Eastward Bound

Well, we were up at 5AM as promised.  I hadn't taken in to consideration the fact no one sleeps well the night before vacation.  The kids were restless with excitement and I, fresh off of packing, had a major case of monkey mind.  The good news is that I was completely packed, carry on's and all by 9:00 PM.  I made my goal of having everything packed 24 hrs. ahead of time.  We take off at 10:00 tonight.


As always, the best laid plans always need room for a couple of surprises.  The biggest surprise is that we are now taking a side trip to the Washington DC area after landing in Baltimore.  We are scouting out the area for a possible relocation opportunity that could present itself this Fall.  So, if you have any wonderful suggestions on how to entertain a family of 5 exhausted Tacomans in 100 degree weather for 5 hours or so before we can check into our hotel in Virginia, PLEASE send them my way.


John and I plan to wear the kids out with a long bike ride and a playground romp so that we can fit in a loooong afternoon nap.  We hope to wake as late as possible and pretend that it is morning all over again.  Most nights, having children that are sleeping by 8PM is a very good thing.  Tonight, I hope they can wear their night owl caps for a little while - at least until take off.

Here is to the adventures of family travel!  Back in 10 days.

The Best Advice, The Worst Advice

Parenting is complicated.  Figuring out what works best for your children and family is a very individual and personal thing.  In the past 9 years I have been given and been asked to give a lot of parenting advice.  Some advice was great and I use it to this day.  Other advice made me cringe as I knew I couldn't follow it.  Some, while great advice for other mothers, didn't feel right to me.  Here are my top 5's.

Worst Advice:


1.  Soothe a baby by dipping their pacifier in sugar 
     such and obvious no
2.  Drive your baby until they fall asleep
     Sleep deprivation and driving are not a good partnership
3.  Create an elaborate night time ritual to ease your child to sleep
     Now I have to give a bath, read books, and sing songs EVERY TIME I want my child to sleep!
4.  Have boys pee on a Cheerio to help potty training 
     This works for a lot of people.  Putting food in the toilet and telling your child to pee on it grosses   me out.
5.  Let the child decide when they are ready to go to sleep
     My children have decided that they are never ready


Best Advice


1.  Make good use of the Logical Consequence
2.  Take care of yourself
      If mother is unhappy, children are unhappy (Thank you Maura!)
3.  When you feel an adult tantrum coming on, give YOURSELF a time out.
4.  Swaddle!!!
5.  Graciously accept help.     
     It took me 3 children to finally do this without feeling like a failure.  I wish I hadn't waited.


What are the best and worst pieces of parenting advice you have received?

A little more quiet, a little more clarity

I was born with a bit of a philosopher's soul.  Sometimes this is a good thing, other times it is a liability.  When I have time to channel it in a positive way, I use yoga, meditation, and running to find calm and make sense of my world.  When I allow my instincts and explorations to take a wrong turn, I turn into analytical crazy person.  I still go running, but here is where I end up:


How will I parent my spirited child without having a nervous breakdown? Will I have enough enrollments to fill my Kindermusik classes?  Why can't I do handstand for more then 4 seconds?  What preschool should Liam attend?  What is the perfect backsplash for our (still) unfinished kitchen?  Will I ever have my pre-Liam figure back?  How can I cut back on processed soy?  Should we get a new puppy?  Boxing or Step class?  Can I give myself the perfect home pedicure?  How can I increase my running time?  Should I even try to increase my running time?  How can I save money on our grocery bill?  Should I go back to work?  Do the kids need to be in private school?  Should I open a bagel shop?  Where should we go on our next family vacation?  


And so it goes, on and on and on.......maybe you can relate.

This past winter I picked up Mark Nepo's "The Book of Awakening" from one of my favorite places on the planet, Source Yoga.  The tag line for the book is "Having the life that you want by being present to the life you have".  Sounds good, right?  It is.  It also sounds a little new agey and Buddhist inspired.  If you too are trying to embrace non-judgement - shame on you for thinking so.  And then, shame on me for judging your judgement.

What I love about this book,  outside of the inspired writing and insight, is the format.  It is broken up into short 1/2 - 2 page passages.  The readings are meant to be used to provoke daily contemplation and meditation.  I can read them while the kids are finishing up breakfast and it gives me something to think on while I clean the dishes afterwards.  On a good day, I carry it through my day.  Yesterday was such a day.

Having gotten off track and missed many days of reading (okay months), I stumbled on a passage today that stayed with me from breakfast to bedtime.  The general message was that we too often hold ourselves back by clinging to something that doesn't serve us.  Be it a relationship, a dream or a perception, these attachments often bring grief and paralyze growth.  How much time do we waste clinging to something that doesn't serve us?  As you can see from the clutter above, I waste quite a bit.  This is not new information to me, I have taken a step back to look at this many a time.  Sometimes, having the same information presented in a different light makes all the difference.  If you could use some help in de-cluttering your head, check it out.


What things do you spend to much time analyzing?  What do you do to clear out and keep yourself sane.

Musical Bingo

We are back in Tacoma after a wonderful escape to Hoodsport.  Beautiful weather, a back drop of the Olympic Mountains and fabulous friends to share it with.  I hope that all of you fellow Northwesterners who have been impatiently waiting for summer to arrive had a spectacular weekend as well.

After 3 days of being outside in the sun, I am getting some indoor activities ready for the kids today.  They will be less then thrilled to learn that one of those activities is being dragged to the gym so that I can get my workout in.   Hopefully, some down time making their own musical bingo board will soften the blow.  


My children, like most, LOVE board games.  They also like putting their own personal touches on things.  I was looking for a way to drill musical notation.  So, musical Bingo it is.  Today our ficus will be pitch names, but this will work well for rhythmic notation too (note value and rests).  I decided to start on a very basic foundation - the C scale.   Here is the game

1. Each child will be given a blank Bingo sheet of 20 squares
2. The player creates his own board by writing one the notes of the C scale:  C, D, E, F, G , A or B in each box
3. The caller (parent) notates the randomly selected letter on a large grand staff (search google and print if you don't have one)
4. regular laws of Bingo ensue

After each game, the players will have the opportunity to play their bingo composition for the other players.

For younger Children:

Option One:
My Liam (3) is too young to learn musical notation (though he will pick some up through exposure).  Instead, he will just focus on letter writing and recognition.  We will still use the letters of the c scale.

Option Two:
For toddlers, create an auditory bingo with animal pictures and sounds.  Create a pictorial animal board and enlist the internet for real life sounds of favorite animals.  This activity is great for sound recognition, a basic musical skill.

Play On!

Happy Travel for Adults, Part 2

In the past week, I have taken some time to start thinking about how I can prepare myself for the exhaustion and stress of travel.  Like many, my travel plans are closely linked with finances.  Accordingly, I often find myself starting my vacation either flying a red eye, or with some ridicuolously long layover in a hub several hours in the wrong direction of my final destination.  Sometimes, in a worst case scenario I am stuck with both of the above.  Unable to stomach the idea of flying from Seattle to Atlanta and then to Philadelphia, we went with the flight red eye this time around. 

We all know that sleeping on a plane is not really sleeping at all.  Therefore, it should be  looked at only as a bonus.   I cannot function on less then eight hours of sleep.  I am cranky, depressed and irritable.  Not a great way to start a vacation.   This leads me to my first step in happy travel preparations: 

Rest well PRIOR to travel. 

Normally, I begin packing and getting myself ready for an upcoming trip well before I need to.   Yet, I always have a million “last minute” things to do that leave me frazzled right up until take off.  Everything snowballs from there.  I don’t sleep well the night prior.  So,  I drink to much coffee and I don’t make time for a healthy meal.  Funny, those things are all directly related my travel discomforts:  Exhaustion, irritability, dehydration and physical discomfort.

My practical and boring solutions:

Get an extra hour of sleep each night the week prior to travel.

Limit caffeine

Drink lots of water

Make nutrition a priority

Have EVERYTHING packed 24 hours prior to travel.

 I will need even more sleep that the extra hour.  For that matter, so will my children.  My husband will do fine without the extra sleep, but he will have to get up and suffer with the rest of us.  Therefore, we are waking up early the morning of our flight.  We will probably wake up by 5 AM so that we will be able to take a long nap in the late afternoon.  When we finally settle in upon arrival, we will not have any plans other then to nap, visit, read, watch movies and lounge.  This is particularly hard for me.  I would much rather jump in to our vacation.  But, it can wait until one day.

Coming soon:  Part 3, finding comfort in flight.

Embracing Failure and Letting Go

Sometimes, who we would like to be and who we authentically are don’t jive.  Sometimes, these two people can’t even be friends.    Last night, my two petty, jealous rivals came to a standoff.  It all went down at my sewing machine.

10 years ago, I bought my first sewing machine.  I was fresh off of my honeymoon and spending the summer living in Alaska.  I traveled to Anchorage with my two dogs to be with my husband who was on a 5 month assignment for work.  I was thrilled.  Having taken a leave of absence from my job, and found myself with nothing but time.  Being a newly wed, I decided to dive into the domestic.   I didn’t actually know how to sew.  But, being the creative type, I figured that I would catch on quickly.  As you may have guessed given the title of this post, I didn’t.

Looking back, I can see that I made many mistakes along the way.  I had no interest in taking a sewing class.  So, instead I bought books (ha, ha).   I also bought my sewing machine based on the way it looked rather then what I needed it to do as a novice.  So, my cute, vintage, singer machine and I spent many tense hours together.  I can’t remember what I actually created that summer.  I think that there were a few acceptable dog pillows that came out of it.  I certainly didn’t create the bedding or alter and repurpose clothing the way I had envisioned.  Mostly, I just felt defeated and frustrated.

I took a break from sewing for a year or so.  But after my daughter was born, I tried again.  This time I had visions of designing baby clothes.  I would save so much money and Amelia would have one of a kind dresses.  I had so many great designs in my head.  Again, this didn’t work out so well.  So, I took another break.

4 ½  years into my abusive relationship with my Singer (I was the abuser), I was convinced that the machine was the problem.  If sewing wasn’t coming naturally for me, it wasn’t my fault.  Impulsively, I went out and bought a new machine.  With it, I brought home the dreams (and fabric) for a new set of bedding for Amelia.  I owed her for 4 years of suffering without handmade dresses.  Many late nights, do-overs and tantrums later, I actually finished this project.  I felt validated.  I tried sewing clothes again.  It was a bust.  And so it went on like this for the next 4 years.

With 10 years of practice, I figured that a simple project like sewing a child’s busy bag for next weeks airplane venture would be a snap.  I had years ago learned my lesson about jumping in to a project too soon.  I carefully made a pattern, measured, ironed and set myself up for success.   The result:  a gigantic flop.

On the bright side of this 10 year struggle, I am now, finally at peace with my lack of skills.  For me, sewing represents a lot more then just a skill.  I think that women who sew are the epidome of domestica.  If you are an accomplished seamstress, give your self a pat on the back.  You are perfection.  I wanted a little of that for myself.  But, spending 20 hours and $40 on an Easter dress that Amelia can NEVER wear (peak-a-boo neckline) does not make me happy.  I would much rather spend my time and money shopping with her for the perfect dress.   I can’t make it.   There are many things on the domestic front that come naturally to me.  I am a terrible sewer.   I am not a sewer.  It just wasn’t meant to be.  There is a great freedom in letting go.

Have you ever tried to be good at something that just wasn't good for you?  Did you let it go, or are you still struggling?

Happy Harmonica's

Liam jams with Grandpop

Summertime is perfect for the many joys of the harmonica.  In the dead of winter when all of the windows are shut and the walls are closing in, this may not seem like a desirable addition to your home.    The Summer is a much better fit.   What is more adorable then a toddler playing the harmonica around the camp fire? 

Harmonica’s are a great first instrument for small children.  Without their even knowing it, kids learn so much.  They teach some of the early principles needed for learning woodwind or brass instruments like breath control.  Most children use the instrument to create patterns and explore rhythm.  And, best of all, they are small,  don’t break, are affordable, and are easily cleaned.    

For you local Tacoman’s check out Ted Brown.  Otherwise, they can be found at most large music retailers or online at Amazon.

Happy harmonizing!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: A Journey with Piano

What a soggy weekend!  I am sure all that of you who live in the Seattle / Tacoma area were no more excited about the weather then I was.  Both Jack and Amelia's make-up baseball games were canceled.  That tells a lot about our summer here.  The games rescheduled for rainouts, were rained out.  And life goes on.

Since our weekend plans were all pretty much canceled we had some unexpected free time.  I was happy to see that my lovely Amelia chose to spend some time on the piano (aka a crappy old keyboard).  I had high hopes of giving the kids piano lessons biweekly this summer.  That hasn't happened.  Perhaps, I can argue that we are still waiting for the summer to come.

                                                    Amelia Practices at St. Luke's in May

Amelia hasn't had a lesson in 2 weeks.  It showed.  I was amazed how much she didn't remember in such a short period of time.  We often speak about what "sponges" our children's brains are.  They seem to remember everything and pick up new skills so quickly.  We never think about their ability to lose information just as quickly.  Amelia and I struggled to review some basics that she had forgotten.  It was frustrating for us both.  It was also a good life lesson.

Music is a great tool for showing kids the importance of patience and practice.  While those skills aren't glamorous to a child.  They are important life skills.  There are some areas in life where you can easily cover up your lack or preparedness or at least fake it.  If you are a beginning musician, you can't.  

The set back wasn't entirely a bad thing.  We both learned our lesson (no pun intended, really).  I have learned that when I lack consistency, my children will follow my lead.  The break also had another positive outcome.  Jack (7) asked if he could start lessons again too.  Jack has been on a break from piano for a while longer.  This was a mutual choice resulting from student/teacher conflicts.  I was very happy to see him come back on his own.  If you have children in music lessons, or plan to in the future, I hope that you will learn from my mistakes:

Keep in consistent, but let them stay in control of their own progress.  If they have tools, support and encouragement, they will find their own musical journey.  Forcing it only makes them run in the other direction.

Busy Bags for Travel

 Vintage Jack

Today I start planning for the most important part of any journey with children, busy bags.  If I haven't mentioned it, we are taking a red eye when we fly out to the East Coast in two weeks.  I hope that this will mean that my kids are so tired that they will be sleeping.  From past experience with this crew, I have learned to plan for the worst and celebrate anything better.  Don't let Jack's picture above fool you,  it was taken in our kitchen while eating a giant bowl of fruit.   

Busy bags and snack bags have a lot in common.  Specifically, many of the same rules apply:

• Nothing too messy 
• Activities should be independent
• Items should be compact
• Nothing breakable

and the addition of:

Nothing that is known to cause major arguments among the children.

With that in mind, I am off to create customized bags for all three.  For my 8 1/2 and 7 year old, packing their Nintendo DS could take care of the entertainment should it need it to.  Still, I don't want them to get burnt out.  I may need to save that card for later on in the trip or the return flight.  My older 2 are close enough in age that I will pack similar item for them.  Such as...

2 new paperback books (to be purchased from used book store)

personalized music playlist

headphones for in flight entertainment

deck of cards

pre-printed puzzles and pictures

small bag of markers (washable)

1 pencil, 1 pen

empty note pad

Mad Libs

home made "make your own" travel bingo set

For my 3 year old, I will pack up:

a collection of thin books and magazines such as National Geographic Kids

play dough

match box cars

Leapster

headphones

personalized music playlist

Bendaroos

1 compact Kindermusik activity game 

washable markers

empty coloring pages

stickers

I will also tuck in a few new books, and more matchbox cars into the luggage for the return flight home.  I have been researching sewing  reusable the travel bags.   If that doesn't work out, zip locks should work just fine.  Pictures to come next week.

What items have successfully occupied your children during travel?

Happy Travel for Adults

In my previous life of freedom, I LOVED to travel.  I was one of those rare people.  I liked the excitement and energy of airports and train stations.  I thrived on a change of scenery and trying new things.  I didn't worry about plane crashes or lost luggage.  I knew that I would be okay.  Besides, having to buy all new clothes at my destination didn't seem like such a bad thing.  

As the years go by, things have started to change.  I still love to travel.  But, I am noticing that I feel the discomforts that it brings a lot more then I used to.  This would be the perfect place to insert the blame on my children for my new travel woes.  Surprisingly, I will not.  I can't deny, that they have something to do with my new travel discomforts.  But, they aren't to blame.


In May, my husband and I took a childless trip to Hawaii.  I expected to arrive in Maui feeling renewed and ready to set out on an adventure.  Instead, I landed crabby, tired and unmotivated.  And then, to add another layer, I was disappointed that I was wasting precious time feeling that way.  It took me a good day to feel normal again.

In two weeks, our family will be flying a "red eye" across country.  As you can see, I have pretty much set myself up for a major travel failure.  It is surely masochistic plan. However, I am set on making it work.  So, my monkey brain is working overtime devising a plan.  Not just for my kids, but for John and I as well.


It will not be an elaborate plan, just one of common sense.  I figure most of my travel failures come from this:

Feeling tired before travel begins
Being dehydrated
Being uncomfortable on the plane
Being bored
Having too high expectations
Feeling tired on arrival

Next week, I will share what I plan to do to counter those discomforts.  What do you do to make travel less stressful and more enjoyable?

Quick, Healthy, Travel Snacks

On an Airplane, food is entertainment.  In our normal lives, this would be something we try to avoid or deny.  Travel allows us to break that rule.  Long plane rides let us break lot's of rules.  We do things we never would in our home towns.  We can read trashy magazines, pay $8 for a cup of fruit,  fall asleep in a room full of strangers, and offer are children food to occupy their hands and mouths.  That is why packing the right snacks is essential.   

                                      My wish is for lot's of this, and not much need for snacks

When I pack snacks for a plane ride I like to follow a few rules:

• Nothing that will break, smush, crumble, or otherwise be destroyed in transit.
• No snacks that are too similiar to snacks that we might be served on the plane.
• No food that could cause the need for a wardrobe change.
• Fresh fruit or veggies must be included.
• It should be (fairly) compact.
• Small children should be able to eat it independently.

That eliminates things that I would bring on a road trip like: trail mix (you know we will be offered nuts at some point), bananas (dangerously smushy), yogurt and apple sauce. 


So, based on that list, I am packing the flowing for each carry on:

Water bottles (empty)
1 bag raw veggie bag
grapes (in a hard container)
Cheese and crackers (packed separately so that they stay fresh)
Fruit leather
prepackaged granola bars

I will also pack an emergency candy bag in my carry on.  I plan on using it for bribery - something else I try to reserve only for the plane.

                                       

Music is a Tool for Travel Success

                                  When the music changes, so does the dance                                                   
                                                                 -African Proverb

Today I started making playlists with the kids for our big trip.  They love doing this, and it is always fun to see what music they pick out.  I have always felt that you can tell so much about a person by the type of music they are drawn to.   Oddly enough, as I type I have a 3 yr. old running through the house singing James Browns "Make it Funky"and a seven year old belting the song "Paris(Ooh La La)" by Grace and the Potter and the Nocturnals.  What does that say about my boys?  Seriously, any guesses?


The past two months my older two have been obsessing over "The Voice".  I am not sure that this show was totally appropriate for a 7 and an 8 year old.  Just letting my kids look at Christina Aguilera felt questionable.  But, I told my self that they didn't catch any of the trashy comments or questionable lyrics.  Jack and Amelia were crazy about the show.  Even though the show has ended, every conversation that we have still somehow circles back to "The Voice".  That said, it will be of no surprise when I let them each choose 3 songs from itunes they chose:  Cee Lo, Vicci, Dia, Maroon 5 and Xenia (I told Jack that he had to "sleep on"his Beverly decision).  


Some old favorites mixed with some new and we have created a pretty compact piece of entertainment.  However, music is great for travel for more then just relieving boredom.  It helps to block out noise, lets you to retreat inward from the claustrophobia of the plane, and lifts your mood (or brings it down depending on your song choice).  Once the plane lands it is still a fantastic tool.  A softer playlist helps children to wind down, while moving to something upbeat will help them to release some built up energy or stress from travel.


It's true, unless you are going backwoods, you will surely have access to the radio or a computer.  Still, bringing a familiar set of songs from home can be very soothing.  Especially, should homesickness or travel anxiety set in.  If you aren't crazy like me don't have time to make multiple playlists for everyone in the family, Pandora is a good friend.  We listen to a lot of pandora in our house.  If you do to, you know that they recycle a lot of songs.  While that may be boring for adults, kids love the repetition.
If you haven't used it before, check it out:  www.pandora.com


Don't forget to pack some music for yourself.  You don't even have to put and Kindermusik, Raffi or Wiggles on it!

Swell Travel with Children: Is it an Oxymoron?

At the end of this month, my family of five will be traveling back to Philadelphia to reunite with dear family.  The kids are thrilled.  They will have grandparents to spoil them, cousins to frolic with,  normally "off limits" foods to indulging in, and an airplane ride. 
 It seems odd to me that they are so excited about the airplane ride.  As I remember it, when we traveled last September, the thrill of the plane lasted just about as long as take off.  After that, it was a 5 hour flight, a long layover, and another 2 hour flight of discontent.  To be fair to my children, they were not all unhappy at the same time.  They graciously took turns.  Sometimes, when everyone had been served a drink or pacified with electronics, we got a break too.  If you have ever traveled with small children, you know that I should insert air quotes around the word break.  So I will.  Sometimes, John and I got a "break".  I will over dramtically compare this "break" with the struggles of a master climber (or what I imagine them to be).  On an extreme climb,  they sometimes take a few hours of rest propped up on one of those crazy platform contraptions suspended off the side of a cliff.  You may have time to relax, but the fear of the unknown consequences of closing your eyes keeps you dead awake and strung out.
As a parent, I have learned to be perpetually over prepared.  This trip will be no exception.  So, for the next two weeks, I will share some of the tested (and untested) tricks that I plan to use this time around.  Not only for the flight, but also for a smooth transition into overstimulation and East Coast time.  I plan to spend some time on a new focus as well.  I will focus on easing my own travels and transitions.   I hope that you will read on and add in any of your own success tips.  I will certainly need them.

This week:

Tuesday:  Swell Music:  Music is a Tool for Travel Success. 
Wednesday: Swell Kitchen:  Healthy, Simple Travel Fuel.
Thursday:   Swell Ladies (and Gents!):  Happy and Healthy Travel.
Friday:  Swell Arts and Crafts:  Compact Busy Bags.

Lavender Laundry

I 

                                                         Lavender Laundry

I admit it, I actually like to fold and iron laundry.  I don't like the dirty side of laundry.  I dread sorting through our perpetually overflowing communal basket. I never look forward to the acknowledgement that, I should have gotten started the day before.  I certainly hate lugging baskets up from our basement laundry room to our second floor bedrooms.  But, it isn't all bad.

My laundry room is the only place in the house where my family, for the most part, will leave me alone.  That hasn't always been the case until I started chanting robotically preprogrammed phrases like this:  "You are welcome to come in if you would like to help." and "If you are having trouble getting along (aka scrapping and screaming), you can come in and keep me company...while sorting."  

I don't just like it for the solitude,  I also like to treat myself while I'm there.  Sometimes with my own favorite music, sometimes with a little distraction from HULU, and with some home grown aromatherapy.  I have long had a love affair with lavender.  I love lavender for tea, for burns, in waffles and in my laundry. Spraying fresh lavender water on clothes in place of water or starch is simple and wonderful.  The heat from the iron creates a nice sweet cloud to stand in while you work.

Most linen spray recipes include vodka.  Since I don't usually have this on hand, I don't use it.  It would result in a more potent formula since the vodka acts as a carrier and takes on the fragrance of the herb.  I have 2 concoctions that I use, one when I have fresh lavender in my garden and one for the rest of the year.

Lavender Water:

One cup of fresh lavender buds

4 cups of water

Combine in a sauce pan and simmer until the liquid is reduced by one half.  This version has the added benefit of acting as an air freshener.  (*Wait to cool before transferring into your spray bottle.*)

Lavender Linen Spray:

One Cup of distilled water 

10 drops of lavender essential oil

Simple combine and add to your spray bottle.

Happy Laundering!

Nurturing your Creative Spirit, Part 1

Creativity is a funny thing.  We use it constantly.  As a mother, I tap into my creativity everyday.  I find creative ways to distract my spirited child from a public tantrum.  I look for creative ways to make chores seem like fun, or camouflage vegetables in bland food.  But, creativity and trickery are not synonyms.  Creativity should come from inspiration, not duty.  For me, this is where the challenge lies.  Lately, all of my creativity undertaking come from duty.

Prior to having children,  I could easily waste away an afternoon listening to music and painting at my kitchen table.  I loved to take a journal to the park and clear my brain on it's pages.  Or, practice voice or piano, just for fun.  Now, with a house filled to the brim with activity and noise, these outlets seem like indulgences not likely to happen any time soon.  Where ever your creative passions roam or what your full time job is, if you are over the age of 30 and/or have children, you are probably in the same boat.

I have been thinking a lot about the need for creativity in my life lately.  As a parent, I have always taken time and effort to focus on the artful ingenuity of my children.  After all, it is great for cognitive growth, relaxation, patience, confidence and so much more.  But wait, couldn't I use all of those things too? While my children need a creative outlet as a life skill, I need it as a coping mechanism.  

Here is a little check in to see if I could benefit from a little creative down time.  Can you freshen up in any of these areas?  I can, see my responses:

Cognitive growth:  growth?  I struggle for mental clarity and I             could use some more.  


Relaxation:  I relax when I am sleeping.


Patience:  Pass.


Confidence:  In domestic affairs, sure.  Outside of that, not really.

So what now?  I have read parenting magazines that suggest that you can get creative with your kids.  Doodle when they color, sing with them or dance together.  These are great things, but it doesn't replace our own needs.  Drawing race cars with crayons while my son orders the specs., doesn't fulfill me.  For that, I am thankful.   

Today, I have one simple idea.  I am going to create my own art box.  I have often done things like this for my children.  Only, my box will not have glitter glue or construction paper.  My box will have charcoal and drawing pencils.  In short, it will have a real art supplies.  Maybe for others, this will be a knitting box, a journal, or a scrapbooking kit.  Mine will be a small box that is easy to pack up,  can move from room to room, and easily be put away.  A box that can be stored on a high shelf away from curious hands.  Whatever makes up your box, I hope that you will keep it close.  Use it while your children are using playdough, building legos or doing homework.  I hope that it will nurture YOUR creative spirit.


What creative Activities do you wish you had more time for?  What will you put in your box?

Home Made Ice Cream Sandwiches

We are back from our successful camping adventure!    

Here is what I did upon our return......

                                        Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice cream Sandwiches are one of those childhood treats that I have never thought to make before.  Maybe, that is because I never really ate them as a child.  Maybe, that is because the store bought version just don’t seem appealing.  It turns out that when then are fresh, they are really yummy!   It is simple, to come up with your own signature recipe.  Yesterday, I tried Mint chocolate cookies with vanilla filling.   My one mistake: I made them too big.  I am not sure how I forgot that cookies spread when they bake, but I did.  As you may have guessed, no one else seemed to see this as a mistake.

For the Cookies:

3/4 C butter

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/2 C white flour + plenty extra for rolling

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Baking Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Cream butter and sugars using an electric mixer.
3. Add the vanilla and pepperment.
4. Mix dry ingredients and add to butter mixture.
5. On heavily floured surface, roll out the dough. 
6. Cut dough with rounded biscuit cutter or favorite cookie cutter.
7. Place on buttered cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

Once the cookies have baked and cooled, spread with softened ice cream (but not too soft!), assemble, and store in airtight containers in the freezer.  

What luck!  Last night the weather was beautiful and we could enjoy these summer sweets outdoors.  Although, they were gobbled so quickly, it turned out that messy, drippiness wasn't a worry after all.   And, and extra bonus, no dishes to clean with this totally consumable ice cream treat.  I hope that you will have a chance to enjoy these this summer too!

Fourth of July Camping

Yesterday, we dusted off our gear to prepare for our first family camping trip in 2 years.   We love to camp.  It is sad to think that it has been this long since our last trip.  Okay, that isn't quite accurate.  My husband and I love to camp, my children love to eat marshmallows.  This is why we have not been camping in 2 years.


When Amelia was 6 months old, we took her camping.  We packed and planned as we always did.   

1. 1 two person tent, two sleeping bags
2. 2 vizsla dogs
3. minimal clothes
4. hiking gear
5. small camp stove
6. compact food
7. random survival essentails

Of course, we added in Amelia's clothes, diapers, a few small toys, an infant carrier and bedding.  It sounded so simple.  The baby would enjoy the fresh air, sleeping close to her parents and watching the dogs frolic around the campsite.  The reality didn't follow the dream.  The baby cried.  No, not cried, she screamed.  She screamed in the car.  She screamed while we unloaded and set up, she screamed while we (tag team) ate.  At home, my salvation had always been taking Amelia for a walk.  So, around nap time, we strapped her in to our Kelty carrier and set off for a hike.  She screamed for 3 miles until we gave up and turned around.  She finally fell asleep about a mile from our site.  This was not camping. 


Two years and one child later, we went on a group family camping trip (maybe some of you were there with us?).  Having giving up the notion that we were authentic campers anymore, we came prepared.   We brought everything listed above and...

1. puzzles
2. beach toys
3. two backpack carriers
4. a dog backpack (pack it in pack it out)
5. a giant coleman stove
6. a full size coffee maker (hey, why not with everything else) 
7. children's clothing and foot wear for every possible weather condition
8. a port-a-crib

I wish that I could report that bringing all of this helped.  It didn't.  We wound up putting Amelia (almost 3) in the crib when she WOULD NOT GO TO SLEEP.  Jack picked up the screaming where Amelia left off.  I am sure our friends wished that we had stayed home.  


After swearing off family tent camping we tried a new approach.  We purchased and old VW Westfalia.  With two beds, a refrigerator, sink, stove and lots of storage, we felt we couldn't fail.  It was better.  Still, it just didn't feel worth the trouble.  It seems that I am blessed and cursed with children who sleep beautifully at home, but cannot sleep well anywhere else.  So, what did we do next?  Three years and one child later, we bought a cabin in the woods.  Extreme, yes, but we are a stubborn pair.  So far, it has been perfect.  But, camping it is not. We still miss camping.


This 4th of July weekend, we are headed to the beautiful Hoh Rainforest in our Westy.  As always, I have high hopes and happy dreams of family hikes and dry weather.  I don't know that I have learned much through all of our trial and error.  We are bringing Liam's backpack full of matchbox cars, bikes, a potty chair, and a DVD player for the ride.  But, we are going camping!  St. Christopher, please smile down on us.


Are you camping this 4th of July weekend?  What does family camping look like for you?