Sometimes the internet is just too darn awesome. Here are some of my most favorite links right now:
14 year old Rubik's Cube Wizard. I cannot believe how fast his fingers move!
My bubba. Don't worry -- the name is odd only if you don't understand that "My" is a Swedish girl and "Bubba" is an Icelandic girl. Together they make some lovely lo-fi music and do rad hand-clapping stuff.
PonyDry. Just weird.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
The most wonderful time of the year
Fall is the most wonderful.
(Wait - was I just heralding the long summer days and warm nights with fireflies and crickets? Or fawning all over the first daffodils poking their heads out of the frozen ground? I think that's what living in a seasonal climate does - I have a deep appreciation for the changes that come around every 3 months.)
In the past few days, I've raided apple stands at the farmer's market and made 2 gigantic batches of applesauce - nothing was canned. We all eat it too fast. In fact, I've decided that canning applesauce just isn't going to happen this year since it's not worth my time. They literally it eat faster than I can it.
We've roasted pumpkins and made butternut squash soup. We baked applesauce spice muffins and apple crisp. We had our first Sunday night roast chicken with red potatoes... the first of many Sunday night chickens to come this fall and winter.
We've had fall fests and faces painted and balloon animals created. They've jumped themselves silly in bounce houses and roasted s'mores over backyard firepits. The beach bag is retired for the season, the splash pool is in the attic, the super soakers are resting until called upon again next summer.
I'm in the midst of doing the semi-annual TakingStockOfTheChildren'sSeasonalClothing in which I stare at Christopher in disbelief over how looooong his legs keep getting and I laugh at how many of one thing Colin has (long-sleeved shirts) and how few of other things he has (the kid needs long pants, stat), and inwardly weep a little knowing that Evelyn will never again wear that darling summer romper or those ruffled pink shorts because she'll be too big for them next year. You only get to do summer as a one year-old once. The kids all need new mittens and I am happily spending my evenings knitting hats. We need a new snow bib or two, and the big coats will have to be washed up and freshened after 5 months of storage. The boys need boots.
School is good and friends are good. It's nice to have the oven on and make the house smell delicious and not overheat the whole place. Mums are in the front porch pots. The lawn likely won't need another mowing until next May. Time to move the veggie gardening tools to the back of the garage and bring forth all functional rakes. The leaves will soon start falling fast and furiously and no matter how on top of them we are, we are always behind.
It's time to enjoy October before the frenzy of the holidays begin.
(Wait - was I just heralding the long summer days and warm nights with fireflies and crickets? Or fawning all over the first daffodils poking their heads out of the frozen ground? I think that's what living in a seasonal climate does - I have a deep appreciation for the changes that come around every 3 months.)
In the past few days, I've raided apple stands at the farmer's market and made 2 gigantic batches of applesauce - nothing was canned. We all eat it too fast. In fact, I've decided that canning applesauce just isn't going to happen this year since it's not worth my time. They literally it eat faster than I can it.
We've roasted pumpkins and made butternut squash soup. We baked applesauce spice muffins and apple crisp. We had our first Sunday night roast chicken with red potatoes... the first of many Sunday night chickens to come this fall and winter.
We've had fall fests and faces painted and balloon animals created. They've jumped themselves silly in bounce houses and roasted s'mores over backyard firepits. The beach bag is retired for the season, the splash pool is in the attic, the super soakers are resting until called upon again next summer.
I'm in the midst of doing the semi-annual TakingStockOfTheChildren'sSeasonalClothing in which I stare at Christopher in disbelief over how looooong his legs keep getting and I laugh at how many of one thing Colin has (long-sleeved shirts) and how few of other things he has (the kid needs long pants, stat), and inwardly weep a little knowing that Evelyn will never again wear that darling summer romper or those ruffled pink shorts because she'll be too big for them next year. You only get to do summer as a one year-old once. The kids all need new mittens and I am happily spending my evenings knitting hats. We need a new snow bib or two, and the big coats will have to be washed up and freshened after 5 months of storage. The boys need boots.
School is good and friends are good. It's nice to have the oven on and make the house smell delicious and not overheat the whole place. Mums are in the front porch pots. The lawn likely won't need another mowing until next May. Time to move the veggie gardening tools to the back of the garage and bring forth all functional rakes. The leaves will soon start falling fast and furiously and no matter how on top of them we are, we are always behind.
It's time to enjoy October before the frenzy of the holidays begin.
Monday, September 14, 2015
No School Day
So, earlier this summer I planted our front yard veggie bed with all of the annual flower seeds I had to spare. Sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds, borage, cosmos, etc. Some of it came up, some of it didn't.
We have a day off from school today and the sun is shining. It's not warm, but it's not cold. The kids are outside barefoot with walkie talkies, the odd Duplo car, and a new stomp rocket set (count the seconds until I'll be summoned to retrieve a rocket that's landed on the garage roof). The upshot to full day Kindergarten and having a preschooler who's doing 4 mornings a week is that their days off are like play vacations. And Evelyn hangs out with them as best as she can. She calls after them, "Guys! Guys!" while she's trying to get up or down the stairs after them. It's completely awesome... until it isn't... and then I try to be one step ahead and reassess what might be the best change of pace.
I just went out to the front and cut a vase of zinnias and sunflowers! I've had coffee. Everyone is dressed and playing together. It's 9:19am. The day is a Win.
As soon as things start to fall apart we'll either bike/trailer or stroller/scoot to the library for a book refresh. I'll come up with something for the afternoon as I fake my way through the morning. If we can get to lunchtime and rest time, the remainder of the day will take care of itself.
School is off to a wonderful start. They're both happy and adjusting well. I love that while Evelyn and I are coming and going from our morning activities, we can hear the kids playing at school across the street and know that Christopher is among them and that our stroll to get Colin from his class is just 4 blocks away.
Of course, it's not perfect and there are a bazillion sibling squabbles and lost treasures and feelings hurt. It's still pretty good, though. Happy Back To School, everyone.
We have a day off from school today and the sun is shining. It's not warm, but it's not cold. The kids are outside barefoot with walkie talkies, the odd Duplo car, and a new stomp rocket set (count the seconds until I'll be summoned to retrieve a rocket that's landed on the garage roof). The upshot to full day Kindergarten and having a preschooler who's doing 4 mornings a week is that their days off are like play vacations. And Evelyn hangs out with them as best as she can. She calls after them, "Guys! Guys!" while she's trying to get up or down the stairs after them. It's completely awesome... until it isn't... and then I try to be one step ahead and reassess what might be the best change of pace.
I just went out to the front and cut a vase of zinnias and sunflowers! I've had coffee. Everyone is dressed and playing together. It's 9:19am. The day is a Win.
As soon as things start to fall apart we'll either bike/trailer or stroller/scoot to the library for a book refresh. I'll come up with something for the afternoon as I fake my way through the morning. If we can get to lunchtime and rest time, the remainder of the day will take care of itself.
School is off to a wonderful start. They're both happy and adjusting well. I love that while Evelyn and I are coming and going from our morning activities, we can hear the kids playing at school across the street and know that Christopher is among them and that our stroll to get Colin from his class is just 4 blocks away.
Of course, it's not perfect and there are a bazillion sibling squabbles and lost treasures and feelings hurt. It's still pretty good, though. Happy Back To School, everyone.
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