One Pick, Two Pick, I Pick, U-Pick

I've always imagined that I would love to own a farm, live on a farm, work a farm. Not so much anymore. Don't get me wrong. I know all the perks of farm life (not firsthand). There's just two things that I really can't get over. Number one, bugs. Number two, sweat. Maybe I would do fine living on a farm in Svalbard, where it's so cold that I imagine I wouldn't have to deal with either of the two. But farming is an important part of all of our lives, whether we live on a farm or not. And it's important to me that my kids know where their food comes from.

First order of business to talk about is our summer plans. We aren't putting the kids into any summer programs (except for VBS), but it's important to me that we still do some learning with all our "free time". So we will concentrate on one topic a week or so, and learn what we can about it through research and hopefully through hands- on experience. Farming was one of those topics. So it looks like we are on course with our summer work. This leads into the second order of business.

U-Pick farms. Uh...What an awesome idea! This is my kind of farming. I was forced to do some things that I don't usually like. Things like having high grass brush against my bare legs, putting my hands very close to ants and other crawlies, and watching my kid throw dirt up into the air only to have that dirt land in his hair, on his face, and down his shorts. Farm living is not the life for me. But for a few hours today, it was (sort of). We found a little u-pick strawberry farm. It is the end of the season, so pickings were slim, but we walked away with 5 pounds @ $1.79/pound. The price isn't better than the store, but the experience was great. My kids have now seen what a strawberry plant looks like. And they can tell you that it doesn't look like a plastic container sitting on a shelf. They have experience eating a strawberry straight from strawberry plant. I have an appreciation for all those laborers that pick those berries that we consume, working in the heat and with the bugs.

Next was a u-pick blueberry farm. This place was a little out of the way, but worth the drive in the end. Here I learned that there are more than 20 varieties of blueberries! That blew my mind. To me a blueberry is a blueberry is a blueberry. But not so. Some are juicier, some have thick skins, some are tart, some are sweet, some have thin skins. I also learned that blueberries grow in a bush (some bushes were rather big and resembled trees). This place has 20 acres and they don't spray the bushes or the berries with pesticides. Annie and Troy had a heyday stuffing their bellies full of berries straight off the bush. The boys enjoyed running in the open spaces. We left with 5 pounds of berries @ $2/pound. That's a lot of blueberries.

We drove home, looking forward to showers and air conditioning. We drove home with a better understanding of where our food comes from. We drove home with an appreciation for farms and what they provide us with. We drove home with a fonder love for nature and all her bounty.

Party Like It's 70 Million Years Ago!

I could probably think of a million adjectives to describe this awesome (that's one) day.  I'll just let our pictures do most of the talking.

The crawfish pond

Notice the pistol?

The morning started with a quick trip to the crawfish pond.  My dad set 6 traps and was hoping to get enough for us to have a taste for lunch.  This was something that just he and Troy did together.  Read about it and watch some videos here.

The crawfish boil went off without a hitch.  Shout out to my dad!  My dad makes the best crawfish.  Annie agreed.  The boys were too busy to try any and maybe they just weren't interested.  Lunch was followed by the making of homemade fresh strawberry ice cream and sprinkler fun.

Scared of the water

Afterward, naps were in order.  For the kids, not the adults.  We scrambled to make kabobs, cupcakes, party hats, and a "pin the small arms on the T. Rex" game.  Shout outs to my mom, sister, and Troy!  The food was good.  The party hats were the best!  The game was hilarious.  I'll have to try to upload some hilarious videos that we took of all the adults taking turns trying to pin on those small arms.

Isaac was happy with his presents.  He's still at that age where presents are fun because they're presents, not because they are things that were specifically wished for.  He he had a great day.  So did we.  Probably the best day ever (so far). Happy Birthday, baby boy.  I won't be able to say that much longer.  I'll enjoy it while I can and cherish the memories forever!

Conversations on the Road

We are spending our extended Memorial Day weekend with my folks.  That means a road trip!  Coming to my parents' house is always fun for my kids.  Not only do they have enough adult attention to shake a stick at, but they are surrounded by toys they haven't seen for a few months.  Isaac, who turns three today, came into the house to be reunited with his long lost stuffed Triceratops.  We had been looking for that thing for quite a while.  We even asked if it could possibly be hiding out here (maybe taking a vacation).  We assumed it was left somewhere, lonely, waiting for Isaac to come and rescue him from the dark alley in which he lay.  But lo and behold, he was just taking that long needed vacation.  And he soon got lots of long needed hugs from Isaac.

Isaac also found a little plastic shark.  When I say little, it's not even 2 inches long.  He of course shows me this shark, which I have seen many a time.  I say that it's a nice shark.  He corrects me.  It is a Cretoxyrhina.  And he's right.  I certainly looks like one to me.  That is how focused Isaac is on dinosaurs.  But what about our other boy.  What's his name again?  That's right, Orry.  Oh, that sweet boy!  What is he focused on?

Orry is a lover of knowledge.  Plain and simple.  If there is information to be learned, he wants to learn about it.  I'm talking stars and planets, plants and animals, machines and buildings, words and spellings, and the list goes on and on.  We can thank my dear darling husband for that.  They share a thirst for understanding the workings of the world.   He is willing to explore just about anything, dinosaurs included, and to share that information with anyone who will listen.  One of the things I love about road trips is the ability to have a lengthy conversation with people while cruising the highway.  Orry included.


Today, while driving, we passed an accident.  It looked pretty bad.  Car had run off the road.  Was possibly on fire.  All the windows were broken out.  That sort of thing.  When we were passing it, Orry commented on how bad it was.  I told him that driving can be dangerous, but he interrupted me.  He said that we wasn't talking about the wreck, he was talking about the litter on the side of the road.  He is a lover of our planet and  of windmills that generate electricity.  I think we will make picking up roadside litter an activity one of these days.

We also discovered what Orry will be for Halloween this year.  Drum roll please.  Chris Kratt, of the Wild Kratts, with his Draco lizard creature power suit.  Did I lose you?   Well, if you care to learn about the Wild Kratts, go here and then click on videos.  I'm sure you can get the gist of creature power suits and so on.  I really love this show.  There are two shows that we watch.  And by watch, I mean we actually stop playing and sit down and watch them, absorbing all the good info they have to offer.  One is the Wild Kratts.  The other is Dinosaur Train.  (And I've linked their PBS Kids websites because reading about it on Wiki is just boring.  Go ahead and play a game or watch a video.)  I, personally, have learned a lot about animals and dinosaurs from these little shows.  And I get to spend some quiet QT with my kiddos.  Annie is included in this group too.  She can feel the happy vibes from the boys and she gets just as excited to watch as they do.

Tonight we had the pleasure of hearing songs sung by Orry.  What a joy to hear his sweet voice singing (and to understand what he says)!  One song was about bears falling off a wall.  Three bears turn into two, which turn into one and eventually none.  The other was an Orry original, which I've heard a time or two.  It has to do with silent letters.  The opening lines are "A,B,C,D can be silent.  Everyday, make them silent".  It's sung to the tune of the ABC's song.  It's a winner in my book.  

When I wake up this morning, it will be Isaac's birthday.  We'll make his dino cupcakes and dino party hats.  We'll get ready to play "pin the small arms on the T. Rex".  We'll open our dino presents.  And when it's all said and done, and the kiddos are dreaming in the Jurassic, I'll take a moment and tell you all about it!

Down Days

Let's face it.  We can't go to the museum every day.  It's just not possible.  And our backyard isn't exactly a fossil bed (or is it?).  So what do we do with all these "down days"?  We read.

We are fortunate to live pretty close to a nice library.  And we again are fortunate to live in times where accessing information is relatively easy.  What with online catalogs and holding features.  So we pass the time reading about dinosaurs (amongst other things) and imagining a world in which they exist.

Some of our favorite books about dinosaurs are written by Jane Yolen.  She has written quite the little collection of "How Do Dinosaurs ..." books.  We love these not only because they are a great read, full of honest truths about our little dinosaurs, but because the illustrations are so accurate yet stylized.  We can thank Mark Teague for those great pictures that have taught me the difference between the Triceratops and the Chasmosaurus.

More dinosaur books that we really enjoy are written by Bernard Most.  His imaginative approach is what appeals to me.  Allowing your mind to freely wander over questions and scenarios, such as "Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs?" and "If the Dinosaurs Came Back", is one thing that I really want to allow my children to do.  To develop their own hypotheses about the world around them, past and present.  The bright illustrations are also attractive in their simplicity.

And here and  there we have run into books about dinosaurs that have really won over our hearts.  The most recent is called "Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones", written by Judy Schachner.  I can't even begin to go into how great this book is!  If you like to read to your kids and really get into the characters of the book, this one is right up your alley!  A terrific read for parents and kids alike.  We like them so much that we will probably continue on with this series, dinos or not!

Reference books can also make good reads, especially for kids.  The one we are currently working on is an illustrated encyclopedia of sorts, all about dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures.  Isaac really enjoys learning the names of different and distinct dinosaurs.  And it's a great way to quickly find out the name of that stuffed dino that you saw at the museum gift shop (Parasaurolophus).  The fact that these books are enjoyable for the adults makes them enjoyable for the kiddos.

Reading about your interests is an affordable way to further your knowledge about them.  It can be done in the comfort of your own bed or on the go.  It can be a catalyst.  Reading can even be a life long love!

I look forward to our "down days".  These are the days where we live in our imagination.  The days where a big mommy T. Rex chases the smallest of the small dinosaurs, trying to catch them with her two claws.  The days where we romp and stomp around the forest.  Dinosaur tickles have never felt so good.

Leading by Example

Actions speak louder than words.  Its true.  So if we want our kids to explore their passions, what is the logical thing to do?  That's right.  We must explore our own passions!  Now I know what a lot of people think.  There isn't enough time to work, eat, and relax, let alone find the time to have a hobby.  And herein lies the challenge.  Oh, how I love a good challenge!

I am a stay-at-home mom.  I know, I know.  Loads of time on my hands!  But not so.  Besides having all three of my kids home with me all day, I am also responsible for the upkeep of the house, the meals, and the planning of day to day activities.  That's right.  I keep track of our library books, our prescription meds, our menu and grocery lists, the plants outside, the dinosaurs inside, and the list could go on and on.  So we are all in the same boat.  And we all have the same amount of time in a day.

So I'll go first.  I recently discovered a love for something.  And that thing is crafts.  But more specifically (and at the same time, much more vague), I love to make things.  Sewn things.  There, that's more specific.  And I recently combined my love for making things with necessity.  The necessity that our home creates.  Wanting new things and needing new things around our home can be solved with my love for making things.  I've found a goal!  To be a homemaker.  When someone walks into my home, I want them to see and feel the love that I've put into our home.  Into each and every item that was thoughtfully planned, carefully sewn by me.  And this, in turn, solves my desire to have unique things.  Not things that are cookie cutter, sold at every store items.

Finding the time to do these things is a challenge.  Some days I don't even make progress.  But its a goal I have and I am quite determined to keep it up.  I am even more determined now though, when I think about the impact that it will have on my kids' lives; seeing their mom care about something, love something, do something that she believes in.

I didn't grow up in a crafty family.  But when I think back, I second guess that.  My father always loved to work with wood.  He carved decoys, wall hangings, and animals.  He carves still to this day, mainly working on his own fishing lures.  My mother used to sewn.  I wore many a dress made by her and by my grandmother.  I even have my old dresses that she made, waiting for Annie to get big enough to fit into them.  I still receive a dress for Annie from time to time.  My brother is a musician.  My grandfather used to love raising orchids.  My other grandmother made all the grandkids Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls.  My great-great grandfather (on my Japanese side) was an artist who painted silk and pottery.  All these things influenced me, even if subconsciously.  I have an appreciation for their hard work and craftsmanship.  It showed me that nothing that you desired to do is silly or frivolous.  Nurturing your hobby or your passion in life is a valid thing to want to do.  In some cases it keeps us going!

My hope is that my kids will see me spending time doing things (other than what I do for "work") that I love and that they will also value the things that interest them.  Value them enough to take time, find time, to continue their pursuit of those things.   There should always be time to enrich our lives.  I hope that you will find time to enrich yours and that of your children.

Letting Go

It's true that our kids teach us things about the world.  It's even more true that they teach us about ourselves.  Growing and changing as a person, and parent, is one of the great things about having kids.  Here's what I learned about myself today.  I am a bit of a control freak.  Knowing it is half the battle, right?

I got Isaac painting today.  He was really interested in painting a dinosaur (surprise!).  So I got out all the paints, covered all the areas with paper, and got the brushes and water.  I was ready to see a masterpiece unfold before my very eyes.  Instead, Isaac started to dip his brush in every color and then smear the grayish-brown paint all over.  I flipped!  I can still hear myself saying to him,"Not every color at once!  One at a time!".  But I immediately caught myself and thought, "Why not every color all together?  What's so wrong with what he's doing?".  So I changed my tone and instead told him to experiment any way that he wanted.  Today Isaac taught me that I have to let go.  There's a time for play and a time for instruction.  When getting him started on something that may not ultimately be "his thing", I have to remember to create good memories with the activity at hand.  Makes sense, right?  Why would you ever want to paint again if your nagging mother is just going to tell you how to do it?  Art, especially, has no right or wrong way.  Part of the creative process is just letting them do it, letting them find their way through it, in order to express themselves.

And I've known about this perfectionist side that I harbor deep within me.  And I've been taking steps to just let it go.  I no longer nit-pick my various creative projects to death.  I don't worry about sticky sucker getting all up in my little girl's locks.  So what if Isaac wears two different shoes, both on the wrong feet, to the grocery store.  Life is more enjoyable if instead of finding all its faults, we look for all the beautiful things about it.

And a side note, about dinosaurs (of course).  Did you know that some states have state dinosaurs?  I learned this today, and upon further investigation learned that a few states have state dinosaurs, but more have state fossils.  Not all the fossils are dinosaurs, but all are equally interesting (in my opinion).

Painted Ladies Emerging

Our membership to the Houston Museum of Natural Science is coming to an end.  Over the past year we've had an awesome time learning about the world, both past and present.  One of our favorite things to do when visiting the museum is the Cockrell Butterfly Center.  For a small price we can learn all the yucky bug info that we can stand and walk among beautiful butterflies.  The cost of the membership was well worth it and I'm sure that we will renew.

 The kiddos received a butterfly garden kit for Christmas.  We really couldn't wait to send away for our caterpillar, but decided that we should wait for warmer weather and a period of time where we knew we wouldn't be travelling.  Who really wants to take their "pet" bugs on vacation, right?  Finally, about three weeks ago, we sent away for our bug friends.  In the mail we received a small container with 5 Painted Lady butterfly caterpillars and their food for the next week.  As the week wore on, we watched these tiny thing grow in size and hang upside down to become chrysalises.  The actually process of changing into a chrysalis is quite amazing and mysterious (to me at least).  We were so lucky to actually watch one shed its skin and become a chrysalis.  The process took about 3 minutes and it was a wonderful 3 minutes full of excitement and wonder.  Then came the anxious waiting.

Once in their chrysalis state, you have to wait about a week to see them emerge.  My week was spent checking every day for some sign of change that could signal our attention.  But none came.  One morning we woke up to find a butterfly.  Oh our amazement!  Here was our friend, back again; this time greeting us with fluttering wings and an out of this world proboscis.  As the days went on we never did catch a glimpse of one of our ladies coming out of her shell, so to speak.  In the end we had 5 beautiful butterflies.  Hearing them flying around in the mesh cage was a surprising treat.  Watching them suck from slices of orange was another. But the day finally came for us to let them go.  Orry quoted the Wild Kratts by saying that the butterflies should be "living free and in the wild".

Our kids' love of animals, even bugs (shudder), is a great thing to encourage.  Along the way I have learned so much pertaining to the world around me.  I tend to notice nature everywhere I go.  Butterflies flying through the parking lots, birds swarming around the intersections downtown, small woodland creatures (squirrels) hoping for a morsel from our picnic.  Getting involved in the things our kids are interested in is a big step in keeping them interested.  It also validates their feelings about the amazing and wonderful things this world has to offer.  Never in a million years did I think that I would be interested in mole crickets or the difference between a Stegosaurus and a Kentrosaurus, but here I am.  And I have my kiddos to thank for it!

Living in the Mesozoic Era

Walking down the aisles of Target, searching for birthday presents for a certain little someone, I ask myself, "How has it come to this?".  I'm scanning the store for a glimpse of scales, claws, teeth, and fossils.  Hunting for all things dinosaur.  This is my life.  At least lately, it has been.

About a year ago, Isaac showed interest in dinosaurs.  He didn't know their names or anything about them, but he knew they were cool and worthy of his time.  He would beg to wear the same shirt (a T-Rex riding a bicycle) days in a row.  Everywhere we went, a dino would tag along.  Much has changed since then.  Isaac's dinosaur t-shirt collection has grown, as has his collection of figurines.  We frequent the "dinosaur museum" as often as we can and rent every dinosaur book from the library that we can get our hands on.  Isaac's dinosaur vocabulary is expanding every day.  Imagine my pride when my child can perfectly pronounce Stygimoloch (but still has trouble pulling up his underwear).  Yes, this is my life.

I feel fortunate to have a child who is so passionate and interested in something.  I don't know many people who had a love for something as a child and grew up still interested in the same thing.  My own personal passions have waxed and waned over the years.  As a parent, I feel it's my duty to whole-heartedly explore these interests and do all in my power and means to encourage and develop them.  Isaac's love of the prehistoric reptiles may not ultimately lead to life of paleontology, but we'll never know unless we afford him every opportunity to grow with his passion.

I'm looking forward to a future of dinosaur camps, visiting fossil beds, and even collecting more dinosaur t-shirts.  With this blog, I hope to document our journey and inspire others to live lives that are full of passion.  In the meantime, you can find me sipping lemonade alongside my newfound dino friends in the Mesozoic Era.