And I Thought I Knew Them

Today I took my kids to the Phoenix Art Museum. Why? Well let me explain. In Phoenix--and probably most major cities--we have something called the Culture Pass. You can check out these passes from the city library for free admission to local museums or attractions like the zoo or botanical gardens. It's a fantastic idea; it gives people who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to go to these places the chance to experience them. While we have on occasion taken advantage of the Culture Pass, I try really hard to not take advantage. But it's summer and we're trying to keep busy and stimulate our minds without breaking the bank! So last week I checked the kiosk and apparently a lot of people had the same idea. There was only one pass remainig and it was for the Phoenix Art Museum. I thought, Well it's something to do. Maybe we can have lunch downtown. They'll like that. While Elizabeth does seem to have an appreciation for the finer things, Matthew is rough and tough and normally anything but calm and quiet. Thankfully, my kids could not have surprised me more today. Admittedly, I did my research before going and I did my best to engage them. We started our tour in the contemporary art galleries because I knew it would be unusual and strange and more thought-provoking than, say, the Baroque gallery. They enjoyed looking at mostly everything, they let me know which pieces were "not their favorites" (we had talked about voicing criticism aloud beforehand), and they thought a lot more about the art and had more comments than I expected them to. Without sounding like a commercial for the museum, this was the best experience we've had using the Culture Pass. We've used the passes for the Phoenix Children's Museum and the Arizona Museum for Youth, and this was better! There was so much to see here, so much to do (there's even a children's art studio where they can try different art techniques themselves), and the building itself is art in its own right. It was just an enjoyable day all the way around, and I'm ashamed that I honestly didn't think it was possible. In my defense, they did enjoy lunch and going to the big city, but I'm grateful and proud to say that they got so much more out of the experience.

The Pledge

I will not let an entire year pass before I update my blog. I will not. That's what I've been saying to myself for a very long time. A little over eleven months, actually. But now that a whole school year has passed--and a challenging one at that--I can make a new pledge to myself (and my four or five former followers) that I will visit this page on a regular basis...and actually write something. I'm not even trying for a theme this time. Just every day random thoughts. Yes. That's my theme. Speaking of pledges, I firmly believe it was the promise I made to my children last summer that was the undoing of this blog. Children, I hereby promise thee that we will do a craft every day of the summer. My friend Jennifer tried to talk me out of it, but armed with torn out pages of Family Fun magazine and several bookmarked websites, I began this ambitious adventure fresh-faced and full of, well, ambition. Sure the first few days were fun. And I wrote about them here. But soon the fun turned to frustration because a three year old boy and a six year old girl do not share the same interests or abilities. So sometimes there were two crafts. Sometimes we compromised. But in the end, it was a whole lot of work and, truth be told, the kids were starting to get sick of crafts. But I made a promise and I was gonna keep it, gosh darn it! So we did the crafts, the kids never wanted to get rid of them, projects were all over the house, and by the time summer ended I needed another break. But I didn't get it. And that's a whole 'nother blog post. (There's a little foreshadowing for you.) So as this summer commences today, I've made no other pledge to my kids other than we will visit our favorite popsicle place once a week. Or maybe we'll venture out to new popsicle places. Or make our own. Popsicles. Now there's a promise we can all be happy about keeping.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my husband, and my father-in-law. Brian may have the trophy, but I'm going to call it a three way tie.

My Little Experiment

June is half over which means my month-long experiment is half over. I decided to commit myself to a month-long exercise regimen to see if I felt and looked better afterwards. I don't know if four weeks is enough time to even get results, but that's how much time I had before vacation. Thankfully my father works at the Y so I'll still be able to workout while away. The emphasis is on be able to. We'll see if I do.

If I don't count sleeping better, then I have no results to report after just two weeks. But sleep was definitely something my body needed more of so let's say I'm noticing a difference. I hope it's not from exhaustion, though.

Here's my plan for the 4 weeks of June. The runs and walks follow Hal Higdon's spring training plan. Lately it's been two or three miles, though I did one four mile run and I have a 4.5 (new personal record!) coming up this Sunday.

Sunday--Run & Body Flow (yoga class)
Monday--Body Pump (awesome strength training class)
Tuesday--Run
Wednesday--Run & Body Pump
Thursday--Run
Friday--Rest
Saturday--Walk & Body Pump

Mmmm. Crafts.

For those of you who haven't heard, I made a promise to my kids that we'd do a craft each day this summer. Well, at least Monday through Friday. So far I've been true to my word, but my ambition is definitely flagging. I do this all the time; as if I don't have enough on my plate, I find one more thing I have to do. I soon realized that all crafts don't have to include paint, glue sticks, markers, and glitter. What am I saying? We don't do glitter here. Anyway, I told the kids that baking is a craft and the kids have fallen for it. They love mixing and plopping batter in muffin tins. This I can handle! So while we're still doing regular crafts, I've already taken the easy way out a few times.

Some of my friends have asked me if I'm still doing the 'craft thing.' Yes I am and yes I will continue. Here's proof if you need that kind of thing.

Day One -- Caterpillars
Day Two -- Free Craft Day at Udder Delights ice cream shopDay Three -- Jello JigglersDay Four -- Countdown to Vacation Calendar

Some advice: Don't do this activity unless your vacation is less than two weeks away. Our calendar is 24 days long. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't committed to writing a fun fact about Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania on the back of each card. (I have to do one a night or else Elizabeth would read them all at once and ruin the surprise.) Did you know the city of Pittsburgh has 446 bridges?
Day 5 -- Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Day Six -- Okay, there wasn't a craft. But we had friends and some of Elizabeth's friends from school over for a backyard summer fun party with the little pool and sprinklers. Good enough.

Day Seven -- Painting with Apples

Admittedly this didn't go as well as I thought it would, but they didn't care.

This afternoon, I think I'm going to take the easy way out again. We're going to make cookies.

Yes I Can

I told you I could. Just not on race day, apparently. Why can't they schedule charity 5Ks on Wednesday mornings at 6:00?

It's Peach Season!

After the race the other day, we visited a local farm to pick our own peaches. The kids loved it. Matthew enjoyed eating a peach right in the middle of the orchard. Neither of them could stop picking once they started. We brought home 11 pounds of peaches. They're so sweet and juicy that we each eat at least two a day.

On the home front, here's a photo I took this morning of our garden.

Obviously, I still have to shop for produce. The cilantro is dying out for the summer, but we're still getting maybe a strawberry a week. The zucchini has bloomed so hopefully those will turn into something soon. We have two green tomatoes, but the peppers are slow-growin'. Finally the basil is taking off! Well, at least one plant, anyway. Maybe all the cat poop helped. Thank you, neighborhood feral cats.