Boredom Results in Creativity

Wanna know what happens in our house when someone declares, "I'm bored"? I give them chores. (I know...I'm mean, right?) So this phrase is not spoken very often around here. Even with limited t.v. and even more limited time on the computer/iPad/Wii/other electronics, my kids know that if they can't find something to do, I will find them something to do. And it won't be nearly as fun as whatever they chose.

When our day isn't perfectly planned out and orchestrated, and without electronic entertainment to fall back on, I find that my kids' brains are kicked into high gear. They play dress up, make up games and performances, color and draw, sell lemonade (or toys or paper airplanes) at the end of the driveway, build forts - you name it, they've done it.

Yet, if I were to say, "You guys should play dress up..." I'll hear moans and groans. They need to come up with the ideas on their own. I've learned to keep my mouth shut.

Remember when we were kids?  We'd play outside till the street lights came on and we always seemed to figure out something to do! The media has scared us into believing that the world isn't safe for us to let our kids have those kinds of freedoms anymore, so we lock them up and plop them in front of the t.v. or video games all day. And even if I think it's okay to let my son play in the neighborhood, few other parents will do the same - which ends up taking away from the idea of "safety in numbers" and the danger factor actually increases, in my opinion. 

Don't get me started.

For the month of July, our t.v. is going OFF.  I'll still use the educational games on my iPad as bribery for the kids, especially Jason, but we are going to be virtually media-free.  And I can't wait.

Since Kaylin's last day of Kindergarten, the big kids have become best friends once again. It's beautiful!  Almost too beautiful to break up, sometimes. In fact, homeschool has taken the back seat in the last few weeks because every time I'm ready to get started, they've created some crazy new game or are up to their eyeballs in a fun activity. I'm completely fine with reuniting my family before incorporating Kaylin into our school routine. So we've given ourselves a little short summer break, after all.

My point in all of this? Don't over-schedule your kids. Don't cram your days full of camps and planned play dates and Vacation Bible Schools and sports practices and music lessons. I think our fear is that our kids will be bored all summer if they don't have things to do, but realistically, creativity is born out of boredom. 

Still keep an eye on them, of course. Some bored kids channel their creativity positively with games and activities, others play with matches in the garage. (there are days that I wonder if Jason will be the latter...) So be smart about it and stay involved from a distance. :)

Let your kids get bored every day and see what they come up with! They might surprise you.

Is that knot in my stomach...regret?

This morning, I woke up after a very vivid dream with a knot in the pit of my stomach. My dream was about school. And the knot in my gut felt like regret and self-doubt.

In my dream, I arrived at Kaylin and Ryan's old elementary school to volunteer in the classroom. I went to Kaylin's Kindergarten room ready to help, only to realize that I hadn't arranged with the teacher that I would aide that day. I tried to make myself useful by sweeping, then just hung out in the hall until I found something else to do.  Others passed me in the hall, some were other Kindergarten teachers, some were teachers from Kaylin's old pre-school, and as friendly as I was with them way back when, I smiled, but suddenly felt awkward and out of place.

Then I realized Kaylin wasn't supposed to be in that class anymore and that I certainly wasn't supposed to be volunteering at a school where my children do not attend.

I woke up a little sad that my kids aren't going back to school in the fall.

It got me thinking: Am I regretting the decision we've made to homeschool? What made me sad is that my kids will miss out on the excitement of the first and last day of school, recess and lunch with friends, fun holiday parties, bringing cupcakes to class for their birthdays, among other big-deal-to-students school memories.

Then the realities of our reasons for homeschooling smacked me in the face and I was comforted again. Yet that knot wouldn't go away. Why...?

My still-sleepy mind drifted on to a couple of other reasons that I get knots in my stomach...like when I think about growing up in Kansas City and not giving my kids the same experiences I had or when I think about the fact that we may not add any more children to our family.

It seems all choices that are black and white, with no room for grey, make me feel a little unsettled. Not necessarily that I'm disappointed with the decision that we've made about a subject, just the thoughts of all that we're missing out on by NOT choosing to go the other direction with our decision.

I landed on the fact that the temporary knot I was feeling was not regret or self-doubt. It's just the realization that there are obvious reasons on both sides of the "pro/con" list when it comes to our decision to homeschool. We'll just need to focus on the positives as we move forward with this choice and others like it.

And just like that, I am content once again.

Happy 8th Birthday, Ryan!

Today was Ryan's official birthday. We had his Star Wars sleepover party Monday, we let him open present last night (because tonight we knew we'd be rushing around) then we'll celebrate again with Mike's family on Sunday, but today was THE day. Here are the highlights in pictures...

Last night's cake and presents

The day started with candles in the birthday boy's breakfast of choice: pancakes.

Ryan spent most of the morning like this...playing the Wii with no time restrictions.

For lunch, we invited over Ryan's neighbor friend to swim and have a picnic.

For dinner, Ryan chose Chick-Fil-A and we ran into the cow for the first time EVER!

They even had a man making balloon animals. This is Ryan acting tough with his sword and coordinating balloon belt/sword holder.

Then we went roller skating with Ryan's Cub Scout Den. This completely brought out the 9 year old in me BIG TIME. Oh 1985, how I have missed you!!!

Kaylin looked adorable, but never made it past the ledge. Those skates can be slippery!

Ryan got the hang of it quickly. He was better when holding onto the edge or a grown up's hand, but he held his own.

Jason spent the evening standing on the bench and sobbing each time I skated away. He was tortured by the fact that he couldn't keep his balance on the skates, but also the rule that I couldn't hold him with skates on my feet. So he longingly watched the rink, waiting for familiar faces to whiz by and give him a high five.

Happy birthday, my big eight year old boy!!!

Ryan's 8th Birthday - A Star Wars Sleepover Party

This year, for the first time, we attempted a sleepover party for Ryan's birthday.  I usually expect that half of the invited guests will show up, but (for the second year in a row) all of the kids were able to make it. 

Six boys. All night.

We started out with seven, but one wasn't able to spend the whole night and left after cupcakes. Some observations from our evening together...

- Boys are naturally wild.

- Many boys together are intensely wild.

- Many boys together after eating cupcakes and ice cream create the perfect storm.

- When boys get together to have light saber fights, someone is going to get hurt. In our case, it was within 60 seconds.

- Some boys are in the habit of putting the toilet seat down. Those same boys are not in the habit of flushing.

- When it smells like the heat is on and it's 110 degrees outside, check the fireplace. Because it's probably turned on.

- Attempting to get six excited boys to go to bed is harder than herding cats.
- Attempting to get six excited boys to be quiet in a dark room at bedtime is nearly impossible. (one says something, someone else shushes them, then someone burps and everyone giggles, then someone says, "Seriously, guys, I'm tired!" Then someone else says something just to annoy them...this went on for almost an hour.)

- After reminding six excited boys to not say a SINGLE WORD after 10:00 at night, someone, inevitably, will need to go up to go to the bathroom. Then another will need a drink. Then another will want a different pillow. And another needs a sheet because his blanket is too hot. Then another will decide to move his sleeping bag across the room and trip over someone in the dark. (*sigh*)
- Boys. Talk. Constantly. I thought it was only my boys, but ALL of the boys at this party talked and talked and talked. They talked to each other, they talked to me and if no one would listen a couple even talked to themselves. All the time talking!
- And a man's competitive instincts begin young: these boys were one-upping each other constantly.
- The joy that a sleepover party brings to the birthday boy is worth all of the humorous drama.

I wish I wrote down some of the conversations that I overheard, including hilarious attempts as telling jokes, but here are a couple...

Conversation #1:
(J was complaining about his little brother)
Z: "At least you have a brother. I have three sisters and I'm the only boy."
C: "Your little brother is awesome, J! You should consider yourself blessed." (awwww...but just when I was convinced that he was sticking up for family unity he added, "I have two sisters and they are SO ANNOYING!!!"
K: "My sister's annoying, too."
Another J: "Mine's too young to be annoying, but I'm sure she will be when she's bigger."

Conversation #2:
Z: "My dad has a Kindle."
J: "My dad has a Kindle Fire."
C: "We have the same t.v. as you, Ryan. It's the same size screen and even has the same remote!"
K: "My dad's iPad cost more than your t.v."
(I was waiting to hear "My dad can beat up your dad...")

Conversation #3:
Boy 1: "There once was a guy with a hairy pickle..."
(everyone giggles)
Boy 2: "That's gross!"
Ryan: (I love how naive he is) "I love pickles! I've never reached in the jar and pulled out a hairy one, though."
Boy 3: "I don't like pickles. Ew."
Boy 1: "So back to the joke.  There was a guy with a hairy pickle..."
Boy 2: "I think this joke is going to be inappropriate, we shouldn't talk about this anymore."
Boy 1: "Okay. So there once were these four toddlers..."

I looked high and low for fun Star Wars party ideas. There are TONS of amazing food options out there with fun names that you can type up on cool looking place cards. For the first time ever, I decided not to get into all of the little details that I found. I have a lot going on and I'm pretty sure these 7-9 year old kids wouldn't care.

But I saw these light saber pretzel rods and couldn't NOT make them.  The kids all had fun helping me and they disappeared quickly.

I also figured out how to make no-sew Jedi robes for the party favors and they were a big hit!

I bought 80 inches of brown fabric for each party guest.

I cut a bit off at the corner for the neck (cut a lot less than you think you'll need - you can always cut more, but I cut WAY too much on Jason's and it fell off his shoulders)

the boys tried out their Jedi moves the night before the party

Before Kaylin went to her own sleepover, she made her debut in Princess Leah hair buns.

I folded them up with their rope belts and put them in these clearance boxes from Party City.

Mike accidentally ripped one of the boxes, so we cut it up and used the characters for decoration.  Ryan decided Yoda needed to fight himself.

In fact, Ryan had a blast decorating for his own party. He put stickers everywhere and drew pictures to hang up. He cracked me up. 

I also went quick and easy on the cupcakes and used those pre-made candy toppers. Again, just as big of a hit as if I would have gone all out. With less work.

After sugaring the kids up, they got some of their energy out in the pool.

Once in their PJs, the Jedis fought each other until we forced (hahaha) them to go to bed.

In the morning, I made scrambled eggs and apple fritters, then the boys played Lego Star Wars and Mario Brothers on the Wii until their parents picked them up.

According to Ryan, this was the best birthday ever. He couldn't even pick out a favorite moment because "the whole party was his favorite." That's what I like to hear! 

For me, this was extremely relaxed. Even though there were boys everywhere, there wasn't a rushed party agenda or anything that needed to happen in a certain order. At one point, the kids were so entertained that I found myself folding laundry because I had nothing to do. I've never done laundry during a party in my life! Talk about efficiency...I guess that's what happens when it's a drop off party, there are no parents to entertain and the kids just want to be independent!

How to Make a No-Sew Jedi Robe

I do not sew. There, I said it. I can't even sew a button correctly...it's pretty pathetic. 

But I had this awesome idea that the party favors for Ryan's Star Wars birthday party could be Jedi Robes for each of the kids. Cheap brown fabric, a couple of sleeves sewn on and a hood, then a rope belt to tie the whole thing together.

But there was this sewing problem. Mike's mom can sew just about anything, but I didn't get my act together in time to ask her for help. So I was left on my own. 

I was thrilled to discover that you can throw together a pretty cool looking Jedi costume without a single stitch.

 I even made a little mini robe for Jason. Thankfully, I made his first because I cut the neck hole WAY too big...so big that I had to put a clothespin in the back to keep it from falling over his shoulders. He didn't mind!

I started by buying about 13 yards of fabric...enough for six 7-9 year olds plus some extra for Jason.
It was already folded in half width-wise, so I folded it length-wise, measuring 80 inches total (40 inches from the boy's shoulder to his mid-calf)

Then, at the intersecting corner of the two folds, I made the cut for the head. The goal was to make the hole round when it's unfolded, so I guess I cut a quarter circle...???  You get the idea.  This small cut was perfect for each boy's huge noggin to fit through, yet they stayed on their shoulders just fine.

The last step was to drape the robe over each child and tie some twine around their waist for a belt. (notice Ryan's light saber hanging from his belt) The extra fabric drapes over the arms to look like sleeves.

Put some buns in your daughter's hair to make her look like Princess Leah and you're good to go! A white robe would have been perfect for Kaylin, but she was going to a sleep over of her own, so I didn't bother.

Voila!  That's it.  Making seven Jedi costumes took less than 15 minutes. Fold, measure, cut. I stuffed them into Star Wars goodie boxes with their twine belts and handed them out when the kids arrived. Too bad I didn't get a picture of all of the kids in their outfits! 7-9 year old boys don't stand still for very long, so it's really beyond my control...

Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bites

I've been experimenting with finding tasty desserts and treats no our little gluten-free, dairy-free adventure and - I have to admit - it's been tough!

So I'm not ashamed to admit that within 8 minutes of seeing this recipe on Pinterest, I was pulling ingredients out of my pantry. I thanked the pinner of the recipe (my neighbor) by walking down enough little bites to feed her family. Knowing that she posted the recipe about 20 minutes earlier, she is now probably thinking that I'm a psycho/dessert fiend.

Whatever.

Those of you who have been around for a few years may remember my post for Black Bean Brownies.   Don't laugh - they are pretty impressive!  Well these are equally as weird.  And you can't taste the chickpeas/garbanzo beans at all.  Promise!  Give them a try.  Even those of you who aren't gluten-deprived will be pretty impressed.    

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups canned* chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter 
• 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey
• 1 teaspoon baking powder**
• a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
• 1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips

* My can was a 15.5oz can and I used all but a few tablespoons

** If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. 

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined. 

Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. 

With wet hands (or a mini cookie scoop), form into 1 1/2" balls. Place onto a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper. You can place them close together because they don't flatten or rise much. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls with wet hands. 

Bake for 10 minutes. 

Yields about 14 cookie dough balls. (I formed mine with a 1" scoop and ended up with 26 balls)

Beach Week - 2012 Edition

This week, my mom took the kids and me to Oceanside, California to stay in her time share. Unfortunately, it was Mike’s busiest week of the month for his job, not to mention that we’ve bled his vacation time dry with all of our travel this year, so it was just my mom and me with the kids. 

Six days in a city that was 30-40 degrees cooler than 105 degree Phoenix, no t.v. for the kids (though my mom and I enjoyed our fair share of Friends reruns on Nick at Night), lots of options for entertainment yet no agenda or plans, it was lovely. We went to the beach every day, shopped for local produce at farmers markets, drove up to Anaheim to walk around Downtown Disney (and shop at the Lego store - Ryan’s biggest request on the trip), we even made it to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a day. 

I had a little pregnancy...um, not “scare”, but more of a possibility, where I thought I was 6 days late and took a negative test. Then I got home realized that I’m a giant idiot and can’t count weeks very well. I was actually a little relieved that I didn’t need to break that “surprise” news to Mike.

Here are the highlights in pictures...

We bought mull berries at one of the fruit stands...I'd never heard of mull berries.  Or so I thought: "Here we go 'round the mull berry bush...the monkey and the weasel...something, something, something, something...POP! Goes the weasel."  Sound familiar?

One afternoon, we took advantage of the timeshare's "craft hour" and the kids made sun catchers. 

Ryan's dream: the Lego Store in Downtown Disney.  If I was a good mom, I would have taken him to Legoland, but I'm not. :)  I figured the other kids would be bored and it's just so stinkin' expensive!  Almost as much as Disneyland!!!

You can't go to Downtown Disney without getting Mickey-shaped food.  Chocolate covered pretzels and truffles, oh my!

How to contain a two year old at the beach: dig a giant hole (or inhabit an abandoned hole, if you're lazy like me)

...then watch as the two year old dives head first into the hole

over and over...

...and over.

Sometimes diving out of the hole is just as fun!

Notice the sandy goatee and caked-on sand belly.  He did his fair share of face planting!

Ryan spent the better part of the week up to his shoulders in the ocean, body surfing in the waves.

Without t.v. as a distraction, we had to get a little creative at times. (notice the fireplace on in the background - it was COLD for us)

The Safari Park was a great highlight, but overpriced (in my opinion) as most parks tend to be!