sweet thing(s)

bringing back the romance

lately i've been feeling like life with the kids is all business.  they've been fighting a lot and i've been feeling pretty fried being with them all-day-every-day.  i've been possibly too involved in the household duties and maybe haven't been so much fun. 

so i am trying to do something about it.  you know how experts recommend certain strategies for bringing back the romance in your marriage? stuff like plan a fun date together, laugh together, etc.  i am going to try to rekindle the spark in our mother-child relationships.

my prescription for myself:  do more stuff with them. 

yes, i do lots with them already.  we go on outings around the Island, we go to the beach and the playground, we talk a lot and i read to them a lot.  but i hardly ever PLAY with them.  so mostly we've been playing card games and board games together and i've been trying to be more present in what we already do together.

because after all, they are why i'm doing what i'm doing.   and they are awfully cute.

insert shameless-ly cute picture here:

garden stones

we made garden stones for my man for Father's Day this year.  we were inspired by a neighbour of mine who has started a community pebble mosaic project). 

i was intimidated at first by the concrete, but in the end it was pretty easy.

the kids and i collected stones, beach glass, pinecones and leaves.  we filled 3 disposable aluminum baking trays and half-way with sand.  we wet the sand and then stuck our objects in and around the sand.  (you are essentially working backwards- whatever is sticking down into the sand will be exposed on the finished stone, and whatever is sticking up out of the sand will be buried in concrete.) 

i then carefully mixed and poured the concrete on top.  we used plastic fridge magnet letters to write a message on the bottom of each stone before it dried. 

my neighbour recommended wrapping each stone in plastic to cure for at least 3 days (i only did 3 days since we won't be walking on ours)  then we turned the stones out and hosed them down to get the sand off. 

my man was very pleased with these additions to our garden.

book club

i have always wanted to be in a book club, so i finally started one with a friend. 

we have 11 great women (all neighbours/Islanders) and so far it seems to be working really well.  we've had 5 meetings so far (we've read The Book Of Negroes,  Olive Kitteridge,  Sea of Poppies,  Howards End,   The End of Food, and  The Help.)  we meet every month- the person who hosts suggests the book and also provides the food and drink. 

today we met on my friend Nina's sailboat (her family of 4 lives on the boat 7 or 8 months of the year) and her husband sailed us around the Island while we chatted, ate, and drank wine. 

Lovely!  

Eating Animals

i'm just coming out of 48 hours of suffering from food poisoning- i think from eating bad chicken.  -it's the only thing i ate that no one else in my family ate- AND i'm reading this book (the irony of this is not lost on me):

 

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (of Everything Is Illuminated)

from the book:

Just how destructive does a culinary practice have to be before we decide to eat something else?  If contributing to the suffering of billions of animals that live miserable lives and (quite often) die in horrific ways isn't motivating, what would be?... And if you are tempted to put off these questions of conscience to say not now, then when?

here's a good review that gives you a sense of the book.

it's an amazing book that has opened my eyes.  it will change my eating habits but i'm not sure yet how that will play out in the family realm. 

PS- have you seen The Cove?  it's a documentary about dolphin capture/hunting in Japan.  It has similarly and shockingly opened my eyes to another animal abuse issue.  i recommend it if you haven't seen it.

oatmeal recipes

i don't know if you eat oatmeal in the summer, but certain members of our family still want it every day almost!  i make a lot at once and use leftovers to make these two recipes.  (we use large flake oats)

Muffin Bread

I made up this recipe through trial and error.  i wanted: a denser texture than a regular loaf- filling and with a satisfying chew- that used over-ripe bananas, whole wheat flour, and less wheat than other recipes (i feel better eating less wheat).  you can add any assortment of nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips etc.  they are lovely muffins, but i hate washing muffin tins, so i use loaf pans. 

here's the recipe- let me know what you think if you try it out!  my kids and their friends love it.

Muffin Bread

- preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 loaf pans

• 4 cups cooked leftover oatmeal
• 6 ripe bananas- pureed
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
• pinch of salt
• some stuff- i usually add about 2 cups of nuts/dried fruit/chocolate chips

- mix together all the wet ingredients with the oatmeal.  mix well to get out any lumps.

- mix together the dry ingredients

- mix gently wet and dry until just combined, add the 'stuff'

- pour into prepared loaf pans, bake for about 1.5 hours or until a tester comes out clean.

i saw this recipe for oatmeal pancakes in the newspaper-

Oatmeal Pancakes

• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup cooked steel cut oats
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

 

Whisk together egg, milk, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add oats, breaking up lumps until well combined. Stir in flour.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Use about 3 tablespoons oatmeal batter for each pancake. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes a side or until golden. Serve with maple syrup. Makes 8.

Enjoy!!

summer sewing

i made this bag for myself- my man called it my 'messenger purse' and i think that nails it. 

i like a cute bag as much as the next gal, but i have to be able to carry a large amount of stuff and be hands-free.  also the length of the strap has to be practical for bike riding.  i made up the pattern after perusing what was out there- nothing was quite right.  i also made one for my sister and one for a good friend for their birthdays.

i also made this little play dress for Maxine. 

she is wearing pink gingham bloomers with it- you can't see them, but trust me, it's cute.  (also note the kitty nose and whiskers to match!)

i would like to do way more sewing for her, but she has so many cute dresses already-thrifted, gifted, and hand-me-downs.  but her Auntie saw this fabric at ReproDepot and couldn't resist!  the style is such that it should fit as a top after it's too short for a dress. 

The Island: Summer

we've been hanging out, trying to beat the heat around here.

Lee is in Canoe Camp for the 3rd summer (we're coming up to the end of his 2 week session).  he loves it- being outside all day doing physical stuff is a great change for him.  and "the best part is that the counselors are all DUDES!!"  I remember loving that part of camp, too- the cool teenagers/young adults- super cool, old enough to be responsible, and young enough to be really fun! 

yesterday Maxine and Asa and I spied him out paddling as we rode our bikes to Centreville and Far Enough Farm (a 20 minute bike ride down the Island where we live).  i'm glad to see he's actually wearing his hat.

 

we saw a 2 week old baby goat at the Farm

 

rode some ponies

an went on some rides - Asa's finally tall enough for the Bumper Boats!

I hope you're finding summer fun and relaxing so far!

ps- i have a bunch of posts i've been working on- actual crafty stuff!- but i need a bit more time to get them up (hints: cement, found objects, sewing, recipes, plaster bandages- but no- not all together!!)

All Joy and No Fun--Why Parents Hate Parenting

 

(image via article below)

check out this article from New York Magazine.  i have been thinking about it for the last 24 hours. 

while i LOVE being a mom, and having kids, and wouldn't ever change my decision- it is HARD.  i'm glad to know i'm not alone.

what do you think?

{this moment}

inspired by Soulemama's 'blog-along' Friday ritual:

from Soulemama:  {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

our trip to Indiana

we just got back from a lovely 10 day visit to my in-law's in Indianapolis.

visiting the in-laws, pre-children, used to be a trip to 'the spa' (relaxation, great food, massages, movies lots of sleep)- now it's a trip to the all-inclusive family resort!  the grandparents go out of their way to make the 10 hour drive (each way) worth it.

we had a great time- Lee said, at least twice, "my favourite place in the world is Gramaleta's and Buppa Na's!"  I'm not surprised since he had ice cream every day, watched 5 Scooby Doo movies, and read 6 new (to him) Hardy Boys books. 

PLUS we:

:: swam and sunned at the local JCC pool

 

(Asa started swimming!  as he has never had lessons, he said "I'm home-schooled swimming!")

::  spent a lot of time at the Indianapolis Children's Museum

where we

went to Egpyt

 

saw some very cool Dale Chihuly glass sculptures

and, most exciting of all, saw a Beatles tribute band.  they played 3 sets from three different eras, including costume and hair changes.  Lee was mesmerized.  (he LOVES the Beatles)

:: went to a very cool sculpture garden

:: shopped (music store, Target, Costco, fabric store, hobby store) our big US shop of the year

:: exhausted the grandparents and messed up their house :)

:: went fishing with BuppaNa and Unc Nunky

:: had lots of fun cousin and grandparent time

are we lucky or what?

{this moment}

inspired by Soulemama's 'blog-along' Friday ritual:

from Soulemama:  {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.