Peach Season

It's peach season in the desert part of Arizona.  This is more of a surprise to us.  We had no idea that we lived so close to a peach orchard.  Our original goal was to go on an errand, followed by a small drive, wherein we hoped Erik would fall asleep.  Best laid plans.  No sleep.  There were too many interesting cars on the road on Memorial Day.

We ended up making a few more turns and wound up near another elementary/jr high school - Santan K8.  Across the street was a sign for pick your own peaches.  I asked Woody if he saw the sign.  We were both curious and when we turned back around, we saw the orchard.  There was really a peach orchard in the middle of Chandler.  We stopped and inquired.  We were given a box and told the peaches were not at full peak - we were a week early.  But they still tasted good, albeit small for the season.  We took our box and told the kids to have some fun.  We were encouraged to taste the fruit out in the orchard.  Erik took that to mean stick his finger into a peach that has been laying on the ground.  Mmmm, he declared.  Yuck, we all responded.

He quickly got the concept and had a blast picking fruit with his sisters and running between the trees.  And, after 30 minutes of fun, we were back in the car where the sleepy toddler slipped off into sleep.  Yeah, us!

Cooking With Kids

I've had the pleasure of helping my aunt, Diane, develop a blog about food preservation, cooking and all things food.  One such pleasure is cooking with the kids.  Annika's friend, Molly, spent the night with us on Saturday.  On Sunday, we spent a leisure morning preparing Aebelskiver, partly in honor of Molly who is part Danish.  The kids enjoyed the treat and Ingrid felt proud to have been a big part of the preparation.

Ingrid helped measure, pour and monitor the process.  She also whisked the sifted flour.  This was her favorite job.  We used Lingonberry jam and Nutella as our fillings.  I have yet to try the suggested chocolate ganache.  It looks yummy.  We'll have to make some again soon.

Home Fun

I'm not a full in-tune subscriber to the Waldorf/Montessori play methods, but I "get" some of the ideas.  I'm especially drawn to natural colored toys.  That's why I'm so pleased that Erik loves his wooden tunnel and garage that his grandfather made him.  He can easily imagine a fire station one day, a home garage the next or a deep cave.  They can be anything.

It was fun catching Erik in his element - on top of the play table with his rows of cars and trucks.  He's so cute.

Desert Botanical Gardens Flashlight Tour

The wind was whipping around this afternoon threatening to dampen our evening plans at Phoenix' Desert Botanical Gardens.  Woody had noticed that every Saturday in the summer, the garden was opened at night for tours along the brick path.  The tour included activity stations for the kids - desert animals and plants, crafts, night blooming flower viewing and listening to the sounds of the night desert activities.

Annika brought her friend Molly, who stayed the night, turning our field trip kid count to five.  We had four regular flashlights, two blue lights for scorpions and one head lamp from Molly.  The kids traded back and forth and had a great time.

I made the mistake of not checking the camera battery before I left and only got a few not-so-good shots from our adventure.

Breakfast at the Hangar

We finally got to cross off an activity that we've wanted to do for a long time - eat breakfast at the Chandler Airport Hangar Cafe while watching the planes take off.  The Hangar has a "drive up" area for planes to pick up breakfast after coming in or heading out.

We didn't get there in time to get one of the coveted outdoor tables.  Also, our son was in a pre-tantrum mood.  Nonetheless we tried to enjoy ourselves.  Woody and I took turns with Erik outdoors looking in the repair hangar, watching planes gas up and pointing at the take-offs.  He was much more excited watching the planes than eating.  We packed up his breakfast (and mine) to go and took some time to watch the action outdoors.

The girls got a lesson in patience as they stood under a wing for shade while watching their brother get his fill of planes.  We may consider a return visit when he's a year older and we can wait for an outdoor spot.

More Chalk Pics

Here are the kids enjoying their new chalkboard.

Guess What We Made?

Remember this post about a new kids project?  After a few weeks and LOTS of dusty sanding, we're finally done and ready for the reveal.

We're gearing up for our hot weather, just in the nick of time.  Today's high already hit 100º F.  Just like the northern climates in winter, we'll be spending more time indoors.  One thing's for sure, we won't be using the fire place.  That got me thinking last month.

When I was little,  we had a huge, HUGE chalkboard in our playroom.  It was fantastic.  I would love to be able to replicate it, but not as big.  After some quick Google research, I found chalk paint.  You can paint nearly any surface that's flat with it.  Roll it on, sand it many times, and voila!, you have a chalkboard.

I stopped at Home Depot while Woody was in California and picked out a 1/2 inch MDF board.  Their cutting machine was down so I couldn't get it cut for the project.  After Woody got home, I convinced him that this paint would work and we went to get the board.  We picked up some framing pieces and spent the last few weeks working on painting and sanding. 

Here's the results.  The board is wedged in with the framed pieces.  It can easily be popped out and the fire door handles re-installed when we want a fire in the fireplace.  What do you think?

Old Photo Friday

I frequently have writer's envy.  I read blogs filled with exciting stories that captivate an audience (me) within seconds.  These blogs are full of wit and expressiveness that I can't seem to capture in my writing style.  Sigh.

Technically, this post is not about writer's envy.  It's more about writer's desk envy.  Specifically my childhood desk envy.  Errr, actually, my brother's desk envy.  Isn't this desk awesome?  So mid-century vintage cute!  I fondly remember the folding chair and lift top desk.

Now as a parent, I'm struggling with lack of extra space in the kids' rooms to fit desks.  During my junior high and high school years I had a roll top desk, which I received for my confirmation.   My computer had its self made cabinet.  The roll top desk is back in my room, serving as a quiet work space if things get too loud in the kitchen to do homework.  Annika has been asking for a desk for the last few years for her room.  She got a brother.

Last month we picked up this sweet art table at Pottery Barn Kids.  It's housed in our family room [read: playroom] We now have chairs to go with it - just in time for summer break.  I envision at least two kids working on homework here, separated by the art supply bins.

Beat the Rush

Summer's coming.  There's only one more week of school and then comes the annual library rush for summer reading.  We decided to hit the library one week early to get a good shot at some good reading books.  Morgan's like a fish out of water if she doesn't have a stack of at least 5-8 books.  We've been supplementing her thirst with the Greater Phoenix Digital Library, downloading books onto the Nook.  We would have invested in a Kindle, but the proprietary platform of the Kindle which means no public library books, made it a no-brainer to go with the Nook.  I've heard that will change this fall when Amazon opens the Kindle up to ePub.  We may look into a second reader at that time, since Morgan and I are vying for the Nook at the same time.

Anyway, we made our way to the library after baths and dinner.  We were pushing it with Erik, he was a bit load at the onset.  Then a quick trip to the kid's reference desk and we were off in the non fiction section looking for truck books, notably fire truck books.  Ooooooooh, that got him settled.

I have no idea where Annika and Morgan ended up.  We found them again at the check out area with stacks of books.  Woody picked out a few movies and our trip to the library was done in less than an hour.

Happy Reading.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Sister!!!


All the best for a great day, Susan.  With Love from all of us.

Hiking with Four Kids

After the Strawberry School House, we drove around to find a picnic spot near Fossil Creek only to find people at every site we scoped.  After a half hour driving on various dirt roads, we headed back north toward Pine and turned off near a small creek.  We kept turning and twisting and finally the creek turned into a dry bed.  The car climbed and finally we were at the top of a bluff overlooking the valley.  We decided to eat a picnic lunch on the rocks and enjoy the sites.

Our visit to a farmers market earlier gave us a bounty of fresh fruit for lunch.  The champagne mangos were unbelievable!  The kids, especially Erik, couldn't get enough of this sticky sweet fruit.  Yummy oranges and blueberries, sandwiches and Capri Sun drinks rounded out our lunch on the rocks.  We had fun walking and climbing over the rocks, and of course, taking pictures.

Three kids settled into sleep on the way back to the Valley of the Sun.  Morgan had a new digital book on the Nook and I got to play around with the new i-Touch.  Fun!!!!

Strawberry School House

Our main stop on our fun day trip was the Strawberry School House.  Built in 1884 in Yavapai County of the Arizona Territories, the Strawberry School House is the oldest standing schoolhouse in Arizona.  It averaged 18 students during the time it functioned as a school.  Instead of wood benches and plank tables, the school went "all out" and ordered factory desks for the kids.  It also had an organ because the school functioned as a social center and church.

Once closed, it fell it to disrepair and was pillaged for its materials and belongings.  Once turned over to the Payson-Pine Chamber of Commerce in 1967, it was restored - including the "borrowed" roof.   When it was turned over to the local historical society, residents and other interested persons who either taught or attended the school brought artifacts to turn the school into a historical preserve as of 1981.  It is now open to the public.

Morgan, Annika and Ingrid enjoyed looking the inside of the school and writing on slate.  The curator told them to go ahead and write on the teacher's chalkboard.  We looked at the books and pointed out that the desks went from small to large.

Old Photo Friday

The tire from our stroller was damaged last week, coming out of the rim on a whim one day.  We deflated the tube and we're stuck with a flat tire for the day.  Later, with the tube re-inflated, the tire detached itself from the rim again.  This time we were stuck carrying Erik around.

After mulling over our options, we chose to get a new tire from Amazon.  That meant we were without a stroller for the weekend.  Not usually a big deal, unless you really want it.  For our trip to Strawberry and hiking the rocks, we didn't need it.  Now there's a delay from Amazon.  Hopefully it'll be here soon.  Don't know how much you miss something until you can't use it.

There's a practical reason to blogging about a wheel.  Invariably at this house, a mention of "when did we buy X?" is either followed by a huge underestimation like "a year ago" when the truth is more like ten years ago, or a huge overestimation, like "we've had that for yeeaaars."  Blogging is our date stamp service.  For posterity, the wheel on our stroller was repaired "this week" in 2011, just so we remember.

Finally, Ingrid asked if we were getting a new "fancy" wheel for Erik's stroller.  We responded that the tread was new with a different pattern, but that wasn't good enough for Fancy Ingrid.

So here's today's old photo Friday.  Check out these wheels, Ingrid.  Fancy, fancy!

My grandpa, Robert Springer, with his first fancy car

Orchestra Festival

Today was the Chandler District Elementary Orchestra Solo and Ensemble Festival held after school at the Chandler Center for the Arts on the Chandler High School campus.  It was a near chaos scene registering so many kids in the district, but finally Morgan had her turn before the judges.  Her first set of music was left on her desk at school.  Morgan had to improvise and use what she had or forfeit her participation.  She stressed some and in turn had a bloody nose in line right before her turn.  All conditions were resolved and Morgan turned a stressor into a success with a blue ribbon.  Way to go!

Book Reports

Book reports are getting fancier and fancier as the school year progresses.  No more is it a form with title, author, publisher, plot, characters and overall impression.  Now it's a sandwich, a diorama, a mural with text or in this month's case - a kite!

Morgan read Obert Skye's Pillage for this month's book report.  She used the home theater projector to trace part of the cover and make a 3D effect kite.  The tails contain the typed information about the book, according to the sent-home rubric.  Looks great, doesn't it?

Wait and See

We're working on an exciting kids project.  Can't tell you what it is until it's done.  Here's your only hint.

Mother's Day Picnic Fun

Morgan, Erik and I were invited to a Mother's Day breakfast and play time with our friends, the Lheureux's.  We arrived at Joe's Farm Grill, located in the Agritopia urban farm community development, at 8:30 AM after packing a bento breakfast for Erik.  The line was over one hour.  Joe's Farm Grill and the adjoining Coffee Shop have both been featured on the Food Network.  The tables are all outside - picnic tables underneath big, beautiful trees.  The weather was fabulous.  Esther and I waited in line while Benoit tended to the three toddlers (Erik, Ollie, and Charlotte) with Morgan's help.

We ate fantastic Belgium waffles and then proceeded to the grassy retention area to play with bubbles.  The kids oohed and aahed at each bubble.  Morgan and Benoit took turns blowing bubbles while I took pictures.  Erik ran from one end to the other, over and over, working up quite a sweat.

It was a relaxing, fun morning to spend with friends while waiting for Woody, Annika and Ingrid to return from California.  Our family Mother's day will be co-celebrated with Father's Day in June.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms.

Annika Hits The Course

Annika's having a great time in Los Angeles with Daddy and Ingrid.  They spent most of Friday swimming while Woody replaced most of his parents irrigation system.  On Saturday, Harmony and Harabagee took Annika to get her a new set of clubs and out to the range to practice.

This is hilarious when Ingrid went up to Harmony to show her how to swing properly.