The Farm Report – Page 64 – Archiving the early years

Pulley

July 18, 2009

When I noticed Tom and the kids fabricating a makeshift pulley outside, I remembered that we had a real one tucked away in the basement. (For those of you with small children, make a note: any gift you give on Xmas/Hanukkah or a birthday that gets little response and tossed aside, immediately hide it, as you can bring it out mid-July and it will be magic.)

Tom got the pulley rigged on the tree, and it has provided endless entertainment. One day Tom and the kids tried to see what crazy things could be lifted with the pulley—Neko’s bike, my bike, the lawnmower. They were ecstatic to see what they could achieve.

Here, Renita is lifting Shep’s pot with Shep in tow.

For those of you in need of a nice summer diversion, you can find this pulley here. A bit pricey, but, good grief, that thing is a workhorse. (Aesthetically pleasing, too!)
A little slice of zen

July 16, 2009

I got a project completed today, one of those where everyone is happy in the end and I’m reminded why I love doing the stuff I do. It’s a great reminder that I will keep myself busy and content after the kids are all in school.

As I was tucking the kids into bed, I noticed out the window that the apples are starting to turn red. After everyone was tucked into bed, I wandered outside to check them out and soaked up a bit of this strangely cool summer we seem to be having.

I am so thankful for these moments of zen that I occasionally find tucked in the pocket of my day.
The kids make dinner

July 15, 2009

Yesterday, out of the blue, Shep announced that he wanted to make dinner. He said he would be making peanut butter and jelly, bananas, and apples.

I managed to convince him to substitute blueberries for the apples (too hard to cut). But then he did it, all three plates by himself.

Not to be outdone, Neko demanded to make dessert.

Some days they drive me to the edge, but what would I do without these beautiful children?
Field Trip: 7/14

July 14, 2009

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.
48 hours with the girls

July 12, 2009

Some time ago Anne called and said she needed to get away before she closed in on her third trimester. So we consulted calendars and picked a weekend. Beth, Carole, and Becky jumped on board as well.

I lugged my camera around all weekend, but the only good pictures I took were of this weird car at the hotel which was immaculately cared for except for the naked Barbie duct taped to the hood. Beth took this picture of Anne and I. (Am I really that short?)

48 hours rolls by quickly, but it was great. Shopping, massage, good food, and great friends. I even got out on the bike both days.

Special thanks to Tom and all the husbands for child care. Thanks to Beth and Dave for all the hospitality. Thanks to Dave for playing the part of our butler.

Speaking of which, where is that butler? My drink needs to be freshened up…
One night only!

July 9, 2009

Like all great performances, this one spontaneously emerged five minutes before bed. I came back from tucking in Shep to discover a sign directing me to the audience.

I would like to say there are more photos, but apparently this theater has a no-camera policy, which is strictly enforced.
Field Trip: 7/7

July 7, 2009

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.)
As American as apple pie

July 3, 2009

The Fourth of July is celebrated a day early around here since the fireworks always happen the day prior. Holidays are extremely mobile in my head. It’s not disrespectful, it’s just that when your life is crazy as ours is, you streamline wherever you can.

We celebrated with swimming, dinner, homemade apple pie, bat-watching, children staying up way too late, and, ultimately, fireworks.

If this is America, I’m on board.
Flower arranging

July 2, 2009

Flowers are popping up all around the farm and Neko is loving it. Today she spent loads of time gathering flowers and then carefully arranging them by color.
Field Trip: 6/30

June 30, 2009

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.