inspired

While there are a gazillion people out there in blogland sharing themselves and all aspects of their busy lives, there are a few that I check in on regularly. It's fun to be a passenger on their journeys, to see what they are sharing that day and to explore new ideas to incorporate into our family life. I am especially inspired, both from a parenting and from a crafty perspective, by SouleMama, and more recently, her book, The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections. Her simple approach has definitely given my creativity a much needed boost over the past year, from which we all benefit. In this house, a crafty mama is a happier mama.

Two of the projects in the book are simple to make and were perfect gifts for a co-worker's baby shower last night. I used free clip art, freezer paper stencils and fabric paint to embellish the onesies and already have more ideas for the future. Logan helped with the design, layout and construction of the felt blocks and it proved to be a satisfying mother-son activity.





Last year, Logan and I collaborated on a cloth book for Owen's first birthday. All photos and captions were by Logan, with sewing by mama. It has definitely become a favorite in Owen's library. Stay tuned for more birthday craftiness later in the week...

weekend leftovers

Logan and Dad enjoy the swimming pool at the hotel.



Four boys, several cars, and one loop-the-loop race track equals fun in Golden Valley.

cloud cult avenue

So Saturday was the CD release party at First Avenue for the new Cloud Cult album entitled, "Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)". JP, Penny, Geoff, and I attended while Tracy, Rondi, and the Kids hung out at the hotel.

For those of you planning such a event, I heartily suggest you obtain visual confirmation that the concert tickets are physically in the car with you BEFORE driving 50 miles down the road. This point can not be stressed enough. Needless to say, our journey took longer than originally anticipated.

Opening bands Mason Proper and The Forms were both cool. We all enjoyed watching the lead singer from Mason Proper flailing about and generally just "going for it". Cloud Cult came out and made the world a better place for 90 minutes. I cannot even begin to describe how their songs overwhelm me.

All in all, a great night and lots of fun had by all.

oye como va

Last weekend we met Kristin, Craig, and the Boys for a trip to Como Zoo. Although the weather could have been better, most of the animals were inside so the trip was still enjoyable.

These two animals were running around loose.



Logan and Owen had never seen a Gorilla in person before. The great apes weren't exactly working it for the camera, but finally this beautiful creature provided a photo opportunity.



Prior to the trip we mentioned to Owen that the zoo would have giraffes. From the moment we stepped through the door, he kept asking where they were and couldn't wait to see them.



A big pile of spider monkeys hanging out in the primate house.

first picnic of the year

With temps in the high 60's, lunch just tastes better outside.

discoveries

The last of the snow has melted away, revealing all sorts of interesting things on our neighborhood walks. Bits of nature are just waiting to be discovered and poked by little fingers, as many as the hand can hold.

welcome to the big top

Logan and I attended the Shrine Circus last Sunday and fun was had by all. Favorite performers included the dancing elephant, the acrobats who jump on seesaws to launch themselves up on each other's shoulders, and of course the human cannon ball. Good thing we received free tickets to attend or we would not have been able to spend all of our money at intermission. Spinning light-up toys were purchased for brothers and cousins, popcorn was eaten, and Logan and I even got to ride...(drum roll, please)... the elephant pictured above. As luck would have it, we were the first in line so Logan sat right behind the ears and we could pat the beautiful animal's head as we circled around.

Owen plays with his new light-up toy.

let it grow

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But planting flowers is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it grow! Let it grow! Let it grow!

The kids love planting seeds in these little pots. This year's selection includes marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias. Gently press the seeds into the soil...



...and add water, sunlight, and love.

april showers bring may flowers

Are you kidding me? Last time I checked the calendar, I'm quite certain it said the month was April. Between the vast amounts of snow and the tremendous winds, nearly everything was closed and/or cancelled today. I didn't even have to work, unless you count the effort involved in opening the door to our house, which was drifted shut.



The unexpected family time was great and many fun projects were accomplished. One such project involved making a new batch of homemade cocoa. This stuff just tastes better in this kind of weather. Yes, it is topped with both marshmallows and whipped cream.

spring?

According to the calendar, we have been in the spring season for just over two weeks. This was our first glimpse of robins in the yard--these poor feathered friends braved the freezing rain, snow and wind to forage in the ice covered grass. Miraculously, one bird was successful in his search for worms.



And they're predicting more snow later in the week...

day at the beach

Tracy had the afternoon off today so the whole family packed it up and headed to the beach. A few ice formations still remain but spring is definitely starting to take hold.

Owen's footprints in the sand.



Logan playing on an ice slab moments before it collapsed into the water.



Owen performs his solo from Puddle Dance 2008.



The grand finale of Puddle Dance 2008 features not one but two dancers.

a ramble at the zoo

Sun on our faces, fresh air, little hands dirty with goat and llama food, and the sound of kids squealing with delight upon spotting the elusive walking stick--I can't think of a better way to spend four hours on a beautiful spring day.

Owen enjoys watching the giant hissing cockroaches. From personal experience, I prefer to observe cockroaches which are enclosed behind glass, as opposed to cockroaches which are running amok in my apartment because my less than stellar landlord swapped my broken refigerator with a used, bug-infested replacement unit. Yes, fourteen years later, it still gives me the creeps.



Lazy male lion, one of three new cubs at the zoo.



Dolly Llama poses between handouts.



One of Owen's favorites, the snapping turtle.

empty bowl 2008

Today was Empty Bowl 2008. This awesome benefit, organized by the Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, helps feed people in need, and provides family fun every year. Basically, you buy a ticket that entitles you to a bowl of delicious soup from a local restaurant, and a handcrafted earthenware bowl created especially for the event by school children and local artisans. Located downtown at the Depot, there is also live music, a silent auction, and self-guided tours of the railroad museum. Logan selected his bowl almost immediately this year, choosing one from the first table he looked at. Tracy and I did our traditional wandering around, surveying the thousands of bowls, until the "One To Be Selected" made itself known.

crafty afternoon

Logan received his first birthday party invitation this week--a celebration at the local gymnastics academy. He chose to give the birthday girl a watercolor paint set and paper, along with a few books. But something was missing...

Yes, I decided (and he agreed), this was an occasion worthy of some mother-son craftiness, requiring a trip to the local fabric store and an afternoon of sewing. With Logan at the pedal and me steering the fabric, we had a pretty gift bag whipped up in no time. And once it is emptied of today's treasures, I'm sure that its 7 year old recipient will find something else to stuff inside.

From this...



To this...



And this...



By the way, Logan had a fun time at the party: running across the tumble trak to jump into the foam pit, racing through the inflatable obstacle course, and eating cake, of course.

in the dark

What did you do for Earth Hour 2008? We showed our support in the fight against global climate change by turning off our lights and reading and snuggling with the kids by candlelight. Quite a simple thing, really, but together with so many other concerned earthlings, I'm sure that we all made a significant impact. In 2007, 2.2 million people and 2,000+ businesses around the world participated in Earth Hour, resulting in a 10.2 % reduction in carbon emissions during that hour. I can't wait to see this year's stats.

http://www5.earthhourus.org/

art appreciation

An art gallery is a wonderful place to take children. They have such open minds and are able to communicate what they like or do not like about each piece. Last night we joined our dear friend, Heather Marie, for the opening reception of her senior art exhibition. It was so inspiring; she had painted images coinciding with her desire to live a life of sustainable farming in the future.

This is Owen's favorite: a green pepper.



The tomato is Logan's favorite.

egg dippers

Happy Easter! The boys had a blast coloring eggs. Some of the eggs even survived the process without cracking.

Owen closely observes his egg.



The multi-color magic begins here.



The finished product.

happy spring!

A little glue here...



A little marker there...



and feathers add the final touch.



Ta-dah! Fancy paper eggs for cousin Gabriel's first Easter.

won't you be my neighbor?

Hello Internet neighbors! As part of Pittsburgh's first ever "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Days (March 15th-20th), we're modeling our favorite sweaters to honor Mr. Rogers, on what would have been his 80th birthday. Read more about it here: http://www.fci.org/NeighborDays/sweater.asp

priceless art

Logan presented this beautiful drawing to me after work today. It is a picture of me at the beach holding a towel and looking at the lake. He has also been working on two story books for his brother this week and has spent nearly every available moment in his room writing and drawing away.

snow daze

The sunny days and warmer weather bring more fun in the snow. Although no photos were taken to document the evidence, our snowblock maker and various old tupperware containers provided much constructive (and destructive) fun.

A snowman has been standing in our yard for weeks, minding his own business, and just doing what snowpeople do. Then suddenly, without warning, he was forcefully disassembled by the kindergarten-sized assailant shown here (balancing on the snowman's remains).



Owen tested the snow handling capabilities of his 3-wheeler with multiple trips across the drifts.

surprise, surprise, surprise!

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "sneaky" as:
1. Furtive, surreptitious.
2. Marked by quiet and caution and secrecy.
3. Taking pains to avoid being observed.

I personally think any definition of the word "sneaky" should be accompanied by a picture of my wife. She recently threw me a surprise birthday party with 16 of our closest friends at the local brewhouse. I could not have been more clueless concerning her planning and preparation. Everything worked perfectly and I was completely surprised.



Thanks to everyone who maintained the shroud of secrecy, assisted Tracy in her endeavors, and who attended on Saturday. You are awesome friends and I love you all.

tympanic blues

Welcome to the house of very little sleep. Owen has a fever, runny nose, and goopy eyes. For the record, goopy is an official medical term I picked up from my years in ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic. Antibiotic eye drops help until Owen wails, "Hurt ear, hurt ear." After a visit to everyone's favorite pediatrician we discover we have the dreaded double ear infection on our hands. We exchange the eye drops for a pink liquid that tastes as delicious as it looks. After a few doses Owen is on the mend and sleep patterns return to normal.

happy 40th birthday tony!

Hope that you have a wonderful day. We love you!

on the needles

Logan learned to knit last summer in the car en route to our annual blueberry picking weekend in Bayfield, Wisconsin. It shouldn't have surprised us that he picked up the skill rather quickly considering his mama learned fibercrafts at an early age and hasn't stopped since. His current project has a future as a scarf or perhaps a fine coaster if the interest in garter stitch subsides sooner than later.