Cole’s Luminary

I love the way this turned out! And he made all the holes by himself.*

My brain is trying to figure a way to justify buying some tin, awls, and a rubber mat so I can make a bunch more, maybe some for Halloween as well as Christmas.

*It kind of bothered me how many other moms completely took over for their kids and did it “for” them. Not the point. I admit, yes, I would have loved to have sat for a good long while making something myself, but it was not *my* time! (Which is why I want to buy supplies to make myself about a million, haha!)

1-2-3

Berry Picking….

Berry Eating…

Berry Wearing!

Mama-Cole Time

With the bigs in school all day, Cole and I have been enjoying our one on one time the past few days. Not every outing can be awesome (Costco), but we did have a really fun time at the Discovery Museum the other day. Over the summer we did go a couple of times, but it’s really hard to keep kids of such varying levels all happy on the same spot for long, and Cole often would have to move on before he was ready because everyone else was “bored.”

It was wonderful to be there with my little(ish) Coley, letting him dictate how long and where. It was a full day, too!

He made a punched-tin luminary, all by himself after I helped him make guide marks. Cole’s masterpiece is on the mantle right now.

He painted – with brushes and his hands.

We read about 23 books, give or take 15.

We learned about mirrors and light reflection. Just kidding! We made silly faces.

We played with toy cavemen and mammoths.

He made a newspaper pot and planted a fava bean. I may have suggested sunflower… but he liked that big fava bean. :)

We painted with water. This is an activity I have copied at home, and it’s fun—and clean.

We helped the garden by watering, and watering, and watering.

He made sure to get filthy.

He made the biggest bubble I have ever seen in real life. Dude’s got a real knack for making big bubbles.

We both can’t wait to return again next week, maybe by train.

Pie of Her Choosing = Back to School Dinner

Some people have lovely back to school traditions, like the meaningful dinner, with crowns, presents, and, if they’re really on the ball, some inspirational theme for the year. They make special decorations, and it’s all so…. especially SPECIAL.

Me, I start to mock myself in my head before I even get halfway through the idea of such a thing. Don’t get me wrong: we’re good people. We really enjoy our time together as a family (most of the time). I do try very hard to set up good times and the kids and I do a lot of fun things together.  We love each other, and tell each other that—often.

But, we’re also a family of smart alecs. Evening TV time is not unlike Mystery Science Theater 3000, the live version. We are all fluent in sarcasm, and it’s closer to a first language than anything else. I guess what I am saying is I’d probably laugh myself out of town before they even did if I even started in on the kind of heartfelt celebration a proper Back to School Dinner-Celebration entails. I can just imagine it now… So, I did what I do nearly every Sunday evening when it’s warm enough: I slapped the tablecloth onto the picnic table and we ate outside. Heck, Carter wasn’t even wearing a shirt (maybe not underpants either, to be honest – he enjoys the feel of flannel PJs au naturel, he says).

However, I do like to do something special now and then to mark an occasion and told Bun I’d make her any pie she wanted from A Year Of Pies. She surprised me by choosing the one pie I’d probably be least likely to select, and it was aaaa-mazing. I bungled the transfer from baking sheet to plate, but it was delicious.

Back to School Feast Celebration Normal Dinner
Grilled Eggplant
Peanutty Coleslaw
Homemade Baked Beans (Bittmann)
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peach Barbecue Sauce
Hotdogs for the little guy
Nectarine and Lavender Crostata

Start Your Engines…

…the school year has begun!

Here’s hoping the first day goes smoothly for them both, as Carter enters his first year among the ‘big kids’ who go to school all day, everyday, and as Bunny starts her last year of elementary school.  My fingers are crossed that Carter takes enough time to eat snack and lunch, and he does not get lost trying to find his room after recess or lunch. (Big sister did once, and still remembers how upset she was until she spied a grown up she knew to ask for help—it’s not a huge school, but feels enormous when you’re 4 feet tall.)

In the meantime, I’ll be taking the next 20 minutes to finish the cup of stone-cold coffee I poured myself at 6:30, and then tackling some of the wall to wall messes summertime has presented to our home while littlest brother happily plays with toys no one can tell him he’s not using right. Ahhhh, exhale….

Great American Summer

This spring the kids and I got season passes to Great America, which is not too far away. We like to go to fun places on our long Wednesday afternoons when school is in session, and we went nearly weekly this summer break—it feels so early to be wrapping up summer, but they go back Monday!

Note: I snapped a bunch of photos along the way and will share ‘em here, en masse. They’re all instagrams, about which I feel ambivalence. I like that I didn’t have to worry about the “big mama” camera when I had to relinquish my possessions more or less unattended while I was on a ride or worry that I’d be knocking it around a lot. However, they’re not the best photos. I decided since the photos will not be technically the same as I’d take otherwise, to have fun with it, playing with oddball (i.e. imperfect composition, when we only had one shot to conserve film) photos and filters just for fun. C’est la vie.

I’m really happy about buying the season tickets, overall. If he wears the “right” shoes, Cole is 48” by their measuring pole, and can ride anything he wants. It’s amazing what he does want to ride—and with enjoyment! Sometimes I have to hold onto his hand, more for me than him. :)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama.