The Nelson Narrative

I'm linking up with Kelly again for Everyday Real Life Home Tours, master bedroom edition. I've done this same link up topic before, but since then we have got new bedding and rearranged the furniture a little.  We got our bedroom set right  before we got married 10 years ago and I still love it. It's actually much darker than it looks in this photo  We switched places with the armoire and the tall dresser because we were trying to make room for a bookcase that we needed to move out of our loft.  Turns out we didn't need to but Paul really liked having the armoire in the corner.  And since we don't have a TV in it anymore it doesn't really need to be right in front of the bed, not that it needed to in the first place except that's where the cable hookup is. That outlet by the door is where we charge all our devices every night :) It used to look like this  I am kind of sick of the red wall so we are going t...

So I just found this fun link-up and really wanted to participate but I really don’t have time to answer all the questions complete with pictures and all that.  Usually the second I sit down at the computer the girls start bugging me or fighting or something and they stay up so late anymore that I don't have a lot of time in the evenings before I have to go to bed so it's super hard to find time to blog.  So here’s my half-ass version of What’s Up Wednesday.  But first, in case you are visiting from there and have never been to my blog before, I'd like to explain the title, "The No Nanny Diaries", obviously a play on the book title, "The Nanny Diaries", because when I started this blog I was a stay-at-home mom.  The name is no longer applicable, however, now that I'm back working and we actually DO have a nanny during the summer and on Fridays during the school year.  So I will be changing my blog title soon....

I used to love summer.  But ever since I've gone back to work I'm no longer a huge fan.  I hate not being able to take the girls to the beach/lake/spray park, etc.  Or just hanging out in the backyard.  And there's always certain weeks or days during the summer that our regular babysitter isn't available and we have to scramble to find someone.  It's a pain and stressful and summers just aren't very fun anymore.  I know it will get better as I'm able to take more time off but for now it's really hard. Anyway, their first week of summer break is over and again, while I wish I could say that we went to this lake and that museum, the reality is that they were home with a babysitter all day while we were at work.  They did lots of painting, baked some cookies, went to the park, and even had a friend over for a playdate.  Olivia continues to have gymnastics on Tuesdays and violin lessons on Wednesdays. The weekend wa...

For the 2nd year in a row we had both sets of parents over for a Father's Day BBQ.  We just hung out in the backyard and drank margaritas, ate burgers and strawberry shortcake for dessert and played a Seahawk themed bean bag toss game.  Kayley and I smoked Paul and Olivia.  Paul got a nice lawn chair (the kind you can lie down in) from his parents and I got a cushion for it plus an outdoor candle/lantern thingie and a bottle of wine.  I called it a date night package. Me and my Dad Kayley, Grandpa Don, Olivia and Pepe The girls got snorkel gear for our upcoming trip to Cabo Olivia took a selfie of us Tomorrow is the first official day of summer vacation for the girls.  They will be with their regular babysitter all week except Friday.  Paul is taking most Fridays off all summer.  I bought some new toys in an effort to curb their iPad/laptop addiction so we'll see.

With the girls being in separate classes in school this past year, they have made some of their own friends in addition to their several mutual friends, and sometime one or the other will be invited to a birthday party that the other one is not invited to.  Such was the case today.  Olivia went to a birthday party solo and I took the opportunity to spend some rare one-on-one time with Kayley.  She had some gift cards to Claire's and Target, so our first stop was Claire's.  She got a new Beanie Boo and some candy (what else) and while we were there I picked up a few things for some upcoming birthday parties. Then we went to Mod Pizza for lunch, where amazingly enough I got Kayley to actually smile for a picture: After lunch we went across the street to Pinkabella Cupcakes for a treat (to bring home, as we were pretty full after that yummy pizza) and then to Target, which was especially crazy being the Saturday before Father's Day, bu...

Today was the girls' last day of 2nd grade, AND their last day at their current school because next year they will go to the brand new school being built just down the road from us!  It's very bittersweet, as we will miss many of our friends and teachers that will remain at the current school but it will be so nice to go to a brand new school that is so close, and most of our good friends will be going there as well. I took the day off, so I had about 3 hours in the morning to work on some projects (so nice!), then I went to pick them up and hang around for a little good-bye picnic/playdate that one of my mom friends organized.  And after that we went to another friend's house for another playdate which has become a yearly tradition now.  It was a fun day.   Kayley will not take a serious picture, ever.