summer challenge

i have to be honest, a summer with all five kids at home can be overwhelming. the last days of school, i can feel my heart beating faster, my breathing rapidly increase. i wouldn't say that i have a full blown panic attack but i definitely feel the pressure. thoughts of filling a summer with activity for five little people can be daunting.

this year, i decided to get organized. the more organized i became, the better i felt. i created an entire summer checklist for the kids to accomplish each day. surprisingly, the kids were all for this idea. we are now two weeks into our summer here in the south and we are on a roll. i can't say this will work for everyone but for us, this has been a life saver. too much idle time during the summer causes problems; kids fight, they are restless, and quite frankly, i don't want to have to entertain them all day everyday. i'm also from a family of educators. my dad is a retired principal, my mom's a former teacher and speech pathologist, my sister and sister-in-law both teach and i used to teach high school. my kids are surrounded. i don't want them to spend the summer losing all the information they learned over the school year.

all of those factors led to our "summer challenge." each day the kids have a series of tasks to do. at the end of the week, they can earn a star for completing a week of tasks. the stars add up to rewards. it's a simple concept but, surprisingly, the kids love it. i have to be honest, i love it too. they are busy and working for a couple of hours a day and i have time to sit with each of them to help them get their projects or teach them something new. i am actually thrilled with the results. feel free to use this idea and run with it. it may not work for you exactly the way it has worked for us but, please, make this your own and use it to bring some sanity to your own house this summer.

Rules: These were read to the kids on our first day. They all agreed so we kept going!

My kids had already been trained on their weekly chores so that was easy for them to continue. They had several books already purchased for them to enjoy over the summer. We purchased Bridge Books from amazon.com. 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bridge+books

i printed out a check list for each week. i made several copies for each child with a place for the dates at the top. each child has their own clip boards so their lists can travel with them.

we brainstormed as a family for great ideas for rewards. this is what our family decided upon.

at the end of each week, if my kids have completed their assignments, they get a star for each area. 

They get to choose the reward for our family. That's it. So far so good. The kids are engaged. The days are full. The rewards are fun. This is my kids' summer challenge...and my summer sanity.

mmmmm: lemon trifle

summer is the time for cool desserts. this one is in honor of my sister. it's her absolute favorite. she'll fight you for the last bowl. it takes a little time to make but it is so worth the effort. enjoy!

lemon trifle

for the pecan crumble layer:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup melted butter

for the lemon custard layer:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cups cold water

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons grated lemon peel

for the cream cheese layer:

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

3 cups confectioner's sugar

8 oz. whipped topping or two cups of sweetened whipped cream

mix pecans, flour and melted butter together in a small bowl. press into a greased 9 x 13 pan. bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. remove from oven, set aside and allow to cool.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and the flour. Stir in the water until it is smooth. cook over medium heat, stirring while cooking, until hot and bubbly. reduce heat and continue cooking for two minutes more. 

remove the mixture from the heat. stir a small amount of the hot liquid into the egg yolks. add the egg yolk mixture to the pan and cook while stirring until there is a gentle boil. cook for two minutes more. stir in the lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. 

transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature without stirring the mixture. cover the mixture with wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioner's sugar until smooth. fold in whipped topping or sweetened whipped cream.

crumble the baked pecan mixture. begin layering the trifle. start with a layer of lemon custard. you will use approximately 1 cup of each part of the trifle per layer. top with whipped cream mixture and a layer of the pecan crumble. continue this process two more times. top the trifle with the remaining pecan mixture. refrigerate and enjoy!

surviving summer vacation: netflix for families

while all the opinions are my own, i am honored to be writing a sponsored post on behalf of netflix.

rainy day movie time...

the nellie clan is traveling. we took a thirteen hour road trip (more stories about his later) with the five kids to connecticut to visit with some friends of ours. these are friends i have known for 30+ years so our memories and our friendships go way back. the kids have playmates and we have great adult conversation. it's a win-win all the way around. 

there is one key difference between the home we are visiting and the home that is our own. our friends have made the choice to not have a television in their house. they do have a computer and a lot of books but no television entertainment. i applaud and respect their choice completely but it is a huge transition for my own children. with the five of my kids at home all summer long, TV time and movie time become a break in all the *quality* interaction that summer vacation can bring. my kids spend time together, play together, swim together and do things individually but they sometimes need time to unwind. that time is often our family movie time. when the youngest two are napping, the big kids will curl up and watch their favorite disney shows together. they seem to need these breaks as well and it gives me a small bit of time in the afternoons to detox from all the summertime activities. 

transitioning to a house without tv has been a difficult switch for my kiddos. there are now eight kids playing all the time and, occasionally, i will find that one or more of the kids need a general "time out" away from all the business that all those kids create. 

add to these dynamics a very sick three year old who has wheezed and coughed horribly since our arrival and we have been extremely thankful that we thought to bring my computer, an ipod and my iphone along for the journey. we have been able to pull up shows on netflix families in various locations around the house and give the kids a small amount of alone time to relax in the midst of vacation chaos.

so sad!

my kiddos are huge disney fans and they love the fact they can rewatch their favorite "handy manny" and "good luck charlie" episodes on netflix. netflix families even has new categories on their website fit for summer like "family movie night", "tv for curious kids", "are we there yet" and more. 

my favorite part of their netflix time? there are no commercials...ever. i love commercial free viewing for my children (and myself). i can allow the kids to watch a show i know and trust and i do not have to worry they will see some commercial content of which i do not approve. 

so, while we are here visiting our friends, we are happily coexisting...her children without tv and mine with. they are having the best time interacting and playing with one another. there times full of battleship and hullabaloo but there are also times for my kids when they can sit quietly and come down from it all. they seem to need that and, frankly, so do i. netflix families lets us have that, easily and on various devices for various kids. that extra little bit of happiness is more than i could ask for. 

www.Netflix.com/Families

Netflix.com/Families is a new destination designed to meet your family’s summertime entertainment needs. On Netflix.com/Families, parents can find lists of movies and TV shows for all kinds of special summer moments.

Visit www.Netflix.com/Families for more information on the best ways to stream as well as videos from families using Netflix.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Netflix.

friday fun finds: summer reads

if you are looking for a good new summer read i think we have you covered with this post. we have included some fabulous fiction as well as some amazing non-fiction reads. some we have read and *love* and there are a couple that are on our kindles as we speak just waiting to be read this summer. what did we leave out? what are *your* top picks for summer reads? 

the night circus by erin morgenstern

the book thief by markus zusak

11/22/63: a novel by stephen king

cutting for stone by abraham verghese

in the garden of beasts: love, terror, and an american family in hitler's berlin by erik larson

the happiness project: or, why i spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read aristotle, and generally have more fun by gretchen rubin

unbroken: a world war II story of survival, resilience, and redemption by laura hillenbrand

my sister's keeper: a novel by jodi picoult

sarah's key by tatiana de rosnay

good in bed by jennifer weiner

the last day of school

it has either already happened or is quickly looming. the end of the school year comes each may or june and brings with it a deluge of emotions to mothers everywhere. facebook posts show kids traipsing off to school for their last class of the year and some moms mention how much they have cried that day as their baby has grown another year older. some mothers talk about how excited they are about having two and a half months with no schedule. some are sentimentally anticipating great bonding time with their children.

i have to admit. i made no such posts. i have been in denial that school is over for the last few weeks. i posted no sentimental pictures. the only tears that i cried was the single one that fell down my cheek as i realized that i would have five kids, all day, every day, for the next two and a half months. i have no delusions of bonding. i'm aware that my kids will get tired of having me with them all day, everyday within the first week. i'm pretty realistic about what the summer will involve...and it's generally not pretty.

i've found that my life with kids functions better with a schedule. too much "free" time means more fighting, more "i'm bored", more "he's looking at me" comments than i care to deal with. so, in order to keep my sanity and to preserve some semblance of working family dynamics, here's what has worked for me.

• create summer buckets. i posted this last summer and am going to update it for tomorrow. check it out. if the kids say they have nothing to do, by golly, i will find something for them.
• update a summer chore chart. summer is a great time to teach kids how to do household work. never dusted the living room before? well, it just so happens i have some spare time to teach you. i figure every moment that i spend instructing my kids how to clean can be translated into years of never having to dust that living room again. i'm trying to work myself out of a job. 
• create a daily check off list for each of your older children. for my kids, this involves reading 30 minutes a day, doing chores, exercising, doing some school work, etc. "free" time is earned when things are checked off. kids are much happier with what "free" time they can have if it is limited or earned.
• plan little treats for you and your kids. you'll need a break too. love a certain type of tea? teach one of your kids how to make it and bring it to you. think your kids deserve a treat? make homemade ice cream or cookies. little rewards can go a long way to encourage jobs well done. 

what about you? how do you survive summer? 

friday fun finds: summer s'mores

summer makes me instantly think of s'mores. here are some of our favorite s'mores inspired goodies. enjoy! 

 chocolate ganache s'mores from design crush blog

baked smores from the apron gal

smores on a stick from catie's corner

gooey s'mores cookies from kevin and amanda

s'mores table from eat drink pretty

reese cups s'mores from olivia carter 

giant s'mores cookies from my baking addiction

s'mores pie from cookies and cups

s'mores martini from creative culinary

s'mores dip from tablespoon

raspberry s'mores from recipe girl

peanut butter cup s'mores brownies from nutmeg nanny

s'mores chocolate bark from hippie hippie bakes

the ultimate s'mores bar from eat at allies