on-hand modern

Anatomy of a 6th birthday

It's tough to say who was more excited--the birthday girl or her parents. K made the sign, which, by the way, is how I (most recently) fell in love with him all over again.

Birthday morning surprises...

She asked for a basket first a bike second. Luckily, she got both.

Birthday accessories...

The badge (made by moi) is a tradition we've had for several years, but the felt crown (inspired by Amanda Soule and others) is new. I made it completely out of materials I had on hand (including the tie which I recycled from a retired pair of drawstring pants--woot!). The resulting color combination is something I normally wouldn't have chosen, but I love how it turned out.

Inaugural bike ride...

A little wobbly/unsure, but did you see? No training wheels or anything! (Thank you, beloved balance bike. You have served us well.)

Cake...

Baking a cake together has become a birthday tradition. This year Liv looked through my cookbooks and selected "Orange Juice and Olive Oil Cake with Pine Nuts" from this book. Ooo-kay.

As birthday girl, she also got to select the rest of the day's menu...

Breakfast:
Bagel with peanut butter and strawberry jam
Cottage cheese
Pears

Lunch:
Turkey and cheese sandwich
Watermelon

Dinner:
Pasta with homemade alfredo sauce
Broccoli

Birthday wishes...

Loved ones near and far made the day extra special with their phone calls, cards, emails...

and, of course, gifts. Nothing like some raging consumerism to make my kid look like this:

Six sparkler candles...

Happy birthday, sweet, sweet girl. We love you.

Notice anything different?

It's a good thing she's excited about them (morning wake-up call = "Mom, they don't fall off when I do a cartwheel!") otherwise looking at my soon-to-be-six-year-old (two more days--but who's counting?) and adding up the transformations of the last three months (short(er) hair, hockey-star grill, and now GLASSES) might just put this (already nostalgic) mom over the edge. (Still with me? Yeah, I think I just set a record for most parentheses in a single sentence--even for me.)

I've got several projects in the works as we prepare to celebrate the first-born's birthday this week. (Translation: I procrastinated. Again.) I'll share them as I can. Meanwhile, send any and all productivity vibes here:

Birthday Week! Whee!

Stranger things have happened

Yesterday I celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss with this handsome man:

Over the years he's had some pretty strange ideas...

1) Assembling/displaying a life-size model of a pteranodon in our dining room.

2) Fashioning a Dad-and-me ride-on lawnmower out of some spare hardware and stroller parts.

3) GROWING A BEARD.

The list goes on...

Still, nothing could compare to the sheer insanity of proposing marriage to his girlfriend while they were both still in college, a whopping $84 in savings between them, and seriously no clue what it really meant to be husband and wife forever and ever.

Eh, we're still together. Let's face it, we'd be crazy not to be.

Happy anniversary, Engineer.

Nomadic Life

Who knew learning about history could be this much fun?

Lounging in a hunter-gatherer's authentic hut (credit for the tissue paper + flashlight = "fire" idea goes to my friend and fellow homeschooler, Denise--it was a hit):

Melted wax "cave drawings":

 

The creative process:

The kids really enjoyed doing the wax art. A few hints if you decide to try it yourself (great way to use up those all those broken crayons lying around the house)...

• Use a griddle set on the lowest setting to melt the wax and keep it warm but not hot.
• Spread newspaper on the table to catch any wax drips. (The wax is definitely not as messy as regular paint, but you know there'll be a stray drop or two, so save yourself some clean up and protect your table.)
• After the kids are done "painting", put the cups in the freezer. The cold contracts the wax so it pops right out, making clean-up easy. (Next time, I will also line the cups with aluminum foil to make clean-up even easier.)

And, finally, since we're on the subject of nomads...

Did you hear the one about the retired Mormon couple who went to Peru for 18 months and ended up moving 3 times in the first 6 due to a series of (National Lampoons-like) adventures, the most recent of which was a surprise drug bust that resulted in the discovery (and subsequent removal) of a thriving marijuana garden planted (and then abandoned) by the previous tenants?

Yeah, that was my parents.

(Note to the Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge Selection Committee: Please consider grouping the "wacky weed" with poison oak and poison sumac in your list of "Leaves to Identify and Avoid". Thank you.)

Autumn: 5 things

1. A bouquet of freshly-opened crayons (mmm, the smell--can't beat it):

2. Warm chocolate cake made from scratch (twice(!)--second one's the charm) by Chef K:

3. First "punkin" (Grandma Kris-ism) of the season:

4. Rubber boots (that's right, they go with everything):

5. Over-achieving leaf:

What says "autumn" to you? Leave me a comment.

Random thoughts continued...

I made my sister's pancakes again today. Between the two of them, my children consumed a record-breaking total of 12. Yes, 12. They both insist on dressing their own pancakes which means that, between the two of them, they also consumed approximately 283 teaspoons of sugar. Which, as you know, is only slightly less than a ready-made box of children's cereal. Which (relief!) means...I am still a good mother. But only just barely.

In their defense, they were bulking up for a snake hunt today. (Translation: we walked to the pet store.)

See that bead necklace? Liv made it for him. I call him Moondoggie when he wears it. (Note to self: request Gidget box set for Christmas.)

Pushing Olivia on his bike:

Pushing the teeny-tiny shopping cart:

Finally, the animal of the hour says hello:

Surprisingly (or not), no one asked to bring anything home. Except for a pack of gum. Unfortunately, The Mother did not bring her wallet, harumph. (Bad Mommy.)

In other news, the weather has taken a decidedly autumn-like turn as of late. (Update: hair = 10-12% smaller than usual). I want to make one of these hats for Asher, but I'm afraid I may have missed my window of opportunity for such a thing. What do you think? Too babyish/gender-neutral (a.k.a. girly) for the little dude? Be honest. The last thing my long-locked lad needs is a reason for (more) people to mistake him for having two X chromosomes. ("Mom, why do people keeping calling Asher a girl?" Sigh.)

And finally. If you read any design-ish blogs, you've probably seen this poster floating around. Never one to miss a trend (Girbaud jean shorts? Check. Lace-edged footless tights? Check. Bangs to Heaven (also referred to as the Utah Claw)? Check.) here's the version I made to display our family theme (lyrics from a beloved children's hymn):

Keep calm and carry on, friends!

A scientific stream of consciousness

My Dearest K:

It's the end of a long day and the natives are hungry/restless, but I trust that you know me well enough to make sense of the following train of thought...

Today's lesson plan = archaeology = archaeologist = 

 

Indiana Jones = I still haven't seen the movie = didn't you promise me a date?

Your adoring wife,

c

P.S. Harrison Ford's got nothing on you. Sexy Beast.

Mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful

You know that poem by E. E. Cummings. I'll bet you studied it in high school English. I confess I am no great reader of poetry--a bold statement coming from the English Sterling Scholar of Alta High School circa 1996 (better known as Major Nerd with Really Bad Hair and Above Average Penmanship)--but I do love that poem and its made-up words, and there is certainly no better way to describe a day like this:

 

We came home and the kids warmed up with a bath and cheese-stuffed sandwiches (a cross between grilled cheese and French toast--my own invention and a keeper if I do say so myself).

Not a bad way to start the second day of school.

Of mice and memories

Question: Was Stuart (a mouse) adopted by the Littles or did Mr. and Mrs. Little (humans) both have recessive rodent genes?

Discuss.

I mentioned earlier in the week that we finished reading E. B. White's Stuart Little together. Liv laughed out loud at certain places, which, in turn, made me laugh out loud. I wish I could recall specifically which parts were funny, but, as if often the case with shared fits of laugher, neither of us can now remember. ("What's so funny? I don't know. I thought you knew.") The experience as a whole was memorable, though.

Last year's birthday party, inspired by a different mouse:

Some other books we've read with memorable mice characters (apparently, we like mice):

Angelina Ballerina series by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig
Chrysanthemum and other books by Kevin Henkes
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

What should we read next? Do you have a favorite read-aloud, either from your childhood or that you've read recently with your child(ren)? Leave me a comment.

Weekend checklist

Sleep in: check

Distract first-born while the patriarch of the family plays Tooth Fairy (again): check

Bikes: check

 

Helmets: check

Backpack: check

Barbie: check

Hockey hair: check

Picnic dinner: check

The End.

(Today's to-do list: first official day of school! Wish us luck!)