Sorry... Bad blogger...

So I haven't posted over here in a while. We've been busy with summer stuff like going to the beach and visiting family. Kids had swimming lessons, we found sand dollars on the beach after a storm, went hiking...

Oh, and there was a possum. It got into my parents' basement, and tried to come up to the kitchen for food. There was a bit of a scuffle, and it took two live traps and three -- no, four -- different kinds of bait. It managed to eat dry cat food, wet cat food, and sardines without setting off the trap, but in the second trap, it was caught with a little dish of ice cream. Mom and Dad found it a new home in the woods, away from kids, cats, and dogs. Mom said it looked relieved to get away.

Right now, we're busy with the whole "getting ready for back-to-school" thing. The Girl-child and DinoBoy needed new stuff because they don't have anybody to pass stuff along from, and VelcroBoy needed new because DinoBoy skips sizes and VelcroBoy hardly grows. He's seven, and he still has size 4 shorts that fit. He's too tall for the pants, but the shorts...well, they're a tiny bit short, but not so you'd notice, honestly. They're not even tight through the waist. So he needed a few more things to replace the stuff he's worn out, but DinoBoy's last-year stuff kinda drowns him, so...

Hopefully, we can turn this into something, soon. I have ideas for stuff I want to do with them, soonish. Or I'll just put up pics of some of the fun stuff we've done this summer. :D

upcoming...

I've kind of not had a lot of opportunity for posting here, as we've had a long, frustrating week with no opportunities for messy family fun, but...

This weekend, I think we're going to do something crafty but flat (fingerpaints, maybe? I haven't decided) that can be mailed on Monday to various grandmothers in honor of Mother's Day on the 13th.

And then next weekend, the Girl-child is running in a 5K, but I also would really like to do some papier-mache with the kids. The boys have been creating suits of armor out of cardboard; I'm thinking papier-mache helmets would be really awesome to go with that.  And Girl-child can make a Mardi Gras-type mask, or something. We can stop to pick up various supplies when we're out for the 5K, and this recipe for papier-mache paste looks really simple.

A few other things I'd like to try: tie-dye, solar photography, maybe even homemade paper. I keep my eyes open for kits at places like Big Lots and Wal-Mart and Barnes and Noble. I also have a craft book (or two or three) that I can cruise for ideas. So, we'll see how things go!

Hope you're having a happy, messy time!

Welcome Aboard!

I've been thinking lately that I'd like to have a place to concentrate more on the Mommying part of my life, separate from the reading (and maybe hopefully one day writing) part.

I have a Daughter, 11 years old, and two boys, 8 and 6, and we like to do stuff together, and frequently it gets messy. We bake, we do science experiments, we do the occasional art project. Sometimes it's my idea, sometimes it's theirs, and many of the science things come from my mom, who's a college professor with a PhD in biochemistry.

So, this is where we'll chronicle our adventures, trips, experiments and projects. Sometimes, I might let the kids guest-post, or I'll include their thoughts and responses in my post. There will be pictures!

Come play with us!