Here’s a funny memory from High School that has come back to me in a deeper way as an adult. Continue reading
Harrison Farm
for now, the only thing we're growing on this farm is kids - not the goat variety
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This is for all of us who eat meat. Continue reading
We are fortunate to live next door to a very generous person who welcomes us to use her pool. We do so frequently. Carman and Sudoku learned to swim in that pool, and I hope to teach Doodle (at 2 1/2) to become water safe this summer. Continue reading
I had been a distance runner for 4 years when I had my first asthma attack, so I don’t think it was “about the running”. However, 95%+ of my asthma attacks over the years have occurred while running.
The attack occurred while I was running at a comfortable pace on a cold day. However, it is unlikely that the cold weather caused the attack because I had already been running for about an hour and was fully warmed up.
Suddenly it felt that something had become lodged in my upper chest. My heart began to race (I’ve since recorded pulse rates above 220 when these happen). I made the mistake of trying to continue running as the attack occurred. This flooded my body with lactic acid, causing my muscles to tighten. Since then I’ve learned that if I immediately stop running and let the attack pass, it is sometimes possible to continue running without negative effects in a minute or two. Continue reading
Yesterday I finished reading E. B. White’s The Trumpet of the Swan. It is a delightful, fictional tale about a young, mute trumpeter swan, Louis, whose attempts at finding a mate are non-existent until his father risks his own life to supply his son with a means of communication. Continue reading
Infants and toddlers getting cold in the water is a real obstacle to teaching them to be water safe — an obstacle that indoor pools eliminate. Little ones can’t tolerate the cold like older children and adults, and, in my experience, if the water is too cold, they just are not happy or teachable.
The first several times that Carman and Sudoku swam this season, Doodle was interested, but once he felt the water, he backed away and didin’t get in. Now that we’ve had several days with temperatures in the upper 80’s, he has wanted to get right in and has tolerated the cool water fairly well. Today I noticed goose bumps on his legs after about 30 minutes in the water, though.
If we didn’t have such convenient access to a pool, I’d be tempted to swim at our local recreation center that has an indoor pool. But after seeing the following article, I have yet another reason to be grateful to our neighbor. Continue reading
Last year at about this time, we had the privilege of watching caterpillars grow, spin cocoons, and then hatch into butterflies, thanks to a wonderful gift Sudoku received from my brother and his wife. The gift included a butterfly cage (which is great for holding all sorts of bugs after the butterflies leave), caterpillars, and instructions on how to care for and feed them.
The most exciting part for Sudoku was when she released the 5 butterflies a few days after they had hatched. The first 4 either flew out on their own or flew away when lifted out of the cage. The 5th, though, linger for the longest time – several minutes – on Sudoku’s hand, as if it was saying a long good-bye. It made her day! Continue reading
If you own the Cariboo game and have misplaced a ball or two, I noticed that Amazon sells replacement balls, but you have to get 12 of them. You can get 6 replacement balls (at a more reasonable price) when purchased directly through Cranium. fyi.
A few months ago, Marathon’s brother gave Doodle a fun, educational game called Cariboo. He loves it, and is learning to identify numbers, letters, shapes, and colors. The object of the game is to use a key and 6 colorful rubbery balls to open a treasure chest. Great fun for a toddler!
The Cariboo balls are essential to the game. They are just the right size to roll down the chute that leads to the treasure chest. Without them the game would be rendered useless. So, not wanting those precious balls to get mixed up with the stash of regular ‘ol bouncy balls, I’ve been quite meticulous about making sure they stayed with the game…until my husband, Marathon, got hold of them. Continue reading
I never would have thought that I would camp with a 3-week old baby, but I did, and things went quite smoothly.
Since we wanted to camp with the older kids while the weather was still nice, and since the wee one has been pretty easy so far, we decided to go for it. We’re so glad we did. I slept on my back on a foam pad with Rosebud on my chest. She always sleeps well that way, and I wanted to make sure she would be warm enough since we were expecting temperatures in the mid 40’s for the night. It didn’t get that cold, though, and I had her overdressed. By morning she was sweating! But we both slept well, and that’s what mattered.
We had a wonderful time together as a family. The older kids just can’t get enough of camping! Marathon took Carman, Sudoku, and Doodle biking and playing by the Ocoee River. He and the older 2 pitched the tent. The kids handled gathering firewood and kindling, and we all pitched in with meal preparation and clean up. I sat in a chair most of the time with a baby in my lap and sometimes a book in my hand. It was a wonderful change of pace for all of us.
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