Cheap Ways to Entertain the Troops

Here's a cheap way to entertain the troops... take Metro downtown and then catch the new Sound Transit light rail train. We rode it to the end of the line and back for just $3.25 price of our Metro fare. Not a bad deal. Of course the doughnuts we had before the journey were another story.

All (Green) Thumbs

We've expanded our agricultural horizons by planting a bigger garden this year and thanks to the recent heat wave, it's going gang-busters. We harvested our first mess of beans and peas last night. Also started pulling up some carrots-- including some fascinating Rainbow ones. Our lettuce grew faster than we could eat it... and the last of it sadly went to seed. For lunch today we ate some of the peas and carrots. Sauteed green beans on the menu for tomorrow. Our pumpkin vines are crawling all over the yard, crowding out our sunflowers. Also, our three tomato plants look like tomato trees. Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy some good home-grown tomatoes very soon-- if I can keep the kids from eating them right out of the garden. Also, tried growing corn for the first time. Several ears will soon be ready for picking too.

At Your Service

RTR and his visiting cousin have discovered the monetary benefits of setting up a lemonade stand. For the second time in a week they set one up in the front yard. Maybe it's because I made them spend their earnings from the first stand at the zoo. Yes, I made them pay for their own carousel rides and treats from the snack stand. Does that make me a mean mommy/aunt?

Beat the Heat

Seattle set a record for the hottest day of all time on Wednesday-- 103 degrees. One way we beat the heat was by having dinner (Taco Bell tacos) at the beach. It was about ten degrees cooler at the Edmonds waterfront than at our non-waterfront home. CSR and his cousin hit it off with a couple of other girls also keeping cool at the beach. For some reason they found great fun in jumping from the sea wall onto the sand below.


RTR just liked playing in the sand. He kept handing me his buckets to refill at water's edge. While he was a big fan of having water to pour out, he wasn't too keen on getting IN the water for refills.


The black edges on this picture are because my camera lens cover doesn't always open all the way. Darn photographer!

The Queen of Nope

Hello. I am the Queen of Nope. I ascended to this position thanks mostly to two six year olds who spend most of their day asking me questions that I am forced to answer, "Nope."

9:00 Them: Can we have a popsicle? Me: Nope.
9:30 Them: Can we go to the Space Needle today? Me: Nope.
10:45 Them: Can we have a popsicle? Me: Nope.
11:30 Them: Can we have a cookie? Me: Nope.

How I wish they would ask me questions I could say yes to:
Can we have more carrot sticks?
Can we play in the backyard and let you read a magazine/newspaper/Facebook in peace?
Can we use our own money to buy you a latte?

I guess all this give and take builds character-- for all of us.

A Little Bit of Dirt Never Hurt

I had to keep reminding myself that a little bit of dirt never hurt as we were camping the last couple of days. While the site was in a beautiful spot next to the Cooper River, it was very dusty and rocky. Not the best terrain for a two year old and a six year old who's been known to stumble now and again. Down they would go, only to be picked up and needing dusting off.

It was also an adventure in camping with a dog. We've become foster parents to my sister's dog, Abby. She's already built a reputation of being a runner and inadvertently catching one of us off guard, giving me, CSR and RTR rope burns by getting tangled in her tether. But I digress.



RTR was the latest to get caught up in the rope. It was so scary. While TSR and I were setting up camp, the kids were playing. Abby's rope became looped around RTR and when she ran one way, he got pulled to the ground and dragged, with the rope around his neck. You never saw a mama move so fast. I picked RTR up and untangled him. He was crying and then his eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp-- just for a moment. Of course, running through my mind is that we're God knows how far from paramedics or being able to even call for help. After holding him and comforting him, he perked up and seemed like himself. After dinner, we put him to bed in the tent. Of course in my worst-case-scenario thoughts, I'm thinking about Natasha Richardson, the actress who died from bleeding in her brain several hours after a fall while skiing. It was nearly a sleepless night, always checking whether I could hear RTR breathing. He did wake up bright and early the next morning. And he's been fine ever since, although he doesn't really like to go near Abby when she's on her rope.

Calling The Tooth Fairy

The tooth started to wiggle more than a week ago. Maybe even before school got out. Oh man, I should write these things down. At first, I thought maybe it was one of CSR's imaginary dental situations. But it turned out to be a real wiggler. So this afternoon, CSR's first tooth fell out. It turned out a little creepier than I expected (I am a person who has her wisdom teeth tucked away in a box). His new tooth has already broken the surface too. So tonight we hunted up something to put the tooth in so the Tooth Fairy can find it. A little organza drawstring bag complete with a sparkly old earring attached. CSR even included a note. What fairy wouldn't like that?