Spare yourself...

and don't even click on this, or this, or this either... if you do, you run the risk of dying from cuteness and the inability to bear the sorrow of not being able to justify the hundreds it would cost to deck your kid out in the cutest duds known to man...

I am not one to complain... we have a closet full of the cutest Ramonsterwear clothes in the universe... because in working for Kathie over these last few years, I find it hard to accept any money from her, when I could instead trade for clothes... they are seriously THE BEST...

Still, I'm tellin' ya... don't check out blogs like smaller unless you want to drown in a pool of your own drool...

Slime is fun....

Solution A:
1 c. water
1 c. white glue
2 tbsp. liquid tempera paint or 7-10 drops food coloring

Solution B
1 1/3 c, warm water
4 tbsp. borax

Mix ingredients for solution A in a medium bowl. In a second medium bowl, mix the ingredients for solution B until the borax is completely dissolved. Slowly pour solution A into solution B (do not mix!). Roll solution A around in solution B 4-5 times. Lift solution A out of solution B and knead for 2-3 minutes. Store in airtight container or plastic ziplock bag.

Bertram's Fish Camp

We're freshly back from a refreshing stay at this marvelous spot on the San Marcos river in Fentress, TX. Our friends Paula and Mateo got married here 11 years ago yesterday and in honor of that fact they rented this
place out again and invited all their friends. It was really a magical place. This huge pecan orchard, right on the river, and all just so quiet and still... nobody else around for miles, it felt like. Our kids got on famously with the other kids there, and everybody just swam and played and feasted and had themselves a time. And the kids even konked at a decent hour so the adults could sit around the fire sipping fine tequila and hearing stories about Paula and Mateo chasing each other around the Honduras twenty years ago (they met in the Peace Corps). It was such a cool story... totally like the classic romantic comedy where the hero and heroine fight and fight and hate each other until suddenly they realize they're in love...
Also Paula asked us all to share some secret we believed contributed to longevity in a relationship and that was fun to listen to, too. But when we woke up nobody could remember the secrets... we're afraid they might not return to us until we reach the tequila saturation point some other day...

Jack took the extremely blurry picture of me, since nobody else ever remembers to take pictures of me I thought I'd include it. And don't you love that gigantic SWING? That's not even a fixture there... a friend brought it and swung it up... it was so fun. I could sit on it with two or three children (and once even Etta on my back in the Ergo) and get ourselves going so incredibly high....


Fish Camp!!!

Hammering work and a Mother's Day gift

Another fun carpentry class in which we introduced the magic of hammers and nails. Quite fun. We made the fun pegboard and also a gift for the mamas... 'MOM' spelled out in nails... just what y'all always wanted, am I right? Anyway, it was quite cute and they were all very proud.

All the mamas in the house say , "Yeah!"

So, Mother's Day fast approacheth, right? Y'all probably already know this but I just wanted to issue a quick reminder that today, Mother's Day Eve, would be a great day to take ten minutes of your time and sit down and think about exactly what you'd like for your special day. I don't mean gift-wise necessarily, more like: do you want time alone? or special family time? a picnic? a movie by yourself? a kid-made gift? breakfast in bed? fresh flowers? What's your deal that really rings true for YOU? I'm just sayin', if you wait around for the other occupants of your household to make it happen with no word from you, there might be some disapointment going on. Mothers, seize this day, make it your own, get what you want, have it be fun fun fun! The mates and kids in our lives just might not be that good at anticipating our desires (and in knowing that they're no that good at it, might awkwardly drift away and do nothing, causing even more angst) but if you can take charge in a positive, happy way and make your wants known... that's boffo, that's brilliant.

Mostly what I want for Mother's Day is blessed alone time. Is that sad?? I just want to saturate my self in silence, beautiful silence... and I feel like I love to get this day which is like a free pass for me to go out to coffee by myself, go on a long walk through some beautiful be-gardened neighborhood by myself, pleasure and please myself every which way I can (because I'm the Mama and I DO deserve it, as do you...) and then, oh glory of glories, home to a clean house and beaming children and dinner already made.... well I'm not totally sure about the last three things, but there you go, that's my fantasy.

If you feel so inclined, share, share! What's yours?

Austin Rock Gym!!

This place never even occurred to me, until in desperation last week I googled "Austin rainy day activities" and this plum of an idea hit me upside the head. It was perfect for a day when it was barrelling down rain and my kids are quite literally climbing the walls... and of course in Austin Rock Gym that's what you're SUPPOSED to do. And they were totally cool with kids. It cost 5 dollars per kid who was actually climbing, so, they did not charge for me and my babesy, who just merrily crawled around on the spongy bouncy floor.

This place would be great in the dog days of summer, too. A bonus was that we were at Gus Fruh this week (where many rock climbers hang out and climb on the cliffs) and Jack was completely star struck watching them, and then one of them remembered seeing us at the gym, so that was like superstar contact to the extreme, for Jack.

Carpentry class!

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Yay! My computer and printer are finally speaking again, after giving each other the cold shoulder for quite some time. I finally get to share with you some pictures from the carpentry class I am teaching with my friend Doerte, which is going quite swimmingly. Our first class we simply sanded a piece of wood, oiled it, drilled a hole, inserted a leather string, and created a key ring or a bracelet or whatever they wanted to use it for. It might sound a little boringly easy but I am so glad that we started with such a basic project, because the kids LOVED it, and were so excited, and just kept exclaiming about how beautiful and smooth their piece was.

Our second project was a spinning top, that was quite fun, too.