Cluck and Tweet

You know that saying, there

You know that saying, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes?  Well, I think it also applies to road tripping with children. There is no such thing as a bad passenger, only bad preparation.  Okay, okay, if you have a car puker (which we did, for a while) that does sort of constitute as a bad passenger. But still.  Barf bags in seat pockets pretty much eliminate the worst of it. Probably not the best way to amp you up for a road trip-- talking about puke and all.   So how about we focus on this? Smiling faces uninterrupted family time  better for the planet (and your wallet) then flying on a jetplane  I just noticed that none of these photos were actually taken in a car.  Ah! Here's one: children who are securely strapped in. As in, cannot run. Or get into stuff. For hours on end. Yes, I will proudly proclaim my absolute love of the road trip.  Ever since my teenage and collegiate years, when, as a dreadlock-loving, handmade dress wearing wild child I criss-crossed the countryside with friends and boyfriends in cars and Greyhounds and the like, the white and yellow lines of smooth highway pavement have been embedded in my heart.  There is something about the endlessness of the road, the forward motion of the drive, that sparks all sorts of wonder and adventure.  I stick my feet on the dash (did I mention my husband loves to drive-- bonus), crank the radio up, and just soak in the sunshine. Because it is always sunny on my roadtrips. Do you hear me weatherman-predicting-thunderstorms-through-Ohio-today? Always. Sunny. When Noah was four, Justin and I took a two-plus week road trip along the East Coast. It was the kind of road trip I love most-- no agenda, no destination, go where ever the mood strikes. It was so easy, traveling with one little guy in the backseat. (Because I am a freak about this stuff, I must add here that this was taken in an old Volvo wagon, and it had a built in booster seat. The whole five-point harness for four year-olds really wasn't the rage yet. Honest. Ahem.) He was content to look at books, to jabber in his pre-school way, to take pictures of his feet and the backs of our heads with my camera.   When Max was three months old, we packed both boys up and drove the 30-plus hours to Big Sky, Montana.   It was another pretty easy trip. Stuff was a bit of a problem (as in, we could barley see the boys because I packed an insane amount of baby equipment that all proved to be unnecessary).  We got better, though, trip after trip.  The boys became road warriors (after Max stopped ralphing every time we went more than 45 miles, that is). Fast forward to last year. We packed a three month old Lizzie and the two boys into our newly christened mini-van. Oh, the room!  Oh, the DVD players!  It was the first time  Justin and I had ever worried about a road trip. We were officially outnumbered. Would mutiny occur? Nope. It was great. And here's why: we take travel packing seriously. As in: we make sure every kid has enough stuff to do to stay busy exactly 85-percent of the trip (and only 85-percent, because hey, they have to learn to appease themselves too, right?) Here's the breakdown of key items we keep handy: Books a plenty. Unless your kid gets carsick reading-- okay, even if your kid gets carsick reading-- have them pick a few books for the road.  Also, audio books are a huge must. We take enough for double the amount of time we're in the car, just in case one of the books doesn't pass muster.  With a portable CD player, or with cars that come with earphones, you have the option of listening to the books with your child, or if they aren't appropriate for younger ears (or you just want to rock out with your feet on the dash), your child can get lost in a story without having to read/vomit.    Small toys. My boys love little tech deck skateboards and lego packs-- but beware, these things are easily dropped and fall into the "mama, can you reach back and get that..." category.  I love the little Playmobile magnetic travel sets, and sticker books for the toddler crowd are always a hit. Just be prepared to have stickers cover the inside of said toddler's window. Crayons/dry erase marker boards.  We bring our schooling dry erase boards and markers along, in case Max gets an urge "to do homework" (he's still at that age), and also to just draw, erase, and draw some more.  With Lizzie suddenly having a huge interest in coloring, I'll start packing our Stockmar crayons too. These all natural beeswax crayons are great, well, just because they are great, but also because if they happen to wind up in her mouth and no one in the backseat happens to notify me for a few minutes, they are also safe.  I like the block variety for little hands.   DVDs.  This one is a bit tricky in our house.  While our fancy schmancy mini-van did come with two drop down DVD players, I really, really don't like the idea of an 18-hour screen fest.  That being said, um, we do have two DVD players, and there is nothing-- I mean nothing-- that will keep wee ones quieter and more content than being glued to the ol' tele. And so, we compromise.  I bring a slug of their favorite movies and save them for when it is too dark to read or draw, or when they are just plain losing the plot.  I also netflix some fun stuff that I know they would never watch unless they are, well, hog-tied and strapped down.  Last year, they plowed through the entire first season of the Brady Bunch. And loved it. With golden oldies like Gilligan's Island, the Andy Griffith Show, and musicals like The Sound of Music to pick from, there are plenty of options that make me feel a little better about what they are watching (as in no Diego or Star Wars cartoons blasting from the back. Pretty please). Snacks.  Oh, I cannot stress enough the importance of the all-accessible snack bag. We load up so that no one starts bonking from starvation. I'll admit, we don't neccessairly do "keep the car tidy" snacks (i.e. crackers galore) but we do vacuum up the majority of the mess between the going there and coming home trips.  We also keep a small cooler with juice, milk, water and lunch fixin's (like turkey and cheese and fruit) so that on the off chance we're in a groove, we can eat and keep driving, and if not, we can eat at a rest stop and save both money and our stomachs from fast food gut rot. Good old-fashioned car game fun.  We actually still love, despite all the technology we have available, to play the games Justin and I played as kids-- the I Spy, the license plate game,  the name-something-you-see-that-starts-with-this-letter game, or be as silent as a statue (which unfortunately never lasts very long for more than three seconds). Unless your kid is doing this: We also play "make up a story," in which the person who is "it" gets to start a story about whatever they want, and then we all take turns adding to it until we get back to the person who started the story, and they get to put the ending on it.  Here's an online resource for these kinds of games and more ideas: www.minivanmom.com (seriously). And then, there's always talking.  Because that's what  family trip is all about, right? Seriously. Because they grow so fast. They go from this, to that, in like, under 10 seconds. A word to the wise: never, ever teach your children the song "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall."  Also, in our car, the kids get three free "are we there yet's"  and after that, we start docking that coveted DVD time. Amazing how fast those words disappear from their sweet little vocabularies. Adios folks-- as you read this, we are in the car, heading to Asheville, North Carolina. I'll post when I get there. From a grocery store. A very, very lovely grocery store.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Um, is it okay to post a recipe involving chicken on a site called "Cluck and Tweet?" I'm going with yes (with the promise that said chicken led a happy, free-range, organic life on a quaint Amish farm). Without further ado: The easiest and tastiest chicken tortilla soup ever. Well, maybe not ever, but still-- it is super easy, and that counts for something. ingredients: canola oil for the soup pot bottom (something like an 1/8 of a cup will do) I medium red pepper, seeded and chopped 1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped (unless you are like me and totally forget to buy a green pepper. In that case, the one red pepper works fine) 2 cloves garlic, minced. Or, if you are feeling lazy, one teaspoon of already minced garlic. 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon cumin (which is prettier to photograph than oregano) 1 can diced tomatoes, from the store or your own canned surplus. Personally, canning scares the crud out of me, so I go for the store bought stuff, because the FDA is proving to be a safe bet these days... 4 cups of cold water or chicken stock (I go for the stock) A package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Even typing that gives me the shivers. I. hate. raw. chicken. I wish I could dump it in the soup like this: simply to avoid touching it. 1 (15 ounce) can of cooked black beans 3/4 a bag frozen corn kernels (I do like to use the corn we've frozen from the summer for soups like this, but by March, we're stuck with the "freshly frozen" variety. And that's fine, since the bag promises yellow delights that are "always delicious"). Oh, and some blue corn chips to stick in the bottom of the bowls before adding soup.... Heat the canola oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute the peppers, onion, garlic, oregano and cumin for 3 minutes. Add the tomato and continue stirring for 1 minute. Add cold water or stock and stir. Looks more like a bubbling acid pool than soup at this point, I know. Now comes the tricky part: add the chicken. without touching it. Okay, that's me...really you just have to toss the chicken breasts in and let them simmer for 20 minutes. I, on the other hand, make it a monumental task... Yeah. While waiting, enjoy a little moment of peace. My moment involves looking out the back door, where this awaits: When the 20 minutes are up, remove the cooked chicken breasts, let them cool for a few minutes, and then cut 'em up, anyway you like. Return the cut chicken into the soup pot (so much easier this time!) and dump in the beans and corn. Bring back to a boil, and serve, over the crunched up tortilla chips. *If you don't have massive aversions to spicy foods like the guy with the hairy arm (see above, meet my husband) does, you can chop up a seeded jalapeno pepper and give this soup a kick! --K

Eat Your Veggies...on a Roasted Vegetable Pizza

This recipe requires vegetables.  Lots of veggies, fresh from the garden someones garden, somewhere, and I'm hoping it was someones organic garden, but I'm not really sure on that one except for the potatoes.     I used peppers, garlic, redskin potatoes, onion, and yellow squash.  Just chop up all of those vegetables.  You'll also need some thyme and salad dressing.   The thyme can be sprigs (which are actually prettier than the jar of thyme you see before you).   You don't need the salad dressing, you could use balsamic vinegar, but we like the extra flavor.   Can you tell that we love ourselves some Ken's Light Caesar?   I will admit that is does contain high-fructose corn syrup, but I figure the organic potatoes off-set the corn syrup so we're still even.   Mix together the thyme, dressing, and chopped vegetables and put in a pan. Roast at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring half-way through. Don't run to your computer and check on what's up or this may happen.

When the vegetables are roasted, remove the pan and turn the oven down to 400 degrees.  Prepare your pizza crust by sprinkling about a cup of cheese over the crust.  I used a Boboli whole wheat crustand mozzarella cheese, but provolone would be pretty tasty.  Top this with the roasted vegetables and another cup of cheese:  Cook for about 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.     And dinner is served.

Crock-Pot-astic

A yummy and easy (albeit not so photogenic) crock pot recipe

This is the final product of a recipe that was given to me by the people who always give me the best and quickest recipes available: Dan and Jodi. Their hallmark recipes are those that you don't have to write down, and believe me, if it has more than 2 ingredients, I have to write it down. I promise, when I ate this at their house it was tasty. This recipe requires the following:  Meat. I chose a pork tenderloin because I needed to use it before it went bad, but I think a pork or beef roast would have been juicier.  A jar of banana peppers. That's it. Beautiful, isn't it? Oh, and a crock pot. Simply dump (that's so not Martha Stewart) the peppers over the roast and let cook for the day. Yum! If that picture doesn't make you an immediate vegetarian, then I'm not getting paid enough from PETA. Here's where I admit that I didn't start my crock pot soon enough in the day and the meal didn't get done and we had to order pizza and try again the next day. Eventually the meat will cook,  and absorb the peppers. And apparently look like simmering intestines. Yours won't look this way. Yours will look like...(I tried to insert a picture of attactive pulled pork, but apparently it doesn't exist. So, the bad news is, your pork will probably look as bad as mine does.) Shred the mixture so that it resembles pulled pork . I made a dressing to go on ours since it looked pretty dry. It was made from a bit of Newman's Own Caesar Salad dressing, mustard, and mayonaisse, but it did help the flavor. I'm a strong believer in condiments. At least for my cooking.  I toasted some Rudi's whole-wheat hotdog bugs with butter and parmesan cheese (something the boy will eat)  Put it all together with a side salad and you've got a meal. Or at least something edible.  As my mom has always said, "It's all good stuff." Which assumes that if you put together any good tasting ingredients you'll end up with something you can eat. Which still doesn't explain the sauerkraut cake she made when I was in highschool. Whatever. --A

Why I do not open the door to uninvited company (or, what my house really looks like on any given Sunday)

Lizzie's idea of a good time: pull everything out of the cupboards and pantry, throw all over the floor. Rinse and Repeat. And for you people who are tsking me for allowing her such freedoms, please take note of the safety latches. I've got limits.  They just don't include the drawer-o-plastic or the pantry (and yes, most days, I simply scoop the food right back into the boxes). So you might never want to eat breakfast here either.

pennies for peace

We at "cluck and tweet", when we're not clucking or tweeting, are trying to figure out ways to bring out the best in our kids. Their spiritual lives are very important to us; their investment in our earth and environment, their spiritual and emotional health, and their empathy for the least of these is still in our power of influence as mothers and we don't want to screw this up. This spring we're hoping to get the kids excited to raise money forPennies for Peace, Greg Mortenson's foundation that provides schools for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pennies for Peace is ingenious since it's based on the premise that something essentially discarded by Americans (even in this economy), has the power to change lives in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The program is also idiot-proof (which we, the idiots, really appreciate). All of the information is on the website, including a Tool Kit teachers can use. Greg is a modern-day hero, and his book Three Cups of Tea is so inspiring. I heard him speak in January, expecting to see someone a bit aloof, stand-offish. He couldn't have been anything but. He wore what looked like his one good suit, stumbled over the microphone cord, and humbly accepted money from two young adults with Down syndrome. I thought I would cry through the entire presentation. He's proof that one person can change the world. We'll keep you posted on our progress and would love to hear about the ways God works in your family's world. --A

Washington DC

When you homeschool, learning is all about living.  Lessons that happen in the form of daily adventures-- from grocery shopping (which can be an adventure, I swear) to road tripping-- bring learning into every day moments that encourage children to explore.  It opens up to a whole new way of defining education. For us, this philosophy plays out at its finest on family vacations. One of our children's favorite places to go-- Washington, D.C.-- is truly one giant classroom. While the city itself is on the pricey side, there are so many things to do for free that we keep getting drawn back. We road trip it Okay, okay, that is not our car. But I wish it was-- I mean, it runs on biodiesel AND has a bumper sticker to prove it.  Also, it is from our state. And we did see it on the way to Washington D.C.  So...almost. This is what our car actually looks like I swear Max is either watching The Brady Bunch Season 1 or some Charlie Brown does America DVD.  Anywaaaaaayyyyyy...When you get to Washington D.C., here's a list of "must do's" with age-appropriate notes if you choose to head to the nation's capital in the near future. 1) The monuments. Duh. Truly, though, these are all free and fantastic ways to jump start conversations about a wide-range of America's history. I'd recommend getting some biographies on the biggies-- we always read about Lincoln and Jefferson before we go. The books "Who was...(Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln)" are easy and informative for second-fifth graders. Be prepared, depending on your child's personality, however, for some tough questions. Noah, on our last trip to DC, sat in front of Lincoln's large stone feet. He wanted to know about the roots of slavery. He wanted to know what life for slaves was like and how humans could be so cruel. This is a good place to mention that the older your children are, the more the war memorials-- or Arlington Cemetery-- will likely affect them. Noah struggled through the WWII memorial last trip (he was nine). We opted to skip the Vietnam Memorial all together after the WWII tears and definitely have never done the Holocaust Museum. While I think it is important, as our children grow, to have them learn the damage war creates, I also think it is important to protect their innocence, their innate understanding of humanity's good. Okay, off the soapbox. 2. The zoo Because it's free. And it has a panda. And as far as urban zoo's go, it is a good place to wander. My children tend to be of the "it is horrible for wild animals to be caged" variety, but it does provide a great opportunity to see animals up close, and to tie in lessons of ecology and biology and, well, how horrible it is when animals lose their natural habitats. *I have no pictures of the zoo, because we didn't go last year, and the pictures from 2007 are all the way downstairs. And I'm typing from bed. Sorry to disappoint-- just close your eyes and envision a very fat and sleepy looking cheetah, and two boys growling at said cheetah in a much more true-to-the-wild manner. You've pretty much captured the moment. 3. Strolling through town Read the signs on the buildings. Notice the changes in each neighborhood (but not too scary of changes. Stick to the tourist friendly places, and if you don't know, ask). Soak in the air of academics and debate and design that exist in the city. There are stories to be told about the Cherry Blossom Trees, the personalities behind the many statues and monuments (okay, the red sunglasses were too good to miss in black and white), and of course, don't miss the protestors that are on the mall (although the first year we went, the only protesting being done had banners with the slogan "don't snip the tip." Hmmm. Try explaining an anti-circumcision rally to your boys). But I digress...If you don't live in the city (like us country bumpkins) walking around gives an eye-opening view of everything from art in public spaces to the epidemic of homelessness.  4. The National Geographic Museum Off the beaten path a bit, this small but oh-so-cool museum is free and always boasts a fantastic exhibit or two. Our kids still talk about the "awesomeness" of the poison dart frog. Me? Not so much. 5. The Mall/The National Museums The Mall itself is sort of like this gross dustbowl, but there is a carousal and it is the central spot in the web of cool museums, so you should plan to spend some time there. Starbucks for your children is optional, of course. The museums that line the mall are free (amazing!) but I would not recommend trying to cover more than two a day. The Natural History Museum really could be a day in and of itself, and the Air and Space Museum is a big hit with my boys. This list is more than enough to fill four days in DC. Other options include The Spy Musuem (costly, but great fun for kids ages 5-8) and Capitol Building/Library of Congress (better for older kids). We also have never called our Senators before, but next time we go, we will. Most have office hours that include a weekly reception for any constituents that happen to be in town. White House tours must have six people or more, and must be set up six months in advance. Tips: Pack lunches! The most expense part of DC is the food. If you have the opportunity to pack food to take, do so, or hop the Metro into Dupont Circle and ask around for a local grocer (Dupont also has a Farmers Market). Speaking of the Metro-- it is the cleanest public transportation system I've ever seen-- we truly get on after dinner and ride for a half-an-hour just for fun. Easy to navigate and not too busy (except for rush hour and anytime you are by the mall). Max actually wrote President Obama and said "I hope you get to ride the subway, because it is the most fun thing to do there. Trust me. I've ridden it." some more websites with ideas for DC:

 

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Washington_DC/washingtondc.htm

http://www.bluesuitmom.com/travel/family/washingtondc.html

http://www.washingtondckids.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/04/17/washington.dc/index.html

http://www.whitehousekids.gov

 

 

how do we go from this...

How does it happen? How do we go from this to this in the blink of an eye? One look at my baby discovering a new baby, and I'm just about cooked. You might as well just make me pee on the stick right now (just kidding honey. Three is a great number. Really....)

Super-Easy Crock Pot Meal...Better Than It Looks.

This is the final product of a recipe that was given to me by the people who always give me the best and quickest recipes available: Dan and Jodi. Their hallmark recipes are those that you don't have to write down, and believe me, if it has more than 2 ingredients, I have to write it down. I promise, when I ate this at their house it was tasty.  This recipe requires the following: Meat. I chose a pork tenderloin because I needed to use it before it went bad, but I think a pork or beef roast would have been juicier. A jar of banana peppers. That's it. Beautiful, isn't it? Oh, and a crock pot. Simply dump (that's so not Martha Stewart) the peppers over the roast and let cook for the day. Yum!  If that picture doesn't make you an immediate vegetarian, then I'm not getting paid enough from PETA.  Here's where I admit that I didn't start my crock pot soon enough in the day and the meal didn't get done and we had to order pizza and try again the next day. Eventually the meat will cook, and absorb the peppers.  And apparently look like simmering intestines.  Yours won't look this way.   Yours will look like...(I tried to insert a picture of attactive pulled pork, but apparently it doesn't exist.  So, the bad news is, your pork will probably look as bad as mine does.) Shred the mixture so that it resembles pulled pork . I made a dressing to go on ours since it looked pretty dry. It was made from a bit of Newman's Own Caesar Salad dressing, mustard, and mayonaisse, but it did help the flavor. I'm a strong believer in condiments. At least for my cooking. I toasted some Rudi's whole-wheat hotdog bugs with butter and parmesan cheese (something the boy will eat) Put it all together with a side salad and you've got a meal. Or at least something edible. As my mom has always said, "It's all good stuff."  Which assumes that if you put together any good tasting ingredients you'll end up with something you can eat.  Which still doesn't explain the sauerkraut cake she made when I was in highschool.  Whatever. --A

About me, Alison and About me, Kate

Hi! Thanks for stopping by and checking out Cluck and Tweet. I'm Alison, a 43-year-old stay-at-home wife and mother of two who is easily amused. In my past life I taught middle school and high school and have been mistaken for  and even once for Okay, maybe not quite. In real life I look like this (the one on the right)  and I have a son who looks an awful lot like the person on the left.  I also have a daughter who might actually be attached to the dog on her right.   I also have a really great husband, Mr. Incredible  who, most of the time, is pretty incredible.  I'm quite happy with my life in our small-town world and quite happy you're taking time to be part of it. Oh, is it my turn now?  I'm Kate, 30-year old stay-at-home mama of three-- ages 10, 4, and 1-- and wife of one very manly guy who happens to shave his legs half the year (which he promises me is normal for road cyclists...and besides, he does look good in spandex) I wish I could say I am a master seamstress or a knitting guru or a person who could meditate more than two minutes. Well, at least in theory I wish that, because those are all things I am interested in doing...someday. For now, I'll stick to freelance writing and an occasional article in my hometown paper, where I was once assistant editor. I'm a card-carrying member of Mothers Acting Up, that crazy mama movement that asks for joyful advocacy for the world's women and children. I love yoga (especially once every month or so during the whole centering time at the end, when-- for five seconds-- I can actually center and not obsess about how bad my front bends are compared to the 80 year old granny on the mat next to me). I can also admit I once earned a paycheck as Chuck E. Cheese, that I love therapy because I love talking (i.e., gave up my cell phone for lent and lasted all of ten minutes post Ash Wednesday), and that I actually find myself making to-do lists while reading books called "Buddhism for Mothers of Young Children." But I read those books anyway, because more than anything else, I do, so very much, love to be in the moment with: Check back here as Alison and I write about what we love-- and what drives us crazy-- and we'll give you a weekly dose of easy recipes, great finds, and fun stuff to do with the littles. Because after all, we are the kind of moms you want to model your life after...No?

I will offer a disclaimer

I will offer a disclaimer in the beginning of this recipe: if you don't like messes, you might want to wait this one out.  

Tofu (or chicken or flank steak...) Quesadillas

Slice up a red pepper (and if you don't forget to buy one a green or yellow pepper too).  I like them in long strips like this: And throw them into a large pan with a little olive oil on medium-high heat.   Add chopped onion (sorry, no picture here because I was too busy cursing the fact that I'd chopped it and promptly touched my eye....ouch!) After about three minutes, add two or three cloves of minced garlic (fresh is best, but again, a lazy cook can use the jar stuff. Ahem). Continue to stir and cook for another three minutes, or until onion is becoming translucent and peppers are getting soft.  During this time, chop up the tofu. I like to use extra firm Silken Tofu, but the kind and consistency is really a matter of preference.  I also forgot to take a picture of the cut tofu-- I know that is heartbreaking.  Once it is cut, throw it into a pan or a wok with some mild salsa (or not mild, if you don't have a bunch of wimpy taste bud eaters at your house) and stir fry. Halve a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes and add them to the pan with the peppers, onion and garlic. Also, add some thawed corn to the pan. I would assume it goes without saying that I cannot wait for summer harvests to start rolling in so that I can remove the word "thaw" from my vocabulary. After a minute or so of stirring the veggie mix, add a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed black beans to the pan and stir until warmed through. The tofu should be done by now, so all that's left to do is put the quesadillas together. This is where the mess comes in folks. First, brush olive oil on your tortillas. If I don't make my own, I like to use Trader Joe's spinach or whole wheat varieties.  Once the fist tortillas have been olive oiled (is that a saying? Olive oiled?), place on a large baking sheet and throw a healthy layer of shredded cheese on top (any variety will do-- I like a mix of colby, chedder, and jack). Then add a layer of tofu and a layer of the cooked veggie mix, and finally, another round of cheese. Then brush the top tortilla with olive oil And put in the oven for about two or three minutes a side, or until the tortillas are browning and getting hard. The flipping of the tortilla from one side to the other is actually the messiest part of the process.  A spatula won't pick up the whole tortilla, so it starts to dump stuff from the side. Just use your hand to help it and flip as fast as possible. You can always add contents back into the quesadilla before sticking it back in the oven. Once the quesadilla is done, use a pizza cutter to divide it into sixths.  Serve with rice, sour cream, tortilla soup...whatever strikes your fancy.

critical kitty

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family meetings

When the gavel, er, dry erase marker, hits the table on Sunday evenings, my squirmy boys clamor onto a chair and pull themselves up to the kitchen table. Time for business. Family meetings happen weekly in our house, mostly because running through schedules for the upcoming days helps me stay sane, but also, we want to keep the lines of communication open with our kids.  Noah will be 10 (10!) in a few weeks.  Suddenly, I feel very aware that one day, he won't open up for fun and gush sentences like his tongue is about to be cut out. Or maybe, because he is Noah, he'll talk and talk and talk in his teen years, just because he won't be able to stop himself.  But that doesn't matter, because when I look at him, no, when I listen to him as we sit around the kitchen table on Sunday nights, I am simply awed. Awed by this person unfolding before my very eyes. While a family meeting should be tailored to your needs (and your children's ages) a few guidelines will prevent whine-fest 2009, or opps-we-forgot-again-every-Sunday, or tattle-tail dispatch.  Not that we ever experienced that. Ahem. We keep a dry erase board on the kitchen desk all week. If any family member has an issue they want to bring up at the meeting, they write it down there, and that becomes the "agenda."   We start every meeting by going around the table and saying something nice or appreciative about each person, and we also add a general gratitude-of-the-week idea/thing/event to share. Once we've done that, we dive into the agenda, which usually consists of a reminder to turn off lights (dad) a request by mom (can we start nature journaling again? Will you boys bring down your baskets each day to collect toys and books that need to be returned to your bedroom each night? Can mama maybe pee in private once this week?) The boys usually throw in one wish for the other-- as in, please stay out of my room when I am not home (Noah) and please play with me everyday this week (Max). And let me stop for a second to say, doesn't this picture look like a commercial for an after school special??  We keep it short-- no longer than 15 minutes tops.  Otherwise, you're only talking to yourself, because the kids, yeah, they are so not listening. And we always end by going over our family values (which we did very first meeting we held. A good idea to hang them somewhere visable. Also, keep them simple. I used the word "empathetic" in ours, and for the next two months, "empathetic" had to be our "word of the week" just so both boys understood its meaning). Once the meeting adjourns, we try and play a board game or do something else easy and fun as a family.  Because after all, it is the uninterrupted time together that make these meetings worth their weight in, um, bailout bonuses.   Some tips to start your own family meetings: -Pick one day a week (or every other week, especially if your children are really young) and set a time and place-- and then schedule it into your planner as if it were an important business meeting that cannot be changed.  It is important to let your kids know that family meetings rank high on your priority list.   - Have a structure. It helps to do the same thing every week. This makes it easy for the kids to follow along and feel more a part of the whole process because they know what to expect.  Have a way you start the meeting on a positive note, have an agenda, and then end with something fun (this way, meetings don't become things the kids groan at attending).  -Keep it short, keep it simple. If in your meeting you are trying to implement something big, like a chore chart, make sure there isn't any other major changes or projects you are rolling out in the same meeting.   -- Make sure everyone practices their best listening skills, go through the family values each meeting, and most of all, have fun and enjoy the time together.

spring cleaning

There is a pile of new snow sitting waist high out my front door. Inside, my kids are sick or whiny. Or both. And the house? It is a disaster, and my interest level in cleaning it has waned from my normal "oh bother," to a complete "no way, no how." So...I discovered a way to keep the littlest occupied AND get the chores accomplished: slave labor playing house at its finest: Never mind that Cinderella look in the last shot. She loves to clean. Ahem. --K

guana island

When 34 degrees is feeling balmy and you pass people in the street wearing shorts with their parkas, it's really a sign that winter needs to end. Unfortunately in Northern Michigan, Mother Nature just laughs at us mortals. Ha! And then dumps 10 more inches of snow in our driveways and drops the temperature to 8 degrees below zero. Gotta love that Mother Nature. She's got a great sense of humor. I must spend November through May (it stays cold here a long time) pretending I live somewhere else. This year I'm pretending to take a vacation to somewhere warm and luxurious. Actually, that's the only way I pretend travel. I'm high-maintenance that way and demand the best when I'm not really going somewhere. One of my favorite sites to visit is Luxurylink.com. Luxury Link represents high-end properties around the world. Their auctions look like good deals, and if you're not sure, price them out on the resort's website. Today I'm lusting over Guana Island , a location that I would love to visit because of its intimate size and beautiful location, but also because "guana" is another word for "poop," and who doesn't want to stay on "Poop Island?" Check it out and let me know what you think. Or if you've already been there, give us the real scoop. -A

mud season

Where I live, spring is called "mud season." As the snow melts, banks as tall as me start shrinking and turning brown with dirt and sand from the roads; the ground reappear in all of its wet, sludgy glory. It is a time, traditionally, when sports are in-between seasons (or practices are only getting started), a time when everyone seems to just emerge from their winter layers, stretch, and happily walk, run, skip-- or just breathe-- soaking in the long forgotten sun. Spring is all about rebirth, renewal, reawakening, and there is no where we feel this restoration more than outside. This energy of spring is contagious, which is why I'm so excited that a good friend of mine just launched our own No Child Left Inside movement, based on the book "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv (if you have not read it, and have children, grandchildren, friends with children....get it) here in our little town. As we greet the return of longer days, it is the perfect time to be reminded of how important it is to get our children outdoors-- simply to play. The Getting Kids Outdoors Initiative has an amazing website filled with a variety of ideas and activities that can be tailored to anyone's backyard. The importance of play-- unstructured connection time with the natural world-- is gaining momentum with child-focused professionals (doctors, teachers, psychologists...and of course, PARENTS). We live in an age where this is more prevelent than this: And folks, I have to say, there is no better way to get your children to sleep, learn leadership skills, develop curiosity, and have fun without stuff than to open your back door and say "go play." Celebrate spring with us by doing just that...or by hooking a mattress up to a four wheeler (if you are Alison) and get pulled around the yard that way. Because that is being in nature at its finest. Really. --K