Nanny's New Toy

This summer, it was time for Nanny to trade in her red Mustang convertible after a good long run. She was very sad, so the only thing to do was to find a car that would be equally as fun.

Enter Red Jeep.

Brooklyn and I decided that Red Jeep's backseat is super fun to take selfies in.

My fam gives Red Jeep a glowing review and look forward to many more fun rides.

Bader Beach Vacation July 19-26

School's back in session now, so what does that mean?

It means I better catch up on my summer blogging before it's all a distant memory.

:-)

Late July, we took our annual beach week vacation to Ocean Isle Beach with my side of the family. We look forward to these beach weeks so much and are so blessed to have been doing this unfailingly for 10 years now.




The kids wasted no time putting Uncle Eric and Aunt Caroline to work...



There was a little bit of fishing.
(And I mean LITTLE.)

Lots of snuggling.

And even actual "sitting on the beach."

Swinging in the hammock.
And swimming in the pool.

Self timing with pictures.

And lots of beachin'.
(And I mean LOTS.)




Brooklyn declared Wednesday "Black Bathing Suit Day."

And of course, every day was Slushie Day.

Both kids really enjoyed riding their bikes each day, and I enjoyed the extra exercise chasing them down.

Aunt Caroline is always good for a fun random craft and fashion show.

And Aunt Caroline and Uncle Eric are definitely always good for a fun sand creature.

It's no secret that Crab Leg Night is my favorite night of the week year.

Yet it always goes by too quickly...

The kids were just so, dare I say it, EASY. They are just the best little beach people.

Maybe it's because we pumped them full of ice cream every day.

Family vacations for 10 years with this crew. Love them so much, and I already cannot wait for next July.

Why I Participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge...

So, if you are involved in any form of social media, chances are you have seen people famous and not-so-famous dumping buckets and bowls of ice water on their head in support for ALS.

Why, you ask?

Why not.

Haters gonna hate, I always say.
[Actually, I never say that, but this situation actually calls for it used, so I jumped on the chance.]

I personally do not know anyone who suffers from ALS. The ALS Association is not, what some would say, "my cause."

But, that doesn't matter here, people.

Because it's A cause.

And it's a cause important to someone.

I have to be honest and say that when you send me a "pretty mom" challenge or a "post your beautiful picture" challenge, I'm gonna most likely decline. I don't usually do the recipe swaps or the book mail parties either. No real reason other than it's just not my thing.

But, I was challenged to do this by someone very dear to me. So, I did pause and did some thinking.

Why dump the water? Or why not?

Since the challenge started and from July 29-August 12, the ALS Association has raised $2.3 million dollars in donations. This is compared to about $25,000 they received during the same time last year.

When I thought about it, I saw participating in this challenge as no different than adding that dollar to my grocery bill at Harris Teeter for United Way, or dropping in a few singles in the Salvation Army bucket, or going online to make a donation to St. Jude's because Jennifer Aniston says it's a great idea. Or even buying those 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. (Sorry, I couldn't resist making that plug.)

It's helping people. It's making a difference.

Honestly, I would probably dump water on my head for any cause. Cancer, JDRF, Homelessness. Why the heck not?

Are you conflicted over dumping the water verses making a donation?

Let me tell you this. Making a donation online through PayPal was quick. It probably took about the same time as dumping the water and posting the video. But BOTH are valuable actions.

Why?

Say you make the video and dump the water, but financially, you are just not able to make a monetary donation. That's perfectly fine. You did your part in posting publically so maybe someone else will be inspired by watching your video and make that donation. Or at least visit the website and become more educated.

You don't wanna dump the water, but you make a donation (big or small)? Great! Equally as valuable.

But please don't judge others for what they are doing.

Please take time to just sit back and say, "Wow, that was a neat idea. Wow, that guy was a genius to start that campaign. Wow, great for the ALS Association."

It's a cause, people.

It's A cause.

It's important to someone.

And it's FUN.

Honestly, it was a lot more fun than shoving some singles in a bucket or "rounding up" my grocery bill. If you've never gone in your backyard at 9pm just to dump a bucket of ice water on your head, I recommend you try it.

Because, why not?