Simple salad

For a fruit salad, I find that cantaloupe is the perfect base to build on. The melon is super durable and can easily be cut up the day before and stored in the fridge.  For this salad, I added raspberries and fresh mint leaves.  Other great combos are blueberries and pistachios or even strawberries and basil. Either way, it makes an easy fruit salad to take somewhere and it won't look all mushy or brown when you get there.  

a place of their own, a place to play

Floors were stained, curtains sewn, railings painted, slide attached, shutters made, a pot of flowers were perched on the deck and little furnishings placed inside -- yes, the playhouse is complete!

For years after having children, I shuttered at the thought of a primary colored playscape adorning my backyard.  I figured we could walk down to the park for a play ground, if they really needed one.  Besides, wouldn't they be more creative if they had to figure out what to do and use their imaginations?  Well, that lasted approximately 7 years and in that time three little girls were added to the picture.  They played well in the yard and swung on the swing but something was missing.  Soon, I felt like we weren't taking full advantage of our yard and when I saw how well they played in other yards with playscapes and tree houses, I knew we needed a change.  

There is an adorable little children's boutique close-by and inside they have the most fanciful playhouse.  My children beg to go there just so they can play in that adorable playhouse.  I inquired about having one like it made for our yard but the price tag was a hefty one and beyond my budget for any kind of kid entertainment.

With 2 summer birthdays among our 3, my husband and I put our heads together and figured we would try to make something for them instead of large costly birthday celebrations.  We decided something for the yard would be their gift (or ours?) this year.  

We searched and search around town for the perfect playscape/playhouse combo.  Nothing was quite right.  Finally, I found a blogger who had made something for her kids.  It seemed like the perfect playhouse/treehouse/playscape combo for our yard and our kids.  Thankfully, she and her husband added loose directions and a supply list so that others could create something similar.

We did just that!  My husband worked for most of the summer and early Fall to create a perfect little place to play for our girls.  It turned out better than all of us could ever imagined.  

It nourishes their need to play, imagine, pretend, create and have a place of their own.  It was a tremendous undertaking but one that was worth every minute of blood, sweat and tears (yes, there were all of those associated with this project).

When I see them playing outside any chance they can get (instead of glued to the TV or computer) and getting along together, I am so completely satisfied.

the outcome

Halloween came and so did the desire to create a costume of her very own.  She decided that a mummy would be the best costume to create out of toilet paper.  I loved the fact that she thought about an original costume she could create all her own.  Of course, her grandmother heard about using toilet paper and promptly made yards and yards of narrow white fabric to wrap a mummy in.

The night was happy trotting around my old neighborhood with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.  It was gone in a flash and I think our candy will be too!

Hope your Halloween weekend was wonderful especially with an extra hour to spend in bed, asleep or out playing!

Costume changes...

Happy Halloween!  Sometimes, I feel like this is the most stressful night of parenthood.  Most of my children will change their mind about what costume they want to wear several times before the big night.  Eek!  Inevitably, I am rushing around the last minute picking up strange odds and ends to pull everything together.

As of now, we have a cheerleader, Elsa, a strawberry and a jester.  We will see if that changes in the coming hours.  I hope not!

Happy Halloween to all you hard-working costume designers and creators out there! 

sometimes the best plan is no plan

We went down to the lake this morning to enjoy some donuts and quiet after a busy week.  They were good sports and wore the dresses I asked them wear just in case there was a good photo opportunity.  When we got there, there were people and photographers everywhere with the same idea, I guess.  The little one cried and didn't want to be a part of any activity organized by her mother.  Daddy got frustrated when our peaceful morning turned to crying and crowds of people.  I was deflated because I really wanted to snap just a few photos of my girls in the serene setting.  Finally we all just gave up and ran to the other side of the docks to the little area to play in the sand and splash in the water.  As my girls splashed without shoes, dug in the sand and watched boats pass by, I saw their true spirits.  Their dresses dipped into the cool lake water and their hair glistened in the soft morning sun.  This was the morning we hoped for.  The shift in plans and expectations was good for us all!

Bless you!

This morning as I was madly putting together lunches and getting backpacks ready for their final day of the week, I sneezed.  Now normally, a sneeze would just go unnoticed amongst the flurry of activity that happens from 6:45-7:15am during the weekdays, but today, my sneeze was noticed.  It was noticed by the curly-headed toddler making her way to the bin of Legos in the middle of the living room.  As she was walking by the kitchen and heard my sneeze, she said, "Bless you, Momma."  I stopped in my tracks, absolutely astonished by her words.  Not only were her words new but they were meant for someone else.  I had forgotten that a toddler's words can extend beyond "I" and "me" and "mine."  I was truly touched and moved to tears by this sweet gesture.  Little moments like these are the ones I don't want to forget and need to remember when things get crazy.

Homemade Guacamole

I love the way a few fresh ingredients combined, can make the tastiest treat.  Homemade guacamole is one of our favorite fresh foods.  My kids love to help make it and be the expert "taste-testers" when we are tweaking ingredients at the end.  It is super easy to make and perfect with chips, tacos or on top of chicken tortilla soup.  

Here is our recipe for Homemade Guacamole:

-about 4 avacados, diced

-1/2 red onion, finely chopped

-10 cherry tomatoes, chopped

-1/4 red pepper, finely chopped

-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

-handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

-the juice of 3 limes (give or take some depending on your taste)

-a few pinches of coarse sea salt to taste

Mix the ingredients together by hand more or less depending on the thickness and chunkiness desired.

Enjoy!