Summer is coming to an end here in the good ol' US of A. No, in truth it lasts until the end of September, but you'd never guess that by the weather.
Am I looking forward to fall? Yes and no. Like most moms, I anticipate school starting back. I love Halloween -- it's one of my favorite holidays -- and this coming season is my favorite over-all.
But, unlike most moms, I can't look forward to my kids running off and leaving me alone for five or six hours a day. We home school. Yes, voluntarily. ;)
However, I do look forward to the new classes; to learning and re-learning new things along with my little brood. I enjoy watching their eyes light up when something 'clicks'. Most of the time I manage a silent chuckle when they ask the age-old question: "When will I EVER need this?!?!?!"
My answer? I usually say: "You won't, but do it anyway! You can torture your own kids with it someday."
Humor can soothe a lot of angst. ;)
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
How's it growing?
Summertime at our house means lots of things, but the primary change is that we plant a garden. Willingly? Not me. See the black thumb? Plants do NOT thrive under my 'care'. Hey, I figure I've gave birth to and raised (to some extent or other) five fairly healthy children. That deserves some credit, right?
My dh, however, is the farm boy. Literally. He grew up on one and knows quite a bit about the whole planting/harvesting process. What he still can't seem to figure out is why I do NOT want to plant vegetables that no one -- except him -- will ever eat. I love him, really, I do. But come on! They're called 'wax beans' for a reason! IE: They taste like WAX!
Anyhow, every year we go through the garden thing. He plows, tills, fertilizes, plants seeds and/or small plants, and we wait. Water. Weed. Wait some more. Repeat, ad naseum, until the whole thrill of growing our own veggies wears really thin. That time comes around August when the temps are up in the 90s; the humidity is about 70%; and the weeds are fast beating out the real plants.
Don't get me wrong -- I do enjoy growing our own food. Being able to pluck fresh tomatoes and corn right off the plant is great! And it tastes so much better than anything you can buy in the store. But it is a lot of work and I sometimes wonder (mostly on those 90+ days) if it's worth it all.
Yeah, when I think about it, I admit it is worth the work. We learn a lot from our garden. We've learned just how well zucchini can be frozen and how much the kids love zucchini bread in the fall. :) We actually have fun doing the work together, as a family. It's one of those schmaltzy bonding things we do. ;) Our kids learn the value of work and see the results in a relatively reasonable amount of time. Plus, it does save some money here and there.
Most importantly, we've learned what to grow and what not to bother with... remember those Wax Beans? Heh. Only two of plants actually grew from those seeds. *No, I didn't do a thing to them -- although I was sorely tempted.* We also learned, very early on, that 43 tomato plants is way, way too many. Even for a family of seven. :P
My dh, however, is the farm boy. Literally. He grew up on one and knows quite a bit about the whole planting/harvesting process. What he still can't seem to figure out is why I do NOT want to plant vegetables that no one -- except him -- will ever eat. I love him, really, I do. But come on! They're called 'wax beans' for a reason! IE: They taste like WAX!
Anyhow, every year we go through the garden thing. He plows, tills, fertilizes, plants seeds and/or small plants, and we wait. Water. Weed. Wait some more. Repeat, ad naseum, until the whole thrill of growing our own veggies wears really thin. That time comes around August when the temps are up in the 90s; the humidity is about 70%; and the weeds are fast beating out the real plants.
Don't get me wrong -- I do enjoy growing our own food. Being able to pluck fresh tomatoes and corn right off the plant is great! And it tastes so much better than anything you can buy in the store. But it is a lot of work and I sometimes wonder (mostly on those 90+ days) if it's worth it all.
Yeah, when I think about it, I admit it is worth the work. We learn a lot from our garden. We've learned just how well zucchini can be frozen and how much the kids love zucchini bread in the fall. :) We actually have fun doing the work together, as a family. It's one of those schmaltzy bonding things we do. ;) Our kids learn the value of work and see the results in a relatively reasonable amount of time. Plus, it does save some money here and there.
Most importantly, we've learned what to grow and what not to bother with... remember those Wax Beans? Heh. Only two of plants actually grew from those seeds. *No, I didn't do a thing to them -- although I was sorely tempted.* We also learned, very early on, that 43 tomato plants is way, way too many. Even for a family of seven. :P
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Summertime blahs...
A fellow author was complaining recently about her teenage daughter's penchant for sitting around doing nothing. I started thinking about it, wondering how many other moms and dads out there have this problem?
I remember during my summers off of school. I would be so thrilled for about a week or two, then bored out of my mind. I'd spend most of my time reading and watching television, with the odd trip or two to a pool with friends. Summer vacations were few and being a typical teen, I was determined to NOT enjoy them. LOL!
How do you keep your kids busy when the excitement of "No school!" becomes the whine of "I'm Bored!" ??? Or maybe worse yet, they just sit there like lumps of modeling clay, baking in the glow of the television screen, refusing to do a blasted thing?
I make mine read. Well, the older two don't need any threats where that's concerned. We also have the blessing of a YMCA family membership, so many afternoons are spent at the pool. They also have sleepovers; the odd movie here and there; lazy days watching cartoons and bouncing on the trampoline. My children are pretty good at keeping themselves entertained. It's when they start arguing that I have to step in and give them something different to do.
Anyone want to share their tricks or secrets? Or you can just vent if you'd like. (GGG)
I remember during my summers off of school. I would be so thrilled for about a week or two, then bored out of my mind. I'd spend most of my time reading and watching television, with the odd trip or two to a pool with friends. Summer vacations were few and being a typical teen, I was determined to NOT enjoy them. LOL!
How do you keep your kids busy when the excitement of "No school!" becomes the whine of "I'm Bored!" ??? Or maybe worse yet, they just sit there like lumps of modeling clay, baking in the glow of the television screen, refusing to do a blasted thing?
I make mine read. Well, the older two don't need any threats where that's concerned. We also have the blessing of a YMCA family membership, so many afternoons are spent at the pool. They also have sleepovers; the odd movie here and there; lazy days watching cartoons and bouncing on the trampoline. My children are pretty good at keeping themselves entertained. It's when they start arguing that I have to step in and give them something different to do.
Anyone want to share their tricks or secrets? Or you can just vent if you'd like. (GGG)
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