Category: Peanut Picnic

August 13, 2013

Annual Perseid Picnic

I like to be completely intentional about family traditions as much as possible. Some traditions happen by happy accident, but many of them take some thought and preparation. Before Peanut was even born, I thought about special, unconventional things that we could do together every year to form some deep-rooted traditions that will maybe even be passed off into the next generation.

Out of those personal brainstorms, the Perseid Picnic was born. How cool would it be to take my Peanut out well past his bedtime to watch a meteor shower every year? How cool would it be to have a midnight picnic at the same time? After that, I could think of nothing else. This was an amazing idea that I just couldn’t pass up. In fact, we tried it out officially during last year’s Perseid meteor shower and I could already tell then this was a winner.

So, Peanut, his cousin and I geared up for another year of star-gazing. We grabbed snacks, binoculars, and a picnic blanket and headed to as dark-yet-safe a spot as we could find. We propped our heads on a park bench and waited. Thing is, 5 and 6 year olds do not have a whole lot of patience for these types of things. We only last about 1/2-hour, but that’s ok. My nephew got to see a shooting star last year and Peanut got to see one this year, so I’m just happy that they’ve gotten to experience that thrill in a small way. I didn’t see my first shooting star until college! As they grow older, I’m sure we’ll explore this astral phenomenon in a bit more depth and be able to stay up a little later, make more of an event of this 🙂

Afterward, we went home and camped out in our little backyard tent. It rained, but we were protected by our big beautiful maple tree and the sloping hill we were perched on. We had such a fun time soaking in these final summer experiences before school starts. I truly hope that these special moments together create meaningful memories for my Peanut and his cousin and that one day they know just how much these little traditions mean.

What are your favorite family traditions?

June 11, 2012

Peanut Picnic: Where the Deer Roam

Peanut and I have picked up where we left off in fall with our weekly picnics while Daddy’s in school. Peanut and I returned to the “scene of the crime” as we’ll call it. Just a few days earlier we kinda lost our dog at this very same park after he took off deafly after a couple dozen deer in the clearing. The incident was quite emotionally draining for all of us, but Titus returned happily to us without incident.

In my attempt to keep the incident from traumatizing the Peanut, we returned to the nature trail, just the two of us, to reinstate the place as “safe.” And to enjoy the beauty of the place in a more relaxed circumstance was just what we needed to return favor in the place.

The view was perfection:

Isn’t the crook of the neck the most precious, kissable spot on a Peanut?

Sandhill cranes chillin’ nearby

Check out this huge intricate fungus formation. Wow!

See, we’re quite happy with this nature area again. The boy’s face says it all.

He even brought a few “friends” to share the experience with.

There was certainly a lot to marvel at this time around.

Even Peanut wanted to take some pictures.

This happened to be the day after Mother’s Day. After a whole day dedicated to marvelling at the work of a mother, I saw this beautiful example of parenting in nature. Imagine having to wrangle all of these babies. One momma did lose track of two of her brood. She dropped everything and started squawking to find them. They happily peeped back until they were all rejoined.

This was one of the most peaceful evenings I’ve enjoyed in a long time. I love how taking our dinner outdoors changes the ordinary, everyday into something more remarkable.

November 6, 2011

Peanut Picnics #6

Our sixth picnic ended faster than it started. But hey, at least we got to eat before we left.

Those boys no longer cooperate with the camera either. Ha! Nice milk mustache, man.

This was probably one of the most random outings we’ve had yet. There was a squirrel checking us out.

The boys insisted I take a picture of a floating bottle.

But the water always brings an extra sense of wonder to those playful pups. And the weather was unseasonably warm for an October day in Wisconsin.

See the watch on his arm? I guess this could be considered foreshadowing to what happened, but that is actually a “potty timer.” Thanks Pull-Ups!

The boys did get to play for a few minutes though.

We got to play for about 5 minutes. Momma included. They put me on one of those spinny playground chairs. But my feet couldn’t even reach the ground. And those things are engineered to keep spinning to infinity. I had to cry out between fits of laughter for them to stop me.

That’s when I noticed the wet spot down the legs of the boy who insisted on wearing real underwear to the park. And that was the short end of that. Thank goodness I had an extra Pull-Up in the car.

October 23, 2011

Peanut Picnics #5

It took awhile to find this local park. I knew whereabouts it was, but couldn’t pinpoint it. We weaved through quite a few roads. Just as I was on my way to a different park, I took one last turn and got just as excited as the kids to have finally found it.

There’s a playground on one side of the street and a huge open football field on the other side. My son was yelling “Go Pack Go,” even though the field was populated by the little leagues.

The boys noticed some “balls” from one of the trees. They gathered as many as their little arms could carry, up to the elbows. They had the whole park going with ball games. One tiny boy put a ball on the bridge and started jumping. They played ski-ball on the slides. They played catch. Amazing what one little gift from a tree can do for the entertainment of tiny people.

My nephew has told his mommy more than once that she’s not allowed to come along on our picnics. This is something he only does with his cousin and auntie, so there!

October 6, 2011

Peanut Picnics #4

It was raining when we went on our 4th picnic. But we had a nice shelter to keep us covered. Our picnic quilt ended up being my goofy nephew’s cover-up until we ran back to the car for his jacket.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned with our weekly picnics it’s that keeping children at the table when they’ve just arrived at a new adventure is next to impossible. Especially when they see a playground out of ~~the corners of their eyes~~ their huge staring eyes and turned heads. I really wish I could drum up the same level of excitement about a different corner of town as they do. I’m learning. These tiny tots are teaching me.

After eating, we explored our territory and found more unexpected trails! Right at the mouth, we saw a beaver or woodchuck or other similar wood-gnawing animal. As we got closer, we noticed a little animal trail that went from one side of the path to the other through two small openings. Around the corner, we saw a chewed up branch. I love finding these little clues to animals’ lives while we’re not watching.

We also came across a small slow-moving stream.

The rain came down off and on during our walk, but we just stopped under the trees when it sprinkled. We climbed logs, scoped out the fallen trees and imagined magical lands beyond the scope of the trail.

We also got a little goofy while we waited out the showers.

When we got back, Tom and Huck (ha!) finally, finally got to play on the toys. And this, my friends, is how you teeter-totter when your legs are a bit too short to reach the ground yet.

While the boys were playing, I was busy collecting pretty acorns. These beauties were scattered everywhere around the park. I have some little leaf-shaped plates that would make the perfect showcase for these. Decorating for fall makes me feel so giddy.

September 20, 2011

Peanut Picnics #3

This week I chose a local school ground for our picnic. Behind the school is one of the best playgrounds in town. But you can’t see any of it from the road, so you’d never know. Behind the playground is a humongous open field for soccer, frolicking and other games. Then, behind that, is a chunk of woods with well-managed trails.

However, the boys were not convinced. They saw playground toys and only wanted toys. With a little “we’ll go home if you’re not going to listen,” I got them to indulge me (mwahaha) and follow me to the opening. When they saw the mysterious pathways and beautiful meadow grasses and flowers, they got excited, like I knew they would. We came upon a shelter filled with picnic tables nestled in a corner of the woods. Perfect!

We spread out our food and got to work on supper. This is one of the hardest parts of our picnics. With so much anticipation for what they’re going to see and where they’re going to play, it takes quite a lot of willpower and self-control to actually eat.

See what I mean? But those goofy goons finally finished and we made our way through some of the trails. The boys just had to carry their own lunch boxes. Grandma made sure they each had their own brand new lunch box for these weekly trips. Grandma’s the best.

The ambiance was complete with the smell from the wildfires happening hundreds of miles away in Minnesota. The autumn winds brought the campfire smell and a faint haze to our corner of Wisconsin that day.

We were almost to the end of the trail when my son said, “there’s a deer.” He sometimes points out pretend deer when we’re in the woods just for fun, so I kept going. Then, I looked back and had to look again. Well, I’ll be… There stood a beautiful doe. She must be well-adapted to humans, because she stood in the same spot while we talked to her and took pictures.

Then, of course, we had to hit up the playground. I had one little Spider Monkey climbing a web-like rope contraption and another checking out each and every slide. I took a moment to get “up to the sky” on a swing. My stomach had a lot more butterflies in it than I ever remember having.

I was busy reflecting on these great experiences we are having every week. Being outdoors away from TV, steeping ourselves in nature, spending quality time with the kiddos, being active, exploring new territory, and spending very little moola…it feels like an adventure in happiness every week. And it’s just as simple as carving out one night a week, when my husband is away, to visit a different park. Magnificent! Give it a try!

September 14, 2011

Peanut Picnics #2

Last Tuesday we geared up for a picnic on a little island. The island is connected to the mainland by a little bridge. There’s still a beautiful lighthouse situated on said island.

We laid out our “new” vintage quilt and cracked open the Yoo-hoo milk.

After a little while, the boys spotted an airplane. My nephew got all excited and said, “They can see Jesus up there!” My favorite moment so far!

Disclaimer: this shot was totally not staged! Ha! My explorers went to scout out the island and stood side-by-side with hands on hips surveying the new territory.

While we were eating, we were graced by the company of this beauty. Something you don’t see around the kitchen table or noshing in front of the tube.

When they were done eating–a task that took quite awhile with all the beautiful distractions–we took an adventure exploring the rest of the island. On the opposite end is a little pool of still water. So, the boys picked up a few sticks and got to work “fishing.” The seaweed is a beautiful fish, isn’t it?

We found holes…

…and mountains.

Then, we took a walk to another section of the mainland park. There’s an open field next to a wooded area that I was going to let the Peanuts run around. When I was little, our family would bring our dogs here to run. I’ve been coming to this part of the park since I was tiny.

I noticed a little opening at one end of the wooded area, so we walked toward it. There was a sign. I assumed it would say “no trespassing.” It did not. It said the trail was meant for hiking and cross-country skiing.

How did I not know about this trail all these 20-something years of frequenting the place!?!?!

We started walking and came upon a fork in the road. Taking the path on the right, we found a huge open field. And then we entered fricken’ Narnia! Or the Secret Garden! One of those magnificent secret places you always hoped you’d stumble upon as a kid but never found. Really, I was THAT excited about it. I have dreams about such adventures as this. There was a locked up little campground with about four cabins and a main building. We found a picnic table with a grill and a volleyball net. And even a set of well-kept swings!!!

We left the other fork yet undiscovered for another time. We’ll definitely be back to see where that one leads.