Yard Work and outdoor nature in our backyard

We live in the 'burbs and we need to keep the yard moved, least the neighbors complain.  My kids chores include mowing our front and back yards.  My kids hate mowing but I love mowing.  The mower is a loud, scary machine that isolates you from anyone approaching.  I suppose you can say it's "quiet."  So now, I (or my husband) mows and the kids weed.  They weed the garden, the bushes, the lawn and the cracks in the patio.  This weekend we had quite a few surprises.

I should first point out that we put a plastic owl in our backyard to scare away nature.  It seemed to attract them.  Second, even the tween and teen enjoyed the backyard critters (except the fact that the bird ate all our strawberries).  They even had me taking pictures of bugs and picking up worms to put in the garden.

Second, we did not get pictures of the many birds that visit (blue bird, chickadee, cardinals and robins) and other critters (chipmunks that hop from pot to pot looking for our potted strawberries and rabbits).

In short, do some yard work - it's an adventure.

Just missed mowing over him

Bird caught in strawberry cage - we need a new plan
Video gets a better glimpse

We woke up to ravens in our backyard - perhaps they were looking at the bird caught in the strawberries.

The Crepe Bar, kids learning increasing cooking skills.

mmm, fruit-filled crepe

Delicious crepe filling

During the week, we typically have cereal or oatmeal.  On the weekends, we like to have something a bit more special and homemade: pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels, scones and more.  The family's favorite is fruit crepes. We cut up a variety of in-season fruits (and some not-in-season).  We make homemade whipped cream then we lay everything out so we can make our own version of fruit filled crepe.  It's like having dessert for breakfast.

There is a bit of a knack to making the thin crepe pancake.  (And in this house we love the thin pancake with a crunchy edge.)  This past weekend my husband spent time to teach the kids his crepe techniques.  He has his recipe but much of the crepe has to do with pouring the batter on the frying pan and swirling it around to get the crepe as thin as possible and yet not too thin that the crepe will tear.  And then there is flipping of this thin pancake.

The crepe bar

It's not an easy technique to teach a small child and it's one my kids found to be a challenge.  They haven't quite mastered it but they are getting there - which hopefully means more crepe breakfasts.  The moral of the story, remember the activities we would do with our kids when they were small, bang a hammer, pour in flour, put items in a shopping cart, why not look at these again and see if you can take them to the next level.  Use a table saw, price compare in the supermarket, read food labels or learn a new cooking technique.

Rock Climbing and Swim in February

rock climbing at the community center

The kids had off for Monday for President's.  There was a lot of minecraft going on in the house especially when the weather was dreary and I wasn't feeling well.  It worries me that when I am not there to tell them to get off the computer they have a hard time doing so.

Nevertheless, I got them off the computers and took them to the community center.  We are very lucky to live near a community center that has a pool, a gym and a rock climbing wall.  It's perfect, they can swim and I can go for a jog on the treadmill.  And we all shared in the fun of the rock climbing wall.

When we lived in Florida, the local YMCA would have teen hip hop classes and open pool, all reasonably priced under $10.  Actually we did not go over $5 per kid.  It gets them off the computer, it gets them moving, and we didn't have to do it in the cold.  Even our local gym is only $7 for the day and the gym has yoga and jazzercise classes.

Now that you have older children you can take them to the gym.  Many local gyms and community centers  have activities just for the kids.  A big favorite are the indoor basketball courts.  I've never seen them anywhere else but a community center.

If you are interested in your teen or tween using the equipment, keep in mind you are not looking to bulk up.  Click here to check out the mayo clinic's suggestions for strength training in teens and tweens.

After the pool the kids enjoyed the track on the second floor.

Birthday Weekend, where I called the shots

It's my birthday this weekend, so I got to choose what the family would do.  My choice, crepes for breakfast, Charolette Russe for birthday cake and tea at a local manor house.

My hubby learned to make crepes early in our marriage and I'm so glad he did because it's the whole family's favorite breakfast.  Even my parents still talk about our crepe breakfasts, but that's for another blog.

I have heard of Charolette Russe cakes before and wanted to try it.  When we were watching this week's Downton Abbey, Lady Gratham mentioned it and I told my husband I always wanted to try it.  So, he said he will make it for my birthday.  He found several recipes but I think he finally settle on one from the Joy of Cooking.  He even made his own lady fingers.

Lastly, I'm a huge fan of tea.  Love drinking it, love learning about it's history, love watching British shows and everything seems to be solved with tea.  This past week, I learned from Living Social of a manor house, Rosemont, that once belonged to Harry Byrd, a much beloved senator of the state of Virginia.  He was credited with getting Virginia out of the Great Depression before most of the country.  Rosemont was giving tours of the house and serving tea on the weekend.  Going to a fancy tea is a treat for me, even if it was a 45 minute drive, it was worth it.  I think all moms deserves a fancy tea every so often.



So this weekend was a mom weekend, I called the shots.  The kids had a choice to participate.  It was a guilt free, do what I want to do weekend.  And yes, most of it involved food :)

Studying for French mid-term when I don't know French

Not a lot going on this weekend - even though it was a beautiful weekend, we stayed mostly indoors because its mid-term week.  For the most part, the girls gave me their notes and I asked questions but both kids decided to take French - a language I knew little about and frankly did not want to learn.  I do not like the sound of the French language - it has a nasal sound that grates my nerves.  None the less they needed to study.  Odd thing is that their French textbook is all in French - you have to go to the back of the book for English translation and then it's not always there.  They made flashcards for the most part but phrases were more difficult.  They needed to know how to listen and understand as well as speak it.

Enter ... google translate.  I would type in the sentence or phrase, press the sound button and my kids would translate.  Viola!

Although the translations were not perfect, the reading of the french that I typed in was.

Google translate mobile or Google translate online  - we used both all weekend:

Making a YouTube Short film

Have script, will travel.  My daughter wrote a script and has been begging us to perform.  This is a time when electronics can be quite constructive.

Creating a movie short was an activity that the family got involved.  Of course, my hubby and I were reluctant, we realize the skills that came from this project.

Writing skills
Using electronics as tools
Directing
video editing skills - we used photoshop premiere (~$149)



Here's the result, no animals were harmed in making this video :)

Although I'm not sure how long it took my daughter to write the script, the filming took a day and the editing a couple of days, so the project was a little more then a weekend.

Foto Phashions: The Newseum

Each of my kids started a blog.  Yes, as a parent I am nervous, however I do subscribe to their blogs so I can keep an eye on them.   I find it interesting, that my daughter of the blog below, checks her stats regularly and is upset when no one has looked at her blog (and she's only been at it for a week) and asks if I may tweet about it and put it on my facebook page.  She tweets for me but I tell her I need to post on my facebook page.

She loves photography.  She sees things through a lens that I never thought to see it.  And I think you'll enjoy her pics.  I have used some of them (with her permission) in my blogs and facebook cover pages.  I hope you enjoy.

Here's a link to her latest posting:

Foto Phashions: The Newseum: Berlin Wall, Uni-bombers hut, Antenna from the twin towers, September 11 Headlines, Steven Colbert's Jacket ...