I have found myself pretty lucky to have my back flare up in the midst of a heat wave. It hasn't taken much convincing to stay in side and close to home. We ventured out a bit for our CSA pickups , library visits or karate classes, but have otherwise been happy at home while I hobble and heal. The searing hot and humid days combined with very hungry mosquitoes means the boys have mostly ventured out in the (slightly?) cooler evenings, to ride bikes and play in the shaded alley with neighbors while I water the garden.
Our days have been filled with a lot of LEGO building, sorting, organizing and re-working. I don't mean a little LEGO here and there, but marathon builds (they decided to re-build a dozen or so things from instruction booklets-whew!) which are probably just as rough on my back as gardening, but infinitely worth some soreness when paired with super happy engaged boys.
In between LEGO builds we have had plenty of time for crafts, books, music, indoor trampolining, fort building, a movie or two, and lots of silliness.
The weekend was no different in the heat (or my back, although doing much better), but with my husband home we wanted to venture out a bit to get the boys out of the house! We played mini-golf in a wonderfully cool indoor spot, visited close-by small towns for ice cream and people watching, and went out for dinner in the boys favorite 'diner'. I even had a chance to play catch-up on some small batch canning and fermenting - with several jars of garlic and beets on my counter, as well as fresh stock and currant jelly in the fridge. Not too bad. :)
Happy Monday!
Those LEGOs are so organized! We need to do that, I spend so much time trying to find a particular tiny piece in the giant bin. How do you partition them? That's just awesome!
ReplyDeletehappy days x blog love for you over on mine, a special treat x
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with that Legos collection!
ReplyDeleteI'm truly sorry to hear about your back. I hope it goes back to normal soon. I'm sure that's no fun!
I've got a bunch of cucumbers that I need to do something with...any ideas? (as in pickling recipes)
I love the evening temperatures but I HATE the mosquitoes that come out at dusk! I'm finding it challenging to find a good time to be outside working in my gardens.
Sending lots of blessings for your continued healing! Sounds like you have had a delightful quiet summer.
ReplyDeleteI spent hours playing with lego with my siblings when I was a child. I still have all of our collection, but my kids have never had any interest in it so far - which I really don't understand!
ReplyDeleteThat Lego collection is impressive!
ReplyDeleteGlad your back is getting better.
Oh, that is only half of their LEGO collection, probably - crazy, I know!!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteCandace - I got a lot of emails about organizing, so I might post about it. We have tried a few different ways to store/organize, but this is what is working for us best now. What has worked best is small, portable, clear and easy for kids to open. We store LEGO in clear snap top bins. Every month or two we organize them again by category (when we notice boys beg us to find all their pieces for them since they cannot find anything). The small stacking snap tower is for odd bits...unusual pieces, people accessories, people, wheels, vehicle specific accessories (flames, boosters, etc.). We also have a separate storage system for Bionicle and one for Mindstorms. They are all on one big bookshelf in the corner of the dining room, but it is easy to tell them apart since they are different colors or in different master containers. Whew! ;)
AStrid - Yes, evenings are best for riding bikes but not for the garden. I am eaten alive whenever I am out at dusk - but it is so hot my pots need twice a day watering, so I just get bitten...a LOT. I have been trying to water the main stuff earlier, but direct sun in mid-afternoon on a windy day is the only time I don't get bitten, which of course is when you *shouldn't* water or pick, and it is too hot to weed. Biking is best in evening though - there is shade and it is cooler. The only way to avoid mosquitoes at that time is to go fast, don't stop much, and stay on the concrete! G has a reaction to mosquito bites where he swells up like a plum wherever he gets bitten, so he rides especially fast! ;)
Francesca - Really? That is interesting! My boys spend HOURS designing, sketching, building, creating, re-creating, and then of course playing.
The back is feeling a bit better as long as I don't sit in the car! So, it is good on days when we can be home or only need to do short trips. Ahhh.
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ReplyDeleteWhen my son (now 24) was little, he had so many lego blocks that organization was impossible. He still has them all, and now as a new dad to a little boy, those toys will be revived again some day to be used in some wondrous creative endeavors. Legos are the best toys EVER! :) I enjoyed reading your blog, and I also love comments!
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I was admiring those organized legos, and enjoyed reading about your system in the comments.
ReplyDeleteBlogger said my comment was too long, so I broke it into two and it posted the long one anyway! Bizarre... :)
ReplyDeleteHow familiar that room full of legos looks. My boys, now 14 and 16, were legomaniacs too. They still dabble in them occasionally, but are really into the Mindstorms now. Ah memories.
ReplyDeleteLegos are a favorite over here and we organize often as well. It's like they become new toys when all the pieces are found and put together with others in that theme. After a good clean and organization session, my boy will play Legos for hours. So cute~
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your back is better and your weekend sounded wonderful!
Hope your week is wonderful too :)
When you said you guys have a lot of LEGO you weren't kidding. Amazing, and so nicely organized. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat Lego collections ROCKS! Glad to hear that your back is on the mend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your back is better, too! Hopefully it continues to do so.
ReplyDeleteLots of lego dudes there! Trev would love that. :)
My son's favorite birthday present was his Star Wars Legos. He tends to go in waves with loving his Legos. It's all about hours of dress-up now. Of course they only turned four about three monthsago, so dressing up is still a big thing!
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