30 Days of Summer :: Day 7

Countdown to Kindergarten
To help E's transition to Kindergarten, and in an attempt to allay the somewhat daily, sometimes anxious, sometimes impatient question of "Mom, when does Kindergarten start?", she and I sat down last weekend and made a long paper chain that counts down to the first day of Kindergarten.

Some links are blank. Some simply have the day of the week on them. Some have special events such as 'Camp', 'Kindergarten Mixer at the Please Touch Museum', and 'Out for Breakfast'. None of them have a number on them.
Less than a week into it, it has become her routine to tear off a link before she even comes out of her room in the morning. At lunch today, I remembered - "Oh, E, do you want to go tear your link off for today?" "Oh, mom, I already did it!"

The (surprisingly) long chain is a good reminder to both of us that there are still many, many days of summer left to enjoy.

30 Days of Summer :: Day 6

E's new school clothes (even the public schools around here have uniforms) are hanging in the closet.
We have a paper chain calendar (more on that next time) counting down the days until Kindergarten starts.
And we've started playing on the school playground more regularly to ease the transition.

30 Days of Summer :: Day 5



The best intentions.

Really, when I set out to do these 30 days, I had the best intentions. And yet, over the last 5, I haven't had very much to say. With camp over and the kids and I back in the house, the house that is also The Dad's office, we are having a bit of an 'adjustment' period.

So I need to take a break. Hopefully not a long one, but we will have to see. A break to better help me really appreciate each one of these days passing us by. And to appreciate my children and the life that we have.

To truly enjoy the summer and slowly trod through our to-do list without one more thing nagging at the back of my brain.

Thanks.

30 Days of Summer :: Day 4

Paired with some tortilla chips to dip in the bean and veggie salad, we had the perfect summer dinner outside.

30 Days of Summer :: Day 2

Before I agreed to do camp, I planned on making one day of each week 'Field Trip Day'. Today was our first of the summer.
We drove to a nearby farm and market that has not only pick-your-own fruits and vegetables, but also cut-your-own zinnias.
While we were there, we got to see the month-old baby turkeys. "They're for Thanksgiving, " the marketwoman whispered to us, "but don't tell them that. We haven't told them yet."
To find a similar farm near you, check out this great site.

30 Days of Summer :: Day 1

I consider today our first official day of Summer.

Yes, it is already the second week of July. But camp finally wrapped up yesterday, having started right after school got out. So for us, summer vacation began today.
This morning began with a little impromptu 730am strum along with The Dad. His guitars are kept in our bedroom and the kids love to pull them out and choose a pick to play along.
Inspired by SouleMama's 30 Days of Summer last summer, and looking for a little push to get me posting more regularly now that things are slowing down a bit, I am bravely embarking on an attempt to post every day for the next 30 days. And am ignoring the fact that when those 30 days are over I will be school shopping and preparing to send my daughter to kindergarten and my son to nursery school...

May you also be intentional in recognizing each of the next 30 days to keep them from simply flying by...

The Backyard: A Work in Progress

The night after The Dad and I moved into our new house, we stood out in the backyard, scanning and imagining. We had a great amount of space for an urban lot, secluded by hedges and feeling very residential in the middle of a city neighborhood. It was overgrown and unkempt and we knew we had our work cut out for us.

Fortunately, we had similar visions. A variety of 'elements' the kids could play on. Ones that blended into the landscape. That would grow with them and could be used for open-ended play. Things that would challenge them, but keep them safe... We have slowly but surely been building this little 'adventure playground'.

The newest addition is 'The Fort'. This is Phase I, the first level. Soon to be added is a slide, followed by a second level, and eventually some type of catwalk from there over to a yet-to-be built treehouse.
We also added a giant old shell that made it's way here from Martha's Vineyard (via a storage locker in Portsmouth, NH) filled with pea gravel as another little sensory spot. O has enjoyed transplanting the gravel into little piles all over the yard...
The wigwam has gone through various repairs and reconstructions but remains intact on the corner of our lot. Still with our old Christmas tree branches making it's roof.

We've also still got the double swing. We have begun pondering what will take it's place when the kids outgrow it, and I'm leaning towards this, but I think we still have another year of what reminds me of the Pirate Ship ride you see at amusement parks.

The zip line also went up this weekend, just in time for us to host the end-of-camp potluck in the yard last night. Over 50 people, half of them kids, spent a good couple hours out there without it feeling overcrowded and with no signs of boredom. We consider that a success!

Pillows for the Kids

I've finally been back in the studio. And discovered how easy it is to make a simple case for a small-ish pillowform!
I gave some of our old pillows a little upgrade with some fun cotton covers.
I started with directions from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing book, but the overlap in the back was a little short (the pillows are a little old and a little lumpy) so I modified it a bit for the second one.
The pillows are 16x16 and just right to add that little something to the kids' beds. I have two more waiting for covers for the den, I just need to decide which fabric to use. These sew up so quickly, I could easily see perking up lots of little family spaces around the house with some of the fun prints from my stash.

And then I can see The Dad hiding my sewing machine on me and crying "Enough! Enough pillows!"
As I've said before, it's all about balance.

A Glimpse of the Future

I have seen the future. And it is bittersweet.


This week, E and O are attending Little Princess and Pirate Camp. At a dance school in town. I registered them early, before I signed on to co-run the camp at their nursery school. And I had so been looking forward to a week of free mornings. Instead, I got two days. Yesterday and Today, while The Dad is traveling for business.

I dropped them off at 9 and pick them up at 1. I've (mostly) stayed off the computer. I've finally really cleaned the kitchen. I've done some work on the rest of the house. If I want to be disgustingly honest, I even finally washed the play food that has been sitting in a bin in the basement since O threw up on it over a year ago. I've also read. And run errands. And sat in a coffee shop. It's been a productive couple of mornings.

And I am finally feeling ready to go back into the studio. I have an order from a new gallery that will begin carrying my dresses and skirts. And a couple things I want to make for the kids and for myself. So, hopefully, the upcoming holiday weekend will be even more productive as I continue to cull through the house clutter and start sewing again.

Thanks so much for checking in.