Ya'll, I have a confession.  I had a major "mom fail" and allowed my children to eat gummies before bed EVERY NIGHT until about a year ago.  I thought I was treating them to an easy snack after baths, but it turns out that it's the worst thing you can feed your kids because it gets stuck in their teeth and can cause major cavities.  As a result, both Eli and Ellie had to have crowns.  Bless Ellie's prissy little heart, she was thrilled about getting a "crown" until she realized it wasn't the kind you wear on your head.  There are two kind of people in the world. They call them Type A and Type B, and I have somehow managed to birthed one of each.  Ellie pulled her crown out eating taffy so she had to have it replaced on the same day Eli was getting his.  He was near tears in the waiting room and asked about 30-million questions.  Meanwhile, Ellie sang to herself in the car. When it was time for the actual procedure, Ellie hopped up in

This summer, Ellie is participating in Summer Literacy Academy.  It's an incredible resource provided by our school district to help students grow their reading capacity.  I was a struggling reader as child and I can remember being so intimated by my slow progression.  I was tutored through second grade and truly despised reading.  Then when I was in eighth grade, I found a book series I loved and to this day, I ready constantly.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I rarely watch TV but my nose is almost always stuck in a book.  Because I know what it feels like to struggle reading and the lack of confidence that comes with it, I want to make sure that I stay on top of my kids' growth.  Ellie is on grade-level but I felt like she could benefit from some additional intervention to make her stronger and most importantly, more confident. With that in mind, she started Summer Literacy Academy  on Monday. She will ride the bus to and from daycare each day, which is another

This past weekend, Eric's work hosted its annual company picnic and we were treated to Holiday World!!  One of my little "goals" for the summer is to camp once a month.  It's fun, relaxing, and a great way to unplug and enjoy some family time.   For a few years now, we have been talking about camping at Lake Rudolph right next to Holiday World, so this was a great opportunity to go ahead and book our site. If you ever find yourself in the middle of a drought and in need of some rain, just have me book a camping trip or baseball tournament because it never fails to pour.  Of course, this weekend was no different.  We left work early, picked up the kids, ate a quick lunch and hit the road.  We were lucky to get there between rain showers and quickly set up camp before the next round arrived.   Typically, we cook when we camp but knew it would be a hassle since it was such a quick trip.  Instead, we trusted online reviews and found ourselves at a hole