We have not been to the farm all summer. We went a few times in the spring, but haven’t been in a few months. I told the boys we could go anywhere they wanted today and they chose “the farm”. They had a great time, but it was getting kind of steamy towards the end. Luckily, there was a sprinkler running to water the grass and many kids (and a few adults) were using it to cool themselves off, too. 
Mining for shiny rocks
Making cornmeal
Liam had his first sleepover at someone else’s house this weekend. I was a little nervous. I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but he did it. I was very proud of him. (I also wasn’t too worried because they live right behind us, so a late night trip across the backyard wouldn’t have been too bad.) Anyways, he didn’t go to sleep until 4a.m. even though everyone else was asleep. He told me he couldn’t sleep because the TV was on and he couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. He is an expert on infomercials now. 🙂
On his way out the door with his pillowcase full of Pokemon cards, his jammies, his toothbrush, and a couple of books, one of them being his Pokemon guide, of course.
We hosted a backyard water party for all the first grade boys in our neighborhood this weekend on the HOTTEST day of the year. (Man, it was hot.) There were 16 first grade boys and a couple of siblings plus all the parents, so we had a very busy backyard. The boys had so much fun. They giggled, splashed and had a blast.
Water Balloon Toss
Buddies
What’s a water party without a slip n’ slide?
I blogged at the beginning of the month about donating food to the needy for my birthday month. Well, it’s almost August, so if you have not done so, put it on your grocery list right now. pretty please. In case you need some help with some ideas about what to buy, they always need: tuna, cans of pasta sauce, pasta, peanut butter and Hamburger Helper. Place it in a bin at the grocery store or wherever food for the needy is collected (or bring it to me and I will do it for you) and then tell me how many items you donated. The traffic in the local food pantry is up 70% from last year. 70%!!! That’s a lot. We are up to 128 donated items so far. Keep it coming!!! Thank you.
A Plump and Perky Turkey is about a town trying to figure out how to outsmart the turkeys at Thanksgiving not realizing how clever turkeys can be. Queen of the World is about three little sisters who manage to ruin their mother’s birthday, but then figure out how to salvage it the next day. We have checked out the turkey book from the library twice now; they have several copies of this book and always seem to have one in stock, especially in July.
Sean cooked dinner…I must say it was fantastic. I don’t remember the French name, but it was bacon-stuffed salmon with lentils and a horseradish cream sauce. It was very good.
Studying the recipe
Voila!!!
The first new food you need to try is Kashi’s newest baby. Kashi U is so tasty!!! It has flakes like raisin bran, but it has dried currants which are a little crunchy and a little bit sour which goes great with the walnuts that are in it. Also, I have found a new spaghetti sauce. I am a little picky about my spaghetti sauces. First of all, it can’t have soybean oil in it!!!! There are no ladies in Italy putting soybean oil in their zugo-I am SURE of it!!! Secondly, among other things, it must have olive oil in it. My step-mom’s mom is one of those little old Italian ladies making “gravy” every Sunday morning and she definitely puts olive oil in the sauce. So, I highly recommend you pick up a bottle of Sorrisos. I got the Tomato & Basil variety. Yummers.
I get several magazines…O, Kiwi, Family Fun, and Parents. THE BEST magazine I get though is Wondertime. If you have a child in your house you NEED this magazine. It isn’t a magazine about how to be a better parent as much as it is a collection of smart essays about parenting…witty, interesting and entertaining. Get it…it’s cheap…you won’t regret it.
They are supposed to be spraying each other, but my mom and I managed to get a little wet, too.
Cleaning the fence
This is one of those books that keeps going back and forth in time. I kind of like it when authors write like that. It keeps you on your toes! Anyways, this book is the story of a girl, Maddy, and how she copes with the death of her mother and the loss of her father and how those two losses shape her life.