Summer Planning.

My mother always made us new plans for the summer. It included summer reading lists, new chore lists and the fun planned activities or classes.

So Kate is now signed up for Princess Dance for July. And I found a reading list I will be working off for a while here. I would put a beautiful picture of a stacked books [here]. But my computer isn't up for it.

Still waiting Peter.

My kind brother is sending me his old, but newer than mine, laptop.

So while I am in exile from a truly working computer, I will just post the  link to this awesome book list I found for the 3-5 year old range..

Lastly, I completed this photo version of a chore list for Kate, which I'll post as a generic one so that you can freely steal.  I am giving her one penny for each daily chore she does and a nickel for doing some of the harder chores. And at the end of the week I plan on paying her from our large change bucket so that she can "save" and buy something at the end of the month.

Our fun summer activities include:
1) The Phoenix Zoo (it has a water park too)
2) The Phoenix Children's Museum
3) Sleepovers with friends
4) Storytime on Thursday at Barnes and Noble. I plan on trying to purchase a small book each time we go since we are enrolled in their kids program and it gives a discount. It will make it more exciting to "find" a book and bring it home, since we always get library books.

More sticky situations

For those of you who read my article on eating sugar in moderation, here is another interesting chapter in this sweet debate.

Agave nectar has been hotly debated lately and, for good reason, as it is derived by a heat process and is in fact  processed no differently in our bodies than other simple sugars.

Here is a very interesting (albeit technical) article and rebuttal from an owner of a company that produces agave nectar.

Happy Birthday Little Man

Guess who is one today?

Our little moose has gotten a little skinnier with the flu this past week, but we every ounce just as much!

Sufficient.

Things were very different six years ago.

People used to say, "What's a blog?" when I moved to Arizona and started writing online. What I said was very popular for a while. Because not too many people were blogging.

Then came the kids. Written communication takes time to craft. When you have two kids two years apart, you don't have much time. Even nap times become less reliable sources of "free time" because your chances of being uninterrupted are reduced exponentially by a boy, a girl and a dog.

So, instead of twenty posts a month, I am down to four or five.


I feel this issue has two sides: the essence of relationship and the essential nature of information. Electronic information is not going away. It is becoming more essential every day. But, I have begun to feel this pull in the opposite direction at the same time as the blog world, the information age and the electronic overload exist. I feel the need for real. Not a Tweet. Not a status update. Not a text. Real people. Real conversations. Real topics. I just always want to remember the purpose for communication is building. Information means nothing to me if it does not build something or someone.

Martin Luther is quoted for saying, "If one wants to change the world, he must pick up his pen". I too believe in communication.

I also believe communication must be balanced with silence.

So I write less. I post a few pictures for my grandmother. I am busy with life, the real parts. I try to build reality even if it is with my scrub brush and bleach. I aim to strengthen the relationships around me.

I could feel guilty in this age of information--but in the end it doesn't matter how many blogs I follow, or if I know the world news everyday, or I haven't learned the latest free coupon+sale price. I remember to keep building and that is sufficient.

The Three Amigos

 At Drew's Soccer Party

 The First Sleepover and our Garden Desserts

Easter Morning at Starbucks