Spring Cleaning

This year spring cleaning isn't going to consist of a good thorough cleaning of our house. Instead, I'll be purging the kids toys. Though I've attempted this in the past, I never seem to be able to do a thorough job. I'm as bad as the kids. I find a toy that  I know they used to love, but haven't played with in a while and instead of stealthily putting it in a donation bag, I decide to show the kids what I found, thus getting them excited about playing with it again. Little McDonald's toys that I've kept, will soon be tossed, toys that 'just had one small broken thing' will now be tossed as well. My house is making me claustrophobic; there's just TOO MUCH STUFF. The toys are a big part of it and I know children with less toys function just as well, if not better. Wish me luck!

(Tips, recommendations, and encouraging comments welcome!)

Sea World

Last weekend we spent some time at Sea World San Antonio. Now that's nothing new for us as we're lucky to live near it, but they had an extraordinary presentation from a local organization that rescues wild birds. Normally I'm not a bird fan, but it was quite interesting.

We enjoyed spending several hours there enjoying the rides (it was nice out so we even went on one of the water ones) and animal shows. As a bonus, Sea World is offering free tickets for preschoolers (ages 3-5) living in Texas, but you have to register by May 31st. If you live near Orlando or San Diego, you might check their sites as well because I believe they were offering it for local preschoolers too.

With Monkey girl in school, Bro Bro monkey and I are bound to have a few play dates there before school lets out. When we take Monkey girl, she makes sure we never miss Shamu, the dolphins, and the flamingos. Bro Bro hasn't really decided on a favorite, but he loves the rides and giant jungle gym. If you're lucky enough to live near a Sea World, check out their camps too! We haven't tried them, but they look incredible.

Moving?

It's no secret that Dadda monkey and I have been wanting to move out of South Texas. It's been a long journey, but as the reality of an upcoming move sets in, I'm stressed! Nothing's done yet, we're waiting on an offer letter (which previous experience tells me may or may not actually happen) and so I'm spending my little amount of free time browsing houses. Houses that cost way more than what we enjoy here... I knew this and yet it's still daunting. Especially since I'm not even sure what area to look in. Regardless, the monkeys and I will stay here through June to let Monkey girl finish kindergarten. Common sense tells me moving sooner rather than later is better so the monkeys can settle into new areas and schools, we won't get entrenched here to make moving even harder, and Dadda monkey can take full benefit of a good career move before he's labelled an old fogey and not able to move up as much. :) Here's to hoping your week is calmer than ours!

Essential Oils

We've started using essential oils to boost our overall health (physical and emotional) and have been enjoying their benefit. I've been using DoTerra, but realize there are many good options out there. There are some not as good, so I encourage you to do your own research before just picking up a random bottle at a local store. If you're interested in DoTerra, you can check out my store here: http://www.mydoterra.com/jenmonkey/.

A friend shared this recipe for homemade mint chocolate bars (think Larabars):
2/3 cups whole almonds
1 cup whole, pitted dates
2 TB unsweetened cocoa
3 drops dōTERRA Peppermint Essential oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put in food processor and blend until there are no large pieces of nuts left.
Roll into 1” balls or press into a round or square pan and then cut into bars.
Makes approximately 25 balls.

Enjoy!

Introduction to Planes: Fire & Rescue

Bro Bro Monkey is very excited about Disney's Planes: Fire & Rescue coming to theaters on July 18th. Needless to say, this is has been added to our summer agenda.

Here's a look at the movie: