Every Summer, the same thing happens: I make all kinds of plans(see below post) to make the Summer last and then I blink and it's August. Aaron and I have been discussing ways to mark our days and be a little more mindful of the passage of time. Jack really loved doing our
Jesse tree during Advent, and I wanted something similar; a little ritual we could do every day to make us a little more present. So I came up with this:
Using some thumbtacks, twine, and the cutest tiny clothespins you've ever seen, we made a flexible display. At the end of each day, Jack and I choose a picture from that day, print it out, date it, and add it to our growing collection. Somehow I didn't take any pictures on June 1st, but I decided we'd press on anyway and focus on
doing rather than doing
perfectly.
Jack cuts out the pictures after we print them and glues them onto a backing I cut out for him.
I used my stash of scrapbook paper I've been hoarding like a miser(saving it for what, exactly?) and cut out some letters for the top of our display. We put it up on the dining wall, which has always been kind of bare and sad. It our photo project goes well, we might do it all year long. I thought about using poster board for individual months or even picture frames, but I wanted it to be easy to change if we got something out of order. And, it was very cost-effective. I found the twine in a closet when we moved in, the paper I already had(and bought on sale anyway), and the thumbtacks and clothespins were about $8.
I think my favorite part might be the tiny clothespins. I got them at Michael's. I'm just using our printer and regular paper to print the pictures because it makes them immediately available, but I think once a month I'll order copies from Costco and put them in an album. So much has already happened, and I have a feeling this year is going to be a significant chapter in our lives.
I know what you're thinking: Summer has not, in fact, technically begun yet. True. But June 21st seems awfully late to start the summer because very quickly it becomes July, and mentally I feel like July is the middle of Summer. So Summer starts and then two weeks later it's half-way over. At least, that's how it feels to me, so I decided to start our Summer calendar early. It helps that we've been having 80 degree days and enjoying perfect watermelon. Matteas already has a killer tan and is getting blonder by the day. Our garden is flourishing. We spend whole days outside, making quick meals and eating on our picnic blanket in the shade. We fill up the kiddie pool everyday, and after a day of splashing the boys get their watering cans and use their pool water for the vegetable garden or making mud pies. I expect that by the end of Summer, Fall will still take me by surprise just like it does every year, but my dining room wall will be proof that Summer
did actually happen.
There is a chill in the morning air that wasn't there a few weeks ago, and the late-afternoon light has a distinctly autumnal slant to it. I don't feel finished with summer yet, so I've been reminding myself that late summer brings delights of its own even if they're not of the popsicles-for-lunch-and-fans-in-the-window-late-at-night variety. Last night I had more produce from the garden than I could carry inside in one load, and there's still more to come. The cucumbers are almost at the end of their run but the tomatoes are still going gangbusters, so I'm going to have to come up with some creative recipes. Last night I made fresh salsa to go with the shrimp soft tacos I made, then I slow-roasted a big sheet pan of tomatoes for later use. There may be some grilled mozzarella and tomato sandwiches in our near future.
I love that Jack sees ripe squash and immediately gets excited about pancakes. He's a much more adventurous eater now than he used to be(he recently tried and loved scallops), but now Matteas is on hunger strike most days. He seems to follow pattern of one day on, three days off. During his three days of non-eating, he subsists entirely on fishy crackers and bottles of milk. Not exactly nutritionally packed, but it's literally that or nothing. I've tried forcing him to stay in his chair until he tries at least one bite of food, but after two hours it became clear it wasn't worth it. I want my kids to eat when they feel truly hungry, not just because there is food in front of them. We are less liberal with Jack, who is four and tends to miss the signs of hunger but we are teaching him to recognize the symptoms and respond appropriately. One thing that has really helped is to make a big batch of pancakes and freeze them.
For one thing, kids will eat just about anything if it looks like a pancake.
Also, they freeze beautifully making it really easy to have a special breakfast ready in minutes.
Some of my favorite pancakes are oat and buttermilk, but you have to soak the oats overnight. Recently, I tried an experiment and it turned out rather well. I made a batch of 7 grain hot cereal, then added a cup of nuts I ground to flour consistency in the food processor. I added four eggs, a palm-full of baking powder, a splash of milk and half a cup of flour. The pancakes are nutty and dense, but not too heavy, plus they are loaded with fiber and omega-3's.
Last night Aaron took the boys out to ride bikes while I picked that huge basket of tomatoes. I'm glad he did, because today is cloudy and windy and the rain is just beginning as I look out the living room window. Lest my life appear too cozy, I feel compelled to add that as I type this, Matteas has a poop and Jack is prancing around the living room singing a song that goes "Cut out the butt loaf! Cut out the butt loaf!" I have no idea what a butt loaf is.
