peelosophy

We had a great day today.  Caleb joins us on Tuesdays and since playgroup was canceled, we headed off to the zoo.  It wasn’t really a zoo day today necessarily, the weather was high about 58 degrees, it poured during the night before  and it looked like the skies were going to open up any minute.  But we had 4 train tickets (thank you Ewings!) that expired today and there were four of us (George doesn’t count yet).  So we made like we lived in Seattle and didn’t let the weather dictate our plans.  It was so fun!  As you can see from the picture…very few people had the same idea as us!

We hit the train first, in case we were rained out, then the Insectarium and ended at the somewhat new ZOOmagination Station.  The ZOOmagination station is awesome.  It’s basically a discovery room where there is tons of stuff for all the kids to get into animal/nature related.  It is FREE! and you go for 45 minute sessions that start every hour.  It’s one of my new favorite things.

Read more…

We headed out on Saturday afternoon to celebrate JJ’s birthday with all of his buddies (boys only).  We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens – it was so fun!  I’m not in a writing mood, so I’ll let the pictures speak fr themselves.  Please note the series of boy’s legs hanging off the theater seats….

Our friends, Maddie and her daughter, Annie have their much anticipated baby chicks — 6 of them!  They are all so cute!

JJ just grinned the whole time he was with chicks; Henry asked to hold them, but when we handed one to him he “chickened” out;  and George wanted to squeeze them to death.   Luckily, there was no casualties.

You can read more on Maddie’s chicken-raising endeavor at: Annie’s Garden.

I’ve found myself a little overwhelmed and embarrassed with how many unfinished projects I have right now.   My hobbies aren’t generally little in size and space is a commodity in my home.  So I don’t have needlepoint tucked away in a closet or quilt squares in a box.  Instead, I have furniture to be reupholstored and chairs to be made – all taking up precious space in my attic and basement.

Most of the projects I have put off are for us, so I guess that makes it easier to put off.  There are 2 for other people,  one I have not finished a present for and another I haven’t even started.  And, the not finished one,  was a Christmas present for my niece which we gave her unfinished – a big pet peeve for me.  Oh yeah, and it’s March now.  Here’s a picture in her chair at Christmas after we gave it to her.  The wooden arm pieces need to be stained again and are not on it…yet.

Read more…

This week was tiring and amazing.  I don’t even know if I can explain it.  But I’ll try.

It started because I had the opportunity to help my friend Rachael out with her kids a couple days last week.  Her kids are so great – and I’m not just saying that because I know she is going to read this- they really are!  You can read her blog here.  So I had a few extra kiddos in addition to my own and my regular kids that I watch normally.  I was within my comfort zone (which basically means kids vs. me ratio) and knowing it was only a couple days-  I felt fine about committing to it.  But, I also knew it was going to be harder than my normal days, so I went into it mentally prepared.

It turned out to be awesome!  I couldn’t believe how well all the kids got along and how our day just fell into this laid back rhythm.  I was tired at the end of each day and by Thursday night I was wiped – with no Kids Day Out to look forward to on Friday morning.

Read more…

In the spirit, here is a photo montage of George with his cousin Allison when we celebrated St.Pat’s on Sunday.  Sorry about the picture quality – it was from my iPhone.  In her defense, Allison didn’t really push him down the stairs, he just fell.

I didn’t realize till Friday that John had arranged with his mom, Peggy, to watch the boys overnight on Saturday.  We talked about it, but I never knew it went through.  Great surprise for me. We are really blessed to have such great parents that happily watch our kids for us when the need arises.

To preface, we were really in need of a date night.  The last 3 weeks with John’s job has been a bit out of control.  He’s worked a lot of overtime with a couple of overnights at the office.  It’s been really hard on him and for us back here at the ranch.  But let me tell you – I am SO thankful he has a job, that was basically my mantra through the last month.

Read more…

My sweet first born is 5 today (yesterday really I posted late).  I’m definitely more sentimental then I was expecting.  I guess just with kindergarten right around the corner, I’m realizing how big he really is now.  It kind of crept up on me.

JJ has turned into this amazing little man.  He is very smart, sensitive and has the greatest smile ever.  (thanks to his dad and his Aunt Katie – they have the same one)  He is totally goofy but also shares with me some very contemplative thoughts.  I find myself wanting to know what he is going to say next.  I love his expressions.  He is sweet on his brothers and just a good big brother.

Read more…

• Pre Fab Homes – Cookie Magazine ; If John and I were to build a home it would either be a pre fab or a made out of shipping containers (i.e. click here).  Maybe after the kids move out, when we are old and eccentric (John) we’ll buy some land in the sticks and build one.
• Don’t Rush the Early Years- Totally Tots;  This was such a good reminder to me right now.  I am doing too much too fast.  My mind is going a million miles faster than my body. I can’t seem to strike a balance.
• My Room Liam – ohdeedoh; I love these curtains (IKEA of course) and the colors in this room.  I’m thinking more my basement.
• Finding Balance:Creating a Space for Solitude – Simple Mom; Again, slow down.  Enjoy. Breathe. Read again.
• for you – JC Handmade;  I know 2 places I want one of these…i just need to go to the store.
• Talk dirty, baby – The Entertaining House; this would totally buy me like 30 minutes with Henry…i have everthing I need to do it too…what will i do with thirty minutes…how long do you think it will take him to figure out how to open it…

I would say I’m pretty laid back about how the boys play.  I let them dig in the dirt.  We paint at least once a week. They use squirt guns in the bathtub. They use glitter for projects. (John hates this one) For the most part, I know some moms would cringe to let their kids do these things.  I totally get this.  The cleanup can be horrific.  Sometimes the dirt, paint, water, sand, or a mixture of all of the above is worth it, other times I wonder what possessed me to let them do it.  Here are some examples from this week.

This picture does not fully represent how much mud Henry had all over him.  It was a ton.  We seized the first nice day in a while and went outside.  Henry just wants to dig always.  The sandbox isn’t enough for him and he usually does not use a shovel.

Cost analysis…a full wardrobe change and some serious soap in exchange for 30 minutes of independent play in the dirt…WORTH IT!

We made bread.  The kneading kind.  I think I have done it once before.  It went along with a project we are doing from this link – which I am so excited about BTW.

Cost analysis…20 minutes of cleanup in exchange for 15 minutes of doing something new, with full participation and was fun for me…WORTH IT!

So sometime this week was Dr.Suess’s birthday or some kind of anniversary.  So in the spirit, we made Cat in the Hat hats, the idea came from this site.

Cost analysis…3 wardrobe changes for Henry and for some reason our washable paint did not wash out in exchange for 30 minutes of assisted painting and the hats didn’t stay on your head…NOT WORTH IT!

I guess 2 out of 3 isn’t bad.