Zeke and friends at groovy pre-K picnic

feels like summer: ice cream on the porch and a neighborhood "rain parade"

curb appeal

Things I like:

eating

making things

thinking about adopting a dog

Things I don't like:

cleaning

making boring 'kid' meals

thinking about cleaning up dog poop

J&G enjoying the show!

baton and dance performances

Zeke getting down with the Jazzercise demo

Stella with her tennis coach. 

Doing Alef-Bet Yoga

Kayaking:

So I did get in the boat. No picture 'cuz I didn't want to get the camera wet. I couldn't see the bottom and I didn't know where we were going or for how long and none of that freaked me out. I don't know why. Apparently some fish jump out of the water and flip around. I didn't expect that.

Self Help:

I finally got it. at least part of it. How to surrender to God's will. What that actually looks like/feels like. I mean, I'm not totally living it yet, but I feel like I know what to do to get there. I get that whenever I think something "should" be some other way than the way it is that I'm second-guessing God and denying reality. That makes me miserable! I also realize that even though I think I might not be able to survive something, the proof that I can is in the fact that I'm right here breathing and putting one foot in front of the other. And I can't know a darned thing about what's going to happen next.

Starting the day with a little domesticity to keep me grounded. Got this contact paper idea somewhere on the web. Is there any secret to making contact paper lie flat??? Anyhow, I'm going out on a big limb today. Going kayaking with my neighbors. I'm terrified of bodies of water where I can't see the bottom and I'm terrified of most things I've never done before. Trying to confront some of my many fears (thanks Mom!) Heights is WAY WAY down the list. I don't even like the 2nd floor of Polaris Mall. I'm also confronting the fear of not spending my whole kid-less weekend cleaning and organizing. They might come home and I haven't done any of that! That thought doesn't give me heights panic, it's more like anxiety on a low simmer. EEEK. Not surprisingly, I've also been pouring through a stack of self-help books. some good, some better. More on that later. If I really get in the boat I'll take a photo to prove it-

Sprinkler Time=Unbearable Cuteness

Around the house tonight: Z loving the moonsand, girls crafting, G's precious drawing of our names enveloped in a heart.

More tales: Went to the library tonight and big S, for the first time, walked confidently up to the information desk and asked the librarians for help finding "zebra books." After she was led to the non-fiction mammal area she praised herself repeatedly for her bravery and confidence. I'm proud of her too.

In other news, I brought home fish sticks and turkey dogs for Z&G, my little omnivores. They were ecstatic. G actually kissed the hot dog package and Z downed 2 dogs in about 45 seconds. It delighted me to see them eat with such gusto. If feel really good about buying them what they want. We'll look for some free range turkey and chicken at farmers' marked the stuff at whole foods was a fortune.

Let's get this garden started!  Top to bottom: our trash can potato patch, the new bed J cleaned up, now planted in bean seeds and flowers, the older garden planted in tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini with lots more flowers, a gazillion perennials bought at a neighbor's plant sale-homeless and huddling inside during a frost advisory

precious photo I forgot to post from Slate Run Farm and an unrelated thought:

I read in one of Anne Lamott's books a quote from a rabbi saying something to the effect of "The study and practice of religion puts Torah on your heart. Your heart has to break for the torah to get in your heart."

G photographs S part II

                                             Moon Sand

When we got home from our weekend adventures I prayed for the energy to make it through the evening (Janine had to work). Zeke had the fantastic idea to get out some Moon Sand we hadn't played with since last year. I dumped it into a bigger storage bin and Georgia added the play dough sculpting toys. Aside from putting out the occasional fire of sibling rivalry, I dozed on the warm grass beside them. About 20 minutes later I was actually ready not just to survive, but to be sort of fun again. 

I've been wanting to try some internet recipes for homemade Moon Sand and things were getting pretty crowded and pushy around the one bin. 

The Recipe:

1 part play sand (the regular kind you get for a sandbox)

1/2 part cornstarch

1/4 part water

I had 8 cups of cornstarch on hand so I built the size of the recipe around that. You can experiment with the order to add things, but ultimately you spend a lot of time working it all together, adding bits more water until it's just right. Silly me, I thought we'd work out the texture and then play with it. The 8 little hands helping me thought the mixing was the play. Bedtime came before we were done enjoying it-which is good. We'll get both bins out many more times this spring.

                          Yogurt Cream Cheese Pie

just had a soymilk and graham cracker snack (kids are in bed, tee hee). Lots of broken grahams which got me thinking about a graham cracker crust and then craving the yogurt cream cheese pie from the original Moosewood Cookbook. I'm bringing that the next time I'm asked to bring a dish somewhere. mmmm....

Chavurah-Palooza 2009

Burr Oak State Park

So fun to have so much fun with people who like the same kind of fun!

we hiked, played, and ate (a tremendous amount in my case)-in and out of the rain

we s'mored and sang

the little ones painted their faces and bodies

and I worshipped the screened porch

On the way back to Columbus we stopped at Slate Run Living Historical Farm where we played with lambs, ducklings, and the stinkiest, fattest swine ever

I loved having packed, like, 5 meals of pre-cut, pre-pared food. It was so great to open the fridge and have all those choices. I felt I was actually  on a trip, not just the orchestrator of kid fun. Here I am attacking a watermelon before the trip. p.s. Dear Costco, I'll never plan a trip without you. I love you!