Welcome to our Tea Party
Category: Family
A good time was had by all
Little Bit turned six this week. We have been celebrating for almost two weeks now – first at her grandparents’ house (while I was out of town for work) and then at home. There has been much consumption of cake, many Barbie purchases, and lots of singing of the Birthday song. She has been enjoying every minute.
Yesterday afternoon was the “official” birthday party. Since we are fortunate enough to have a neighborhood pool, we opted for the (easy) pool party celebration. Nothing like throwing the kids in the water for a few hours to wear them out. I ordered pizza and kept the cake in the cooler on ice while the kids swam and played. 
After the pizza and cake Little Bit opened presents. She got the coolest “jet ski” float and they had a great time cruising around the pool on it. 
Thank goodness M and T were such good jet ski motors – and kept the little ones safely away from the side of the pool so none of us moms had a heart attack waiting for someone to bonk their heads.
It was hot and muggy and I was exhausted when it was done, but it was all worth it. Little Bit had a great time – I think we all did.
An interesting eggsperiment
The girls just spent a week at their grandparents – while I was jetting across the country and back in an oversized cattle-car also known as an airplane.
They had a great time being spoiled rotten and never hearing the word “no” uttered.
On Thursday, it was over 100 degrees outside – in the shade. The girls were playing in the driveway with the water hoses, just trying to stay cool while they were outside for a bit.
I tried to take some pictures of them, but the camera kept fogging up – the temperature and humidity differential between indoors and outdoors just was too great, I guess.
While they were outside, Big Girl decided she wanted to test the theory “It’s hot enough to fry an egg out here.”
So, they did.
And tried to bake a potato.
Surprisingly enough, the potato was semi-soft after a couple hours in the sun and the eggs were partially cooked. I think they might’ve cooked even faster if they had been on the concrete, but it’s scary enough to think they were cooking sitting on a white lawn chair for hours. (think about what that would do to your brain!)
Good enough reason to stay indoors if you ask me.
This is a no-Bieber house
I consider myself very lucky that Justin Bieber has not invaded my house.
Just as the large purple dinosaur never found his way in the front door (thanks to some very careful programming selections and dire threats to anyone who might be tempted to expose the girls to said dinosaur), we have (thankfully) been able to escape (so far) the silliness of the pre-teen pop music stars.
Yep, that’s right. No Jonas frenzy here. And my girls don’t even know how to pronounce Justin Bieber’s name properly.
Oh, their friends have certainly exposed them to these pop stars and their so-called music. And Big Girl thinks it’s quite silly that her friends are “in love” with little Mr. Bieber. (thank goodness) She enjoys listening to the music on NickTV in the mornings when she’s getting dressed, and she knows enough to sing along and not look like a total dork when her friends are talking about these stars… but she really doesn’t care one way or the other.
That’s probably because her daddy and I don’t listen to pop music (or as I keep wanting to type it “poop music” LOL)
We’re “classic rock” fans, mostly, although I have been known to throw a little Country music in there (thanks, Daddy)
Some of the girls’ current favorites?
- Kung Foo Fighting (Carl Douglas)
- School’s Out for Summer (Alice Cooper)
- YMCA (Village People)
- I Need You Now (Lady Antebellum)
- Party in the USA (Miley Cyrus – yes, she has invaded. sigh.)
- The entire Momma Mia soundtrack (which we listen to almost daily)
At least their music tastes are eclectic. I like to think we’re exposing them to the finer side of things. (hee hee)
It will be interesting to see how thing change (or not) as Big Girl gets older since she is the first one to step into the land of Teenagerdom.
Mr. Nobody has moved in
I knew it would happen.
I wasn’t sure when, but I knew it was just a matter of time.
Well, he’s here.
Mr. Nobody.
You know, the mischievous little elf who breaks things, makes messes, and wreaks havoc, only to dash away and hide when it’s time for a reckoning.
He stopped by our house for a visit yesterday, causing quite a stir.
I’m not sure he knows he is not welcome. I’m not sure he cares. I think he had fun messing up bedrooms, tearing up bathrooms, and the like.
We’ve had the proverbial conversations:
“Who did this?”
“I didn’t do it.”
“Okay, well, if you didn’t do it, and I didn’t do it, then who did? It didn’t just happen all by itself.”
“I don’t know.”
“Ah, okay.”
I’m wondering how long his visit will last?
Happy July 4th
We have so many things to be thankful for. So many freedoms we take for granted.
Today, I’m taking time to give thanks for those freedoms.
I hope you will, too.
It’s Official
There are no more routines in my house.
Summer has killed them all.
I’m trying, really, I am.
I am a creature of habit. I LIKE routines. I NEED routines.
(and I’m also being attacked by a creature as I type. Scooby Cat has decided to “help” me write and is sitting on my keyboard. Help me, Rhonda.)
ANYWAY.
As I was saying…
I am a creature of habit. So are my girls. Especially Big Girl. We need our routines and schedules. It makes us happy.
However, this summer, all semblances of routines seem to be going out the window. I don’t know why. I don’t know who is the culprit. Whomever it is, they have been very, very sneaky about it. We’re halfway through summer and I just realized it. And, now, I’m not sure what to do about it. Or, if I even care!
You see, SuperMan’s job is one where he works 10-hour days. Which means he doesn’t get home until late in the evening – well, sorta late, anyway. Add to that the fact that I work from home and my work schedule is pretty much what I make it. I start when I want and finish when I need to quit. Usually, that’s around 7:30 AM and 5:30PM… but some days it’s earlier or later, depending on what’s going on.
The girls have gotten into a routine of sleeping “late” (well, what I consider late for them, anyway, given that they used to wake at 6:30 even on weekends) and lazing around the house in the mornings. Some days, breakfast isn’t until 10AM. Lunch? Well, that might not happen until 2PM.
And dinner? Well, that one is really a mess. With SuperMan’s late schedule and the fact that the monkeys feel like the ABSOLUTELY MUST go to the pool EVERY SINGLE AFTERNOON dinner has been, ahem, a bit delayed this summer. Last night we didn’t eat until 9PM (gasp!) but most nights it’s closer to 7 when we eat.
This is unheard of in my house. We have always had lunch at noon, dinner around 5:30 and bath/bedtimes started around 7:30. That was how my grandma did it and if it was good enough for her, it is certainly good enough for me. Dinner at 9PM? Really? Yeah, last night was seriously outside of my comfort zone. I had to keep reminding myself it was more important to get everyone fed than freak out because it was so late.
It’s summer. Who cares?
Which leads me back to my original point.
Summertime has killed my routines.
And while on the inside I’m cringing because the kids are eating at weird hours, there is no such thing as “bedtime” and I can’t tell you what we are doing at any particular time on any particular day (until we are in that moment) I’m trying really hard to embrace the spontaneity of the season. The girls are older now, they seem to be handling it well. No one is suffering – in fact, I think they secretly like it.
So, here’s to tossing the routines out the window and living my summer moment-by-moment.
I can still hear August’s murmurs in my ears… “what about back-to-school schedules? what about sleep patterns?”
Well, August, you can just be quiet for now. I’ll worry about you when you get here.
Memories of Summer
I was talking with my mother the other day about how much I wanted to get some vegetables and/or fruit and do some canning this summer. Or maybe even make jelly or pickles.
I know it sounds crazy to want to spend hours in a hot kitchen putting up food the “old fashioned” way when I can just pop on down to my local Publix and find most everything I can ever wish for at any time of the year.
But, for me, it’s not just about the food preservation. It’s about preserving traditions and reliving the memories of my childhood.
I remember spending the night at my grandmother’s house and waking in the steamy early morning to drive to pick up bushels of fresh corn, peaches, or whatever. We’d go home and wash and clean the produce and then start the canning process. I remember one summer I shucked so many ears of corn I was sure there was no more corn left in the state that hadn’t passed through my hands.
I also remember making pickles. That was something my mom, grandma and I would do. The kitchen would be so hot – Grandma didn’t have air conditioning – and we’d be working over that hot, steamy canning pot. I loved to watch the jars as they were boiling in the pot. And I loved to add the spices to the cucumber brine and smell the pungent aroma as everything came together.
Then came the ladling of the pickles into the jars. It was my job to clean the tops of the jars and add the rings and tops. I loved flirting with danger as I gently dropped the lids onto the hot jars.
Another one of my favorite jobs was when we made jelly. We usually made grape jelly because my grandfather had scuppernongs growing in the garden. I loved walking under the vines, looking for just the perfect, plump, juicy grape and popping it into my mouth. We made jelly with the grapes, and wine, too. I’m not sure which process I liked the best.
I wasn’t as involved in the jelly making process, simply because the hot jelly is somewhat akin to molten lava. I think Mom and Grandma were worried I’d get burned. But I did love melting the wax that we’d pour over the hot jelly to seal the jars. Once it started to cool and get opaque, I’d sneak into the kitchen and stick my fingers into the wax, marking them with my own personal seal, I thought.
My grandparents had a “pump room” on the back of their house. It housed their water heater and shelves upon shelves of canned vegetables, fruits, etc. I loved to walk in there with Grandma. It smelled musty and was always cool, but it was like walking into a cave of treasures. I would look at the jars lined up neatly on the shelves and remember the previous summer when I’d helped to put the vegetables up for the year. I can still smell the musty dampness even today.
I wish my grandma was still here today to help me teach my girls the almost-lost art of canning. Those are memories I will cherish forever, in spite of the heat, the burns, and the messes we had to clean. I loved those hours I spent in the kitchen with Grandma.
Friday’s Flowers
Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag: Summer Crafts for Kids
Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag: Summer Crafts for Kids: Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipes – Kaboose.com
This looks like a cool project to do with the kids. We may have to try it out this week and let you know how it goes!
Our "friendsitters" come tomorrow for the first time. The girls are SO excited. I am looking forward to some uninterrupted work time. We'll see how this all works out and if the reality is as good as the idea.
Thoughts Along Life's Highway 