Earth Day

The day started out early for our first garage sales of the season.  The kids were freezing, so they opted to sit in the car while I looked.  So as soon as we learned about the Earth Day celebration at Tautphaus Park, they wanted nothing to do with more garage sales. 

Detour #1:
We decided to check things out.  There were lots of make and takes.   Hands down, the bug catchers were the coolest part (I think the fun aprons had something to do with it.)

I personally liked the Community Gardens booth that was giving away seeds.  The kids got enough packets to plant their entire gardens.  There were Great Harvest pb&j sandwiches and muffins for the taking too.  I've always loved free things and the kids seem to think it was neat also. Imagine our delight to score a coupon to the Museum of Idaho, where we were headed anyway.

Detour #2:
On the way to the museum, we saw balloons and a big jump house advertising a grand opening.  We pulled over and the kids got to play around.  There had free hot dogs, pop, and chips.  Cha-ching!  Hudson couldn't believe it "this is a cheap day Mom!"

Finally at the museum, the kids enjoyed Sue and the dinosaur exhibit . . . for awhile.  They really loved the Children's Discovery area with the beaver dam, cabin, and teepee.

Nothing rounds out an enjoyable day better than Reed's Dairy ice cream on the way home. 

The kids couldn't wait to don their Home Depot aprons and help get their trees planted. 

Ukranian Eggs

We happened to go to the library during a fund raiser.  A lady was there decorating Ukranian eggs to earn money for a  new library.  The kids were immediately drawn in.  In fact, Ruby spent 20 minutes just watching her work.  We visited and watched for quite some time.  I was intrigued and decided to buy some minimal supplies and give it a try. 

It's been fun learning about the ancient art of pysanky, Ukranian egg decorating.  There is a lot of symbolism and I find it quite fascinating.  Pysanka are made using beeswax as a resist.  It is applied by a kitska, a stylus with a brass funnel.  You hold the kitska over a candle to heat it up to the appropriate temperature.  So whatever is covered with beeswax will remain that color.

 At first I painted eggs on request for the kids while they watched.  Now it's a family affair.  Hudson broke his first "practice" egg, so he jumped right in with both feet.  I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed with his skill.  They enjoy making eggs for one another.  

Why I Love Thursdays

Thursdays have become one of my favorite days of the week.

I start the day off early by walking with some other ladies.  I come home and get the two older kids fed, ready, and off to school on the bus.  Ruby and I get to spend an hour and a half together, one on one.

At 9:00 I drop her off at friends and head down to the school to volunteer in Hudson's classroom.  He is always so happy to see me.  I try to catch a bit of Show and Tell, the most entertaining 15 minutes of the entire school week I'm sure.   I usually get a hug and a kiss some time during my visit.  I have been providing spelling review games while I'm there.  Some of the favorites have been Spelling Battleships, Magic Keyboards, Sparkle, and Alphabet Card Scramble.

Dalanie usually finds me in the hall or in Hudson's class where Hudson usually gives her a hug and picks her up.  She loves having my undivided attention on the way home to tell me all about what she learned and what kids said.

 

And then it's only 10:15 and I've spent quality time with each child.  It's become the highlight of our school week.

Trading Cards

You know it's time for your child to have their own library card when. . .

they take your credit card because they no longer have any cards in their hand-me-down wallet.  She assured me that she was only going to borrow it for a few minutes.  Later that day, we signed her up for her own library card to keep her wallet some company. 

After she got her card a cute patron told her that as long as she has a library card, she'll have lots of friends.  She explained that there were all sorts of friends waiting for her in books.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

 I remember well the days while Brent and I were dating and after we were newly married, we did everything together.  Hours riding in the tractor with him, working side by side, anything just so we could be with each other.  It's crazy how things change, work pulling one way and kids the other.  Now I really look forward to the little bit of time we get together, especially since he's been out of town so much lately.  He asked me out and then assigned me to plan something.  Since it was such a windy day, it was a no brainer.  When life gives you wind, fly a kite.

We went to the park, made kites, and cooked dinner in our cardboard ovens.  It was a nice change of pace and great way to spend the evening.

 

One of Our Favorite Days

The sun was shining and there wasn't wind, so it was a perfect day for branding.  The excitement woke the kids bright and early and they were out the by 7:30 to sort off the calves.

 There were jobs for everyone.  Running them through the chute is such a better way to get the job done and involve the kids.  The alley way needed sprayed to keep the dust down, vaccines needed mixed, EID tags needed read with the scanner, fences needed climbed, and calves needed shooed (Dalanie was a professional and she sure could holler at them.)  I got the office job and tagged and kept records.

We came home stinky and tired, but thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

 Ruby complained about the cows being "too noisy."

Creative Therapy

I recently heard that there's no better way to break out of a rut than by being creative. And we've definitely needed a detour to the rut we've found ourselves in. Just the rigamarole of homework, bedtimes, and never ending to-do lists of housework, yard work, and work-work. So we put it all on hold to get creative.
There's been an expanding stack of pallets from all of our shipments. And since all kids dream of forts (moms still can too,) the kids and I decided to put one together. Now it's nothing too fancy, but it came together in under two hours from "stuff" we had on hand. Fence posts, weathered plywood signs, and shelving brackets that tied the corners together perfectly.

Hudson was the architect who needed reminded that we only had a limited number of pallets. He helped "shoot grade," and man the shovel to level things out. Dalanie was the worker bee that loved gathering supplies. And Ruby, bless her heart, took a nap during the entire construction so she only got in on the snack at the end.

Brent was rather amused and impressed by our resourcefulness. I reminded him of my father and told him he shouldn't be. After all, I come by it quite naturally. But most of all, the kids and I got to spend time together being creative.

"Spring Break"

Considering we were out for "spring break" on Monday, we spent our extra long weekend in Burley. It's really quite the joke since we'll be going to school on Friday to make up for it. But anyway, it didn't stop us from having a fun weekend.

Ty and Tameka were there. And in case you haven't heard of Tameka's preschool methods class, check this:Mom had an egg hunt for the kids. The wind was courtesy of our Idaho spring. Ruby with her spy glass.
Ice cream on the counter.Feeding the horses in the cold.It was hard to capture Grandpa wrestling a rock chuck at Minidoka dam, but it was quite entertaining.

Grandma's girl.
Grandma has to carry her, dress her, take her potty, fix her hair. You name it, Grandma is the one to do it. Ruby took a little nap on the way home. She woke up and asked for Grandma. The pouty lip came out and crocodile tears streamed down her little cheeks when she realized that Grandma wasn't coming home with us.