swimming with trains

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My little one recently completed her first round of swimming lessons.  Sentimentally, I took her to the area of town and utilized the same city program that my mother used with me when I was little.  Each afternoon for 2 weeks we arrived for our lesson.  She swam and took in all the sights and sounds of the lesson.  And each day, like clock work, the large freight train would shuffle down the highway that runs parallel to the pool.  All the little kids in the entire pool would turn to look in amazement at the large engines carrying many cars of freight.  Most days, the train would even give a little "toot-toot" which would send my child in to train-loving heaven.

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I think it is so funny that most times when I see or hear the train, I just ignore it.  Kids on the other hand, are so in tune with their surroundings and don't miss much.

Unfortunately, I guess all swim lessons must be with trains as this is what she now expects.

little dancers

Without an ounce of technical dance knowledge, these little dancers marched off to dance camp with a pep in their step and a song in their hearts.

They dressed as they wished and were happy I put no constraints on their costume choices.

Each day they came home with a few more skills, stories and friendships than the day before. 

I was delighted that their little creative spirits weren't crushed but kindly guided.

tomatoes

This little red tomato has my little one itching to get outside each morning.  She runs to the tomato plants in the yard and carefully checks for "red one, only red ones."  When she finds a red one, she snatches it right away and promptly eats it.  Few tomatoes ever make it inside for soup or salad, like I had hoped.  Homegrown tomatoes taste so sweet!  My girls compare them to strawberries.

  

It has become our morning ritual and helps divert her attention away from morning tv.

If you have ever wanted to grow tomatoes but fear you can't, there is an easy way to do it with few supplies.  

Last year, we took out our raised bed garden because it needed to be replaced.  This year time got away from us and we didn't replace the raised bed garden like we had intended.  In place of the raised bed, I bought 2 large pots (mine are plastic like these from Lowes).  I always prefer clay pots but for this little experiment, I didn't want to spend too much money and the plastic ones are much cheaper.

Lowes

I also got a couple bags of organic potting soil.

Lowes

A couple tomato plants for each pot.

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And lastly, we got a few tomato cages to put inside each pot.

Home Depot has these fun colored cages.

Within a matter of weeks, we had tomatoes and it was super easy.  The kids enjoy watering the plants daily and it is something that keeps them occupied outside.

Here's to ripe tomatoes all summer long!

sick, sick, sick...

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I am convinced that summertime colds are the worst.  Maybe they are no worse than wintertime colds but it sure feels like they are.  Perhaps it is because suffering from fever, chills, runny noses and sore throats somehow seems unnatural in the summer and somewhat expected in the winter.  Nevertheless, we are sick of being sick.  Choosing to be home everyday is one thing but being confined to the house for over a week with coughs and drippy noses is something very different.  The few trips out to the doctor have excited me beyond belief. It's sad to say, I know.  There is something very liberating about the Starbucks drive-thru when it is the only way out of the house.  Hallelujah!

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I do hope everyone gets well and stays well because this Momma is sick of being sick!

summertime fun: ice cream

"It is time for a special treat," my big girl called out to me after finding a homemade ice cream recipe on the PBSKids website.  After spending over a week at home with sick kids, I was up for anything new.  It turned out to be a great little activity and quite simple too!  Perhaps it might provide a little summertime fun for you too.

Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients:

(makes 1-2 servings)

recipe from pbskids.com cyberchase

1/2 cup half and half

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 sandwich-size zipper bag

1 gallon-size zipper bag

3 cups crushed ice

1/3 cup rock salt (or sea salt)

{I used Kosher Salt and it worked just fine}

Little signs can be made by excited little helpers! 

Directions:

1. Put first 3 ingredients in the smaller zipper bag and seal bag.

(Make sure it is tightly closed!) Put ice and rock salt in the

larger bag and then drop in the smaller bag.

Seal the large bag.

2.Squeeze, shake and roll the smaller bag within the 

larger bag until the ingredients have thickened,

about 10-15 minutes.

3. Remove small bag, unseal it, and eat with spoon.

Everything always tastes better when a little work went into making it!

YUM!

toilet paper superhighway

As I walked into the living room and saw the toilet paper trail, I wondered what you could be thinking.

We have had many conversations and you have experienced many consequences about unrolling the toilet paper roll while visiting the toilet.  In fact, you haven't pulled this little stunt in a while and I bravely thought we were done this stage.

The toilet paper went from the toilet to the bathtub, passed by the sink, out the bathroom and into the living room, from the carpet to the tile, under the table and around and finally went under your little table and halfway through the kitchen before the roll was done.

I had to carefully hold back my feelings when discussing this little toilet paper episode with you.  In my calmest voice, I asked, "What are you doing with the toilet paper?"

In a very matter-of-fact way, you answered, "It is the road for my cars."

In my mind, that was brimming with many different thoughts at this point, I said, "Yes, of course, it is for your cars."

We left the toilet paper superhighway up for the rest of the day but the extra toilet paper is still sitting unrolled in the bathtub waiting for a new use when she decides to get creative with a toilet paper roll.

soft summer days

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Soft summer days have arrived.

Gentle and calm days without the morning rush to get somewhere on time have fallen lightly on us, creating a welcomed calmness in my mind.  

Little summer sounds have begun to return--squeaky little voices from the dozens of Little People, who have been untouched for many months, fill the living room most mornings.

Lawn mowers mowing the lush green grass from the spring rains hum in the background all times of the day and emit sweet earthy smells of green.

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Little fingers hunt and peck their way through a whole new world of entertainment on the public television website.

Lazy dogs whimper and snore the day away on the cool tile floors.

Screams of delight fill the yard over the first bunch of ripe red tomatoes in the garden waiting to be picked.

Yes, the soft summer days have arrived and they are just the way I like them.  We breathe slower without the tight constraints of commitments weighing heavy on us.  My mind feels uncluttered and free.

Granted, I might be singing a different tune in a few weeks when the temperatures rise into the 100s and little siblings begin to tire of each other's constant company.  For now, we are gluping down our summertime in large doses, happy it is finally here.

Hope you are enjoying your summer days.  Happy summertime weekend to you!

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