peelosophy

Here’s another post about what we have done to pass the time until dinner.  Like I said before, after 4pm over here is more often meltdown city, so I’ve been trying to come up with things to get through it.  It’s funny though the unplanned things (or acts of desperation) we do tend to do end up being the real winners as opposed to something “planned”.

For example, a couple of days ago, I put some cardboard, masking tape, crayons and paddle sticks in the middle of the table and ask, “What can you build with these?”.  An HOUR later JJ is done and here’s what he came up with…

He grabbed the Army and space guys when he was done and played with his camp set-up until dinner was ready.   He’s amazing.

One of our new favorite time killers family activities lately has been obstacle courses.  Especially in the 4 o’clock hour, my least favorite time of day – it’s usually melt down city around here, but lately we’ve been doing some fun stuff.   JJ loves putting the courses together and then I time the boys to see of they can beat their last times.  Here’s our latest one…

Go under the chairs…

Across the “moat” via cushions…

Across the tightrope…

Slide down the little slide and shovel 3 scoops of rocks into a truck and push it to the other side…

Hop over the bricks to the clubhouse…

Run through the clubhouse and down the turbo slide…TIME!

Now another dozen times until dinner.  I love my backyard.

I heart my backyard.  It’s mostly the nature thing- being outside is so therapeutic for me. The kids are entertained for hours out there. The size of our backyard is just manageable for us, but there is also room for ideas.  And of course, we have lots of ideas.

There are those things I would just like to update…

• grass that is plush and perfect
• a fence that matches on all sides, but not a privacy fence – I love our neighbors too much and there is something about being able to look up or down four backyards that says community to me.
• some new plants in some of my established flower beds

And then there are the other ideas that I get when I am out there…

• For sure, we need a PATIO.  I’ve been going back and forth between patio and deck, but I think patio is what would do it for me.  It would need to be big enough to fit out patio furniture and grill with extra room to spare.  I like flagstone like this, but way bigger…

(Sunset magazine)

or a stamped concrete like this…

• I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a hot tub too.  The problem is privacy.  I know it would go at one end of the house.  Maybe something like this with a little more tall foliage…

• A water feature, later I do want little pond, but for now I want this fountain – I just can’t find one that’s not under $200.  I even have a place for it! I am totally serious.

There are a couple of things I would want to add to the playground area.

• A couple of these diggers like these, of course John wants to build them with his new welder…

• a kids size picnic table like this one, of course I would want to build it…

• some sort of fort on the ground.  I love the idea of a living willow fort like this one, but I can’t find where to buy willow in the States.  I love how natural it looks, like the forts my brother and I used to make down by the creek.

But I would settle for some sort of camouflaged tee pee or barrack similar to this…

• An outdoor shower attached to our house, just a simple teak shower, more for when the boys come into the house to hose them down.

• It should be said, that John wants to make some sort of man-made creek that drains and a half-pipe back in the play area as well.  I’m trying not to think about that too much.

That’s about it for now. Feel free to enter me in whatever backyard sweepstakes/makeover you can find!

Pop Pop Pop! – katherinemariephotography: I don’t remember how I came across this blog, but before you click it, if you are having serious feelings of inadequacy as a mother, save it for a later date.  Seriously, these themes of the week that she does with her kids are gorgeous and totally off the hook as far as I’m concerned – that’s a compliment from afar.   She is clearly an amazing designer and photographer and I have become addicted to the beauty she is creating, but have allowed myself to only take a peek when I can  admire without feeling bitter.

Back to the Basics: Batch Cooking – SimpleMom: I have been waiting for something like this post to get me exited about batch cooking again.  I used to do it here and there a couple years ago, but lost my rhythm.  I thought this post was great to jog my memory and to encourage ideas that I haven’t tried before.

Before/After Chad’s Filing Cabinet Planter – Design Sponge: I don’t have time.  I have so many unfinished projects.  But I want to do this – I know exactly where it would go and what I would plant.  Oh well.

Dirty Little Secrets: The Riverside Church Blog: I  love this post that Kim wrote.  I loved reading the comments that people wrote about it.  I have read this book too. There are so many ideas from this book that really resonated with me, but I could never put it into words and this book does a great job.  I’ve always wondered where parenting righteousness comes from and why is it so hard for moms/women to be honest with each other;  this book addressed alot of this for me.

My friend Rebecca hosted an Art and Wine party a couple of weeks ago.  I was a little apprehensive at first, I’ve never done decoupage and friends together.   But it ended up being great fun.

My decoupage experience is very limited.  I’ve decoupaged one other thing previous to the party, it was a car bucket for the boys room to keep the million cars we’ve accumulated with 3 boys.  I decoupaged it with the DK Publishing book “The Big Book of Things that Go” which had almost all of the pages torn out anyways.  It turned out great and went with the car theme we had going in their room.

Here’s a picture:

The night of the Art + Wine party, we could choose from a tray, vase or bangle bracelets – I chose a tray.  It was definitely a process of trial and error for us all.  I learned about what not to do from my own mistakes.  The biggest one was paint the tray BEFORE you decoupage the center. The other was I wouldn’t have used the quote if I knew the paper would wrinkle up like it did.

My tray didn’t turn out perfect, I could maybe get a nickle for it at a yard sale, but I love it.  There is something about making something for yourself.  It wasn’t for anybody but me.  The upholstery I do mainly goes into to other people’s  houses so I don’t get to see it everyday.  I love seeing the tray everyday.

Here’s a picture of the tray:

I saw this decoupage idea after I did my tray.  If only I had some of grandma’s purses still around….

Conversation between me and Kim…

Kim was talking about how she was going to homeschool Tyler for preschool.

Me: “Oh, I could never homeschool, I’d go crazy , I’m not organized enough, etc”

Kim: “Jill, you DO home school your boys.”

Me: “Oh, I guess I do.”

I never think of it as homeschooling.

Read more…

I love that we have been doing different traditions with each of the grandparents.  For example, for Christmas it’s making cookies with Grandma (Peel) and going to see the lights at Our Lady of the Snows with Gramie and Pops (Csengody)  At Easter, egg dying is done at Grandmas and today was the day.  Even George and Allison got in on the action!  Check it out…I love the pudgy fingers in the egg dye.

• Look! Miniature Garden- OhDeeDoh: I’ve loved the comeback of all the little terrariums.  My Grandma had a terrarium on her kitchen table when I was little, I loved looking through the glass at the little green world inside.  I really like the one on this link because it’s a little more interactive and I wouldn’t have to worry about the humidity levels in a terrarium. I have always wanted some succulents too – so it would satisfy that desire too.  One might be a feature on my porch this summer…
• Snapshots – Soulemama: I do love Soulemama, but there are times that I will read her and other great blogs – mostly of people I don’t really know- and totally get down on myself for not sewing a dress for my daughter during naptime or letting JJ play some more Lego StarWars instead of engaging him in some amazingly creative project.  This post was just the reminder I needed that blogs (mine included) are only “snapshots” of the lives we live.
• Now I know my ABCs – Totally Tots:  I am in love with this site right now.  I have been loving the Bible Bites and now with this Alphabet theme -  I can’t wait to get more into it.  We’ve set up our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom magnet tree and have had a lot of fun.  I really like that it’s stuff that doesn’t take a lot of planning and it’s totally engaged the kids – especially Henry.
• Starfall – This site has helped Henry’s mouse skills tremendously.  I think because the surface area of what you click on is bigger.  He loves the games and it all ties in with the Alphabet theme mentioned above.
• Can FaceBook Be Your Friend?- Real Simple: I’m still not interested in joining Facebook.  John asks me about once a week, “When are you going to join Facebook?” – I tell him “I’m not” and he says, “But I just want to be married to you”.  I guess that’s sweet, but I’m still not.  There are many reasons why I’m being “stubborn” by not joining and this article stated a lot of them.  The writer has come to a find a balance with Facebook, but I think I lack her willpower and desire…I’m okay with that. I will, however, check into the legality of our marriage if I am not on Facebook. hehe

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…

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…