all tucked in

As I made my way to bed, I noticed these little guys fast asleep on the couch.  No, it wasn't the kids or the dogs, it was the beloved "Mo-Mo" and "baby."  

The pillows were carefully placed on either side of the couch.  Their little heads were lovingly placed on each pillow.  Their heads were kissed.  The feathery light muslin blanket was stretched out across the two of them -- this takes some time for the babe to accomplish as she insists that it reach both of them equally and when she tugs on one side, the other slips off.

These days, our every move is centered around the needs of these two.  We tuck them into bed, we feed them when we eat, we change their diapers and we buckle them into car seats.  They are never forgotten by their ever-doting mother.

"Night, night."

summer tea

My big girl attended a little tea party recently at Pottery Barn Kids.  A sweet friend told me about the event and we thought there could be nothing better on a Friday afternoon {when the heat index is above 115} than the cool air-conditioned mall.  We went not really knowing what to expect.  The kids were suppose to bring along their favorite doll or stuffed animal to accompany them to tea.  

My girl was extremely excited to attend this little event because it meant that her sister, who is not yet old enough, would not be coming.  It meant a little mom and daughter time, alone.

The kids were seated at little tables and given apple-juice and a wonderfully whimsical frosted cookie.  They listened to a few stories and then made a little craft.  They were given old PBK magazines and then taught to accordion fold the paper into a little butterfly. The addition of a pipe-cleaner made the craft all the more desirable by the 12 children seated at the little tables in the back of the store.

The summer tea was a big hit and offered a great opportunity to discuss manners at a tea-party with my girl.  

PBK regularly holds free activities and events for children.  You can get on their mailing list to get them emailed to you OR you can just check their website.  I highly recommend it if you are looking for something different and fun to fill the last of these hot summer days.

Monthly Organization: sweet memories project

A good friend recently wrote a little post on keeping her son's artwork and special little things in a box.  I thought it was a great way to keep all those sweet memories organized without all the hassle of scrap-booking.

I began thinking and realized that I have a whole drawer full of papers of my daughter's.  Aside from her school work and art (which I keep in a three-ring binder), we have birthday invitations, birth announcements, holiday cards, special programs, and all the stuff she came home from the hospital with when she was born.   All of this stuff is important to me and I think it will be important to her someday.

I have been on the look out for a good box to put some of these important things in but never seem to find just the right thing.  I recently ran across this website and fell in love with their "Memory Keepers."  They are high-quality boxes that can be personalized and used for all those papers you want to keep.

 

I made a few for my kids and some for gifts too.  Wouldn't one of these be a perfect baby gift?

Anyway, I just fell in love with the idea and thought I would share in case anyone else has an entire drawer full of paper for their kid that needs to be kept and somehow organized.

P.S. They have a sale going on right now on these fun boxes - 40% off and free shipping - use "MEMORY BOX" at checkout

simple summer: fish tacos

photo via

Fish tacos are such a healthy and fun summer meal.  For this, we used halibut [we have also used mahi-mahi] but you could use any white fish.  This marinade it so good but doesn't require any strange ingredients that you have to shop for.  I got this recipe a long time ago and only used on chicken.  We tried it on fish for the first time a few weeks ago and it was a big hit!

Fish or Chicken Marinade
[for fish, we only marinade for about an hour, for chicken we marinade longer]

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs sherry
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 chicken breasts or fish fillets

grill fish or chicken on a grill until fish is flaky or chicken reaches an internal temp of 180 degrees (about 10 minutes a side)

After the fish is done cooking, we break it apart with a fork and place it on corn tortillas.  You can add anything to the taco to suit your own taste.  Our favorite fish taco toppings are:

tomatoes

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guacamole

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cilantro

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freshly squeezed lime

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black beans

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and a dash of sea salt

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This makes the best summer meal!  It is so light and so tasty!  Enjoy!

watercolor

Watercolor at Grandma's house means a few special things:

complete creative freedom

no worries about mixing paint colors 

[it is actually encouraged by the former art teacher]

hand-made water bowls to dip the brush in and 

a story about how they were made that goes along with them

paper, lots of paper

there are no mistakes...mistakes are turned into new works of art

big brushes for little hands

a table that doesn't mind being dripped on

Popsicles in one hand and a paint brush in the other

a mother who sits back and enjoys watching 

the freedom that she doesn't always allow at home

[because it usually makes a huge mess that requires a ton of clean up time on her part]

a grandmother who thinks nothing of clean-up

 but more about creativity and watching little spirits grow

next to you

Standing next to you, I marvel at your little feet.  Once chubby, thick and clumsy, they are now long and slender.  They are often adorned by dress-up heels or glittery flats that transport you to imaginary places.  They carry you around the room as you twirl to the music and drag across the floor when you procrastinate at bedtime. They have recently begun fluttering and propelling your body through the water.  They prance quickly across the hot summer pavement and linger in my bed in the morning.  They are perfectly and so wonderfully you.

out on the lawn

I love summer evenings.  The breeze seems to kick up and even the hottest day doesn't seem that bad when the sun dips low in the evening sky-.

Being outdoors and enjoying the yard is best at this time of year.  I recently ran across a website that suggested some fun summertime games and that got me thinking about some favorite summer lawn games that I need to introduce to the kids some evening.

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Ahh, croquet.  Is there anything more classic that this fun game.  I love it because you don't need to be any kind of an expert or athlete to play.  I think kids would like it too because of the large mallets and balls.

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Bocce Ball is a family favorite.  The balls are probably a bit heavy and slightly dangerous for a little one to be hurling across the yard but with some supervision, this is a great family game.

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I ran across a little plastic horseshoe set a few years back a Target.  It was perfect for teaching the game to my little one without the weight of a real set.  

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Frisbee golf is traditionally played on a course but in the yard you could designate a tree or a fence post as the goal and play to your heart's content.  

What are your favorite lawn games?  Here's to enjoying some breezy summer evenings out on the lawn!