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Welcome Home Zinser 5! With a backyard shindig

Our friends/neighbors we visited in Norway came back home this week, after living a year abroad. It sure is nice having them back!

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As a thank you for hosting us in their Norway home for a week, we promised a big welcome home party. Turned out there were a host of other people in our neighborhood who wanted to help and do the same for them. It turned out to be quite the shindig! Our backyard was a flurry with natural mom loveliness, children of all ages, little ones in the sand box and big boys running the streets with water guns. And good friends! We grown ups all talked about how amazingly wonderful our little “village” is.

Here’s a few snapshots of our Americana welcome home party for the Zinser 5, complete with a blue grass band and BBQ.IMG_1401 IMG_1402 DSC_0351 DSC_0359DSC_0366 DSC_0356 DSC_0355 DSC_0354 DSC_0363DSC_0367

 

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Our little garden

Beginning of summer we took out about a dozen bushes that were old, constantly over grown and hogging the best sun our yard receives. They lined the space just steps from our kitchen back door, an old, lovely brick retaining wall and our garage that sits within our fenced yard. I was hesitant, because removing the shrubs held the same guilt as cutting down an old tree. But the only time of they year they were enjoyed were at Christmas to cut a few holly berries. And even those were dwindling, as they aged.

In the space I wanted to plant only things we could eat or flowers that would make us happy to look at. It’s a little space. But it doesn’t take a lot of garden to have fun. And the smaller the space, the less overwhelming for amateurs like myself. The things we planted are things my girls like to eat, pick and even prepare themselves.

A month ago, the view looked like this (that’s the neighbor’s dog incase you are wondering if we added a furry member to our family).

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With all the rain we have had – nearly every day for a solid month – things took off. We had green beans that were harvested, enjoyed and NOW – guess what – my kids actually ask for green beans. Whereas before they requested them from a can, as they have enjoyed when served elsewhere.  But now they are gone.

What is growing is cherry tomatoes, okra and watermelons. The cherry tomatoes will never see my kitchen before they get eaten. I’m certain of that.

My youngest daughter loves going outside everyday to sees how much things are growing.

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And they are growing…..IMG_1336 IMG_1343 DSC_0210

It was my middle girl’s request to put “lots” of cherry tomatoes where she can pick them when she wants, opposed to our garden and herb space that is outside the fence of our backyard.  We have that space agin this year too. And our blueberries are doing ok (just ok) this year.

Aside from eating, I love sending my girls out to pick fresh flowers and arrange them in vases. Zinnias were in order for that. I planted enough seeds to line the whole back side of the garage with flowering zinnias. But sadly, I have to say our dog did some digging and we were left with half the sunflowers and zinnias that I planted. But what’s here is coming in beautifully.

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The sunflowers are yet to pop. But look how tall they are! The cat sun bathing is an added dose of summertime smiles.

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There would have been more sunflowers. Good thing she is so cute, this luny Lulu dog of ours who leaves the grass in her dust on every running trail she creates along the backyard fence. Good thing she is 3 and finally calming down – just a bit. Good thing she uses her crazy barking ways to our advantage – because she is the BEST backyard guard dog for the kids. EVER. No one is coming in that yard without the whole neighborhood hearing about it. Even if she does dig up the flowers.

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Snapshots and simple thoughts from summer

It seems there just hasn’t been time to blog lately. I’ve been opting for sleep instead of late nights at the computer. During the day my girls screen time is very limited, I feel I have to set a good example by staying off my computer and not be constantly checking my phone. It just feels better to be less connected, but also good to know it is there when we feel like using it. It’s a catch 22, really. As the girls get older, they are wanting to rely more on technology, games, phones, iPads and the likes for entertainment when they get bored of old fashion play. But we are still doing our best to fill our summer with old fashion play. 

As my girls get older setting rules and boundaries gets harder. I want to be a yes mom, but you can’t not ever say no. I’m working on finding the medium these day, and wading my way through parenting into the days where my oldest is almost 9. Figuring how to still be the fun mom, when you do sometimes have to say no. Then I have these moments….

Walking around downtown after dinner recently with just my oldest daughter, we walked through a small park, and past a small point where we used to sit and picnic when she was 10 months old. It was during our first days after moving to our small town, from Atlanta. It is a quant place, with a little stream and nature. Now the space holds several pieces of outdoor art and sculptures. And now my first baby is half the size of the oversized sculpture that now lives where we picnicked when she was 1o months old. And I thought, life is too short to be short. I don’t want to be snappy with my girls or loose my witts. Because life is just too short. She is nearly halfway to being an adult. ALREADY.

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There is still plenty of old fashion play this summer. A nature camp has been organized in the backyard (by my oldest daughter) complete with a packing list for each camper (including a good mood) and a camp necklace.DSC_0018 DSC_0024 DSC_0025

My oldest and a friend formed a band, wrote songs, and posted flyers for the show. Stage fright set in when an impromptu audience of about 20 people actually showed up for the show. It was a busy walking day and it seemed everyone was out and about! It’s also a reminder that it’s not about the show, but about the preparations – which is always the case with performance play. Sweet that it is. DSC_0182

At least there was a snack bar – which was an impromtu hit and mimicked an old fashion lemonade stand. Except it was stocked with individual ice cream treats left over from birthday parties, which had just been passed off to me from a neighbor who was moving and cleaning out her freezer.  My middle girl was calling for more sales and more customers, YES, using my high school cheerleading megaphone! DSC_0179

There has been an art show set up our mudroom, many iPhone movies made, forts built, hotels set up (including a turndown service with chocolate – of course!), pool days, rounds of golf, sleepovers, dinners with neighbors, visits with a cousin and rainy days spent at amusement parks and water parks. We have a lot of rain this summer!

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We’ve checked a few other things off our summer list, like making bouncy balls (which was a flop), playing dress up with my old prom dresses and Southern Belle dresses from college (more than once) and doing lots of pre-school art – which is my personal favorite. Watercolors, glitter, paint and more paint, and MESSY play dough with just as much flour as play dough (must DO outside). IMG_1200DSC_0166

And even loom art – well, sort of….DSC_0188

The next photo was “purchased” at the “Art Show.” The cost was $3. She was happy with the sale, as you can see.

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A few of the crew from last year made it to the top of Mt. LeConte again. Other plans held back the other half of us, so we enjoyed some one girl-on-one mom time. It’s rare and always loved. IMG_2143

Back home, it’s been normal to find things being a little disheveled this summer. Nearly every stair step halfway up to the girls level of the house stays full of their “things” that need to be put way. But they might as well just live on the stairs and in laundry baskets full of clean clothes that I can not arm-twist them into putting away either. Books waiting to be replaced inside shelves stayed stacked on the floor for a week.

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And if you come to my house you are likely to see a cat sleeping on a kitchen shelf. Because he is the sweetest, most kid-tolerant cat in the world. We rescued him when he showed up on our door step two years ago, scrawny and injured. He tested positive for Feline Leukemia and he “should have” been “put down.” But I didn’t have the heart to do it. My then 4-year-old had already named him Fruit Punch. So he stayed. He’s happy, healthy and fat as can be now. Life is just too short for me to tell him he can’t sleep on his favorite green shelf in the kitchen.

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And life is too short not to have a good time with my kids this summer. Life is too short for me to lose my patience and not admit when I make mistakes with my girls. Life is too short to not enjoy every moment with them while we’ve got them close to us. Sometimes it’s exhausting and emotionally taxing. And sometimes, it’s perfectly okay to end our days like this.

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The good thing is, having kids is always rewarding. Always full of moments. Simple and challenging. Complex and sweet. And when we need it, there is always tomorrow.

I can not image spending my summer days any other way.

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Colored salt lesson with sidewalk chalk

This colored salt lesson using sidewalk chalk and an Asian mortar and pestle set reminds me of sand art in a bottle. Like the stuff you make at festivals or buy in craft kits. Only this one uses stuff you have at home.

This lesson was a hit with all my girls at their Montessori school in the toddler classroom, done on the deck the warmer months approaching summer. My three-year old suggested doing it home recently, along with the moon dough, which is a sensorial lesson.

The colored salt lesson addresses fine motar skills, hand eye cordination and makes something pretty. Which us girls always appreciate.

If you run out of salt (because I always do). I have discovered clean sand from our sandbox does the trick just as well as salt (with a little less luster).

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Needed:

An Asian mortar and pestle set. I got mine here. The ridges in the bowl are key to grinding the chalk.

Side walk chalk

Salt (or clean play sand)

A bottle to pour your colored salt (or sand)

Directions:

Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of salt (or clean play sand) into mortar and pestle

Choose a sidewalk chalk color and use that as the pestle, stirring the sand as the chalk grinds down and colors the sand

Pour color into jar and start again a new color

In the Montessori class, the supplies are set out on a tray and the students have a group jar they add their colors too – providing a colorful decoration for the class to enjoy.

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 If you are wondering about the kids picnic table with the Children’s drawings, it is a work in progress. I have one finial step to complete before I share the end result. Stay tuned. 

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Simple Three Step Moon Dough

Playing with moon dough on the deck at my daughter’s school was a hit with the toddlers. It wasn’t long into summer break before my three-year-old started asking to make moon dough at home. Once I had the ingredents I realized how simple it was, with just easy simple steps.

1. Pour a 5 pound bag of cheep flour into a plastic tub with a lid (for easy storage)

2. Drizzle in a 20 oz bottle of baby oil while mixing with hands, as well as kid hands. They won’t be able to resist!

3. Pour in a 4 oz. bottle of glitter for extra fun.

It really was THAT simple. DSC_0361DSC_0366 DSC_0359

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Homemade Fudgesicles and Orange Creamsicles

You have to admit, these Fun Fudgesicles (made with chocolate hazelnut butter) are fun enough to be a party on a stick.  I got the idea from Pinterest using Nutella and a fancy popsicle maker. Making Nutella Fudgesicles is not a new idea – but I do think these are SO DARN fun. And SO easy.

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Ingredients:

1 cup Justin’s brand chocolate hazelnut butter

1 cup half and half (I used vanilla flavored because I bought by mistake – but it was a yummy mistake)

1 tbs. of cocoa powder (or more to taste)

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together (I use my Kitchen Aid)

Pour mixture in small size dixie cups

Add sprinkles to top

Place in straw, used to handle the fudgesicles

Freeze standing upright

Then save for a fun time, a great surprise for the kids or even to satisfy your own treat craving!

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AND, on a similar popsicle note, my girls have been wanting to add a different kind of popsicle to our regular round up of homemade smoothie popsicles. My youngest daughter suggested something orange. So we made Orange Creamsicles, with mango and peach smoothie layered with fresh whiped cream.

Ingredients: 

10 oz bag of frozen mangos

10 oz bag of frozen peaches

1 1/2 – 2 cups of Orange Mango juice ( I used Santa Cruz)

2 cups of vanilla yogurt

Fresh whip cream – made by beating a carton of whole whipping cream with 1 tbs. of Vanilla extract and 1 tbs. of sugar

Directions: Blend smoothies using mangos, peaches, juice and yogurt. Separately, make whip cream. Layer into popsicle molds

This batch filled made 17 popsicle molds. So you you might want to half the recipe if you don’t have that many molds. Also, you need a place large enough in your freezer to leave the molds up right to freeze. We have a freezer in our basement, which is perfect for this. Once frozen the popsicles go in our freezer drawer of kid snacks. It’s a system we have perfected.

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Our Summertime TV Rules

The last two summers we had a No TV Summer. This is because it’s easier for me to say no than it is to police who gets to watch when, and deal with the whining when the answer is no to the TV. Instead I posted a sign over the TV armoire that said No TV Summer.

Since the girls are getting older and able to be more accountable on their own, I created a new Summertime TV Rules this year. It’s posted inside the TV cabinet and they get to check off when they watch their allotted shows per week. Here’s how it works.

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This is the first week of this plan. It’s a day and a half into it and each girl has used up their two shows for the week. And the middle girl has already talked the youngest into watching a show, when she had none left but her little sister did. Which I figured would happen and I still think it’s cute.

None of the girls has a personal handheld device or video games. So TV is all we have to deal with here when it comes to screen time. Notice I DID keep movie time in my own back pocket for when mom needs it most.

For full discretion: My oldest does have one of my old iPhones. But the only thing she can do on it is listen to music, take photos, videos and watch them. I’m perfectly fine with this. I love seeing the old baby videos pop up from when my youngest was 6 months old throwing grapes on the floor as I laughted and documented it. And, the younger two do sneak my phone from time to time to play an educational app I keep on there for waiting rooms and such. So don’t’ think we are that hard core. We slip up too.

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Our Daily Summer Board and Summer Fun List

I’m not a big planner. But kids like to know what’s happening when. So I pulled out our art easel and put it to use in our mudroom, to display daily plans and choices to keep the girls busy and informed.

Or course, they don’t always need a plan, or choices. There is still loads of free play happening here – always. But a little summertime structure is nice. I got this idea from the 3-6 year old classroom at my girls’ Montessori school, where they write any major daily happenings on a chalkboard that was refurbished from an old window that hangs on the wall.

Here’s what was on the board for today, written out by my oldest girl. Yesterday it rained so we were in the house all day. In return, this was a get-out-of-the-house day.

(SSP stands for Solving Summer Problems, a twice a week community meeting led by my oldest daughter and molded after the community meetings held at her Montessori school. I’ll post on that later.)

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On the other side is our Summer Fun List, which I mentioned in our No-Schedule Summer post. It’s the most Basic Summer Fun List, which I started when the kids mentioned something they wanted to do this summer.

The second page (not shown here) is all their own things they added, like sleepover with friends, boat rides, wacky day, Slash Country, have a party for Fruit Punch (the cat), lemonade stands, eat ice cream for dinner and more. It’s simple, kid directed, gives them choices they approve it and it works. Yesterday on the Daily Summer Board under To Do it said Choose from the Summer Fun List. And we did indeed, cheek off a few things off the list. Even though a few of them will happen again.

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Transforming play spaces for Summertime

When the summer heat hits and the bugs bite, we take refuge in the basement while the girls spend many hours and days playing at home. It was especially out of control after living through a year of home renovations, with the basement serving as a landing zone for stuff while every room in the house eventually got renovated.

So I had to get the play spaces transformed before the kids got out of school!

Last summer I set up the play kitchen in our main living space, using it for Montessori lessons I featured in two posts here and here. Before that it was transformed into a new gift for a third child, with an added market and newly sewn accessories, table clothes, grocery cart liner and such. Those efforts were part of a pairing down on Christmas post. It’s the same kitchen that used to live in my living room, and once in my kitchen, where my two littlest ones (at the time) ate breakfast. Over the last six years it has seen many different lives and uses.

Before the renovations upstairs were compete,  this basement corner where the play kitchen lives now, was the doll space and refuge from upstairs construction. Oh my how we move things about!

And now, the play kitchen that was once a joint gift to my oldest child for her second birthday by both sets of grandparents, is taking on a new life in a new space. Which was transformed and set up by her, now age eight, for her little sister who is three. She did an amazing job, using lamps and art that were lying about in the basement, transforming this corner into what feels like a new room. She such a mini me. 

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Next up was transforming the things my middle girl loves, her Vet Cart using things we have at home.

It’s made using an old drink cart I bought at a thrift store, loaded up with doctor clothes and accessorites we have aquired over the years. As well as a fresh set of real bandages and bandaids for fixing her stuffed animals. Also included are old dog leases, eraser shaped dog bones, combs and bandanas for grooming, hair clips for ears and anything this creative girl sees fit in her world of stuffed animals.

As for the rest, she gets inventive with X-ray machines,  sewing up little friends in need of repair, arranging a waiting area for the pets and a “play area” for the children to wait with their families.

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Her “play area” for the patient’s families is also part of the transformed spaces for general play, with a little reorganizing on her part. Which is what play is all about!

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Partially seen here is another shelving system with bins of toys, puzzles, doll house people, play animals and barns, trains, blocks, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and the likes. The play table doubles as a Lego table for the older girls.

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This is the music shelf, stocked with noise-making “musical instruments” that MUST live in the basement. And “concerts” must happen there or in the yard (sorry neighbors).

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I have NO idea how we accumulated so many dress up clothes (well actually I do – old Halloween costumes, vintage dresses from my own childhood and dance recital hand-me-downs from cousins). But they all live here now. And they are well used for the many “shows” that get produced and preformed around here. The vintage dressers were purchased for the girls’ rooms but didn’t fit as I had hoped. Now they have a home, along with baskets left over from baby nurseries :-). Yes, we find a way to refuse just about anything around here!

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More dress up clothes, accessories, wings and purses live in this playhouse too. They are never ending.

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The art area remains the same as it did here, when we did an overhaul of the space before last summer. And so does my sewing space.

But as years go by, and kids grow older, there is the need to transform our spaces and grow with them. Having my oldest girl help create these spaces helped give her ownership over the area (she likes to be in charge), and she knows exactly where everything belongs to help the younger ones clean up. During the next 9 weeks of summer break, LOTS of summertime play will happen in these newly transformed spaces.

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Miscarriage update: coming around the other side

I’m a little late rolling into June. My desire to blog more frequently is returning and there is a backlog of posts in my head full of summertime fun. Before I go there, I wanted to post something for those who sent so many caring notes and thoughts after I wrote about my miscarriage in March. I wrote this post two weeks ago. But I didn’t feel like sharing it….for some reason.  And posting it now makes me feel like I’m officially ready for summer. Thanks for sticking with me! 

 

It’s hard to believe. But June 1 makes three month since my miscarriage, which I shared about here and here. Each rolling over of a new month brings thoughts of what would have been. It’s summertime now, kids are out of school, and it’s not the summer I had planned for. But it’s here. The same way each new month comes and I can’t stop it.

It does get better, or at least the sting doesn’t feel so sharp. I still pains me that I’ll never meet that baby. I’ll never have that moment of watching my girls meet their new sibling, followed by the lifetime of moments they would have shared. And that experience will most likely be my last time being pregnant (I LOVE being pregnant). But I’m still here. Hugging my girls even tighter every day. Being sad that I won’t have another toddler entering the class that my now pre-school girl just outgrew. But being thankful I have a pre-schooler filling the footsteps of my middle girl, now on her way to first grade. Kids are going to grow older and I can’t stop that. On the flip side, if I could, I would keep having them forever – filling our home with the endless glee and love that flows from little ones.

Surrounded by big kids, I had a metaphorical return to snowy walk I shared about in March, that made feel like I was coming around to the other side of things.  And now, starting to feel some understanding and acceptence about it all.

I had not been back down that nature walk since that snowy March morning. And on May 15 I found myself standing there with a school field trip, surrounded by big kids full of wonder and a natural curiosity for life. As we walked down the bridge that I last walked when it was covered in snow, I looked at the pond I last saw covered in ice. That day the kids took in all that was around them, lying on the walkways over the marshy pond picking up gooey pond weed. They walked all around the pond and I saw I saw a different view, full of flowers in bloom, surrounded by full-of-life big kids.

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On that snowy day I saw a stairway that led nowhere, and seemed too daunting for me to climb.

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Rounding around the back side of a path with the filed trip, a child asked if we could climb a steep narrow trail behind the pond. I followed. Then I found the trail led down the stairway that I thought went to nowhere, that still seemed to daunting too climb up. 

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I was the last one to make my way down, making sure the kids all went down safely in front of me. My daughter was directly in front of me. I shed a quiet tear on the way down. Then she just knew, to turn abound hold my hand and give a sweet little hug. I felt so grateful that day that my 8 year-old still wanted to hold my hand while on a school field trip with her friends.

Then I paused, looking at the map of the living species in the area, remembering the frozen blank feel it gave me the last time I looked at it covered in snow.

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Now it was thawed and clear, as I was able to think a little more clearly about where I’ve been.

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When I returned to the other side, this sign that held a profound moment for me in March, was barely visitable in all the green today.

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I snapped my last quick photo, not wondering if anyone was curious as to why I was taking pictures. And I kept walking. Keeping up with the kids. Because as mom, that’s what we do. Follow our kids, even as they get older and older. Being there for them always. And in certain ways, they keep us going.

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