Camp!

I went to a mother/child camp with the boys and some friends about 2 weeks ago and it was truly the highlight of summer so far. A spectacular setting, tons of options for activities but also always the option of just sitting and reading. The camp had organized kid-only activities in the morning and during that time the moms could kayak, do an organized hike or just sit on a bench reading a book. In the afternoon, there were activities for everyone and amazing babysitters available if everyone wanted to do something different. Some days we all went to the beach, other days Sean went to archery, Jackson went to the beach and I sat outside reading a book. Another day we all sat in the "art palace" working on projects while listening to music. Meals were held communal style and we all had tables assigned by cabin name. There were also evening campfires or talent shows. Our cabin held 10 people and the furnishings were bare. But in a setting like this, all you need is a sleeping bag, pillow and a bunk bed. We spent all our time outside, or in the lodge or the art studio. The kids were all so tired at night , it was surprisingly quiet. It was so fun to share in the camp experience and it's good I got a chance to go with them. Next year they've both told me they are ready to try a week on their own!

Scenes from our summer...

House Cleaning 101



"Oh, that's a mop!"

Not knowing about the ins and outs of operating the TV remote is one thing, but lack of knowledge about basic household cleaning items is cause for alarm. I was doing a quick upstairs clean up the other day and recruited the boys to help since it was their bathroom that needed the most work.  I asked for someone (Jackson) to go get the mop and the reply was "What is a mop?". Needless to say, we will spend lots of time this summer getting acquainted with the basics of cleaning a house!  



Hot summer days in Oregon

If it's above 80 degrees in Oregon, it is HOT. And-hoo boy-when it gets over 90 degrees , people get crazy. And people complain. We wait all year for the splendor of summer, so the complaining is just nuts. Really all you need to do is find water and jump in. Which is what we did yesterday, along with a boat load full of rowdy, mostly well-behaved children.   Later there were much needed mojitos for the adults. A perfect ending to an early summer day. Cheers to summer!

"How do I do this?"

That's what Jackson said to me last night when I told him it was okay to watch TV. And, then I realized how infrequently he (or Sean) watch TV. I've never been a big TV fan. Well, maybe I was back in the days of Love Boat and Fantasy Island...you know, back when there was "good" TV to watch (HA). But in the last few years, we don't watch much TV at all. During the school year, the boys are busy with activities or homework on weekdays and on weekends we are busy with sports and often end up going out for dinner in the evening. Sometimes the boys will end up watching a movie with friends. If given the choice, the boys will most likely play a Wii game or a game on the ipad or a iphone. No American Idol, no So You Think You Can Dance, no reality TV. It's an interesting shift and I wasn't fully aware of it till last night when Jackson didn't know how to use the remote. So, maybe this summer we will actually watch more TV just to see what's out there.  And the beauty of summer is that we will actually have the downtime to partake in a little bit of mindless entertainment.

Scenes from last week

Photo 1: Creative clutter. I really don't mind the art supplies strewn all over he kitchen table. Mail clutter? Leftover newspapers? Dirty dishes? I can't relax unless those kinds of things are tidied up. But seeing a bunch of paint brushes and a canvas and other miscellaneous art supplies makes me happy. I still have hope that we will figure out a way to have a small dedicated arts corner in our house. For now, we've relocated everything to the dining room table so Jackson can paint when he wants to. Sean hasn't started anything yet but I'm hoping he'll get inspired soon.
Photo 2: The Reader. We've already been to the library twice so there's tons of new reading material floating around. The sight of Sean reading on the roof of the tree house made me laugh.
Photo 3: The Chef. He makes amazing breakfast burritos almost every morning. And, at night he's usually in the kitchen asking to help make dinner. I love that cooking is something we do as a family and that more often than not, we can sit together and eat dinner.
Photo 4: Cool evening sky. I need to get better about taking photos outside. I had my camera with me everywhere in New Zealand and I've gotten out of the habit. But there are beautiful sights all around, especially this time of year.

Summer is here!

I guess this post is really all about Jackson because I don't seem to have any end of year photos from Sean's class. There is a good reason for this....the fifth grade graduation is a big deal because it's the last year of elemetary school. Junior high starts next fall. Whoa!! So the last two weeks of school have been chock full of special celebrations and parties and popsicles and extra recess and so on. The events culminated with the 5th grade graduation ceremony and a party afterward at a local aquatic park. Its been an amazing end to a great year ,but boy, are we all tired!!
So many great friends and families have been part of our elementary years. The kids are all growing up but hopefully staying their same sweet selves, even if it is masked by adolescent indifference (otherwise known as the surliness of pre-adolescents). Truly some of the kids already seem like teenagers....carrying phones, constantly texting, too cool to be near moms and dads. We are lucky in that Jackson doesn't mind spending time with us and doesn't seem too caught up in being "cool". That time will come, I'm sure, but for now we are enjoying the last bit of the pre-junior high years.  

Homemade Pantry party

My friend Mary and I decided to put together a little gathering inspired by the book Homemade Pantry. This book has recipes for all kinds of kitchen items you can make yourself. The items run the gamut from granola bars and ketchup to toaster pastries, even mozzarella cheese. What did I end up making? Something sweet, of course, and a recipe that's not even from the book....homemade almond butter cups!  Several food blogs I follow have mentioned these treats and apparently they are part of the Paleo diet which seems very popular lately. I do not follow a Paleo plan but I was intrigued by the idea of making a treat that's healthier than the original version. They are very good!

We had a small group this time due to the fact that it's a very busy time of year and other people were out of town. But we plan to aim to host the event quarterly. And next time I plan to make a savory item...bread?   Salsa? Hummus? In the meantime, I'm definitely going to try the Nutella filled toaster pastries.

Almond Butter Cups:
Combine 1/2 cup each almond butter, melted coconut oil and raw cacao powder. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into cupcake lined pan ( I used the mini cupcake size) and freeze 15 minutes. Store in frig.

That's a wrap

Lacrosse season wrapped up today with an 3 game extravaganza. Jackson's team did really well and best of all...it was just the nicest, sunniest of days for sitting outside.
On a separate note, Sean was all smiles getting off the bus yesterday. Not even a single mention of the terrible, new shoes I forced him to wear earlier that morning. Good to know we can all bounce back after little challenges come our way.

Thoughts on having a bad morning

I remember reading an article last year about elite athletes that described the concept of flow state. It is  when everything just clicks and what normally feels like a strenuous, intense amount of effort suddenly feels effortless.  This morning I was trying to come up with a word for the opposite of flow state. It was just one of those mornings. We are encouraging the boys to be more independent with their responsibilities as opposed to us hovering every step of the way..."Did you brush your teeth"..."did you make your bed"....."Did you pack up your homework?". And most  of the time, it seems to be working.  It just felt like we were off our game this morning. The boys were squabbling about making eggs...Jackson refusing to help Sean...Sean, in turn making a big mess....People doing everything except what they are supposed to be doing. And, then, of course, the big Kahuna of Sean's New Shoes. Sean's current shoes are old, stinky and completely worn out. He has new shoes in the exact same style, just a bit bigger that he has refused to wear. Today was the day the old shoes were going to go away. Maybe there needed to be discussion before hand, but that would have prolonged the misery for all involved. Let's just say he was angry, I was angry and I knew there was not going to be any resolution before the bus arrived at 8:30am. So I just stopped talking and listened to him vent the entire walk down to the bus stop.  I felt awful about him going off to school feeling so upset. However, with most situations like this, once the wave of emotion has passed, things don't seem quite so miserable and with any luck, by the day's end, the new shoes won't seem quite so offensive anymore.

Holiday fun in the desert

Sean tries to relax in the pool

Yes, those are my boys wearing Corona beer buckets

Catching shrimp

Sean caught one, too!

Would've been a great picture except for one funny guy...fortunately many more were taken!

We made a quick trip to Palm Desert over the holiday weekend. Lots of pool time, family time and of course a bit of shrimp catching, too. It's always nice to get away from Oregon when its been raining, but after just a few days of hot ,dry weather, I was quite happy to come home to cooler, rainy weather. I think I must still be benefiting from all the sunny days we had in New Zealand because I'm not minding the rain at all lately. Next winter may be a different story. But, really, it's not so bad in Oregon in the Spring. This time of year, even when it is rainy, we still have an amazing array of flowers, trees and plants to appreciate. Everything is exploding with color right now. And, if the forecast holds true, we are in for sun again beginning tomorrow.

The sports dilemma

Heading home from practice

Lacrosse season continues!  We've been enjoying a lovely spring and as a result, spectating at practices and games has been very nice. Jackson jumped right back into lacrosse, heading to practice one day after our return from New Zealand. And then playing in a game, the day after that. He says he likes lacrosse but it is definitely more intense compared to last year. Way more aggressive and also, because it's a 5th/6th grade combo, there are some huge kids out there.  Some kids his age seems so passionate about a certain sport. Our guys like running around and playing with their friends but maybe don't have quite the intensity that you see in other kids. I always wonder if we don't push them enough but deep down, I know that pushing them would only backfire and make them dislike whatever sport it is they are doing. It's a different world out there when it comes to sports. I miss the days of kids just organizing a neighborhood game of baseball or kickball or soccer. Sometimes I feel like we have to have a game plan for their sporting activities all figured out by the time they hit 3rd grade! But again, I realize that is not our style. The boys will always be active but what they choose to do will need to come from them. As we tell them, all we expect is for them to go out and try their best and be respectful to the coaches and other players.

An 11 year old lives here?!?

When did this happen? When did he get so big? I swear, both the boys grew at an accelerated rate in New Zealand. It's startling to stand next to them and see how tall they are and how big their feet are getting.     Jackson's birthday came quickly...only 2 days after our arrival home. Fortunately we pulled together a quick celebration and were lucky enough to still have Jim's mom and dad (aka Gram and Pop)still in town to join the fun. And ,I have to say, the caramel cake was pretty good! Happy 11th Birthday, Jackson!

Quick weekend getaway

The day after Jackson's all day class trip, we packed up and headed to Powell Butte, Oregon for the annual retreat held by Jim's office. It's a great drive because you see the gorgeous, wooded landscape that surrounds Mt. Hood, then cross over into the more desert like landscape of Central Oregon. It's remarkable how different it is here....the smell of juniper in the dry air, the interesting rocks and canyons, and of course the fact that there are wild horses and jack rabbits running around.  We stayed at a place called Brasada Ranch and everything here is top notch. The property sits up high above the valley so there of views of mountains in every direction. The accommodations are all individual houses with porches, hot tubs and beautifully decorated interiors. The house are connected by winding pathways and at the base of the property is the main lodge with restaurants, a bar and a pool, tennis courts, kid hang out area and golf. The food was amazing. Yummy, healthy and just about everything made from scratch.

Sunset smores. With homemade graham crackers!



One of the meeting facilities 




Views




Entrance to dining hall




La familia



A day with fifth graders

We were in New Zealand when the request came through..."Chaperones needed for an all day field trip to the Oregon coast to explore tide pools and do a fish dissection".    Of course I said "yes!". We missed several field trips while away so I figured this would be a great way to put in my time as a volunteer. It was only later that I realized it was 7am to 7pm. Almost 5 hours of bus time! But...it was amazing! We rode on large Blue Star "luxury" coaches complete with bathrooms and TV screens. And, we truly hit the weather jackpot since it was gloriously sunny all day. (Early May at the coast can be blustery).  I was assigned to an all boy group with one other parent and they were lots of fun. Just a little bit rowdy but well behaved overall. These boys loved being outside, checking out the tide pools and learning all about the marine life. We learned quite a bit from Ranger Roy about  the tide pools and the different species that make the Oregon coast their home. Roy even taught the boys how to walk like a seal and then had a race to see who was the fastest seal in the bunch.  After a quick lunch outside, we headed to the Hatfield Science center to participate in a fish dissection. Only one student couldn't handle the process and was moved to a different desk with an alternate activity. The rest of the kids happily cut into the fish and counted gills, cut out hearts, observed the very interesting swimming bladder and even got to slice open an eyeball. Fun times! On the the trip home , we made a surprise stop at Dairy Queen for Dilly Bars. Yes, even the parents got one and they were delicious! Finally the kids all got to watch Sponge Bob (this is the point at which I wished I'd brought ear plugs) for the rest of the ride at at almost exactly 7pm we were back at school.