Think Again

I was just feeling sorry for myself after rising at 4am and suffering the effects of a two-night-in-a-row insomnia fest.

The party came to a crashing halt when I read what Stephanie had to say.

Outdoor Math

Rocks.

Beach Walkin'

School on Memorial Day?! Yep, we had to go to class, poor us. I guess I should mention it was my daughter's marine biology co op group that met for a low tide beach walk lesson. The class was given strict instructions about leaving the beach and all it's treasures there for the sea creatures. I brought home some loot, don't tell anyone!


Richmond Beach in Shoreline, WA

Weekend Celebration

Big weekend over here at our house. I turned, gulp, thirty-seven yesterday which used to sound really, really old to me. My little sweetie pie made her very first cake from scratch with strict instructions not to come in the kitchen. And she did very well. The day was more beautiful than I could have asked for. You know those days when things are heightened- smell, color, the air??? Yes, I'm getting old but everything seemed to be magnified.



Above is my very special gift. I asked my husband to build me some Adirondack chairs for Christmas but with no time and not enough tools...
So he found me this chair. Made locally by a man with wood that came from an old church. Along with the chair came an emotional story of a lost child and overcome grief. Like I said- it's very special.

Today is our twelve year anniversary. We were such babies! I'd say happy anniversary to my honey, but he is not a blog reader. And after twelve years of getting adjusted to our differences...I'm okay with that!
On our honeymoon stopping by Seattle on our way to Vancouver Island- we loved it so much, who knew we'd raise our family here someday...

Turned Out Pretty Good

Do you ever have those days when you wake up feeling feisty? If you know me, you know that I'm not a yeller. This morning I was a feisty yeller. Every little thing sent me clutching my fists and holding my breath. The cereal crunching, the legos clanking, the legos alllll over the floor, the arguments over the legos, the lego play that went far too long... Catch my drift? I need structure people. I can't just hang and play legos when there is a schedule to follow and dishes to put away and LEGOS TO PICK UP! So I yelled. And then yelled out for help from other homeschooling mommies. And then after we finished (finally!) our work, we made a break for it.



Which is probably what we should have done when I felt the fist clenching coming. Because it did the trick. The blue skies, the warmth of the sun, the fresh air on the bike ride, the backpack lunch- it was all good.

And just to confirm that it was indeed good, on my way home from TJ's tonight, I had the sunroof open, the frogs were singing, the sun was going down, the colors were amazing. This morning's rage seems like a year ago and I am glad to be me again. And rest assured, the legos are all put away for another day.

You Say Toe-ma-toe

One of things I was most excited for in moving to the pac northwest was the freshness of the local farmers markets. They have them all around us on just about any given day. Last night commenced the first market we've hit. Although the produce is not full force yet, the tomatoes are delish. I got some new mouth-watering varieties to try like the black krim- who ever heard of a black krim?

I'm just so excited to be back in the loop of listening to music, having my kids run circles in the grass and getting back to basics.

If It Ain't Broke...

Go for a twenty minute run consisting of two minutes running/two minutes walking. Add one more minute a day and voila...a half marathon can be run in thirty-six days. Can you see my smile from there? It wont be the full 26.2 I've been training for- but it's better than a kick in the pants, right?

Que the Chariots of Fire music, I'm outta here!

My Cuppa Joe

My mother has always, always spoiled me. Nowadays she spoils "us"- me, Josh, and the kids. Last week she sent us this new coffee pot. Oh how I fought this new purchase. My coffee pot works just fine! I don't need anything else! I'm moving this summer- no more stuff! I can't do just one cup at a time- I need like...ten!

Yes, I fought this generous gift but lost the battle. And I'm not complaining, either. This system brews a delicious cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa in less than a minute. It's fast, it's fun (ask my middle man who begs to make mama coffee), it's affordable and it hits the spot.

Tick-less

We picked a good one! The weather this weekend was undeniably perfect. And the beauty of our campsite...





The scouting girls all slept in tents while we fake campers headed back to our heated cabins. But before that was hiking, badge earning, skits, s'mores, a lot of running and playing- the usual campy kind of stuff.

The kids will be recovering today, I'm sure. A huge lack of sleep and hours of physical exhaustion will no doubt be highly non conducive to school work today. At least they're clean and have all passed their tick inspection. Now I better get working on that laundry...

Load Em Up

We're off for the weekend on a pseudo-camping trip (meaning cabins and fireplaces AND electricity, so it's kinda cheating). But have you heard? Sixties and sunny- it will be perfect! You have a good one, too.

Silver Lining

So often realizing my only girl is growing quickly has brought me to the brink of tears. Packing away outgrown clothes or books is painful for me. I'm oversensitive but at the same time, she's my only girl and I can't hang on tight enough. That being said I had something happen last night that made that pain lessen.

Seeing me holding my head (six hours of a pounding headache will do that), she said to me, "Mom, you go get in the bathtub, I'll put everyone to bed". And she did. It was quiet and peaceful and exactly what I needed. I'm feeling thankful right now knowing I have such a nice, young lady in the house. So maybe the next time I come across a drawing she made me at age three, instead of welling up- I'll think about the blessing that she is today. Maybe.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Probably the number one best thing to do before bed is to go see a massage therapist who works out of her cozy, peaceful, warm home and have her spoil you with a parafin hand waxing, hot rocks and outrageously long massage while listening to the ocean waves and smelling essential oils.

Just try not to drive off the road going home at 10pm.

To Market

I requested to spend Mother's Day in the city, preferably in Ballard. We hit the farmer's market and tasted some great local stuff. I ate something I would NEVER get ordinarily- a chicken sausage covered with everything under the sun in a WHITE BUN! What came over me??

We then ventured over to the locks with every other mother in the greater Seattle area. The gardens were in full bloom and of course, beautiful.
Home for dinner and pie and a little r and r. Just what a mama needed.

It Exploded

My garage, that is. I set out on Saturday to just sweep it up a bit and look what happened. My husband's face was priceless when he got home late that afternoon. I think he probably was looking forward to a beer and feet up after a long day but I roped him into yet another scheme.

Anyway, we are lighter (thanks Amanda and St. Vincent de Paul) and looking less trashy. And don't worry, Josh got his beer in the end.

Got Picky Eaters?

I sort of do. We eat pretty much healthy over here but sometimes there's a brawl. This book may be one of the best last minute library grabs ever. (A last minute grab is when mom fills up her bag as fast as she can to get out of the library quick).

I must report, we've had success with a few recipes so I am now going to purchase the book, it's that good. For more on being sneaky check out this site: http://www.thesneakychef.com/. Happy hiding!

On the Brink of Depression

This morning I went to see the sports doc that took care of me last August with my tibial stress fracture. Her gut tells her she's 95% confident we have another stress fracture on the other side of the bone.

Eleven weeks into marathon training. $400 into orthotics. And a race bib with my number on it may go by the wayside. Excuse me while I go retrieve the tissues.

Derby Days

If you have ever had a scout in the family, then you know about the Pinewood Derby. Each boy gets a wood block and wheels and gets to design a car that will be weighed and raced against other scouts. Being parents that don't take over a child's project (really it's because of our schedule than a rule of thumb), we let him do most of the carving, shaving, painting, etc. I say most because these little guys do need a hand. So, leave it up to a six year old with no prior experience and he'll get 4th place (racing 4 at a time- you do the math). Do we feel bad for him? Nope, he loved every little bit of it. (Probably his sister's support, too.)

A Little Somethin' Special

The kids and I went to visit one of my very best friends from college this weekend up on Whidbey Island. We went with the intention of helping Jill and her kids around the house while her husband is in Afghanistan on deployment. She stubbornly tried to stop me from the upkeep of the laundry and refused to go grocery shopping while I watched the little ones. In essence, I didn't get done what I set out to do- to be of much help. But I did treasure the time with just us mamas.
How hilarious is this photo? Jill and I in our apartment at The University of Kansas about four hundred years ago.

And this cake, too. Jill was whipping it up in the kitchen and said, "Somebody is turning 38 this month" with a big smile. I turned fast on my feet in reply, "Well it sure the heck isn't ME! I'm only going to be 37!!" We laughed so hard at that- how Jill spaced out how old we are and how mad I was at the thought of 38. I love the slow pace on the island. Walking to Mass on Sunday morning. Skipping rocks at the beach in the sleepy little town. Everyone seemingly knowing eachother. My friends have it made (despite military deployment). They live in a place where I could only dream of someday living. But for now, we're happy just to visit.
The highlight of the trip was sweet little Aby getting to talk to daddy after not hearing his voice in weeks. Heartbreaking...Truck in hand, how badly he wants to get in there.
Jill and her littlest one early Sunday morning.
A five minute walk to St. Mary's which overlooks the water.

Every Day is Earth Day, Right?

Like cooking with fresh herbs and hate how much they cost? Last Wednesday we had the intention of planting a little herb garden but we somehow got busy. (That never happens, right?)

I have to say that decorating the pot was way more fun than I expected. Who knew that Mod Podge could be such a sticky blast?? The kids all cut up scrapbook paper and then went to town applying to the pot. They planted their own choice of herb and my daughter made the signs to stick in.

Growing your own herbs is a good way to peak a child's interest in smells, flavors, textures and hopefully in trying new foods. And this is such an easy and inexpensive project that we can easily make more.