packing for nelsonville music festival

Posted in i dig music, Travels by ElaineMarie

our tent is up airing-out in the garage and we’ve got the car packed. i am pretty amazed at the fact that we’re proactive about our trip to the Nelsonville Music Festival this year. i think we’re getting better at being grown-ups.

i’m really excited for the weekend. we’ve got good friends to hang with, some yummy food packed, the promise of absolutely gorgeous weather, and our destination spot is in the doorway of appalachia.

i have such found memories of our first Nelsonville Music Festival experience. darla was 16 months and she had a blast running up and down the pathways between the tents, just checking in on other folks’ campsites. i was having mini heart attacks that she was going to run right into someone’s campfire but that, of course, didn’t happen. momfearz.

hmmm maybe that should be momjeanz sister tumblr site. just a list of all the irrational momfearz i’ve had since darla was born. because every mom freaks out that she’s going to accidentally drop her child down a storm drain, right?

i digress.

anyway, the nelsonville fest holds a special place in my heart. i think it was the first time i said “you know what, ohio, you and i may have some things in common.” if you’re looking for a fun event for the weekend i highly suggest making the trip down. the music and food are sure to leave you fulfilled.

i also advise packing bubbles. mike and i brought bubbles the first year to keep D entertained and I ended up being some kind of bubble pied-piper. at least 50 kids swarmed and had a huge bubble party when i broke them out. yes, it was a good time.

let’s hope this year lives up. i look forward to sharing our photos with you when we return.

17May2012

cousinz day

Posted in Kiddie Hangouts by ElaineMarie

we got to hang with our favorite niece all morning!

first the flash helped me make pancakes with an attitude

then cousinfriend joined and they all chowed on the most delicious pancakes to ever grace anyone’s lips while i ran around making said pancakes.

the we loaded up on the bikes and hit the trail

found a playground

and headed back home where girlies had an imaginary picnic. sounds pretty nice, huh? well, it was. thanks for being such an agreeable reader!

i wasn’t going to include this last pic b/c it’s pretty blurry but i did to see if anyone else caught on to how many outfit changes darla did this morning. and these were only the ones i caught on camera. i think there were 2 other variations in there.

so, we had a pretty rad day, all day. i like to look back at these posts to be reminded that our non-conventional lifestyle and schedule is completely worth it. we’re afforded so much freedom, flexibility and time to spend just like this.

hanging out together, with the people we love, searching for adventure.

16May2012

family cycle

Posted in kiddie-do by ElaineMarie

pics from our first family cycle down to the audubon park:

cordelia and madame ruju are already besties

awww, darla’s humoring mommy face

spiderman

darla said she could see the statue of liberty

awkward smiles + flowers for daddy

where should we venture next?

30Apr2012

weekending

Posted in let me let me update ya, love and happiness by ElaineMarie

the majority of our weekend was just some one on one time. that’s ok because we did lots of gnarly adventures, mainly breaking in Madame RuJu. here’s some of it:

using the swings in new ways

running to dinner in a light shower and entertaining other patrons with a costumed dance number

“planting” flowers at the park for her grandmas

climbing rocks and taking hikes

now, our biggest victory of the weekend was discovering an amazing bakery by our house. it’s so amazing that i am going to be selfish and not reveal the name or location. ok, i won’t do that. we stopped into the french loaf for the first time and WOW. just wow. go there. you’ll see what i mean.

darla testing the product

and getting down to business

loved the real china plates and cute stamped furniture

28Apr2012

Ruby Juice

Posted in Run Da House, zero waste home by ElaineMarie

hello everyone, meet Ruby Juice. she’s our newest and shiniest member of the family. why Ruby Juice? well, because i tried to name her Ruby Mae and Darla said “NO! Ruby Juice” but she said it with a really drawn out middle i.e. juuuuuuiiiiiiiiice. so Ruby Juice she is and just now while typing it i’ve decided to make it a compound word such as Beetlejuice. RubyJuice.

so, since i splurged on RuJu i’ve decided it’s necessary to ride her as much as possible. i’ll be keeping a weekly log of how many miles we ride to see how long it takes us to ride back the cost of her. i’m hoping to save lots of gallons of gas this summer + fall. yay environment! Let project Iron Thighz commence!

yeah, that’s what i’m calling this – Project Iron Thighz.

12Mar2012

sippin’ on syrzzup

Posted in kiddie-do, let me let me update ya by ElaineMarie

most of my goals for the weekend fell through the cracks except for the Malabar Farms Maple Syrup Festival. Darla and i trekked north during the good weather saturday and we had a good ol’ time revisiting the process of maple syrup. really, i just made it a priority to purchase some more of the syrup because it is so delicious. one taste of real, fresh syrup and you’ll never want to go back to the hfcs substitute.

the view is beautious maximus. can you tell i made darla pose for the second shot?

tractor rides and tickles from evergreen branches

she chose her raccoon socks because they live in the forest and would like maple syrup, so she says.

we cheated on the candy rule and got some cotton candy made from maple syrup. can you tell by her face that she was happy to indulge? she then proceeded to tell strangers that maple syrup is healthy. which we were informed at the festival that it is. it has the lowest calorie content of any of the natural sweeteners and is good for your kidneys if it is pure. more pancakes anyone?

we did enjoy a pancake breakfast on sunday morning to break in our new bottle. i hope we will continue our visit as an annual tradition. it was bittersweet to visit as a twosome this year. i missed our cali friends dearly remembering our experience the previous year. hopefully next year we’ll be able to enlist more of a gang to join us.

9Mar2012

spring in our step

Posted in kiddie-do, let me let me update ya by ElaineMarie

it seems like these spring like days are filling up more quickly than the cozy, insular days of winter. we’ve had a little spring in our step and running at a quicker gait. lots happening:

we had a double bounce house day so she worked up a thirst. if anyone needs recommendations on either the world of bounce or kingdom of bounce i can provide some insights. aren’t my areas of expertise so glamorous? the next time i’ll be sure to check my deets before our dates with friends.

a younger me would be laughing and scoffing at how much the current me takes joy from clean laundry

the morning after a sleepover with the burkeybuns crew. they decided to dress as towels.

i took darla to her first indoor play – the house at pooh corner. i was pretty sure that we were going to be the only ones in attendance until a huge school group came in 2 min prior to showtime. take a look at that annoyed look i’m already getting from darla for asking her to pose in front of the set.

after the play we walked across the street to visit the state house. i figured it was never too early to start learning some state history and architectural elements, right? darla was very impressed by the rotunda. she said it sounds just like Aisling. $5 worth of brussel sprouts can go to whoever gets that reference.

looking forward to an equally busy weekend. We’ve got the Lorax, Malabar Farms Maple Syrup Festival, Ohio Wildlife Center open house and BalletMet Sleeping Beauty all on tap along with some dinner dates and a labor information session. yay for busy schedules that help the days without our salty sailor pass quickly.

3Mar2012

why’s it all cold again and stuff?

Posted in kiddie-do, let me let me update ya by ElaineMarie

today we had little pellets of sleet punctuating our car ride conversations. it’s hard to believe that just days ago it was in the 70s. i’m posting some more of our sunny pics to help me remember.

willow the goat

i’m including this pic again because i love it so much

monkey bars. i know it looks like she’s in distress but she was loving it. trust me.

counting pine cones and if this picture had audio you would hear the nature lecture i was receiving about the pine nuts inside that birds, squirrels and humans really enjoy. love her.

who’s ready to skip march and head straight on to april? anyone?

1Mar2012

T week

Posted in it's cool to school by ElaineMarie

we learned about T last week and it was pretty easy. i don’t know if you know this but Ts are everywhere. little miss darla had fun pointing them out …

drawing Ts in sand and on sidewalks

we drew pictures of trees

and got her tricycle out for some trick riding

we communed with the trees on our nature hike

and my favorite of the T week activities – darla “planted” a forest at the creek

we searched for totoros in said trees

we of course took our trip to the tuckers’ and did a drawing of papa tom tucker

she drove her new tractor – my dad’s contribution to T week

and spent lots of time just being with papa tom.

for the record i want a goat in every picture i take now. they make them automatically awesome.

1Mar2012

non-existent day

Posted in Kiddie Hangouts, love and happiness by ElaineMarie

leap day was an excellent day around our household. easy going morning, fun-filled afternoon with friends and dinner with our neighbors. pretty phenomenal.

we went with the burkeybuns crew over to Krema peanut butter factory for sandwiches and shakes. i told darla that since today doesn’t exist it wouldn’t count against our lenten promises. we might have partook in some sweets. but not too bad. here’s darla yelling “jelly!” in my face.

have you noticed that i get a lot of things yelled in my face. eh.

and then on to hours spent outside playing in the park. it was just the loveliest day. thank you leap day. thank you for what your carefree aura brought to our lives today.

and so on to march…