Chillin' at the Playground

The kids were disappointed that we didn't have time to play on the playground after our hike a few days ago . . .

. . . so we headed back to the park after school today.

It was fun . . .

. . . (except when Joy got her stuffed Creeper stuck on the playground roof for a while) . . .

. . . but it was also very chilly out (think very low 40s), so after half an hour we headed home to warm up . . .

. . . and play Connect Four with our friend Gabe, who came over for dinner.

Extra Credit

Sometimes while the big kids are working on their math homework, Todd asks me to give him some homework too.  Today I wrote down four math problems that I thought would be decently challenging for him (such as 18 + 4 and 23 - 5), then I went upstairs for a few minutes.

When I returned, I found that Todd had written his name at the top of the page, solved my four problems, then written a few of his own: 8 - 9 = -1, -1 + 29 = 28, 9 x 1 = 9, etc.  Maybe they'll hire him as a teacher's assistant when he finally reaches kindergarten in 18 months.

Green Gloves and Smoothies

In the course of the last month, Daniel has lost his coat, his beanie, and one of his gloves.  I considered letting him experience the chilly consequences of his carelessness, but that seemed a little harsh since the schools here have outside recess if the wind chill is anywhere above nineteen degrees.  So I bought Daniel a new coat . . .

. . . and a Creeper beanie with matching gloves.  Joy's kind of jealous.

After removing his cold-weather gear, Daniel set to work on his homework: reading a biography of Johnny Appleseed.  The old Disney cartoon gave me the impression that Johnny planted apple orchards here and there across America, then left each one behind for settlers to enjoy.  According to this book, he actually tended several frontier orchards at a time so he could sell the seedlings to pioneer families.  He wanted to spread appley joy throughout the new settlements, but he also wanted to earn a living.

Who knew?

While Daniel did his reading homework, Todd engaged in his usual after-school activity: sharing a green smoothie with his mom.  He's getting a little pickier about his dinner these days, but he still drinks whatever I pour out of blender, no matter how green it is, or what fruit it contains.  Thanks for being my smoothie buddy, Little Man.

Can of Corn = Gardening Tool

Hmm, one of these things is not like the others.

My kids are thrilled that my amaryllis finally bloomed, but while the flowers are indeed beautiful, I think they look a little silly looming over their petite little violet neighbors.  It doesn't help that the amaryllis is growing at such an angle that I have to put a can on its pot to keep it from toppling over (again).  Gardening, indoors or out, is full of surprises.

A Hiking We Will Go

Daniel's birthday is next month, so he has just a few weeks left to complete a one-mile hike to earn his cub scout Wolf badge.  The hike can be with his troop or his family, and his troop isn't going hiking anytime soon, so I decided to take my kids hiking on a nearby trail as soon as the weather rose anywhere above "frigid."

After weeks of very cold weather it warmed up to 60 degrees today, so when the big kids got home from school I told them we were going right back out the door for a hike.  Once they realized they couldn't talk me out of my crazy idea, they headed for the van and we had a good time.  It helped that I brought lots of snacks.

Of course, it wasn't the most scenic time of year to go hiking, since most of the landscape is a study in brown and grey . . .

. . . but we did find some welcome patches of green here and there, like this stand of evergreen trees . . .

. . . and these hardy (and delightfully soft) lamb's ear plants.

The girls had fun experimenting to see which was the biggest stick this pond's lingering ice could support . . .

. . . but the highlight for all the kids was when we discovered some big boulders to climb on.

Don't fall, Cweepy!  Safety first!

A Snowy Trail and a Late Bloomer

It was a toasty forty-something degrees today for the first time in weeks . . .

. . . so we met some friends to walk (or ride) along one of the many trails in Columbia.  One mom brought an extra balance bike for Todd, but he preferred to walk.  Since the younger kids were making pretty slow progress walking their bikes through the snow, he didn't have any trouble keeping up.

We went over the river and through the woods to a playground, where the kids had a grand time.

Back at home, it looks more like spring than winter.  My African violets are blooming for the first time since we left California, and the amaryllis I bought in November to brighten our home at Christmastime finally bloomed, much to my kids' delight.

MLK Day = Math + Emma Joy

The big kids were off school for Martin Luther King Day today . . .

. . . but Todd thinks a holiday is as good a day as any for honing one's mathematical skills.  He was supposed to go to Joy School later in the day, but today's teacher had to cancel . . . 

. . . so we invited his classmate Emma Joy over to play. :)