I'm still here!

Kerry here-wow, has it really been a month since I blogged?  It's amazing how life gets away with you, and from you.  I'm sorry we haven't written!  This past month for me has been hectic, enough to prompt a friend of mine to order me to have a night out.  I haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm trying to find little ways to treat myself, and keep myself somewhat sane (sanity is relative, here).  And one of my little time-outs turned into one of my favorite moments as a parent.

Have you ever had one of those moments?  The type that, while it would ordinarily get lost in the bustle of your day, managed to burrow its way into your heart?  I had one of those this week. 

The Little Dude and I had just gotten home from running errands, and it was lunchtime.  I was trying to bribe him into going inside, but instead he made a beeline for a small pile of leaves by the sidewalk.  He immediately began to pick them up and throw them in the air, laughing and smiling like he had found the most amazing thing.  At first, I was frustrated-I like to run on a schedule, and playing outside was not on the agenda.  But I decided to give him a few minutes.  And a few more, then a few more after that.  Watching him run through the leaves simply made me happy.  He’s been hard at work on his therapy, our general schedule has been hectic, and if anyone needs some down time, it’s a two year old boy.

 

It was windy, and LD was fascinated by watching the leaves blow across the yard and into the parking lot.  He began to run headlong into the wind, arms out, face scrunched with delight as the wind blew his hair back.  The weather was perfect, sunny and just warm enough.  The sun made my baby’s hair glow with this golden light, but it couldn’t compete with the light coming from my boy.  He was happy, alive, and totally in the moment.  I couldn’t help but join him in the leaves.  We ran into the wind, threw leaves at each other, and were in the moment together. 

I know that, as time goes on, I may lose the details, but I’ll always remember the light shining on my boy’s hair, that beautiful smile of pure happiness, and how my heart swelled with joy and love.

Labor Day Weekend in Pictures

 Birthday celebration.

Garden harvest.

 Prepping tomatoes.

 Cooking salsa.

 Salsa done!

Birthday flowers and silly boys.

Yum.

Blueberry bread for breakfast this week.

Bannon

Lovely, Love My Family

Things are settling in nicely here with the nieces being here after school.  The first week was a bit of an adjustment-testing boundaries, convincing the Little Dude that he has to share with even more kids, the usual.  But it's brought a surprising amount of love into our home, which was something I didn't really think would happen.  My nieces are very open in showing each other love, and it spills over to me, the LD, and the other boy I babysit.  They'll pull they boys onto their laps for hugs and kisses, play with them, and generally make a happy mess.  One activity we did today that the older and younger kids all had fun with was finger painting with shaving cream.  Sometimes, we'll use paper and color, but today we just spread it out onto the train table and let everyone get to it.

I knew from previous experience that I'd have to stay on my toes with activities for all the kids, and that's been a challenge for me.  Things that will engage the 2- and 3-year-olds won't do the trick for the 10 year olds.  Fortunately, they have come up with some great ideas.  The older girls are convinced that I'm going to teach them to cook!  So we've been working on some basics, as well as actually giving them some experience with an oven.  They've learned how to use a knife, how to measure, how to sift, and they've gotten a healthy dose of respect for a hot oven.  So, to let them test their skills, the 4 girls all chipped in to make homemade pizzas for a large family dinner.  For the dough, we used a recipe from Once A Month Mom.


2 3/4 c. lukewarm water
1.5 T. granulated active yeast
1.5 T. kosher salt
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
6 1/2 c. flour.  I used whole wheat flour for the dough.  Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.  I let my littlest niece, who is 3, pour in and stir the ingredients.  Next, mix in the flour without kneading, using a wooden spoon.  Leaving the dough in the bowl, cover with a towel and let it sit for 2 hours.  At this point, you can either use the dough immediately, or you can refrigerate it for 4 hours, then separate into individual portions (we got 3 medium pizzas out of this batch), wrap it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, place into freezer bags, and freeze them.  If you choose to use the dough immediately, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Grease your pan, press out the dough and top with whatever you choose.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust and toppings are golden.  If you want to use frozen dough, thaw it in the fridge, dust it with flour, then roll or press it for your crust.  The older girls prepared all the toppings, including chopping up tomatoes and peppers, as well as putting on the saucy pepperoni, etc.  They all really liked cooking it, and they really liked eating it!  The crust got a thumbs up from everyone involved, and it was really easy to work with.

But, more than the food, or the messy projects, I think the kids (and the parents) are enjoying our increased closeness the most.  The title seems very appropriate, especially since it's from a song by The Roots that appeared in Yo Gabba Gabba, a favorite show of my 3 youngest charges.  Enjoy!

Holy Crap, I Have A Preschool!

As you all know, I have a son.  I stay home with him.  Finding ways to entertain him is usually pretty easy.  I taught preschool for 10 years, so I have a decent stash of ideas to fall back on.  But, momma alone isn't always the best playmate.  The Little Dude has lots of cousins, but they all live just far enough away to make getting together on a regular basis kind of a pain.  Also, losing my job back in April meant that we are now working with a smaller budget.  So, how could I manage to stay home with LD, keep him happy, but still work?  Babysitting!

At first, the idea was to just bring in one child, LD's age, for 2-3 days a week.  We found a fit pretty quickly, and while my little guy has a bit of a love/hate relationship with our new friend, it's working well.  So well, in fact, that I'm looking for another child to watch.  3 children, in my opinion, isn't really a preschool.  But adding my sister's 4 daughters to the mix in the afternoons makes it a preschool!  My sis and her family are moving by us-as in, the same apartment complex.  We're all pretty excited about it.  Big Dude and the bro-in-law are totally brothers from different mothers, we all get along great.  However, the move, while necessary for them, will strap them financially.  Childcare for 4 kids is EXPENSIVE.  So I'm babysitting on the barter basis.

Since I'm adding 4 kids with no increase in income to offset it, I'm having to be very crafty and frugal about it.  But, since I'm coming from a teacher background, I have high expectations.  I want the best for the kids.  So, I did a little research.  There's so many blogs out there with DIY ideas!  I came away really inspired.  Next, I polled my friends on Facebook for ideas.  They really came through for me - Hayley suggested blanket tents, cooking projects, and the splash park at Bicentennial.  Bonnie of The Not So Modern Housewife gave me one that sounds awesome.  Open the dishwasher, dump some "ingredients" inside the lid, let junior mix it up and play, then shut the door and run the washer to clean it up!  BJ reminded me of sock puppets, Laura had some game ideas, as well as lunchtime fun like an indoor picnic or a pizza topping buffet.  Sabrina seriously educated me about educational games with beanbags, and music by Hap Palmer that kids can act out.  Connie reminded me about the simple joy of decorating a shoe box.  Her daughter, a former student of mine, used a shoebox to make a tzedakah box (a box used by children in the Jewish faith to save money for a charitable donation).  Aren't these ladies awesome?

The Big Dude (who may or may not realize that he agreed to help with a bit of this!) and I will be having a crafty weekend.  We're converting one side of our boy's train table into a chalk table.  I also hope to make a dual-sided felt board with play pieces, a geo board, and a light box.  I also have been working on some file folder games, and I have recipes ready for play-doh, bubble mixture, watercolor paints, and sidewalk paints.  A large plastic tub with a lid will become a simple sensory table.  I'm raiding the closet for dress up clothes, and the scrapbooking supplies for art materials.  Some shimmery material swatches are now being used for music and movement activities.  I could go on and on...but I do plan to post pictures and instructions for some of the bigger projects.  If you have kids/watch kids/teach kids, these could really be some great resources for you!

One-Day Road Trip!

I know I had intended to make a post about local family fun, but since we're taking a trip to Dayton on Saturday to visit family, I thought I'd mention a couple of our favorite attractions in that area!  It's not a terrible drive (roughly 1.5 hours between Columbus and Dayton), and there are inexpensive things to do for all ages!

A personal favorite of mine is the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  The place is huge, there's all sorts of awesome planes (and what kid doesn't like planes?) to see and explore, and it's FREE!  There are areas devoted to the history of aviation, the different wars in which aircraft played a role, the space program, and the presidential planes.  Many of the planes are open to allow visitors to see the interior.  There's also a nice cafe and gift shop, and an IMAX theater.

Another place that's geared for kids is the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.  I used to nanny in my past life (lol), and the Boonshoft was a favorite destination of ours.  While there is an admission fee (8.50 adults, 7.50 kids 2-12 and seniors), it's not outrageous, and I think it's a good value for what they offer.  There are two levels, featuring an imaginative play area for younger kids, sections devoted to learning about topics like outer space, recycling, and the environment, a two-level climbing area, a treehouse for bird watching, and a zoo featuring animals native to Ohio.  If you have memberships to another science center or zoo, check and see if it offers reciprocal admission!

And, last but not least, is my absolute favorite thing about Dayton-the Dayton Celtic Festival, being held on July 29-31 this year.  It's their 10th anniversary this year, and it promises to be a showstopper!  Live bands, dancers, storytellers, a kids' play area, crafts, food, proper Irish beer-it's worth staying for a day, or for the whole weekend!  The festival itself is free, and you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks onto the premises.  If you do choose to buy your nosh, there are lots of vendors to choose from, and I've never found the prices to be too high.  Sadly, this is also the first year that I won't be able to attend, and I'm honestly depressed about it.  We'll be going to the Dublin Irish Festival the following weekend, but it won't be the same.

And for those of you who would rather stay home for your fun, don't forget that the Scioto Mile is having its grand opening this weekend!  WaterFire Columbus is also underway, and the Columbus Commons are celebrating their first summer with a full schedule of fun for all ages.  There's plenty of free fun close to home!

We all cheer for the yellow soccer team!

First off, I hope you all had a great weekend!  We took the little dude to COSI on Friday night, he was thrilled by it all.  Saturday we helped my sister, bro-in-law, and 4 nieces sort boxes for their upcoming move in a month.  And Sunday…well, that was a rare treat for myself and B.-a Columbus Crew game, totally child free!

If you haven’t been to a Crew game, I cannot emphasize how much fun they are.  We’ve been season ticket holders for a few years (B. and I share a seat, and take turns going), and I’ve never felt it’s been a waste of money.  It manages to be both family-friendly and party-friendly.  And, since we were childless, we partied.  There were margaritas and nachos, and lots of cheering and chanting with the supporters’ groups-Hudson Street Hooligans (our group of choice), Crew Union, and La Turbina Amarilla.  The Crew won with a spectacular 4-1, and there were fireworks after the game.  We couldn’t resist a detour on the way home to Sonic.  I had to get my vanilla coke on!

But let’s say you want to take the kids.  What’s there for a family to do at the games?  There’s a large playground, a bounce house, lots of areas for an impromptu soccer game, and different activities from game to game.  I’ve seen physical fitness challenges, bands, face painting, and free food from local restaurants.  If you have a very active toddler who just won’t sit still, you have my sympathy, because mine won’t sit through a game.  You also have the party deck!  It’s a large stage area on the field, fenced in with its own food stand and restrooms, and it’s perfect to let an active kid run around while mom and dad keep an eye on the game.  We’re down there so often, the security guards and concessions workers know our son by name.

There’s also various ticket deals throughout the season, as advertised on The Crew’s website.  There was recently one that included a soda, hot dog, and chips with your ticket, at a great price.  Check out The Crew, and come see the hardest working team in America!

Speaking of family fun...

I forgot to mention in my last post (this is K, by the way!), this Friday is COSI's Family Friday Night!  COSI will have extended hours on June 24th from 5pm to 9pm, at a reduced rate of $9 per person!  This gets you all of their permanent exhibits, plus a screening of Waking the T-Rex on their big screen in digital and 3D.  Admission plus one movie is normally $21.25 adults, and $16.25 kids, so this is a big savings!  Current members can get the movie at a discounted rate of $3, instead of the usual $5.50.  COSI is normally really expensive for a family trip, so this is a great way to explore the museum for a fraction of the cost!  Also, kids 24 months and under are free, and there's a great play area for little ones.  COSI offers this discounted rate on the last Friday of every month, and always includes a movie.

Making room in a frugal lifestyle

As someone who is still pretty new to the concept of living frugally, I’ve been challenged to find ways to save money and live simply, but still have wiggle room for fun.  We’re blessed to live in Columbus, Ohio, which offers a great variety of free or economical activities for families, and we definitely take advantage of them.  We hit up local parks, use the fantastic libraries, and take advantage of attractions with reasonably priced family passes-hello, Columbus Zoo!  While I do love being frugal (weird, I know), we have one area where we regularly splurge, and that is the North Market.

We go as a family every Sunday, have lunch together, and buy some groceries.  Even though it’s spending a bit more than at the grocery store, we really feel strongly that we’re doing what is best for ourselves by buying fresh and local produce, milk, and meat.  We have our weekly “steak Sunday” tradition, so we always buy a couple of fillets from Bluescreek Farms, along with the occasional batch of meatloaf, or pack of pepper bacon.  At The Greener Grocer, we get our weekly vegetables and fruit, as well as milk from Snowville Creamery.  And if you haven't tried Snowville, I promise you, you won't ever want to go back to the store brand!  We like personally knowing the people who provide us our food, and knowing the processes behind what they provide.  We think it all tastes better.  And we love knowing we are helping the local economy in our own small way. 

Another big attraction that the North Market holds for us are the merchants themselves.  We didn’t realize this until recently, but we are seen as regulars.  The wonderful Smith family who run the farm and the meat stand (hi, Cheryl and David!) have actually held back our regular order for us on Sundays, and have it wrapped and ready to go.  The employees at Pastaria and Heil's Deli know our preferences, and always make sure to tuck in extra napkins and flatware for the Little Dude’s benefit.  Other employees recognize us on sight, and make a point out of saying hello to our son, giving him stickers, and being as friendly as possible.  If we have guests from out of the area, the North Market is where we take them!

By being frugal in other areas of our lives, we have the ability to splurge on something meaningful to us, while having a bit left over to spare.  We’ve given up fast food, don’t buy soda unless we have guests who may want it, shop with coupons (and yes, I keep a SMALL stockpile), buy used, save for bigger purchases, etc., etc.  My point with this is that it is possible to be frugal, but to still have a life.  It’s just a matter of finding out what your priorities are.