Denim Daisies

 Happy Friday!!! We read with the boys every night before bed as a way to settle down after their baths/showers and an episode or two of Bluey.  Usually it's a book or two from me and then Grant reads them to sleep from something that he enjoys. I'm not a huge fan of reading aloud, just not my thing, so I try to find somewhat shorter, but still engaging books for them that they can participate in and then Grant worked through several Tamora Pierce Books, one on Eisenhower I think, and now is going through Lord of the Rings with them.  These are my favorite books that Jamie can stay engaged with, but are still fun for Leo as well and short enough that I look forward to reading aloud rather than it being a chore. I've included the amazon links as well, just in case:  5.  Llama Llama Red Pajama - I LOVE this book, we get really into it and even have our own routine with this book that the boys act out with me. I'm not a creative person when it comes to pretend pla...

 Hello, I'm so excited about the news release that the Cincinnati Zoo just shared of one of the Cheetah mom's fostering a new cub!!! Cheetah Adds Cub to Litter Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens does so much work with so many species to ensure their survival in the long term. The amount of work that went into this from the initial organization recognizing that the cub's birth mother would not be able to provide milk for it (it's sibling sadly died and cheetah mom's typically can't produce milk for a single cub), to the volunteer pilots who flew this little one to Cincinnati with it's carer until it got situated, to the cheetah mom and new siblings that adopted this sweet little one into their litter. I'm just so proud of the zoo and everyone's efforts to save this little one to be a representative and important link in species survival for these beautiful felids!!!! Seriously check out the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens if you haven't alr...

Our first cucumber from the backyard garden! As you can see despite the heat our pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a few other plants are THRIVING!!! Now the trick is keeping Jamie from picking everything prematurely! 😅 Have a great day!!! 💛Jess

 Hello!!! So for all the parents/babysitters/anyone who has tiny humans around a lot, summertime equals water time! It’s so much fun, cools everyone down, and tires them out so bed/Naptime is soooo much easier! All this said, the key to a fun and meltdown-free outing is being prepared and being flexible with expectations. The latter I’m still working on, but the former I think I’m finally getting and my pool bag with the kids is as follows: 1. Bathing suits (with tops for the boys to avoid as many sunscreen issues) 2. Towels for EVERYONE, I tried just doing a couple of towels because they do take up space but no, it’s worth it!!! 3. Sunscreen… we are a very pale family… we bath in this all summer, blue lizard is my new favorite because their spray seems to truly work! 4. Water bottles for everyone… leak proof because no one wants to put on a wet suit at the start. 5. Small individual snacks… Leo is a hangry boy at times and he gets it from me!!! 6. POOL TOYS. I always forget this a...

 Hello! Seriously I have been eating one of these cooked in the air fryer for lunch everyday with avocado and a little salsa (probably would be more efficient just to buy the guac but oh well).  I love them, Grant loves them, and the kids will gain better taste buds one day I’m sure! 😆 This is part of my “decide once” from The Lazy Genius and so I just eat this for lunch everyday. It’s always a treat, quick to make, and pretty healthy. Check check check! I am a habitual lunch skipper, so this is perfect to remember to eat when I know it will be one of my favorite foods! That’s all for today! 💛 Jess

 Hello! A little late in posting as we’re Al settling into a more relaxed summer schedule for the next few weeks before the busier part picks back up right before school.  My top five today is candle scents, being that we’re in summer these are definitely spring/summer oriented, but even if you don’t burn them, a strong scent will still work some in the area without fire if it’s scorching outside! I didn’t used to burn candles at all after an incident with our cat trying to warm her butt on one in Alaska. She was fine but it scared us away from candles for a while. Now I love them again and Belle has become older and much wiser. (I say this as she’s bathing herself right in front of me. 🙄) 1. I love all things lemon… need I say more? 2. Diamond of the Season by bath and bodywork’s is Bridgerton themed and I am here for it! 3. I’m also loving this Peach Bellini that Grant got me for Christmas. Apparently I’m a fruity floral scent person! 🥰 4&5. A tie for me as these are c...

 Happy Solstice!!! Once of my favorite traditions from living in Alaska early in our marriage was attending solstice block parties. Our cul-de-sac would end up having a giant cook-out and everyone would be up having a, relatively tame, party at 1-2am because it was still light out and... well... why not? A lot of our friends would also go fishing all night as their celebration.  To appease my nostalgia for where Grant and I were roughly a decade ago, I wanted to highlight one of our favorite nature organizations from our time in Alaska.  Eagle River Nature Center  was one of our favorite walks and happened to be a great place to take visiting friends to see local wildlife and was also the backside of of of the best hikes in the Anchorage area, Crow's Pass. Seriously it's a great place to support local conservation and to get some wonderful experiences with nature and especially wildlife like moose, bear, and, of course, bald eagles! Just be safe on the trails!!!! Tha...

 Happy Juneteenth!!! I'm so grateful that this holiday is finally getting more recognition from a national level and we are very much looking forward to celebrating freedom!!! Grant has off from work today and so we will be doing a similar routine to keep regulation levels with a couple of exceptions: Morning: Coffee and scootering at a local park with some wonderful friends and then heading to the Y for swimming and then the boys can go to kids club while Grant and I spend a little time knocking out some things for the Army and Zoo respectively, we then fully intend to spend at least an hour laying outside and enjoying the beach chairs by the outdoor pool at the Y. Afternoon: lunch, changing, quiet time, and then We Rock the Spectrum !!! One of the boys favorite places in the world where they have made some wonderful friends and it's also a Black Owned Business that we will always support!  Evening: Spending time with our wonderful friends and maybe even grilling out. We also...

 Good Morning! So what I learned over the past two weeks while Grant was off the net was a serious lesson in keeping the routine at least mostly the same. We had signed the boys up for Zoo Camp (still a must do for next year because they loved it) and my mother flew in and stayed at their Ohio house to be 'on call' for just over a week, but honestly even though it was great having Biddy around and was amazing having such beautiful experiences for the kids at camp, it would have been better for me, and probably the boys, to have kept closer to our normal routine and done these fun things while Grant was also back to help with dysregulation or to at least start these while he was back so that the routine wouldn't change as he left. That part was hard frankly because my built in 'rest' time and the predictability, for Jamie in particular,  went out the window and I think that made it harder for him. Next year we will still do zoo camp and we will still try to convince ...

 Good morning and happy Monday! So first up… Grant is officially home!!! These two weeks have felt forever because we couldn’t really talk or communicate (literally one text or maybe 60 seconds of talking every day to every other day which is still a lot for us but it’s harder now that the boys are getting older). We did “daddy baskets” so they could feel connected to him every day even when they couldn’t hear him or see a picture and that worked out really well.  Now for our regular scheduled programming… My new favorite breakfast, this does contain egg and cheese so it’s not vegan, but it’s a great protein heavy and meat free option for a fairly healthy breakfast! 1 x Trader Joe’s Swiss and cauliflower frittata 1 x tbsp medium salsa 1 x avocado mashed Yum!!! 😋  I’ve started eating this pretty much every day so that I know I’m starting off right and having a filling but quick breakfast before we head out on the morning’s adventures. Anyone who has spent time with us kno...

 Nothing quite like a week off to reset, though I’ll be very happy for Grant to get home soon, until then we’ve got our trusty Teddy threatening to destroy anyone who even looks in the direction of the house. #reactiverescuedog I love him but it would be nice to keep my ear drums. To stick with a light topic, here are my top five coffee drinks!  5. Decaf coffee with seasonal creamer - I love this… seriously my favorite, doesn’t leave me jittery, easy to make, and the Bridgerton Berries and Cream creamer is 😘 4. Cappuccino- a little lighter on the dairy/milk and a great caffeine hit while still feeling like a treat. 3. Iced latte - it’s about to be in the 100s here in Cincy… need I say more 2. Seasonal mocha - I love peppermint mocha around Christmas but the macadamia nut craze is very welcome as well! 1. Just a regular latter - no sugar no sw ate we, I love the bitterness and creaminess, vanilla almond milk instead of dairy is my preference though I’m trying to convince my ta...

 Happy Thursday! Summer is here along with all of the fun light summer novels for down time by the pool or in the backyard or even just in the coziness of a sunlit bed with a breeze coming from the fan. That being said, what is the most sustainable way to read your favorite books. If you’re just reading one or two, definitely paperback. Even better if it’s second hand and still better if it’s coming from the library.  If you’re driving to the library every week though, maybe an e-reader is the way to go. I live on my kindle during my down time. Our library has an electronic option and so I’m constantly going through ebooks this way and, according to NPR , if you’re going through at least 36 books it’ll balance out. Considering the average rom com takes about 6 hours to read, this could mean one summer’s worth or one years worth will make the e reader a solid investment from a conservation standpoint. Just remember to recycle the battery when you are eventually done with it aft...

 Good morning, Yesterday was a bit busy and so I’m writing this post Wednesday morning after a few minutes of quiet. One of the people that I admire recently shared a list of ten ways she’s doing self-care and it got me thinking to how I’m going to do this during the summer. 1. Morning quiet time - taking a few minutes of quiet for myself every morning before the hustle of the day starts has been really good for me and makes me want to get out of bed!  2. Drinking coffee the way I want it - a cup of decaf with a fancy creamer seems to be the secret weapon for me to smile in the morning before reading the kids out of bed or, in Jamie’s case, helping him get his breakfast ready. 3. Staying off social media - I’ve been off everything but blogs and linked in for over a year now and, while I miss some of the connection, I think I’m doing better without it. 4. Keeping to a schedule - this keeps the boys regulated which keeps me happy and calm.  5. Being outside in the morning -...

  Now I didn’t physically slow down, the best way for my kids to stay regulated and avoid drama seems to be to have a lot of short activities… preschools might be into something there. Seriously though I actually felt like I slowed down a little today which was heaven. Jamie was at camp, Leo and I stayed at the zoo to make sure we were available should the need arise and I just let him lead. Time to see the penguins, sure, want to spend half the day on the playground instead of with the animals, ok, need to pet every snake in the entry gardens, alright then.  It felt good. I felt good. Still felt crummy when I was less than perfect interacting with someone later that day  and she assumed I was an employee with the camp. Still probably need to find a new therapist, significantly harder than I ever thought… I loved spending the morning with my little guy… 💛Jess

 So we had a lot of oatmeal from all the oat milk that we’ve been making and what better way to use it than no bake cookies!  Ingredients: Leftover oatmeal - about 1 cup Nuts (I used walnuts but depending on the taste you want you could totally experiment with others- 8oz Coco powder- 2 tbsp Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Honey or agave - 1/4 cup Mix it all together in a blender (use the coconut oil to melt the chocolate chips first in microwave or stovetop), spoon out into dollops, let sit overnight, and voila! The perfect quick breakfast/snack.  You can change out the nuts, add supplements to this, really whatever you’d like. I’m going to try with peanuts as well! 🙂