Denim Daisies

 Good morning, I’ll keep going through recaps of Leo’s staycation and then will do a single post of our end of summer trip to Vermont and Quebec. 🙂 Day 2 was probably my favorite because I got to see Leo really grow in his confidence and we had SO much fun just the two of us going around King’s Island park. We went on a Wednesday right at opening and it was perfect. Virtually no lines at all since it was a week day and, while it was hot, it didn’t feel unbearably sweltering! 😮‍💨  Started off the morning a little nervous on the Woodstock swing ride.  Then felt a lot better running around camp snoopy before the rest of the rides opened. The cats are ALWAYS a hit! … and the trains! 😉 We needed a break (Leo still had about 30 minutes of go time followed by a ten minute rest) so the big train was the perfect fit! Loaded fries for the win!!! And lots of water!!! Sunscreen of choice was blue lizard 50spf and I love the fact that the cap changes color when the UV rays are enough to need it

 Today felt so great because we got back on our schedule which meant a fully regulated day and almost perfect bedtime routine.  I also finally let go a little at the zoo and let Leo have my phone camera and had Jamie use his chair to help keep his heart rate down especially in this heat. Here’s Hippo Cove from Leo’s perspective. 🥰 Mommy and Jamie heading out. Looking through the glass at the tilapia and our favorite bloat while getting a sweet reflection of Leo and Jamie. Our favorite little hippo!!! Fiona showing some booty! 😆 Leo’s view of Jamie 🥰🥰🥰 The princess of Cincinnati My boys 🥰🥰🥰 (courtesy of mommy this time) I’m trying to get out of my head and not let people’s ignorance bother me (especially those who should really know better). It’s going to be a long hard road with that one but we’ve got the right people on our team and the best reasons for pushing ahead.  💛 Jess

 Hello!!! We are back from our summer trip to Vermont/Canada and had an absolute blast!!! I’ll do a full recap so we can remember these amazing adventures in the years to come but right now the important things. Our favorite road trip snacks! 😉 Leo and I did a Trader Joe’s run before leaving and got a variety, I’m only going to mention the sugary ones now but we did pack healthier options too (lots of carrot sticks, peas, hummus, cheese, multigrain crackers, etc.  These were a HIT. The boys LOVE ice cream and so this was a no messy way to fill that need. Also worked as a great “tactical wee” bribe to get Leo to use the restroom when he insisted that he didn’t need to! 😉 Leo loves waffles, Leo loves snacks things, Leo thinks these are the bees knees!!! We got to try a few too and they were as delicious as Great British Bake Off advertised! 😋 These are Jamie’s and my favorites. We loved them and it’s a great way to get a peanut butter cup feel without that not-so-pleasant lingering af

 Good morning! Today’s top five is inspired by my favorite blog writer’s recent post about things in Europe that she wishes she could adopt in her everyday life.  Mix and Match Mamma’s 17 Ways I Want To Be European I wanted something fun and light to end out the week as I’ve been stressing about the little things lately. (seriously inside out 2 could you please not be such an accurate representation of my brain!!!) I think it’s just from not having been in our routine for several weeks now and so the things that I normally wouldn’t have to think about are becoming front of mind and while it’s been worth it to let Leo fully recover from his most recent bug and to spend some quality one on one time with him, I like having structure and routine. I’m seriously looking forward to school starting for them because I know their teachers are amazing and they will have so much fun making friends this year. I’m also excited for all the fall activities that we’ll do as a family, Hello Hiking!!! Ne

 Good morning! Jamie is off with the grandparents for a few days and we’ll join him soon, but Leo and I have been testing out our staycation idea of just fully enjoying everything the Cincinnati area has to offer as a vacation without the travel and it’s been an absolute blast!!! Day one: Newport on the Levee This is right across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and we usually walk here from friendship park across the purple people bridge though that was under construction for the present so we decided to drive rather than brave the slightly longer (about 2 miles each way rather than 1) in the 90+ heat with little legs walk.  Our first stop was the aquarium! This was the first time going without Jamie for Leo and he really enjoyed getting to pace the trip and stop literally everywhere. He was still asking for his brother but he clearly was having fun with the one on one time.  We stopped in every option for sticking your head into a observation area for fish that you had to climb into.😆

 Good morning, A belated post for Tuesday as we were still in the learned process. Jamie is on his summer vacation with his grandparents and he flew with just my mom yesterday. We’ve done this a few times before but this was the first time that he was too big for her to pick up if something went wrong.  We had a few appointments focused on this experience prior to him leaving, did several social stories which are great for kids of any ability level, wore his sensor (a must have IMO for any child who isn’t able to fully say their parents full names and phone numbers due to age or abilities), and he dressed the part! 😉 Jamie is the happiest guy you’ll meet and so dressing up in awesome costumes at his current age tends to make people want to have positive interactions which gives him a lot of positive feedback to make it a GREAT day. I know this tactic is temporary, but it was so stinkin’ cute for this trip. He’s safe with Biddy and Grandpa at the lake now and has one of them with him a

 Happy Monday! Today is focused on summer treats, well one summer treat that is literally the only thing I truly want for a sweet in the summer. Soft ice cream cones!!!!! If you are from Vermont soft ice cream is called a creamy and we have finally found a great stand a few minutes from our house!!!! This will be desert for the rest of the summer as a heads up! 😋 Norwood Delite Creamy Whip is delicious, really great prices, friendly, and just perfect!!! We loved their twists and DOLE WHIP, hello Disney flashback!!!  The only watch out is that they are cash only (there’s an atm 100 meters away at the gas station though) and they do have some tables near the road which just always makes me a touch nervous, but honestly completely worth it and I can’t wait to go back!!! Have a great Monday! 💛 Jess

 Happy Friday!!! It’s officially mid-summer and so I’m doing a mental check in on the things that I’m loving to make sure that I prioritize these as much as possible! 1. Going to the pool with the boys! I’m not usually a fan of swimming, more of a cat than dog that way in that I can swim very well, but I just don’t care for getting wet. This summer though has been the best for loving the pool because of just feeding off of my kids love for it. We go pretty much every day and seeing them progress and just have fun with it is the BEST!!! 2. Intentionally dating my spouse. Having small children is busy, add in medical complications and minimal local family support and spending quality time with just your spouse gets even harder. This summer has been a lot of fun with porch dates, coffee together in the morning, or just snuggling and watching a show together. We’ve been a lot more intentional about fitting that time in and I’m so happy for it!!! 3. Fruity drinks. Whether hard or mocktail I

 Good morning, I’m in a bit of a slump today, but my amazing friend had recommended a technique she’s using to have a meme or image to use for a brief journal everyday and so this is mine for today. When it feels like things are going wrong… just listen to Mr. Rogers. This quote goes even further than this for me because he is someone one of the reverends in our church references in her sermons. Fred Rogers did his part to help break down barriers from teaching kids kindness to being ok with your mistakes (especially when drawing) to showing people that social and especially racial barriers should be broken down. He’s such an example of quiet strength in my mind and the fact that he’s a veteran makes it even sweeter for me because it just shows that a lot of this toxic “strength” posturing is so unnecessary. I know that I have not been perfect and that I’ve hurt people and even caused hurt that I had no idea of. I will keep trying to do my part to improve constantly and I’m so grateful

 Good morning! I am into reality TV, as I’ve said before I like mostly game shows etc Great British Bake Off, survivor, and the Bachelor and it’s spin-offs. I’m also totally into HGTV relaxing shows like Hometown or Fixer to Fabulous as I don’t find them anxiety inducing and they just give you hope in humanity a lot of times.  All of that being said, there’s a new season of the Bachelorette out now and me and L are fully invested (especially given the announcement of nearly all episodes involving travel) and will be watching every Tuesday night! (Airs on mondays but we like to be able to pause or watch when we feel like it based on the boys bedtime.) This week was our first watch party of the season and here’s my reaction! 😉 Jenn - good job on taking ownership, not sure I would’ve felt comfortable making out that hard when people could walk in but respect to her for just going with how she felt The men - TBD The drama - myeh  The next location - AHHHHH So excited!!!!!!!!! Company for

  Hello and Happy Tuesday! Seriously what in the world, we’re letting them keep growing to see if we actually get a few dozen pumpkins out of these babies but dang, normally I kill all plants and things are just doing well this year. Maybe it’s this mix of sun and rain we have but it’s kinda awesome. Leo is still feeling a little under the weather and so we’re cancelling our afternoon activity plans and Jamie, Teddy, and I are hanging out in the backyard eating mini ice cream cones and enjoying the hot but still relatively bearable weather before the rain comes in from hurricane Beryl later this week.  One of my sweetest friends is in Houston and she says even though there’s no power to be had everyone is doing well there. I miss her and I want to start traveling with the boys again but at the same time enjoying the little things like multiple quiet afternoons is pretty amazing.  Here’s to hoping we don’t end up at the hospital with Leo from whatever this silliness that he’s got going

 Happy Monday! I love pasta of pretty much any type... seriously who doesn't though? I also love cheese and fresh veggies from our backyard, put these together and voila! Yummy dinner!!! For this recipe I used: 1 x package fig ravioli 1 x large cucumber 2 x roma tomatos 2 x avocado 1 cp cheddar cheese cube everything including the cheese except the ravioli, toss together in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and you have the perfect summer dish! Jamie really liked the pasta, Leo went for the avocado, and Grant and I went for seconds once they were in bed. It just felt filling and refreshing at once. The ravioli we got from Russo's Ravioli at the farmer's market and I could not recommend them more. We love Garrison and Diane and will always support them, but even more because all their food tastes AMAZING!!! It's the perfect bit of sweetness to a great summer recipe. Truth be told I'm getting over summer quickly and just excited for the final four weeks, the boys go

 Hello! So we are definitely a Swiftie household, both of my boys love her music, I'm in awe of her stamina and resiliency (I've liked her music for years, but her testimony during that sexual assault trial was absolutely inspiring). In honor of her, here are our favorite songs. 5. Love Story - Grant and I started dating right after this came out... my roommates might have hated me for having it on repeat all the time. 4. Look What You Made Me Do - Jamie calls it the snake song and it is really fantastic to hear him getting into such a power song. I love hearing him sing and I hope he never stops. 3. Paper Rings - this song saved our sanity when Leo was a baby, it was like hypnosis for him. If he was fussing a little or a lot and this song came on he would instantly stop and listen, I wish I had more recordings of it or that I could thank Taylor personally for calming my child countless times.  2. Me - Jamie loves this one as well and insists that he and I must sing a duet... i

 We will be spending today hiking and going to various playgrounds around Cincinnati... if you need us I'm sorry but we're unavailable! 😉 I hope that you're doing something for yourself today that makes you feel good whether with people or solo whether it's holiday themed or just taking advantage of a quieter day for work. 💛 Jess

 Hello! So I'm trying a new thing to force myself to slow down for a little bit every weekend and it's actually painting my nails every Sunday.  I like being expressive with clothes and colors, I also like having a schedule and a basic outfit matrix to help with decision fatigue. So I'm taking that to my nails as well. I'm only a few weeks in but I think I've got all my summer colors ready (with the exception of bright red because it's just kinda perfect for 4th of July week even though I don't personally define it as a summer color). I'm doing just a simple two coats and then a top coat, I'm not worrying if it doesn't look perfect right off, seriously I should've failed kindergarten because coloring in the lines is not at all my thing, and I'm just having fun with something that I just never saw the point of for me because I was in uniform and had to clean it off fully too quickly.  Some colors that I'm loving are: 1. pink coral 2. w

 Hello! So I've been trying to find decent hiking trails with an incline and preferably a view around Cincinnati for ages and I THINK I'VE FOUND IT!!!! Devou park across the river in Kentucky has a beautiful view of Cincinnati and, thankfully, it's an easy drive with lots of paved and dirt hiking trails as well as a LOT of playgrounds, public restrooms, easy parking, pretty much everything. Seriously, how did I not know about this one sooner. On other news if you need to find us on a holiday... well we found our new spot. (I'd love to say every weekend but in the spirit of not over committing to myself and wanting to keep up on swimming/tennis/church/zoo volunteering on the weekends, we're already pretty full.) I think once the fall comes around though this will easily become a saturday afternoon hang out spot for us and maybe a picnic lunch while the boys do their 'calm time' in the afternoon.  I just love Cincinnati, the more time we spend here, the more I

 Good morning! Leo’s second breakfast every day is a chocolate croissant from Trader Joe’s. I have a timer that goes off before bed to remind me to leave it out to prove and then I bake it as soon as I get up so he gets a delicious part of his morning and I get a house smelling of pastry! 😋  That’s all for today! 💛 Jess