10th Anniversary, Blueberries, Music & Ice Cream

Friday was my 10th wedding anniversary! Mr. GymMama and I are both surprised, in a good way, that 10 years have gone so quickly. We took the kids to Willow Creek Orchards, a local organic farm, and picked our own blueberries. SIX pounds of blueberries from four small bushes. Six pounds is A LOT of blueberries! But they're delicious and organic and it was FUN! Normally, we go out to dinner and worry the whole time about the kids. It's nice, but this year we went to dinner and listened to music. It was great!

Through Blockhead Radio I'd heard the music of Chris Huff, who just happens to be local, and who just happened to be playing at a restaurant about 15 minutes from us on Friday night. So, guess who we went to see? Yep, the music was great and it was fun to meet him. The company of Mr. GymMama was pretty awesome too. =)

On Saturday, the 4th of July, we took the kids to a local parade and park where they had music and activities all day. Here are my guys and Baby Girl waiting for the parade to start.
The fireworks launch about 150 yards from our front door, so all we needed to do was look up to see them.

We went for a family jaunt this morning to Valley Forge National Park. We walked about a mile to the Memorial Arch and then back again to the van. Since it's summer and the high-time for visitors, the park had "soldiers" explaining their outfits and weapons. There was also a demonstration of the cooking, etc. from some Revolutionary War period garbed men and women. Baby Girl was a little freaked out when one of the interestingly dressed men spoke to her, but the boys & Mr. GymMama thought it was neat. Then we went off for ice cream, because no trip is complete without it. It felt like a mini-vacation ten minutes from home. What a great morning!

Super Simple Salad

I'm addicted to this salad. It's not fancy and it's not expensive....it's just fresh and yummy. It's also easy to make, which if you know me, is probably a good thing. Sorry there are no pictures, but I ate it all before I thought about blogging it! hehehehe

Simple Salad

Ingredients
Salad:
Fresh spring greens mix (either 1 bag or a bunch)
1/4 c low-fat shredded Italian cheese mix
1/2 pint fresh grape tomatoes
1 carrot, thinly sliced
Dressing:
3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Wash and cut the vegetables and put in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Best eaten while sipping fresh-brewed iced tea.

Follow My BFF...Not Like Stalker Follow...Just Blogger Follow

My BFF started a blog tonight. She's hysterical. In a good way. You should really follow her...

http://onemomtwokids.blogspot.com/

Tennis Camp & Walking - Get Your Game Face On!

My oldest son started Tennis Camp today. 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 7 weeks. Guess how much it cost?? Guess?!

Ready?

Sixty bucks. For the entire seven week camp. Isn't that awesome?! Sometimes it pays to live in a town where most of the people are low income. Go us!

So, as an added bonus it's a 15 minute walk there and a 15 minute walk back - built in exercise! Wahoo! Of course, the oldest son asked to be picked up in the van tomorrow because his feet were killing him at the end of the 3 hours. Poor kid. He's going to sleep well tonight!

So, I'll either be getting 30 or 60 minutes of great walking in 5 days a week. Wahoo!

2 Miles of Snakes, Tracks & Spandex

The kids and I went for another walk at our local nature park this morning. It was not raining, thank heavens, for the first time all week and we needed to burn off some energy. Well, let me rephrase that. THE BOYS needed to burn off some energy. I would have been fine curled up on the sofa with a good book and coffee while paying a nanny to corral them. No, not really, but it was a thought.

So, we went and walked/they ran 2 miles. We stopped and admired some fresh animal tracks. Discussed what type of animal they may have been from and all sorts of school-ish things that made me happy to be homeschooling.


We stopped, had a snack, and discussed other school-ish things....like the slope of the farm land, irrigation, camouflage and animals, the wonderful smell of honeysuckle, poison ivy, composting, trout farms, ant behavior and why overweight people should not wear spandex. I think that just about covers everything they need to know about walking in public, don't you?


We also saw an awesome snake who posed ever so nicely for us. We named him George and promised to visit again some other time.


It was a good walk. We were all properly energized and slightly sore at the end, but our constant investigation of the nature around us eased the majority of possible discomfort. It's supposed to rain for the next 2 days, so let's hope this helped to curb some of their energy for the next 48 hours.

Women's One Flaw

This came to me from a friend who I have known since childhood, but whom I rarely see or talk with. She's one of those friends who I can easily pick up with no matter how long it has been. And whether she knows it or not, I thank God for her every single day.


One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.

Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

The Pool is Up!

We had a great visit this past weekend with my best friend and her children. The kids all got along and, although it was hectic, we managed to play, swim, eat and sleep. I wish I had taken more pictures, but things were so busy I just didn't. Here are some of the boys taking their first swim in the pool though...




And on a purely promotional note, my Craft Show Safety article made the front page of HandmadeNews.org today! Wahoo! Go me! Can you check it out, vote it up and leave a comment for me? Please? Pretty please? =)

Your Sister Has An Enchanting Mustache

Wouldn't this make the perfect gift?

Which Star Trek Character Are YOU?

I'm Captain Kirk!

You Know You Want To...

show my articles some love that is.

My first three articles are up on HandmadeNews.org! Have you read them yet? If you haven't please hop on over and take a peek. Vote 'em up and leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!

Monday's article will be a great recipe for homemade dog treats. Kato, my dog pony, tested them thoroughly and agrees that the recipe is a winner. Thanks, Kato!

Also, be sure to visit my friend and fellow columnist, Heather Mewis', articles. She working on an exciting one for next week that will help you identify your crafting personality. It's sure to be a hoot.

In fact, after you read my articles take a peek at all of the great articles on HandmadeNews.org. You'll get lots of tips and tricks, inspiration and insight, and, as always, a chuckle or two from the Just For Fun department. We do what we can to lighten the mood.

Thanks for your support!

And an extra special thank you to the fine folks at YourGreatestProtection.com for advertising on my page! You guys rock!!

We're Walking!

We started our Walk Across America program this week. I'm joining my mom and her older sister, aka, my aunt. My mom and I decided that maybe calling one another at 6am every morning was not going to be the best plan. Things might happen, like we oversleep, or in some cases, just catch up on sleep. No, the 6am wake-up call was just too much pressure and way too early.

So, the kids and I went for a couple of walks at our local parks. There's one that's particularly fun and although there is no play equipment the boys love the natural surroundings. We spent some time discussing and watching caterpillars, bird watching, and talking about irrigation. It was a solid day of lessons and exercise. Did I mention the boys ran almost the entire two miles? Where they get the energy is beyond me. I thought for sure they'd want a long nap that afternoon. Apparently, I was mistaken. I was ready for a nap, but they were ready to play.

Here are some pictures from our jaunt. As you can see, I am, for some reason, having fun taking pictures of flowers lately. Go figure.

What's All The Buzz About?

Read more about The Great Sunflower Project on HandmadeNews.org.

We participate and so can you!

Pics from the Park

We spent some quality time at the park this weekend for as long as we could stand the heat and glaring sun. It was a beautiful day, but very, very warm for May. Since our kids are pretty much translucent, they were looking like heat-exhausted lobsters (even with a generous slathering of sunscreen!) after about 15 minutes. Here are some pics...

Wisteria, Lilacs and Dandelions

I took some good shots of the things growing in our backyard yesterday. Wisteria that's almost a hundred years old, lilacs that are just starting to bless us with their sweet smell and the perfectly delicate dandelion. Enjoy!

HandmadeNews.org Launch!

Handmade News launches Thursday at 8am!! Go visit!!! (did I add enough exclamation points to convince you?) !!!!!!!!! (how about now?)

UPDATE: Er, okay, well, I guess it's just the soft launch and since it didn't happen at 8am EST, maybe 8am MST? ummm....I'll keep you posted. But hey! Ad prices are AWESOME!! Only $4 for 5K clicks I think I read. You may want to double check that, but it's awesome and you definitely want to advertise on my page. =)