Happy Halloween?

October 31, 2017November 2, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in holidays, kids, parenting, raising boys

Our last Halloween party at school is today! And our morning consisted of this… I’m going to be a clown. Perfect, here’s your costume. Fast forward to 10 minutes before leaving for school. Oh wait, I’m changing my mind. I’m just going to be a soccer player. What? Fine. Whatever.
I shouldn’t complain, I should relish in this moment. This is the last time that he’ll get dressed up for Halloween at school. Soon he will be going to middle school. Then high school. Then college. I want to stay in this moment and enjoy it!

So after a brief moment of my selfish pity party … I took a deep breath and told myself that everything will be just fine. And at that moment, he came over, gave me a kiss on my cheek, sat on my lap – and gave me a great big hug!

Happy Halloween!

Make Good Choices

October 27, 2017October 27, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in family, kids, parenting

Every day I send my kids off to school with one piece of wisdom. “Make good choices.” As they turn back to me with a half smile smirk, I know they just hear words coming out of my mouth. But deep down, it is my hope, that they know what I mean. What I really mean. And that I am being serious in a non-serious tone.

Every day, they can choose to do something bad or they can choose to do something good. They can choose to not listen to their teacher or they can choose to listen and learn from her. They can choose to be nice to the boy in the corner that is having a rough day. They can choose to fight hard for that grade. And most importantly, they can choose to find joy in their day. And look at all of the wonderful things that they get to surround themselves with …. a warm building, friends, good teachers, food, water, books, opportunities.

I want them to know that making good choices will make them happy. It will show that they are brave. It will show that they are purposeful. It will show that they are living an intentional life leading them in all of the right directions.

We can’t control our children and what they do every moment of every day, but we can make sure that they have all of the right tools to make sure they know right from wrong.

What to do in KC today (6/24/2017)

June 24, 2017June 24, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in events, family, kansas city, kids

Looking for something to do today with the family in Kansas City? Here are some ideas!

Did you see the weather forecast for this weekend? I would suggest you pack up your family and head to a park, the zoo, Worlds of Fun, Deanna Rose. Something outside because it’s only supposed to be in the 70’s today! This stuff doesn’t happen in KC very often! PS: I would skip the pool. We went yesterday and it was a little breezy for me. But it didn’t seem to bother the kids. Of course!
Big Slick is everywhere! Has anyone had a Paul Rudd sighting? Rob Riggle? Jason Sudeikis? Eric Stonestreet? It is so awesome that these celebrities come home and bring a few of their friends with them to raise money for Children’s Mercy. Today is the Big Slick Block Party and bowling tournament at Pinstripes. The Block Party is free but everything is not. It’s a fundraiser! Want more info? Check out their website: Big Slick KC
Maker Faire KC @ Union Station. Want to see where creativity + invention + resourcefulness collide? Then you have to go check out the Maker Faire. This is the place where passion comes to life for all ages! Be inspired! Maker Faire KC

Have a great day! 🙂

In-app purchases!

June 20, 2017June 20, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in kids, parenting

You know when you go to Target and you already have a basket full of things that you don’t need. And you are about to check out with your kid in tow, and it hits you. All of the junk food in the check out lane! Sure there are some almonds mixed in there so it doesn’t look all bad. But really, the intent here is the impulse buy. Or, as parents call it, buy it so our kids will stop bugging us. It is not accident that the baby bottle pops are on the very bottom row – eye level with your loving child that is about to turn him into a holy terror in 5-4-3-2-1 ….

So, the 2.0 version of this problem we face in America – the in-app purchases. Sure you can get this app – it’s free. You want that one – go for it! Oh, all your friends are playing this one – OK, you can have that one too. (I am not here to judge parenting styles or to have people judge mine – so please don’t tell me I let my kids have too many apps!)

And then after they download, things are going pretty good. They are winning. They are competing with their friends, having fun. Who can get to the highest level first? Who can win the game first? etc, etc, etc …

Then it hits. BOOM! BEST DEAL OF THE CENTURY, BUY 5 GAZILLION GEMS FOR $9.99 ONLY AVAILABLE FOR THE NEXT 5 SECONDS! And just like that candy bar at Target, the begging does not stop. Please, please, please … I have the money. Can I get it? No. No. No.

Tonight I had one of my kids hanging outside the bathroom door, waiting for me to get out so that he could beg me some more. After this going on for entirely too long, I did what any good mom would do … you know what I’m going to say, don’t you? And if you say you have never used this tactic, I don’t believe you. I just don’t.

Go ask your dad …

Be a tourist in your own city.

June 2, 2017June 2, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in family, kansas city, kids

Sometimes the best things are staring us right in the face. We try so hard to make the most of every precious moment with our kids. To make sure they have BIG experiences. To make sure they have childhood memories that will last forever!

But really matters most to our kids is just the time that we spend with them. We could take them on a tour of a used car lot, and as long as we were spending time with them, they would be happy. Well, some would!

I recently saw a video of guy that was at a park with his kid. He was too busy with his eyes glued to his phone that he didn’t realize that his kid had been lured away. Now, of course, we know it was a set up and the child was safe. But truly, point made.

If we don’t stop what we are doing – focus on what’s important – our kids are going to slip away. They are going to go to high school, then college, then they will get married and have their own families. (insert tons of tears here.)

Wait a minute …. I am supposed to be talking about being a tourist in your city. How did I get off on that tangent?!? Because what I want to talk about is this – don’t try and re-invent the wheel. We live in a pretty cool city. Take advantage of it. Take in the fountains. Take in a Royal’s game. Go to Deanna Rose. Go to Sea Life Aquarium. Go to Kaleidoscope.

Just Google it! This is what came up for “the best family things to do in Kansas City”.

Crown Center
Liberty Memorial
KC Zoo
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Nelson-Atkins Museum
Science City
Oceans of Fun
Truman Library
Worlds of Fun
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
American Jazz Museum
Swope Park

Once again, this is a pretty cool city we live in. Just need to see it through the eyes of child to remember everything we have here!

Happy summer!

Fun @ Shawnee Mission Park

May 8, 2017May 8, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in events, family, free, kids, parenting

The Fun List for Shawnee Mission Park located at 7900 Renner Road, Shawnee, KS 66219.

{I’m sure I have missed something. If I have, feel free to leave it in the comment section!}

SMP map

Let’s start with the Lake. Fishing, boating, sail boarding, canoeing, pedal boating, kayaking, paddle boarding. Check out the marina for rentals of just about everything listed above – if you don’t have your own! The marina opens May 30th and stays open daily until August 7th. From August 7th – September 4th, the marina is open just on the weekends. Last day is Labor Day – September 5th. Plenty of time to get summer fun in!

Archery range. Permit required for anyone over the age of 12. If you are under 12, you must be accompanied by an adult who has been issued a District Archery Range Permit.

Acres of off leash dog area. Bring your pup along for the day to roam freely in a 53-acrea play area! Open daily during regular park hours. The off leash area is closed on Tuesday and Thursday from 5am – 9am for regular maintenance.

Disc golf course: 18 hole, 54 par course open to the public. Fun times for beginners and experts!

Trails for mountain biking and hiking. This probably goes without saying! But lots of trails in the park! You could spend the day just exploring the great outdoors. Pack a backpack and bring lots of water.

Picnic and playground areas. Before you head to the park, make sure to pack a picnic lunch. Plenty of areas to eat and let the little ones burn off some of that energy!

Permits required: fishing, boating, archery, metal detecting, model rocket, remote controlled vehicles and boats. Most can be purchased at the Visitor’s Center, located right inside the park entrance.

And just in case you thought I forgot a couple of park destinations …. The beach and observation deck will be closed for 2017 for repairs & construction. Also, too much to cover about Theater in the Park here – stay tuned! 🙂

Are there any hidden treasures inside Shawnee Mission Park that you like to do with your family? Please share!

Summer Break 2017

May 4, 2017May 4, 2017 by shawnee30, posted in family, kids, parenting

Summer break is just weeks away. Time to start planning what is going to keep your kids entertained all summer long! Do you have a bucket list that you keep? Do you have camps planned all summer long ranging from overnight to sports to creative? There are so many options to do … sometimes we just don’t know where to start.

Here are my tips:

Get your child’s input. What are they most looking forward to this summer. Believe it or not it could just be hanging out with their friends! Which makes planning a little easier! But besides that, they may have ideas that are new to you and something you may have thought they may never be interested in!
Plan 1-2 outings a week. No need to fill everyday with something to do. There is plenty of activities to do around the house.
If you are planning camps, do it today! Don’t wait until the last minute – deadlines come earlier than you think.
Parks are a great day get away. And they are free! Lake Lenexa is still my favorite park. Play area, trails, lake – what else could you look for in a great city park. Pack a lunch, grab some snacks, and lots of drinks … you could be there all day!
Be a tourist in your own city. Time to explore the art, the history, the fun!

Hope this gets you started. Stay tuned for more summer fun!