Don’t forget to enter our Caption Contest!
July 11, 2012
July 10, 2012
Our Beach Vacation
Last week was spent at the Jersey Shore with our entire extended family.
At one point, there were 45 of us on the beach, and that doesn’t count the friends who came and went throughout the week.
Here’s what beach week with the family looks like for us:
Ice Cream and mini-golf at Barnacle Bills
Walks on the boardwalk.
Games and relaxation.
Beaching it.
Daily fresh fruit from the Farmer’s Market.
Hitting the library.
Hanging with the family.
Waiting for the garbage man (don’t ask).
Rides at the Seaside Boardwalk.
…and the best invention of all time…the outdoor shower!!!
Eventually it was time to go and my monkeys comforted each other…
…but they know we’ll be back next year!
Don’t forget to enter our Caption Contest!
July 9, 2012
Caption Contest
Okay, everyone! It’s time for a contest!
Haven’t sponsored one in awhile, so I’ve decided to go with a caption contest!
Please enter the contest by writing your caption in the comments, below.
The prize?
A $25 iTunes gift card!
Winner will be chosen at random, but I look forward to some creative, hilarious captions, because I know I’ve got a smart, funny audience!
So, here’s your photo…give it your best shot!
(Contest closes Friday evening at 8:00 pm…winner to be announced Sunday!)
July 8, 2012
Beauty That Moves
Today, I’d like you to visit a site that I go to every single day.
It’s called Beauty That Moves.
It’s written by Heather, who writes and shares photos that touch me, on a regular basis.
Her posts are reflections of her days with her family, and as I read, I consistently find myself yearning for the kind of quiet, simple life that she leads.
It is in the moments that I read her blog that I long to sell it all, take Real Man and the monkeys and move to a small, quiet town in New England, homeschool, and spend our days exploring the world, together.
It is in her blog that I dream.
So, please, take a few moments and visit Beauty That Moves.
I guarantee you’ll be mesmerized by her photos, comforted by her words, and feel much more calm and peaceful than when you came.
July 7, 2012
My Town – Part II
I grew up, right up the street from this park.
When I was a kid, you would look out and all you would see was two ponds, side by side.
One, used for skating in the winter, feeding the ducks in the summer, and strolling around all year long…the other, used for fishing and for being mysterious.
Since I was a child, however, nature has grown up around the ponds, and while the man-made stone walls allow you a vision of pond #1, pond #2 is all but obscured by the brush.
While I miss the old view, the new is pretty darn beautiful, as well.
My summers were spent going to the pool, then across the street to the baseball fields to catch a Little League game, then to the park, which backed up to the fields.
Pond #2 had a little sandy peninsula that you had to crawl through the brush to access, and Gail and I spent hours and hours there, imagining, pretending, playing.
Tiny and Monkey Girl were loving the view, as it is today.
In the park stands a statue of Thomas Paine.
If you don’t know who Thomas Paine is, and you are an American, shame on you.
(And, click his name, above, to get to the Wikipedia link)
In this park stands the largest statue of Thomas Paine, in the world.
It’s beautiful.
When we were kids, there was this rumor of a mysterious woman who would come and put a rose at the base of the statue.
We were always on the lookout for her, but as far as I know, none of us ever saw her.
We did, however, always find the rose on the statue.
Anyway, happy to have introduced Tiny to the park, we decided to go on our way and return another time, when the big boys could join us.
July 6, 2012
Shoe Problem
We have a problem in our home.
A big problem.
A problem of epic proportions.
It occurs in different rooms in the house, and it’s growing, now that summer is here.
The Living Room:
The Library:
The Kitchen:
During the school year, there’s a routine.
Kids get off the bus, come in the front door, shoes go directly in the closet.
Summer?
Not so much.
They are in and out the front door, the door that leads to the garage, the two sliders to the deck.
Anywhere and everywhere, and the shoes and flip-flops just go a-flying.
Drives me insane.
So, while I declutter and purge this summer, I’ll also be creating summertime shoe rules.
Who knew we’d need them?
July 5, 2012
Why Are American Kids So Spoiled?
My friend, Stacey, who writes the amazing blog, From Grind to Whine, recently posted this article on Facebook.
You’ll remember that I posted a link to an article about why French children are so much more patient than American children, and while this one draws many of the same conclusions, it offers some other insights for us.
As the mother of a 6 and an 8 year old who cannot tie their own shoes, (we buy velcro), I found the article compelling, and I was interested to reflect on my own parenting behavior.
I definitely don’t engage in many of the behaviors that they mention and Real Man and I are nothing if not consistent with the “no’s.” However, none of our kids would have been cutting through the bush with a machete at age 3. That, I can guarantee.
So, as always, it’s good to read and reflect and make some changes to help empower the kids. I hope you read, enjoy and reflect!
July 4, 2012
July 3, 2012
My Town – Part I
We live in Morristown, New Jersey.
I don’t think I’m giving away any big secrets, with this one, as most readers of my blog know me, and those who don’t could easily find out this information.
Besides, it’s important information for today’s post.
We live in Morristown, New Jersey.
It’s the military capital of the American Revolution.
(See why it’s important…being almost July 4th and all?)
Monkey Girl and I have been taking our time in the morning, while the big boys are at rec, to explore our town.
I grew up here and have lived here all my life, with the exception of 4 years of college and 8 years in a neighboring town, and I find that I still love it so very much.
There is so much history here, in Morristown.
The other morning, we decided to walk around the Green.
So much history in that one little part of town.
Monkey Girl chatting it up with Washington, Hamilton, and LaFayette.
Not Revolutionary, but a beautiful monument, nonetheless. I particularly like the canons that are hidden in the flora.
My beautiful church. Explanation above, photo below.
Beautiful park, with tables for playing checkers or chess, right in the midst of all the history.
All that history made us hungry, so we went for a bagel.
Not all of us were so impressed.
So, that’s just the center of town, and it’s easy to see why a history buff, like me, can get so excited about living in this place.
Summer has just begun, and Monkey Girl and I have a long list of places to explore in our town, so be on the lookout for My Town – Part II, III, IV.
You get the picture.
July 2, 2012
Monday Musings
-You may remember that all of the monkeys were born in February. That is also when we had their birthday parties. I just sent out their thank you’s last week. Now working on the Thank-You’s from Monkey in the Middle’s First Communion in May.
-Tiny’s car seat is the gift that keeps on giving, as far as he’s concerned. There are Cheerios stuck in every nook and cranny of that seat, and I actually use those Cheerios to bribe him to let me clip him in when we are leaving somewhere he doesn’t want to leave. I say, “OOh! Cheerios!” and he gets excited, and I extract one from a fold in the carseat. He’s thrilled, I clip in fast, and we’re on our way. I should actually clean it out, but…no.
-In the summer, if I wasn’t going anywhere that anyone would see me, I’d happily wear the same clothes every single day. No laundry and I’m not really that sweaty, so eh.
-As I write this, Baby Monkey has had fruit for breakfast, lunch and snacks for the past 4 days. He has whatever I make for dinner, but the rest of the day, and for dessert, he chooses fruit. I realize, as far as things a 6 year old could be choosing to eat, fruit is a good thing, but there should probably be some variety in his day. The way I figure, though, is that at least he won’t get scurvy.
-Real Man gets up, every morning, weekday or weekend, around 5:30 and goes for a long walk through the neighborhood or on the nearby path system. I miss him when he goes (I’d love to go too, but you know…4 little monkeys in the house and all) but his spot is never empty for long. Monkey in the Middle usually hears him leave and comes right in to snuggle. It is really, really nice time spent with a little guy who is never still during waking hours. We whisper and talk about what we’ll be doing that day, and just spend some nice Mommy/Monkey time together. One of my favorite parts of the day.
-There’s an ecard for everything, it seems, and sometimes, it can get to be too much. But, sometimes, I can’t help myself and they make me laugh and laugh and laugh. I thought I’d share a few I stumbled across the other day:
