A Record of Rose: Summer Week 3

Summer week three!

We are finding our new groove as summer is in full swing. It has been a balancing act for sure, trying to make sure everyone gets along and we still find meaningful things to do. It is nice to not have school hanging over our heads although we are still doing workbooks and reading.

My mom came and visited last weekend and it was nice to see her. I'm glad we could be close as we are one year out of Dad's death.

We spent Saturday morning cleaning. The kids were such a good help that we headed to the park afterward with a Mcdonald's lunch. This is the second time they have requested KennyBrooke Park in Grimes- it is a hit!

Mom took the kids and Scott and I went out for Margaritas at Ritas Cantina downtown. It was busy but open-aired and we felt fairly safe. We got the queso flight as well as a margarita flight. We both said our beer-ritas tasted just like Mexico!

On Sunday, we took Mom to our two favorite secrets spots at Jester Park. There is a little creek off a trail that is so fun to play in. A bonus is that it is nice and shady! The second spot is in the woods by the pond- there are a ton of little houses people have made. Sometimes they are made up and other times there are lots of materials for you to create your own.

We feel like we are finally rounding a corner on our yard work....haha, is it really ever done? Michael is a good helper with watering and sometimes other tasks. I will have to do a tour for you all!

On Tuesdays when our cleaning lady comes, we try to be out of the house all day. This week we headed to Pammel Park in Winterset to play in the water and hike. It was an okay day- we did see three snakes which I think made the kids a little scared of the water. Plus they were having an attitude when I tried to help them with their reading after lunch so we left shortly after. I am trying hard to get their eyeballs out of their ipads but it takes a lot of energy and I have a hard time not taking it personally when I get attitude in return. I know it is just because they are kids and well life is hard for them, too. I am trying to give us all some grace.

Thursday is our Trail Day and so we took our bikes to Big Creek. The trail riding was a little harder as there were hills to manage with pedaling hard uphill and then watching speed on the downhill. We did a shorter ride, keeping it to about 45 minutes and it seems kids were in better spirits then. We also played on the playground, swam at the beach, and had our picnic lunch. It was busy!

Since we were in Polk City, we finally stopped at the creamery for a delicious treat. SO GOOD! They were doing a good job of social distancing inside and the ice cream was awesome. It was a little on the expensive side, but we'll be back again. The little town square was so busy for a weekday, lots of people out for walks and bike rides.

Gosh, this is starting to sound like a busy week! On Friday we headed up to Ames to visit Rieman Gardens. They have a Lego exhibit until July 5th and I didn't want to miss it. We explored the gardens, finding all 11 sculptures and learning a little along the way. Rieman Gardens is so beautiful. It was a treat for me to spend a morning there.

In the herb garden at Rieman Gardens, they had the cutest fairy houses made from just sticks and nature things. I have had building fairy gardens on my summer list for years and finally, I realized we didn't have to buy a single thing to make them. It was a fun activity for all of us as we made some sweet houses in my hosta garden. The girls even drew a map on our driveway for the fairies to follow when they visit. :)