Mom Time Coupons

I think I'm addicted to activities & jars:)
This one is our "Mom Time" jar. I currently spend a lot of quality time with my sons, yet after a conversation with my oldest, it was brought to my attention that they would like 101 time with me away from the other sibling. This had not even crossed my mind. So if you know me, you know I went right to pinterest & searched mother/son dates & came across these cool Mom Time Coupons. They were free to download & print & that's what I did & finished them off with lamination & a cute jar. Unsure of how I'm going to roll it out, yet I know they will be super excited. This Friday's family meeting will be one they love!

"A Night Under the Stars" Date Night

This past weekend was my husband's turn to plan date

 night & he themed it "A Night Under The Stars." I 

thought it was the sweetest. He created a fire, & we sat under the stars literally while we fished & talked. It was so nice. Our date nights are PHENOMENAL!

Summer Saturday

The first Saturday of the summer was filled with fun, learning and creativity. We visited the library, enjoyed hours at the park and ended our night making homemade pizza. What a GREAT Day!

A Lesson From The Tooth Fairy

My son's tooth came out June 11th & I've been waiting to do this:)

Someone wasn't  happy in the morning but I sure got a clean room  without repeating myself. Haha.

They keep forgetting that I was a child before I was their mom:)

Last day Of School...

My boys woke up singing "The last day of school is the best day of school." They were super excited. The end of the school year gifts I made last night  sure  widened their smile after school... Being a mother is one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs to have and it is such a blessing to work at the school they attend.

IT'S SUMMER BREAK!!!!

Fun Educational Websites for Children

Free Summer Fun in Milwaukee!!!

Animal Feedings
Urban Ecology Center
Every Saturday at 1:00, help the staff feed the turtles, frogs, and other reptiles at the Riverside and Menomonee Valley locations.

Airplane Spotting
If your kids love airplanes, the Airport Observation Area is sure-fire hit. Onlookers flock to this parking lot on the 1200 block of E. Layton Ave. to get an up-close look and hear the roar of the massive jet planes as they come and go. Tune into 88.5 to hear aircraft communication. You can pick up some Culver's custard down the road, sit out on the car hood and make a night of it!

Beach Day!
Find a new beach to visit here.

Explore Nature
Havenwoods State Forest
6141 N. Hopkins Street
Milwaukee, WI 53209
1 block west of Sherman Blvd.
Free programming all Summer long including guided family nature hikes, preschool story times, and Junior Ranger programs!

Free Admission Days
Some of Milwaukee’s most popular attractions offer free days for county residents. You just have to know when they are! Check our calendar for specific dates!

Milwaukee Art Museum: Free admission first Thursday of each month.

The Domes: Free on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. with proof of county residency (excluding major holidays).

Milwaukee Public Museum: Free general admission on First Thursday of every month.

Brinn Children’s Museum: Third Thursday of every month from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Geocaching
VISIT Milwaukee planted 15 geocaches in Milwaukee's most vibrant neighborhoods, taking treasure-hunters along the shores of Lake Michigan, into local parks and onto the streets of historic neighborhoods. Geocaching is the perfect weekend activity for the whole family, and it's easy to do! All ages will enjoy this high-tech scavenger hunt.

Kid's Club at Bayshore
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
All Summer long!
Bayshore Town Center is offering free activities all summer long! Activities include a Bounce House Party, Kids Yoga, a School of Rock music program and free outdoor concerts!

Library Fun
Local libraries offer extensive weekly programming for families including music, jugglers, magic shows, nature exhibits, story times and more, completely free to you.

Little Free Libraries
Little Free Libraries have been popping up all over Milwaukee, and there's probably one or two near you! The concept is simple - anyone can construct a box for books and install it anywhere they like. The signs say "Take a book. Leave a book," and that's just what you should do! It's kind of like a treasure hunt, and you're sure to find something the kids will love. Find a Little Free Library on Google Maps.

Marcus Center Kidz Days
Every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from June 18th through August 15th from 10:00-11:00 a.m., the Marcus Center offers live, interactive, performing arts programming completely free. Partners include First Stage Theater, Rick Allen Magic Show, Milwaukee Public Library, Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Trinity Irish Dancers, Milwaukee Ballet, Wehr Nature Center, and Lucky's African Drumming.

Mama & Me Journal

I've been making it a priority that my boys read at home every day. My sons both love to write, yet my youngest is still finding his love for reading.. So why not connect the two? At least three times a week, we will use journals to write letters back & forth to each other. From serious to funny & silly. My youngest son book has a spot to draw a picture & my oldest son has a regular journal (both from Dollar Tree). This will be a creative way for them to read & write as well as keeps the communication open between us. Try it with your child & let me know how it works out.

Family Conversation Starters

As I prepared dinner  I started thinking...Whatever happened to eating dinner as a family? Setting the table & sitting down together. No TV, phone calls, laptops & no eating in your bedroom for sure, along with any other room in the house. And where did the saying "Don't talk at the dinner table come from"? After prayer, my family discuss the activities of our day along with other thoughts that may be on our mind. I use that time to interact with my kings & they look forward to telling me about their day. So if I were to follow that "No talking at the table" rule, I would miss out on the perfect opportunity to build with my sons...Eating dinner as a family is a great way to spend time together, build communication, find out what's going on in your child's life & adds another layer to strengthen your foundation as a family. Even statistics show that children, who were granted this simple opportunity, were more productive, outgoing & received higher test scores. So in conclusion, let's go back to the ole days, when we took advantage of every opportunity to gather & build as a family... If for only 1 night a week, let's turn off all distractions, sit together, encourage discussion & enjoy dinner...
~Attached are sample conversation starter questions to begin. I still get mine off line, so it's fine if you can't think of your own. Remember we are a team:)

Our Family Conversation Starter Jar...
Our old one needed a question upgrade, so I added new questions & knock knock jokes.
~Dinner at the McWilliams:)

New Incentive System-MOM BUCKS

While watching "A Diary of A Wimpy Kid" with my sons, I saw a brilliant incentive system. The mom used "Mom Bucks."So you know my mind started wandering & I decided to totally change the system we have been using. Each day the boys will start fresh with 10 Mom Bucks. They know the rules & what is expected of them daily. When rules are broken or negative behavior is displayed, they will have a Mom Buck taken away. They will also have the opportunity to earn extra Mom Bucks if they go out of their way to do something nice for someone, extra chores, etc. Each Sunday, we'll tally up their bucks earned & they will have a chance to take their Mom Bucks to the Mom Store(a plastic bin filled with various items) or pay $5 to choose from our Reward Jar. This is also a great way to help with math. They'll learn how to save money, since they do have the option of saving up their bucks for a larger item. I'm excited to lay this out at our family meeting this week. I think this one is a winner!

~The Joys Of Motherhood

Mom Bucks!

Screen Time Tickets!!!

Can help prevent screen time from becoming ALL the time. You can give your child his tickets all at once and let him figure out how to spend them during the week, or set a limit on the number of tickets your child can use each day. I use them to reward good behavior or other jobs well done since my boys are only allowed 30 minutes of screen time daily. 

Worth 5 Mom Bucks

Reward Jar Coupons!!!

Worth 5 Mom Bucks:)

Cars 2

Tonight's Movie Night Feature is Cars 2. I had such a great time on Pinterest & sing my imagination during the planning of tonight's feature.

Movie night would not be complete without movie tickets...

Table Set-up

Flo's Cafe Menu

Luigi's Casa Della Tires- Chocolate Donuts 

Lightning McQueen Race Cars- Apple slices and green grapes

Cozy Cone of Popcorn-Orange construction paper folded into a cone shape.

Chick Hick's Wings

Mater's Fries

The "King" Cheeseburgers

Fillmore's Organic Fuel-Cola

My awesome boys!!!

#1 Mom Club:)

"Dollar Menunaire Date"

Saturday's date night with the hubby consisted of "The Dollar Menunaire Date." With a handful of dollar bills, we went to a local Dollar Store & spent $4,each buying meaningful gifts for each other with instruction. We  then went to a local McDonald & ate off of the dollar menu. After, we went to the budget to see Rio 2 for $2. It was an exciting date!!!

Husband and I headed in Dollar Tree for some fun!

Something we will need when we're old???

Walmart Fun!!

Turtle Power!

Hulk Loves Spider woman!!!

You didn't want a bite, did you?

You want a fry?

"Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!"

Time For The Gift Exchange!!!

Item 1-Something for when we are OLD

Item 2-Something that reminds you of when the relationship was NEW
~We literally stayed on the phone ALL night
~I'm his Angel

Item 3- Something your spouse commonly needs to BORROW

Item 4- Something for when your spouse is feeling BLUE

Item 5-Surprise: Something your spouse would love

$2 Movie-Rio 2
He was so uncomfortable in the Budget's chairs

RICH IN LOVE!

GREAT DATE NIGHT

"Dollar Menunaire Date"