A New Week

Today is the first day of spring break for the kids. With my son being on the high school baseball team, it's been a while since we did something more than a day-trip or stay-cation for spring break. Even though we would only get away one day, we generally filled our time with other fun activities - hanging out with friends, mother-daughter pedicures, laser tag with friends, mini-golf and go-carts, sleepovers, swimming and ice cream. This year we simply are home. I have to say, it feels a little weird.

It's not like spring break is the only unusual thing going on though. One positive of this whole experience is increased family time. I am seeing it at my house and in the neighborhood. This weekend we took a family bike ride, just over 6 miles round trip from home to lunch and back again. We picked up carryout from a local favorite and biked back to the school to use the picnic tables to enjoy our lunch before biking home. We have always loved family bike rides (okay, who am I kidding, my husband and I love them and the kids come along because they have to and sometimes with a bit of whine as we plan for it) but finding time for them lately with two very active children (and parents) has been a challenge. Normally we do closer to 20 or 25 miles round trip but the restaurants we use as destinations on the journey are sit down places, that although I assume are doing carry-out wouldn't be as conducive to finding a picnic table or eating outside. It was nice to get in a bike ride locally and spend some active time together as a family. As we were out biking, I saw a lot of families walking together, biking together, doing yard work together and playing ball in their yards. It really was a nice sight to see.

This weekend we also enjoyed a family movie night in. We are definitely a movie family and have even included destinations like the dine-in theater as part of one of our staycation adventures. We watched Onward on Friday night on Disney+. It wasn't a movie that we had talked about going to see or were anxiously awaiting, in fact, even when we suggested it, my daughter wasn't really interested in watching it but we all did and discovered it was a good movie and everyone enjoyed it.

We also tackled a few projects around the house this weekend. We are entering the eleventh season with our Ultrabuilt playset this year and the kids (my daughter much more so than my son) still enjoy it. In the early years, I was very consistent in making sure that we gave it a fresh coat of paint each spring or at least every other spring to help protect it from the sun and rain. More recently, we have been a lot more busy and it has fallen to every three (or at least that is how long we think it was) years. This was not the best idea as we found a couple of boards that had not maintained the seal created by the paint (or maybe I missed a spot during the last one?) and had a bit of rot within those boards (or was it carpenter ants or something similar?). We made the repairs that were needed and then I used the paint we had on hand to paint the main slide platform and adjacent rails. We will need more paint so I can seal the rest but the store we bought it at doesn't carry that brand anymore and we tried but couldn't figure out how to do an online order for a paint blend - we could get the base gallon but there was no where to enter the color or see/select the color from samples. The rest will just have to wait until we can get back into the stores. We also had a water issue on the frame for our back door. We put in french doors several years ago and it looks like the flashing above the frame wasn't properly overlapped and so we have had a slow trickle of water in around the frame. This caused some of the wood to rot. We used some caulk to address the issue with the flashing and then tackled the frame. We dug out the bad part and filled it with wood filler to rebuild the space, sanded it and will paint it. Again, we don't have the paint we need, so in the short term we will use what we have from the front porch and will have to repaint later when we can select the color we need at the store.

I have found that I have fallen into a steady routine. I know that I am cleaning things more often trying to reduce risk. Each morning, I get up and feed the cats. If I sleep longer than they like, they make sure I am up by climbing up on my bed and sitting on my stomach to cry about eating. Then, I open up the blinds on the first floor to maximize the sunlight we are getting inside. Then, I start by cleaning up the kitchen - put away clean dishes, address any that were soaking from the previous night, take out trash and recycles, and then I wipe down all of the counters. To be fair, I had wiped down the counters and cleaned up after dinner too but I want to make sure that we are starting each day fresh. I then wipe down the counters, the faucet and the toilet in the main floor bathroom. It is the first place we go when we walk in the door to wash up from being outside the house - whether just out for a walk or coming in from the store - so I want to make sure that nothing was left behind on a surface in there. Then, I wipe the inside and outside door handles for all three entry doors and the button on the garage door opener. Then I swap the towels in the kitchen and half bath and add them to the washer to be cleaned with the next load. Then, I will typically work a bit on our puzzle, check e-mail and Facebook, have breakfast, maybe watch a show or movie, check out job postings and hopefully apply to one or two viable options. I typically will go for a walk in the afternoon but adjust based on weather - so far, I have found a way to get in at least a 30 minute walk each of the days that have passed since social distancing began.

We found out last week that school closures have been extended to May 1st and then that the Stay At Home order has also been extended to May 1st. I am glad that they didn't go as far out as some other states; I have heard June 10th for some state(s). I am hopeful and pray that we will be able to start to return to normal come May 1st. I know it may be a gradual return but a start to return is at least a beginning and something to look forward to.

Interestingly, I counted and May 1st represents 40 days of social distancing. I counted because I saw a blurb on Facebook about the number 40 and the significance. It referenced among other things, the 40 days of the great flood, the 40 days of Lent and so on. Of course I left to verify something and couldn't find the post when I went back into Facebook and I can't remember what friend had shared it. My husband found a similar one but it had less of the connections. One of the things it referenced (and one of the things I left to verify) was that even the word quarantine comes from the Italian word meaning 40 days (from Wikipedia: The word quarantine comes from quarantena, meaning "forty days", used in the 14th-15th-century Venetian language and designating the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic).

This week, I was able to schedule a grocery pick up, so I should be able to stay out of the stores this week but likely will do my own shopping next week. In part because it is so hard to get a time and in part because I still find shopping for myself easier but also a little riskier than I want - we learned this weekend that someone that works at our grocery tested positive. We are on about a 9 - 10 day schedule for groceries at this point. I am buying two weeks worth of bread and milk products each time so that we can stretch the visits out and have partial coverage if they are out of stock. The one thing that is harder to stretch is produce. We just make sure that we get our fruits and veggies fresh when we first shop and then we can move to frozen or canned later in the time between grocery trips. When we have a Friday evening without plans, we like to stop by the store and pick up a fresh baguette to enjoy as a snack. Not wanting to go to the store for one item, this weekend I made bread. I have made bread before but it has been a while. It turned out good and was a nice accompaniment to our dinner on Saturday as well. I will definitely plan to add flour to my shopping list so that I can make more.

How have you been doing? What adaptations have you made? How long are things 'closed' in your area?

Playing Dress-Up

My kids love to play dress-up. On any random day, it is not completely uncommon for them to decide it is time to dress-up. I think this is a great way for them to be creative. Plus, it is a great way to entertain them on a cold or rainy afternoon, where playing outside just isn't an option.

Last weekend, my daughter put on her Tinkerbell dress and my son put on his Superman costume. My daughter was upset because Superman and Tinkerbell didn't go together. She thought he should dress up like a Prince or a King, to go with her Princess costume. Eventually, we agreed that Superman and Tinkerbell both fly, so they did go together. We had a babysitter and when we went to pick her up, they both came along and wore their costumes. They told her to let them get in the house before she came in. They quickly came in and put back on the cape and wings that they couldn't wear when they were in the car. When she walked in, they jumped out and showed off their costumes.

For us, the start of our dress-up collection consisted of former Halloween costumes. The collection also includes dress-up clothing that was from a party - my daughter has some from friend's parties and her own and my son has a prince costume from my daughter's party. Others are items that we have picked up in the off-season.

Our most recent adddition is a Toy Story costumes to choose from.


When the costume arrived in the mail, my daughter was sooooo excited. She has been saying since last year, that next year she wants to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. She was very excited to try it on. It's a little bit big for her, but I wanted to make sure that it would fit her this fall, especially if it was a cold night and she needed to bundle up. The first thing that she asked about after putting on the costume was where are the wings. Unfortunately, the wings are currently out of stock, so we will have to pick those up later. The next thing she asked was where the laser was. I explained that you couldn't put a real laser on a costume, it wouldn't be safe. She questioned back about why they couldn't have put a light on it. I explained that there isn't power on the costume and you would need power to make it light up. She wasn't happy about it, but she accepted my answer.

I'll probably let her wear it some for dress-up between now and Halloween, as I'm sure that she will want to, but I'm hoping that we can keep from getting it messed up before Halloween. After Halloween though, it will become part of her dress-up collection stored in easy reach for the weekend dress-up days.

No compensation was received for this post. Costuem Discounters provided me with the Buzz Lightyear costume for the purposes of completing a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Milly The Pinkest Kitten

My daughter loves kitties. She loves stuffed animals. She loves pink.

So you can imagine how excited she was when I opened up a package I had received the other day that contained two samples of the newest line of stuffed animals from Aurora...an adorable pink stuffed kitten named Milly.

"Milly™ The Pinkest Kitten comes from the company behind the best selling international toy brand YooHoo & Friends™. Ten perfectly pink variations feature Milly as freestanding plush, in dress up or even portable via scented toy pet carriers."

We received two samples. The first was from the WannaBe line. The one we received was the Milly Wannabe Princess. She is really cute complete with a purple tutu, a star wand and a hat. She is super soft and has a cute little face. "Milly WannaBes (8”, MSRP: $10.99) are dressed as a princess, ballerina or fairy. Kessler says, “Girls ages three to seven love playing pretend and dress up and aspire to be princesses, ballerinas and fairies most often."

The other sample was from the Milly Cupcake Carriers line. The one we received was the Pink Kitty with Chocolate Carrier. The carrier is the perfect size to fit the small kitten. It features two shimmery gold handles and the chocolate cupcake is lightly chocolate scented. "The Milly Cupcake Carriers include a removable eight-inch Milly plush animal (Mini-Flopsie™) and for the first time, Aurora’s plush carriers are marked with scents lasting approximately six months (the carriers range in size from six to eight inches)." They are available in Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry.

The Milly Birthday Girl(8”, MSRP: $10.99), which I have not seen in person, is available in two styles, holding either a colorful cupcake or birthday balloon. “Cupcakes, birthdays and little girls go hand-in-hand,” says Kessler. Rounding out the collection, Aurora offers the signature soft and pink Milly as small (10”, MSRP $10.99) or medium (13”, MSRP: $12.99) freestanding, bean filled plush animals. Milly The Pinkest Kitten is on shelves now and perfect for ages three and up.

Aurora offers Milly “The Pinkest Kitten” in ten perfectly pink variations: the Milly Wannabes, Milly Cupcake Carriers, and Milly Birthday Girl. You can go here and check out the Milly section to see the full line that is available. They are adorable!!

My daughter, who is three, couldn't wait to have them. She asked me right away if they were for her. I told her that they were for her and her face lit up. I handed her the one and she handed it right back, asking me to cut off the tags please. She gives them hugs and carries them around. She likes that the Mill Cupcake Carrier comes with it's own basket and was concerned why the other one didn't come with a "basket". She promptly found one of her bags to put the larger Milly in.

You can learn more about Aurora online at their website or on Facebook.

Do you have a little girl that would like to have her own Milly? You can purchase them from Aurora online or at a store near you.

Giveaway

One lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader will have the chance to win one Milly The Pinkest Kitten for a little girl in their life.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing which Milly you like best (there is no guarantee that this is the one that you will receive if you win), you can view the collection here.

After completing the main entry, you can also complete these additional entries:

· Follow @ABusyMomofTwo on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment with a link to your tweet. (this can be done daily)
· Follow this blog or sign up to receive e-mail updates (upper side bar). Leave a comment letting me know that you follow or subscribe (or if you already have been).
· Include my button on your side bar or a link to A Busy Mom of Two in your blog roll. Leave a comment with a link to your site.
· Like Aurora World on Facebook and then share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know that you did.
· Write a post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Giveaway will remain open until August 17th at 6pm. Winner will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I did receive two samples of Milly The Pinkest Kitten from Aurora for the purposes of reviewing. In addition, the company is providing one Milly The Pinkest Kitten for a giveaway.

Rainy Day Entertainment

When my kids complained one day a few years ago of being bored, I built them a fort. I can remember building forts with my brothers as a child. The forts were never super fancy, built out of blankets and cushions, but they were special because they were a space all our own. I figured it would be something that my kids would also enjoy, so I used several afghans and throws to construct a fort in the open space between our sofa and our recliner. Then, to create a more roomy fort, I added the easel and a kitchen chair to help expand the covered area.

It was an instant hit. There is something so magical about a fort. Suddenly the same books and games and toys that we have are more interesting, because they can be played with inside the fort, a space all their own - where Mom and Dad can't come in.

They will move stacks of books and games into their fort after it is built. Some are for playing and others are for constructing internal "walls" to divide their space. They also like to take in flashlights to help light the darkened play area and blankets and pillows for pretending it is nap and bedtime (the same two that dont' want to take a nap or go to bed). It is fun to be outside the fort listening to their conversations. It is great to hear their imagination hard at work during their play.

I frequently have to repair the fort as they bump into the 'roof' and it gapes or falls. Despite building it in the same area each time, the fort is never quite the same. Each time though, it is sure to please and entertain.

At the end of the day, or before we head out for errands, we tear down the fort - they get so upset, as if we can't just rebuild it the next day or later when we are ready to play again.

When we visit my parent's house, my mom builds a fort using her dining room table with the chairs pulled out and covering it with a couple of afghans - giving them a large fort area with a secure roof. They each take their own flashlight and create a play area all their own.

We tend to build forts when it rains or snows and to bridge the mid-day in summer, when it is too hot and the sun too intense to spend the time outside. It is easy and cheap entertainment for the kids and brings back memories of my childhood.

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

Ultrabuilt Play Systems

A few weeks ago I shared about how we made the decision on what play system we wanted to get for the kids. We have now had our play system for a couple of weeks and are pleased with the decision that we made.

As you may recall, we selected the Ultrabuilt Play System for our children. We liked the modularity and the ability to configure it to what works best for our family. We also liked many of the design features, including the swing beam that is rated for 1000 pounds.


Rather than building it ourselves, we elected to have the team from Ultrabuilt install our play system. The pieces for the play system come partially assembled (rails are built, etc) and I think that we probably could have built it ourselves, but watching our children anxiously await the completion of the play set, it was good that we opted to have them build it. We were at least able to keep them occupied while it was built, if we were building it, it would have been very difficult for us to keep them occupied and I think there would have been a lot of frazzled nerves and flaring tempers before construction was complete. In addition, since our yard has a slight slope, it was nice having them install it. They were experienced and were able to balance between digging out some dirt and shimming one side to make sure that we had a level installation for the forts and didn't lose anything on the angle of the slides. They adjusted the swing beam to ensure it was level as well. I'm not saying we couldn't have figured it out, but their experience made it quick and easy for them to get a level installation. The team of four installed the play set in about 4 hours. For my husband and I to have done it on our own, certainly it could have turned into a multi-day installation. But, again, it was nice that we had the option to pay for installation or to install it ourselves.

The kids were ready to play as soon as it as the installation was complete. They both really are enjoying climbing, sliding and swinging. My daughter, who struggled with navigating the rock wall at the sales lot, quickly mastered the rock wall and now is a pro. I still have trouble convincing her that flip flops are not designed for climbing a rock wall and that she should be wearing tennis shoes when she climbs, so we have had a few slips, but nothing more than a scraped belly.


Both kids are becoming better at swinging too. Of course, with the higher swing bar, they can go higher, so even though they can now both pump and maintain a swing, they still want me to push so that they can go higher. My daughter has also decided that swinging on her belly is another great way to swing. She walks forward with the swing at her chest and then lifts her legs and swings back.

I really love that I can swing. When I get a break from pushing, it is fun to climb on a swing and feel the wind in my hair. It used to be that I had to go to the park if I wanted to swing and I always had to watch, so I wasn't taking a swing away from a child. I really must say that having a swing beam that supports 1000 pounds is a huge selling feature of the Ultrabuilt Play System from my perspective. I love that I can act like a kid again. Yesterday, my daughter was swinging on her swing and I decided to swing on the trapeze bar. Of course it is set to a height for the kids, so I couldn't swing hanging from my arms because my knees were on the ground, but I was able to hold the handles and pull my legs in and swing them up over top of the bar. My daughter thought it was funny to see Mommy swinging upside down. It was a blast (and reminded me just how much upper body strength it takes to get yourself up on a trapeze bar). I didn't go so far as to pull myself up to sitting on the bar, I'm not sure I could do it without some added strength training!

One accessory that we added to our play system was a picnic table (courtesy of Ultrabuilt) and it has been a huge hit. I had always wanted to get the kids a picnic table, but never knew where we would keep it. Now that we have a picnic table her size, my daughter can't get enough of eating there. We used it Memorial Day weekend for a picnic we hosted, giving the kids their own place to eat. This was a nice change, since they always ate at the table on our deck at recent picnics. My daughter has also dined alone at her picnic table during regular meals and has shared snacks with the neighbors at the table. What's nice too, is that with it positioned below the tower, there is a good amount of shade for the table area and the kids will sit down and visit there when they need a break.


I love having the play system in our yard. Not only does it allow the kids to get out and play while I prepare dinner (couldn't do a trip to the park in that time), but it also has resulted in the kids and their friends playing more in our yard. I like having the ability to look out my window or sit on my deck and watch them play with their friends - no need to worry abut what they might be up to at the neighbor's or three doors down. It is entertaining to listen to some of their pretend play too. One frequent start to their tale is "let's say that you didn't see me here and you climbed up the tower and..." - it is great to know that they are exercising their mind and their body while having fun.

After installation, we noticed some concerns with a few of the steps on our ladder and we had questions about some cracks in the posts. A quick call to the company and things were resolved. They sent us two new steps to replace the ones that had issues. This excellent response time is a sign of quality customer service to me. As to the cracks we saw in the posts, we learned that these were due to dry checking and were assured that this is normal for the treated lumber and not a structural concern. Again, an informed team that is aware of what is normal and what to worry about is an important part of customer service, especially for a product like a play system that is an investment.

If you are considering getting a play system for your family, I highly recommend checking out Ultrabuilt. You can visit their website to explore the many options they have - they seem to have a set for every budget and yard size, from a simple swing set with slide to the "Space Station Ultrabuilt" a play system with everything. Discover the accessories that you can add to make your play system all your own - from picnic tables to forts to monkey bars. You can design your own system online and submit it for a quote by your local dealer. You can even print it out to plan how it would fit in your yard. A visit to your local dealer is a great opportunity to observe your kids at play and help you make decisions on what accessories will get the most use.

No compensation was received for this post. The opinions expressed are strictly my own. Ultrabuilt did provide as an addition to the play system that we purchased, the picnic table accessory, so that we could further experience their product line and share our experiences.

Decision Making

Part of being frugal is using your money wisely and getting a good value for your money - regardless of the size of the purchase. Purchases can range from small to big in cost, whether you are buying something for a few bucks or a few thousand bucks, it is still important to use your money wisely. By getting the best value, I might spend more than I have to in the short term, but in the end I am getting something that works for me. Some people probably feel that frugal is synonymous with cheap, but I totally disagree. The way I see it, by being frugal and getting good deals on things, it frees up money that I can save or use for other things that I need or want.

Currently, one of those things that we want is a new play system for the kids. When my son wasn't quite a year, we got a Little Tikes Swing and Slide play set for the backyard as a gift. It has been wonderful for them. I can remember the first few months of my son playing on it, where I would practically stand guard at the edge of the "tall" platform out of concern that with his balance he might fall off. I had the same worries when my daughter was a toddler.

My husband and I had talked about when we thought they would outgrow the Little Tikes set and whether we would replace it and with what. We had thought that we would get one more year out of it for my daughter, but as she was sliding down the slide a few weeks ago, she showed me how when she sat at the top of the slide, her feet were at the bottom. Now, it was the smaller of the two slides, but either way, it was clear that she was starting to outgrow the set and my son already had.

I started looking into play sets. There are about 3 or 4 different lots that sell a variety of brands, styles and levels of play sets just a few miles from home. In addition, there are the sets available through the toy store and the hardware stores. With all of these options and such a range of prices, how do you find the best value?

Since I'm certain we are not the only ones that have faced this question (or really any, since this steps are pretty standard for most decisions), I thought I would share our approach in hopes that it would help someone else. I must say that I am a thorough person and that I don't make decisions without looking into things.

1. Identify what you need and want.

We knew that whatever option that we selected, it was going to be an investment for the family. As such, it was important to us to know that we would get years of use out of the play set. It needed to be something that they could play with now, but wouldn't lose interest in any time soon. We also needed to know that they could continue to play on it as they got bigger. We wanted a set that had both swings and slides. One slide would work, but two would be better.

2. Explore your options.

We started by exploring some websites for different brands of play sets. Then, we decided it would be best to visit each of the lots with play systems to get a better perspective. When we went to the lots, we allowed the kids to run and play, while we explored the sets and learned more about the features and getting feedback from the employees on the benefits and features of each play set. Allowing them to play, helped us see what features they were attracted to and played on over and over again. We asked a lot of questions. We explored questions around how to maintain the sets (staining, etc), weathering, how many kids (and of what size) could play on it at a time, what the warranties are, and more. We wanted to make sure that we were armed with the information that would help us make the decision that was right for us. To make sure our information was complete, we also looked at the sets offered through the toy store, warehouse club and hardware store.

3. Evaluate your options.

We evaluated two aspects for the play sets - the cost and the perceived value. The cost was pretty straightforward. We had price list information from most locations and even had the option of requesting quotes online for some of the systems that we were considering. To help us with the value piece, we wanted to learn more about others experiences and quality over time. We know a lot of people that have play sets. We talked to our friends, learning what brand or where they purchased their play set and finding out what they liked about their play set. We tried to do some exploration online of some of the major brands to get even more opinions. We were a little disappointed in that most of what we were finding in terms of reviews were all located on the manufacturer sites.

4. Determine which option is the best for you.

Because there was such a range of products (and a correlating range of cost), we compared on the simple play set that consisted of one tower with a slide and a swing set. This way, we knew from a starting point, which system was the best value. Anything we added, if we chose a modular system, would be an added cost, but it would have been unfair to compare sets of different sizes. Ultimately, the set that we decided on was an Ultra Built Play System. The cost was a premium to many sets, but so was the system from our perspective. We liked the modularity of the system, we could not only choose the components that worked for us, but we could also decide to add to the play system in the future or change out components. We liked that the swing beam had three swings and can support 1000#. That means that my husband and I could swing with one of the kids now and that long-term, the kids wouldn't get too big to swing and play on this play system. We liked that the product is designed and built in the USA. We liked that the lumber was pressure treated and "exceeds industry standards with environmentally friendly, non-toxic lumber, triple strength construction, glass smooth finishes and rounded corners."

Once we made our decision, we went back to the lot to make our purchase. We were still not 100% certain on exactly which system we would order. We knew we had some ideas of what we wanted but were concerned about the total cost. To help make some of our decisions, I climbed onto the Play System to check it out to see what it would be like for the kids as they got taller. We thought that we had wanted the tube slide, but after I went down the slide, we decided that it was a tight fit for me and that as the kids got taller it would be a tight fit for them and as a result, probably something that they might not use as often as they got older. We talked through it and decided that we would go for the second tower now, rather than plan to come back the next year. We watched the kids climb on the rock climber and rock wall. My daughter struggled with the rock wall (she is only 3), but we noticed that with the rock climber that she didn't use the "rocks" to climb, but rather used the slats in between as a ladder. That wasn't what we were looking for. We learned that there are multiple ways to lay out the panels of the rock wall to make it easier or harder to navigate, giving us the option to adjust it as the kid get older. We decided that adding a deck to the lowest level would be a help in maintaining the yard around the system and would give the kids an additional play surface.

After some playing and exploration, we went inside and priced out the system. The system that we first priced out was beyond what we were comfortable spending, so we started stepping back through some of the features to get to a unit that had a price that we were comfortable with.

Once we made the purchase decision, we decided it was time to get rid of the Little Tikes Play set. We weren't sure whether there would be a market for a 6 year old, sun-faded play set, so we listed it on Craigslist early in hopes that it would sell before the new play set came in. I must say, we were surprised at not only how quickly the responses started coming in, but how many we got. We even got replies offering more than we listed it for in hopes that they could jump ahead of the pack. We went with the first offer and it made me feel good to allow someone else to get enjoyment out of the play set that had served us so well.

Our new play system is coming this weekend and the kids are excited. My daughter keeps asking when it will be Sunday, in anticipation of the arrival of the new play system.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.