Planning for Successful Summer Adventures

It's summertime again. The time when we all try to slow down, but it seems like the days speed by faster than we'd like. This is the time of year the our family looks for adventures to enjoy together. Living in a climate where it seems like we have six months of cold, we really treasure these long hot (or at least warm) days.

The other day, the kids and I went fossil hunting and...wait for it...we think WE FOUND A FOSSIL!

 Awesome? Yes.

Coincidence? Sort-of.

Adventures (as my kids like to call them) have a risk for not turning out as fabulous as planned. That's why I try to think of all the 'what ifs' before heading out with the kiddos, having a Plan A,B,C,D....Z ready ahead of time.

Little Man loves fossils. Baby B couldn't wait to find a 'dog bone' as she likes to call them (and to play in the dirt.) I was a little nervous since actually finding a fossil can be a bit like finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.

However, this wasn't the first time that we have gone fossil hunting at this particular location.

The last time we went fossil hunting was before Baby B had joined the family. Little Man, some of his cousins, and myself went out one HOT summer afternoon and sorted through lots of rocks and dirt. It was a risky proposition with a major chance of the entire outing being a bust. Initially I remember feeling frustrated that the kids weren't getting as serious about the whole fossil hunting mission as I was.

Then I realized that I had become that parent who helps their kid with their science fair project by doing the project themselves. Thankfully, this dawned on me before I had ruined the day for the kids. After talking myself down from my sad, type A, goal oriented, "LET"S HAVE FUN LIKE THIS" ledge, I realized something.

Finding a fossil wasn't the point.

 We were there for the adventure.

The challenge, the mystery, the imagining of what if, and 'what was it like here years ago' discussions. The heat, and the sweat, and the scraped knees, and the dirt. The 'remember that time we went looking for fossils?' stories that we shared later. The 'man, I'm sooooo thirsty...I wonder if this is how thirsty you feel in the desert?' questions.

Thankfully, we did find a fossil on that first trip. But, even if we hadn't, I had several things working in my favor to make it a successful adventure.

1. All of the kids loved playing in dirt/sand.

2. I had researched online about where and what we should be looking for.

3. We didn't have a long trek to get to the 'dig' site.

4. I could find some nice rocks for bordering my flower beds while we were there.

5. I had taken a year of geology in college because I thought 'why not, it would be fun' (and only slept      through some of the classes) so I kind of knew what to look for.

And my ace in the hole:

6. I planned to take them swimming afterwards whether or not any fossils were found.

On this most recent trip, we had success. The kids were able to wallow in the dirt AND we found what looks to be a fossil. Plus, I found some more rocks for my flower beds. Little Man and Baby B are hoping for many more adventures this summer. I have some ideas up and MANY backup plans. More importantly, I'm trying to keep in mind that for an adventure to truly be and adventure, there needs to be the element of the unknown. Maybe even a little danger.

ad·ven·ture

adˈven(t)SHər,ədˈven(t)SHər/

noun

1. 1.

   an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.

   "her recent adventures in Italy"

   synonyms:

   exploit, escapade, deed, feat, experience "her recent adventures in Italy"

verb

dated

1. 1.

   engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory.

   "they had adventured into the forest"

My job is to accentuate the unusual and exciting and eliminate (or at least minimize) the hazardous part of the adventure. This time, it turned out great. We'll see how our next adventure works out.

Here's to adventures guys. 'Tis the season.

Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

The One Million Words Project

Little Man had his last day of second grade today. It's crazy to me that he is growing up so fast. He himself will gleefully tell me that he has only eight years (okay 7 1/2) until he can get his drivers license. Yikes. Time is passing too quickly. Way to soon, my kids will be thinking I am just another adult who doesn't know half of what they know. Gone will be the days when I am "funny, cool...the best mom ever."

When I think back to my childhood, some memories stand out more than others. My dad playing practical jokes. My mom dancing with us to records in the living room. Having squirt gun fights with my siblings in the summer (where, inevitably someone would always end up crying).

What will my children remember from their childhood? What things do we do as a family now, that will make them smile looking back years from now (even when they are teenagers and can't admit it out loud)? What words can I give them that they will carry with them and share with their children?

So, I've come up with a plan. Actually, it's been rolling around in my head for a least a couple of months and I finally feel like I the idea has crystallized. Rather than crossing my fingers and hoping for the best, I've decided to be proactive.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. My goal is to give my children the gift of a visual history of some of those big and small things that we share as a family. Trips, puddle jumping, fishing, taking walks, etc. Memories fade, but photos can be a nice reminder. I plan on recording some of my thoughts for them as well. Written accounts of things that they've said, or moments that were precious to me. Similar to the adventure book that was in the movie "Up".

AlbumOptions/Etsy.com  

A gift for them now and in the future.

I started the project June 1st, and will periodically post my photos on Instagram, Twitter, and here on the blog. Will I finish the project over the summer? Probably not. But I'm determined to leave a visual legacy for my kids to reinforce the lessons and memories we will be sharing along the road of life.

Who would like to join me? If you would like to share a moment from your own family story, you can share it on my Facebook page, or you can find me on Twitter:  @JustMamaBea.

Remember..."Adventure is out there!"



Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

Ordinary Days

Today was a wonderfully ordinary fall day.  

Little Man had a "great day" in school. Baby B had a tantrum before nap (which did not come as a surprise to me, and I knew what to do about it!) That's huge. Every day more and more we feel like a 'regular family'. This little girl is no longer a stranger to us.

 To top it all off, was beautiful weather. 

We helped Grandma pick the apples off of their remaining apple tree, which is a fall tradition. 

 I really am trying to create a lot of memories together with Little Man and Baby B. Shared experiences is part of what makes a family.

I can almost taste the homemade apple sauce now. Mmmmmmmm.

Tomorrow, it's pumpkin time.

Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

Sleeping less, playing more.

Last night was a tricky one. Baby B was moaning and crying in her sleep from about 2:30 AM until 5:30 when she got up for the day. She had been sleeping in my bed and during the night I was able to console her so that she didn't wake up Little Man in the night. At 5:30, I had gotten up for the day to pack lunch for Little Man, and get ready for the day in general-so she woke up sobbing when I wasn't there for her. Poor little sweetie.

Some nights are like that. On the way to school, I commented that I was a little tired this morning. Little Man asked me if I had forgotten what two was like (aka, taking care of a 2 year old). 

He is waaaaay too smart. So is Baby B. She is learning English like crazy! She especially enjoys telling our dog to be quiet and sit down. 

What have we been up to around here?

                           

                       We've been doing a lot of dancing to The Wiggles ...                       

 

(I warn you if you watch this video it will probably be trapped in your head like it is in mine.)  

  enjoying the fall weather...

 playing

 and 

   learning a ton...

 and getting to know cousins.

I'm one blessed mama.

Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

Any Advice?

Here is what I've been thinking about lately. Since this is the month we travel plane rides, with a toddler, are in the not to distant future. It's been awhile since I brought Little Man home from Ethiopia (five years next week). Little Man will be a big help, but I want to make the trip as pleasant for Baby B possible.

I have some ideas (stickers, bandaids, and tape are always a hit) and I am packing some books that are supposed to be tear proof. 

But a person could always use some more ideas.

What are some things that you all have found helpful when travelling with a toddler? 

Leave your ideas in the comments section, on the FB page, or feel free to private message me.

Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

Enjoying the Lazy Days

Like most places, summer time means swimming. Grandma and Grandpa have a pool, expressly for the purpose of luring their kids and grand kids over on hot summer days. (They also have a zip-line, trampoline, four wheelers, bikes, 100 acres of woods...)

Until recently, the pool has been unheated.

 On the cooler days (70s or even 60s) we would use this little building to warm us up between swims.

The sauna. 

(Pronounced sow-na, it's Finnish. Pleeeeeeeease say it correctly or us Finns get a little peeved.  And don't tell us 'it sounds funny'...unless you also eat Eye-talian food, and TAEcos. ;)

Their sauna is the old fashioned wood fired kind. The kids love it from the time they are quite small. 

It's a challenge to see how much steam they can handle. My favorite temp for the kids is between 120 and 150 degrees.  (And don't worry, we monitor them and watch their time in the heat.) There is nothing like heating up tin the sauna, then running to the pool and jumping in for a refreshing swim.

Anyone up for a sauna?

Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

'Summer School'

I have taken a hiatus for a few days, as I was attending summer school...sort of. Little Man is determined to become a fisherman. Therefore, I am now a fisher-person as well. Since we don't have a boat (yet) I looked online for area lakes that we could easily drive to and catch some pan fish. 

 The first day out, we were really late getting started so I decided to not even bring a cooler or bucket for any fish. After all, it was almost eleven when we arrived there.

 Unfortunately for me, on Little Man's second cast, he caught a keeper!

He was so pumped.

 Sooooo....guess who got to learn how to clean a sunfish last night? 

Yep. 

I will spare you the in process pictures. 

Let's just say it took longer than the 43 seconds that the YoutTube video said it would take.

And I had to have Grandpa help me get started. 

But, I finished it!

Today we went out again for most of the day, but not much luck. We caught fish, but none large enough to keep. On the plus side, I am getting really good at taking fish off the hook. 

Guess I'll have to do a little more reading up on fishing tonight. 

Click the banner above to vote for Just B. @Top Mommy Blogs! You can vote once a day.

Just B...

Fearless

Today I took Little Man and one of his friends to the science center. The two of them had big plans on holding all of the snakes so we headed over to that area first. I myself have a fear of snakes. When I was a teenager I stepped on one barefooted. I took off running and I am pretty sure that I didn't touch the ground the rest of the way home...

Let's Have a Snow Ball!

Snow day...again!? 

So they told us that winter storm Orka was headed our way. They were forecasting 6 to 12 inches.

We didn't believe them. 

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a visit and took a nice hike through the woods. As the snow piled up, it started to look very promising but I told Little Man not to get his hopes up about a snow day. If anything we would get a two hour late start.

 Knowing that our driveway would be too drifted for our car to make it out of the driveway in the morning we decided a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's would be our safest bet. I drove Grandpa's 4WD pickup, and we ventured out.

 It's a very strange experience being one of the only cars and the road, but meeting snowmobiles in the oncoming lane. The snowplows just could not keep up with the snowing and drifting.

We woke up to 28 inch drifts on the deck, and about 14 inches in actual snowfall.

So he had some wild (adult monitored :) snow fun! 

 

 Guess Little Man got his wish.

We've decided that we like these snow days!

'Snowball' Fun

Little Man had a rough night last night. He has had a cold for a couple of days and last night he was up multiple times with a completely plugged up head. So, that meant Little Man slept propped up in bed, tissue box close by, dosed up on cold medicine all night. Despite all of that, he was convinced it was time to wake up at 4 AM...although I did manage to get him to sleep an extra hour by snuggling in bed with him. 

When he got the energy to get moving for the day, I was reminded of the fact that I am several days behind on our Advent calendar of activities. I love having our Advent calendar, but I always misplace the slips of paper that I have created for it and have to start over every year. Sigh.

 Being the smart, though procrastinating (and very tired) mom , I decided to pull out the big guns.

 One of those ultimately cool activities.

A marshmallow snowball fight. In the house. Yes. It is genius, or crazy and I don't remember who I got the idea from. 

 1 bag of marshmallows + 1 seven year old + 1 mom = loads of fun!

You can check the math for yourself if you'd like :)