Maverick's Summer Bucket List 2016

Jamie and I were commenting the other day on how we needed to make our list of fun things to accomplish this summer. But since most of those things now revolve around Maverick (and his awesome stroller WITH CUP HOLDERS...we'll never have to hold our drinks again!!!) I figured making a 'Maverick's Summer Bucket List' would be a better idea. :)


Hi guys. I guess my mom wants a list of all the fun stuff I want to do with my summer...I'm excited for summer because here's all the fun things I'm gunna do...

1. Strollering through Reiman Gardens

2. Tot Time at Furman Aquatic Center (every. single. day.)

3. Blank Park Zoo with G'ma and G'pa (mom loves that I'll be FREE everywhere this summer!)

4. Ames Farmer's Market (repeat 10+ times)

5. Trips to Twin Lakes (the more water included in my summer...the better)

6. Picnics with daddy at work

7. Walks around Ada Hayden (maybe not the whole way...that would be a LONG walk)

8. Lazy Rivering at FAC

9. My first Manson Grater Crater Days experience

10. Cousin time at the farm (to include sprinklers, pools, hoses...)

11. Spending hours outside on the deck

12. Trips to the Manson Family Aquatic Center

13. THE IOWA STATE FAIR (I was so mad I was stuck inside for this last year)

14. Walks around campus

15. Coffee and lunch dates at places with outdoor patios (obviously important to me)

16. Trips to visit G'ma and G'pas DeGroot's farm

17. Walks around our neighborhood

18. Auntie Sarah coming to visit!!!

19. Jumping on the trampoline

20. Spending time around the fire pit

21. Walks around Manson (we can walk on the streets there without being yelled at)

22. Ames Fourth of July Parade

23. Visiting Kid's Camp at Hidden Acres (when do I get to be a camper?)

24. Learning how to crawl (why is this on the list...I'm happy to just sit and play)

25. Celebrating daddy's 28th birthday!

26. Visiting VBS at Faith

27. Growing so all my summer clothes actually fit...?

28. Playing at every Ames park within a 10 mile radius of my house

29. Titus 2 Play Group

30. Tropical Smoothie Happy Hour

31. Friday Clothing Frenzy's at Overflow (please...we all know this one is for mom)

32. Coffee dates with all my G'mas (why does every day revolve around coffee? I don't get it)

33. Planning my first birthday party

34. Dates with Auntie Jamie while mom and dad go on real dates (the frequency with which my parents go on dates is actually pretty impressive)

35. Uncle Justin finally coming home from the Navy!!!

36. Playing at the library on rainy days

37. Maybe I'll learn to walk this summer...maybe I won't

38. Mom and dad celebrating their SIXTH anniversary!

39. Nana and Papa watching me (so mom and dad can go to Nikki's wedding)

40. Memorize the ISU Fight Song before kick-off

-BabyMav

A Lawncare Guide for Dummies

Today, I'll be sharing a few things I've learned from the past nine years that I've spent sitting at the feet of the lawn care master...Josh Boersma, CEO of Boersma Lawn Care.

Or as we sometimes refer to him in this house...

The Kanye of Lawn Care.
The Michael Jordan of Lawn Care.

The Tony Stark of Lawn Care.

Ehhh...we're not very humble...are we?

All that to say...he knows what he's doing and most of the time it feels like Boersma Lawn Care is ALL we ever talk about. So after this constant chatter about grass turf, I've actually learned a few things and I'm here to impart some of that valuable knowledge to all of you...our supportive friends, family, and customers.

This blog title is NOT to imply that any of you dear readers are dummies, or that any of our customers are dummies. My goal this year is to INFORM our customer base as much as I possibly can...because if we keep our customers informed, I believe that will alleviate a lot of the miscommunication and misinterpretation (which occasionally results in conflict) about why Josh does/recommends some of the things he does. It's hard to keep customers in this industry informed when there are soooo many companies out there doing it wrong...but I'm determined! If anything, those other companies are the dummies okay I digress...I guess a more appropriate title would have been 'BLC: Lawn Care FAQ's' but let's be honest...that's not as catchy. Then no one would have read it and I would have written all this for nothing and I just can't afford to waste nap time like that.

When Josh applies what the industry calls, 'Round 1'...this is a fertilizer with pre-emergent control. It is NOT going to kill dandelions. Round 2 does that. Do you know what pre-emergent means? Yea, neither did I. It helps keep seeds (OF ALL KINDS) from growing in the spring and into the summer. Meaning...if Josh puts down Round 1, then you go out and buy some grass seed from Lowe's to throw on a bare spot in your yard...thaaaaaaat's not going to grow either.

There are real reasons Josh has continuing education classes and pays for yearly certifications, you guys. He's always yammering on about getting his spreaders/sprayers 'calibrated' and I'm all like...'What's the big deal? You're just walking behind a push spreader? Or riding on a sprayer.' Then he tells me there's apparently a dial and you have to know your walking/driving speed and how wide you are spreading (plus overlap!?) and how much product is coming out in order to be sure you're putting the correct amount of chemical down. How in the world...? Do any of you precious homeowners know how to accurately calibrate a spreader/sprayer? Some might, but my guess is the vast majority do not. You run the risk of putting waaaay too much down and subsequently needing to mow your yard twice a week or more (I'm looking at you Nathan Boersma ;)...or not putting down enough and doing all that work for nothing. OR just not reading your label correctly and accidentally killing parts of your lawn.

Josh can legally only put down two rounds of weed control per yard per year because he puts down the highest rate allowed by the label/state. So while everyone is going berserk about the dandelions that came out of NOWHERE a couple weeks ago (I know, it DOES seem early...here's a helpful article Josh posted explaining why that is), there's something important you should know. If Josh puts down a weed control application in April...that has to last you...UNTIL SEPTEMBER. Right? That's a long time! I had no idea! Most people (me included) assume if they see weeds in their yard, he can just come out anytime, as many times as it takes, and spray for weeds. But that is not the case. I'm sorry about it, but we don't make the rules.

We're talking about a blanket application, here. Josh is able to come do some spot spraying (within reason) in certain situations.

Here's a helpful (loose) chemical application timeline for you to follow...this varies depending on the soil temperature and the weather...and occasionally overlaps one way or another. But you get the idea:

March/April = Round One Spring Fertilizer with Pre-Emergent Control (Dimension - Granular)
May/June = Round Two Weed Control (Spoiler - Liquid)
June/July/August = Round Three Summer Fertilizer (Slow Release Granular w/ Iron)
September/October = Round Four Fall Weed Control (Spoiler - Liquid)
October/November = Round Five Fall Fertilizer (Granular)

Josh can also spray for bugs around the interior and exterior perimeter of your foundation if that's an chemical application option that interests you. Aside from a few renegade ants who invaded my kitchen a few weeks ago (and were taken care of within 24 hours) we almost NEVER have bugs/spiders/ants/creepy crawlies in our house (or in the basement!). In the past six years, I've probably killed a spider twice. Seriously. The man gets results!

I cannot tell you how many times I take calls from potential customers requesting Josh get them a quote for "a simple weed'n'feed application." I know that's how stores like Lowe's and Home Depot and Menards market a product that claims to be a fertilizer and a weed killer all in one cute catchy-named product. But how do I put this delicately...fertilizer and weed control bought in a bag...umm that's not a thing. And it's not something we're going to try and sell you. The high-end chemical products Josh is able to use because he holds a license, (and the way he meticulously schedules each of his five applications) are WAY better for your yard than any 'weed'n'feed' approach other companies and home improvement stores offer.

These statements might be good to reference prior to questioning The Michael Jordan of Lawn Care...these are things I hear him saying over and over and over, so now I have them memorized too!

• "A healthy weed is easier to kill."
• "Planting grass seed in the fall is better."
• "Long grass always looks greener than freshly cut grass."
• "Round 1 is fertilizer. It's not going to kill your weeds." (repeat 300 times ;)
• "A thick, healthy yard is your best defense against weeds."
• "Letting the grass grow longer before the first mow of the season is better for it."
• "Don't cut your grass so short."
• "Don't cut your grass so short."
• "Don't cut your grass so short."
• "If you want the grass seed I just planted to grow, you need to water appropriately. It's not going to grow if you don't water it."

I'll leave you with this tidbit that blew my mind while we were on a walk last week...

"Josh, why is that grass yellow? Is that a weird kind of weed that just looks like grass?" - Mollie

"They planted the wrong kind of grass seed. Grass is a weed to a farmer if it's in his field. A weed is anything that's growing somewhere you don't want it to be growing." - Josh

#micdrop #mindblown

I hope that someone learned something new from all that. Thanks for reading!
-BLC Team of Three

Maverick: 8 Month Update

Mother's Day hangover is a very real thing...I woke up on Monday morning after 10 hours of glorious sleep and literally felt like I was drunk. It's like my body doesn't know how to handle that much sleep anymore...I spent most of the morning wandering around the house, sitting and staring into my coffee cup, and giggling about nothing while Jamie and Josh looked at me and asked, "Ummm are you ok?"

Mother's Day. It was a totally new experience this year now that I have a real baby boy who calls me Maamaamaamaa. Josh kept asking what I wanted and I said I wanted to NOT talk about Boersma Lawn Care the whole day, I wanted him to ignore his phone, and I wanted to go to the movie Mother's Day...I got exactly what I asked for! It was such a fun day and an excuse for us to sneak in an extra date to the Cafe on Sunday to cap off the weekend. We ended up talking a little business (but it was strictly about 'Boersma Rentals')...and we started planning our vacation to Galena in October! 

But enough about Maverick's parents...this is supposed to be his eight month update! He IS the reason I celebrated Mother's Day yesterday, after all.

BabyMav (said like one word, our favorite nickname this month) is still in 3-6 month clothes (starting to fit into some 6-9), size two diapers, and has most of the same likes and dislikes as last month...although they're starting to be articulated a little more strongly with each passing day. Every once in a while we get a little glimpse of some serious attitude that is NOT going to be pleasant to deal with in a couple months. My mom melts every time Maverick whine-cries and I barely hear the that anymore. Owie cries I hear, sad/scared cries I hear...everything else gets ignored if mom has chores to do because 'independent play' for at least a half hour has started to be a 'requirement' during 'wake-times.' ;)

That was an annoying sentence for me to write. But it's true.

I love our schedule right now. It's exactly the same as last month but we've gotten better at it. At some point in the past couple weeks Maverick naturally started shifting to an earlier morning and an earlier bedtime (that I'm surprisingly enjoying!). He's up between 8 and 8:30 every morning and in bed by 8:30 every night. Looking toward the summer, I think this schedule will work well with our mandatory pool time and the earlier bedtime gives Josh and I a little bit more of a 'night' together...though sometimes that means Josh misses out on Maverick-time altogether. :( 

Maverick is just such a fantastic napper. Two, two-hour naps are solid almost every day we are at home in our usual groove. If we're gone somewhere I can still usually count on hour and a half, though he's still always a wild card if I try and get him to nap at Nana's.

Speaking of naps...I discovered last weekend that they keep a pack'n'play in the bathroom in Maverick's classroom at church...this. is. a. game changer. I usually throw our schedule out the window on Sunday's and that makes an already busy day a lot harder/longer. I don't need to put the pressure of a schedule on the sweet church nursery ladies, but NOW I can just instruct them to toss him in the pack'n'play, ignore the 10 minutes of crying, and he should be *out* for the whole service. PERFECT! Last Sunday when we came to pick him up they met me at the door saying, "It worked! He's been in there napping the whole time!" I was thrilled. Another unexpected Mother's Day present from my sweet little boy.

I think the biggest change this month came when Maverick finally became sturdy enough to sit up all by himself. It took a couple days of me sitting with him when he was playing to 'catch' him when he got too excited, but now he sits up like a big man and plays with his toys all the time. I think this means I can finally get rid of our play mat now that he's never laying under it. HORRAY! He loves sitting up in his stroller and looking at puppies, kitties, cars, and other little people we walk by. I've noticed he gets bored of toys more too...I rotate things every couple of days and make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed with too many things surrounding him to play with. He seems happier with just two or three things at a time. Or a whole bucket of Legos to play with.

Maverick doesn't throw a fit quite as much anymore when he gets put down, which I'm attributing to how much better he is at playing. Laying and trying to play just wasn't cutting it anymore last month, so that's been good. He has gotten pretty vocal about me leaving a room. If I'm around the kitchen/dining room/living room he's content to sit in his bouncer or play, but if it's getting close to nap time and I shut the door to go to the bathroom or go into the hallway/bedrooms and he can't SEE me anymore...he loses his mind about it.

As for sleeping, this month we're averaging about 3-4 good nights and 3-4 bad nights per week. I haven't been able to find a correlation between his days and nights that might fix the problem. Naps during the day can be either amazing or terrible...and our night can go either way. There's just no rhyme or reason to it! The other night he was suuuuuper distracted by his daddy while he was eating before bed, and I was convinced he hardly ate anything...he slept until 6am! On the nights I try offering a couple extra ounces of milk and he chugs it I think, "Ok...this is the night he will crank out 12 hours...I have a good feeling." And he will be up at 1:30. He's eating some food 2-3 times a day and there are days he eats a lot and days he doesn't eat as much...and our nights don't seem to have a correlation based on that either. So I'm just riding it out. He's still pretty easy and great...so on the nights that have been extra rough I allow myself an extra cup of coffee in the morning and an afternoon in front of the TV instead of staying busy doing stuff. I've done everything 'by the book' and he has ZERO bad habits...so I've done what I can. It's whatever.

Maverick is doing a mixture of BabyLed and Traditional weaning now. After he had so much fun playing with food there for a few months, I decided it was time to get some extra calories in him during the day...since...you know he's tiny. He probably eats 5-8 ounces of baby food per day and gets to play with fruit or avocado or cheese at some point during his day. And as you can see...he hasn't exactly 'bulked' up even after all the extra food. So that's just whatever too. He's still breastfed 5-6 times a day and that's where he's supposed to be getting his nutrients anyway.

We've really killed it with the play dates this week. On Monday we went swimming with Baby Gabby and her mom at a hotel pool...Tuesday was Titus 2 Play Group at church...Wednesday we had a Chic-Fil-A breakfast date with the Becker's...and today we went swimming again with Beckett Hoben and his mommy! Tomorrow we're spending the day with Nana before we pick Uncle Winston up from the airport, so it's been an eventful week for sure. I've even stayed totally on top of Josh's invoicing and voicemails...probably why this post is 12 days late. :)

A few 'new' funny things about Mav...he thinks it's funny to 'wrestle.' Sometimes he'll reach out and grab my arm when I'm changing his diaper and I rock him around and he loves it. I throw couch pillows at him and he wrestles those too. He does this thing Jamie and I have named 'Scuttling' which is a combination of scrunch-cuddling. It's when he gets so excited about whoever is holding him that he tightens/scrunches/pinches/smiles/cuddles right up to your shoulder. It's one of my new favorite things. We also play a miniture-version of airplane with him on our legs. This month Maverick has gotten a lot better about falling asleep in the car and then continuing his nap in his crib once we've unloaded. YAYAY!

We still have a big talker. His squeals, squeaks, and screams remind us of a taradactyl...so sometimes we call him a Baby Taradactyl because it can get reeeeally high-pitched. He has figured out how to blow bubbles, make a few boy noises, and use his fingers to make noise with his lips. He pays special attention to his toys and moves things around in his hands a lot better. He grabs anything and everything to put in his mouth (mail, clothes, tags, leaves). Mostly he just slaps and kicks all his toys.

Josh and I are planning our trip to Galena this fall and Maverick is excited about spending FOUR DAYS with G'ma and G'pa doing fun fall Manson things. Three nights and four days...this is a test-run to see if they can handle when we take a longer, tropical vacation at some point in the future.

That's what was up with our little man this month. I cant believe we're halfway to month NINE! Time for pictures with Libby, the pool to open, and all kinds of fun stuff on our summer bucket list!

MmB