Summer activity #1

School's out for summer! It is a good thing and a challenge. The challenge is keeping my kids active and avoiding hearing that dreaded "I'm bored!" I'm compiling a list of things we want to do, things to keep their brains occupied (to avoid the summer slide in math), and places to visit that are fairly close by. Of course, we'll go on a family vacation and attend a vacation Bible school. There may also be swim lessons but what about the rest of the time? Well, a mom has to get creative, especially since day camps are expensive!

Activity #1 - Painting Rocks

My youngest did this yesterday since he was already out of school and looking for things to do.

Cost? Free! Well, if you don't count the paint, that is. Washing the rocks can also be part of the fun. I've included a painting tip in my photo. Use a cheap ice cube tray (think dollar store) for holding paint.Pin It

Kindergarten Graduation

This is a very short blog post due to busy week.

I had to share this photo from Kindergarten graduation which was last Friday.
Every child received an award and said what they want to be when they grow up.
My son's award? The Isaac Newton Award for Science. :)
What does he want to be? An artist.Pin It

My great find!

I was going to write a post about my amazing find at the thrift store today but then I decided to write about my ultimate find.... my husband J.

Today is my 13th Anniversary! J and I were married in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on May 16, 1998. I love my husband. He is brilliant, funny, a fantastic father, and a great support to me.

This is him playing with our boys and a friend, taken a few years ago. I'm so glad that God brought our lives together. In fact, our wedding bands have this inscription - Deus Nos Iunxit - which is Latin for "God has joined us together."

I don't have our wedding photos in digital format but here is one to share. Pin It

What's happening in my garden?

Well, in a word, planting.

I went to two plant sales a few weeks ago. One was the Alderwood Garden Club's sale and the other was at Lynnwood High School (part of their horticulture program). I love getting plants for 99 cents and $1.99 each!

My youngest son has joined me in the garden. He helped me plant potatoes.
Vegetables planted in my raised bed (made by my father in law)
- sugar snap peas
- carrots

Flower seeds planted:
- sweet peas
- snapdragons
- zinnias
- cosmos
- sunflowers

What's blooming? Its mainly tulips right now.
These tulips (mixed with the white ones) are almost black in colour:

I created my own window box. I found inspiration here. Mine contains ivy, bacopa, petunia and a white geranium. Can you guess the theme?

I love my succulent box:
I recommend succulents for any gardener even a beginner or someone with a "brown thumb." They hardly need any soil and are very easy to grow plus they don't require much maintenance. You can put them in just about any container.Pin It

Amber's Photos

A few days ago my boys and I had our photos taken by the talented Amber of Tres Birds Photography. You can see us here.Pin It

Canada's Election

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

I don't usually discuss politics on my blog but today Canada held an election and my friend Paula asked me to explain the Canadian political parties so I'll do my best. I worked in Canadian politics for six years, including 3 years on Parliament Hill (where the government of Canada is located).

I'll *try* to keep this short since my 4 loyal readers don't come here for politics. :)

Tonight there was a big, big change to the Canadian political landscape. The Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper won 166 seats (as of 10:30 pm PST) out of the 308 in the Parliament which means they will form a majority government. Last time around the Conservatives had a minority government.This means more stability and less elections. A minitory government can be defeated by a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons. The Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff, caused this most recent election by such a vote on March 25, 2011. Canada has had 4 national elections in the last 7 years.

The Liberal party, which governed Canada from 1993 until 2006 went from 77 seats down to 34 seats and third place. The Liberals have either been the government or the Official Opposition for most of the last century.

The New Democratic Party, the socialist party, was a big winner, especially in the province of Quebec. The NDP went from 37 seats to 103 (59 of those in Quebec).

To understand Canada, you have to know about Quebec and the drive for sovereignty. There are a lot of Quebecers who want to separate from Canada and become a country. The party that promotes Quebec sovereignty is the Bloc Quebecois. When I worked in Ottawa in the 1990s, the separatists, who want to split Canada up, were the Official Opposition in the House of Commons! The BQ went from having 47 seats in Parliament down to 4 seats! For the first time in 20 years, a majority of the seats in Quebec were won by a federalist party (the New Democrats). This is good for Canada as a whole.

I would like to see the BQ party dissolve. Canada has too many political parties. For many years the conservative vote was split between the Progressive Conservatives and the Reform Party. In 2003, these parties merged and became the Conservative Party of Canada. The liberal/left-wing vote in Canada is split three ways between the Liberals, the NDP, and the Green Party. I don't think Canada will ever have just two political parties like the US but a few less parties would make for a better parliament.

Voter turnout was around 58%.

Well, if you want to read more about the Canadian election, I highly recommend Mark Steyn's column.Pin It

Great Wolf Lodge and Springtime in Seattle

April has been such a jam-packed month. This is only a fraction of what our family's been up to this month. Over Spring Break we went to Great Wolf Lodge. Unfortunately, everyone else in the PNW was there at the same time so it was pretty crazy. Lining up just to check *in* to a hotel is LAME and puts you in a bad mood! The room we stayed in had a "kid cabin" which the boys loved. A got to sleep on the top bunk for the first time. The artwork is cute. The boys enjoyed the water area, especially the wave pool, and doing the treasure hunt. Hubby and I wished that they were braver and had gone on more slides. I kind of made my youngest go on River Canyon Run with me. Bad mommy! It was pretty fast but completely safe and I held him the whole time! I found a video of a family on it.

One of my favourite spots in the Seattle area, especially in the early Spring, is the Arboretum aka the UW Botanic Gardens. This place is huge! Such a great place to walk.My favourite trees - magnolias - weren't in full bloom when we went (April 17th) but it was still beautiful. My boys are a little bored there (no playground) but my hubby told them they could play spies and spy on me. Shaking the tree to make it snow is another fun activity.My son is such a sweetie. He "picked" this flower for me. :)Pin It

Boys of Summer? Make that Winter!

I'm officially a baseball mom! My oldest son is on a sports team for the first time ever. Practices started a few weeks ago. We haven't exactly had good baseball weather. Cold, rain, and even snow today! The first game was Saturday, April 2nd. All four members of our family went. My youngest son wasn't too enthused. He thought the game would be at a stadium with bleachers, popcorn, an announcer, and a scoreboard. This pretty much sums up his feelings: Poor guy! He was happier in the car. :) It was about 44 degrees, if I remember correctly.
The players "dugout":Here's my slugger at the bat. (I blurred out the name of the league for privacy.)
It was so cold that some players had a huddle to keep warm!My son made contact with the ball several times, played shortstop, and enjoyed himself despite the cold. I'm so proud of him!

Here's my hubby's report on the game:
The (my son's team name) managed to dig out of an early 5-0 deficit to the (other team) with a series of infield hits in the second and third innings. In the end the (other team's) greater experience paid off with an 11-10 win. The (my son's team name) still have some work to do on their ground game and especially in chasing down the ball.Pin It

A Victorian Birthday

For my birthday this year, I did something very different. I traveled by myself to Victoria. My parents live there and I hadn't seen them since Christmas. My brave hubby took on the boys for 3 days. It was a much needed break for me. No driving and no cooking!

Mom and I went to the Mecca for tea lovers - Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress. The waitress said to us, "Welcome to Tea," which sounded to me like - there is no other! The food is wonderful and the tea is hot, black (if you prefer) and served up right! It is pretty spendy but once every 3 years or so is worth it.
I was finally able to see The King's Speech. Kind of strange to take my parents to an R rated movie. :)I enjoyed a long walk by the Strait of Juan De Fuca (aka the open ocean) with Mom followed by some shopping in Oak Bay and James Village.I stayed at Marketa's Bed and Breakfast. My hubby and I have been staying at this B&B for over 10 years! I recommend it to visitors to Victoria. The breakfast is fantastic and I love the character of the 1912 house which has been renovated to include hot tubs in many of the rooms. My sweet hubby surprised me by sending flowers to my room!Pin It

Please excuse the dirt under my fingernails

I've been gardening! Woohoo! The beginning of the season is so exciting. So much optimism, so much naïveté. :)

Here is what I've planted so far. I have to do a lot of weeding, unfortunately.Work before play!

Lily of the Valley

Bleeding Heart - I planted 2 tubers

I also put a few of these

Ranunculus

in my flower bed. They are "tender" perennials, which means I'll have to dig them up in the fall because they won't over-winter. No problem. I think they are worth it.

Note: I did not take any of these photos myself. I think I want a macro lens for my birthday (this Saturday). That's what you need to take really amazing flower photos. Sweetie???

Pin It

Spring might be coming after all!

Yes, spring might actually be coming to Seattle. Here are some signs:

1. My crocuses are blooming!

2. Baseball practice started yesterday. Yes, I've joined the ranks of those who shuttle their kids back and from extra-curricular activities. My oldest son is now on a baseball team for the first time in his life! I'm thankful I didn't have to stay at the field for the entire practice because it was 44 degrees, rainy, and windy. Brrr! My youngest and I warmed up at the library.

A practicing his catching.

3. My boys played outside in the backyard today because (for the first time in AGES) it wasn't raining!Pin It

Button headband

Ever since I saw the idea for a button headband, I've been mildly obsessed. I have a huge button collection (this is only some of them)
and a headband is a perfect way to use them.

I've made 3 headbands so far - white, brown, and turquoise.
My hair isn't really that red, it's the flash and the artificial lights. :)

Instructions for the headband? Pretty simple.
1. buy a few elastic headbands. Dollar Tree has a collection that includes a wide one that is perfect for this project. I like the thinner ones made by Goody (show below). They come packaged in three (I believe) for about $3.00. Don't quote me on that, though. I got mine at WalMart.
2. gather up the buttons. Make sure you have enough for the headband. You don't need to cover the entire headband.
3. Use thicker craft/button thread for best results. I matched the thread to the buttons.
4. Sew. This craft is perfect for doing while watching a movie or TV.

Note: you can sew the buttons very close together since the headband stretches quite a bit. If you aren't bothered by gaps between the buttons, don't worry about this.

I'm linking up with a Crafty Soiree at Yesterday on Tuesday and Chic and Crafty.Pin It

A Taste of Spring at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show!

It had been a rough week. First, my oldest son was sick, then my younger son started coughing, then it snowed and snowed, school was canceled, twice, it was very, very cold (for these parts). We were supposed to get away for a short family vacation but sickness kept us home. I spent several days stuck at home for various reasons. You get the picture. So, what does a woman do? She packs up her son (home from school with a cough) and says, guess where we're going? The garden show!

It was very kid friendly. Kids were even admitted free! They had a scavenger hunt in the display gardens. A piggy bank was hidden and you wrote down where you found it and once you had found all twenty, you would receive a prize. I didn't tell my son about the prize. We spent 90 minutes at the show ( a long time for a 5 year old) and we found 12 of the pigs. I need to send the organizers a note about that little problem.
My favourite display garden (from a gardening and style perspective) was the one done by Christianson's Nursery which is located in Mount Vernon.
My favourite display garden for kid appeal was this Wind in the Willows one.

There was even a little rowboat for C to sit in and watch a little of the Wind in the Willows DVD.
Here is a display with a wolf theme. This is the pigs' brick house.The Alice in Wonderland was the most crowded area. Here's the Queen of Hearts.This is display (using a shipping container as a shed) was created by a 17 year old girl!
I was *amazed* by the displays. Did you know they have 72 hours to set everything up? I would love to see the work that goes on to bring in all those trees and plants!This one was the most jaw-dropping. It looked like the Woodland Park Zoo! There was even a "Sasquatch" hiding by a tree. Can you see him there? If I had more time and my son wasn't with me I would have made notes and taken more flower photos. One cool idea was a path made of walnut shells.
I enjoyed our outing but next year.... I'm going to spend the whole day there. There was so much more to see, especially the vendor area. I did see a booth with some beautiful wreaths.Who's going with me next year?? :)Pin It

If you need a laugh, and don't we all......

Pin It

Good quote

I've been home almost all day, enjoying some kid-free time. Thanks, Hubby! I've been purging, sorting, organizing, and cleaning. The recycle bin is overflowing with paper and that is a very good thing.

I was going through a home design book and found this:

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance,
the wise man grows it under his feet."
-Proverb

I'm also thinking about gardening since peas can be planted on or after President's Day in my region. I hope this year's weather is better than last year's!Pin It