science museum.

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.

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.

long lovely weekend.

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.

splash.

"...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

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weekend.

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!


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happy may!

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!

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home weekending.

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.

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