Bird and Orchards

A couple weeks ago we went to a nearby nature center. They were releasing some of the raptors that had been recovering.

This bird was still in the process of healing.A large crowd gathered and this particular release was done by some guy with the MN Twins. (I'm sorry but his name just didn't stick!)

Our attempt at a group photo.

Levi taking it all in.

Then we stopped at a favorite little apple farm we like.

Enjoying the turkeys and their crazy eating of whatever the boys put through the fence.

Levi loved the tractor "in real life."

I marveled at the beautiful scenery.

And I especially liked this building, complete with the weather vane on top!

We enjoyed a free "chestnut apple" they offered us, along with honey sticks. We bought a bag of seconds Honey Crisps. (We'll go back and actually pick this weekend with Kent). Yum. Then we came home and sliced them up to eat, popped popcorn, sliced cheese and enjoyed a snacky supper. I love fall! What fall things are you doing?

Fall Day at MN Zoo

This week a sudden chill to the air has sent us scrambling for our hats and gloves...as well as our rain coats. It was cloudy and rainy every day this last week except for Wednesday. So Kent rode his bike to work and we settled on a field trip to the zoo. (It helped that I'd come across some free zoo passes too!)

Winter used to be something I associated with cozy evenings by the fire, baking goodies, wearing warm sweaters, and playing in the snow now and then. Now, I haven't given up on those wonderful things, but winter has taken on a new dimension. It has something to do with active boys (and the rest of us too) who need lots of time outside, but it gets dark early and some days are just too cold to be out long. So "cozy" has an added layer of "cooped up." I think that's why I'm relishing these fall days, especially the ones with sun!

All of us minus Tana (who had to work).The scarecrow beneath the giant sunflowers was our favorite "fall thing."
Kalai took time out to sketch, a new skill she's developing while taking an art class.

DJ tried out the fishing boat at a new park in the zoo.
This just opened in July. It was a great place for the younger ones to climb and play, yet still had an outdoor zoo-like theme.

Kade enjoys the boat too.

DJ shows off his "catch."

Levi thought the pigs were "noisy."


We could have watched these guys all day. What hilarious little creatures, and so social! I'm really happy to just watch them, but DJ was just itching the entire time to get in and play with them.

This cow had given 63 pounds of milk by 11:30 in the morning. I'd kind of like one in my backyard. The only difficulty...they eat a tremendous amount of food each day.

The corn field had a path through the middle of it.

Happy boys riding wolves.
My 13 year old...growing up fast. I enjoy watching her at the zoo. She takes in so much and enjoys the little details of each animal.

Conversations

I often find myself in an identity crisis. :) Yeah? Really! I told Kent the first year we were married that I was having feelings I hadn't had since I was 13 or 14. You all remember some of those awkward "trying-to-figure-out-yourself" moments of early adolescence. You still feel like a kid, but you also sense this desire to be more independent and grown-up. You love your parents but you don't want to be them. You're not sure how other people view you, and frankly, you're not sure how you view yourself.



Well, I find myself feeling those things in relation to being a parent of teenagers. Just over five years ago, I was chaperoning teen groups, having teen girls over to my house for fun, taking a teen girl out every now and then to talk, and...to be honest...I felt good about myself. I don't think it was in a proud way. But rather, I felt happy about my relationships with the teen girls in my life.



Then suddenly, I'm wondering, "Who am I?" in regard to the teen girls in my life, my daughters. They are no different than any other teen girl, but my own position, role, and relationship have totally changed...throwing me for a loop!! I'm no longer have that sense of happiness about how I'm handling things with them (at least much of the time). I often feel defensive or timid, quick to speak or quick to avoid needed confrontation, unable to enjoy fun moments together or wishing they could see how much fun I used to have.



So...what do you ladies remember from your growing up years that really helped your relationship with your moms? What were some key things that she did or didn't do that helped your relationship to grow in friendship and openness? How did your mom (or you as a mom of teen girls) handle disagreements, attitudes, feelings, etc? Looking forward to hearing any good stuff you want to share!

Our history

This is a four book series covering history chronologically, starting with the ancient times and ending with modern history. It is designed to be used in a four year rotation, starting in first grade. Last year DJ and I completed this book, along with the textbook (which is actually more like a narrative history).

Some pros:

1. The textbook is read like a story and DJ always begs for more!

2. The activity book provides questions to ask, activity project ideas (and they're soo much fun!), maps and color pages, as well as book lists that would correspond well with the present chapter. I've found many of these books at our local library.

3. Two picture encyclopedias correspond with this series and all the page numbers are given in this activity book.

4. The child learns history chronologically rather than the typical approach to social studies which begins with the child and works its way outward. I prefer this method because I think it helps the child realize that the focal point of life and history is not himself. (that's just my opinion; I don't think the other approach is wrong!!)

Some cons:

1. Although the author does not discredit the Bible and actually does include some Bible stories, this curriculum isn't necessarily written with the idea of giving credit and glory to God. I've felt like this has given us an opportunity to talk about life without God versus a life that belongs to God.

2. There are some books and stories I'd rather not waste my time on (Greek gods, mythology, etc.) We've definitely talked about them, and briefly touched on the names of some and their basic character, but I've mostly stayed away from some of the suggested books with LOTS of myths and stories about gods of the Greeks and Romans, etc. I think it's valuable to understand their beliefs and to teach our children the history of that time, but I don't want to entertain my children with story after story of false gods.

My biggest challenge is being prepared to do a project with DJ each week. They are generally not extremely difficult projects nor projects that have really weird supplies. Yet, I find it's much easier to sit and read then to get up and actually complete a project. We've done some neat ones, but my goal is to do at least one a week this year. He LOVES them!

Deleted Photos

I'm so bummed! This evening I was sorting through the pictures on my camera, deleting all the ones I didn't want when I accidentally deleted every single picture on my memory card. I have NO idea how I did it and have never done that before. I actually stood there and turned it on and off a few times, thinking that just perhaps they'd pop back up. Then I gave it a few minutes to rest...and I tried it again. (I know. My methods are hardly logical). Thankfully, I offloaded pictures last Wednesday or Thursday, but there were some forever cute moments that I lost. I almost can't believe it bothers me this much! So glad it wasn't of a birthday or something. But the pictures of our 3rd-6th grade Middler Mystery Bike ride are gone, the boys playing ball in the living room, the boys playing the piano together, our Home Depot outing today, Kade trying to take Kent's hat off, and Levi changing the "stinky diaper" of his green tractor.

So what did moms do before cameras? Ahh! I'm sure they took lots of "mental pictures." That was always what my mom called them. We'd be on a walk and we'd see a beautiful sunset. She'd say, "Be sure and take a mental picture." And I still remember that sunset. She said it so often that now, when something strikes me especially beautiful or precious, I actually stop momentarily and try to "take a mental picture." Like anything, there are those "pictures" I forget, but there are moments I can almost relive because of that little reminder.

But, grrrr, I'm going to have a little chat with my camera technician (unfortunately, that's me, which is not a good thing).

Pumpkin Part 2

So after we cooked up our "beautifully decorated" pumpkin, we baked it, scooped the pulp out of the shell, and Levi went to work. He relished pushing the blender buttons over and over again, making puree out of our pumpkin...enough for 8 pies or so. If only...there were blenders for getting that lasagna or chili made. He'd be great at it, and I could get a million other things done in the meantime. :)

Malia offered to take a picture of me with the pie.

Raspberry Walnut Muffin Recipe

Here's my modified, doubled version of a basic muffin recipe in Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (pictured in my last blog post)

3 1/2 cups flour (2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour , 1 cup white flour)

2/3 cup sugar (1/3 honey, 1/3 white sugar)

4 tsp. baking powder

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup applesauce

Approx. 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries

Approx. 1 cup chopped walnuts

Oven 400 degrees

In a mixing bowl, combine flours, white sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk, honey, applesauce, and oil; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in raspberries and walnuts. Lightly grease muffin cups; fill 2/3 full. Bake in a 400 degree oven about 20 minutes or till golden. Remove from pans; serve warm. Makes about 18.