Home ยป child

Category: child

Fall Family Traditions

It’s important to me that our little family establishes memorable traditions that extend our love for one another and our desire to make meaningful connections throughout our sometimes harried days. I like to pull out small little things that we can together enjoy either once a year, once in awhile or once per season. One day, I hope my son will remember some of these with fondness when he’s all big and grown and perhaps even carry some of them on.

Whenever someone completes an accomplishment in our house, we make it a point to celebrate that person. It’s not enough to just “high five” and “atta boy” each other. This past week, by some foreign-to-us luck, Hubster landed the position at work that he’s been hoping for for over a year and a half. It was quite by miracle that he got it, but I can just see on his face how happy it makes him. So, we had a lunch date at one of his favorite Chinese restaurants. I think he liked it:)

Aside from that lunch, Hubster and I have made a concerted effort lately to have more date nights. We’ve had a few celebratory gift cards come our way that make it possible without the guilt. It’s imperative to keep connecting on just a you/him level because it’s way too easy to become two separate people with two separate lives. We want a partnership, so we choose actions that hold us true to that partnership.

Halloween harbors some other fun traditions for our family. On this holiday, I always bust out an Edgar Allan Poe tale or poem. Sure, the stories may be a little sinister at times, but I think it’s a fun, intelligent way to end the night. Plus, I was an English major, so I thinks it’s neat that we can slip some classic literature into our family traditions.

Aside from that, we also do the whole trick-or-treating thang too. Even in the rain, as we did this year. We grabbed a giant umbrella and hit the streets shortly after sundown. My feet were utterly soaked by the time we made it home, but you absolutely can’t steal this tradition from a kid. Even one who’s scared of trick or treating;)
Costume #1: pirate for Boo Fest
Costume #2: Batman for school
What are your favorite family fall traditions? 

Labor Day Weekend

Our weekend was spent giving the last bit of summer vacation our full attention. We did a little shopping for material since I found some new patterns online for my Peanut that I want to try. I got some more weights for my dumbbells from Play it Again Sports. My heaviest weights are 15lbs, and the LiveFit Trainer is pushing me well past the 15lb threshold. 
We also had a pen tattoo party, walking around with our art for most of the day. I’m pretty sure I got that flower/sun design from my sister. Thanks J!
On Sunday, Hubster’s workplace put on a picnic at the Milwaukee Zoo where we spent most of the day. We were treated to a cookout, all the drinks we wanted, parking and two inside attractions. We did this last year too, so it will probably become a tradition.
Peanut embracing the world
Peanut and his grandpa on the train

Chilling in the picnic shelter
Feeding the goats

Sleeping S-shaped pink flamingo

Peanut even got to pet a stingray for the first time! He was terrified, but he did it.
Peanut found a feather and stuck it in his new cap.
After the zoo, we made our way to a friends’ house 
for a cookout, complete with S’mores.
Monday was spent at another family picnic followed by meal prepping for the 4-day week. My gym was actually open too, so I got to do a LiveFit workout at the gym, where it was meant to be done, without being bothered. 
We also got this sweet boy ready for his first day of Kindergarten. It was kind of a great weekend.
What did you do for your holiday weekend?

Peanut Turns 5

Peanut turns 5 today. We’re trying to convince him he’s turning 3, because time moves backwards, right? I mean, there’s no way my 4-year-old could be turning 5. Oh, we had a good laugh about that last night. He asked for a glass of milk and I told him “No way! If you drink milk and grow your bones, then you’re going to turn 5!” He giggled and I relented. But seriously, how do 5 entire years pass by in such a wisp, like a moving cloud?

My Peanut

This little boy is one of the best gifts a momma could ask for. He’s intelligent, he’s considerate, he’s helpful, he’s sensitive to others’ needs, he’s spiritual, he’s headstrong, he’s a born leader, he’s athletic, he’s funny and he’s all mine. I’m so proud that I get to be his momma.

Every year, I write him a letter and tuck it away for him for when he gets older. It’s a special little tradition that I hold close to my heart. I tell him what I’m thinking about him at this particular stage in his life, so it sort of is like a record of his life and a confession of what being his momma is really like for me. You see, as a writer and mother, these things are so much easier to write and record than to ever explain to him out loud. Someday, I hope he appreciates these letters.

Boy in the trees

I also purchase a special coin set for him every year from the US Mint. He has quite the little collection building that I hope someday makes him smile. We have one coin set minted from every year since he’s been alive.

I just love my little Peanut to pieces. I must’ve done something right for God to give me such a sweet little kid.

Rock Lookout
Happy Birthday Peanut!

Summer So Far

Here in Wisconsin, it didn’t warm up for summer until about four weeks ago. Although we live in the “Frozen Tundra,” this is pretty unusual even for us. Add to that the fact that at the office where I work, they keep the thermostat set at “purple lips.” So, it just hasn’t quite set in yet that it’s summer. That doesn’t stop Peanut and me from having fun though.

We’ve been busy.

Our town holds a yearly festival called Sawdust Days which is really something to see. It’s not just a small little festival, it’s quite spread out and full of things to do. It always coincides with the Fourth of July too, so fireworks are held there every year. I myself make a beeline for the roasted corn. There are amusement park rides, games, food of all kinds and ethnicities, bands, a flea market, and an old world style camp/market area. I once needed a leather hide for a drum project and I actually found one there! Peanut even snagged a cute little crossbow with rubber arrows for his birthday so he can be Daniel Boone.

You can buy arrowheads, dragon feet (crocodile feet), leather items, animal furs, fresh-brewed root beer, and all sorts of old world items in this little campout trading post. The vendors usually come in full costume and actually sleep in their tents and tee-pees.

You can even hold teeny little monkeys at Sawdust Days:

And feed and ride huge camels:

Aside from that one week of festival goodness, we also like to find things to do around our house and town that don’t cost much, if anything.

Storage tubs make great “hot tubs” in the summer. We make our own fun!

We do a lot of Lego-playing outside with the big blocks:

Climbing on old army trucks was Peanut’s reward for doing so well at the dentist’s office right down the street. He actually used the words “I love going to the dentist!” I couldn’t be any more pleased.

Playing at our town’s splash pad with some friends:

And hitting up the rides at the city park:

I’m really loving that my almost-5-year-old is so active. Anything to keep him away from the TV or computer lifestyle is what we strive for. I mentioned before that I’d like to do a summertime version of the Advent calendar and I might just do that. I’ve got some other simple ideas up my sleeve that will keep Peanut and I productive and happy and also hopefully give my Peanut more pleasant memories from his childhood. I just think I need a more structured plan to actually carry it all out, and a calendar would be just the thing. Do I smell another DIY brewing? Maybe, just maybe…

Perseid Picnic

Since we seem to be having a tradition theme going on here, I thought I’d show you another one of our family’s newest traditions, since this is the first year Peanut is old enough to get it.

We decided that our family should definitely have a Perseid Picnic each year. The timing is perfect. Every year, the Perseid meteor shower happens around August 21: right in the middle of summer break. It’s also warm enough to have a nighttime picnic. What better reason to have a nighttime picnic than a magical meteor shower?

I packed up Peanut and his cousin and we headed to the county park. We found a really dark parking lot and shut off all the lights. The fact that it was dark made Peanut feel a little on edge, but we calmly talked about fun things to keep his mind off the dark shadows.

We lined the bed of our truck with two porch chair cushions and snuggled in under a shared blanket.

Midnight Picnic, 8/12/12 shooting star picnic

I’m pretty sure my nephew saw an actual shooting star (by his sudden energetic “there’s one, THERE’S ONE!), but Peanut wasn’t patient, still or unafraid enough to witness one.

The two adventurers had to bring their binoculars and flashlights, even though they’re completely unnecessary for stargazing, because that’s just what little Daniel Boons do, yo! We also had a few midnight snacks: unnecessary also, but part of the fun.

After we I saw about a half dozen meteors, I packed up my two sleepy little fellas and we headed home. A late night Perseid picnic is a good excuse to take off of work the next day, no? We even had a little sleepover to make the night extra memorable. We’ll be back next year, for sure.

Nighttime Picnic, Watching Perseid Meteor Shower

Summer Book Club

We’re trying to soak up the last bits of sun that this year affords us. We’re not ready to talk about fall and apple cider and cable knits quite yet, even though we love those things too.

We’re still talking about pitching a tent out in the backyard for the night and eating as much watermelon as our bellies can comply with.

We’re also still pitching our “reading tent” in an effort to read more books, limit screen time and enjoy the warm air.

I mean, why would you read on the couch, when you can read inside a special book nook?

Reading Tent

If you can’t find us in the house, you might try checking in the backyard. My feet will be sticking out the doors and our library books will be littering the grass. We love starting new traditions.

Summertime Secret

Our family has a secret place we like to go in the summer. We only go at night, after it rains, if it’s a weekend. That’s when all the activity happens.

We visited this nearby park by accident one night. We go there a lot, but never at night. What we saw by chance that night was truly amazing! There were frogs jumping around EVERYwhere. They were all over the roadway, the ditches, the parking lots. Not in a gross, biblical-plague kind of way. But in a cool, “let’s get out of the car and check them out” kind of way.

The park right next to the water, so there are meadows to hang out in and plenty of bugs to eat, if you’re a frog. Perfect place! Now, it’s become sort of a summer tradition. If it’s raining on a Friday night, we’re out the door with our MagLites.

These kinds of traditions, arbitrary as they might seem, are so special to my family and me. They’re spontaneous, unconventional and yet oddly thrilling.

“Jump him momma!” The little boy cracks up whenever I make them jump. And our dog doesn’t know what to do with them. He stuck his nose close to one and it jumped, scaring him away. (You’d never guess he’s a pitbull). We cherish these little stories and moments when we’re out investigating well past everyone’s bedtime.

Ribbit Park, Froggies come out after it rains

Do you have any sort of random, silly family traditions you can share?

The Funnest Summer Workout…

…has got to be this:

Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket

Kids have it all right, don’t they? Workouts should…
*Be fun. Check.
*Be taken outdoors when possible. Check.
*Involve a workout buddy. Check.
*Make you lose track of time. Check.
*Not feel like you’re working out. Check.
*Have a built-in cool-down system. Check.
*Make you sad when you have to quit. Check times two.
Not to mention, running down the slip and slide is the coolest form of HIIT cardio I’ve ever seen. Someone should invent sprinkler group exercise classes.
What summer “workouts” are your favorite?

Book Pages: Childhood Favorites

Let me introduce you to my most favorite childhood book of stories. It’s called the Bedtime Book of Two-Minute Stories. I think it was a gift, but how much do you think my parents probably enjoyed the idea of it? Sometimes at bedtime, you just want to read something without an extravagant storyline. Especially when you’re planning on going to bed right after Junior. Or you still have dishes to wash downstairs.

Photobucket

The book is kind of in shambles. After all, what would you expect from a book that made it through the ’80s? Actually, this is the only book that made it past the too-grown-up feelings of puberty, the makeovers of high school, and the packing for college. I had to take the book to Kinkos to get a new binding put on it (spiral), but they couldn’t do anything with the hard covers. I’m going to have to get crafty to somehow attach them.

A true piece of vintage, this book is. The pictures are simply endearing and the little rhymes so charmingly innocent.

Photobucket

Like who could resist this octopus? Wouldn’t he make a dynamite waiter?

Photobucket
I want to go to this place too:

Photobucket
And be friends with these charming kite-flying kids:
Photobucket
Photobucket
I have really vivid memories of this bus picture. Even now, I stop on that page and stare. Not sure what it is about the double-decker bus. But all I can think about is a bus tour in San Francisco or something. It just makes me happy.
Photobucket
And duh, don’t your birds always stop to picnic at the bus-top? Ha!
This cutie is a keeper. I’m sure my son will inherit the charmer at some point, but then I might have to steal it back.

Children’s Book Inspiration

Taking a break from all the Christmas hubbub, this is what’s inspiring me right now–vintage children’s book illustrations:

Love the geometry, colors, and beauty:
children's book page
I might save this one to frame for Easter. It’s just right, yes?
Children's book page
Children's book page
children's book page
You can’t tell from the picture, but the these ornate illustrations are printed with shiny metallic inks:Children's book page
Who wouldn’t want a rickety mansion of a treehouse like this?
children's book page
This page is currently being used as a page divider in my personal journal. In fact, it’s the first page I see, because I love looking at it:
Children's book page
A treehouse city? Yes, please.
Children's book page
Each of these books was carefully thrifted for its beautiful use of color, imaginative designs, charm and aptly-drawn childlike quality. Love love love!