Mom in Madison

winter solstice.

2011-12-22T09:44:00.005-06:00

I didn't mean to be gone for this long. We went from G having a sore throat to a roller coaster of scary sick little boy which peaked with the frantic phone calls and urgent care and chest x-rays and febrile seizure...pneumonia. My sweet boy has been very sick. After a week of medicine, nebulizer and lots of love and rest, he is feeling much much better.

So with all of this we have been home for a while now - G is wrapping up medication that requires he avoid any virus exposure/people. So we will stay home through the weekend with lots of fresh smoothies, games, hugs, and holiday kids movies. Just what we need.

Today is the winter solstice. I am thankful we are all happy and well. I am thankful for a dusting of beautiful white snow on this dark day. And I am thankful that the sun will be staying a bit longer every day. Love and light and peace to you all on this solstice.

december days I

2011-12-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

These December days. They seem to inch along and yet time flies. It does not seem like December, so we are behind on holiday making/preparations. But that is OK. It looks and feel like fall. Or is it spring? Either way, we keep busy. Card games, board games, science experiments, robot building, reading, crafting (or should I just admit that I have done more craft supply organizing than actual crafting recently? ahem.), music making, microgreens growing, and ... more! What are you working on?

get moving! winter inside and outside.

2011-12-13T00:20:00.002-06:00

This time of year is about moving as much as it is also about pulling in and slowing down for the dark cold winter. With two boys we have to keep moving, no matter the weather!

Both A and G have a lot of energy and love being active. For us that means that while we do still like to get outside in the winter, a lot of what we do is inside (it gets cold in WI in winter!). The challenge is to find a fun variety of things to keep it interesting without taking up much space in our small house. We do have some out of the house action - A has karate a few times a week and both boys take a private dance class together weekly. We also have many other ways to go go go right here at home.

We have a small exercise trampoline in the living room.
The boys love the yoga ball for balancing, jumping, and tricks.
We have table tennis and electronic darts.
We love active games like twister or wii sports.
We have been known to rollerblade in the dining room and sometimes pull out a futon in the living room for gymnastics extravaganzas.
Of course I can't leave out daily dancing to loud music. Every day!
The boys have wooden crossbow and bow & arrow sets and a felt target for the front door.
We try to get outside for a walk or to a park whenever the weather is do-able, even if for a short time.
If it ever snows (!) we will be outside sledding and playing in that too!
We have rings to mount in an archway (I just need the anchors!)

This month the boys decided they wanted to do a 30 day wiiFit challenge, and so the 4 of us are doing 30 minutes a day each of yoga, balance training, strength training or cardio. It feels good to get moving even when it is blech outside - and it is a necessity when our winters can be so long.

What do you do in the winter to keep moving and active? What is your favorite in the house get moving activity?

sunshine.

2011-12-12T11:50:00.005-06:00

During this dark cloudy no snow December we keep searching for the light. MORE LIGHT!

We follow the sunshine when it does show up, even for a short time. We dance and play and lay in it.

G loves to scoot the trampoline along, following the trail of sunshine, jumping jumping jumping in the bright golden rays.

"I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time."

~Emily Dickinson

'tis the season.

2011-12-05T09:17:00.006-06:00

These dark cloudy wet days are perfect for cozying up at home and making things. We have been busy counting down to Solstice, making gifts and decorating. Some traditional things we do every year, some inspired by bloggy friends. All making the house a warm beautiful place to be. 'Tis the season!

Seven!

2011-11-27T21:46:00.007-06:00

Seven! Can you believe it? G is SEVEN today. After my asthma boy had a rough two weeks of being sick, he felt *just* better enough for his birthday overnight at a local hotel this weekend. We went swimming, sat in the hot tub, watched a movie in bed, and went out to dinner. We came back last night and were home today for his birthday. While he is still on the mend, he had a fun birthday full of family and lots of love.

Seven years have flown. G is such a gentle, creative and yet funny guy. I think it can be challenging to be A's younger brother - but G has such a fierce and protective spirit and takes good care of his brother when he is having a rough time. Everything he does involves his big brother, and yet he is still intensely independent and a very unique kid. Every moment of life is big and exciting and fun to him.

I love him more than anything and look forward to the next seven years (14?!?!?!). Happy Birthday sweet boy.

on the oval.

2011-11-17T12:44:00.007-06:00

About twice a year we get a special opportunity. We get to skate at the Pettit. The Pettit is one of only a dozen or so indoor 400-meter ovals in the world, and is an official US Olympic training facility. An interesting tidbit is that the Pettit is the only sea-level indoor oval in the US for training, so it is a key facility for athletes who will compete in the 2014 Olympics as the oval in Russia will also be at sea level (Did you know you skate faster in higher elevations than sea level? Higher altitudes have less air density - something like a 3% reduction for every 1,000 feet - which makes for less aerodynamic drag and faster speeds in skiing and skating!). All very exciting for my guys. Very exciting. ;)

Yesterday was the day. It takes some time to get the feet and ankles into the groove, but by the end of the time both boys are on the go. I cannot ice skate with my herniated discs in my back, but my husband Brice loves it and always takes a vacation day to come and skate with his boys. I get to watch and take lots of photos!

G made it around the oval a few times (400 meters may not sound so big, but it is HUGE!) and A whizzed around many more. Super fun day (and only a few blisters)!

clay gift tags.

2011-11-11T09:39:00.003-06:00

The gift making craftiness has begun. It is time for list making, gathering supplies, and making. The boys love making things too. One of the things we started this week is gift tags. We change it up from year to year, and this year decided to make some using air dry clay. It is a really simple process and the variations and possibilities are really endless.

For this first round we rolled out air dry clay fairly thinly and G picked out some stamps. Using a napkin ring (it was the perfect size we needed - you can also use cookie cutters of any shape you like) we cut out circles.

G then took a skewer and pierced a hole in the top of each one. He then stamped them. He did one batch that he stamped "a gift for you" and he added some little embellishments with other stamps around the edge for texture. Stamp words, names, designs, whatever you want.

We let them dry for 2 days. The first day they dried stamp up. We then flipped them over to dry a bit on back too.

You can use them as is - the white clay looks nice. Or, you can paint. We wanted an earthy look to go with some of our tea blend gifts, so we squirt a dab of gold acrylic paint on each disc, made sure the paint was in the sunken stamped areas, and then gently brushed/rubbed with a sponge brush to remove most of the paint from the surface (don't forget the back and edges), leaving the low lying words filled with darker paint. G finished a few dozen happily painting and brushing. Let dry. They look earthy and beautiful and are great for hand made gifts.

You can insert ribbon, raffia or twine through the hole and tie onto your gift. You can leave more generic or you can use the back of the disc to write a name (a paint pen works great). We are planning on making a few more batches of them since they look so nice - some that are long and skinny with stamped names going down the front, as well as a few other shapes/variations with stamps (snowflake, leaf, star). Love it!

first snow.

2011-11-09T23:34:00.007-06:00

Ah, first snow. We look forward to it every year. The anticipation and wondering when it will finally come. The air smells different. The birds huddle up in the bushes. The light changes.

Today we finally had first snow. Just enough to play in, build mini-snow people, throw around and do a few snow angels. Just enough to pull out the coats and snow pants and boots. Just enough to lay the garden down. Just enough to come in cold and wet with rosy cheeks and drink warm elderberry lemonade. Just enough to let us know winter is coming.

It will warm up enough to melt and we won't have anything stick for a few more weeks at least. But today was just enough.

Bon Hiver!

snake day.

2011-11-05T22:47:00.003-05:00

Snake Day is looked forward to year after year in this house. The boys ask how many more days until Snake Day, and count them down for the last few months. We leave early so we can be there the minute it opens, before the crowd. We spend hours circling around again and again.

While G loves visiting the snakes, he then likes to wander the museum. A, on the other hand, wants to stay in the room with the snakes (and turtles, alligators, lizards, etc.) all day. He doesn't want to leave. Or visit other parts of the museum. This year his recent intense phobia of the dark means he could only go in the bright areas of the museum - which is about 10% of it. He tried, but ended up covering his ears, looking down, and refusing to step deep into the dark hallways full of the exhibits. So we visited a few things (butterflies!), but spent hour upon hour with the snakes! A loves their calm quiet, G likes their silky feel.

So we begin the countdown to the next Snake Day. 364 days to go!

my kind of saturday night.

2011-10-30T11:35:00.006-05:00

I love the cooler nights, the early darkness. The boys play with friends in the alley - running in the dusk, bundled and rosy cheeked. The parents holding steaming mugs of tea or cocoa.

Last night was perfect for a fire pit. Our yard is so small it isn't safe to do it when windy, but last night was cold with only a slight breeze. We pulled out the pit, the boys setup the wood just so with some used paper wadded up below, and both had a chance to light it (yes, they lit a fire with matches :)).

We found marshmallows, graham crackers, skewers. The neighbors came over and all the boys roasted the insanely huge marshmallows and A counted how many times he could light his on fire. Ahem.

A grabbed his guitar, because strumming around a fire is just what you do.

The darkness fell, and the flames mesmerized and warmed us.

After the neighbors went in for the evening we sat out around the fire, watched the flames, and talked about things. My kind of Saturday night!

pumpkins.

2011-10-26T22:29:00.008-05:00

Where we live road side farm stands, pumpkin patches, orchards and farms are everywhere. From the few rows of pumpkins outside of a rural farmhouse to the elaborate production of a farm that caters to the school buses and field trips. It's all here. We have many favorites, and will always stop at more than one spot throughout the season.

We have our favorite carving pumpkins, favorite pie pumpkins, the place with the chatty owner, the place with the friendly cats and some goats, the best hayrides, the place that always has unusual varieties of winter squash, the farm that has the best wagons. And if we can squeak in during quiet times, we visit our favorite farm maze or that spot with excellent caramel apples.

And so it goes, year after year. Boys keep getting bigger, but they still love pulling that wagon. And even if it is only a few miles from home, it is about the whole experience. What park do we have to go to nearby? Do we need a picnic, is the weather perfect? Do we have the right music for the drive? ;)

And only when the farms and road side stands all finally close up, when there are no more signs with arrows scattered along the roadsides, and all of our pie pumpkins have been puréed, does it feel truly like winter is not far behind.

into the world of audio.

2011-10-24T23:48:00.008-05:00

My boys have never really enjoyed children's museums. But science museums? Love. And I love having a family membership. Because no matter how often we go, there is always something new to look at even if the exhibits don't change.

The older they get, the more they focus on the details, they stand and read the screens, or move to areas they were not that interested in before. This trip we spent time in some of the familiar places. They love the robotics, flight simulator, aquarium and submarine. They love the bed of nails, the energy independent house, the touch tanks, the large ship hanging from the ceiling.

And then we ventured into the audio/music area for the longest ever this weekend. We banged and played and watched and listened. We made music. We made noise. We saw sound. And we learned about sound and the history of audio recording. While they still don't really care about the Les Paul guitars (Who is Robert Plant? Why is a signed guitar behind glass?), there is a lot of cool stuff in there. Keyboards, guitars, drum machines, funky interactive music consoles, sound wave generators. Not to mention a recording studio.

Like mother like sons.

fall days.

2011-10-21T09:17:00.005-05:00

I love the cool crispness of fall. Colder days - some dark, some sunny, most windy. The crunch of leaves underfoot. The frost on the rooftops, the birds busy at the birdfeeder. Boys layered up to keep warm. Those red rosy cheeks when they come in from the cold. The smell of outside lingering in hair, on clothes. The rich aroma of fresh cider on the stovetop, ready to warm them. Yes, life is good.

autumn garden.

2011-10-19T10:03:00.006-05:00

The days are chilly, the nights are very cold. The garden is wrapping up slowly. We have pulled out one area of the finished tomato, pepper and cucumber plants. The squash has been picked and the vines cleared. But there are still full areas. Full of red raspberries, full of kale, full of herbs and flowers that seem to go on and on even with freezing temps and frost.

We are still picking kale. I grow a lot of kale because I love it in soups and stews all winter, and also because we have a bunny (she loves it). I pick from a few main plants all summer and leave a few others for late fall - just because I love how beautiful they look when they are huge twisty frilly trees of vibrant color. We still have wonderberries and huckleberries, swiss chard, calendula, feverfew, parsley, lovage. The amaranth is battered from our strong October winds but we leave some because we love all the color.

I have been slowing digging up and re-potting herbs. I have brought in parsley, thyme, celery and basil. We are starting trays of greens for our indoor garden, but I love how long we can keep herbs going when they move to a sunny window.

We have planted more greens and radishes along with a few other things, but they grow more slowly with the cold and darkness.

We leave some things for the birds - some currants still on bush, sunflower heads bent and dried full of seeds, and the compost pile is a popular spot for the juncos. And the chipmunk clears out most of the tomatoes that I pretend I don't see (am I the only one who gets really tired of tomatoes by mid October?).

I do love this time of year - the cold, the smell of the air. Tucking in, laying to rest, getting ready for winter.

How is your garden?

glow stick lanterns.

2011-10-17T23:47:00.006-05:00

With the dark arriving earlier and earlier, the boys are often out playing with the neighbors as it gets dark. They play tag and ghost in the graveyard. We walk around the block to see what spooky decorations are turned on. And we play with glow sticks.

We've been wanting to crack some open after being reminded by Tara. We gathered a few of the larger glow sticks, canning jars, strong scissors and water. We cracked and shook, and then cut off the top and poured the liquid into the canning jars (using a fine strainer keeps the little broken bits out of your jars). You can keep single colors or mix and see what you get. If you add a little bit of water you get a bit better glow.

Screw the lids on tight and shake! The canning jar glows so much (for hours, depending on your glow sticks) - very cool and lots of fun.

If you get some on your fingers just wash with soap. Or, run around in the dark waving your hands in the air and moaning like a ghost to get a few awesome shrieks. Ahem. Although non-toxic the liquid can have little shards in it from cracking the tube to activate, so you don't want to play in the liquid - keep it in the jar. When you are done you can just wash the jars with hot soapy water.

autumn.

2011-10-16T22:38:00.004-05:00

It is happening. The trees and grasses have gone from green to vivid and are now slowly turning to rusty brown. The winds and rain came and blew many trees empty, but pockets of startling bold autumn can still be found. Combines and tractors move slowly down the roads and through the fields.

After some hot days we have had chilly windy days. Fleeces, sweaters, hats and gloves. Feels like fall. I can see how the light is moving. We wake before the sunrise each morning now. The dark comes earlier and earlier every evening. The nights are crisp and cold. The wind makes the house shake, and blows everything bare. I can feel myself tucking into it, looking forward to the cold. I can smell the change in the air.

"How beautifully leaves grow old.
How full of light and color are their last days. "

~John Burroughs

ghost lanterns.

2011-10-13T06:03:00.000-05:00

As the rainy fall days surround us, we think of light. More light! It has been awhile since we have made any canning jar tissue paper lanterns, so today in the spirit of G's holiday decorating mission we made ghosts. These are always fun and easy to make and you can pretty much find a design for any holiday or season (here is a good tutorial with Halloween designs if you want more than my laid back general info!).

G and I cut strips of white tissue paper, pulled out brushes, put out craft mats, and poured Mod Podge into bowls. Working a strip at a time the boys then brushed on Mod Podge, then applied a strip, gently tapping and coating each strip as they adhered.

They did two layers, leaving the tops loose until the end. They then added Mod Podge to the top edge and then sprinkled a good bit of white thick glitter all over the outside.

Must have glitter.

We trimmed the tops so no white paper was over the opening and let them dry. We did apply a single water based varnish layer with a brush after the modpodge dried. If you don't use glitter you won't need it, but we didn't want to shed glitter forever (there are now versions of all-in-one Mod Podge glue/sealer/finish that glow in the dark, shimmer and have glitter, but ours was...plain).

When dry G helped draw face designs and I cut them out. He glued them on with a thick glue stick layer. All that was left was inserting a tea light and turning out the lights!

apple candles.

2011-10-12T09:40:00.005-05:00

G asked the other day when we were going to make the apple candles. It is fall, after all, and we have been stopping at the orchard every week for a month! Which means of course we immediately went to gather the supplies and make some.

We found a few apples that were not the most perfect to eat. G first scraped out a little hole in the top. He used the apple corer to push an inch in and then popped that out and scooped with a spoon (a grapefruit spoon worked best, if you have one). His brother decided if there was apple gutting going on, he was making some too.

G scooped and fit, scooped and fit, until the hole was just big enough to hold a tea light (we had black amber tea lights). He slid those in.

From there, he wanted to decorate them, so he found some fall leaf craft 'buttons' and using fat topped sewing pins, he pierced the apple to secure. He also studded a ring around the top with cloves.

The final touches included cutting out some modeling wax in leaf and apple shapes to scatter around the holder.

Done! Apple candles will last only a few days, but they look and smell nice! It gets dark earlier and earlier, and G loves when they are lit in the evening.

Our house is feeling more fall festive by the day - although G says we have a lot to do still! :)

felt skull bunting/banner.

2011-10-10T23:59:00.004-05:00

For the past week, G has been on a crafting extravaganza. We have made and baked and crafted and created. He loves that the holidays are upon us and we can FINALLY decorate the house for something! One of the first projects we did was a felt skull banner.

Supplies:: 2 pieces of 8.5x11" orange felt, and 2 pieces of 8.5x11" dark brown felt (you can use black too, we just like brown/orange for Halloween). Bias tape or hem binding. Stapler (or sewing machine). Glitter glue. Craft glue. Scissors.

I cut one piece of the orange felt into quarters (fold in half, cut. fold both halves in half, cut).
Did the same for the brown. This makes 4 orange rectangles and 4 brown.

We had looked online for a skull I could cut out with scissors easily (and which G approved of), and found this one. I cut it out after printing a copy to the printer (printed larger/blown up to fit my felt rectangles). I used a chalk pattern pencil to outline it to the felt. I cut out 4 orange skulls and 4 brown skulls from the other 2 felt sheets.

G got to work laying out all of the felt pieces and gluing orange skulls to brown felt, and brown skulls to orange felt.

Once that was done, it was time to attach the felt bunting/banners to the bias tape (you could easily use a ribbon or hem tape too). I offered to sew it for an even stitch, but as he must do everything himself and already had to concede that I must do the skull cutting, he decided that stapling would be best. He carefully stapled each felt piece to the bias tape.

He then applied a glitter glue design to cover the staples.

After it dried for awhile it was ready to hang. We now have an awesome skull bunting/banner hanging in our window. He wants to make more! I have my scissors ready.

flying.

2011-10-03T08:48:00.004-05:00

My guys were a bit under the weather all week with colds. We had some dark rainy days, which were perfect for curling up on the couch, reading and snuggling. They were feeling better this weekend and so we were able to get out for some beautiful fall color and country drives. We also got to play with some new toys.

They are boys. We often find ourselves with remote (or solar) powered robots or cars, balsa wood airplanes and gliders, fancy kites, or ... anything that flies or drives fast!

The helicopter actually flies better indoors than out, which will be perfect for winter!

Back to healthy boys, back to our routine, back to ... fall!

fun science at home.

2011-09-26T11:10:00.012-05:00

Dark wet fall weekends are perfect for family home life. We cozy up, bake, make, read, play, and spend time together. Science is big in our house - there is always something on the to-do list, and there is always a basket filled with something or other we want to play around with. Sometimes we do bigger projects - program a robot, make a solar oven, look through the microscope for specific somethings, test water or soil, see what happens. But sometimes the small projects are really fun too. And they are fun to repeat and even if simple they never quiet get boring (at least with my boys).

One of those endlessly fun things is the cornstarch project. You mix water and corn starch and get a funky substance that is both a solid and a liquid. The thing is water and corn starch don't completely mix. Their molecules slither around each other. The corn starch molecules get tangled up, but the water molecules flow around them. So, if you whack the substance hard, the molecules don't have time to move and it feels like a solid. When you move into it slowly however, the water molecules have time to flow around and it is a liquid. It is messy. It is fun. And it is easy to do.

You might want to cover your table with something.
Pour 2 cups of corn starch into a bowl. Measure 1 cup of water and add a few drops of food coloring if you want. Stir. Slowly add the water mixture into the corn starch, stirring as you go. Mix it up - it should be really thick and hard to stir. If you can't stir at all add a little more water, but it should be a bit of a struggle.

Now, go! First try to hit the mixture with your knuckles quickly.

Next, gently press your fingers or hand into it.

Goo is a long time of fun.

Another easy and fun one is making a lemon battery - with your tongue as the final connection. Batteries of course are made with two metals and an acid. One metal has a positive charge, one a negative and the lemon is the acid. By sticking your tongue on it, you complete the circuit and get the tingle.

Take a lemon and push while you roll it on the counter to get it juicy inside. Straighten a paper clip and stick it in the lemon. Take a piece of copper wire about the same length as the paper clip and insert it into the lemon near the paper clip. Touch it to your tongue! You should feel it tingle.

We had zinc and copper plates from another science kit, so used those and got a bigger tingle. Whoo hoo! :) We could also test the current by connecting it to a little LED light.

Very fun. Perfect family fun for a dark rainy day.

welcoming autumn.

2011-09-22T22:30:00.003-05:00

I love the change from summer to autumn. Cool days, chilly nights. The smell of the air. The angle of the light. How everything goes from such vivid green to every other color - red, yellow, orange, brown. Everything looks different.

The past few days we have watched the colors start to appear and so today we had to go wander to the pond and nature trail at our local apple orchard (just 5 miles from home) to get out in the wonder of it all. We are excited to welcome autumn!

adventure.

2011-09-18T23:14:00.010-05:00

Saturday we woke to perfect weather. Sunny and cool. We told the boys we were going on an adventure, packed up the car and headed out. And oh, what an adventure we had.

Our first stop was a county park in the woods with a big sandy beach and spring fed lake.

The boys cast on an empty sunny beach with practice weights on fishing poles, saw where a spring bubbled up from the sand and fed the lake and watched the water lapping against rocky outcroppings.

We saw butterflies and dragonflies and birds.

After a lots of casting and playing, we told the boys we had to head out to the next place on our adventure, packed back up and hit the road.

Our next surprise stop was at our at our very favorite hiking trail at our favorite state park.

We hiked a steep cliff of rocky stairs down down down into a waterfall oasis. Filled with ferns, caves, a clear pool and rambling creek.

There was a lot of rock hopping, frog watching, stick finding and cave exploring.

And of course plenty of hiding behind the waterfall.

In this beautiful place fall has already arrived, and golden leaves drifted down around us the whole time we were there.

We walked down the trail beyond the waterfall oasis, hiking along a mossy fern covered creek bed.

We looked at animals, trees and moss. We crossed bridge after bridge, and climbed fallen trees. We felt bark, and moved fuzzy caterpillars to safer spots.

We hiked and wandered and went back to the waterfall. As we climbed the steep stairs out of the oasis, the boys said they never wanted to leave that magical spot. After passing creeks, watercress, fields of goldenrod and galloping horses, we headed out for our next stop.

We drove past Frank Lloyd Wright, stopped in a small town cafe, and visited another county park high atop a hill. The boys spun and climbed and ran and skipped.

We looked out at fields of gold from up high. We counted silos, we watched the patches of sun move across the landscape.

We listened to the wind.

As we headed back for our last stop near home the boys talked about their favorite parts of the the adventure. A sobbed, never wanting it to end. He wants to always take the scenic route. He wants an adventure day every week. My boys said it was the best day of their entire life. Of course they say that every day. And that is how I like it.

herb pressing.

2011-09-14T06:41:00.000-05:00

We love to press herbs and flowers and use them for crafts like ornaments, bookmarks, gift tags or artwork. We pick all kinds of flowers - from lilacs and violets to those lovely flowers atop the arugula going to seed and dill tops.

Pressing flowers is nice because they are so colorful even months later when peeled from between the pages. But we also love to press herbs and leaves. We are always picking different things and experimenting. Some may be for our quest to see if we remember what they are later, or just using something that caught the eye of A or G.

We also love pressing things for ... smell. There is something quite heady about getting a whiff of an herb in January during a blizzard. We try different things to see what holds the smell best. We do dehydrate herbs for culinary uses but they turn dark and crinkle in the dehydrator so all we get is smell. Pressing in a flower press we keep color and shape and often the scent!

So throughout the summer we will remember to pick and press for both crafts and smell. This week we heard that we might get an early frost and could lose the delicate greenery. Which means it was the perfect time to pick. One of our presses is full of summer flowers, but we still had some space in the second one.

We picked all kinds of things - remembering or wondering which would be best later.

We picked flowering herb tops such as hyssop, chocolate mint, spearmint, lemon balm, tiny dill heads, shisho, thai basil, purple basil. We picked other leafy herbs like celery tops, thyme, marjoram, cilantro, and fennel. And of course the boys picked some other things that looked interesting like nasturtium flowers, lilacs, a piece of tomato leaf (G wants to sniff it later!), and some clover just for good luck. They wanted to save all the four leaf clover so they will have good luck all winter, so they searched and searched. ;)

I am interested to see if the celery still smells in 4 months!

What do you think would retain its scent best?

clay!

2011-09-13T09:39:00.009-05:00

For this fall, the boys wanted to try some new classes/activities. Of course the challenge is that asthma boy is not supposed to be in crowds of kids during cold/flu season, and we have to be *really* careful (not to mention that my other sensory boy can't do loud/crowded anyway).

One of the activities the boys have wanted to do is clay/pottery. We found an awesome local studio that has open studio hours during the week days and we can go whenever we want to and not worry so much about crowds of kids and loud and too much and viruses. PERFECT.

We went to our first open clay studio last week and the got familiar with the setup and how things work. Both boys really enjoyed themselves, and we will definitely be going all winter. We even hope to have a private lesson so they can learn the wheel! Fun!

And the bonus is this mama can participate too - love it.

adding it up.

2011-09-07T22:55:00.006-05:00

I love that he collects change from all over, all the time, to add to his change bank. Every penny goes in. From pockets and purses and that little spot in the van that collects change and odd bits. Almost every day. A few times a year it is full enough to take in to the bank. I love that even though he is the only one that remembers to put loose change in the bank, he always, without fail, says he is splitting it 50/50 with his big brother. And he does.

He carries that heavy load into the bank and asks to cash it in. I love that every time he guesses how much it will be, and he is always close.

He always has a plan and knows what he wants to buy with his money. But today he got something NOT on his list. He has been trying on hats for the past few months. Looking for "his style", but nothing has been right. But today he found it. THE hat.

It fits him, don't you think?

...to long weekends.

2011-09-06T09:41:00.006-05:00

I love long holiday weekends with perfect weather. Don't you? This weekend was so busy, but all good busy. And I mean good busy in that I didn't have to touch tomatoes but to make a salad all weekend! ;)

We had family in town, so lots of cleaning and cooking to prepare. And then of course a lot of visiting and catching up!

I had both of my sisters in town on Saturday - at the same time. The three of us haven't been in a room together at the same time in years (my family has 4 siblings living in 4 states). And the boys had some aunt catching up to do.

Sunday was more family time, walks, ice cream and botanical gardens. The boys were happy but exhausted after so much.

So for Monday we knew we needed a laid back day, but wanted to get out in the perfect weather. We headed to Old World Wisconsin, which is one of the largest living history museums in the world (almost 600 acres). So much room to roam!

We walked and wandered and visited all the animals and looked at the gardens and went into each farm. We took tram rides around the farms and through the woods.

We played games and watched wild turkeys. It was a perfect day to be out - pants and fleeces and sunshine and blue skies. I love the cooler air and happy boys who could walk and run and play without worrying about prickly heat, heat rash or sun blisters. SO wonderful!

I'm back to the tomatoes and red raspberries, but that is OK. A little quiet kitchen is good after so much weekend! Happy Tuesday!

weekending.

2011-08-28T23:09:00.004-05:00

Oh glorious Sunday. A day of not too hot, not too humid, blue skies, sunny and breezy. Just perfect to spend just about every moment outside.

We started off with an early morning park visit for swinging and spinning and being silly.

And then of course playing with neighbor friends in the yard/alley.

And then a nice walk at the botanical garden to see ... everything.

Fountains and reflections and water bugs and pom pom flowers bigger than a kids head. ;)

And of course bees and flowers and towers and butterflies.

And then the Italian Deli for Italian ice and good cheese.

And more playing with the neighbors...scooters and bikes and buckets (!?) and pit stops and forts and hide and seek. Stopping only for snack breaks.

They told me a warm bubble bath at the end of the day never felt so good. Happy Sunday!

august garden, pt. 2

2011-08-25T23:13:00.011-05:00

We have been busy busy both at home and out and about this week and I have a lot to share, but I keep getting distracted by the garden this time of year.

I usually am in the garden twice a day - in the morning while the boys are eating breakfast. I water pots, pick, tie, check and basically wander outside. I go out again in the evening when the boys are playing in the alley with friends - to water the pots again and beds if needed, weed, check and basically wander outside. The garden is always mostly shaded at these times, and yet sun peeks in here and there. It is a great place to wander. To walk. To think. To think about not thinking. To feel the grass underfoot. When the light is just right I usually grab my camera and wander some more.

I love wandering so I can pick all of the veggies, fruit and herbs of course - we are overly abundant in tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, squash, and the raspberries are ripening, eaten right off the canes.

But it is more than that. There is so much to see. The curls of the vines, the way things move to the sun. The color - so vivid! It is all so complex. But all so simple.

The beans have wound up and over sunflowers, amaranth, and even bushes. They reach for the sunshine. The insects all seem to have a path, a plan, and a single minded pursuit.

The herbs are wild by now. I dig around and under massive plants to find fenugreek, feverfew, toothache plant (chewing on the leaves makes your whole mouth tingle!). I turn the nozzle on the rainbarrel and the water rushes out, loud and fast after a rain.

Some things look completely surreal - the boys search and touch the tiny fuzzy melon vines every time they think of it. The fuzz feels like the backs of the bumblebees we sometimes stroke.

The garden is so thick that it envelopes us when we sit outside. Everything feels private even though we are very close to neighbors here. We turn on the gazebo lights and listen to the frogs (amazing we have them in our yard) and crickets.

This week we cleared some space for fall planting - we planted beets, radishes, onions, peas, and several kinds of greens, and more will come. In the midst of so much green seeing a patch of such dark brown earth is almost startling.

I love seeing the rows of tiny little seedlings shaded under what now seems like ancient trees of kale.

And, just as I start thinking about the indoor winter garden (baby/microgreens) seeds are going on sale. Today 37 packets of seeds arrived. So many seeds, so many plants, so many ideas, so much color, so much variety, endless possibilities.

Even though it is still hot, I can just feel things will start changing soon. Slowing down. Finishing up. Cooling down.

Not yet though. While I can see the change of light and smell the cool morning air, we have quite a bit of this left. So I still have plenty of time to wander.

How does your garden grow?

sunset.

2011-08-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

"Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colors;
let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow."

~Kahlil Gibran

science!

2011-08-21T23:43:00.004-05:00

My husband is a software engineer who loves technology and even spent a few years in a robotics club. So, it is no surprise there is a lot of technology, robotics, and science in this house. A is a science/engineering kid like his dad. He loves it. We build from kits, program things, sometimes follow instructions, and sometimes come up with some fun ideas - usually inspired by something we have seen or read.

On Saturday, after a morning of watching some robotics competition inspiration and looking up fun looking projects, we decided to try something new. Brice found an application where we could visually map the wii-mote and the wii balance board onto displays and graphs. The boys loved seeing how movement affected displays, and played around with measurement and finding a balanced center. Even G thought this was cool.

From here my guys plan to create a program for the wii-mote and wii balance board to interface with and control a LEGO Mindstorms robot! Sweet! Can't wait.

friday wanderings.

2011-08-19T23:07:00.009-05:00

Today we hit the road to visit a state park about an hour away. We planned to spend the day exploring, playing at the park, climbing the towers and have a picnic. After a long drive we passed the park entrance check in and found ourselves in the middle of yellow buses, full shelter, and at least 100 kids plus supervisors. Day camp field trip. Needless to say, we couldn't stay as there was no room (it is a very small state park, there is only the one play/shelter area). As we drove right on past the park/shelter area, we saw 50 kids marching towards the east tower and 50 kids marching to the west. We didn't want to drive SO LONG for nothing, so we tried to zip quickly to the lookout tower so we could get up for the view before we were swarmed. The kids heading to the west tower had a whole field to cross, so we zipped over, and skipped to the tower steps.

These lookout towers are pretty cool - and - very very high and slatted worn wood and little wood rails at the top. A and I are very afraid of heights and A made it only halfway up the very very high see through wooden steps before heading back down.

Once G and Brice were at the top and waved over, A decided to take one more shot before the huge line of kids in matching t-shirts arrived.

We didn't look up or down and rhythmically stepped to the top. I walked right behind him. He made it! Once on top A and I hugged the center railing while G had no qualms about skipping to the very edge (!). I about passed out, but I surely wasn't going to stand at the bottom for something like a palm sweating world spinning anxiety producing fear of heights. ;)

We looked at the amazing view and took some photos...and when we heard the footsteps below, we hurried down (not wanting to be on the top of a freaky high rickety wooden tower with 25 or so kids). Perfect timing.

We obviously couldn't stay at the state park so we had to find another spot. We ventured right down the highway to try a county park we had not visited in years.

It was fun!

It is a really small park, but nice and quiet and the view is absolutely amazing. We hung out, read all the historical markers, played in the playground, messed around with the GPS, and had a great time.

Did I mention the view was amazing?

From there we kept wandering the rural roads heading back into town slowly but surely. It ended up being a nice day - and I think we will head back to that state park when all the kids are back in school, when we can enjoy it.

Happy Friday!

august garden, pt. 1

2011-08-16T23:27:00.006-05:00

Things I love about the garden in August?

That after even the hottest summer days, when you walk through our arch in the evening when the garden has just been watered you can feel the temperature drop immediately and you are enveloped by the smell of damp earth and flowers ... like entering another world.

That when the grass all around is brittle and brown, the garden is still green and luscious.

That there are so many busy bees you can hear them buzz and sometimes feel them lightly brush by as they go about their way.

That there is something blooming somewhere, all the time.

That even though our tomatoes (and cucumbers, and peppers, and melons, and squash) come in a LOT later than everyone else in our area because of our garden location/sunlight (no matter how early we start), we do still get them.

That it all gets SO thick that my husband just about every night wanders with a shirt full of veggies saying "I can't find anything else!" and then I find another shirt worth.

That there are bushes flowering in August every year that are not supposed to. I have lilacs! In mid-August!

That under all of those leaves are a LOT of squash.

That even when I think we have lost something due to wet or dry to heat or cold, when pulling 'finished' plants I find things that have been busy winding their way where they need to go.

That there is always someone (big or small) out with me each evening, filling the watering can from the rain barrel, and carefully watering each and every pot we have.

And, that I'm not the only one out there talking to the birds, the chipmunk, the frog, the plants, or the bees.

plushies!

2011-08-15T19:36:00.001-05:00

A & G came to me last week and asked if I could sew them luma plushies. After finding out what a luma is, we got to work. They googled and found a pattern for me to use.

We then hit the local fabric shop where they picked out their fabric, stuffing, thread, and felt for the eyes. Ready!

I sewed and cut and stitched and stuffed - with help from the boys, of course.

It is a decent pattern, so the result was...luma plushies!

They turned out great and now my guys have decided to put me to work making them a full rainbow of luma - I think I might need a thimble! :)

looking out the window.

2011-08-15T00:09:00.003-05:00

"Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn."

- Michelle L. Thieme

tree hugger.

2011-08-10T23:54:00.002-05:00

busy, busy.

2011-08-10T11:09:00.009-05:00

Busy, busy. Oh, August! We are in the peak of summer and we are looking forward to fall. We have had a few nice cloudy with some much needed rain days and have been spending time close to home, but busy busy!

LEGO Mindstorms

The boys have been busy...playing outside and inside. Snuggling. board games, karate, library, painting, robotics, building science kits, and this week making movies of each other with the video camera.

solar and generator powered robot kit

The kitchen is always a busy spot - this time of year the garden and CSA bring in an abundance of fruit and vegetables and it can be (who am I fooling, it IS) a full time job just keeping up! There has been canning, freezing, drying, baking, making. So good!

zucchini bread

dehydrated tomatoes in olive oil with spices

calendula oil

The home...I love re-arranging furniture and organizing. It makes everything feel fresh and on those hot hot days when we spend more time inside, it helps us feel all energized and creative. I also love walking into a nice bright and clean living room when my kitchen is overflowing with vegetables, canning jars and (a lot of) dirty pots! The boys always like it too and they recently got into refreshing their space and added some color and wall decals.

And last but not least, the garden. This time of year is jungle time. Tomatoes are just ripening, cucumbers are fattening up, the squash is growing so much every day it is amazing, and everything is so thickly entwined and jungle-like that it is sometimes hard to find and pick everything! I often find a HUGE cucumber in a bush or something. ;) But it is all so beautiful and busy.

I love that after a few months of slow and summer there is this mad dash to fall feeling once the garden starts to peak - the light changes, it starts getting dark a little earlier again, the mornings feel a little cooler. Ahhhh.

How is your August?

weekending.

2011-08-07T23:14:00.008-05:00

We took a day trip this weekend to a museum in Iowa that we visit usually once a year or so. The boys have been wanting to get back there and so today we hit the road.

This trip the boys really just wanted to see the aquariums...we spent hours going from aquarium to aquarium to touch tanks and back again. FUN!

(yes, this is a BIG catfish!!!)

We made it home exhausted but happy. A great trip.

Hope you had a nice weekend!

bowlin'...

2011-08-06T20:38:00.003-05:00

The perfect way to spend a hot summer afternoon!

still.

2011-08-04T23:47:00.002-05:00

"It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts."
~K.T. Jong

brothers.

2011-08-03T23:15:00.004-05:00

This is how I find them several times a day. I leave the room to grab snacks or fold some laundry and when I return there they are, heads close together, talking, working on something, giggling, reading, whispering. Today they were watching a Bill Nye DVD we picked up from the library, snuggled up. While they disagree on some things they are still and always, best friends. Brothers.

"Help your brother's boat across, and your own will reach the shore."
~Hindu Proverb

++

I love taking photos of them together it seems!
Here are some previous posts of - you guessed it - brothers::
brothers ('11) | it doesn't get better than this | super heroes |
masters of disguise | brothers ('09) |
photo of the day - brothers | brothers (2007!!!!!!!!!) |

steaming up.

2011-08-02T23:10:00.003-05:00

I went outside to take some pictures of a beautiful sunset. It was so hot and humid that my camera fogged up instantly, and no matter how long I stood there and waited it just wouldn't clear. I took photos anyway, looking at the foggy burned look I got in the viewfinder.

I watched the whole sunset, and saw the orange ball fall below the horizon. The birds and insects screamed, the houses quiet, the concrete still hot under my feet. I think I'll leave it at that.

hum.

2011-08-02T05:31:00.000-05:00

"The hum of bees is the voice of the garden."
- Elizabeth Lawrence

bits of summer.

2011-08-01T09:24:00.006-05:00

This has been the summer of hot and humid. It seems to be never ending - but we try to enjoy it in short spurts.

The boys had found water balloons when out shopping and so wanted to try them. I know - they have done them before, but it has been a few years.

So we filled and filled and filled (all parents know water balloons take ridiculously long to fill, and only moments to burst). The goal was to get wet and stay cool but neither one got a hit - both from aim and dodging. :)

But I think the point of water balloons is the idea of them, more than the actual thing, don't you think? Squishy cool balloons. Blinding sunshine. Slivers of shade. Throwing. Dodging. Cold water. Prickly dry grass. Hot concrete under bare feet. Coming into cool inside air after getting so hot running around.

Bits of summer.

science museum.

2011-07-26T22:59:00.004-05:00

There are a few museums that we visit once or twice and the boys have it down and just are not interested in visiting again. And then there are a few museums that they find endlessly interesting no matter how many times we go. As they get older they read more of the displays, do more of the activities, and spend more time just digging into the details. The science museum in Milwaukee is like that for them - and they always want to go again every few months.

Although we have been many times they always find new things. A brand new exhibit - with a cool periodic table interactive display. Checking out new mine production maps for the globe (gold, diamonds, coal, oil, copper, etc....interesting!). Virtual welding.

This time they didn't just look at the fish but read all of the interactive screens about what the fish actually are called, where they live, and their ideal environment.

They hunted down every single hidden exhibit type of camera and made silly faces and (not surprisingly) wiggled booties at every one.

They stayed in the submarine lab area looking at equipment, exploring tanks and checking out the cameras.

They interacted with a diver in one of the fish tanks. And they visited the design lab to build a laser cut house and make a funky windsock.

Of course no trip is complete without the favorites too.

Lying on the floor in front of the huge aquarium glass. Touching rays and sturgeon.

Repeat turns on the bed of nails. Exploring the ship. Working levers and bevels. Seeing a worm farm.

Making music. Virtually flying and landing an airplane. Checking out engines and robots and hybrid cars and seeing if they could run fast enough on the giant wheel to pump water and light the light bulbs.

And hanging out by the lake for a few to watch people, boats, birds, and skyline.

It was so nice to have a normal family museum trip day after the past few hectic months. Just what we needed.

super fast.

2011-07-25T08:50:00.006-05:00

This weekend the boys had a visit from their Uncle Sven - he is moving to Colorado and drove up from Chicago for a visit before his move. He brought with him an RC car that he built himself a few years back. A really fast not just a toy one. Very cool.

The boys were super excited, and drove it up and down the alley, attracting kids from just about every house along the way. When Uncle Sven left, he left his RC car with us. Needless to say, my guys drove it a lot all weekend. Of course my husband Brice found that there is a special RC dirt track only 12 miles from our house, so they will be testing it there soon.

And last night Brice strapped his iPhone to the body casing and ran speed tests down the alley (attracting dads from the houses down the alley). The result? It recorded a speed of 22.4 miles per hour. Super fast.

jungle time.

2011-07-20T11:00:00.006-05:00

It is that time of year. The jungle time! The garden is so thick and green it is hard to get in there to reach things and forget about even finding weeds. It is thick and lush and things are finally growing and ripening and vining. This week we are in the midst of a big heat wave though, so I don't expect full jungle to last long.

A lot of the greens which have lasted so long this summer will surely be done with all of these ridiculously high temperatures. But of course the tomatoes, cucumbers and squash will be happy as long as I can keep them watered. It is HOT!

While the strawberries are long gone the golden raspberries are still going strong, the red raspberries are turning pink, the blackberries are close, and I have been cutting huge bowls full of white currants.

Right now I'm making a white currant~lavender syrup for home made sodas. Oh yeah.

With the sun exposure (or lack thereof) in our yard our tomatoes usually ripen later than elsewhere. We won't be eating tomatoes from the garden for a few more weeks - but when we do it looks like we will have a LOT this year. I can't wait to try the candy cane cherry tomatoes.

I am just starting to pick the tiny cucumbers for cornichons, and will let some grow bigger for pickle slices.

There is so much kale it is actually kind of over the top. It usually doesn't do so well, but the crazy spring/summer weather so far seems to have been perfect for nothing but ... KALE! But of course we are cranking out the kale chips and I have one very very happy angora rabbit.

Some things are going to seed - and I am drying and saving seeds for next year. The dehydrator is working full time, drying fruit, herbs, vegetables and seed heads.

And I am continuing my love affair for these guys. Every time I have a problem pest before I can research the organic solutions they seem to eat them all. There are so many and they fly around me as I work in the garden, but I have not had one sting. They drink from the plants as I water. They eat the bad guys. And they pollinate everything else. My heroes.

How is your garden growing? What do you have so far? :)

Oh, in case you didn't know, I also have a food blog, cook.eat.think. It is busy over there this time of year with all of the fresh seasonal goodness going on!

moments.

2011-07-12T12:52:00.004-05:00

I love parks with the boys. They are getting bigger, so we often do other things. But sometimes they remember a park with a certain something (zip line!) or want to get out in the SHADE during the hot summer days, and so we go.

I think when they are playing together this way is the only time I can really take relaxed photos of them anymore. They are of the age of making faces and holding silly poses (trying to get booties in every photo).

But when they are just happily playing together they don't care or notice if I have a camera.

And when they do notice me it is in a moment, a spin, a giggle. Just what I like.

So while I do enjoy taking pictures of nature,

I really like this better:

Happy boys playing on a beautiful summer day in a park in the woods.

summer evening.

2011-07-07T23:11:00.007-05:00

While I am known to not be a big fan of summer heat, I do have an ongoing love affair with (bug less) summer evenings. The light changes, the breezes shift, the air smells of earth and plants and water, and things just feel different.

I love taking the boys out for summer evenings...ice cream or popsicles, walks, parks, beaches.

It is quiet. Not many people are out. And it seems we all just sink in and just talk and enjoy each others company.

It may be simple, but I love it. We all love it. Even in this unschooling life full of time to be together, there are moments that are a little *more* because we consciously create them, knowing we are in the moment together.

Just us. On a beautiful summer night. And life is good.

in the garden...

2011-07-06T23:26:00.004-05:00

I'm so behind on a garden update! The weather has been hot and humid, which has gotten everything finally growing. We haven't had much rain - the rain barrel has been dry more often than I remember from past years. But as the garden is sheltered it seems to hold onto the moisture pretty well. That shelter also means that the greens are still happy, even with the heat wave. I flood them with cool water when they are on the shady side and they keep right on growing without bolting (so far).

We had such a slow/late start with the cold spring, so things are not as far along as usual...but that they are growing at all after all that makes me very happy.

Right now we are still picking big bowls of lettuces and greens daily - chard, kale, mesclun mix, head lettuce, and more. Our cauliflower, carrots and broccoli which were stunted for so long in the cold are still growing and finally starting to look like something and managing hot quite well.

We are reaping a lot of herbs - dill, cilantro, basil (tons of pesto - yum!), shisho, fennel, spring onions, lovage, and the edible flowers are also all starting to come in.

The medicinals are slow growers generally, so they are happy but small.

We are starting to (!in July!) pick a lot of peas while the beans, melons and cucumbers look like they will need a LONG stretch of heat in order to kick start growing...they are way behind.

We have beets and chives and teeny tiny (tiny!) summer squash.

The strawberries are just about done, while the golden raspberries are being picked by the cupful for the past few days. Blackberries are just starting to color. Currants are getting plump. Red raspberries are just now flowering.

The tomatoes are getting slowly but surely bigger!

We have pots of all kinds of things growing happily and comfy spots to sit on cooler mornings or beautiful evenings.

I'm sure there are many things I am not remembering from inside my house at midnight. But it is good when the list of what is growing is long! I can't believe it feels like we are just starting the main summer fruit and veggies, but we are. Of course I hope that means we will have a long beautiful fall.

How is your garden growing?

long lovely weekend.

2011-07-05T23:35:00.005-05:00

I think the long holiday weekend finally made me feel like we are back into the swing of summer. I love long weekends with my husband home - and knowing A might have a longish recovery adjustment time we didn't make any big plans. A weekend together was what we needed, and we spent it well.

Time in the kitchen for canning, baking and making.

Time in the garden caring for the jungle.

Visiting new parks in the mornings before the heat of the day. Followed by cold treats.

LEGO playdates with friends on the deck when it got hot, fan blowing, icy pitchers of water, and red white and blue cookies to decorate.

Re-arranging rooms and playing lots of games when the heat (and allergies) drove us inside.

And some (not loud) sparks and sparkle for little boys who like that kind of excitement.

Who doesn't like a little sparkle?

I know I do.

ready to resume...summer!

2011-06-30T22:51:00.006-05:00

After weeks of cancellation and sick kids and re-scheduling, on Tuesday A finally had his oral surgery we have been waiting since February for. It was scary for him and quite stressful, but it went well and is done. I hope I never have to watch one of my children going under anesthesia in an operating room ever again.

He has had a few days of recovery and not feeling quite so hot, but is feeling better and better each day (and he has a groovy new hair cut). And now we can move on with our summer. And somehow it is ... July? We have a lot of catching up to do!

herbs from the garden.

2011-06-21T23:25:00.016-05:00

Being home this week has meant plenty of time in the garden and kitchen. Many herbs are nice and new right now (not woody or thick), perfect for using in herbal recipes. I love growing things that are not only tasty but also have other properties and uses. For me, I like building and experimenting a little more every year so that I can build up my recipes and experience, as well as find what things really work well for us and that we use often. It feels good to see bottles of hand crafted goodness from the garden. There are a bunch of things we have made this week - here are a few::

++

::mint apple cider vinegar hair rinse::

1 quart freshly picked mint leaves (you can use any type of mint you like/have)
2 cups of hot distilled water (not boiling, but very hot)
2 cups apple cider vinegar

Place your freshly picked leaves in a quart jar. Pour over the hot water and loosely cover. Let steep overnight.

Strain into a bottle, squeezing the mint to get all the liquid out. Add 2 cups of apple cider vinegar to the bottle.

To use, simply pour some over your hair in the shower, and massage into your scalp (don't get in your eyes). Let it sit a minute and rinse if you like. You can also leave it in, if you don't mind the slight vinegar aroma for awhile.

Together with the mint, the apple cider vinegar cleanses your scalp and removes residue buildup on your hair from styling products, soaps, shampoos and hard water. The mint also adds shine and balances out the strong smell of the cider.

++

::lemon balm astringent::

1 quart of freshly picked lemon balm leaves
3/4 cup good quality witch hazel
1/4 cups of hot distilled water (not boiling, but hot)**

**(I noticed this morning I put the wrong amount of water in the recipe - this is now correct. It is 1/4 cup water, not 2 cups. I suppose that is a risk when blogging late night!)

Add the freshly picked leaves to a quart jar. Add the hot water. Let it steep with the herbs and come down to room temp. Add the witch hazel. Cover and let steep overnight (or a few days). Strain into a bottle, squeezing the herbs to get all the liquid out. Keep in the fridge for a hot summer treat for your skin - use with a cotton ball as you would any facial astringent.

The leaves of lemon balm contain potent astringent and antibacterial properties. Witch Hazel extract has astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, and anesthetic properties. This astringent can be used on your face and is nice stored in the refrigerator to cool and soothe a sunburn. It can also be used as a compress for eczema flare ups, sore muscles and plant rashes (poison ivy, nettles stings, etc.).

++

And in progress? Rose Water - to be made into linen/room freshening spray. It needs to steep a few weeks before ready.

Can't wait!

How are you using herbs from your garden?

.

lost!

2011-06-20T23:41:00.000-05:00

under the weather.

2011-06-19T23:24:00.008-05:00

We have had quite the week. Sick A, then sick me, and then sick asthma boy G. Cancelled oral surgery due to the cold (for A).

Re-scheduling and sick days and snuggles and wanting to enjoy the nice weather, but really needing to just be inside, quiet.

Even with all the cold hoopla we have been puttering.

Bird and animal watching in our own yard.

Strawberry picking (it is time!).

Cold treats (strawberry elderberry ice cream).

Lots of lettuce!

Playing cards and board games, reading books, and watching movies.

Shadow puppets.

We are slowly feeling better, and looking to all the re-working of schedules to get A's mouth done so we can move on with our summer! I can't believe June is more than half over. Time does fly.

Happy Monday!

.

moon.

2011-06-15T22:24:00.000-05:00

That orbed maiden,
with white fire laden, 
Whom mortals call the moon. 

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Cloud

a little flower.

2011-06-09T23:54:00.001-05:00

We tend to live according to the seasons and flow with the weather. June is the month of the garden - and so I find myself almost single mindedly focused on it. I almost feel like I must apologize for yet more garden photos!

One of my biggest challenges is fighting the thought that I am "wasting space" with things that are "just pretty". When space is limited I'm tempted to grow only functional, but we need flowers. They attract the pollinators - wasps, bees, hoverflies, butterflies, birds. They smell good. They add color, make the garden look nicer, and they just make people happy. So every year I try to add more of all flowering types. In a small garden like ours even just small splashes of flowers throughout make such a huge difference.

In addition to the purely just pretty things, I like cross functional. Flowering and useful. I can't help it, I'm a Virgo. Throughout all of the beds I have flowering plants which are ALSO edible or medicinal:: sunflowers, nasturtiums, yarrow, toothache plant, feverfew, fenugreek, valerian, mullein, bee balm, anise hyssop, german chamomile, calendula, amaranth, lemon balm, mints, echinacea...and many are planted in a spot because they are companion plants to something else growing there! I get the pretty and the Virgo covered in one swoop.

This week is a beautiful flower week. So many things won't bloom until mid summer, but the early bloomers are always so pretty after so many months of monotone. And even the bushes are blooming!

The first bursts of flowers are always so amazing, aren't they? I can't wait to see it all in bloom.

"Just living is not enough" said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." 
- Hans Christian Andersen

garden tour.

2011-06-08T07:37:00.003-05:00

With the heat comes a burst of growth. It feels like we went from March to August in one week. We haven't even gotten peas yet! But the greens are finally growing and we are cutting cutting cutting to get as much as we can before they bolt. I love how things look in May, er, June. When things leaf out, flowers bloom, and everything is still small and neat. I do love the jungle of late summer, but I like beginnings and how I can see everything!

I get a lot of emails asking about the garden - size, beds, etc. since I post mostly close-ups. So a mini tour with some big picture photos. Of our mini yard/garden.

Our house is almost on the sidewalk and street, but we have a small area around the porch where we grow golden raspberries, lemon balm, chocolate mint, some flowers and flowering bushes. There is one bed up front with strawberries (can't wait!). We also have a wall of bushes with a 'door' entrance into the back - it keeps out sound and separates us from the sidewalk nicely.

This is a view from the short hill to the alley, looking towards the front. We have a strip of grass down the center, and beds on left and right. The sides also have utility meters for two houses, air conditioning, etc. And our rain barrel. The neighbors house is on the left, ours on the right. The yard is between 12-14' wide. The left gets afternoon sun, the right morning. With shade on the whole thing early morning and after 4PM or so.

The left has a few lilac bushes near the neighbors garage, and then goes into the white currant bushes with squash plants in between. Further along is planted beans, peas, tomatoes, kale, chard, broccoli, onions, hydrangeas, melons, squash, cucumbers, amaranth, cutting flowers (around the bird bath). It is also interspersed with herbs such as valerian, lovage, toothache plant, feverfew, dill, stevia, parsley and flowers like calendula, german chamomile, and nasturtiums. Along the whole edge is marigold and onions to keep the bunnies back a bit.

The right has a few areas - the deck is lined with clematis, morning glories, and lemon balm. Throughout I have radishes, kale, spinach, carrots, borage, sunflowers and marigolds next to a few huge rhubarb plants. The rain barrel is surrounded by lemon balm, fenugreek, sunflowers, nasturtiums and whatever else I can't fit anywhere else. Along the raised A/C there is a flowering bush on one side with peas and mixed greens along the front. Under the flowering bush is broccoli, beets, head lettuces, squash, and chard.

Further up from the bush is a small strip with a barrel plopped in front of the gas/electric meters. It contains radishes, dwarf peas, carrots, kale and parsley. Around that is a few tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, calendula, onions, a blackberry 'bush', squash, cucumbers, kale and cauliflower. There are herbs interspersed such as anise hyssop, yarrow, feverfew, amaranth, and a few others.

Scattered throughout all the plantings, anywhere there was a space, I put squash and melons. There is no plan but to stick it where there is room. Butternut, fordhook acorn, white acorn, patty pan, charantais, sweet siberian, pride of wisconsin...some are bush some are vine. With the vining types I weave them as they grow around this, under that, along the edge. Wherever there is a space. By summer they are usually going into the yard, up the deck, into the bushes.

Next to the steps on the deck there is a square bed which is full of chives, marigolds, peas, radishes, beets, chard, onions, garlic, spinach, arugula, and some mache. I will re-plant this area with fall goodness in a month or so!

In the very back is a bed with rain garden plants by the downspout and a raised bed containing red raspberries and strawberries. There is a weird hill full of spearmint and landscaping trees/bushes with a compost pile in the middle, lined with two more rhubarb plants, and some flowers.

The deck is now full of pots - peppers, tomatoes, basil, celery, thyme, marjoram, fennel, kohlrabi, cilantro. More will come.

It sounds like so much in a small space and I guess it probably is. But I don't grow a lot of anything, but a bit of everything. It fills in the gaps of our CSA share, and provides extra of our favorites and gives me a good variety of herbs, fruit and flowers that we can't get with our CSA. Here's to a good season, hopefully!

How does your garden grow??

.

a little of this...

2011-06-06T23:10:00.007-05:00

It is HOT! We have been working in the garden and getting outside during the cooler hours, and tucking in the house when it is the hottest. Of course we have had to make some trips out for cold treats. And the week just keeps getting hotter, so many more treats to come! Who doesn't love gelato or popsicle runs?

The boys have been busy busy. I think they like the inside outside of our days. There has been a lot of good stuff going on.

Books (wombats! frogs! Australia!), games, playing, drawing, writing stories. Library runs.

Building things (hovercraft!) and playing with color and surface tension and all kinds of experiments (goo!).

Experimenting with sound, tracks, digital audio, effects and recording.

Building things, putting on shows, and pretending to be every character they can think of.

Seeing a movie in a nice dark cool theatre. Visiting our neighborhood farmer's market (the season has begun - yay!!!!).

And of course getting outside whenever it cools down in the evening to run and roam and play hide and seek with the neighbors and water the garden and ride scooters and bikes and FLIP!

And of course harvest yummy things from the garden.

And find yet more ways to use rhubarb.

I think we have some more of *this* to come.

What have you been up to?

.

it is time.

2011-06-01T22:15:00.009-05:00

Oh, this garden. I cannot believe it is June! There are so many things still unplanted, so many trays of seedlings. So much to do, and it is so late. But even with the clock ticking there are moments when I forget the calendar and stare in awe at something just because it is blooming (that bloomed in late April last year). It is always amazing how perfect it all is. I work my butt off to make a sloppy looking pie or struggle with a drawing for hours (days) and the seeds just ... grow ... and bloom in vivid array and make food which nourishes and sustains us. Perfect.

So, I'm behind. Wisconsin is behind. The north is behind. Nature knew what to do though, and waited. So we are behind together. And I think we are ready.

So I hoe and water and plant and dig and crawl on the ground and kneel in the dirt and walk barefooted in the wet morning grass and talk to the chipmunk and whisper to tiny seedlings and sing as I walk past nervous mama birds sitting on blue eggs in perfect nests and feel the sun on my back.

We have just begun...

.

splash.

2011-05-31T09:51:00.004-05:00

"...We run through the sprinkler, water on our lips. Water dripping from eyelashes. Water like fat raindrops that fall from skinny trees when you're not looking. I run like a monkey in my orange swimming trunks, jumping up and down, pounding the mushy grass with my feet..."
~ Gary Soto

rhubarb syrup :: rhubarb soda

2011-05-25T07:45:00.004-05:00

It is that time of year...rhubarb time! I try to make a bit of everything with it so that it can last us through the year. Frozen, jam, compote, chutney, syrup...combined with some of the decadent freshness that is the seasonal treat like rhubarb ice cream or granita or baked honey glazed rhubarb. The house has the constant rhubarb and honey smell this time of year and it is a good thing.

We have a lot of cold and now wet this week (frost tomorrow night?) so it is perfect for home and kitchen puttering. Yesterday I made one of my favorite things. Rhubarb syrup - this year with ginger and cardamom. SO GOOD.

::Rhubarb Ginger Syrup::

8 C chopped rhubarb
1.5 cups honey
sliced fresh ginger (2" knob)
2 cardamom pods, cracked - seeds only into pan (optional, but it is good!)
1/2 vanilla pod scraped (or 1 tsp good vanilla extract)
2 cups water
(If you want it to look pink, add a slice of fresh beet)

Combine everything in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 30-40 minutes.

Run the mixture through a fine strainer (or cheesecloth) that has been placed over a large bowl. Strain until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Give a little press on the solids with a spoon to extract more syrup.

Pour the syrup into a clean bottle, cap or cork the bottle and refrigerate. It will store for quite a long time in the fridge.

The solids make a nice rough jam or are fantastic added to baked goodies (just remove ginger slices), so if you want you can put what is left in the strainer in a clean jar and keep them in your refrigerator and use as needed! I'm making muffins this morning with it.

What to do with it? I love using it to make rhubarb soda. Or, add a little to lemonade (my boys love this) or iced tea. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream. Or perhaps ... vodka and a sprig of basil!

Of course the first thing we did with the syrup was make rhubarb soda. We don't drink store bought carbonated beverages/sodas, but having a rhubarb ginger soda is a real treat - and sweetened with only honey!

::Rhubarb Soda::

Ice
Rhubarb Syrup (for a pint canning jar glass I fill to about 1/4)
Club Soda
Sprig of Fresh Basil (optional, but so good!)

Put the syrup in over the ice and then gently pour the club soda over. Lightly crush the basil and stir in. It is so so so so so so good!

More rain and cold this week, and more rhubarb in my kitchen! Today we are freezing some so that we have it when the strawberries are ripe. Yum.

.

details.

2011-05-23T14:14:00.005-05:00

I feel lately like every time I have photos I want to post, I stop myself. I mean, how many photos of seedlings and the garden can people take? ;)

But that is what I find myself looking at. Down at the ground, all the small details, all the life, all the growth.

I don't know what it is - the big picture is OK, but I really like the close up. The minutiae.

The beauty in the smallest of details, the underside, hugging the earth, from a new perspective.

Beauty that is there for no particular reason - and you can see it only if you get really really close and take a moment to look.

.

brothers.

2011-05-17T23:27:00.008-05:00

May 2011

Do you ever dig through your photos and find photos from every year at the same time? I find myself every few months thinking...hmmm, I wonder what we were doing last year at this time. And then I keep digging and going along.

May 2010

May 2009

May 2008

May 2007

Today I looked through photos of my boys - best buddies, brothers. And yes, every year at this time I have photos of them together (of course). I imagine this going on and on and on, through the years, looking back, sharing, how big they will be, how much they will grow.

Can you imagine?

.

weekend.

2011-05-16T08:36:00.003-05:00

We decided to stay close to home this weekend. The things we enjoy about our city are not inside at all, they are outside - and the weather hasn't been really outside compatible yet! So we did a bit of everything at home. Spring cleaning, room arranging, furniture moving, playing, talking, baking, cooking, reading, game playing. All the good stuff. Those are always the best weekends too - when it feels like time flies, but at the same time you can't believe you fit so many things into one weekend.

Some of our favorite things from this weekend?

Dandelion flower salve making.

Dandelion syrup (and dandelion vinegar, and dandelion oil!).

Windows full of fragrant basil.

The first rhubarb of the season.

Little boys in the kitchen. Kneading.

Learning things like how to braid.

And of course eating the results (here is where I found the recipe).

Getting out for a walk at the botanical garden - before a surprise rainshower sent us running and laughing soaked into the building.

Two harmonicas, a guitar and a drum machine (what more do you need, really?).

Seeing so many flowers - so much SPRING - in one little spot at the botanical garden that we stood silently together just staring at it all. It was so beautiful, blooming like wild even in the cold and rain, it reminded me of this::

"Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night."
- Rainer Maria Rilke

The weather is looking up this week, so I see a lot of mulch and dirt in my future. It was nice to have a quiet weekend before we jump into outside and 'catch up in the garden' living!

Hope you had a nice weekend!

.

distracted.

2011-05-14T00:01:00.002-05:00

I intended to take a picture of that frog. I really did. But I got distracted. Beauty does that to me.

.

dandelion season.

2011-05-11T23:15:00.001-05:00

Spring is here. And with that comes fresh greens from the garden as well as foraging for all kinds of good things nature has to offer. One of the closest and easiest things to forage is dandelions. I don't have to go far at all. I can find them in my own yard. Yesterday we had a sunny morning, a hot day ahead, and lots of dandelions in bloom.

To pick dandelions is easy - we needed a few quarts of flowers for several recipes, so we just plucked the heads right off. It is best to pick the dandelions early in the day - before full heat and before they wilt or close up. I know this is pretty obvious, but only pick from organic lawns -not anywhere that has been sprayed - and best to stay back from busy roads or where you know animals (dogs) have been doing their business.

What we wanted was enough dandelions for lemonade!

We found a really good recipe here via a Facebook friend - but since I am biologically incapable of ever following a recipe exactly I have my own version. ;)

1 quart of fresh dandelion flowers
3 lemons, juiced (organic best so you can use the rind too)
2 limes, juiced
1 knob of ginger (thumb sized), thinly sliced
honey to taste
filtered room temperature water

After picking the flowers rinse and drain them in cold water. Add them to a 1/2 gallon canning jar. To that add the juice of the lemons and limes, as well as a few (clean) rinds left from the squeezing, the ginger and the honey. Fill the canning jar with room temperature filtered water.

Let it steep for a few hours. From there strain it and chill!

A loves it plain (and cold!).

G loves it with a little elderberry syrup. "Pink" lemonade.

Both are delicious!

We have some more time in this dandelion season and are working on batches of dandelion vinegar, oil and a salve. Dandelions and their greens just have so much good stuff in them it is worth it all. And if you are looking for some other ways to eat the flowers - check out these recipes. Dandelion Fritters over at Clean. And Dandelion Cookies at 5 Orange Potatoes. Yum.

What is your favorite way to enjoy dandelions?

.

shining.

2011-05-09T08:36:00.005-05:00

There is something about a sunny spring morning in the garden...

"Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun."
- Kahlil Gibran

.

SUNSHINE!

2011-05-04T22:58:00.006-05:00

I think I only need one word. SUNSHINE!

After a few days of (very) cold & dark (again) we had sunshine today. Chilly but who cares.

We had to get OUT OUT OUT! Such big smiles on my boys. We needed that.

Tomorrow more rain - but we had a whole day of skin quenching spirit lifting smile inducing happiness giving energy infusing SUN.

OK. That is all I have to say. SUNSHINE!!!

.

happy may!

2011-05-02T09:21:00.008-05:00

Is it? Could it be? Spring? We had a weekend that felt like early spring. Not really like the first weekend in May, but I'll take sunshine and chilly but not completely freezing any day! The boys even had a few hours of shorts before the cold breeze convinced them pants were in order.

We had a weekend of being outside. State park and a flooded lake for scooping with nets and casting. Playing on the playground. Walking the boardwalk.

Watching wildlife. (I'll just stop right there, and skip past the swarms of flying insects, screaming children running to car sobbing, bugs in eyes, up nose, swallowed!!! ;)

We had a car ferry ride (no bugs!) and drive through small towns.

Lots of basketball in the alley. One on one, with dad, with neighbors, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Some more garden transplanting.

Nerf battles when they needed to come inside to warm up for a bit.

Fresh home made tortillas and lemon loaf.

Swings and climbing and walks.

Just how weekends should be. Happy May!

.

Un-Spring.

2011-04-28T21:16:00.008-05:00

The weather outside has been frightful! COLD! We have been cozy inside, busily crafting and making, drinking warm lemonade, baking things. Trying to keep warm and energize ourselves even in the face of dark wet days and freezing temps.

I am behind on garden planting because it has been so freakishly cold. I broke down and transplanted out a few flats that just couldn't stay in their small trays any longer. That cleared more lighting space for some extra flats of greens. If it is going to be this cold outside, then I am going to garden INside.

We have several trays of microgreens and lettuces about ready to harvest. They have grown under the grow lights for a few weeks. This includes mixes of spinach, arugula, chard, mustard, endive, mizuna, mache, radicchio, red leaf, beets, radish and a few other extras. They are fantastic tossed with fresh sprouts and a home made ginger sesame dressing. YUM.

I also have many trays of things I started which I usually direct sow but with the temps am holding off on (I tried some things, but no germination). If I get a few weeks inside I can have a head start when it finally warms up!

The tomatoes and peppers are getting bigger and today I potted them up - soon they will be window sitters too and make way for cucumber, melon and squash flats.

Trays of herbs are growing - and 30 or so seedlings from the trays that couldn't go outside had a change of plans and have now been potted and reside on my windowsills, to live until the sunshine and warmth come. It is nice to have fresh herbs - they are not huge yet, but big enough to snip leaves for dinner.

I plan to keep starting trays of greens every week. If predictions are right we will have an unusually cold May too - and I will have fresh herbs and home grown salads anyway. So there, spring. Or whatever you call yourself (insert loud raspberry).

.

exploration baskets.

2011-04-24T23:09:00.005-05:00

The boys found some goodies in their baskets today that drove us to the local pond. Walking sticks, nets, magnifying glasses, nature notebooks, guide books, sunprint paper and more were tucked into baskets to celebrate getting OUTSIDE again this spring.

We have all been a bit under the weather, but wanted to get some sunshine and fresh air after many days of cold and wet.

We wandered where the boys could test their new walking sticks as well as practice cast and use their new nets on ... frogs? Fish? Nets are fun for exploring and observation, before letting things go.

There is not much green around here with our really late spring ... trees are mostly bare, fields are brown, and the only green is the bit of grass. So being right by the water was nice. Tufts of neon green and the ridiculously loud singing of the frogs! Woo hoo!

The boys found their favorite spot to cast and hang out. Of course it is the steepest spot of the whole pond area, and within minutes of me taking these photos,

in fact in about 1.3 seconds from here, A slid down the gravel hill while trying to get some algae in his net and SPLASH!!!!! Brrrrrrrrr!!! A doesn't much like wearing cold soaked algae coated shoes (I had extra clothes so he could change out of soaked slimy pants, but not shoes), so we headed home after a bit. ;)

We have many more pond adventures to come, I'm sure! We have some more cold and rainy days heading our way, but we are happy after having some sunshine. And we have have a few baskets of goodies when the sun returns.

.

what a difference a year makes.

2011-04-21T22:35:00.004-05:00

The photo above is from April 19, 2010.

The photo above is April 19, 2011.

2010.

2011.

Need I say more?

.

camp.

2011-04-19T21:35:00.005-05:00

You might have noticed we like games. Card games, board games, dice games, math games, strategy games, role playing games. We spend time every week at the table as a family with something happening. One of the games A got for his birthday last month is a game called Camp.

It is nice because it has 4 levels of questions/play, so each person can play at their level, from young child (says ages 4 & up) to adult. It is a board game where you move along the squares, but it also has multiple choice questions to answer - all related to nature, environmental issues, etc. A question at level one might be "What is a male deer called?" and the level four "Which of these trees is a gymnosperm?

It even has a little secret decoder to confirm the correct answer (which 6 year olds MUST be in control of at all times). It also has fun fact cards to read aloud when you land on certain spots - like "Nocturnal insects are attracted to light, a response called phototaxis" and "Emus can't walk backwards." (Yep, lots of giggling.)

The board game itself can go quickly, but we usually will play 4 or 5 games at a time. My guys want to keep playing over and over and over just to read the cards! And talk nature facts trash at each other. Of course.

It is nice to find a game that is nature based like this -- my guys have memorized a few of their other games in this vein like the naturalist bingo games and earthopoly which they really enjoyed for a long while. This gives another whole big stack of information and with all the levels I can't see them memorizing the entire set of cards for awhile - and when they do, there is even a booster pack you can get with a new set of questions!

Did you know a group of owls is called a parliament? Or that a chicken can't swallow while it's upside down? Lots of fun!

.

home weekending.

2011-04-18T22:22:00.004-05:00

I think (?) we are in the final stretch of cold, snowy, wet weekends. It is so nice to snuggle up at home together, knowing soon we will be in the intense minute by minute of summer. I even enjoy the snowflakes. The long slow goodbye.

The boys seem to realize this inside-ness is not going to last forever, and busily fill the time with games, projects, crafts, drawing, and everything they can think of. They help in the kitchen, the knead and roll dough, they chop and stir.

They scour books for science projects we can work on together, or pull out costumes and props for shows or story lines. Piles of books on side tables. Displays of the latest LEGO creations. Fleeces and hats and boots still by the front door for bike rides in the alley.

And a few mutant scar-faced bunnies.

Just a little more home weekending. Which is a good thing.

But I'm almost ready.

.

glorious.

2011-04-17T22:34:00.003-05:00

It snowed for hours yesterday, froze last night, and snow is coming again tonight. But it doesn't matter. It is April, it is Wisconsin, and it is Spring. Which means that beauty comes with a toughness to endure this weather. It isn't big and flashy yet - that will come - but it is there if you get close and pay attention. And it is glorious.

"April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers." 
~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

(bushes, raspberry shoots, rhubarb, lovage, lilacs)

indoor fun.

2011-04-15T19:11:00.006-05:00

We were planning on going to watch a high school age robotics competition at UW Madison today - but the weather was just blech. Really really cold, raining, wind advisory windy. None of us really felt like walking through all of that from parking garage to far away buildings. So, we had a family vote - and after lunch we hit the road for some indoor fun instead. Mini Golf!

We had the place practically all to ourselves (spring break around here is next week). It is a great spot - with water features & traps, boats, slides, blacklights, basketball, stairs, ramps, tunnels -- all in a Madison theme.

We played golf followed by some skeeball and air hockey. We then grabbed a snack and sat at the window in the cafe to watch the crazy adults who were trying to play mini golf OUTSIDE in 40º weather. In the rain. With 35+ mile per hour winds. Yep. Only in Wisconsin.

Even Brice had some sliding action. Woo hoo! Perfect for a dark cold Friday.

Happy weekending everyone!

.

eggheads, revisited.

2011-04-14T19:21:00.006-05:00

There are some 'traditions' the boys leave behind, growing out of without a single glance. And then they sometimes surprise me - why haven't we done X yet? The eggheads is one of those things. They made them each spring for years - with wheatgrass - and this year they asked why we were not making eggheads? I had no idea we needed to do that again. So we did!

This year we put a twist on it. They wanted to try something other than wheatgrass, and they liked the name of the "wrinkled crinkled cress".

We pulled the biggest eggshells out of our collection (we save them to crush for the garden). The boys painted them - we used red and blue metallic acrylic paints. They painted faces on them, and then drew over that with a metallic marker.

They spooned a little potting soil in there, added a sprinkling of seeds, and watered.

The first few days we kept the egg tray holding them inside a large baggie - just misting water inside to keep them moist. Once they started to sprout, we took them out and the boys put the tray in a sunny window.

They have been growing steadily. With so little soil and a sunny window they need watering and/or misting really regularly or they wilt (and we add a little kelp fertilizer in with the water every few days), but they grow and grow and look very cute. We'll see how big the cress gets, and if that is enough soil for it to do OK for a while. It will be fun if the 'hair' gets huge and wavy!

I can see why they didn't want to let this one go yet!

.

garden markers.

2011-04-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

I must admit that at 6 & 8 the boys are not always interested in mom crafts. They LOVE watercolor painting, drawing comics, woodworking, tools, paper airplanes, building things...but 'lets make some garden markers!' Um, not really. So I usually get supplies for things that I know we need, but keep it simple and just ... start. Somebody comes over to help. Somebody picks up the supplies and starts doing it too. Every time.

I needed some garden markers. Not as much for the traditional plants that are very easy to recognize, but for the medicinal herbs that seem to always look like the odd 'weeds' growing thanks to the resident chipmunk burying all the bird seed throughout the beds. So markers keep me from pulling it all until it is big enough to recognize.

My first thoughts are *always* elaborate, but really, it is a garden marker. I found some shaped wooden sticks which had enough room to write on. Perfect. I always have indoor/outdoor acrylic paints. I always want to reach for the neutral colors but remind myself I won't find them once the plants start growing if they are not BRIGHT!!! So we painted bright cheery colors as a base layer.

Once dry, I wrote in perm. metallic marker right on the stick. And then painted over with a coat of water based varnish (test it first on your metallic marker to be sure they are OK together and don't smear). Really easy. Really quick. They look good. The boys helped happily (and giggled HYS-SOP, HYS-SOP, HYS-SOP over and over and over and over!). And they were quick and inexpensive enough that I won't care if I lose a few in the garden this summer!

And of course since the paints were out...the boys were on a roll with their own creations! That involved hiccups and other bodily sounds. ;)

.