Days with the Dorans

 Jump Rope for Heart is a fundraiser the schools do to encourage good health for kids and also to raise money for the American Heart Association. My school does it during the day and Maddy's school did it too.  The Littles' school did it at the end of the Month and instead of during the school day it was after school.  It actually worked out well because it was the Monday after Ali's dance competition (they had the day off) so she was able to participate.  I feel like it's often hard for them to participate in school stuff because all of their other activities. So all three Littles stayed after and had a great time!  I was able to get there a little early and check out what they were doing.  They weren't just jumping rope, but jumping everything!  They had a fun time and learned about health in the process.  On top of that, their earnings got them these pups (and they got a couple more after the event).  Sean (especially) is ob...

 Ali had a fun weekend at her Hollywood Vibe convention and competition! It was about 45 minutes away so we opted to drive both days (with our buddies Julia and Amber). The girls have as much fun on the stage as they do off!  We went out to lunch/dinner as a group and the girls got a lot of looks.  I told them it was probably because we hadn't put their red lipstick on so they looked funny! tee hee After dinner we went back to a friend's room to finish getting ready (and put on that red lipstick) and costumes! I love my 'dance mom' friends. We walked when the girls were in classes so got lots of steps in! I'm getting better and better at this hair and make-up thing too (meaning, it doesn't take me as long as it one did). We're having a lot of fun and the girls did GREAT!!!  We were so proud of them and since I am getting to this post late, I don't remember what they "won" but they got some sort of bling. Our studio doesn't car...

It has been such an odd winter! We've had snow but not a GOOD snow and we finally got a good enough amount of the white stuff (to shut down school in February) of course.  I was happy because we already don't get paid for X amount of snow days (whether we have them or not) so bring on the snow! The kids had fun too! Including Marty!! He was as excited as the human babies though after a while I brought him in since they wanted to make a "house" and Marty wasn't much help. I got each of them these "brick" makers that worked pretty well (I was out there playing too). Al of course brought out some things to "decorate" the house too! It was so fun to finally have some weather where the kids could get outside and just PLAY!! I love the snow but if we don't have that, I just want spring to come!

So after our fun in the D, we decided to take the kids for more fun.  We were both busy Thursday, so on Friday we decided to hit some mini-golf (since that was actually in the original plans anyway). When I say "we" I'm talking about my brother and his kids again too. We met at a glow-in-the-dark putt putt place and it was really cool!  It brought me back to my college days with black lights and cool art!  I loved it and actually played well! Although it was inside can you believe it was 57 degrees! Our folks were in FL and they had temps about the same! (cold there but a heat wave here!) Seany didn't two-putt like he did the last time we played but I'm pretty sure he thought he "won."  Danny took the boys in a group (5 of them) and it was me and the girls (3 of us).   I think only Danny, Al and I kept score- but really it was only Danny that I wanted to beat. I did really well two putting almost everything. Somehow Danny tied me (he had s...

On Wednesday Jeff went back to work and my guess is my sister-in-law did too because my brother was all about getting the cousins together! (We see a lot of them in the summer when she's working because I think Danny gets a bit stir crazy!) Danny had the full week off just like the kids and I did. At first, Danny wanted to go bowling since he saw the fun we had but I wasn't eager to spend that kind of money again for something we just did so he did some looking and found this cool  Outdoor Adventure Center right downtown in the D! I think the think that got me hooked was it was $3 for kids and $5 for adults!  I NEVER get away with paying that little with my group so I was all about it!!  It was actually quite fun and the kids had a blast! Of course Joe Cool was Joe Cool so kept his hat on and arms folded for much of the trip.  There was a lot of learning going on but it was geared toward the younger crowd for sure!  There were field trips there ...

I can't say enough about how much I LOVE February break!  By February my first graders are climbing the walls and I'm wondering if I can survive until June!  We get the whole week off (and I sure hope that stays but doubt it will) and Jeff gets two days off. On Monday, we hung out at home and did NOTHING which for us was A-MAZING!! I worked on a puzzle from the dollar store.  We read some books, played some screens and just laid low and it was perfect. On Tuesday we decided we should do something fun so we decided on BOWLING!  I don't know the last time we went bowling.  I'm not sure Sean had ever been (which tells you something). We had SO much fun and had lots of laughs!  Joe was the winner of the kids and I was the winner of the grown-ups and for one game, I only beat Joe by one!  We did play with bumpers though that didn't really matter for us... Of course dancer Ali showed up at the bowling Alley (see what I did there?) and she wa...

I've created tradition so need to stick with them! Each Valentine's Day I give my family a "heart attack" with little personal reasons why I love them! This year, I forgot my Cricut (machine I use to cut out hearts) at school so hit the dollar store and found some doilies (probably cheaper) to write my messages on.  I also picked up some balloons. I just love really sitting down and picking out those little details I adore about my family!  I hope they love reading them as much as I love writing them!  Happy Valentine's Day!