Poets and Saints
…and the moms who try to be both.Archive for Outdoors
Savoring Seasons
We have been doing wonderful, beautiful things heading into this glorious fall–eating lots of fresh produce thanks to our CSA program and our own garden, as well as biking, making our outdoor space a little nicer, and just enjoying the beauty that the end of summer brings. What an incredible place our God has created and yet we miss the beauty in the hurry of our days.
Summer, I’m sad to see you go. I love how things slow down. Lazy summer days don’t make me feel guilty the way lazy winter days do. I think it’s because summer is so short and the beauty so fleeting, I feel like summer deserves to be a bit slower and the days are meant to be enjoyed. Laying on the hammock on a perfect summer day should never be frowned upon as idleness. It should be encouraged!
But now that the fall schedule is upon us, I’m enjoying getting back into routine. It’s motivating for me and I’m looking forward to Fall’s joys: a new bible study, Fall festivals, back to the homeschooling-preschool, and the sheer wonder that Fall brings. Fall, I’m glad you’re here. Now if I can only stay sane enough to stop and enjoy the season. The campfires and s’mores, the fall colors, the apples and cider and pumpkins and pie, of course. There has to be pie.
P.S. I’ve had a lot of people asking me about our weekly pizza night and what our secret is to great pizza. (Here is a bit about the recipe.) I plan on sharing a little more about the family pizza night tradition that we’ve included in our own life as a way to create community, make friends, and share a special night of food with others. Coming soon…
Goodbye July, Welcome August!
Summer’s beautiful days don’t last long and we’ve been soaking up as much time outdoors as possible. It’s almost a shame that we pack so much into three months: outdoor concerts and festivals, farmer’s markets, pool and splash park fun, zoo trips, picnics, bike riding….the list goes on. All this fun means there is very little time to be bored. Just plenty of time to watch the flaming colors of my flowers, sit in my hammock and enjoy a red ripe tomato fresh off the vine. Ahh, summer.
My little fish standing directly under a spray of water at the splash park.
This one makes me feel old. My baby riding a bike! I don’t care if there are training wheels still on there, I’m going to go in a corner and sob my heart out.
Loving the farmer’s market booth for children. Art activity + fresh produce = one great morning.
Summer brings new life and new nephews to hold. Welcome to the world baby! I just want to pinch those cheeks and hold that little tiny bundle of love. My heart is melting…
That’s me up on that rope. Just a little hobby of mine in my spare time. (Okay. I couldn’t do that even if I were on the ground with a crew of spotters helping me. Apparently my daughter was convinced of the same thing, because she told me that mommy could not do that, but daddy COULD.) Our city’s first “Buskerfest” celebrated the street performer. We enjoyed balloon sculpting, moving statues, stilt walkers, jugglers, live music, taiko drumming, hip hop dancing and more. All for free.
Enjoying blueberries from our local picking patch, under an umbrella, in the middle of our sidewalk. Beautiful summer…please don’t end.
Garden Love
This morning I started weeding after the rain. I forgot how satisfying it feels to accomplish something small, even if I don’t like doing it, early in the morning. My tomatoes are going gang buster, but so are the weeds. I am heavy into water-and-weeding season but thankfully God has been doing the watering for me.
I get a lot of questions about my garden. My garden is small (it’s the suburbs after all) and very simple. If you are looking to try out a garden here are a few tips I’ve learned that may save you a lot of hassle:
1. Do garden boxes. They’re easy to make (see picture above). They contain the garden. They don’t take up much yard. You can start gardening sooner (the soil warms up quicker in spring). They’re great for tomatoes, peppers, peas, lettuce, beans, zucchini and more. They’re not good for corn, melons or any “vining” plant, including large plants that take up space.
2. Weed when it’s wet. They’re easier to pull when the soil is wet. You can do a small area in fifteen minutes and feel like you accomplished something. There are very few tasks that I can do in 15 minutes and feel a sense of accomplishment. It doesn’t mean I like weeding, just the feeling of finishing something.
3. Plant the easiest veggies. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, beans have proven to be the easiest for me.
4. Add compost to your soil. You can buy it if you don’t make your own. It’s a great natural fertilizer for plants. Add it in spring by raking it into soil.
5. Start small. It’s less overwhelming when watering and weeding season come around. I recommend tomatoes or peppers. Bunnies won’t eat it. You can even grow them in pots. The grape tomatoes are especially easy to grow. You can buy the plants from Lowe’s or even start them from seed during late winter inside.
The best thing about gardening is that there is a reward at the end. You get to enjoy the delicious produce from summer for many months! Plus I’ve been amazed how much kids get into gardening. Give them a special dirt corner to play in with a trowel and a few seeds. But beware: something might actually grow. I gave my daughter sunflower seeds to play with and plant and now they’re all over my garden. At least she’s learning where food and flowers comes from. And I’m learning not to expect perfection these days either.
Even a little bit of gardening satisfies my green thumb.
Fun and Free Family Activities
What is it about summer that makes me want to lay by the pool everyday? Of course it would help if I had a pool (and I’m not counting the kiddie one). Since I can’t be at the pool, I look for summer activities that are kid-friendly and low cost. Here are a couple ideas I’ve learned that have helped me plan plenty of summer fun to keep the little one from getting bored:
1. Come up with a “Family Fun” calendar. We use ical, where we can color code each individual calendar (my calendar, my husband’s calendar, our family fun calendar, etc.) and keep track of events. Usually our newspaper comes out with a “summer event guide” that lists all festivals, art fairs, town celebrations, and more. We use this resource, circle the events that interest us and then plug them into our calendar. We have found this essential for keeping track of free events. When we rely on our memory, we usually forget and miss the event. I can’t emphasize how important it is to come up with a calendar that lists these events next to your other daily calendar. You can check out ours here but please note that not all activities are free. My husband takes any and all activities that look interesting and sticks them on our family fun calendar.
Here are some ideas for free events to take advantage of this summer:
2. Free concerts: These our great for our family! Many of the bands play oldies that are fun to dance to and there are families of all ages there. The music is usually louder than the kids are and we can enjoy the entertainment as we play in the grass.
3. Free festivals, art fairs, town celebrations: We usually enjoy just walking around, avoiding the junk food (if we can) and watching people, booths, street performers and more.
4. Farmer’s Market: These are springing up everywhere in our town. Some even include musicians, children’s activities, free food samples and more. Be aware that farmer’s markets sometimes “evolve” as the summer goes by. They can start out pretty bare and then once harvest hits, be full of yummy things to eat. I’ve been surprised how much my daughter enjoys going to the farmer’s market. Maybe it’s the free samples of fruit we’ve gotten or the library’s booth where she can do a quick craft. Either way, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon or evening where there’s nothing to do. Plus it encourages us to buy locally and enjoy the delicious and fresh local produce and fruits.
5. Library: This one might seem a no-brainer, but I often think that people go to the library less in the summer than other times of the year. Our library offers a great summer reading program, even for babies and toddlers. We got some amazing resources last year including a free CD and a book of finger plays. Plus my daughter read enough books to earn herself a free book. Our library also offers free programs, like a Clifford day, a puppet program, a mud sculpture art class and more.
6. Beach: You don’t have to travel to ocean to enjoy a beach. Children enjoy the simplest of beaches, even next to small ponds. Last summer I discovered Fox Island County Park had a small beach, perfect for building a sand city, sand rivers and pools. It does cost us two dollars to get in this park, but it still cheap fun for our family. There are also turtles, frogs, birds, walking paths, and a nature center to enjoy.
There are so many other great things to do in the summer too! Playgrounds, splash parks, biking on the trails and more. The best thing is that we can have lots of fun for very little to no money. Enjoy the summer!
Rainy Day Inspiration
I’m feeling a bit down today. Nothing’s wrong, so it might be the rainy weather, or the fact that my daughter has awakened me too early the last few mornings or the wait for our adoption.
Whatever it is, this inspires me.
Even when my day has gone to pot, or I’m feeling like a failure, whenever I get out in nature I feel a little bit better. I guess you could say nature is my therapist.
The poppies are my favorite. They’re psychedelic red and look like big ruffled cabaret skirts. If I ever move, I’m taking these with me.
The view from under the willow. When the branches grow low, you might call this our sanity room.
Baby sunflowers. Can’t wait until August when they turn into giant suns.
I love the raindrops on the flowers. I think I feel a song coming on…
…raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens….
Stop me now or I’ll be singing this the rest of the day.
Zoo Day
We went to the zoo for the first time this season. We gorged ourselves on sunshine, exotic animals, and family time.
It was a good relaxing day, and provided some much needed family fun.
Plus, our zoo got the prestigious ranking of 5th in the nation in Parenting magazine. Not bad for a small city zoo up against the big city ones! It makes me feel glad to have so many opportunities so close and to make use of what we have in this town.
Home is all about making use of the resources you’re given, whether you live in the city or country. It’s about embracing those opportunities and creating them into special family memories.
You know you’re cold when…
It’s been painfully cold around here. Subzero temps at night and single digits and teens during the day. But hope is in sight: we’re supposed to get up to a balmy 33 degrees tomorrow. Until then, I will be warming my hands over the portable heater and thinking about more things to add to this list.
You know you’re cold when…
1. you find frost inside your bathtub.
2. you wear three layers of clothing and two pairs of socks and still can’t get warm.
3. you stop counting how many cups of hot tea (or coffee, or hot chocolate) you’ve had during the course of one day.
4. you carry the portable heater around the house with you.
5. your water pipes in the attic freeze.
6. you need to use a propane torch to get said pipes thawed because a hair dryer will not work.
7. you don’t get your mail because it’s too cold.
8. you don’t go out because it’s too cold.
9. you are afraid to look at your gas bill for the month.
10. you sit around thinking about how cold you are, and then you write a blog about it.
Last Year’s Surprises
Last year I made a list of things I wanted to do in 2008. You can read about it on my former blog site here. I am a person who likes making lists, in contrast to my husband who really dislikes it. List-making is a chore to him; to me, it is a way to feel like I have accomplished something, no matter how small. List-making is a way of reflecting on small accomplishments and measuring the year in events, rather than time. I accomplished most of things off my list last year. Some were easy to do (like getting a bell for my bike), others, like finishing my daughter’s dress, required a lot of patience as I got my sewing machine fixed not once, but twice in order to complete the project. The dress was finished rather late–October–but my daughter didn’t care. She was thrilled mama made her a dress and now thinks that whenever I am sewing, I am making her a dress.
I’m still thinking about this year’s list for 09. I don’t feel rushed to have it in by a certain date, although the New Year’s push certainly gives me a good start. (I’ll have my 2009 list out in a week or so) As I reflect on 2008, here are surprising things that weren’t on the list, but made for a good year.
The list of surprises from 2008:
1. Getting the award for Indiana’s emerging playwright
2. The “Zoo Tour” Vacation. The Pittsburgh and Toledo zoos in one trip. Plus fun with the extended family and a little bit of camping thrown in. This was our vacation to save money but it ended up being a great time enjoying summer together for less. Who says expensive vacations are better?
3. The Backyard Bash Party–hot dogs and a kiddie pool, a bunch of friends and a wild time.
4. Publication in MotherVerse magazine.
5. Outdoor concerts in the park, the library, the mall. We mark up the calendar with summer bands, pack a blanket and go. Did I mention they were free?
6. Friday night ice cream. When there’s nothing else to do in the summer, there’s always ice cream at the local ice cream stand. My favorite? Soft serve twist in a cone or a Boston cooler (vanilla ice cream and ginger ale)
7. Bike rides around the lake. Even if my gears are broken, I love my big vintage bike seat and my bell. (All I need is one of those baskets on the front and I will be a real old lady.)
8. Pumpkin picking. We go to a pumpkin farm and pick out our pumpkins. Two carving pumpkins and one beautiful baking pumpkin. For Thanksgiving we used the pumpkin for pie.
9. Finally finishing our bathroom painting project. The last of the wallpaper comes down. We are wallpaper-free!
10. Dressing up for Halloween. I was a doctor, my husband was a gladiator and my daughter, a fairy. Dressing up is a family affair and a fun way for two theatre people to play with costumes.
11. Campfire night and silly songs. My husband is a great silly song singer. Add a fire and some smores and it’s a great time.
12. Sharing the family songs–we handed out “family songbooks” for Christmas. It is a delight to finally get these old tunes on paper so I can actually learn them, instead of half-sing them because I don’t know the words. There is something special about getting family traditions on paper too. It’s a way of passing on something to my children that might be lost otherwise.
There were so many other great memories, both planned and unplanned from last year. The family camping trip was hot fun (in the 90’s and no AC) which means we spent a lot of time trying to keep cool (waterfights, the beach). Then there was a little jaunt up to Michigan, strawberry picking, hayrides, and more. So much goodness in one year.
2009’s list will be on it’s way soon. But list or not, I’ll plan to be surprised.
Things To Do with Kids This Winter
Hello 2009!
The vacation time flew by and so did we, traveling to the hilly Pennsylvania countryside and back again. There were songs to be sung and presents to be opened and hot drinks to be consumed and much merriment. My daughter received so much love and kindness from relatives that she is having trouble adjusting back to normalcy where it is just us parents and no one else to frolic with through the house. Normal life is just not the same as a house full of 15 people, including several cousins who are ready for a party at a moment’s notice.
So we’ve had some crying and some whining as we fall back into winter routines. I could whine too if given the chance, but I’m an optimist in January. Life is full of wonderful new chapters at the beginning of the year. Check back in March to see if the cold spring rains haven’t beat the positive attitude right out of me. But for now, I’m half full.
But there is the inevitable: Winter. Cabin fever will come upon us in fits and starts and I need to be a creative mom to keep everything from falling apart (although it’s bound to happen one tantrum at a time). I’ve come up with a list of things I want to do this winter with my daughter in an attempt to keep the spirit of fun alive throughout the cold and sometimes dreary months. See if you can come up with any others too. Winter is terribly long around here, but it can also be breathtakingly beautiful.
1. Learning activities–At this point I’m not planning on sending her to preschoool, but I am planning to teach her the same things she would learn if she were there. I’m still using the Slow and Steady Get me Ready book which prepares kids for kindergarten by doing one activity per week. I also snagged some Montesorri books from the library, mainly because I do not know much about the Montesorri teaching methods. Come to find out, a lot of Montessori education is hands-on, real life participation (cooking, sweeping, washing) and a lot of kinesthetic toys (toys that teach math, sorting, recall). Many of these toys can be made or bought and the best thing is I don’t have to coerce or push her to play with them. Learning is interesting. Learning is play.
2. Heading to the downtown library–our little branch library is great for quick stops but the downtown library has a fabulous early learning center for preschoolers. There are puzzle stations, writing/coloring tables, dress up, puppets, a store and kitchen, an alphabet tree and books of course. Even though it is a longer drive, it is well worth the abundance of resources and the instant fun it provides for my child. Even if your town only has a small library, it still is a fun way to get out of your own environment and into a different one. Sometimes that’s all it takes to improve your child’s (or your own) mood.
3. Outdoor fun–I don’t like to be cold, but it is amazing how good I feel after being outside. The key is dressing right. I learned this skiing. Dress for the weather and you can enjoy the winter out-of-doors. Not that I’m planning on going out when it’s 15 degrees out, but 30 degrees? Not too bad when you’ve got your hat, gloves, scarf and a down filled jacket. It’s amazing how a bored child instantly changes outside: mood, energy level, and a lot more laughter. The only thing that could make this better is a little snow to go cross country or downhill skiing–my favorite winter activities. Just make sure to get the sled out for the kids.
4. Coney Island Hot Dogs–Okay, I know hot dogs are terrible for you. But we have this great little joint that’s been around forever that makes good hot dogs. And it’s a treat to go to a place where you can walk in through the back door (where dishes get washed) and sit at this historic restaurant. Even if it’s not a hot dog joint, try some other historic restaurant, whether a diner or old soda shop. So what’s in it for kids? The hot dogs, of course, while the adults get the pleasure of going back in time for an afternoon lunch.
5. One day excursion–I’m not talking about a vacation, or anywhere that’s over a few hours away, but I’d like to take the family, drive about an hour and spend a day doing fun stuff for both kids and adults. And since Grandma’s home town fits the bill and has lots of cool shops and little eateries, we might just end up there for the day. It’s not fancy, but getting out of my ordinary routine is refreshing enough to keep me going through the winter.
The Ice Storm
We lost part of our beautiful willow tree, but we think it will make it. Despite the carnage of trees, there was beauty to be found…
