Friday, June 29, 2012

ROCK paper, scissors


Cutting paper

I awoke on the second official day of Summer Vacation™ hearing a chorus of "what are we going to do today?" in three-part harmony with an undertone of whining ... something about "boredom."

I hadn't even had my first cup of coffee so you can imagine how pleasant I was in my response.

Truth be told ... I pretty much used up all my energy (and extra cash) on the first official day of  Summer Vacation™ when, under threat of thunderstorm, we went to the movies, lunch at a Chinese restaurant and to an indoor gym with inflatables. 

So that might have had a little something to do with the fact that I had to peel myself off the ceiling at the mention of the "b" word.

"How could you be bored? Have you already forgotten the Summer Reading Program? We just got about a bazillionteen books out of the library -- which you begged me for -- so I KNOW you haven't read them already." 
"But mo-om!" 
"But. Mom. Nothing.  
"I mean ... We've also got toys, and games and art supplies. ... 
"Didn't I just buy paper?
"And glue sticks?
"And scissors... with blunt ends so you won't go stabbing anyone in the thigh as you run around the house like maniacs?" 
"Well, yeah ... but ..." 
"But nothing. We're making crafts. Lots and lots of crafts.
"And then we're reading books .... Lots and lots of books.
"In fact, today we're making bookmarks."

And so that's what we did.

We used our paper.

And our scissors.

And we rocked the bookmarks.


photo.JPG

And then we rocked a card for the wedding of some friends this summer.


for Eric and Carol

Who knows what will happen tomorrow.

Maybe we'll finally get to read a book.









Monday, June 25, 2012

The Champ's Happy (safety violation) Birthday





caketower


The princesses and fairies aren't wearing hardhats.

The bathers aren't wearing life jackets.

The construction workers aren't watching what they're doing, not to mention the fact that they're using two different kinds of cement: royal icing and buttercream.






oreo break


But I have it on good authority cookies (and cupcakes) lose a ton of calories once they've been cracked open with a jackhammer.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Our library is wild


While your library may have a Dog Days of Summer Reading Program ....


Instagram version



our library has the Canis Lupus Arctos Days of Summer Reading Program.

Just sayin'.




Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Arrrrr!




ocean of cake


Avast ye scurvy dog, ye! Make a wish!




ready


I can't fink of a wish. This is the best birfday ever!

Monday, June 18, 2012

What I learned at dance recital 2012 ...



Serious


Eye shadow? Bring it.

Lip gloss. More is not enough.

Blusher? Ran out. C'est la vie. 

But foundation? Bad mojo.

Those freckles?  ....  Do. Not. Mess. With. Them.

They aren't sprinkles of sun damage to her, they are a fine dusting of happiness on her cheeks.

Without them she just isn't herself.



Friday, June 15, 2012

Photographic evidence ...



Untitled


Cats don't really care if you are living. Their only requirements are that you look like you are trying to read and that you have a lap.


Thursday, June 14, 2012

Splash knuckles and surprise parties

The Champ has started planning a "surprise" birthday party.

For himself.

Yes. He's turning five this month and he's planning a party that he hopes will set the world front yard on fire. It's going to be crazy: A water slide. Squirt guns. Splash toys. Girls. Cupcakes. Hot dogs. Girls ... (some boys I invited, *SURPRISE*) and ... more girls.

I'm assuming he expects there to be a literal fire, too, as he was emphatic that the first thing the royal we needed to make for this shindig was some kind of water-sploshing device he saw on a PBS kids' craft show "JUST IN CASE."

Thankfully, SPLONGE BALLS aren't that difficult to make:

Take regular kitchen sponges (the kind without the scrubby layer).


stack


Cut them into strips (about six or so for each sponge).


STICKS


Gather about six or nine strips together.


solunger


Slip an elastic band through a string (or loop it around another elastic band) and tie it tightly around the center of the sponge strips.


holder


Wash, rinse, repeat ... and in no time you'll have a fistful of splash knuckles!


splonge knuckles


Now I'll just have to remind him: "Toss ... don't punch."

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The road isn't less traveled ...




photo.JPG

It's just more pot-holed.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Lord of the Flies


Dances to her own drummer


The musical.

Friday, June 08, 2012

Breathing room

It's been a long, angsty, nothing-bodes-well kind of week.

But we're all still here and hanging on.

Thursday afternoon offered a pretty good moment. The Champ graduated from the Marilla Cuthbert Academy for Unspeakably Charming Children.

I expected to cry ... and I did ... but not how I'd thought it would happen.

We were leaving and I saw my family skipping up the sidewalk into the afternoon sun. We'd never be in this place again. I wasn't sad so much as relieved. Small days may be over but big days are still ahead. Onward we go.




Roxbury Farm


Perhaps the best part of the week happened near the end of the day today.

A new beginning of sorts.

We went to pick up our first CSA share at a local farm.

After a little walk around the place ... visiting the horses, pigs and sheep ... we found our way back to the gathering barn.

This week's bounty: Squash, zucchini, radishes, turnips, arugula, lettuce, cilantro and something called kohlrabi, which the internets informed me can be eaten raw in salad or cooked in a stir fry.






CSA kohlrabi


We did both.

Ittybit ate it by the fistful as we sauteed the remainder with chickpeas, curry sauce and leftover beef.

It feels good to expand our horizons.




Roxbury Farm

And get some breathing room.

Friday, June 01, 2012

Smitten




The face of a boy who has invited a girl to see his painting


This is the face of a boy so in lurve he made a painting in a girl's honor.

Then he asked me to ask her to come and see it.

He backed away and pretended he was invisible. Shy.

Unless I'm mistaken, and this is not the face of a boy so smitten but one who sent his mother on a ruse so he could check out a girl's posterior.

I'm just going to pretend it was the former and not the latter.