On Day 2 of our stay-cation, we ventured to one of our favorite parks to hear the Teddy Bear Band live in concert. It’s BYOB, of course. Bring your own bear. So Sassy and Brownie came along for the fun. Good thing they have thick fur — this July was the coldest on record in Minnesota.
Laurel does her Elvis impression.
This is Panda, who lead our girls and dozens of other small, bear-toting kids in a dancing train around the park. Laurel loved this but was disappointed that she did not actually ever get to hug Panda. Maybe next year.
For a minute, the Hokey Pokey really was what it’s all about.
Bear! Bear! Bear in the air!
What goes up, oh you know, must come down.
Stay tuned for Day 3 of our Teddy Bear Stay-cation!
Last month the girls and I embarked on a week-long “Teddy Bear Stay-cation” in lieu of traveling elsewhere for an actual vacation. So today I am kicking off a 5-day blog series showcasing our local bear-related adventures.
Day 1 featured a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop to stuff, groom, dress and name two brand new teddy bears — Sassy and Brownie.
Sassy gets filled with stuffing, and it’s a noisy job.
Sassy gets her first hug.
Linnea runs the pedal on the stuffing machine; Brownie is filled to just the right level of fluffiness.
Brownie gets her first hug.
Brownie needs a quick “bath” with the brushes to remove extra fur.
Sassy also gets groomed.
Fashionably dressed, Sassy is a ballerina bear, and Brownie is a bride bear.
Day 1 down. Come back tomorrow to read all about Day 2 of our Teddy Bear Stay-cation!
“Never have I asked an August sky, ‘Where has last July gone?’ “
That’s one of my favorite lines in the song “Many A New Day” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma.
Here’s where July went for our family:
4 more sailing trips
2 trips to the beach
1 trip to the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus
1 teddy bear tea party
1 trip to the Arboretum
1 evening playing in the sprinkler
1 trip to Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater, Minn.
1 Tiny Party that was BIG fun
2 birthday parties
1 trip to Lowry Nature Center
1 church picnic
1 Teddy Bear Band Concert in the park
1 trip to Sonic Drive-In
1 trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop
1 visit to see newly hatched Bantam chicks
1 beautiful wedding & fun reception
3 trips to various playgrounds at nearby parks
1 trip to the community center pool
1 paddle boat excursion at Centennial Lakes
countless picnics
Perhaps you notice a re-occurring theme? Teddy bears! I’m putting together a more detailed post complete with pictures of our Teddy Bear Stay-cation. (That’s like a vacation, only you don’t leave town.) Stay tuned for that post later this week!
It will be the 4th of July in a few hours, and we’ve come to that part of the year when everyone sees the back-to-school clothing ads and says in a freakish sort of tone, “Where has the summer gone!?”
Here in Minnesota, it truly feels like summer is just getting started. The lake only warmed up to swim-able temperature a couple of weeks ago. We haven’t even made it to the beach yet! So, in an effort not to join that familiar chorus of summertime blues, I’m adding up all the fun we’ve had since our fabulous Memorial Day weekend trip up north.
Here’s the math:
3 sailing trips
1 swim in the lake
2 tea parties
1 night at the movies to see Up!
4 Arboretum trips
1 piano recital
2 fishing trips
1 afternoon at the Old Log Theatre to see Treasure Island
5 nights of Vacation Bible School
1 afternoon playing in the sprinkler and eating popsicles
2 afternoons playing in the backyard kiddy pool
1 family gathering with BBQ and bubble wands
1 family gathering with Bailey the Dog and Chinese food
2 fun get-togethers friends who feel like family
countless picnics and park visits
All this and just one bee sting! Of course, I must mention that I was stung immediately upon entering the Arboretum. The bee flew into the van, stung me and flew back out all in the 15 seconds it took me to show my membership card to the guy at the entrance gate. Welcome to the Arboretum! Ouch!
Notably, Michael was hundreds of miles away on his four-day, guys-only trip to the Boundary Waters when my arm started swelling up. The pain only lasted a few hours, despite the fact that I did none of the five post-bee-sting treatment steps spelled out on www.surviveoutdoors.com. I just sat on a park bench, watched the girls play and tried to avoid the wasp that kept lingering nearby.
Despite leaving us alone to fend off the bees and wasps, and despite coming home with lots of smelly, fishy laundry, Michael did get some royal treatment on Father’s Day.
Father's Day
And here’s one of our tea parties; Aunt Lilac and Great Gramma were our special guests.
Tea with the GreatsGreat Gramma
For the 4th of July, this afternoon we made these fun desserts — fruit pizza in red, white and blue. Yum!
After reading book after book and article after article singing the praises of homeschooling and extoling the successes of homeschooled children, you start to feel like you’ve truly heard all there is to say about homeschooling.
I felt that way until yesterday, when I came across this article — a very well-thought-out and very brutally honest piece on potential pitfalls in homeschooling. I believe the author is Reb Bradley of Family Ministries. He makes some very eye-opening and convicting statements about homeschooling!
He says there are 7 blind spots in homeschooling:
1. self-centered dreams
2. family as an idol
3. emphasis on outward form
4. tendency to judge
5. over-dependence on authority and control
6. over-reliance upon sheltering
7. formulaic parenting that breaks down relationships
This is a great article to keep on hand and re-read at least once a year to keep yourself on guard against these! Here’s the link to the full article: Solving the Crisis in Homeschooling, originally published in September 2006.
On the day Linnea was born, we admired her long, slender fingers and daydreamed of her playing the piano. Someday. It seemed so far away.
When she was about 20 months old, she’d sit at the piano, randomly pecking at the keys and singing the ABC song at the top of her lungs. Someday soon.
Last Saturday morning Someday arrived in the form of Linnea’s very first piano recital. She’s been taking lessons for four months, and she is already moving those little fingers oh-so gracefully across the ivories!
Her musical debut was “Bunny Jumparoo” by Pat Heldman Johnson. Playing solo from real sheet music is a noteworthy milestone at the ripe old age of 6 and a half. Of course, Linnea had memorized the recital piece, so the music was just there for show.
Our guests at the grand event were Linnea’s Great-Grandma Martin, Great Aunt Marla and Great Cousin(t) Rachel. What a joy to share the experience with them! And I felt so sentimental about these precious guests because it was Great-Grandma Martin who nearly 60 years ago bought the piano we have now in our home for Linnea’s practice. (Read the piano history here.)
I must confess this is the only complete piano recital I’ve ever attended. Listening to the music each student played was such a treat. They all play piano incredibly well! Mrs. Peterson, Linnea’s piano instructor, is a very lovely, encouraging lady with amazing gifts for teaching music. We are so blessed to know her!
Just for fun: If you play piano well enough to find Middle C position, leave a comment saying how many years you took lessons. Do you remember your first recital piece? I’d love to hear your memories!
Our little gardening day a few weeks ago was made all the more bright and festive with these fun gardening hats and aprons that my dear friend Aimee gave the girls for Christmas. We’ve been waiting for months to get a little dirt on them! We have an annual tradition of planting Wave Petunias in the window flower box that goes in the girls’ playhouse/swingset in our backyard.
Add water. Lots of water.Water again. Just in case.Gardening project complete.Yes, that's dirt on her nose.Prize-winning mud popsicles.
Starlight Writer 