what we did

1. What a little playground static will do to a baby..

2-5. Lots of beans and cucumbers. And sadly, window garden harvest season is coming to an end.

6. I had a birthday. There were cupcakes. And ice cream. And then it was over.

7. Baby tomatoes in my garden. Hopefully there are still enough warm sunny days to get them eating size.

8. Saturday was an errand day. Target was among the stops. (Duh.) As was finally buying paint for our coffee table.

9. Suddenly there was wispy-cloud sky everywhere. Love it.

new garden things

My window garden is still going strong. As of the three purple beans and one cucumber I harvested yesterday, it's yielded a total of 6 green beans, 31 purple beans, and 5 cucumbers. And all of it has been thoroughly delicious.

And soon, I'll be adding another vegetable to that list, because as I was watering the plants, I noticed..

..baby tomatoes! I cannot remember what type of they are, other than not giant red ones. I think they might be smaller yellow heirloom tomatoes. Whatever.. I'm so excited!

And there will, hopefully, be more than just those two since there are plenty more flowers on all 4 plants.

And in other garden news.. have I talked much about the things that are growing in my garden that I didn't plant?

The clovers that popped up all over were obvious, I knew what they were. And tiny plant by tiny plant I moved them into a separate pot. One of them even had a little yellow flower for a few days.

But then there are other plants that have grown and grown and grown. One of them is this..

.. it's about 2 feet high with a soft fuzzy stem and yellow flowers. At first I thought it was going to be a sunflower, but the flowers only last about a day, so I can only assume it's some type of vegetable, but what?

There's also this one. Originally I thought it might have been basil and more recently a bean plant, but the leaves look much different. So now I have no idea.

It's funny that it's only happening in one of the long window box planters. I know I used two different kinds of dirt and each one filled only one of the planters, but I can't remember which was which. One was organic and one wasn't. So, I'm pretty sure I know what the organic dirt was all about now. And, actually.. it makes me want to buy it again next year.

we went to the zoo

I'll have you know that, yesterday, I took my children to the zoo. With no other adults. There was no blood spilled, no crying, no yelling, no running, and no chasing. The police did not need to be called and neither did the paramedics.

Everyone behaved. Including me. It was a little bit warmer than I would have liked, but really it was only 86 or so. And as it was the middle of the day, during the week.. we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves.

Lily was so good- I almost couldn't even believe it. Noah was.. I don't know.. poor thing was just hanging out in the stroller the whole time. But he's so mellow most of the time, ultimately he was just along for the ride. Well, really I guess he was literally just along for the ride.

The otters and seals were having a blast swimming around, but the bears looked like they would have appreciated a full-body haircut.

It seemed like there were more animals this time than any other time we've been to this particular zoo. There were even owls, which I'm almost positive they've never had. I'm also pretty sure Lily couldn't see the second owl. I kept asking her to count them and she said "one" at least four times, until finally she said "two," but I think she was just moving on to the next number so that I would stop asking her.

Along with the animals, were the flowers. Lily was quickly losing patience with me as I kept stopping to take pictures of everything. Little did she know that I wasn't even taking half the pictures that I wanted to.

And can you believe she didn't even want to look in the gift shop at the end? She was so thrilled to be pushing the door opening buttons for us that she ran right by it all together. And ignored me when I asked her if she wanted to check it out- so, I got out of that one. This time.

it's just how we are. apparently.

Since Sunday had gone so well, I dared to take Lily and Noah back to the playground. As usual, Noah wasn't thrilled about it and tried to walk right back out as soon as I put him down, but after a few minutes he was back to wandering around the enclosure.

There was only one group of kids when we got there and Lily didn't hesitate to express her disappointment to me. (Geez, sorry kid.) There were three of them- a boy about 8 or 9, a girl about 5 or 6, and another girl that couldn't have been older than 3 1/2. From a distance, I thought maybe they were with a high school age babysitter, but once I got up to them I realized it was their sister and she seemed to be about 13.

She was letting all three of them climb all over the outsides of the playground equipment, kinda not watching them as well as she probably should have.. and then the older two started running up the 10 to 12 foot high slides. (I was hyperventilating in my head.) The whole time, Lily was following them around and trying to play with them. They sort of tolerated her, but weren't really interacting with her- which was a lot different than the kids that had been at the playground earlier in the week. I kept as close as I could, praying she wasn't going to try to join in to the more dangerous aspects of it.

Thankfully she didn't. She was even going so far as to constantly tell them, "I don't think that's a very good idea!" I have no idea where she got that from. (Okay, yes I do.)

Soon a younger boy and his mom arrived and Lily attached herself to them instead- talking the mother's ear off. I didn't want her to be an annoyance, but when it seemed clear that she wasn't, I backed off and let them play.

Unfortunately, they didn't stay long. They said their goodbyes and off she went back to the first group. It was so-so until a third group arrived (which I remembered from Sunday)- two or three boys and a girl.

At this point, almost all of the kids were either running up the largest slides or at the top trying to go down them. You can imagine how well that was going. (More internal hyperventilating.) I assumed it was only a matter of time before someone broke one of their limbs, got kicked, rammed into someone else trying to go down the slide, or blood was spilled in some manner. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and we left.

Oh, no no.. not just like that. First I had to shout at my child and chase her around the playground.. and it was not embarrassing at all. (Yes, yes it was.)

It is called being lulled into a false sense of security. Thank you for that, Lily.

But then today we went to the library- which Lily had no problem telling me she did not want to do- although once we got into the car, she was fine.

I finally got a new library card. And in the grand tradition of siblings, they decided to switch up their behaviors- Lily quietly looked at books and Noah screeched like a Howler monkey, while I just tried to fill out a quick form. Noah also tried to take off out of both the front and back doors (wide open and followed by a steep cascade of granite steps) every time I would put him down to stop the screaming. It was awesome. (No it wasn't.)

Thankfully, all I really had to write down was the most basic of info.. and then I went off to wrangle my children while the understanding librarian took care of the rest.

We would be terrible at being sneaky spies, because we cannot help but be full of chaos and noise wherever we go. You will know when we are there and you won't forget us after we've left. That's just how we roll. Apparently.

King Richard's Faire Giveaway (closed)

King Richard's Faire (New England’s largest and longest-running Renaissance Festival) opens again on August 31 in Carver, MA. It runs 10:30am to 6:00pm during weekends and Monday holidays through October 20.

from King Richard's Faire 2012

I have been to the Faire in the past, but it's been quite awhile (possibly a decade or so? shh). This year, I'm looking forward to bringing Lily and Noah along so they can experience all the characters, costumes, and entertainment for themselves.

In the early 90s, King Richard's Faire was the first (and best) place I had a Bloomin' Onion- there was a designated shop selling just the onions and you could watch them make each one- I wonder if it's still set up like that or incorporated into one of the many other eateries.

There weren't that many food options in the years that I attended- maybe 10 to 12, but now they have more than triple that- including gluten and lactose free options.. and my personal favorite- vegetarian options (including a veggie burger!).

But, most people don't go just for the food- one of the biggest draws are the jousting tournaments, which happen several times a day. But there are also music, comedy, and other performances throughout the Faire grounds- as well over a hundred artisans offering an endless assortment of wares in their unique shops.

from King Richard's Faire 2012

There is a full entertainment schedule on the website as well as information for all of the special events, my favorite are the costume contests for kids on September 28 and October 12. We may not make it for those events, but I'm sure Lily will want to ride on some (or all) of the rides and get a good look at the animals in the Royal Zoo. As for myself, I'm most looking forward to seeing Vicious & Delicious (a quirky contortionist and a charismatic juggler).

Tickets are $28 for adults, $16 for ages 4-11, and under 4 are free. Click here to save $2 off an adult's admission on opening weekend. More information about King Richard's Fair can be found here: http://kingrichardsfaire.net

Now for the best part.. you can enter to win two tickets good for opening weekend (8/31, 9/1, or 9/2) now through Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Make one comment below (only one per household please). Open to U.S. addresses only. One winner will be randomly selected and notified by email- they will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Please make sure your email address is in your comment or blogger profile.

(Giveaway prize provided by King Richard's Faire.)

winner: #1 andy

at the playground

On Sunday, I took my children to the playground. And.. it went really well. Better than I expected. I was surprised. I don't know how else to say it.

Lily immediately started playing with the other kids that were there, while I pushed Noah on a baby swing. It was so low that I just sat down on the ground next to him- which made it a lot easier to keep an eye on Lily.

She ran and ran and ran around the playground, but since the entire thing was fenced it.. it was fine. She never even went anywhere near the gate. The area was partially shaded too, which was nice.

And when I told her it was time to go.. she agreed. Well, first she went on a swing for a minute, and then we went. No yelling. No her running and me chasing. Nothing.

I was almost thinking we could do it again sometime.

what we did

1, 3, 5-6. I've harvested so many green (and purple) beans from my window garden in the last few weeks. And another cucumber. This part of the summer will make me the saddest to see go when the season is over, but I've already been planning what will be in my garden next year. Definitely beans and cucumbers (I already have seeds from both). Tomatoes (although there aren't any yet) and probably lettuce.

2. This was the weirdest dragonfly I've ever seen (already dead when I found it)- it had extra wings. I searched a little online, but couldn't find anything at all about it. It was also fairly large as you can see the little gravel rocks of the driveway underneath it.

4. This was Lily's addition to my calendar for Wednesday.  I better get it done, I don't know how I'd move that to another day.

Erba Vita kids dietary supplement giveaway (closed)

The most miserable thing about Lily starting school last year was all the colds she caught. The sneezing and sniffling as one cold ended and before the next one began was a close second. She also passed most of them on to everyone else in the family too. So when Erba Vita, Italy's leader in herbal medicine, contacted me about reviewing some of their products, the one that might prevent some of last year's misery was at the top of my list.

Although they have several products especially for children, Immun Kids is the one that helps support a healthy immune system. It contains no artificial colors, no dairy, no lactose, no soy, no eggs, no fish/shellfish, no peanuts/tree nuts, no yeast.. AND it's vegetarian. Each serving (which you just add to water, juice, etc) contains 0.2 mg of copper (which is apparently the immune system's most lethal weapon), 2 mg of zinc, 15 mg of Vitamin C, and 150mg of Echinacea.

It's all very sneaky to add a dose to Lily's juice and she doesn't know the difference. But hopefully her immune system will.

There is also Lax Kids (for healthy intestinal function), Gassy Kids, Quiet Kids (for a healthy night's sleep), and Throaty Kids.

We haven't tried the Throaty Kids yet, but it could also be a big help this school year as it helps to support a healthy respiratory tract. It contains honey, eucalyptus, red currant (excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants), and several other ingredients. Again, it contains no artificial colors, no dairy, no lactose, no soy, no eggs, no fish/shellfish, no peanuts/tree nuts, no yeast, and it too is vegetarian.

I'm really happy to have discovered this line. More details about Erba Vita and their kids line can be found at https://www.erbavitausa.com.

The products in the Erba Vita kids line normally retail for $10 to $20 each, but you can enter to win one Immun Kids and one Throaty Kids now through Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Make one comment below (only one per household please). Open to U.S. addresses only. One winner will be randomly selected and notified by email- they will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Please make sure your email address is in your comment or blogger profile.

(Giveaway prize provided by Erba Vita.)

winner: #3 Tangee C

more tales from the preschool trenches

Sometimes, while I'm waiting 20 years for Lily to go to the bathroom or hug everyone in the universe goodbye or finish looking at a book, I watch the other kids playing and interacting with each other. Sometimes I see things that the teachers don't. Or often times I guess.

On one of my more recent "waitings" I watched one of Lily's friends, C, and another boy pretend fight- I don't think they were even making contact with each other, they were just enacting semi-karate moves in each others general direction, but I was pretty sure it was a time-outable offense anyway.

There were three teachers in the room. One of them was sweeping near where I was standing and the other two were chatting on the other side of the room. None of them were looking at the two boys or any of the other kids sitting on the carpet around them. Which seemed weird to me, and I thought "should I say something?"

But as it went on, I figured they must have seen it.. and were alright with it? Which, I'll be honest, confused me. I can never figure out what is alright at that school and what isn't. When Lily first started going there and wanted to hug a few people when she left, they would tell her not to touch the other kids. Now she hugs pretty much every single person.. and they say nothing.

I stood there watching the two boys and then glanced over to see if Lily was out of the bathroom yet. Nope. But in the few seconds that I looked away, apparently C had pushed the other boy. (Of course they saw that.) C was removed from the situation to be sat in a chair off to the side. The other boy? I'm not sure.. he went to read a book. I almost said something, but didn't.

I looked down at C sitting in the little chair next to me and smiled at him. About half the time I pick up Lily, poor C is sitting in a chair somewhere. The teacher that sentenced him to the chair, said something like "I'm so sad to see you sitting in the chair." He just looked blankly at her, but didn't respond- the look on his sweet little face said it all- "you told me to sit in the chair, so I will do it, and then move on with life. But otherwise, this doesn't mean anything to me."

When Lily was done with the bathroom, we left. Well, she left. I stopped to get her project, first, and then followed her out the door. Most of the kids were outside with one of the teachers. As I held Noah and tried to talk Lily down off one of the toys, one of the kids came up behind me and whipped a wooden swing towards me. It hit in me in the back of the head- I winced and grabbed the back of my head as I turned around.. but whoever had done it was gone. And nothing. No one said anything.

Really? It was hard to miss the swing flying around crazily as I stood there holding my head. It was the type of swing that a 4 or 5 year old could reach their hands up and hang from, so it wouldn't have hit a child, but it is a major stress for me knowing that things happen at school.. and no one even notices.

It's a nice school.. it is.. I get the impression it is, but.. I'm pretty sure this stuff goes on all the time.

I guess I assume that because I have a child that requires me to be beyond hyper-vigilant with, that everyone is the same way with their kids and the kids they are caring for. And that's probably unrealistic. What am I supposed to do? Do I say "oh, excuse me, could you please pay more attention to the children?" I really would rather not say that.. 'cus that wouldn't be an awkward moment at all..

sunday walk

We accidentally went for a walk on Sunday. The plan was to stay in the yard and play, but Noah just wandered off down the driveway.. so we toddled along after him. (And I had actually thought to bring my DSLR.)

The weather has been perfect and I wish it would stay this way forever, but I know it's only a matter of time before the heat and humidity are back. However, as it's practically mid-August, it won't be too much longer before the weather cools down even more, the sweaters come out, the leaves start changing, and I switch back to hot coffee.

But.. I suppose Lily and Noah still need a few more pool days. And I still have more vegetables to grow. So, let's go summer.. just be nice.

window garden pictures

Lately, I've been taking more pictures of my garden than of my children. And I don't know, that's fine I guess. Gardens are only in the summer- so just another month or two.. and then these children of mine will be back in the spotlight full time.

I don't know what it is about a window garden- it's mesmerizing. I've never had a real garden, but I can't imagine it's quite the same thing. Every time I look out the window, something else is going on; there are giant green beans where there was practically nothing the day before and all different types of bees are pollinating the flowers.

It's right at eye level. If it's raining, if it's 100 degrees.. I walk right up to it and see something new. It's relaxing and I'm becoming a garden nerd, I fear.

My tomato plants appear to be ready to have tomatoes- I wanted to scream when I saw the buds. I'm so relieved that they are thriving and the stems are as thick as my fingers. I had worried that they would need some type of "cage." Maybe I will eventually, but not quite yet.

what we did

ONE. Vegetable Tempura at the county fair? Why not.. (It was actually really, really good- but then gave me a stomach ache the next day. As can only be expected from a good plate of carnival food.)

TWO. There were also kangaroos at the fair- which was different. We didn't let Noah see them, however, due to a previous hysterical reaction to kangaroos at 2am while watching the Baby First channel. I am considering writing them a letter asking them to lease stop showing that segment after midnight, because my sleep-fighting baby's reaction to it is going to wind up giving me a heart attack.

THREE. The end of July and Halloween candy is out already. And up next week, Christmas trees?

FOUR. I finally got to eat a dish of beans right from the garden. They were mostly from my inlaws, but there were a handful from my own window garden as well. Delicious.

FIVE. The first cucumber from my garden was harvested. I think it was inhibiting the growth of the other cucumbers on the plant, so I cut if off the plant at about four and a half inches. I haven't eaten it yet.. I think there's supposed to be a special ceremony.

SIX. And biggest event of the week.. my child tricked herself into eating a vegetable (and did it again today). She suddenly told me she wanted "ants on a log," we actually had celery, and she even ate 70% of it!