If you ask the kidlets what their favorite part about the afternoon visit to Pattison State park, they will unanimously and loudly tell you that they loved the swings.  There are two especially tall swingsets at the park near the swimming pond, the kind of swings that have such a…

We were blessed with beautiful weather on the weekend, so on Saturday afternoon, we loaded up the kidlets (with their freshly painted faces from the Harvest Run festival)  and took a quick trip over to Wisconsin to Pattison State Park.  We had visited this park when we were living in…

The Banana and Dr. Peds were up and out of the house early this morning, in time to go downtown and catch the scenic train to see the start of the Harvest Fun Run.  No one was running the regular 5K race from our house, but those two snatched up…

I almost didn't let Ya Ya make these a few weeks ago.  I wanted to keep my large collection of wooden people turnings pure and unadorned, ready for extensive imaginative play.  But she begged and begged, and how could I say no to creativity?  Then The Banana wanted to make…

They were supposed to be having quiet time while I worked for a bit in my office this afternoon, but it turned out that while I was teaching a piano lesson earlier, they had sneaked into my office and stashed away both the packing tape and the scotch tape in…

I was busy tending to some other things in the kitchen this morning, and when The Banana asked for a few more raisins in her oatmeal, I handed her the canister  and told her to go ahead and put a few more in herself.  I rounded the corner and found…

After hiking through the gorgeous trees in Lester Park on Friday, I splurged.  I picked up a babysitter (one of my students, actually, who is GREAT with the kidlets . . . they were so excited about her coming) and drove just a bit down the road to UMD.  Richard…

Before the really chilly weather hit, and the ground was covered by an inch or so of fluffy white snow (which has thankfully melted, although it sounds like more is on its way) the kidlets and I embarked on a hike in Lester Park.  Two kidlets were very happy about…

The Banana once again exhibits her love for well chosen accessories:

After agonizing all afternoon about the logistics of the potluck dinner at church and what in the world I might actually bring, since I had very little ingredients around the kitchen to work with and my heart was absolutely NOT captivated by the idea of cooking in the first place,…