is now the perfect hang-out for my seasonal wreaths. 

Next, I moved to the chalk board in the kitchen. It has really been empty since Thanksgiving - From the unexpectedly early arrival of our son, somehow this fun little spot got overlooked. (See the transformation from a thrift store frame to chalkboard here). Last week, I wrote my to-do list on the board. And since I crossed the last thing off my list last night, I decided it would make a great place for a little encouragement. 

After searching Pinterest, I found a fun little design that I copied. 

I have finally discovered the secret to erasing my chalkboard and making the chalk lines look bold and fabulous. I use a simple micro-fiber dust cloth for erasing. 

And I dip my chalk in water just before I write on the board. 

At first, the lines drawn will look faint (see the last "s"). 

But once it dries, you are left with bold perfection. Hanging the chalkboard in the kitchen, I can glance at the message as I monitor Hudson playing and load the dishwasher for the ump-teenth time. 

Next, I started collecting my Easter eggs that were scattered about the house. (See how I made the book page eggs here). 

And, since my house hasn't been this clean and clutter free in a while, I will show you a "new" addition to the corner of the living room. Two years ago, when we moved into this house, I commandeered this fabulous mustard colored library cart. It has served many purposes since then. From garage storage to helping me transport blocks of wood for our nativity project. Finally, it has found a resting place in our living room. So far, there's not a book on it! ha. But that will change soon. 

I just love seeing all those little colorful marks make from books hitting the back of the shelf. 

Hudson has been playing nicely on his play mat, allowing me to get a lot accomplished this morning. 

But now, he is begging for my attention...so I'm off to help him practice grabbing toys and work on that neck control! 

What simple changes are you making around your home to boost your morale?  

Sometimes if I can just clean or organize one small area of my life, I feel like I've been on a mini-vacation. Am I the only one that gets a thrill out of seeing vacuum lines in my carpet?