Dr. Seuss and All That Jazz

During the summer of 2009 my mom had obtained a treasure trove of sixteen Dr. Seuss books at a garage sale and stored them away.  Grandma found the books and gave them to us shortly after mom past away this past fall.  As with any loss of a loved one, it takes time to be able to dig out personal items that have connections to the loved one as was the case here.  

Last week I rediscovered those books when I was tidying up our basement.  Pumpkin has fallen in love with quite a few of the books.   

His favorite one of the bunch is Green Eggs and Ham.  I think this fits my son perfectly; he absolutely hates to try any new foods.  It cracks me up that he enjoys the book so much and wants the character to eat the green eggs and ham, but he will not do the same thing.  Spaghetti- Forget about it!  Homemade macaroni and cheese- Nope!  Hamburger- No way!  Carrots- Yuck!  I know with time, he will warm up to new foods, but at times it can be a challenge to us parents.

Another favorite of Pumpkin is Bears In the Night.  He likes to help me read this book.  “Out of bed”  “To the window” “Down the tree”  I have him fill-in the underlined words and pick different ones throughout the book.  If he needs help, I point to the object.  He has lots of fun with this book and loves the source of the mysterious noise.

His first vivid enjoyment of Dr. Seuss inspired books was Go. Dog. Go!.   He fell in love with this book when he was 18 months old.  We were visiting family along the west coast and they had a copy of this book on their shelf.  We read it almost every day during our visit.  He could quote parts of the “Do you like my hat?” pages.  As soon as we arrived home, I ventured up to a locally owned family store and bought a copy for my little pumpkin.

Princess is not quite as impressed with Dr. Seuss yet.  A few books she gave up on quite early in the reading process (One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish), but seems to enjoy In A People House and The Cat and The Hat. 

I like Dr. Seuss books for a variety of reasons- some teach lessons, some have funny rhymes, my favorite aspect is the illustrations, and best of all they are just fun!

Kids Will Be Kids

Pumpkin and Princess had the chance to play outside between daycare and supper this evening.  They sure did seem to have quite a bit of fun.  We started off cleaning up part of the flower bed by the front of the house.  We filled up a whole wheel barrel of leaves, dead plants, and sticks.  When I say "we", I really mean "me."  Pumpkin put in three or four sticks and Princess put in one handful of leaves.  They played on the front steps and ran around the shag bark hickory trees while I worked.  Once we filled up the wheel barrel, we moved it next to the garage for daddy to empty later.

Then we really had some fun.  We played on the little slide that my mom had bought the kids about two years ago.  Then Princess trampled some of my spring flowers in the bed next to the garage, much to my disbelief.  Then the play changed to tapping the bark of the maple tree with sticks.  My kids LOVE to play with sticks.  Princess commonly has a stick in each hand.  They are nature's play toys and very easy to find this time of the year.  I was able to get a few shots in with the camera before it was time to head inside with the pizza that daddy brought home.  

It was a great evening!

Spring Excursion

Today I had the chance to wander along the trails 

at a local nature center and through my own yard.  

Look what I found today along the trails!
 

Hepatica Blooms

Bloodroot Bloom

Moss Sporophytes

Dutchman's Breeches Foliage

Prairie Sky

Look what I found today in my yard!

Flowering Maple

Flowering Shrub

Canada Goose On The Pond

Algae And Tree Reflections On The Pond

Check back for more fun nature photos!

The Comfort of Cooking

Chicken, Cheese & Spinach Manicotti

I've been cooking up a storm lately.  Cooking be a great stress reliever and new recipes can make life more exciting!  It can be a very rewarding "me" time, which can transport me temporarily into another world where children and stress usual are suppressed.  My favorite cooking sites right now are Kraft Foods and All Recipes.

The anticipation of the new recipe is exhilarating.  Is it going to be great or a flop?  Should we invite a guest to join in tasting the new dish?  What modifications do I need to make to prevent an allergic reaction?  Did I read the labels correctly at the store?  How can I tweak it for the next time?  So many questions and so many recipes to try.

Since we periodically get half a cow from the family business, we have quite a few unusual cuts in our freezer that I have been experimenting on how to cook.  I have also been try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into the menu in an effort to eat healthier. 

In the past week, I have prepared the following new recipes: Swedish Meatballs, Slow Cooker BBQ Short Ribs, McCormick Stuffed French Toast, and Chicken, Cheese & Spinach Manicotti.  All of the recipes have turned out great and are all on my list to make again. 

Upcoming recipes in the next month include:  Slow Cooker Short Rib Stroganoff, Beef Tongue (step 1 of the recipe), Rustic Chocolate-Cinnamon Bread Pudding (I love bread pudding and this sound fabulous), and quite a few more.  

I'm looking forward to my next new recipe adventure later the week.   No telling which new recipe I'll try next, but I'm hoping that it will be quite tasty!

Wetland Adventure

Pumpkin and Daddy during a family walk on March 12, 2011

This evening we took a family adventure to a local wetland.  We parked the family car in a nearby gravel parking lot.  The sun was shining and cool breeze filled the air.  We all put our hoods up on our jackets ready for our adventure.  Daddy and pumpkin took the lead down the winding gravel trail to the observation mound.  Princess and mommy followed the boys.  Last year's prairie grass rustled in the breeze.  Canada geese could be heard in the distance calling out to their friends.  

This time of the year is a great time to see migrating waterfowl passing through.  Daddy loves to watch and identify the migrants.  The kids played on the rock wall on top of the observation mound as daddy gazed into the wetland.  Pumpkin was having fun standing on the rock wall and jumping at the low spot (about one foot down).  Princess was more demanding and had daddy lift and lower her from the wall.  We forgot to bring binoculars and the camera along, so daddy was unable to identify the smaller waterfowl and I was unable to take photographs.

After about 20 minutes, because of the cool breeze, we headed back to the car.  Neither child wanted to leave, but I was able to coax pumpkin and he followed me down the path.  He walked along the wall as far as it would take him.  Then he would stop each time he reached a ledge and waited for someone's hand to help him down to the next level.  Princess of course, followed pumpkin until we reached the end of the wall.  Then princess wanted to return to the top of the mound and walk down the wall again.  Pumpkin on the other hand, skipped, jumped, tromped, walked, and ran back to the car with mommy.  We of course made it back to the car first, so we hid behind the car and pumpkin would jump very high (with mommy's help) to see where daddy and princess were.  With much kicking and scream on princess's part daddy eventually returned to the car with our precious little girl.  

Thus ends our wetland outing.  Next time we will remember to bring the binoculars and the camera.  We will also need to remember to have a treat waiting in the car to coax the children when it is time to go.