Crayon Candles

One of the ideas on our Summer of Fun board was to make some candles out of sun-melted crayons. As it happens, being a stinking hot summer and all, the sun and accompanying heat was happy to work with us.

 The original idea is here, but I made a couple of adjustments. Rather than mixing lots of different colors, we kept like colors together (for the most part) and put them in baby food jars. Rather than getting proper candle wicking, we went with the suggestion to simply put a birthday cake candle in the middle, which worked just as well.

Each of the kids had fun making one, and it was worth it to me to get rid of some junky old crayons. Getting them to sit there peeling the paper off kept them busy, too.
We had them at the table for dinner and the kids enjoyed having the candles "race" - they don't burn especially well, so it was a competition to see who's would stay lit the longest.
For us, it was a fun afternoon activity when it's too hot to go out. If you wanted to, you could make it a cool solar energy/color combining activity, as well. It was too hot for me to be clever about it, though!

Keeping 'em busy

For a while now, I've been thinking about the idea of keeping kids busy - I've heard the phrase as synonymous with "keep 'em out of trouble". I'm all for keeping 'em out of trouble, my own kids especially, but there was something that kept my brain tinkering with the subject. After all, we've all heard that "idle hands are the devil's toys", and boredom can quickly lead to bickering and trouble. But I've also heard that one of the greatest gifts you can give a child is the opportunity to be bored, for "poverty is the mother of invention". How am I to reconcile these two apparently opposite concepts?

It wasn't so very long ago that this problem wasn't actually a problem at all. There was always something to keep kids of all ages busy. Kids worked with their families, caring for the home, farm, other children or the family business. There wasn't a lot of time for play, but most kids learned what it took to make a home and provide for a family. They learned interpersonal skills by dealing with family members and how to serve in their own family and in the wider community.

Times, as they say, have changed. Nowadays, we sign them up for classes, sports, lessons, enrichment groups and field trips. We buy more toys, more games and more entertainment to fill up more free time. Not to say that I am necessarily against all these opportunities. Not only did I do just about every activity I could, my own children are involved in a fair few, as well. My growing concern, however, is what this constantly busy schedule is teaching my children. Are they learning that their social calendar is more important than our time together as a family? Are they learning that opportunities and things are more important than people? Are they learning that they have to be busy to be valuable?

I'm also concerned about the long term impact of this "training" on their character. It may be easier to allow my kids to retreat behind closed doors and headphones when they don't get along, rather than wade into the mess of teaching them how to love and care for each other, but is that going to serve them when they get into conflict with their spouse? Or I may not feel like schleping them to a service opportunity because I've already run them hither and yon all week and would kind of like a break, but is my desire for comfort and ease communicating that serving isn't really as important as I tell them it is?

Frankly, I would kind of like to go back to the old days. I'd miss my iPhone, but it would be rather simpler. That's not much of an option, though - this is the world we live in, so we'd better figure out how to do it well. And I am grateful for all the opportunities for skills, growth and relationships - they are fun and important!

 So, what to do? Here are some ideas:

• Make 'em choose. No one can do everything they'd like - I can't and neither can my children. They can grow in prioritization skills my choosing what they give their "extra" time to: ballet or soccer? Drama or scouts? Obviously, we as parents need to guide them as they make these choices; they need our help in weighing the long-term benefit of a skill over the short-term fun of doing what their friends are doing. It would be a great opportunity, though, to see how they enjoy spending their time, see where their interests, gifts, and abilities are - you may be surprised what you learn about them.
• Say no. It's hard, really hard, to say no to your children sometimes. After a couple of years of going to gymnastics and being told by the instructor that she could go somewhere with it, we decided to pull Abigail out of gymnastics. It wasn't easy, especially since she's good at it and enjoyed it, but we knew that it was not going to fit into the overall family schedule well, and we felt that trying to make it fit was going to be detrimental to the other kids. None of our children exists in a vacuum, and they need to be aware that there are times we need to put the needs of the whole family ahead of one person's personal desires.
• Think it through. What will happen if they do/don't do this activity? Will they experience a long-term lack? Will it communicate your love and care for them in a special way if you say yes? What are you choosing not to do if you do x? Are you saying no to make your life more comfortable? What else is going to fill that time? Don't put off something for you child so that you don't miss your shows, but don't make unwise financial/time management decisions, either.

My oldest child is not yet 11 years old, so our family hasn't been at this gig as long as many. Any other more experienced mamas out there have any helpful insights to contribute? You are very welcome to the conversation!

Getting lost and found

A few weeks ago, a friend and I took our kids for a hike. We'd both been to the area before and felt we knew it well enough - we were trying to pay attention to the trail codes and everything. Somehow, though, we got off track. I'm still not sure where exactly we went wrong, but it was bad. We had been scrambling over fallen trees and large rocks, coaxing the little ones along and sliding down steep slopes. We didn't think we'd be gone long, so we left our water bottles in the cars, and every one of us was tired and soaked in sweat.

When we finally came to a place where I thought we'd be getting back on track, a rather grumpy woman came out to inform us we were trespassing on private property, we were nowhere near where we wanted to be, and the only way to get back was to go right back down to the dangerous and tiresome scrambling we had just fought our way out of.

I don't think I was the only one who wanted to cry.

By God's mercy, I decided to get my phone out, checked where we were on google maps, and set a course for where we wanted to be. It took a while, everyone was tired, hungry and hot, but we made it through (without actual tears, which was amazing, I tell you).

The interesting thing I learned, though, is how I didn't actually realize how lost I was until our cheerless messenger let us know how off course we really were. If she hadn't of informed us of this brutal truth, we probably would have continued on, hopefully thinking we were just around the bend from where we wanted to be. However, once I realized how bad the situation was, I turned to the map that would show me the way. It wasn't an easy route out, but we had confidence that we were headed in the right direction.

It made me think how often I can be tempted to bumble along in life, never realizing how a couple of foolish decisions or a failure to pay attention can lead me down a path that leads to nowhere. Sometimes, while we're haplessly wandering, Providence will send a warning our way - someone or something that reveals our true situation. No one likes to hear they're lost, but until they accept that they are in pretty bad shape, they have no hope of charting a new course. Likewise, unless someone tells me I've wronged them, or shows me where I've neglected my responsibilities, or is prepared to confront me with my sin, it's unlikely that I would the need to fix what I didn't know was broken.

I would recommend a caveat, though. We are to speak in love, out of a desire to restore, rather than condemn or punish. When this woman came to drive us off her property, she seemed more offended that we disturbed her, and less concerned that we were lost. (Threatening 2 women and 10 kids with a couple of attack dogs didn't help.) As believers, however, we should be more concerned with our brother or sister's good than with "setting them straight".

Has there been a time when you had to deliver or receive the "hard message"? How did it go? 

Cheery Cherry Lemon Cake

I first made this for Anna's first birthday, and it's been a fixture ever since. It's best while the cherries are in season - like now!

1. Preheat your oven to 375F. Grease a lasagna-sized baking dish.
2. Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cups pitted sweet cherries and pat dry. In a separate bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat 3/4 cup soft butter on high for 30 seconds. Add 1 3/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry, flour mixture and 1 1/4 cup milk alternately to beaten mixture. Stir 2 tsp shredded lemon peel. Pour batter into pan, then sprinkle the chopped cherries on top. (They will sink, mind.)
4. Bake for 30-35 min and cool completely. Cut into pieces and add a dollop of some cream cheese frosting to each piece and top with a cherry.
5. To make the cream cheese frosting, combine an 8 oz package of cream cheese, 2/3 cup butter, 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Beat well, then add up to 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar and beat well.

I never got a chance to take a picture - it went pretty fast, but Taste of Home has the recipe, as well, along with this photo:

Truly, this photo doesn't do it justice - it looks much better in the flesh (and on my plate)!

Halfway Through our Summer of Fun

Well, it's shaping up to be a pretty busy summer. We are being sure to work on our Summer o' Fun list, though! We've...

 

...had water gun fights

...gone to Summer Blast

...visited the Kutztown Festival

...completed our library's reading challenge

...visited Fort McHenry

...gone fruit picking

 

 ...went to play mini golf

...made some tie dye t shirts

...melted crayons into candles

...and there's more to come! In the coming weeks, we've got plans for the beach, Six Flags Great Adventure, a backyard campout complete with games, etc. We may not get to everything on our list, but so far, I think we're doing a pretty good job of keeping fun an important element of a very busy season.

Some lovely links

Prioritizing the mending pile - I never really thought about this, but it's really just another kind of organizing. I like organizing!

Life expectancy a century ago - just a really interesting article...

For the homeschoolers - this encouragement came along at just the right time for me.

Decorating a rented house - there are some great ideas here!

Takin' the toys! - we haven't gotten to this point, but there is something rather attractive in the idea...

Racial profiling - I was appalled. Then, I wondered how I would have behaved...

Peach season!

It's been about 3 years since I've posted my recipe for Crock Pot Peach Jam, and interestingly, it proves to be one of my most looked at posts (according in a google search). Since the peach season is wonderfully upon us, I thought it would be helpful to repost:

 

Fresh Peach Jam

(from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook)



You'll need:

About 2 pounds slightly underripe peaches (7 to 8 large)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

One 1.75 or 2 ounce box powdered pectin (optional)

3 to 4 cups sugar, to taste

1. Peel the peaches by dipping them into a pan of boiling water to loosen the skin, then immediately cool them by holding under cold water. The skins will slip off. Remove the pits. In a large bowl, coarsely crush by hand with a potato masher or pulse a few times in a food processor; you'll have about 5 cups of pulp. combine the peaches and lemon juice in the slow cooker; sprinkle with the pectin, if using (I didn't bother). Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Stir in the sugar. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 hours, stirring twice.

3. Remove the lid, turn the cooker to HIGH, and cook 2 to 3 hours longer, until the jam achieves the desired consistency. Ladle the warm jam in to clean glass jars & let stand until cool.

To sterilize your jars, either run the jars and lids through the dishwasher or wash in hot, soapy water and heat in a coolish oven (about 300F) for 10 min.

 

Mine is in the crock pot as I write. However, I've got loads more peaches to deal with, thanks to a half bushel purchase yesterday. So, here are a few other peach-y (ba dum bum) ideas:

 

• Peach Frozen Yogurt
• Peach Smoothie
• Peach Crumb Bars
• Peach Lemonade
• Chicken with Peaches

Some completed projects

Small amounts of yarn and quick projects is where I'm at, at the moment...

 

Malabrigo Mitts, with Malabrigo Worsted in Orchid.

 Simple Ribbed Cowl in Cascade 128 Superwash

The Rikke Hat is currently in process. The Mochi Plus by Crystal Palace is a lovely, soft variegated that's going to looks so good on my head. When it's cold enough, that is.

The Intouchables

I heard of this French movie a few months ago, surfing through trailers. As soon as I saw the trailer, I started keeping an eye out for the DVD. Just last week, Toby found it at the library.

The Intouchables is this fabulous story of a wealthy quadriplegic and his thoroughly unqualified and street-rough care-giver. Though not billed as a comedy, we laughed all the way through, mainly at the larger-than-life ex-con carer (Omar Sy). The rich invalid guy was familiar - we'd seen him in the French version of Harlan Coben's Tell No One, which was also excellent.

Though I always love stories of unlikely friends, I will confess that the language is a bit rough in places (though it doesn't seem so bad when it's in French!). If you're put off by having to read subtitles, you may not have the patience to keep with it, either. It's not long before you forget that you're reading, though, and the fact that it's based on a true story (which we didn't realize at first) is a bonus.

So if you're looking for something a little bit different, see if you can get it at your local library. We may not be Siskel and Ebert, but Toby and Kelly give it two thumbs up!

The Baltimore Museum of Industry

We'd heard great things, over the years, of the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and we figured we should probably make use of these great facilities while we are still able to. Can we say, "field trip"?

It's a well-appointed joint, with all sorts of interesting displays. The grocers, cannery, workshop, apothecary, printers, tailors and more are all represented in different rooms with all the assorted items associated with the trade. Different printing presses, medicinal jars and workshop tools are all on display. 

 For those who don't know much of Baltimore's history, it's instructive; for those born and bred here, it's a celebration of local ingenuity and progress. It was incredible to see how many industrial processes got there start here in Baltimore!

The only downer was how little there "progress" there was toward making the museum "child-friendly". Most rooms had a little green box with a couple of booklets, puzzles or some Duplo inside, but that's all there was for the kids to engage with. My kids were so much more interested in the displays, which were all set up as if the workers stepped out for lunch but would resume work shortly - meaning, there were tools and cans and jars and just stuff left out for authenticity. What kid, well-behaved or no, would rather look at a picture than touch the real thing? Not mine, that's for sure.

So, while I would definitely recommend paying a visit the sometime, it might be worth waiting until your kids are in the preteen years - or so young that they're still confined to a stroller.  Maybe by the time they're old enough, the museum curators will have made some more child-friendly adjustments.