Animal, Vegetable, Miracle...and a Chicken Coop.

Recently I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  If you haven't read it, it's the true story of how Kingsolver's family vowed to eat only food from animals and plants raised by themselves or local farmers for an entire year. It's inspiring. Really.  Until about chapter three when I started to feel a combination of guilt, horror and disgust by all of the food choices I make on a daily basis.  Don't you just love a book that makes you feel bad about yourself?  

Anway, having said that, I decided keep reading for fun, ignore the knot in my stomach, and focus on the things we ARE doing right around here...like our little summer garden.  Every year we start a garden in spring with a few vegetables.  We also have raspberry patches and just recently added about seventy-five strawberry plants that are still flowering and producing...in July!  

I love to watch Emily and Addison go out with their buckets every morning, and then come in and enjoy their harvest. 

Speaking of harvest, the tomatoes are just about ready to turn!  My favorite are the large cherry tomatoes seen here.  We have several varieties but these are the best. 

And of course, with all of the zucchini and squash coming out, I come back to the same dilemma of waiting for the zucchini or plucking, stuffing, and frying the blossoms.  Currently looking for some good recipes for those. 

Oh, and one last thing.  The Kingsolver guilt did get to me a little, so I have finally decided that Mike can get the chickens that he's been wanting.  And, apparently he's been wanting them badly, because as soon as I said, " I guess chickens would be okay..." there was a fence up and construction began on a hen house.  Don't know what variety we will be getting, but these will be laying hens.  I'm not sure I'm ready to cross the threshold into poultry slaughter...just yet. 

More chicken updates to follow, but for now, happy summer!

Summer of Pinterest

So....it has been a while.  But, school is done, and instead of doing what I really should be doing (laundry), I'm spending my time doing something much more worthwhile....Pinterest.  The great thing about Pinterest is how crafty and domestic you feel when you're madly pinning recipes and projects to all of your boards.  But, seriously...who is really making cranberry orange scones, homemade butterfinger bars and chocolate - covered strawberries that look like little footballs...?  Well, ok, I'm sure there are people turning into Martha Stewart overnight...I just haven't been one of them.  I must have pinned at least a hundred projects and recipes, but haven't attempted any of them.  Until now. I love being a stay at home mom for three months of the year, but my biggest frustration is that I feel like I have nothing to show for my day except clean dishes and folded tshirts.  I think I have a good project for myself this summer. I'm declaring summer 2012 to be the Summer of Pinterest. One project every day. Ok, maybe that's too much.  Let's try three times a week. Three times a week I will make some recipe, do some project or get crafty with an idea I find on Pinterest.  I can do this. I'm pretty sure I can do this. I started today.

 First, we got down and dirty with some Modge Podge.  This stuff is great. We tried the Christmas card holder post seen on Pinterest.  I have in mind to have it be more of a photo holder for the girls' room.

 I also tried some fancy letters for my oldest daughter.  Saw lots of project on Pinterest with button letters and such.   Mike already had letters cut out, so this was super easy.

So...stay tuned.  We'll see how long this lasts.  It was fun for now, though!

Crazy Soccer Mom

In case you're wondering who those parents are on the sidelines during a little girls' soccer match that are frantically waving their arms, jumping up and down and shouting out directions to the players....well, um...that's me.
Today was Emily's first soccer game, and all five of us were there to cheer her to a win.  I didn't know what to expect, because although she did well during practice, I wasn't sure how she would perform when the pressure was on.  Nor did I foresee MY performance on the sidelines as crazy soccer mom.
I honestly expected that I would miss half of the game just trying to chase my toddler off the fields, and I was hoping that Mike wouldn't try to commandeer the coach's job with all of his sideline directions.  Well, it turns out that I moonlight as a sideline coach as well.  I'm embarrassed to admit how many occasions I tried to get Emily's attention to push her down the field more or tell her to stay with the ball. And, as many times as I told the mom sitting next to me that I was going to stop now and calm down, my verbal input to the game increased with every play.
Luckily, I was in the company of a lot of moms just like me, and I was too worked up to worry about what the ones that were calmly and cooly just watching from their folding chairs were thinking of me.  And, maybe by sheer force of will on my part, her team won by several goals.  Such an exciting morning! I can't wait for next week when I will try much harder to remember it's all about just having fun (seriously...who really believes that?). Ahem.

First Days

Well, it finally arrived...the first day of school, and last night my kids were so excited they were doing laps around the living room.  After three full months of summer at home, they had completely outplayed themselves and taken to hand to hand combat morning, noon, and night.  So, it was definitely time for school to start.
 Noah has been a little skeptical of the whole school thing telling me that he thought he would like recess and lunch but wasn't really down with the reading and writing that was going to take place.  I've been a little nervous for him since he is such a homebody, but a couple of weeks ago we went out and bought him his uniforms, book bag, and lunch box, and he has been ready to go ever since. He had to wear a belt for the first time last night at orientation, and it was quite the novelty.  Everyone who stopped to tell him he looked handsome was treated to an up-close look at it as he pointed to it and stuck out his belly as far as he could.  It's the little things around here.
And, it was business as usual this morning...like he had been going to school forever.  No tears or hiding behind mom; just one little excited boy who couldn't wait to get into his classroom and use his new lunchbox.  PS~ Mom was good and didn't cry either :)

Since these pictures were taken, it was reported to us that school was really fun.  He talked to and played with lots of kids, but he doesn't know any of there names ("How am I supposed to know who they are, Mom??? I'm new.").  Also, when asked what kind of snack he wants in his lunch tomorrow he replied, "Oh, tomorrow I'm not staying for lunch.  Dad is picking me up before I have to do nap time." Ha! Well, here's to many more successful days and not so successful naptimes at school!

Year of Summer Comes to an End

So, obviously I have been a bad bad blogger the entire summer. But, I find myself staring my last day of summer vacation in the face, and there are a couple of noteworthy happenings to write about. (Also, it was do this or fold some laundry. Easy choice.)
I think I last left my blog around Memorial Day, and since then Addison turned one!  Although the day in and day out can feel like forever, the year really did fly by. We were lucky enough to have a great photographer at her party who was nice enough to pull out his fancy camera and take some shots.

birthday photographs courtesy of will mcdonald

Needless to say, the birthday cake was a big hit, and we had a wonderful time with friends and family.
Moving on...let's see....we hit the beach at least once or twice a week.  Mike took off from work every Friday, and we headed down to our favorite spot on 59th street early early in the morning.  Moms with toddlers know that this is absolutely the best time of day.  Once the beach is full of people it is one long chase from blanket to blanket as your little one tries to steal the exact same toys that you brought from every unwilling child on the sand. Whew...I get tired just thinking about it.

I try to tell my kids how lucky they are to be at the beach so much, but living so close they are definitely getting spoiled. I remember our family's annual drive to the beach each summer that would seemingly take hours upon hours in a hot car. One or two days were all that we ever got, and I'm pretty sure I remember being terrified to go anywhere near the water until I was seven or eight.  Quite the opposite of my six year old who would ride her boogie board across the Atlantic if I let her.
We had some fun "field trips" as well.  One day was spent at the Crayola factory in Easton, Pa where the kids made all kinds of pictures and crafts. Addison stayed true to her m.o. and ran from table to table eager to rip paper and throw crayons as far as she could.

A little pricey, and probably better for a school field trip, but we had a good time.
AND speaking of pricey, we hit up the Philadelphia Zoo last week. My goodness. Every year I get a free teacher pass, and at the end of every summer I'm disappointed that I didn't take the kids. So, this summer I broke the cardinal rule of parenting and PROMISED the kids that we would go to the Phila Zoo, and of course they held me to it.  Like I said in my facebook update, "The zoo always sounds like a great idea...and it really is...for like the first twenty minutes."  Well, maybe the first hour and a half.  It was fun to watch Noah run from place to place looking at all of the snakes and crocodiles in the reptile house. And it was fun to watch the kids getting such a kick out of the gorilla's "naked butt!" snicker snicker.  And it was nothing but fun to watch Addison squeal with delight when she saw the zebras. But, after the first hour or so, legs start to get, "so tired that they are going to fall off" (yes, really.), and little boys begin to get sooo hot that they, "neeeeed ice cream to cool off."  And, it's pretty much downhill from there.  My advice...Cape May Zoo.  A little smaller, a little more manageable, and you won't go home completely broke!

 I know we did so much more, and if I sat here long enough I could recount the trips to the boardwalk, trips out on the boat fishing and crabbing, and just general summer fun which we had a lot of.  But, this blog is getting way too long, and somehow my kids have snuck back out of bed and are cheering the Phillies on in the next room. So it seems that my Year of Summer has finally and quickly come to a close.  I'd like to think that I will keep up with this blog, but I'm guessing that I won't. It was a really good year. Yep, that's all.

Memorial Day

Today I found myself thinking about this letter that Abraham Lincoln wrote to Ms. Bixby during the Civil War.  I always love the end of it: "...and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."  Thank you to all who have served the cause of freedom for our country!


Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.
Dear Madam,--
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,A. Lincoln

We had a great Memorial Day weekend.  For my kids, it can be summed up in one word, their favorite word...swimming!  I'm pretty sure that their feet only touched dry land once or twice all day for the last three days.  Emily is quite literally a fish, while Noah prefers to float his way along the edge of the pool, being a little less sure of himself.  This weekend was Addison's first time in the pool, and she....LOVED it.

    She was very disappointed that I wouldn't let her go explore the water on her own.  

We kicked off the festivities with a bbq at Mike's cousin's house.  As you can see from the pics a good number of his family attended.  Emily and Noah had fun running back and forth from the pool to the hot tub with all of their cousins. 

The rest of the weekend was spent going back and forth from our new neighbors. They have a boy who is Emily's age, and it. is. the. best. thing. ever.  Some days they play so hard they don't even want to come in for lunch.  And, now that their pool is open, we will probably see even less of them.  There is nothing better than two kids who are so tired that they actually want to go to bed by 7:30. I love love love summer!

On Sunday morning Mike decided to take the kids around to various spots and get some photographs highlighting the American flag.  One of the places that we stopped was his father's grave site.  It was nice to share that with our kids for the first time.  

He made this amazing video with some of the pictures.

Pinewood Derby

"Thank you...or should I say NO thank you."  Just one of my son's favorite lines from the movie, Cars that he repeats back to me when he doesn't want to clean his room, eat his green beans or run errands with me.  It's almost so funny that I have a hard time rebuffing his sarcasm.  Lightning McQueen sayings get a lot of air time around here which isn't surprising considering how often he's seen the movie.  So, when a couple of months ago he learned that his Awana Club was having a pinewood derby he immediately requested that Mike make him a replica of his favorite car.  And, to complicate things more, Mike decided that Emily should have a Mr. The King car to round out the theme. Below is just the beginning stages.

Now, as many of you know, Mike is pretty handy and mechanical so I knew this would be no problem for him.  What I didn't know, but should have foreseen, was just how many hours he was willing to put into making the perfect Lightning derby car.  Derby cars are small and typically don't take too long to build, but somehow we were able to stretch this project out over at least two months.

Race day came, and we definitely had two near perfect look alikes.  Mike had mentioned that he didn't know how fast they would be, so he had two "no-frills" cars ready to race just in case.  Noah had talked about nothing else for weeks, and Emily was very set on taking home the biggest trophy.  During weigh in, she even decided that she wanted to race her plain jane car instead of Mr. The King, because it was probably faster.
The heats start...with Noah's age group first.  I can tell right away that his car is going nowhere fast...actually nowhere slow....very slow.   But, when it was all over, and he didn't make the finals he seemed pretty unphased.   His bigger concern was when they were cutting the cake, and if he was going to get the end piece that he wanted.
Emily is a different story...all of my competitive drive in a six year old body. Her car ran pretty fast coming in 1st or 2nd in her heats, but not fast enough for the finals. Cue the breakdown.  As soon as she realized that the shiny first place trophy was going to be going home with someone else the tears started and didn't stop till we got home. As if this didn't make Mike feel bad enough, I decided (in what is admittedly not my proudest moment) to scold him for not making the cars faster.  $100,000 dollars worth of tools in that garage, and we can't pull out a pinewood derby win?  Come on!!!!  We want to win...who cares what the car looks like??!!!  Like I said...not my proudest moment.

So, in the end, we left with nothing but two really cool looking cars, and two "everyone's a winner!" participation ribbons. But, look out...next year we are going for speed, and I am sure that Emily has already picked out a spot for that trophy.  (And if she hasn't...I have.)