Save The Date

*Watch for more details to come! 

April Playdate

Our first playdate will be on FRIDAY, APRIL 25 at 10:00 am.  We will be meeting at WAGNER PARK (Green Rd) in PEWAUKEE. 

As always, moms with children of all ages are welcome. 

Please feel free to invite friends, neighbors, and relatives who may be interested in joining in the fun.

We hope you can join us for a fun time of play with our kids!

Contact Aimee Heder (Aimee.heder@gmail.com) for more information on any Nurture playdate or to let her know you are coming OR sign up in the atrium at WFA. 

**Our next playdate is Tuesday, May 6 10:00 am at Aimee Heder's home in Mukwonago.

The playdate calendar dates will always be on the left sidebar so you can plan ahead.

Love Your Daughters

Moms, I want to encourage you today to love your daughters. How we treat our daughters not only affects them now but for their whole life. 

Tell your daughter she is beautiful - often. Let her know that you think she is beautiful and amazing. She will then start to think it of herself. If YOU don't let her know, she will seek out someone else (anyone else) who will tell her. Encourage her beauty by being a good example of beauty yourself - both inside and out. Show her how to be beautiful. The world tries to show girls how to be beautiful. Don't let the world be her teacher. Teach her your beauty "secrets" and help her feel comfortable in her own skin. 

Be intentional. In Stasi Eldredge's new book "Becoming Myself," she says that 

"Father bestows identity. 

Mother bestows self-worth." (concerning dayghters p. 69) Whoa, that is a huge responsibility to have. Our self-worth determines who and what we become; how we feel about ourselves (and think others feel about us). Our daughters need a healthy sense of self-worth. An inner confidence, not an arrogant "I'm better than you are" attitude, but a gentle spirit that knows she is equal to everyone else but puts others before herself in Christ-like humility. Be intentional in guiding her to this. Don't just cross your fingers and wish for the best. Make sure your daughter knows she is special, loved, beautiful, and amazing. Do things to protect her fragile heart. Compliment her special qualities and teach her humility in dealing with others. God gave her these gifts to further His kingdom, not to give her a big head. Gently remind her of that when you need to. 

Listen to your daughter's dreams.   All things are possible with God and if He gave her a dream, He will move mountains to help her attain it - and you, too! {It's not too late to see your dreams come true. Pray and ask God to help you fulfill your dreams in accordance with His will. I'm pretty sure God is the one who put your dreams in you, so there must be a reason for them.} Don't hold your daughters back but build them up and encourage them to soar. Dream right along with her and pray God's will over her life. 

Don't be in competition with your daughter. That is an ugly road to go down. Not only will you keep your daughter down (in order to keep yourself above her) but she will grow to resent you and your relationship will suffer. Be her cheerleader. Encourage her to be everything God wants her to be. She is not your competition but rather an extension of who you are. God entrusted her to you, don't stifle her heart but do all you can to make it flourish. 

Love your daughters, encourage and nourish her beauty, listen to her dreams, pray God's will over her life, support her in her endeavors. A daughter is a precious treasure entrusted to you - value her, protect her, take great care in handling her. Your investment will not only give you great joy but will impact generations and possibly the whole world. 

* God put this message on my heart today. When I saw this picture on Instagram, I knew I needed to share it.

I hope it challenges you as much as it challenged me. :)

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Brownies

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker Fudge brownie mix (plus water, oil, and eggs required to bake them)
1.5 quart Moose Tracks frozen yogurt
8 oz. bag Reese's Peanut Butter Cups minis
Reese's peanut butter ice cream topping (about 1/3 bottle)
hot fudge ice cream topping (about 1/3 jar)

*Bake brownies according to the mix directions in a 9x13 pan.  I slightly undercooked mine so they would be softer.
*Cool brownies completely.
*Soften frozen yogurt for a few minutes on the counter.  Spread evenly over brownies.
*Top with mini peanut butter cups. Drizzle peanut butter topping over the top.  Then drizzle warmed hot fudge topping.  You could use as much or as little as you desire.  The above amounts were about what I used.
*Cover the pan and put back in the freezer.  Freeze for a couple of hours to harden.

serves 12

Summer School Blues

Today was day 3 of summer school.  Two of my kiddos are going to summer school this year.  I know there are opposing views toward it - as in, let kids have a carefree summer opposed to daily structure.  Sometimes I feel conflicted about it myself but ultimately I know that it really is what is best for our family.  It helps to break up our day and gets us going in the morning - and the separation of siblings for a couple of hours doesn't hurt either.

My daughter is taking 2 fun classes and my son is taking one fun class along with a reading class to help him strengthen up his skills. My daughter is very social and has been enjoying herself these last few days. My son, not so much. He is very sensitive and shy and school is probably not on his top 100 favorite things list.  Both days so far he has told me that he has cried at some point during each of his classes. Not what you want to hear as a mom.  But I know that not only will this experience help him work on his reading skills, it will help him with his life skills (being exposed to new situations, enforcing some independence, doing things outside of his comfort zone). 

The first day I walked in with them and helped them get their class schedules and find their rooms. It was such a blast from the past. I attended this school during my elementary years and it all just rushed back as I walked in the front doors. It even smells the same. My son has his reading class in the same room that I had 5th grade reading in. And my daughter's drama class is on the stage where I took part in many class and school plays (small bit parts, mind you). We walked into the library and the SAME librarian was sitting there that sat there when I was a kid - and she looks pretty much the same almost 30 years later. Crazy! 

Anyway, yesterday and today I took the kids to school and just dropped them off. I told my daughter to take her brother to his class and she even picks him up and takes him to his next class. She is quite the mother hen and I know my son is in good hands. 

Today I sat and waited in the car until they were allowed in just like yesterday. But today, they started to come back to the car. I ran out to check on them. I knew my son was upset. I was right. I hugged him and prayed with him and he asked me to walk him in. I quickly grabbed his baby brother out of the car and rushed them inside. We walked through the library to his class. His teacher came and still he held my hand. His little lip quivered and it almost looked like he was shaking. It broke my heart. I told his teacher that he was nervous. She told him how good he did yesterday and what they would be doing today. She held out her hand and he bravely took it and walked into the classroom with her. 

As I was walking out of the school, I just kept thinking how heartbreaking it is to watch your kids do hard things. Things that you would gladly do for them if you could but you can't. Things that they need to do - to be stronger and more independent, to learn new things and grow, to trust that I know what is best for them even if it isn't fun and might be hard. 

As I buckled my baby back in and climbed into my seat, I was still thinking about this and suddenly very clearly God spoke to my soul and said "That's how it is for me, too." 

I've been going through some difficult things. Things that make you ask God, "Why? I just don't understand. I don't like this. I don't want to do this anymore." To hear those words was so enlightening. I was able to get a glimpse at the other side - God's side of it. It breaks His heart to see His children have to do hard things and go through scary and uncomfortable situations, too. He isn't punishing us, He just wants what is ultimately best for us. These things we go through make us stronger and help us to learn new things while we grow in Him. 

So when our lip quivers and the tears come, it breaks God's heart to see us like that. He doesn't enjoy seeing us scared or nervous or hurting. 

Fortunately, unlike us as parents, He is always right by our side. He never leaves us and we don't have to go through anything alone.  He may not take it away but we need to trust that He knows what is best for us. He loves us and is always there for us. 

I'm hoping that by the end of summer school my little guy will have a smile on his face but quite possibly he will struggle all the way through. I've learned though that it is completely his choice. There is nothing I can do to force him to be happy about it. I can only love him and support him.  He must decide how he will deal with each day. 

The good news is that summer school will eventually end, it will not go on forever. This is just a season and every season ends. Some seasons are just a few weeks like summer school. Other seasons are months long and others still last for years but each one ends, whether here or in glory. We have the choice of how we'll ride out our storms - with a smile on our face or just struggling through it. 

Lord, help me to choose to smile. 

Hope

Hello!  Where have I been?  Well, life has been crazy these past couple months.

On August 31, I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, Asher - all 10 lbs 11 oz of him.  Ouch.  It was through much prayer that I made it through that experience and it has taken me a bit longer to recover after having him than the others.

But God is moving and shaking in my life and I feel like I am finally headed back to at least a little bit of my former self.  Praise the Lord!

Just 5 weeks after giving birth, my baby sister was married.  What a day that was!  The bride was beautiful.  I welcomed a new brother into our family.  Four of my five kids were in the wedding.  It really was a great time but I was just slightly stressed out.

That morning, I was feeling not so great about myself.  At 5 weeks postpartum, I felt fat, ugly, exhausted, hormonal, stressed, yuck.  All 3 of my sisters were in the wedding and obviously looking gorgeous and I could barely lift my head from the huge bags I was carrying under my eyes.

While getting ready in the 15 minutes I had left after helping the kids look their adorablest (yeah, I know it's not a word), I looked in the mirror at my pathetic self and just prayed.  To be honest, I started my prayer by asking God to help me look beautiful that day but I quickly changed it to "let others see the light of Jesus shining through me."  It was a simple prayer.

Throughout the day, I had various family members tell me I looked "beautiful" but I knew I looked like I had been hit by a truck.  I knew they were just being kind to the emotionally fragile, pathetic thing that I was.  It was ok.  I smiled and thanked them.

At the end of the night, my uncle came up to say goodbye to me.  He told me I looked beautiful or something similar, I don't really remember.  But then he told me something I will never forget.  He said "I see Jesus all over you."  I was touched simply because that was an amazing compliment.  It brought a tear to my eye.

It wasn't until a couple of days later that I remembered my prayer in the bathroom that morning.  (I know, give me a break.  I was so sleep deprived, I couldn't form a complete sentence most days.)  But when I was reminded of that prayer, it took my breath away.

God is so amazing!  He is so good to us.  I look back at the pictures from that day and see how truly "rough" I looked but if others saw the light of Jesus shining through me, then that is all that matters.  It's not about me, it's all about Him.

Why did I tell you this story?  I'm not sure.  I wasn't planning on telling anyone this precious nugget of a memory but God woke me in the middle of the night and encouraged me to share it.

I hope it encourages you.  I hope it tells you of God's goodness, His faithfulness, His love.  I hope it gives you ... Hope.  That is the word God is impressing on me so strongly this Christmas season.  Hope.

God loves you.  He thinks you're wonderful.  He wants to do amazing things in your life.  You don't need to be beautiful, talented, perfect.  You just need to be you.  He can use you right where you are.  Put your trust in Him and He will not let you down.


Be a light that shines for Him this Christmas season and all year!  This world is such a dark place.  They need to see the Light!

Playdate Rescheduled

Due to the record high temps they are predicting for tomorrow, we arerescheduling our playdate to Imagination Station to Friday, July 27 at 10:00 am.


Hope to see you Friday!


Stay Cool!!

When Something Isn't Quite Right

I feel like I've shared this on here before but I can't find the post, so maybe I didn't.  I know I've wanted to and thought about it many times.

It's not a big secret that my 5 year old son was in speech therapy this past school year.  This was a brand new experience for me as a parent.  I had no idea what to expect and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

My son LOVED his speech teacher and going to speech.  It was never a struggle or an issue, thank goodness!

A year ago, according to his testing, he was at about 40% understandability.  His goal for the end of this year was to reach 65%.  When I met with his speech teacher and 4K teacher for his end of the year IEP (individualized education plan), he was at 80% understandability.

I have definitely noticed a big difference in his talking and I can understand him almost 100% of the time.  Life is so much less frustrating for him and me!

He still has a ways to go and will continue with speech therapy as he enters kindergarten this fall but he is doing so much better than he was.

I am so grateful for the fact that a family friend first alerted  me to his speech problem (I didn't even realize at first) and that I looked into it.  It is so easy to just say, Oh, he's fine.  He'll grow out of it.  There's nothing wrong with MY son.

I have to admit that that was my very first initial thought.  I am so glad I didn't let my pride get in the way of getting my son the help he truly needed.

I talked with his pediatrician who really didn't see the problem but it still nagged at me.  I then talked with his preschool teacher and she started the process of getting him tested.  It took a lot longer than I thought it would but overall it was pretty painless.

A little over a year after I discovered there was a problem, he finally was getting the help he needed.  I am so glad that I didn't put it off any longer.

Last night I read this post over at the Little Miss Momma  blog and it reminded me about sharing this with you all.  I love how honest and real and right on she was in this post about her son.

I also realized that there may be other moms out there dealing with this and possibly not even knowing it.  If you feel like something might not be quite right (developmentally, behaviorally, etc) with one of your kiddos or someone you know alerts you to a possible problem, get it checked out.  A lot of times, it will just be kids being kids.  Sometimes it's not, though.  There are so many programs and different kinds of therapists out there.

Waukesha county has a birth to three program that is free to all eligible children.  http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/defaultwc.aspx?id=38694

Since my son was older than 3 when we discovered his speech problem, we have dealt with the school district of Waukesha.  http://dnnlive.waukesha.k12.wi.us/District/SpecialEdServices/ProgramsServices.aspx

Don't be afraid to look into any kind of worries you may have about your kids.  

If there truly is a problem, you will be SO glad that you addressed it earlier rather than later.  

There is so much help available, take advantage of it if you need it. 

Your child is worth it and you'll be surprised at how much less frustrating life will become for both of you!

Anyone, Anyone?

Ok, I'm going to throw this out there ...

Does anyone want to plan the Monday, August 6 playdate?  Or should we skip it?

Let me know if you would like to organize this playdate.  

If I don't hear from anyone, we'll just plan on skipping it.

In September we will just have our Nurture playdate on the 24th.  

I will have my hands full with a squishy, sweet newborn. ;)

Do You Need a Break?

Just a reminder ~

What mom couldn't use a break from time to time?  

Join us for a relaxing Saturday morning Coffee Break!

Specialty coffee drinks will be available for purchase while you snack on delicious morning treats provided by  Nurture  and connect with moms in every stage of motherhood. 

We will be having our first Coffee Break 

THIS Saturday, July 14 from 9:30 - 11:30 am 

in the Higher Grounds cafe at Waukesha First Assembly.

We will have a barista to make the specialty coffee drinks from 9:30 - 10:00 am only.  House coffee will be available all morning.

ALL moms are welcome.  This is a mom-only event; no childcare will be provided.

Invite your friends to join you for a Coffee Break!

Hope to see you there!

July Nurture Playdate

We're going back!

Our July Nurture playdate will be on Monday, July 23 at 10:00 am.   

We will be meeting at Imagination Station park in Oconomowoc. Imagination Station is a universally accessible playground.  

You can find Imagination Station in Roosevelt Park,101 E. Forest Street, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 53066.  Roosevelt Park is located along the Lake Country Bike Trail. 

(http://www.accessibleplayground.net/) 

   " ... a universally accessible playground means that children of all abilities can play at their appropriate developmental level.  It is a playground where every child is challenged.  Therefore, it is not a playground only for children in wheelchairs, where ramps rule the playground, it is a playground where children with autism have opportunities for sensory experiences, typically developing children can use their imagination to create play scenarios, and where children with developmental delays can learn in incremental steps how to climb. 

Imagination Station does this: 

*There are double wide ramps that lead you up to the very top of the playground.  There are activities to do along the way so it isn’t a “ramp to no where”. 
*The surfacing is pour-in-place rubber surfacing that makes it easier  for a wheelchair to move around on, but also provides safety for children who are not steady on their feet. 
*There is a fence around the playground with only one entrance/exit, so that “runners” cannot get past mom. 



*There is band shell reminiscent of the band shell in town, where children can create play or sing a song.  There are percussion instruments to accompany the players. 
*There are adapted swings, typical swings and toddler swings. 
*The monkey bar area has multiple height bars as well as a variety of challenges.  A child in a wheelchair can lift up their arms and pull themselves across, while other children are doing flips on the bars. 
*In addition to the swings, there are plenty of other areas for children to experience vestibular motion (e.g. going around in circles, going up and down, or going back & forth.) 



*In addition the monkey bars there are plenty of opportunities for children to use their proprioceptive sensory system.  There is a huge rope climber that is fun for the little ones as well as for teenagers.  There is also a small climbing wall. 
*There are two different types of slides. 



*many areas for imaginary play with trains, boats, the clock tower, and beautiful streetscapes. 




*There are places to climb underneath the playground for children who need a little time to themselves 

Snacks will be provided. 

If you would like to help by bringing a package of snacks (goldfish, animal crackers, graham crackers, etc), please leave a comment on this post or email me at nurturewfa(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Please feel free to invite friends, neighbors, and relatives who may be interested in joining in the fun.

We hope you can join us for a fun time of play with our kids!

*For your added safety, please park in the spaces on the left closest to the playground. :)

**Our next Nurture playdate is Friday, August 17.  The playdate calendar dates will always be on the left sidebar of the Nurture blog so you can plan ahead.

My Life As a Mom of Twins

Today our guest blogger is Brooke.  She is a very busy mom of twins with another sweet baby arriving soon.  She is so sweet and patient and handles motherhood so well.  I am pleased to share her story with you.

***********************************************

My Life As a Mom of Twins
by Brooke

Hi! My name is Brooke and I have been married to Jeff, a wonderfully kind and patient man, for almost 7 years. Together we have twins, Lucy and Dexter, who will be 3 at the end of this month.

I would have to say that a typical day in our house is not “typical”. I never know what the twins mood will be, what they will choose to wear and what (or if) they will eat. Jeff likes to joke that they take turns “going off the deep end”. I'm not positive but I think that when he says that he's including me too. Oh, did I mention that we're expecting our 3^rd baby in 6 weeks? At this moment, we are doing our best to make chaos work for us.

If I had the “perfect” planned life as I envisioned when I was younger, we would have had 1 boy, then a couple of years later had another. Assuming all was going well, we would have considered a third. Surprise! God didn't much agree with my plan. So, in December 2008, Jeff and I found out that we were going to be first-time parents to fraternal twins.

I dealt with the news pretty well, I think. I was excited and a little bit nervous but I figured we could handle it. People have twins all the time, right? I had a really uneventful pregnancy for carrying multiples. Of course, I was considered “high risk” and had many, many ultrasounds but, other than that, there were no out-of-the-ordinary issues. In July 2009 I gave birth to two full-term (37 ½ weeks) healthy babies via c-section. Lucy weighed in at 5lbs. 11oz. Dexter was 6lbs. 5oz. Neither needed to spend any time in the NICU and we were all able to go home 3 days later. PTL!

And then reality... The first week at home we had lots of visitors. Jeff was off of work and that meant lots of helping hands. The second week, my mom took vacation from work so that she could help me during the day while Jeff went back to work. The third week, I was all on my own during the day. That was when I started doubting that I actually could do this. I was recovering from surgery, still getting the hang of tandem breastfeeding and adjusting to being a new mom with two teeny babies and no one to help out except the dogs and cats. In case you're wondering, they weren't so helpful either. I was outnumbered. There would always be more of them than me!

I would say that the first 9 months were the toughest. I had quit my job to stay home with the kids full-time and I didn't know many other stay-at-home moms to have playdates with. So we didn't leave the house much. Just keeping sane through the winter was a challenge. Did you know that it's almost impossible to go anywhere by yourself with 2 infants? Oh, it can be done. Usually it's neither pleasant nor worth all of the effort in the end. I can think of a couple of times though when I had a successful outing to Target or the grocery store. Those times I felt like SuperMom with my double stroller, two car seats and ridiculously full diaper bag. In reality I probably looked more like a bag lady who hadn't slept in weeks and needed a good shower.

Time actually did start to go faster with Lucy and Dexter hitting all of the big milestones. It got a bit easier to go out once they started walking and interacting. At around 18 months we started to venture out more during the week. It was so fun to watch them learn to play with other kids and to see the differences (and also the similarities) develop in each of their personalities. I was making new friends and learning new things too!

Now, at almost 3, the twins are sometimes like little adults. They have opinions. They argue their point. They pout or throw a tantrum if they don't get their way. They test my boundaries, push my buttons and act like little mirrors when I mess up. They help me to practice patience and self-control on a daily basis. They also remind me that I need God's help because they still outnumber me.

People always tell me that God will only give you what you can handle. I don't believe that He gave me the twins because He knew I could handle it, though I found I could. I believe He gave them to me because He knew that I needed them to grow, personally and in my faith. People also like to tell me that twins are a blessing. Yes, as a mom of twins, I believe that is true. But what I've noticed is that those people don't have twins. :)

****************************************************
Thank you, Brooke!  Your kiddos are adorable and YOU are a blessing!  I can't wait to meet your newest addition when she arrives. :)

4th of July Celebrations

In case you are looking for some fun things to do tomorrow, here are some options:

July 4 Parade in Downtown Waukesha

July 4, 2012, 11:00 am

Cutler Park, 321 Wisconsin Ave, Waukesha, WI | Get Directions » 

The America the Beautiful parade begins at 11 a.m. leaving from Cutler Park. The parade will begin at the corner of Maple and Wisconsin Ave., travel west on Wisconsin Ave., turn right at West Ave., follow Main St. east, turn left on Buckley, then right on Baxter, finishing at the Schuetze Recreation Center, 1120 Baxter St. in Frame Park.

**A group from WFA is meeting in front of Allo Chocolate to watch the parade together.

Waukesha Fireworks Show

July 4, 2012, 7:15 pm

Waukesha County Expo, 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI |Get Directions » 

FREE

Bring your blankets and chairs and celebrate with the City of Waukesha’s 4th of July activities with the annual Fireworks Show at the Waukesha County Expo.

The grounds will open at 7:15 p.m. with the show beginning at approximately 9:30 p.m.

The show promises to be unique and of exceptional quality. It will consist of some high aerials along with low level effects.The show will be best viewed from the Waukesha County Fairgrounds.

Carry-in of alcoholic beverages or fireworks will not be allowed.

**Come celebrate Independence Day with WFA. The fairgrounds open at 7:15 p.m., and we would love to play games, hang out, and watch the fireworks together. Please bring lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks to share.

Other area celebrations:

Bayside: Bayside's parade begins at Bayside Midde School at 9 a.m., ending at Ellsworth Park with an ice cream social and Bayside's Best Dog Competition. More on the Bayside celebration. There will be no fireworks display in Bayside.

Brookfield (city): The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. on Gebhardt Road near Brookfield Central High School, turns north on Calhoun Road, west on North Avenue, south on Norhardt Drive, ending at Civic Drive. From 6 to 9 p.m. Family Fest will be held at Mitchell Park, with the band Our House, Heads Up Juggling and magician Glen Gerard. Also on tap: games, food and fireworks at about 9:15 p.m. More details

Brookfield (town): The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Elmbrook Church and runs east along Davidson Road and then south on Linden Lane, ending at Marx Park, 700 S. Barker Road. The parade is followed by activities for children.

Cudahy: Cudahy's fireworks will be at 4800 S. Lake Drive. The parade will start at noon on Lake Drive, and it will run from Grange to Armour Avenue. More on Cudahy's celebrations.

Fox Point: Fox Point festivities include the annual parade, which starts at the Fox Point Police Station. The annual softball game will also take place, featuring village residents against the Fox Point Police. Kids will have an opportunity to jump around in a bounce house, play with clowns, and get their faces painted. More on the Fox Point celebration. There will be no fireworks in Fox Point.

Greenfield: Greenfield will celebrate the holiday with daylong event at Konkel Park from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. That event will include live music, activities for all ages, plenty of food vendors and fireworks at dusk. The parade will begin at 12:15 p.m. and will feature former Green Bay Packers lineman Mark Tauscher as the honorary grand marshal and appearances by the UW Marching Band and Bucky Badger.

Greendale: Greendale's daylong celebration will kick off at 9 a.m. with Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence at Village Hall. The reading will be followed by the parade, including a separate children's parade.  The fireworks display will start at 9:15 p.m. The American Legion and Greendale Lions Club will be selling a number of food items July 2 through July 4. Click here for the complete schedule of Greendale's celebrations.

Muskego (JULY 3): The July 3 Muskego celebration will begin at 1 p.m. at Idle Isle Park, W182S6666 Hardtke Drive, opening with activities like a bungee run and rock climbing. A ski show will be held at 7:30 p.m., and fireworks (with a musical background) will begin around 9:15 p.m. More on the Muskego celebration.

Oak Creek: A parade starts at 9 a.m. at the corner of Groveland Drive and Shepard Avenue, and ends at the American Legion Post. The Legion Post will be the site of a daylong celebration featuring live music, food and more. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. at East Middle School. More on Oak Creek's celebrations.

Hales Corners:  A "Community Bash" includes a children's parade, classic and antique car show, a pie contest and open houses throughout the village. Events are held at different locations, and fireworks will begin at dusk at Hales Corners Park, 5765 New Berlin Road. More on the Hales Corners celebration.

Menomonee Falls (JULY 3): The parade begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Appleton and Elm streets, ending at Menomonee Falls High School. Fireworks shot form the MFHS football field begin at dusk.More on the Menomonee Falls celebration.

Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant (JULY 3): Sturtevant's Fireworks Festival begins at 4 p.m. July 3 at Firemen's Park, off of Charles Street between 90th and Wisconsin streets. Admission is free, parking on the grounds is $5 and carry-ins are discouraged. The day is filled with family-friendly activities, culminating in fireworks at dusk. More on the Sturtevant celebration.

Pewaukee: The 4 p.m. parade starts at Pewaukee High School and proceeds to Village Park along West Wisconsin Avenue along the beach. Enjoy food on the lakefront starting at 1 p.m. at 213 W. Wisconsin Ave., with a 6:45 p.m. ski show and fireworks at dusk. More on the Pewaukee celebration.

Port Washington: A downtown parade begins at 11 a.m., followed by a picnic in Veteran's Memorial Park Park. At the park, after the parade, there will be a ceremony to recognize the armed forces, a bike decorating contest, a watermelon seed spitting contest and a children's play area with a bounce house and live music. The lakefront fireworks display will be shot at dusk near Grand Avenue and Franklin Street. More on the Port Washington celebration.

Racine: The 8:30 a.m. pre-parade starts at the intersections of Goold and Main Streets and runs south down Main Street through Downtown then turns west on 14th Street. The parade starts at 9 a.m. and travels the same route. This is an extremely popular parade, leave early to get a good seat. Fireworks can be viewed anywhere along the shores of Lake Michigan starting at dusk. More on Racine Fourth Fest celebration.

Saukville: The Saukville parade starts at 1 p.m. starts at Rebel Road and South Main Street. After the parade, there will be activities at Grady Park, and food and beverages as well as music will be available in the park until 5 p.m. Everything moves to Peninsula Park at 6 p.m. with more food and beverages as well as live music until fireworks at dusk. More on the Saukville celebration.

Shorewood: The 3:30 p.m. Shorewood parade kicks off at Oakland Avenue and Kensington Boulevard, ending at River Park, followed by free ice cream from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the park. Live entertainment in Atwater Park leading up to the fireworks at dusk will be provided by the Shorewood Concert Band and the Tweed Funk Band. More on the Shorewood celebration.

South Milwaukee: Fourth of July celebrations at Grant Park, 100 E. Hawthorne Ave., include a decorated bike parade, races and games for kids and free ice cream and caramel corn for children. Their fireworks display is set to begin around 9:30 p.m. More on the South Milwaukee celebration.

Sussex: The Fourth of July celebration in Sussex begins at 6 p.m. at Sussex Village Park with live entertainment from Rabid Aardvarks, a top 40s cover band. Fireworks will begin at dusk. More on the Sussex celebration.

Whitefish Bay: The 11:30 a.m. parade will step off at Silver Spirng Drive and Kent Avenue, finishing at Klode Park. Activities at the park include kids games, live entertainment and plenty of food vendors. Fireworks are at dusk. More on the Whitefish Bay celebration.

- source http://waukesha.patch.com/articles/waukesha-fourth-of-july-celebration-set