Six Reasons to Celebrate in May

I always say May is JUST as busy and crazy as December, except you don't have the enchanting twinkle lights and Christmas cheer.  It's nuts!  Never fear, though.  Between all the end-of-year school projects and field days you'll find some pretty fun reasons to celebrate.

Cinco de Mayo

Put on a breezy Mexican dress and dish up some fajitas.  This is a great reason to gather up some friends BECAUSE TEX MEX.

Kentucky Derby

The most exciting two minutes in sports is perfect for my limited attention span. Whether you put on a big hat, place a friendly wager, or just get a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and tune in, this is one the whole family can enjoy.  Of course I always pick my favorite horse by which name I think is most clever.

Teacher Appreciation

Sure, we are all tired of signing homework folders and packing lunches at this point.  We also realize all the hard work teachers put in day after day.  Teacher Appreciation is typically the second week of May, although different schools do different things.  This is a great opportunity to be generous and creative in ways that benefit the teachers who put in so many hours with our children.  

Mother's Day

If you're a mom, put your feet up and milk it!   Also remember to celebrate your mom, your mother-in-law, your grandmothers AND friends who are mothering alongside you.  Lavish them with love!  There can sometimes be overly high expectations attached to this day.  Just ride it out.  Do your best to enjoy that toddler-prepared breakfast-in-bed and wear your macaroni necklace with pride.  

The Royal Wedding

It turns out an American girl can in fact grow up to be a princess!  Will you be watching when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tie the knot?  I know I will be.  It's a lovely excuse to invite a bunch of girlfriends over for brunch to gush over the royal wedding in all its glory.

Last Day of School

Oooooooooh I love the last day of school.  I love turning off my alarm clock, stashing the backpacks and lunchboxes and smelling the freedom in the air. (Of course I'm totally ready for the return of structured days come August.)  I have a "last day" playlist we crank up with the windows rolled down as we head out from school and toward summer break.  I also have a little "finish line" made of streamers for my kids to bust through on the front porch.

What are you celebrating next month?  Preschool graduation?  College-bound seniors?  My family gets to celebrate many birthdays as well.  Here's to putting on our party hats for May!

Texas Independence Day Dinner

I’m a native Texan.  That means I possess the extreme pride and unreasonably deep love of the Lone Star State that perhaps you’ve noticed from Texans. We just love it so much.  It’s part of who we are.

I want to pass on the Texas love to my kids who are growing up in beautiful Colorado.  Plus, I'm always up for celebration, a theme, and a reason to feel festive.  So we celebrate Texas Independence Day around here!  We actually did this last night, since we have a birthday party to attend tonight.  

I have no shortage of Texas-themed, Texas-shaped and Texas-loving decor.

For real though... don't mess with Texas.

I broke out the Texas coasters to put under our glasses of iced tea.

In the past I've made brisket, Texas-shaped biscuits, done breakfast for dinner with my Texas waffle iron.... you name it.  This week I was busy and tired so Door Dash to the rescue with some Dickey's Barbecue.

Days like this are too fun!  If you need me I'll be sipping a Dr Pepper and listening to the Dixie Chicks.

God Bless Texas!

Olympic Fever

This post contains affiliate links.

I'm coming down with something.  It's pretty contagious too.  I get it about every two years.  OLYMPIC FEVER!  Are you as excited we are for the Winter Olympics?  We can't wait!  I felt like we OWNED the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.  We watched every last bit.  Of course we didn't have school while they were on, so this time around it's going to be a little harder to make time for all the Olympic glory.  So I'll share our secret to enjoying the Olympics as a family... 

We eat dinner in front of the TV.

Gasp!  I know.  So tacky.  Ha!  The only other time we do this is for American Ninja Warrior.  We have little wooden TV trays we set up in our family room and we enjoy dinner while we watch.  If waited until after dinner to watch we would either have to cut it short for bed time or keep everyone up waaaaay too late.  That's no fun for anyone the next day.

Here's how I'm prepping to take in all the action and cheer on Team USA.  Like any good American, I grabbed some limited edition Olympic Oreos.  I also have a jar of patriotic sprinkles ready to put on anything that comes my way.

If devouring a bag of Oreos was an Olympic event, my family would take home the gold.

Who wants to do dishes when bobsledding, luge and curling are on?  Not me.  I grabbed plastic plates in the colors of the Olympic rings which matching paper napkins.

I set everything up on a tray in the kitchen so it's easy to grab.  Then I did a triple axel of joy.  

Next I stopped to admire the Oreos because they will be gone at a speed faster than a downhill skier.

In the viewing (and temporary dining) room I hung this banner. 

We are ALL SET to cheer Team USA to Olympic gold!

Will you be watching?  Are you catching Olympic fever?