Digital Reflections

Running like a mother.....

Nope, this isnt in reference to the crazy chaotic life that engulfs us from sun up to sun down tending to the needs of our kids, or in my case prepping everything for the first day of school.  This actually has to do about RUNNING.  Specifically, about me and running.  Two things that have not always been strangers, but definately two things that happily coexisted on alternate universes for the last dozen years.  I read a book here a few weeks ago, and to say it has left an impact on me would be the understatement of the century.  I have always devoured books, been a learner at heart, but this book I was so engulfed with, so engaged and inspired beyond measure.  In the past 5 years most books lining my bookshelves have been about teaching, kids, parenting... lets see looking up here:

Raising Repsectful Children, Bringing Up Boys, Living SImply with Children, Magical Child, Raising a Reader, etc... get the point... That is my focus, has been my focus... and that has its place and is well BUT.. I ordered  A Weekend to Change Your Life  from Amazon when I needed to add one more thing to get free shipping (cuz who doesnt love free shipping)... I usually keep my TO READ's in my cart at AMAZON just for this purpose... and it worked out that I was ready for this read.

I began running earlier this year, and had to put it on hold for health reasons, but missed it, then fell back into the, oh well, when I can again I 'might' run some more, stage.. you know when you start thinking well, maybe I didnt love it as much as I remember.  The "maybe the heat, the sweating, the being sore wasnt really worth it" self talk took over.  But I read and read and read this book again, its hard to describe the various aspects of the words in this book that spoke to the core of my being, but I think so many things were occuring simultaniously to get me to this point, so I was open to the words. Sitting at the park reading the book while the kids were playing on the playground, I felt free, and I wanted to RUN.  Right then and there I found myself.  But what gets better is during the run, I found more of me, and each time I run, I find more...

and then comes Run Like A Mother the book and  Run Like A Mother, The Blog ...

and wouldnt you know I found a bit more of ME.  Each time I read a story I am connected to the writer in some aspect of their journey, as it mirrors some aspect of mine.  I am soooo glad Cathy Zielske is sharing her journey, because that is how I found RLAM.  And "Run like a Mother, Sting Like a Bee, and Live with Purpose" is my new moto. 

For the past 12 years since my first failed pregnancy I was living with a mother mindset, one that was skewed incorrectly, seeing things through glasses that were not mine to wear.  Not a slave to the position of being a mom, but neglecting who I was because of the role I took on as a mom.  4 healthy beautiful kids a few more failed pregnancies later, I didnt know ME anymore.  Dont get me wrong, my kids -man do I love each one of them, good days, bad hair days, crazy attitude days, I love their snuggles, and their growing and curiosity, I love their personalities developing and the people they are becomming. I love that they are a gift to me, LOVE LOVE LOVE... them.. but in the process I quit loving ME.. It was about THEM 24-7 and that is so easy to do. So you can see how recently, it being ABOUT ME, is a PRETTY HUGE deal. 

Balancing life is more than tricky at best, and doing it well, I tip my hat to the moms that do it ALL...  I try to do the best I can with what I have, and in that I try to open up every possible opportunity to my kids to help them develop into individuals that live with passion and purpose, serving the greater good, but also being satisfied in themselves.  But I can only give them as much of me as I am able to KNOW about ME.  I cant give them happiness if I am not happy, I cant give them empathy if I am not empathetic, I cant give them a sense of belonging if I feel out of place.  So what justice am I doing by living in the humdrum of daily life if I am not whole full and complete enough to give them ALL of who I am - who I was created to BE.

Everyone has layers, masks, roles they play in life but the one with the most importance is the one we are when there are no eyes watching, when we are alone, when there is no task to be tended to, no dishes to be done, no meetings, no PTO, no frustrations, no bad dreams to sing away.... and when you RUN, when I RUN -its just THAT its just ME!  Its the real, raw, revelation of who I am and who I have become and what I want to be. 

so many possibilities...

Back to school: get organized

There is so much to do, so many lists running in my mind, on paper or on our calendar.  It's a fun but very busy time of year. Being organized is key in lowering the stress level that comes with getting 4 kids prepared for school.  I will share some ideas and better yet, some links for some great ideas to help you start the school year off on the right foot.

1.  Get a good calendar system: whether its a traditional dry erase calendar or some of these cool chalkboard wallies... cork boards are also good to help keep everything that comes from school in one place.  Last year I finally got in the habit of reading the school flyer with my dry erase pen in hand, and transfering dates, deadlines, and events right onto our main board and then tossing those papers in our recycle bin.  It kept down on a lot of clutter.

    

2.  Find a place for everything...

Whats not to love about Pottery Barn Kids...

Big units like this all the way to desk top organization is a big plus when trying to keep several kids "stuff" in one place, easy to find and get to and easy to put away and maintain some sense of order in the world.

 

Organize.com offers great products, and I love seeing sets that come together.

 

*  Create an inbox/outbox system for each child.  It has helped us when needing to locate papers that are due or money that needs turned in for school pictures.  Their school papers come in and go in the "in box", when I get a chance to go through them I can sign them, attach a check or whatever needs done and then move them over to the "out box".  It is a time saver in the evening as we pack backpacks.  This could simply be a folder for each child, a magazine holder or a nice stationary box if you have the room for several of them. 

 

*  Have a designated "drop" zone.  If your house gets as crazy at 3:45 as mine does, this can be a huge relief.  We have a drop zone right by the kitchen, the kids can just drop all their backpacks, lunch boxes, kick off shoes, jackets it doesnt matter.  After snack we then collect the things that need gone through, each child is responsible for clearing out their lunch boxes and we usually sit in the kitchen to go through their backpacks before they head to the table for homework. I realized quickly with 4 kids each, exhausted from school and needing some unwinding time that it is best that I am not barking reminders as to where to put everything right off the bat, rather I would just enjoy the time to hear their stories from the day and allow us all to settle into our evening routine.

 

3. Start labeling...

One of my favorite finds came via  Cool Mom Picks. My kids could already tell you how much I love my lable making machines and tools around here.  It is always fun to create that little personalized touch for their items.  But Mabels Labels takes it to a whole new level, and I just love these great products.

 

4. Laying it all out...

Probably one of our biggest back to school struggles is the whole "what to wear" challenge.  We nipped this in the bud last year.  A simple closet organizer like this and each of the kids had 5 days worth of clothes picked out on Sunday night.  We left nothing out, in each compartment is the outfit (unless it is still on the hanger in which case it is next to the closet organizer) socks, shoes, hair accesories, etc.  It takes some time to sit in each child's bedroom on Sunday night and pick out clothes for the week, but the times that I let it slide proved to me how invaluable this aspect of being organized can be.

 

5.  Lunch to go...

With our using a bento style lunch plan this year that could be an aweful lot of prep time.  What we came up with was this great chart I spotted over at MarthaStewart.com.  This is going to be especially helpful with my little kindergartener and first grader.  Once I get our all laminated and up on the fridge I will get a photo to show how we changed it up for our menu plan.  We will have about 6 items in each lunch -with smaller portions and emphasis on percentage of protein (a vegetarian eater among them) and fruit/veggies and grains.  We get a lot of inspiration from this site... Whats for lunch at our house. Last year we quit purchasing ziplocs and sewed our own washable and reusable napkins and we will continue to do that this year.

 

Check out Martha's whole back to school selection here.  Martha Stewart: Back to School

Check out Cool Moms Picks back to school selection here. Cool Mom Picks: Back to School

Check out Family Fun's back to school selection here.  Family Fun: Back to School   

 

more again soon....

 

 

10 things all kids should learn...

A mini whirl wind these last days has been fun, invigorating and down right tiring.  But thats the good part of summer, we can spend the next little bit recuperating and then keep on going.  We finished our Egypt week and then did a few smaller nondescript things on our summer fun list...and spent a great deal of time outside, with visits to the park, a long hike along the creek, and lots of slip and slide time.  Sometimes its great to break away from so much structure and just enjoy being together.  Along those lines I just found out this am that our plans have to change for next week so I am revamping another week of our summer to accomodate.  Not a big deal, just a shift from planned to unplanned - good things can always happen when you least expect it right.

On to this week, most of my kids are enjoying VBS, so this is some valuable down time, but I have have a houseful to entertain and its raining and grey.  So this week, we are going to be working on a new list of sorts, one that I have been giving a great deal of thought to lately. 

10 things all kids should learn before they become a TEENAGER...

Granted I am a few years from this, I firmly believe that if we approach these things now, they will be more like second nature and habit by the time my kids are basking in the glory of the strong willed independent raging in hormones cycle that awaits us in a few years.  So what are these things:

1.  All kids should be able to cook a meal... and shop for that meal, plan the meal -there really is a lot that a kid can and should learn about this whole process, plus everyone should be able to bake bread and make a mean pie crust (to name a few)....

2.  They should be able to make their beds. (this one silly enough has been hard for me because I always had the preminition that I would be that pollyanna mom who drops her kids off at school and comes home to make beds (and leave mints on their pillows, lol) and basically walk around in my aapron all day tending to our beautiful home.. dont laugh I really thought that is who I would be.... fast forward 13 years + 4 kids, (plus several that arent mine) and the laundry piles up daily, its usually lunch time before I get the dishes unloaded, and I dont make the kids beds, shoot my husband makes ours... but I know how to make a mean hotel fold, and my kids will learn it too.  I will never forget being in high school and having a friend come over I was told I couldnt leave until my room was picked up and my bed was made (I thought it was utterly ridiculous, but that was before I was a mom)well, my friend hopped into my bed pulled the covers around her neck and slipped out the side, PRESTO she proclaimed, it took 15 seconds and I learned right there that my NOT making my bed had little to do with TIME...

3.  They should be able to sew, whether its a button or a hem, boy or girl, you gotta be able to mend your own issues, right!

4.  They should be able to manage their money.  We are talking allowance which is another hot topic around here, we finally settled on the kids age for allowance given at the end of the month IF their chores around the house are completed without ATTITUDE!!!  Now, around here there are chores that are done because our kids are part of a family unit and this unit must work together to be successful, then there are chores that arefor the sole purpose of their allowance, WHY one main reason we do want to teach them to be responsible with what they are given monetarily.  Ii am working on the 'envelope' system with the little ones and actually have set up accounts for the older ones so we can begin the process of balancing a bank account and reconciling at the end of the month, etc.  There is a chance to earn more (of course my kids prefer the tooth fairy method, but they are runnig out of that option soon)... So with earning, they have to learn giving and saving...

5.  Wash clothes, because despite popular theory in our house, the do not wash themselves and magically reappear on hangers while away at school or camp or dreaming...

6. Basic housekeeping... this is all inclusive but aside from chores, why would a child want to know this, well they may not, but they still need to know how to maintain a clean environment.

7. Basic home repair, I think this is something we miss a lot these days with technology being the only thing that has needed repairing in our house lately.  I remember swinging an ax and hammer at a very young age, yet I am not sure any of my kids could do the same... I think this summer is a perfect chance for some getting dirty and some hands on learning of how things work.

8.  Manners Matter... plain and simple can they answer the phone politely, can they be helpful with a kind response, should the boys open the girls car door, will they know a proper place setting and how to cut their food gracefully...There is a lot that they can learn and a lot of this happens naturally, but in todays day and age, my kids have probably never answered a telephone and only on a rare occassion do I ever place a full place setting at the table, the car doors are automatic, get the point.. so many basic teaching opportunities are missing in this day and they are still valuable skills that each kid should know.

9. Now not so much along the common sense 'practical' approach, but definately a life skill children need to learn is COMPASSION, I dont think its inate in us as beings, I think it is modeled for us as our own needs are met as infants and toddlers, and I think its something that by the time middle school is reached is soon forgotten. 

10.  Time Management.. this is important because its something I need to work on myself.  Distractions come at us all the time, we are focused on a project (me at my computer) the kids engrossed in a show, things that keep us from living each moment fully.  I hope to help my kids learn this summer than planning and organizing their time will get the most out of their lives.. (dont worry I am all for spontaneous things) but I also know that time management will help them in so many areas of their life as they move forward into college, work and marriage.. its important now to show by example and to help with teaching them how important time is.. I really liked this little internet read on Time Management for Kids

I think everyone can make this list for their own kids and all our lists would be different..Here are some great reads if this is something you want to give more thought ....

Planning with Kids -10 things I want my kids to know

Zen Habits 27 skilly your child needs to know

50 things everyone should know

Other things on our list to share this summer:

Growing a garden

Canning our food

Knitting

Writing / Memory keeping (this is big around here, I am an avid scrapbooker, and my kids are keeping scrapbooks in their own words with their own pictures and I know it will be treasured by their children and grandchildren, the way I would cherish something like that had my own granny been able to share that before she left us.)

Serving the greater good (community service is not something you are sentenced with when you break the law)

Random Acts of Kindess -should be a way of life not an ACT of occasion...

Water safety (as a part of taking swimming lessons its important that the kids know how to be safe around water)

Fire Safety (I think we will visit our local firehouse for a tour and a talk with the firemen this summer)

More simple summer ideas can be found here:

Simple Summer Fun

Capturing the best of summer..

With all the fun you are having you may want to capture, record, and remember all these great moments. And what better way than with photographs and even better with scrapbooks... I hope you are living each day this summer to the fullest.  With our 1950s week last week, I was surprised how much I was reminiscing about some of my favorite summer memories.  Even though the 1950's was before my time, there is a great notaligic feel to that era.  Summer is magical and enchanted in a childs eyes and I hope my post last summer of 100 things to do with your kids still inspires you to be active, have fun and enjoy every single second you can while your kids are young.   I was wishing I had photos of the memories I was reliving with my own children to go with the stories we shared.. and it fueled my purpose and desire as a photographer and scrapbooker to keep alive the fun of my kids childhood through images and written words.

Lets start with taking photos, you dont have to be a professional photographer, you dont have to have an expensive dslr... check out some of kodak's point and shoots pretty reasonably priced and can easily work for on the go photos.. The most important part is that you take the photos.. Maureen over at Spell Outloud interviewed my favorite photographer, photography teacher, and luckily my friend Katrina at the beginning of the summer.  Check out that post to get great tips, tricks and ideas for capturing your summer this year.  You can also purchase Katrina's lessons at Designerdigitals, and if you own a dslr and have been stuck on auto for as long as I was before reading it, it is so well worth it..

Maureen also interviewed notable scrapper, Paula Gilarde in search of scrapbooking your summer ideas. Paula shares ideas of how to incorporate memorabilia into your pages as well.

I really enjoyed reading a post over at Ali Edwards Blog last week with a guest poster May Flaum.  If you need starters for the journaling, make sure you read this post. Several great ideas I am already starting to incorporate around here so I dont forget the details of our summer.

Here are a few examples of pages that have been added to our family scrapbooks from last summers theme weeks and some from this summer as well.

 

 
 
 
  
  


We have multiple books going on around here at any one time. All 4 kids have their own book and as I create a scrapbook page, I just upload it to their file at Shutterfly.  We also have a family book which we add pages to all the time.  And then we will do seasonal books as well.  This year the kids are old enough to create their own pages and are doing so with paper scrapbooking supplies and we will have much smaller but really great little books of their favorite memories from this summer.  I think it is very important to involve them in the process of the record keeping, it helps validate their feelings and roles within the family and it also preserves what was real and true to them.  They will have something very tangible from their childhood and when afforded the opportunity to hold pages they have created with images they created or captured it is sure to bring a spark to their eye.  Make sure you involve your kids in the process this summer...
 
All products on these pages have come from designerdigitals.com  the artists and designers at designerdigitals have top of the line digital products for all your digital scrapbooking needs.  And for more summer scrapbook ideas be sure to check out the gallery and store there. Here are some of my favorites products which we are already using around here this summer.

    
 
 
 
Dont forget all images and content are considered copywritten material and should not be copied in part or whole, please leave a comment if you link back to my blog and I will be sure return the favor.

Gearing up means getting prepared...

We have less than two weeks of school left, and aside from being really excited, I am taking the time while I have less kids at home to get organized and prepared for our summer activities.  I think this is one of the few times I make lists, and lots of lists, so I thought I would share that organization and preparation process here.  If you are planning to follow along with us this summer, this is a great heads up and sneak peak into some of our hands on ideas.

Load up on books, do the research, pick activities...

Be creative and be flexible....

Keep it kid friendly...

Stock up on the basics.... (art supplies, misc. sales items from Michaels and Hobby Lobby go a long way when you have a house full of kids) start saving toilet paper and paper towel rolls, baby food jars, etc. Check with appliance stores about getting some large boxes, or carpet stores for large carpet rolls, check with the schools art teacher to see if they are disposing of partially used items such as colored pencils, crayons, etc.... they will often donate them to you.

As we move through the decades this summer, we will embrace the music, fashion, and food of each decade.  This has required some research so I went straight to the local library.  I have checked out books, that are decade rich, and have been pulling ideas and started planning activities around some of the typical daily life during each decade, and planning field trips (if I can relate it to a decade) and creating menus...  Along with daily activities, the kids will be creating a notebook from their summer, so I ordered as many copies of newspapers and magazines as I could find that had to do with major events of the decades.  One of our activities, is to watch a black and white film (of course on dvd, lol) as well as watch popular television programs from each decade.. I found a record player on craigslist, and some cool records on ebay.  We will study the evolution of the automobile during each decade.  I am having a lot of fun preparing everything and I know they will enjoy learning more about these different decades as it related to their grandparents and to my husband and I growing up.  Of course we will touch on all major events that occured and shaped our world during this time. I have also researched our area to find homes built during each decade so we can study architecture and building supplies and how they changed.  Here is a site where I have found some great and relavent information, the peoples history site... The kids will all work on posters comparing things like the price of gas, milk, houses, etc.... I also wanted books for the kids to flip through and I searched at AMAZON and found these.

      

 

When it comes to Egypt I have been gathering supplies for the kids to use to construct a pyramid out back.  We will also construct pyramids from sugar cubes and glue on a smaller scale.  I found a great kit

with some activities for the kids.  We will write in hieroglyphics, learn about mummies (this is probably a little scary for my younger ones, so we will touch on it lightly for now).  And a few other activities.

One thing I want to point out, a lot of our activities require some preparing, but most require little money, and when it does cost for supplies, I look at it this way... a family vacation for 6 would cost a few thousand dollars, and so far I have spent less than $80.. I know I will spend a little more probably, but in comparisson, it really is a frugal way to have fun.  My intention with summer activities is to involve learning with fun and to keep my kids from being "bored".  

I will post more this week about basic summer fun, including recipes, arts and crafts, and party ideas. 

50 fun fall activities

 There is so much to enjoy about Fall and so many opportunities to create memories, traditions and just have good time.  Here is our list for this Fall, given the number of days from Oct. 1st to Thanksgiving, this is pretty much an activity a day type of list.  Hope you enjoy the list, and check back every so often for more details on the ideas, and photos of our projects.

1.  Take a Nature Walk

2.  Collect leaves, identify, sort and do leaf rubbings.

3.  Make a Fall Tree Centerpiece (crafty crow link to show details).

4.  Make Corn Prints or Apple Prints 

5.  Use items from your nature walk, to create a Fall sensory board/Nature Table.

6.  Visit an Apple Orchard

7.  Collect variety of apples and use for matching, sorting, addition, subtraction.

8.  Make Applesauce from scratch.

9.  Bake apple pies, or apple cakes and deliver to somone who is under the weather, or in need of some cheering up.

10.  Make homeade apple cider, package up dry ingredients for gifts for the mail man, librarian, teachers.

11.  Make and go fly a kite.

12.  Make a pinecone votive.

13.  Enjoy the Outdoors.

14.  Go to a Fall Festival.

15.  Go to a Pumpkin Patch. 

16.  Host a Pumkin Carving Party.

17.  Paint Pumpkin faces.

18.  Roast Pumpkin Seeds.

19.  Bake pumpkin pies.

20. Create Pet Rock Pumpkins.

21. Make playdough apples and pumpkins.

22. Make and give away these cute little Apple Yarn Favors.

23. Plan a neighborhood EyeSpy with a list of Fall items.

24. Make a Paint Stick Scarecrow.

25. Go to a farmers market.

26.   Visit a petting zoo.

27.  Knit scarves or hats for a Fall/Winter Clothing Drive.

28.  Participate in a Canned food drive.

29.  Enjoy a Fall Picnic.

30.  Make hand and feet print art and tuck away after the Fall season each year.

31.  Host a Halloween party, complete with costume contest, bobbing for apples, and a cake walk.

32.  Host story time at your house, and pull out your favorite Fall books.

33.  Make your own marshmallows for roasting over a campfire.

34.  Make your own TickTac Toe  and use all sorts of manipulatives found on your various fall outings, from acorns to small leaves, stones, or minipumpkins from the craft store.

35.  Rake a neighbors yard.

36.  Make your own paper.

37. Dry fruit for snack time.

38.  Make 4 season posters (use a painted hand and wrist for the tree and let the kids paint the scenery and tree according to the season.)

39.  Create a countdown to Thanksgiving calendar.

40.  Make A Thankgiving Tree, and each day have the kids write one thing they are thankful for and on Thanksgiving day, everyone reads the tree and is reminded of all their blessings.

41.  Make a corn husk doll.

42.  Make a plaque with your fall finds.  Ordinary life magic  (a great blog find)

43. Visit a planetarium, read about the seasons and weather patterns and space.

44.  Take a photowalk around your neighborhood and let the kids take photos of the seasonal changes and then create a collage with their photos.

45.  Create beautiful Fall Mixed Media pieces (i love these ideas and this blog is a family favorite).

46.  Visit the library and check out Fall themed books.

47.  Camp Out in your backyard.

48.  Make cute button/candy corn napkin rings.

49.  Can some jam, veggies, sauces to store up for the winter (introduce your children to hibernation and get some books on animal habitats.)

50.  Do one thing each day that relates to the season, bake bread, take a walk, enjoy the crisp air, read a Fall related book, everyday is an opportunity to create memories, spark creativity and enjoy the treasure that life is.

Simple Summer week, cont.

One of the things I have noticed as a result of having a busy summer planned is that the simple everyday activities have gained more momentum.   Not that we do them more, actually that we do them less, so they are enjoyed even more.  We are almost finished with our Simple Week, filled with ordinary days that included VBS, School, lots of cooking, minimal formal crafts, few structured activities, lots of friends over. Perfectly good ordinary summer days, but they are being appreciated because we haven't spent our entire summer doing these things. 

Today, I was reminded about an afternoon when we were rushing home from another part of town a good hour from here, when my oldest saw a merry-go-round in a neighboring park and he began talking about how he had never been on a merry-go-round. I was so shocked, but they have removed them from all public school playgrounds around here, and I guess I just hadn't thought of it before.  So I pulled onto a cross street, made the turn and headed back to that park.  And for about 10 minutes he ran and jumped and lay down on a spinning merry go round.  And when he got in the car, I told him, "well you cant ever say you haven't been on one now" to which he responded, "thanks mom!" Don't despise the simple things and learn to take advantage of those moments when they are presented to just BE in the moment, creating experiences and lasting memories for your kids.

 

 

And then there are some real simple things to do on a summer while waiting for your older brother and sister to come home from vbs...like pulling out the halloween costumes.

 

Or making mud pies....

 

then you can get all settled in and comfy for a late afternoon movie...

 

or head outdoors to play in the sprinkler....

 

It doesnt have to be something planned or scheduled, it doesnt have to be something spectacular or expensive, you just have to BE there, BE responsive to their ideas, BE ready for anything, BE creative, BE silly, BE spontaneous...just BE with your kids.

I cant wait to post about our summer plans for next week. I will be back to our theme week on Sunday's this Summer...and lets just say, its "out of this world" fun!!

Homeade, Handmade and Outdoors

A few things that are important to me this summer are making things homeade, canning, baking, cooking, making things handmade, scarves, blankets, doorhangers, and being outdoors, daily play time, weekly nature walks, camping.  These are all things important to me and I am hoping to pass down a love of these things to the kids by being an example, by giving them hands on experiences with all of it.  And so in that vein here are a few things we have as ongoing projects around the house these days.

I came home with a ton of these beauties this week while shopping...

and I decided it was time to set a plan in motion for canning seasonal fruits and veggies.  So, here is a site that can get you started with all the basics of homecanning/freezing. How to can anything 

and here is a site to let you know what/when the fruits and veggies are in season. 

I told you about the door hangers (please look, a written description cant do it justice) at mommycoddle.  I have some fabric that the kids have been looking over - and we have visited etsy to see what they may like from there.  I am working on an I SPY story time blanket for our outdoor reading time.  And then will move on to make the kids each their own door hangers.  I am teaching them to knit and they will be making their own scarf and hat for the upcoming winter.

And how's this for an outdoor activity...

Great American Backyard Campout Night  

Why dont you consider joining in the fun.  Check out their website, and sign up if you plan to participate. You can also find campfire songs,  checklists and more.  And if you are really going camping a little further than your backyard, check out this blog's posting for everything you need to know about being prepared for a camping trip.

Friday Finds

Here is the round of things we marked on our list this week:

Homeade Sidewalk Chalk

Rainbow Rice Salad (the kids will love making this)

KiKi and Polly (I have just discovered this art, just love it)

Fossil-Casting That Artist Woman gives step by step on making salt dough clay - and once you have that the possibilities are endless - you will see this again during a Sunday's this Summer post.

How to make a willow house  (this is so seriously adorable - I have to find a way to make one)   

Find an area of refuge Have you read the Happiness Project Blog - everyone should

Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise this just has to be one of the best panini spreads ever.

Full Circle just a blog I like

Anna  showed this link on her twitter account last week - and I went meandering around this photoshop technique place and loved the look that was achieved in his sample photo - you can see the photo and step by step instructions on how to achieve this look here... photoshopstar -old style effect. 

If you want more help with your shadows check out these tutorials Cassie Jones has over at designerdigitals.com

Gaining Perspective  

Extractions with Dimensions 

and dont forget - Sunday's this Summer will start posting on Sunday - we are starting with a whole list of ideas to keep your kids entertained this summer...

Waste Less

With my menu monday's coming regularly, and my weekly planning stepping it up a notch, I am looking at other ways/things to send with my kids to school. (as well as making lists of things to make with the kids over the summer)  I decided to forego ziplocs recently, (thanks for the final push k) something about being more conscience of our purchasing and wasting. So last week as the end of our ziplocs left with the kids to school I was reminded of Bento boxes that I had seen on many vegan sites I frequent. 

Here is a kids conserve lunch kit, which I am considering for next years back to school purchases. You can see/buy these here.  I love the cute styles, and the metal reusable containers.  There are a few choices, so check them out.

 I also love the more taditional bento laptop lunch kits like this one its available at  lunchboxes .com

My kids have always loved a variety of food in their lunch boxes and at home. Last summer our favorite lunch was tons of fresh cut veggies and hummus (click the link to Ina Garten's recipe at FoodNetwork).  We use to buy our favorite hummus at Costco.  But its been a while since we have done that.  I came across this site (lunchinabox) tonight on my search around the web and I love the forum that lets everyone share their ideas of what they have sent with their kids.  I think I have always conformed to the standards of lunch box food for the kids, but that is not always how we eat at home.  So I will enjoy spending some time this summer developing ideas and recipes of things they will enjoy throught the year next school year.  I know we will enjoy more seasonal varieties in their lunch boxes.  And I like the idea of spending the summer creating recipes with the kids so they are apart of the whole experience and can own a little of the process.  I know they will enjoy both the process and the result.  Menu Monday is coming tomorrow... hope you have had a great week. I was pretty much off the computer the last few days with birthday preparations and lots of goings on around here. So I am happy to have a bit more relaxed week and doing a bit of catching up on here.  But before I go, here is one pic from the big birthday weekend.

 My new little Hannah Montana fan was delighted to have a guest appearance from Hannah and Lola at her party.  The girls at the party had a fit, and learned the new hoedown dance too.  It was a crazy busy weekend with baseball games, Spring recitals, and a birthday party - more pictures to come soon!