I'm beginning to think that Craig and I are depriving our kids of the joys to be had by having a pet. Just now, Graeme found a pincher bug in the bathroom (I have no idea how though, because my house is spotless). He was very excited and brought Craig to take a look. Gavin was checking it out too...
Graeme: See? He is a pincher bug!
Gavin: He's our pet.
Craig: I think he's dead.
Graeme: He's our dead pet.
Then I burst into laughter. Maybe it is all boys, or all kids, but our little guys love bugs. We have had a host of "pets" from this pincher to snails, slugs, rollie-pollie bugs, even a centipede that bit Graeme's finger. Oh, and the aforementioned ladybug. So, maybe they are just fine and don't need a proper, socially sanctioned "pet" that normal families have. Our boys seem happy nonetheless. And, you know what, we visited our neighbor today who - bless her heart - has three Springer Spaniels (two still puppies). It made me pretty grateful for the bugs. Most are slow moving, easily disposable, and they don't eat poo. (Or, well, maybe technically they might, but they don't then jump up and lick your face.)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Quiet Time
I never really thought this day would come. After a morning out and about, the boys and I are back home. And it is quiet in the house. Like, 'sit down, read, and have a cup of tea' kind of quiet. Miracle? You bet!
The boys are bundled up and digging in the backyard. Yes, the one down side to having a boy-friendly backyard is that it is dirt and they get really messy. But, the up side is that they play. For a long time. They are completely happy, and even seem to be more content the less I interrupt them.
Not to bring McDonald's into it, but I'm LOVING it! (Note: we never eat at McD's, but they have catchy advertising.) I haven't even brought out the bikes yet! They are engineering "jumps" on the bike track, which may or may not actually result in any changes to the track at their current work rate. Maybe this will translate to trail building as they enter their teenage years and beyond. Whatever the long term result, I'm going to go have another cup of tea right now.
The boys are bundled up and digging in the backyard. Yes, the one down side to having a boy-friendly backyard is that it is dirt and they get really messy. But, the up side is that they play. For a long time. They are completely happy, and even seem to be more content the less I interrupt them.
Not to bring McDonald's into it, but I'm LOVING it! (Note: we never eat at McD's, but they have catchy advertising.) I haven't even brought out the bikes yet! They are engineering "jumps" on the bike track, which may or may not actually result in any changes to the track at their current work rate. Maybe this will translate to trail building as they enter their teenage years and beyond. Whatever the long term result, I'm going to go have another cup of tea right now.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Collection of Smiles
These pictures make me smile.
Hopefully they make you smile too.
Graeme's first attempt at getting dressed by himself.
Almost successful, and very sweet.
He turns three this week, by the way, which is extremely crazy!
Pictures to go with the golf stories... we haven't been for a while.
Maybe we'll go to the range on some rainy days.
Graeme. Great form.
Hey, we're in the zoo!
We were SO good that Mummy rewarded us with ice cream cones.
Little did she know they would be gigantic! We did our best to finish - they were yummy! But, we were secretly happy when Mummy dumped a big chunk of ice cream at the end so we could eat the cone without having to go to the hospital.
(Maybe we weren't so happy about that, but we got over it pretty quick.)
Morning antics... feeding the letters a snack.
For all you parents as unaware as I was, apparently magnet letters enjoy mixed nuts for breakfast.
A closer look at the munching letters.
This last picture might take the cake for cutest thing in the world. It's a passport and a travel car for a ladybug that Gavin found in Grandma Karen's backyard (in Canada). Since Gavin wanted to take him across the border to bring him home, he naturally needed a passport. Graciously drafted by Grandma's friend Fran, the passport (and the ladybug) remained in Gavin's clutches all the way home. He dutifully handed over the passport right when we went through the border (and then wondered why we didn't give it to the border guard). I was tempted to show it just to see how the guard would have reacted.
The ladybug is now in the plastic container (with air holes) in our kitchen. Who knows how long he'll last... though I'm sure the boys will be glad to find him some grass and bugs to eat in th morning.
Monday, October 3, 2011
What's New!
This week is a big week for me. Not only is it Fall and I get to torture my family with squash-inspired meals, I am beginning a new yoga teaching endeavor. Balanced Yoga Studio opened this Saturday in Woodinville and I'll be teaching there 4 days a week! Since I still have the boys during the days, my class runs Tuesday to Friday from 6am to 7am. I can be home before a) the boys wake up, and b) Craig leaves for work. Even though I'm not naturally an early bird, I'm looking forward to the new schedule. So, if you're in the area, check it out - my class or otherwise! http://balanceyoga.co/
I've written the first blog post, and hope to write more as well. So, if you're looking to get a little inspiration (or just waste some time), take a peek at their blog too. It's just started, so there's not much there now. More to come, for sure. (The link to the blog is in the upper right hand corner of the site.) You can "like" on Facebook and get updates.
On another note, many of you know that I am a consultant for Norwex products too. If you don't, Norwex is a Canadian company that sells environmentally friendly cleaning and personal products. I have found that they make cleaning a thousand times easier, faster, and more effective. All without chemical cleaners. If that interests you - and if you're the main cleaning machine in the home it should - I now have a website! You can go online and check out the products, look at the FAQs, and generally see how the products might make your life a little easier: https://caramaclean.norwex.biz/
Never did I imagine that I would be a consultant for any type of cleaning product, but seriously, Norwex stuff is fantastic! (Particularly for people who tend toward the OCD end of cleanliness... or so I hear.) You can always email me questions too, of course, I'm be happy to help!
Just a little plug for what's going on in my world... you know, aside from hubby and kids and all that. Things move a little slowly around here, but soon (ish) I hope to have a personal website that will marry my different interests. When the planets align perhaps... For the time being, pass along the links to anyone you know who might find them interesting!
I've written the first blog post, and hope to write more as well. So, if you're looking to get a little inspiration (or just waste some time), take a peek at their blog too. It's just started, so there's not much there now. More to come, for sure. (The link to the blog is in the upper right hand corner of the site.) You can "like" on Facebook and get updates.
On another note, many of you know that I am a consultant for Norwex products too. If you don't, Norwex is a Canadian company that sells environmentally friendly cleaning and personal products. I have found that they make cleaning a thousand times easier, faster, and more effective. All without chemical cleaners. If that interests you - and if you're the main cleaning machine in the home it should - I now have a website! You can go online and check out the products, look at the FAQs, and generally see how the products might make your life a little easier: https://caramaclean.norwex.biz/
Never did I imagine that I would be a consultant for any type of cleaning product, but seriously, Norwex stuff is fantastic! (Particularly for people who tend toward the OCD end of cleanliness... or so I hear.) You can always email me questions too, of course, I'm be happy to help!
Just a little plug for what's going on in my world... you know, aside from hubby and kids and all that. Things move a little slowly around here, but soon (ish) I hope to have a personal website that will marry my different interests. When the planets align perhaps... For the time being, pass along the links to anyone you know who might find them interesting!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Gavin the Subtle
On Sunday, Craig and I were casually discussing what to do with the day while Gavin was at the table eating his morning cereal. We tossed around a few ideas and then Gavin chimed in:
Gavin: Colonnade might be pretty quiet today! (Colonnade is the gnarlier bike park with stunts in Seattle.)
Craig and I: No, Gavin we're not going today... (reasons, reasons, reasons...)
But a few minutes later...
Gavin: Is there a gas station at Colonnade? Because we should go to that gas station.
Us: Why?
Gavin: Because I want to go to Colonnade!
And, again, a few minutes more...
Gavin: Colonnade is good for rainy days!
He's persistent that one.
Gavin: Colonnade might be pretty quiet today! (Colonnade is the gnarlier bike park with stunts in Seattle.)
Craig and I: No, Gavin we're not going today... (reasons, reasons, reasons...)
But a few minutes later...
Gavin: Is there a gas station at Colonnade? Because we should go to that gas station.
Us: Why?
Gavin: Because I want to go to Colonnade!
And, again, a few minutes more...
Gavin: Colonnade is good for rainy days!
He's persistent that one.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Garden Wrap Up
I haven't really posted anything about the garden this year, so my apologies for those who enjoy those updates. Even though we had a pretty wet summer, the veggies and flowers turned out alright. And it's still going! The boys and I planted lettuce and peas a few weeks ago, so we have those coming up for the cooler weather. I'm also trying to save seeds this year for the following: nasturtiums, zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, tomatoes, dill, cilantro (but saved as coriander to use), and maybe peppers if they turn out.
Pictures are absent from this post too, because we had a computer glitch. (Read: old computer died and we had to buy a new one.) So I don't have access to the most recent photos yet. I will take a few, however, because my trumpet vine is actually flowering this year (about which I'm very excited). Maybe next post.
In the meantime, I thought I'd run down a few things I've learned this year.
1) Tomato seeds in compost do, indeed, result in tomato plants throughout your garden. I suppose this depends on the efficiency of your compost system. Mine? Maybe not so good. I had a lot of volunteer plants, and most of them gave a lot of fruit. I'm good with that.
2) Don't discount a tomato plant because it doesn't look quite right. If it doesn't have blight, it might be ok. The Roma plant I bought didn't look that good, but it was the best producer this year. I froze probably five small Ziplocs of tomatoes. (I had so many cherry tomatoes I froze all the Roma.)
3) Carrots actually get bigger if you leave them in long enough! Revelation. In previous years, the boys pulled up the carrots quite early. We were away so much this summer that we had plenty of good size carrots all summer. Totally cool. And yummy.
4) Swiss chard and kale. Yummy, good for you, and easy to grow. You can sneak it into just about anything.
5) Burlap sacks as pots for tomatoes? Completely successful. I would do that again next year, as it is easy and inexpensive. The bags go in compost or yard waste after the tomatoes (or any plant for that matter) finish for the season.
6) Pole beans are still more fun than bush beans. They produce more, they are prettier, but they are itchy to pick. I relearned that lesson this year.
7) One zucchini plant is enough.
8) Much to the boys' dismay, it isn't hot enough here to grow a proper watermelon. We got one that was about 2 inches wide before it died. Not so exciting on a hot summer day.
9) I'm doing my best to come up with ten things... Not officially true, but I think peppers like strawberries. I planted a lot of peppers this year only because I had left over seeds from last year. I knew most wouldn't grow because, again, it isn't really hot enough here. However, I have two pepper plants that shared a pot with a strawberry plant (that I just plopped in there for space). These two plants are rockin' tons of little peppers! None of the others are really doing much, but this plant went wild. Not sure why, so that's my best guess. They like strawberries. We may even get to eat some of these peppers, as they are mini and seem to be changing colors.
10) Size doesn't matter. (Snicker.) Of tomato plants, that is. The plants I started from seed ended up producing just about as much as the plants that I bought. They grow so fast if the conditions are right - buy the smaller plants.
That's it. I know when I sign off, I'll think of something else. Overall, it was a fun, low maintenance year. Maybe next year we'll have more consistent sunshine. Watermelon potential, perhaps??
Pictures are absent from this post too, because we had a computer glitch. (Read: old computer died and we had to buy a new one.) So I don't have access to the most recent photos yet. I will take a few, however, because my trumpet vine is actually flowering this year (about which I'm very excited). Maybe next post.
In the meantime, I thought I'd run down a few things I've learned this year.
1) Tomato seeds in compost do, indeed, result in tomato plants throughout your garden. I suppose this depends on the efficiency of your compost system. Mine? Maybe not so good. I had a lot of volunteer plants, and most of them gave a lot of fruit. I'm good with that.
2) Don't discount a tomato plant because it doesn't look quite right. If it doesn't have blight, it might be ok. The Roma plant I bought didn't look that good, but it was the best producer this year. I froze probably five small Ziplocs of tomatoes. (I had so many cherry tomatoes I froze all the Roma.)
3) Carrots actually get bigger if you leave them in long enough! Revelation. In previous years, the boys pulled up the carrots quite early. We were away so much this summer that we had plenty of good size carrots all summer. Totally cool. And yummy.
4) Swiss chard and kale. Yummy, good for you, and easy to grow. You can sneak it into just about anything.
5) Burlap sacks as pots for tomatoes? Completely successful. I would do that again next year, as it is easy and inexpensive. The bags go in compost or yard waste after the tomatoes (or any plant for that matter) finish for the season.
6) Pole beans are still more fun than bush beans. They produce more, they are prettier, but they are itchy to pick. I relearned that lesson this year.
7) One zucchini plant is enough.
8) Much to the boys' dismay, it isn't hot enough here to grow a proper watermelon. We got one that was about 2 inches wide before it died. Not so exciting on a hot summer day.
9) I'm doing my best to come up with ten things... Not officially true, but I think peppers like strawberries. I planted a lot of peppers this year only because I had left over seeds from last year. I knew most wouldn't grow because, again, it isn't really hot enough here. However, I have two pepper plants that shared a pot with a strawberry plant (that I just plopped in there for space). These two plants are rockin' tons of little peppers! None of the others are really doing much, but this plant went wild. Not sure why, so that's my best guess. They like strawberries. We may even get to eat some of these peppers, as they are mini and seem to be changing colors.
10) Size doesn't matter. (Snicker.) Of tomato plants, that is. The plants I started from seed ended up producing just about as much as the plants that I bought. They grow so fast if the conditions are right - buy the smaller plants.
That's it. I know when I sign off, I'll think of something else. Overall, it was a fun, low maintenance year. Maybe next year we'll have more consistent sunshine. Watermelon potential, perhaps??
New Family Endeavor
Since they see Craig practicing his swing everyday, Gavin and Graeme developed an interest in golf. And I did to. They boys are ready to try anything new, as long as its fun. My interest stems from two things 1) everyone in our family pretty much knows how to play, and 2) if you don't know how to play, you get to babysit the kids while everyone else plays. (For the record, I've done that enough.) So, off we went to the driving range.
The boys are really cute (imagine that) at the course, and they do a pretty good job being quiet. Well, ok, maybe not that good of a job. But it is usually not so busy when we go, and it is a more casual place. Craig has taken Gavin a few times on his own, so he can actually hit the ball. He needs to slow down a little, though, as he just wants to whack it as hard as he can. Just to show you how serious Gavin is about golf, check out his comment to Craig: "Daddy, can you hold my seed pod while I hit the ball?" (We had picked up a maple tree seed pod on our way to the golf course.) But, you know, that shows he's really got to focus.
Graeme, on the other hand, hits a few balls here and there. He is more interested in exploring the scene. What's under this mat? What are these things? How many buckets can I stack up? How many balls can I collect from the grass before - why are you yelling at me? (As he's wandered out into the range.) Hey, look, there's a bug? (That gets Gavin's attention still too.) At one point, Graeme took the balls he'd been allotted and began to plunk them into a small garbage can.
Craig: Graeme, don't do that! That's a garbage can.
Graeme (sing song voice): Why is it a garbage can?
It might be a while before Graeme feels the need to focus on his swing.
In any case, we have a new family endeavor. It's pretty fun and I can see where, if you were any good, it would be addicting. I'm not addicted yet, however. I hit a few good shots that went straight, but it all feels quite awkward to me at this point. More practice.
The boys are really cute (imagine that) at the course, and they do a pretty good job being quiet. Well, ok, maybe not that good of a job. But it is usually not so busy when we go, and it is a more casual place. Craig has taken Gavin a few times on his own, so he can actually hit the ball. He needs to slow down a little, though, as he just wants to whack it as hard as he can. Just to show you how serious Gavin is about golf, check out his comment to Craig: "Daddy, can you hold my seed pod while I hit the ball?" (We had picked up a maple tree seed pod on our way to the golf course.) But, you know, that shows he's really got to focus.
Graeme, on the other hand, hits a few balls here and there. He is more interested in exploring the scene. What's under this mat? What are these things? How many buckets can I stack up? How many balls can I collect from the grass before - why are you yelling at me? (As he's wandered out into the range.) Hey, look, there's a bug? (That gets Gavin's attention still too.) At one point, Graeme took the balls he'd been allotted and began to plunk them into a small garbage can.
Craig: Graeme, don't do that! That's a garbage can.
Graeme (sing song voice): Why is it a garbage can?
It might be a while before Graeme feels the need to focus on his swing.
In any case, we have a new family endeavor. It's pretty fun and I can see where, if you were any good, it would be addicting. I'm not addicted yet, however. I hit a few good shots that went straight, but it all feels quite awkward to me at this point. More practice.
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