Head for the Hills

This is one of the ways I know spring is on the way. My kids and their friends head for the hills. They take possession of what has come to be known as the "rattlesnake field." I started calling it that to try and dissuade them from playing there. We've had snakes show up in our yard before. They even made a home in our retaining wall at one point. None of them were rattlesnakes, but I know they are out there somewhere. Well, instead of scaring the kids, they now call it the "rattlesnake field" with great affection.

And when the kids take to the hills, I know spring is on the way.

So are muddy footprints through my entry and kitchen.

So are bikes in the middle of the driveway.

So are rainshowers and rainbows.

So is the notorious Saratoga wind.

So are tulips and daffodils.

And popsicle sticks strewn about the yard are not far behind.

Ahh, welcome spring - with you mutliple personalities and all. Bring on the snow, rain, sun, hail and wind, all within 12 hours. I'm excited to see what adventures await us in the "rattlesnake field" this year.

Just for cute!

Gypsy

I just received an email this week from a sister-in-law. It included the 10 COMMANDMENTS FOR TRAVELERS. You see, the family is going on a cruise at the end of the month. Ster's parents and all 6 children and their spouses. Except us, that is, because we are 29 weeks pregnant, 5 weeks over what is allowed. So BOO HOO for us, but YAY for the rest of the family. What a fun trip. And the patriarch of the family is quite the experienced traveler. So it comes as no surprise he had his daughter send out the 10 COMMANDMENTS FOR TRAVELERS.
As I read through the list of 10, I couldn't help but be dragged back to my gypsy days. I think I've mentioned them before, though not in much detail. My first trip out of the country was when I was 19. And the year? ? ? Well, let's just say it was the early 90's. And I boarded a plane to Russia. I can't imagine how my parents must have felt. As a parent of almost 5 children, 3 of which are girls; I can't imagine sending my young 19-year-old daughter to a country with whom we'd been in a cold war with for so long. Russia! You've seen the movies and heard the stories. It was a cold, gray, scary place, right? And now, at 19, I boarded a plane, with a few friends, and left to teach English for almost 6 months.

And that was it. I had become infected. I was a wanderer. But honestly, I just erased several paragraphs about what it was like to be a wanderer. Its too long and might find a better home in my journal. Or maybe it won't find a home at all. That might even be more fitting actually. Anyway, the bug would not leave me alone. And I liked it that way. I became pretty efficient at packing my bags. My passport was my best friend.

After receiving the email from my SIL, I dragged out my old scrapbooks and started flipping through pictures. Ahhhh, how the memories started creeping out of the deep crevices of my mind. Those dusty memories cast off piles of kiddie craft ideas and broke through the cobwebs of child-friendly dinner menus, which had previously been at the forefront of my brain. And then I turned on some of the music I used to listen to on the crowded buses and rickety train rides. And suddenly I was caught between two persons. The gypsy and the mom. And I wondered how I found myself here? Who was I then? Who have I become? How could these two personas find a home in the same body?

As I said earlier, I don't want this to stretch on longer than is needed, but I would like to share some the Traveler's Commandments that I enjoyed.

#1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast them at home, for thou hast left thy home to find things different.

Moscow, Russia

#2. Thou shalt not take anything too seriously, for a carefree mind is the beginning of a fine vacation. (Remember this one Sara, missyou!)

Yangshuo, China

#5. Remember to take only one half the clothes you think you'll need, and twice the amount of money. (This one is soooo true!)

wheelin' & dealin' in Yangshuo

#6. Remember, if we were expected to stay in one place, we would have been created with roots.

Phuket, Thailand Voronezh, Russia

#7. Thou shalt not worry; he that worrieth hath no pleasure -- and few things are ever fatal.

bike crash, Yangshuo, China

#9. Thou shalt, when in Rome, do somewhat as the Romans do. If in difficulty, thou shalt use thy American common sense and friendliness.

Voronezh, Russia

#10. Remember thou art a guest in every land -- and he that treateth his host with respect will be treated as an honored guest.

somewhere in Chinathe Boyev's in Voronezh, Russia

Another Rainbow activity

Are we tired of rainbow activities yet? Who reads this stuff anyway?

So I was shopping for paint colors for our basement. (Yes, we are that close to being finished! hip hip hooray). And the kiddos always like grabbing a few colors to bring home for themselves. This particular day, we grabbed quite a few colors and brought them home for a fun craft activity with friends.

Supplies:
white or blue paper
rainbow of paint color samples
cottonballs
glue
scissors (for optional cutting of paint samples)

First we glued on the cottonballs for clouds, then I spread glue in a rainbow arch.

Then the kids glued their pieces of colored paper onto the rainbow. For the older kids, I let them cut the paint samples and spread the glue themselves. It also would have been fun to just use ripped up, scrap pieces of colored paper and make a mosaic rainbow.

Don't forget to sign your artwork. It may be valuable someday.

Exclusively for Aunt Sarah

Dancing Rainbows

So here's another rainbow activity we did in preparation for St. Patrick's Day. We made streamer rainbows to dance and play with.

Supplies:
Various colors of wrapping ribbon
scissors (for mom only)
shower curtain rings

I pre-cut the ribbon into lengths that seemed right. No exact measurements here. Then I placed them in a pile at one end of the room and the kids at the other end of the room. In an effort to be educational as well as fun, I called out a color and the kids then ran to the pile and pulled out the indicated color and ran back to their seats.

After they gathered all their colors, I helped them tie the ribbons onto the shower curtain ring. (Just a double knot). This is the finished product.

Then we turned on some music and danced around the room.

Well, some of us danced. ONE of us preferred to watch and direct the dancing.

Making Rainbows

St. Patrick's is right around the corner. I enjoy this holiday. I think its because of the rainbows and the feelings they induce in me. Bright, happy, eternal promises, love of God, spring. So we did a little celebrating at our house and made some rainbow cupcakes. They were inspired by this article in the Family Fun magazine. I really enjoy that magazine.

I wanted to make perfect cupcakes, just like in the pictures. The kitchen was going to stay relatively clean, as well as the children. So began. We started out by making a white cake mix, dividing the batter into six bowls and coloring each bowl a different color of the rainbow. We used the chart from the Family Fun article to get our colors just right.

We lined our cupcake tins and started layering in our colors. Again, we used the chart in the magazine to make sure our rainbows would turn out just right!


It was a little nerve-wracking at times. Especially when we realized we were filling the cups more than we needed to. Starting to be not quite so perfect. When we began, I was trying to hard to direct everything. I had a vision of perfection, remember?

Don't spill

spread it out

too much

too little

wipe up the drips

don't touch

don't touch

don't touch

And finally I realized I wasn't having fun. And as soon as I made that realization, things got really fun! I just needed to let go of my obsession with perfection. And then, MAGIC!!! This is what they looked like before the oven. Filled to the brim. We actually only got 12 cupcakes out of the whole process.


And while they cooked, the kids pigged out on the extra batter. Gross I know, but whatever. I ate it too. By the way, did you know you can get cake batter flavored shakes at Maggie Moo's? YUM!


And this is how they turned out. Not quite like rainbows. More like psychedelic, hippy, mushrooms. They were BEAUTIFUL! PERFECT, in fact.

We frosted them and put rainbow sprinkles on them and promptly ate them up. They looked especially cool if you took the top off.

So here's to realizing for gazillionth time that things don't always have to be perfect. In fact, they rarely are. The perfect moments are the smiles and giggles and cake batter on the nose.

How to fold a shirt

Nesting project

With the birth of my first beautiful baby girl, I received a diaper holder from my sister-in-law, Leisel. It was made out of cute, pink, gingham material. There was a hanger at the top so I could hang over the side of the crib and slip the diapers in and out as needed. I have used it for every baby since. Even Parker. Poor boy had pink all over his room. That's just how it goes.

Anyway, this time I decided that the holder was looking a little worse for the wear after 4 children. So I decided to make a new one, in BLUE, for our little Hashbrown who will be joining us soon. I'm pretty proud of myself. I just measured the old one, cut out new pieces and started sewing. Its FAR from perfect, but I think it looks great. What do you think?

I give up!

This room always looks like this. Day after day after day. We clean it together sometimes, they clean under my close scrutiny and direction. But by the next afternoon, it looks like a disaster area again. My husband says, "Its just a phase." I partially agree. But at the same time, they must learn to clean. They MUST!!! This cannot go on. I've removed 3/4 of the toys they used to have and they haven't even complained much. Now do I remove 3/4 of their clothes? Believe me, its tempting.

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Featuring...

Hey, look at me! I've been featured over at 365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time.



This is a really great site for fun and simple activities to do with your toddlers. And Jen, the blogger is a really great lady, so go check her out.