Category: Life
Parade
Eating loads of taffy, and sitting on asphalt makes for two messy, but happy kids. We had a blast at Peach Days last week: riding rides, watching parades, and not going to the car show. I sent Joe and PB and stayed home while Mr. C napped. I don’t really care about mustangs or corvettes, although my car loving kid is making me notice them.
School
PB is in his first year of preschool, and instead of any formal preschool we do activities at home, like this:
It is a face, that went along with this book
I’ve been trying to get school to go a little smoothly, and a lot of it is just good preparation. Me trying to force PB to do something is not very effective. What works is setting up everything beforehand and letting him lead. This is what the setup look liked today:
The unused dish drainer worked perfectly for organizing school. Both the boys had fun with everything. Mr. C loves playing with the markers and managed not to bite off any of the tops today. We took the sensory bin outside where it was fought over a bit and then eventually abandoned.
Fish
We went down to the park with a friend, and found these giant schools of baby catfish. They would move much like the school of fish in Finding Nemo. Fun to watch.
Prayer
My husband heard PB say a very interesting prayer in the bathroom:
“Heavenly Father, bless that I won’t have germs on my hands”
Joe went in to remind PB to wash his hands. He said he didn’t have to because he said a prayer instead.
Living Room
So this is my living room right now:
If you have been to my house, you will notice I recently acquired a black cabinet and new couch. I’m excited about it. I went into the store with an extreme low amount in mind, and I was actually able to find something in the price range that was perfect. Very awesome. The futon has been retired to the playroom, and the cabinet has made it possible to prevent Mr. C messing with all the cords and actually scan/print without losing my sanity. Although I might be picking up cushions all day from the pillow backed couch, it does make for good pillow fights.
Rain
We had a rainstorm! It actually rain enough to get everything wet and make streams run down the gutters. Utah tends to have a pathetic amount of good summer thunderstorms. So I enjoyed this one. I went outside and got wet. And I threw my kids outside too. Not for long, just enough to lighten my mood and have a very happy day. The kids were a little less enthused about it. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t get some good pictures of them.
If it rains, the best thing to do is enjoy it.
Golden Spike
PB kept covering his ears from the loud train whistle. But he enjoyed this day trip, and even got his Junior Ranger badge.
Wasps
PB came up to me and asked me if there was a beehive in the tree. I said no, and he then proceeded to walk me over and show me this:
It still isn’t a beehive. It’s a bald face hornet nest. I think most regular people would take a step back, or maybe even some more dramatic freak out. I am too much a biologist. I got closer and investigated.
I’m still trying to decide what to do about it. Options include letting it be, spraying it, duct taping and dumping it, or calling the landlord. Right now, I’ve mostly just let it be. It might be a hazard for stings: when these hornets sting it hurts, and they can do it over and over again. But they also are not going to sting unprovoked. I can see a failed removal attempt causing a lot more damage than just letting it be.
I do want the nest. It could be both educational, and something to incorporate into the home decor. It is gorgeous. This link even has directions…
What would you do?
Update: I collected it in late fall.
Riverdale Adventure
This post should contain a lot of pictures from the various fun outings we have. We went to a disc golf course, took an enjoyable bike ride on the Weber River Parkway, and waded in the river. All originated at the same parking lot, and we were done before lunch. PB has been practicing throwing a Frisbee and he’s pretty good. He can throw a good fifteen feet. We enjoy our wee-ride bike too, but I’m glad when I go with Joe and he rides it. It can be very heavy.
And now I don’t have any pictures because I left the camera battery at home. But check out the links if you are interested in some fun activities in Riverdale. This one has a map: we parked at the south trail head, where the disc golf course is located. The bike trail is pretty flat and does extend beyond this map. We made it off the map before turning around. This link has a more extensive map. We passed the kayak park, and it is an awesome place to go swimming/tubing. We need to go back there when the kids are a bit older.
Liz Braithwaite 