5.23.2009

What makes a good mom a super mom?


Ritz crackers, peanut butter, and marshmallows. (Norma, I hear you never served this snack. Could that be true?) When I was little, I ate Twinkies, Hostess hohos, gummy coke bottles, Soda pop and slurpies (thanks to the 7-11 down the street), fireballs by the dozen, and those yummy hand pies that come in the wax paper wrapper (lemon and apple only~ you have to have standards). I am the mom that the kids come to when they want to know the ingredients in a Three Musketeer bar or what Fun Dip is.

The Roses






These roses were planted by the mean old lady who grew up in this house (we bought from them). She grew up some "mean" roses and now we get to enjoy them every day. Thanks mean old lady! That second one is a freaky twin rose.

5.22.2009

Zoo trip with Grandpa




The kids and I hung out with Grandpa yesterday. Grandpa is getting a taste of the after school "pick up" routine. We took the kids to the zoo and rode the train. Of course, we all got ice cream treats before dinner. The fruit bats were the prefered animal viewing for the day.

The Art Show



The after-school program that Carson goes to presented their Annual Art Show on Wednesday. Here is Carson with her sketch. I call it "Still Life with Sneaker". The next in a bowl was from her friend Claire.

5.20.2009

Field Guides

We have the field guides to
Trees in Oregon
Pacific Northwest Insects
Common Birds
and now.....(thanks to the Audubon House Clearance Table)
Identifying Oregon/California Ferns and Common Seashells in North America.

The last time I checked, I said I wasn't going to home school.....but wouldn't it be fun!

Adventures with Sam, the wonderkid






Yesterday Sam and I went to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden and hiked around Reed college. The Rhodies were gorgeous and the weather was better. We saw Canadian geese with new babies and tons of flowers.
Today we went to the Audubon Society and hiked around there (Forest Park). We hung out by a little lake and saw a family of Mallard ducks ~mom, dad, and 9 babies. We thought it was so cute that the babies would hop up onto the Lilly pads and sit when they got tired. Sam loved squishing through the mud and looking for bugs. We went to find bugs, but only really saw a few bumble bees and ducks. We did see an awesome salamander in the pond, too. Sam was completely creeped out by the taxidermy in the Audubon house. They have bald eagles, beavers, bobcats, and lots of various small animals and birds. He wanted to know where there guts were. He kept asking if the eyes were marble replacements then did someone cut out their eyes???? He said that would give him nightmares if he had to cut animal eyes out. He got to lead the way and pick the path which made him quite pleased with himself.

5.18.2009

29 years ago




Today is the 29th anniversary of the big eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I was out yesterday on a beautiful spring day and had full view of the mountain. I always get butterflies when I get a glimpse of her on a clear day. It still takes me by surprise that the entire top of a mountain can be blown off. We are hoping to take a road/camping trip there this summer to check it out up close.

The first photo is from http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/StHelens.html where you can check out cool photos.