World of Their Own

All three were playing here. There's a whole lot of stuff going on, and it only makes sense to them, as it should be.

Farm in the City

Yesterday we mostly wanted to be homebodies but managed to quickly go out and play at Emma Prusch Farm Park. I think we took Bunny to a playgroup event of some sort back when she was about 2 or 3, not that she could possibly remember that, so it’s was new to us.

It’s a nice little place overall. Carter wished the animal area allowed petting, but we can always go to Happy Hollow to pet goats, etc. I think I liked the fruit orchard the most, and we tried acai berries (SO sour but still pleasant) and the few ripe mulberries we could reach. Cole really wants a mulberry tree now. :)

A few photos…

 

 

this goose made me laugh as it hustled by at breakneck pace

All That Glitters

We are a one-TV family. It’s something my husband and I agreed on years and years ago, because, in a nutshell, it’s sharing, and we believe having everyone holed up in their own areas ultimately is not good when families only have so much time to spend all together. Now, don’t get me wrong: we have computers that do sometimes, for the sake of peace make do in lieu of a TV (or two… or three), but in the evenings we always watch something together. I don’t know if it’s because all the things that would have classified as “family” television back in the day, and which the big 3 would have had as a family hour are now on Nickelodeon or Disney (Good Luck Charlie would totally have been an 8 p.m. “Full House”-style show)… but for whatever reason, there’s not a lot of scripted TV for families to watch together anymore, unless you’re pretty cavalier about bawdy jokes and language. SOOOO, we watch a lot of Discovery Channel, History, Science Channel, etc.

This is how you end up with a 6 year-old who wants to pan gold. Gold Rush inspired 2 years of begging to go looking for gold. Which inspired us to try to find a place in gold country to camp, and yes… pan for gold. Which led me to what seemed like 15 thousand hours of research to find just the right place for us.

Coloma Resort is what I found, and I can’t even say how I came across it. However, I sure am glad I did. It’s privately owned, but right across the road and river from Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, where the gold rush began when Marshall and his buddy Sutter found something interesting in the water near the mill they were building.

 
early morning walk by the river

crazy-curious ducklings with a very good mama… they pecked our toes

  
panning for gold

mostly finding fools gold, but enjoying it… we did find a couple small bits
I figure it’s like playing in sand; who cares if it’s productive?

 
playing catch with Daddy

 
my kids are somewhere in this Where’s Waldo of children… love the community feel here

 

Plus the business of camping: the cooking! When we camped as a DINKy couple, menus were not given much thought. Funny thing is, kids expect to be fed really often. I’m becoming pretty decent at planning the menus and prepping the food before. This trip we had:

Thurs Dinner: Korean Ribs and wild rice blend (those cheesy heat and serve packets of rice are dubious for home consumption but perfect for camping), hot dogs for boys because they don’t know what they’re missing on the ribs.
Friday breakfast: eggs, sausage, toast, fruit, juice, milk
Friday lunch: hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, carrots, yogurt
Friday dinner: tacos/burritos, mexican rice, refried beans, chips & guac, s’mores
Saturday breakfast: breakfast burritos with home fries/eggs/leftover taco meat & fixings, toast, bacon
Saturday lunch: hot dogs, burgers, carrots w/last of guac
Saturday dinner: barbecue chicken, beans (Carter ran around with a chicken leg in each hand like a wild man)
Sunday breakfast: pancakes, bacon, fruit, and cinnamon rolls in the pie iron WORKED GREAT
plus: snacks, snacks, snacks, and always coffee for the grownups in the morning

I’ve learned to cook what makes sense or is messy at home, then freeze it flat in a freezer bag, like the taco meat and home fries. I also marinate and freeze the chicken legs so they’re easier to keep cold, and also serve as ice in the cooler. In fact, I freeze everything this side of milk and eggs. Normally I think precooked bacon or “just add water and shake” pancake batter is the epitome of laziness, but, like the precooked rice packets, they’re really handy for camping. And, I protect my well-seasoned cast iron pan with my life (not really, but it is nice to have a pan you can truly wipe clean with a paper towel when buckets of soapy water would be a drag to deal with). At this time I still use a lot of disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Someday I’d like to go greener on that aspect, but for now I’m letting it slide in the name of sanity for myself.

I know that was a lot on what we ate, but as the person who spent hours and hours on it, I think I am allowed a little jabbering. We don’t go camping just to eat, but boy does everyone do that with gusto after long days outside playing, playing, playing.

We really enjoyed our time in Coloma, and still have so much to do next time we go, probably next summer. Now we have about a month and a half until the next family camping adventure, up north next time. I’m so glad we’re a camping family now; it took us nearly a decade to get back to it, but better late than never!

July 4

Neighborhood Festivities. BBQ with friends. Sparklers. A good day.

 
scooters decorated for the parade… kind of proud it’s all stuff we had lying around

 
winner, winner, chicken dinner!

  
really big turnout this year… it’s funny being in a parade with few spectators
because everyone wants to join in… but good fun

 
,
we learned if you wear flip flops at a watermelon eating contest, you will get watermelon
spit on your feet. best not to care about that and just hose off.

 

Happy Independence Day 2012!

Thank You, Teacher Anna!

My baby finished his first year of preschool. I am so proud of him for the growth he’s displayed this year, going from a child who desperately desired to never be without his mama nearby to one who may still prefer me close, but also loves being at school. His teachers are no small part of this, and Teacher Anna will always be remembered fondly. I’ve said it about a million times, but it bears repeating that Cole’s stature sometimes makes it hard for him, since his body and maturity do not match, and he was allowed to grow at his own pace, blooming to become a very active participant in class who easily makes friends. (I know I’m partial, but he is pretty easy to like, I think.)