The Farm Report

Category: outing

  • Christmas Eve: Museum

    Christmas Eve: Museum

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    It’s becoming our new Christmas Eve tradition that we head to the museum. As soon as everyone is up and coffee is made, we load into the car and hit the road.

    This year we had a few errands to run on the way—a box of shirts to drop off, papers to file, and a few last orders to the post office.

    Then off to the holiday train display, and then some serious negotiations about what to do next. Chris came along this year, and was extremely patient as we made our way through. We got a bonus tour of Ye Old Fashioned Type Shoppe, a place where we will definitely return. A quick spin through the Egypt exhibit. And the star on the tree of our day—our favorite museum naturalist handed over her corn snake for Neko to have some serious one-on-one time.

  • Holiday concert

    Holiday concert

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    Neko sings at home. Non-stop.

    Like last year, she’s adoring music at school. Her teacher has sent home a CD of the songs they’re singing and the accompanying word sheets. The day they came home with her, she sat us all down and made us hold an impromptu sing-a-long.

    You would think it would naturally follow that she’s a happy concert participant. But there, in front of a big audience, you can’t get her on the stage.

    So today, when they went to perform for a group of seniors, I was shocked to see her walk up on stage. Granted, she wiggled, chewed on her sleeve, and pulled funny faces, and I totally had to crop her out of the photo I sent to the newspaper. But hooray! She’s on stage!

    I will take my victories where I can get them.

  • Hot air balloons

    Hot air balloons

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    Tom left for the weekend to go see the Pixies with Chris. In a few years, when the kids are older, I'll tag along on these events. I would have loved to see Kim, Kelley, Amy, and Kevin. When the kids get older, we’ll have a bit more freedom.

    The kids were going to be stuck at home a good deal of the weekend while I completed some photo sessions, so I figured I should spring them out for a bit. Off to a hot air balloon show in the Big City with Nancy and Mary Beth in tow.

    It was pretty spectacular. The kids would agree, but they would point out that climbing on that huge crumbling rock structure was way more fun.

    (Photo of me by Ellery.)

  • To the Big City

    To the Big City

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    It’s been a miserable week.

    While everyone is finally healthy, work has crashed down on me. I have been at war with a printer. Not the small, desktop kind, but the big professional corporate kind.

    I don’t even want to go into it, but it involves a whole of me screaming and yelling at people over the phone. And they’re people who don’t really deserve to be yelled at, but they are my representatives to The Organization. Young children, who were likely in diapers when I learned to use Photoshop. Yet, they’re attempting to school me in it.

    And somewhere in between there was me doing a really crappy job at everything else in my life, including motherhood, Halloween preparation, parades, and field trips.

    I came out of the week knowing that I ache for people whose lives are that stressful all the time, and I understand why they keel over prematurely from a massive heart attack. I can’t take that kind of stress on a daily basis.

    I also know that I need more of the good stuff. Much more.

    Friday was one of our last glorious days, and I was facing it solo. So I made plans to pick up Neko from school and head to the Big City. Mary Beth and her mom, Nancy, jumped in as an unexpected bonus. We traveled down to the purple bridge. Hiked across. Played. Laughed. Hiked back. We tried to get a table at the pizza place, but the wait was too long. So we took our order to go, and ate outside, listening to a live musician.

    Not much pizza was eaten. Neko and Mary Beth ran and swung around in a way I remember so clearly from my youth. The decibels were a little much for Shep, who planted himself firmly in my lap. But Ellery? She danced her can off, the whole night, without a break for pizza.

    In the future? Less yelling at 24-year-old printing reps. More of this kind of goodness.

  • Field Trip: 8/18

    Field Trip: 8/18

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    This week's field trip was actually a holdover from last year, which we had to cancel when we woke up to torrential rain and thunderstorms.

    This year the rain clouds were peeking around the corner, but we managed to find a clear spot in the day to go on our Treasure Hunt. We started at a meeting spot, where I handed out the first piece of the treasure map. That piece of the map held a clue as to where we’d find the next envelope. The kids went screaming off to the next spot. And the next. And the next, until we had a complete map. The last piece directed us to the treasure chest, filled with cheap telescopes and compasses—excellent gear for young explorers.

    I have to give a big shout-out and thank you to my dad, who stayed about ten minutes in front of us, hiding clues. I had a feeling if I placed them all earlier that morning, we’d be called in by the bomb squad, so reeling in Papa Joe seemed like a better plan.

    This was our final field trip for the season, so big thanks to all who joined us this summer. Now off to start the list for next year…

  • Field Trip: 8/11

    Field Trip: 8/11

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    Oops. Did your computer just crash from loading all these photos? Sorry about that. There were just so many good ones that I was struggling to edit.

    Today we had one of my favorite field trips. Nancy had arranged for us to go to the farm where she gets her milk. We thought we would simply have a small visit and see how they milk the cows. The farmers had different plans.

    They started by milking a cow for us, showing each step of the process. Then they threw us on the hay wagon for a trip into the field to meet the cows up close and personal. Then back to the barn where the kids got to gather all the eggs from the chicken coop. Then they took us into the house the show us how they make butter, which we then enjoyed on homemade biscuits, fresh from the oven. And when we finished our biscuits? There was homemade ice cream.

    I love unexpected outings like this. I love when people go out of their way to make their teaching a great experience. The kids were enraptured as were the adults.

    In the midst of all this crazy, my heart and soul needed this slowdown.

  • Field Trip: 7/14

    Field Trip: 7/14

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    This week’s field trip—the Art Museum in the Big City.

    We’ve been to our local art museum many times. With its few rooms, it does the job, but it doesn’t quite have the impact of an urban art museum.

    So we rounded up a wiggly bunch of kids and headed south. Complete with pillars, a grand entrance, and paintings with gilded frames, the kids got to visit the museum. We had excellent docents who took us through the rooms, sat us down and looked for shapes and colors. The kids were amazingly well behaved.

    I'm not sure how much they understood, but I’m thrilled at the thought that they were there. Immersed in it all, I saw Neko smiling. She excitedly told me about what she saw and asked if we could come back.

    You bet.

  • Field Trip: 7/7

    Field Trip: 7/7

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    Last year we went to the Observatory for a field trip, but we went during the day. This year? Night time!

    I was surprised we had so many folks willing to keep their kids past bedtime. The presentation didn’t begin until 8:30pm. We got to see both telescopes and all the bells and whistles. That moment when they crank the ceiling open never gets old. Each child got to take a turn moving the ceiling into place (Ezra and Shep are pictured above).

    Thanks to my excellent accidental scheduling, we were there during the night where the International Space Station would be visible. After we watched the glimmer travel across the sky, it was back inside to view Saturn through the telescope. And if you’ve never seen Saturn through a telescope, you should make your way over to the Observatory pronto.

    If you asked the kids what their favorite part of the evening was, I would bet most of them would say running up and down the hill next to the Observatory, seeing how close they can get to the deer and catching fireflies.

    All good stuff.

    (I have no idea why Ben is in all my photos tonight. Weird.)

  • Field Trip: 6/30

    Field Trip: 6/30

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    I’ve made an effort for this year’s field trips to try a few things we’ve never done before. I’d heard about this Lego Lab from time to time, but had never actually had a chance to give it a whirl, as you needed a large group. This summer seemed like the perfect opportunity.

    Although the kids were a bit young, I think they had a blast. There were tons of activities set up around the room, and a chance to build as a big a tower as you could before the timer rang, and then hope that it could withstand a blasting fan for five seconds.

    Except for that part at the end where Shep had a complete meltdown about some multi-colored paper strips (don’t ask), everyone had a blast. After the lab, we drove to a local park and played and ate until Neko threw up. Since we haven’t seen an incident since, it was definitely too much spinning on a really spinney piece of playground equipment.

    So other than the tantrum and the throwing up, I’d definitely put this one on the keeper list.

  • Have you met my saber-toothed tiger?

    Have you met my saber-toothed tiger?

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    Today we met Marlo and Nancy and their kids at a local park that had some water features. Ellery spent the entire time hanging out with this tiger while Shep played king of the mountain. (Which means he stood at the top of a concrete hill, all by himself, and looked very happy. For an hour.)

    Neko tried to herd all the rest of the kids like sheep, convinced that all would be right with the world if everyone would just do as she says. This kid has some harsh reality coming at her one of these days. Either that, or she’s going to be an amazing politician.

    I put sunscreen on all the kids, but somehow forgot myself. Whoops and ouch.