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Takes More Than That to Impress Him
2008-08-01 10:01:00
Someone sent me a large coffee table book to review recently (details not important, not the point so stay with me here) it was full of beautiful glossy photographs that interested the kids so I took a quiet moment to sit with David and Spencer and flip through the pages together.We got to this large picture of Wrigley field during a night game. The lights were blazing, the crowd was cheering and I could practically hear the organ playing.Being a baseball fan this of course interested David and he wanted to know which stadium it was--I knew just enough about the game to provide the name and location--but then there was this second picture of the apartment buildings next door to Wrigley. They were tall and narrow and each had bleachers built on the roof so tenants could wander up and catch a game.Something about the picture and my sentimentality for baseball rose up and I pointed out the bleachers to David thinking he'd be as envious as I was. I could imagine how wonderful it wou...
More About: Parenting , Impress

August's Write-Away Contest
2008-08-01 10:00:00
Back by popular demand, this month's Write -Away Contest will be a peach because once again Andrew came up a great topic. That man ought to start charging for his talents I tell you--that's three times now he's come up with good themes for my contests. I'm so glad I married him.So what is this most wondrous of writing topics? "First Kiss." Beauty, eh?Now I'm going to have to give special emphasis to rule #1 where it says I wield ultimate veto power and if a submission has "objectionable" content (i.e. content that I would object to) I will have to reject it. Though I will do it very nicely and kindly and with a great deal of wringing of hands and profuse sweating because I really hate to reject anything but to give you an idea of where I'm coming from my goal is to keep things clean enough around here that if my children or their friends stumble through, curious about what I might have written about them that week, they won't find stuff that would make them question the s...
More About: Starbucks

Country Music I Like Despite My Better Judgment
2008-07-31 10:00:00
Music has always been a big part of my life, I grew up playing the Chopin while rocking out to my Def Leppard and INXS on weekends. I love jazz, alternative, opera, classic rock, classic classical, even movie soundtracks, Broadway and orchestral arrangements. The only musical genre I dislike is Country . Well I'm not big on New Age either but that's beside the point.I say this all with caution because I recognize that saying one hates Country music is something like saying one hates the flag, Abraham Lincoln or Lost and I know I'm setting myself up for angry mail. But the first part of a cure is admitting you need help, right? So though I can't handle the twang, the ethos or the clothing Country music spawns there are a few--very few--songs that could be considered "Country" music that I like. Maybe even love--though I'm not sure I'm prepared to admit to the "L" word yet.I suppose I should dedicate this list to my grandfather who is a die-hard Country fan. Not the Toby Ke...
More About: Music , Country Music , Judgment , Music I

Tic Tac Toe on the Go
2008-07-30 10:02:00
Anyone else out there have a hard time throwing out useful tin boxes? They're so tiny and cute and versatile that I have a hard time ever getting rid of them--remember that Christmas gift idea I posted about making them into little paint boxes?Well Tic Tac Toe in a Box is yours with just a little bit of white Contact paper and some buttons backed with magnets--you could also easily adjust the idea to be a bingo game if you used tiny pictures under clear Contact paper.A nice little something to keep in your purse for times when you need a boredom buster on the road. A parent should always have a few great ideas in reserve for those emergencies, right?Sponsored by The Fine Art of Family--Beautiful jewelry by designer Monica Rich Kosann.If you liked this post you can subscribe to receive updates through RSS feeds or email.Technorati tags: children, activities, crafts, games
More About: Games

Alaskan Strawberries. Finally.
2008-07-30 10:01:00
I'm not sure which is more incredible--the large bowl of strawberries I picked from my garden yesterday or the sunshine you see all around. This summer is working to be the coldest in Anchorage history with fewer days below 65 than any previously recorded year and yesterday was the first day I remember waking up to sunshine since May. Funny how a little sunshine makes everything better.Needless to say it's played havoc with my garden and my strawberries are only just coming on though despite this I think I'm going to plant another strawberry bed in the back yard (away from the moose) because my strawberries have done so well--even these guys.Here are the ones that win the day's Mutant Alaska n Strawberry prize--I suppose that's what I get for dumping that radioactive waste into the compost pile.Sponsored by jaC Jewelry--Jewelry with lovely earth colors and themes.If you liked this post you can subscribe to receive updates through RSS feeds or email.Technorati tags: gardening,...
More About: Finally , Strawberries

Someone I'd Like You to Meet: Damselfly from Growing a Life
2008-07-29 10:01:00
When I first met Damselfly she had just given birth to her little boy, Flybaby, five weeks previously and I enjoyed reading about motherhood from her first-time perspective. It helped me to remember some of the things I'd forgotten way back when I first had my own little baby to figure out.Two years later (give or take) he's the Infant Formerly Known As Flybaby--shortened now to a much more mature "Fly"--and I'm still following her and making comments like "He's getting so big!"Anyway, she has blogged at Growing a Life for over two years and has a wonderful weekly event, "What I'd Wear Wednesday," where she convinces me more and more that she has very fine taste in everything from shoes to nightshirts to watches. Sometimes she writes a bit more intimately and my favorite post of hers, More Love, is one where she talks about her childhood and how that has influenced her own parenting.She's a fine writer who, besides being charming and entertaining, has a degree in journalism, ...
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The Dark Knight
2008-07-29 10:00:00
If you?ve hung around here you?ve probably rolled your eyes at my OCD when it comes to posting. Every day without fail, usually writing things up a couple weeks in advance, but that just hasn?t been the case lately. My kids are home for the summer and somehow life just has me busy with other things and all day long while I?ve been mowing two weeks worth of wet grass, pruning my roses, folding clean socks and underwear and making Pillsbury muffins in the Easy Bake Oven with Lillian I?ve been thinking ?I really should get something written . . .So knowing me you might expect some crafty treat or tidbit on blogging or scenic view of Alaska but what do I do instead? I go to a movie with Andrew. Two weeks of not seeing my man and I ditched the computer to go snuggle at a movie with him.Bad choice of movie if I was looking for some action because we went to see the movie that I almost ditched BlogHer for: The Dark Knight and I?m going to say right here, first time in print: IT WAS AWES...
More About: The Dark Knight , The Dark

How to Make Floral Purses--Did You Know You Needed One?
2008-07-28 10:00:00
If I ever leave off talking about purses here you'll know that's the day that I've gone and died. I guess making purses appeals to me because they can simultaneously be a piece of art, style and functionality. This particular purse is probably more art than most but I just love it. I carry it when I wear my hot-pink, full-length paisley print dress that has a touch of Asian design and it makes quite a statement.There's really very little trick to making your own, you basically make a regular purse and then hot glue till the cows come home--oh I could write a treatise on the wonders of hot glue--the biggest thing is that you'll want to make sure you purchase flowers that are of a good quality because that will make all the difference in the finished product.You'll need:four stems of white orchids (or other comparable flower) and save the leavesone thick green stem suitable for a handle1/2 yard of white material for the purse body1/4 yard of heavyweight fusible interfacingone...
More About: Orchids , Make , Purses , Floral

Pasticcio
2008-07-27 10:00:00
I was randomly flipping through my recipe books, planning out my menu for the week and desperately looking for inspiration, when it hit me--pasticcio! I wanted pasticcio! Which sounds funny that something a little off the beaten path would hit my craving button so hard but it did and I made it and I was very happy.This is a quick and easy recipe that I just LOVE. The spices simmering are so rich and teasing that I'm always tempting to just lick the stuff up right out of the pan if it didn't threaten to burn my tongue. If you've never tried this Greek casserole dish or if you've never put cinnamon on your meat before it may sound odd but trust me, I promise you'll be a convert.As always I've tweaked the recipe in the book to suit our family so here's my version which makes enough for two meals (I like to cook in double batches and have leftovers the second day to save time and money):1 tablespoon olive oil1 small onion, diced6 garlic cloves, finely minced3 cups ground lamb1...

Skipping Hippos and Story Time Felts Giveaway
2008-07-26 10:00:00
I hate to remind everyone but we're getting close to August. If you want me to spell it out that means that Back-to-School season is nearly here and Skipping Hippos is a children's clothing store that has beautiful items for cooler weather.If you have already caught on to the poncho craze sweeping the nation then you may have seen Skipping Hippos' beautiful little collection of bright perky ponchos that are just as cute as a poncho can be.They also have little girls' jackets such as you see to the right, the Day in May jacket comes in almond and sky blue and the Daisy Dogwood comes in stretch denim with various pattern choices for the lining.Really cute stuff--between the pompoms and the cheerful colors I'm wondering if it's possible to squash any more cuteness into one package.I also wanted to share another site with you--Story Time Felts sells felt board story sets on about every theme you can imagine.You think I'm exaggerating but no, their catalog has felt board cut outs...
More About: Toys

The Wiener Dog Magnet by Hayes Roberts
2008-07-25 10:00:00
The funny thing about children's books is that they're not just for children--if I find a good picture book we'll read it over and over (I could recite The Cat in the Hat or Blueberries for Sal in my sleep thank you kindly). When my kids are small they cart their favorites around the house, unwilling to put them down because someone else might snatch them up (apparently my children are rather possessive).So I was excited when I found a relatively undiscovered picture book. It's not on Amazon, you can't buy it at Barnes & Noble, Borders or Powells and it's called The Wiener Dog Magnet by Hayes Roberts . I found it on an online children's book site by accident.Lillian, my five year-old, is learning to read and the title caught my eye so we sat down at the computer to read it together and as she labored through each word we started chuckling, then chuckling more until we had read it and re-read it three times. It follows a little monkey named Kiki Marie when she purchases...
More About: Children

BlogHer Awards Big and Small
2008-07-24 10:00:00
Now I hate to bring up a sensitive subject but if you didn't make it out to BlogHer last week you might be interested in a few of the things going down. Maybe the list will bring up painful issues about why you couldn't go (why don't I just give you a paper cut and pour lemon juice in it, right?) but then again maybe it will console you that there were things that were fine to miss in the land of cable cars and conferences.So without further ado I present my BlogHer 2008 awards:1. Best Swag Award. This one is tough--I'm tempted to give it to my cute little Joby Gorillapod or maybe to Mom Select who hosted a semi-secret swag room full of blankets, diaper bags and clothes for kids. They greeted you at the door, told you to grab and bag and fill it with whatever you'd like and I think I outfitted my niece for the next year. Well maybe I'm exaggerating just a tad but it was impressive, very impressive."Is this heaven?""No, it's a BlogHer swag room."However, despite all of th...
More About: Awards , Small

The Flour Game
2008-07-23 10:00:00
I found this game about seven years ago but I think its roots go much farther back because Andrew claims he played it when he was a child. It's one we've brought out for family activities, kind of a low-tech version of Break the Ice.Get a tall plastic container (one of those 1 quart freezer containers works well) and pack it full of all-purpose flour. Press the flour into the container so that it's really blocked in there then put an plate over the top before inverting things and unmolding the flour tower.Lay a large button on top of the flour tower then take turns slicing away at the tower with butter knives to see who will be the first person to make the button fall from the top. Though I didn't read anything about it in the rules I found Andrew swears that the rule is that the person who drops the button has to pull it out of the pile of flour using only their teeth. Hmmmm . . .With teeth or without it's a fun game and easy to play over and over.***Last Thursday when I got...
More About: Games , Game , Flour

Anchorage by Air
2008-07-22 10:01:00
I flew into Anchorage at midnight on Sunday and took this picture as we came over Fire Island on the final approach. The night was a little darker than it should be with all those clouds--you can't even see the mountains because of them--but it gives you an idea of how bright it can be at midnight.The flight was uncommonly comfortable and relaxing and as a bonus I watched a DVD that I'd recommend you see. Flawless, starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine, is a 60s-tribute heist movie with class and suspense. It's not a typical action movie like The Italian Job but the lighting, set design and acting all create a terrific sense of "what's going to happen next?"I don't know how it got a PG-13 rating unless it's because Demi smokes in nearly every scene because it's clean enough to be rated G. I'd give it an "A"--but considering how I love Michael Caine that's no surprise.Sponsored by The Fine Art of Family--Beautiful jewelry by designer Monica Rich KosannIf you liked this p...
More About: Travel , Alaska

Get out of the Car--Basic Blogging Etiquette
2008-07-22 10:00:00
Last week in San Francisco I was a panelist along with Shazia Mistry from Adventures in Motherhood, Nelly Yusupova, founder of Webgrrls International, and Chilihead from Blogging Basic s 101 at the fourth annual BlogHer conference. The four us tackled questions for beginning bloggers and I thought I'd share part of what I said Friday morning. If you'd like a complete outline of the information we put together with links to the resources I compiled, please download the Blogging Basics PDF file at Webgrrls International that Nelly put together.***If you're in a car driving down the road and another car pulls out ahead of you to cut you off how do you react? If you're like me you say things that you'd never say to someone who had cut you off in line at the grocery store. I tend to overreact, get agitated and generally treat the other person as if they're not so much a person as a car. Being in my own little bubble of glass and metal distances me from the human beings on the r...
More About: Etiquette

Losing the Lottery (or: Publishing the Hard Way)
2008-07-21 10:00:00
by guest poster and author Michelle Gagnon While I'm recovering from the weekend I have a wonderful post from Michelle Gagnon, author of The Tunnels and the upcoming thriller Boneyard. For all of you wondering where this blogging thing might be taking you, where to go with your writing or how to get to the next step of getting your manuscript published this is the post for you.Ms. Gagnon has graciously offered to respond to any questions you might leave in the comments before Friday and a random commentator will receive a copy of The Tunnels. Or if that's not rich enough for your blood go to MichelleGagnon.com and click on "win" for a chance to win a Kindle, ipod and other prizes.Make her feel welcome! ***A few years ago, when I had just begun my search for a literary agent, I attended one of Michael Chabon?s readings. During the Q & A session afterward, I asked how he had gone about getting published. He responded, ?Gee, it was really easy. My grad school professor passed my...
More About: Publishing , Lottery , Hard

Sesame Cookies
2008-07-20 10:00:00
These cookies were a happy accident actually. I have this standard peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe and I wanted to branch out and try something new. I had a jar of almond butter in the fridge and thought it ought to make a nice substitution but instead accidentally grabbed my jar of tahini paste instead. Oops!I discovered the error before they went into the oven so I thought I'd go double or nothing by pressing the cookies into some roasted sesame seeds before I baked them and you know what? They were darn tasty!The cookies were still nice and sweet but they also had the nutty sesame flavor that goes really well with the chocolate--not bad at all.1 cup packed brown sugar1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup butter1/2 cup shortening1/2 cup tahini paste2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract3 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips4 tablespoons toasted sesame seedsCream the sugars, butter, shortening and tahini paste then add the eggs one ...
More About: Cookies , Sesame

The Philips AJL308 Alarm Clock Giveaway
2008-07-19 10:00:00
Do you ever kind of wonder where technology is taking us? Used to be you had a cell phone, personal organizer and camera and now you have gadgets that wrap all those services into one. I anticipate that somewhere in the not-so-distant future we're all going to have ipods that will not only play music and videos but will be fully equipped to shave our legs, remotely start our dishwashers and microwave a burrito for lunch.This gadget is kind of like that--it does all sorts of things that you wouldn't normally expect a mere alarm clock to do. Somehow things have gone from letting a rooster do all the work to having this sleek little box that can hold pictures and music, acting as a digital picture frame, video, FM radio, MP3 player and tell the time.This is the Philips AJL308 alarm clock and it has a 7-inch color LCD display screen like you see above but what you can't see is that it has a spot for a SD card so you can show a mini slideshow or play your favorite MP3 files. The a...
More About: Electronics , Clock , Alarm , Alarm Clock

My New Haiku Messenger Bag
2008-07-18 10:01:00
When Andrew asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year I said "a bag for my laptop."Going to Blogher and toting my computer around would require a good bag and I was rather specific about wanting something big enough for my Macbook plus extras so I wouldn't need my purse on the plane. I also wanted a messenger bag style instead of a brief case style and I didn't want something that looked like it came from the Bat Cave.When I opened his present last week I was very pleased, once again Andrew proved he has excellent taste because I swear I couldn't have picked out a better bag.It's made by Haiku , makers of "poetically functional accessories," the name is "Wildflowers" Ultimate Messenger Bag and it comes in three colors (the bamboo green pictured above being my favorite--love the contrasting greens and stitching). It's got seven pockets including a padded one for my laptop, a clip for keys and rubber feet on the bottom for durability. The site says it's faux leather but...
More About: Accessories

July's Write-Away Winner
2008-07-18 10:00:00
Greetings from BlogHer! I'm posting from San Francisco the rest of the week while the party's on down here. Thanks to everyone who took time from their busy work of lounging in the summer sun to participate in this month's contest--you're all wonderful you know? I'll send all of the honorable mentions the code for the winner's button just as soon as I can find a minute in the next day or two I promise.There were 54 entries this month and Damselfly from Growing a Life has done a wonderful job doing her judgly duties and providing us with a winner. Come back later this month when I'll have a chance to give her a proper introduction.. . . And the winner is:The Motherboard at Crazy Land with Wonder Woman. Have You See Her?Honorable Mentions (there's a lot of them!):Sherri at Our Place with I'm No Wonder WomanT.J. Hirst with Wonder-filled ExpectationsMozi Esme with Nine Months with the IncrediblesBlog o' Beth with Does That Utility Belt Come in Black?Summer at Summer's No...
More About: Writing , Write , Winner

Favorite Beauty Stuff
2008-07-17 10:00:00
This seems like a rather girly post to put before you--where's my list of favorite Stallone movies or my tribute to grunge rock or a list of best moments in sports history? Sorry, not this week folks I'm needing all the beautification help I can get and here's my list of things that seem to do the trick for me.1. Camille Beckman Glycerin Hand Therapy. I love this stuff because not only is it thick and rich but it doesn't grease up my hands and will stay in place, doing its wonders, for hours. There are a bunch of great fragrances but my favorite is Hyacinth-Bluebell which--horrifying to behold--has been discontinued as of May 2008. Where's the justice in that? Just as my jar runs out they discontinue my favorite scent. I'm going to have to find another favorite I suppose. Maybe I'll try the Passion Pear or Pink Grapefruit. I don't care for the stronger scents like Lime Leaves which I tried one time and it left me with big ol' Man Hands the way it smelled.2. Cliniq...
More About: Beauty , Motherhood , Stuff , Favorite

Tiny, Insignificant Second Post
2008-07-16 19:14:00
I'm leaving tonight for BlogHer (I hate to mention it because I remember how painful it was to hear about last year when I wanted to go but couldn't but there's a purpose here in mentioning this so be strong . . . ) I'll be speaking Friday morning on a panel with three blogging experts: Nelly Yusupova, Shazia Mistry and Melanie Nelson about beginning blogging issues. Specifically, I'll be fielding the Blogger group while the others tackle issues in other blogging platforms and as Melanie said in her post today I'm having a hard time preparing for this because it's dependent on what questions people are likely to ask.So all you Blogger bloggers out there--help me out! What kinds of questions do you have about blogging? And can I mention that I'm an absolute ball of nerves right now? I have been sick to my stomach with worry for a week which is odd because I've done plenty of public speaking and teaching and I expect I'll survive this as well but something about traveli...
More About: Post , Tiny

Ping Pong Power Ball
2008-06-11 10:00:00
Now there is an added benefit to this game: if your kids are busy blowing ping pong balls around the house all their lung power will be used up on the blowing and there will be none left for things like bickering, whining, crying, complaining of boredom or asking for (in this order) snacks, television or computer games. Not that I have any experience with that. None at all.Anyway, the rules are simple: get a cardboard tube (or even a straw if you want to make things interesting) and a ping pong ball and tape out lines on the carpet or wood floors (carpets will be easier for small children). You can make mazes for them to blow the balls through or make lines that they have to follow, either way works.Children can race balls with siblings through the tracks or try to out-distance each other by seeing who can suck the ball onto the end of the tube and keep it stuck there the longest (a test of lung power and coordination small children will find funny).And if these ideas don't make ...
More About: Power , Pong , Ping Pong , Ball

I've Been Waiting So Long for This Day
2008-06-10 10:00:00
She says it's the way kids are wearing their socks now--in fact she was complimented on this very combination by a friend who said it was (and I quote) "Very cool." I say it's brilliant.I'll never have to worry about orphaned socks again--that pile of mystery socks in my laundry room is now haute couteur. Break out the champagne and move over Vera Wang!***And here are a couple other things I've wanted to mention:If you remember the TasteBook giveaway I did a week ago I said that I'd be making my own Scribbit TasteBook available soon. Well it's here, I've got my own little button on the sidebar which takes you to this page at TasteBook where you can buy a hardbound copy of 100 Scribbit recipes for $34.95. I think I might have to pick up my own copy--it could be the closest thing I ever get to having my own book published.Also, if you'll notice farther up on my sidebar I have a graphic button where you can enter to win a Caribbean Cruise for two complete with airfare to Mi...
More About: Motherhood , Long , Waiting

1988: Do I Really Want to Go Back?
2008-06-09 10:00:00
Okay so I graduated from Robert Service High School in 1988--and by the way, I ask you is there anything more distressing than meeting someone who was born after you graduated from high school? That year is a milestone in your life and coming across someone who wasn't even alive then is like seeing a big flashing sign that says, "You've Officially Arrived at Middle Ageville. Population: around forty-something."So where was I? Oh yes, back in 1988. The year of big hair, shoulder pads and George Michael . . . anyway I'm facing my 20-year high school reunion this month and the thought has made me very uneasy.When my 10-year reunion occurred we'd just moved back to Anchorage after collecting a lot of school debt and a few kids. The first night's events were at a bar (we don't drink) the second night's events were expensive ($130) and the third day's activities were scheduled on Sunday when we had other plans. I secretly felt rather relieved that I couldn't make it. I don...
More About: Back

Happy Cheese Bread
2008-06-08 10:00:00
Andrew and I are pretty fond of bread. And of cheese. So cheese bread is the perfect marriage in our dairy-lovin' opinions.Anyway, I came across this recipe at Epicurious and I'll tell you it lived up to every expectation I had. I did a couple things slightly different than what they called for and was highly satisfied with the results--a wonderfully chewy texture.Epicurious called this "Georgian" cheese bread (not sure why as mozzarella cheese is hardly a Russian invention). I figured I should probably call it something else since this is slightly different from their recipe and "happy" pretty much sums up how I feel when I'm eating it.1 cup warm water2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons salt2 large eggs, lightly beaten4 1/2 teaspoons yeast1 lb mozzarella, gratedolive oil cooking sprayPut the water, flour, salt, eggs and yeast in the bucket of your bread machine in that order then set the machine to the "dough" cycle and let it run.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (yea...
More About: Cheese , Happy , Bread

Calisto Pro Home Phone System Giveaway
2008-06-07 10:00:00
Oh you're going to like this--in fact, I've received quite a bit of grief from those who shall not be named for giving this away. Apparently I've been in possession of the World's Coolest Phone and me offering it as a giveaway item doesn't sit well with the rabble around here.I've had quite a few electronics items lately--probably because of the approaching Father's Day--but this one is definitely fun. The Calisto Pro Series Home Phone System is made to allow you the freedom of switching between your land line and VoIP calls (Voice Over Internet Provider--such as through Skype or Vonage that go through your internet lines).There's a little handset that charges directly in the cradle and the Bluetooth headset that allows you to take calls with your hands free up to 300 feet from the main phone set. That means that when I'm doing my regular Friday cleaning and call my sister to chat through the boredom of mopping now I can do it with my hands free and without a crick in my...
More About: Telecommunications

The Last Child
2008-06-06 10:00:00
The knock on the door was so quiet you wouldn?t have thought I?d hear it, just three little taps with pauses in between but I was instantly awake. My mom brain has been trained to hear everything that goes on in the house as night--I don't think I've slept completely through the night since the day Grace was born.?Come in,? I said, full of anxiety because interruptions in the middle of the night are never good news. Lillian opened the door and she was sobbing. Not just a sniffling thing where she works every tear for pity points but sobbing-?her eyes were splotchy and her shoulders were hunched up and she was shaking with the force of it all.?I?m scared! The wind is blowing the house down and I?m scared!? she said, nearly hysterical.I?ve never been a very patient mother, I really do try to be calm--I promise I try--but I tend to push my kids along in an rush for efficiency and I don?t stop for much along the way. But . . . when there are emergencies I?m good. I'm not sure why ...
More About: Motherhood , Child

Cool Alaskan Things We're Going to Do
2008-06-05 10:00:00
We're a family of lists. Well, actually, Andrew and I like to make lists and we just drag the kids along for the ride but regardless last month we all sat down and made a list of things we're going to do this summer.Summers in Alaska are short so if we don't make lists and jump right in suddenly it's August and school's starting and what have we got to show for our three months of constant daylight except a lot of mosquito bites?So here's some things we've got on the calender and a few of them we've already tackled. Just looking at them all makes me feel . . . so . . . so . . . Alaskan.1. Dig for clams. I went clam digging once or twice as a kid and remember it being pretty fun--though I just did the digging part and left the nasty cleaning up to Mom while I played in the lake. Somehow it seemed like a fun thing to do this year so clamming was my contribution to our list. But once all the votes were counted and we'd committed to going I was a little perplexed as to th...
More About: Cool , Activities , Things

A Six-Sided Wooden Block Puzzle
2008-06-04 10:01:00
Continuing with summer activities and crafts for kids, today's idea is strictly a cut-and-paste project but the results are so fun. Lillian and I did this this week and even Spencer thought it turned out rather cool.First, you'll need a set of square wooden blocks such as you'd find in a craft store for a dollar or two. I used a dozen of 1-inch square blocks.Next, choose six pictures either from magazines, coloring books, hand-colored pictures or photographs. Grouping the blocks tightly together trace the outline of the set onto each picture then cut out the outline like you see in the picture to the left.Use a cotton swab to rub some Elmer's glue on one face of each block then group them back together and lay the whole picture onto the tops of the blocks, pressing firmly to adhere the picture.Once the glue is set (it doesn't have to be completely dry but it shouldn't slip around or allow the picture to rip) run a razor blade down along the edges where the blocks meet to sepa...
More About: Puzzle , Crafts , Block , Wooden