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Posts Tagged ‘togetherness’

  1. Woof! Woof! Reading Dog Books

    February 19, 2014 by admin

    IMG_1512Somewhere along the line, we started reading ‘Dog Book’ stories to Bluey.  It might have started with  The Incredible Journey, which we enjoyed after viewing the movies.

    We now have a bonafide tradition of reading dog books over breakfast and lunch-  we read just a few pages (maybe 10) at each meal.  It gives us a chance to mellow out in the middle of the day and prepare for whatever adventures our afternoon may bring.

    We go through quite a few books.  On average, it takes us about 2 weeks to finish one.  So there seems like there is always a new story to begin.

    We enjoy these books because we love animals.  Most of the stories go into some detail about animal care and animal illnesses and that helps spark conversations about the animals in our world.

    Here are a few of our favorites from the past year:

    Clarence the TV Dog:  This funny, upbeat book from Patricia Lauber covers the antics of a TV loving pup growing up in the 50’s.  We love Clarence’s  many adventures, and how he always seems to be a step ahead of the people who try to reign him in.

    Animal Ark:  It is a series set at a veterinary clinic in Wales.  The series revolves around the vets’ daughter Mandy and her friend James, who have a knack for finding lost animals and solving animal related mysteries.  With its vet clinic setting, these books contain tons of real world info about all sorts of animals.  And the recurring cast allows us an easy starting point at the beginning of each book.IMG_1514

    Star-Dog:  Star Dog took us in a different direction: science fiction!  With aliens and government agents afoot, we were able to explore a whole new genre while using our dog book theme.

    We are about halfway through our stack of dog books, gleaned from shops and book sales over the years.  We are having a great time with them.  It is so much fun to explore the many worlds of these stories.


  2. Do You Hear The Music?

    February 2, 2014 by admin

    It’s no secret– we love music at our house.  We have songs playing constantly.  We are singing along, or making up our own songs, too.

    IMG_7825TRMom and TRDad began an experiment some ten years ago.  We created our own, joint list of the 100 Best Songs Ever.  It was a fun project that we worked on via email.  We’d alternate at five song intervals, listing the best songs that came to mind.  This way the finished list wasn’t “in order”, but it did include all sorts of songs we adored.

    It allowed us to share our musical love with each other and confess secrets- Madonna?  Yes, Madonna is on the list.  Neil Diamond? Yes, no list could be complete without him.

    Here’s a small sample from the original list, circa 2003/4:

    1.) Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett

    2.) Possibly Maybe – Bjork

    3.) Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad – Meatloaf

    4.) Someone’s Daugher– Beth Orton

    5.) Honeysuckle Rose – Rose Murphy

    6.) Dizzy– Throwing Muses

    7.) I Believe In You– Neil Young

    8.) Accept Yourself– The Smiths

    9.) Flag Day– Housemartins

    10.) Ingrid and the Footman– Jane Siberry

    Recently, we started all over again.  It’s the same process, but ten years later.  What songs will repeat?  What songs will be replaced?  What new voices have we uncovered in our last decade of musical exploration?

    Here’s a sample of the 2014 Version:

    11.  Lose Yourself – Eminem

    12.  Stay Monkey – Julie Ruin

    13.  Gunpowder and Lead – Miranda Lambert

    14.  Get What You Give – New Radicals

    15.  Radioactive – Marina and the Diamonds

    16. Break Stuff – Limp Bizkit

    17. Untouchable Face – Ani DiFranco

    18. Pounce – Nellie McKay

    19. Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead

    20. Everlong – Foo Fighters

    Maybe when we’re done, we’ll post the entirety of both lists!

    Meanwhile, tell us what you’d include!  What are the absolute best songs ever?  Let us know, and introduce us to your favorites!


  3. Ramona and Half Pint

    January 29, 2014 by admin

    IMG_1395We love sharing some of our favorite book series with our youngest as a read-aloud activity.  So everyday we take Bluey to Klickitat Street and Walnut Grove.  He hears about  adventures with Mr. Edwards,  Uncle Hobart, and Picky-Picky.  Bluey loves these stories and always wants more.

    Although many of these books are actually marketed towards kids several years older than Bluey, we love being able to read them to him.  He follows the plots quite readily and enjoys hearing about, and picturing, the trials and tribulations of kids a bit older than him. Since we are reading long series of books, it really gives Bluey a chance to connect with the characters and locations.

    We started with the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary.  Ramona is a precocious and independent spirit with a love for art.  Her struggles as the youngest member of her family resonate for Bluey.

    After finishing all the adventures of Ramona, Beezus, Henry, and Ribsy, we moved on to the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The Little House stories take Bluey to another time and he learns abut how people lived in the past.  There is an amazing amount of detail about the settlers struggles that we had forgotten as adults.  And, of course, Laura is really dealing with the same issues as people today: siblings, family issues, bullies at school…  in many ways it is also very familiar to our Bluey.

    Tip:  Be prepared to discuss racism and sexism with your child when reading the Little House books.

    We treasure these times, snuddled up together, experiencing these worlds with our young child.  We think he does too.

    When he is older, maybe Bluey will reread all these great books.  Or maybe he’ll turn to other series, other authors.  Regardless, he’s experiencing the worlds of Laura and Ramona now, and he loves every moment.

     


  4. I’m Not Used To Seeing You Fly Solo

    January 26, 2014 by admin

    IMG_1361TRDad and Bluey spend all week together.  They go biking, swimming, and shopping.  Every errand that must be run during the week, Bluey and TRDad do together.

    This produces humorous responses from our many friends in shops around town, when due to an unexpected day off for TRMom, or when a weekend quick trip for TRDad sends him out without his constant young companion.

    “I’m surprised to see you with out your son!”

    “Where’s Bluey?”

    It’s neat that so many people associate us with our kids.  We love it.  So many parents we meet, and hear about, work very hard to establish that they have a unique identity- that they are more than Moms, Dads, Parents.

    We wonder why?

    TRDad doesn’t mind the constant association of father and son as a pair.  Part of the joy of staying home with Bluey has been to experience so much of the world with him, and to be able to spend so much time with him.  If more people know TRDad as ‘Bluey’s Dad’ more than as anything else, what’s wrong with it?

    We don’t think your identity disappears if you are constantly referred to as “So-and-so’s Mom (or Dad).”

    When Bluey is older, he’ll remember going everywhere with TRMom and TRDad.  We think that’s pretty cool.


  5. The Guy Who Came In From The Cold

    January 7, 2014 by admin

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    Winter is upon us and we love to head outdoors for snowy fun.  But eventually those toes are cold, the cheeks are frost-nipped; and it is time to come indoors.  When kids stomp in from the snow, they want to be warmed up quickly.  So here’s what we try to have on hand to swiftly bring the coziness, and restock our energies for the next round of winter fun.

    Hot Cocoa:  Around October 1st, we start buying cocoa every week, whether we needed it or not.  If friends are over, a single box of cocoa won’t last very long.  You can even make cocoa by the pot on the stove (which is what TRGrandma used to do).

    IMG_4619Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese:  Keep the ingredients for this classic warmer at the ready.  The kids will be hungry after playing in the cold.  Pre warm the soup, and preassemble the sandwiches, if you want them to be prepared super quick.  (Remember: don’t leave the stove on while you are out sledding!)

    Warm Dry Clothes: Take a minute before you set out into the cold to get a set of clothes ready for when you return.  Then it’s no muss/no fuss! A quick change and you are already feeling warmed up.

    A Cozy Blanket:  We keep our favorite coziest blankets at the ready for snuddling!

    A Place to put all the wet clothes and shoes:  If your home has a mudroom, you’re in luck!  If not, create a functional space in your house.  We lay a bunch of towels down in the dining room and use a few chairs to hold things to dry (a folding drying rack is great for this- if you have one).  Line up gloves and upside down boots along the radiators to warm up.  Then at the end of the day, clean up is a snap as we toss the towels in the laundry and put away the now dry coats and mittens.


  6. The Image Chronicler

    December 13, 2013 by admin

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    All experiences offer up memories.  But memories fade with time and most people crave a record of an event.  These modern day recordings tend to be photographic:  class pictures, graduation pictures, wedding albums, baby albums, selfies, etc.

    Someone has to be behind the lens.

    In our family, TRMom is usually the one snapping the most images of each adventure.  This role evolved from TRMom’s dislike of pictures that include her, and TRDad’s willingness to jump into all aspects of any adventure that may intimidate TRMom.

    But it means that TRMom’s image is typically missing from a lot of family experiences.  And even when we manage to strike a balance, there is still only one parent in the picture.  Our full family shots are very few and far between.

    We know a lot of people enjoy professional photo shoots of their entire family.  Honestly, that just isn’t our thing.  Not only would we be out money that we can’t really afford to allocate to a photo shoot, but we know we’d end up boxing the majority of the pictures.

    So instead, we take ownership of identifying a “chronicler” of events.  It is an important role that is thoroughly enjoyable.  Our family knows who was included in our experiences.  And that is enough for us.


  7. Holiday Walk-about

    December 3, 2013 by admin

    IMG_8486The celebration of any holiday can be stressful. There may be special meals, out-of-town guests and high expectations.  Things can get tense.  And with everyone piled into the house, the instinct might be to flip on a movie to keep the kiddoes happy.  But we find more success taking a different direction.

    We’ve discovered that the best antidote for holiday cabin-fever is to get out of the house.

    Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years- on all these holidays you’ll see our family piling into the car to head out of the house, and into nature.

    Going for a walk on a holiday allows everyone in the family a chance to relax outdoors, center themselves, and get some exercise.  We see if there are any wild animals out and about to celebrate, what plants are still thriving, and what has hunkered down for Winter.

    So few people head outdoors on the holidays, that we frequently have a whole park or nature reserve to ourselves.  The lack of human noise is impressive on these days.  You really get a chance to see why Thoreau moved to the woods, and why that still seems like a good idea.

    After an hour or so of exploring, we head back home.  There’s still plenty of time for movies, games and traditional in-home fun.  But we find our escape into nature a valued re-fueling moment that lets us enjoy our time together even more.


  8. That was My Fault: Words you should say.

    November 27, 2013 by admin

    Everybody makes mistakes.  Everybody has those days.”Photos-of-Old-Car-Accidents-2

    We reference these lyrics regularly in our home because kids need to realize that things don’t always work out.  Things happen, both big and small that can throw a seemingly lock-solid plan into disarray.  We want our kiddos to realize this possibility.

    As Plum and Bluey grow, we find we also need to utilize an additional phrase:

    That was my fault.

    This is a simple, factual acknowledgement of responsibility for an error.  It’s a phrase we could stand to hear more often from co-workers, friends, and leaders– as well as our own kids.  It’s the step after the simple “I’m sorry”, where you claim ownership for what went awry.  So we’re working to use it at home when appropriate, in the hope that our children will catch on to it.

    “Sorry, Bluey!  It was my fault for promising we’d play outside today when I hadn’t checked the weather forecast.”

    “Sorry Plum!  That was my fault for not watching where I was going and bumping into you.”

    CB063014We think it is important to teach children to not just be able to handle adversity, but to know it’s okay to admit that sometimes it’s our fault when things go wrong.  You should just own it.

    And then you should move on.  Lingering over what went wrong doesn’t do anyone any good.


  9. A Piece of the Holiday

    November 25, 2013 by admin

    IMG_1088Our TR family usually waits until the second week of December to cut down our Christmas tree.  But for many families it is tradition to put up a tree the weekend after Thanksgiving.

    Since the holidays are upon us, we wanted to share one of our TR traditions with you:  saving the tree trunk shaving of each and every Christmas tree.

    In order to keep you tree as fresh as possible, it is recommended that you trim about ¼ inch off the bottom of the trunk.    And even if you cut your own tree, it is most always necessary to trim it to size or to ensure that it stands even.

    So now you have a perfect little wood shaving.  Why toss it?  We get out a sharpie and write down the date directly on the wood piece.  And we stash it away so that every new season, we can take out these bits of trunk and remember our past holidays and the tree that graced our home.IMG_2363

    Some other ideas:

    • A-fix each family holiday picture to the wood cutting.
    • Have your kids decorate the shaving with paints, glitter, etc…
    • If you want you can cut more than one sliver, and do different things with each one.

     

    Do you have a holiday tradition that you’d like to share with us?


  10. The Best Ten Minutes Of The Day

    October 26, 2013 by admin

    Our Bluey leads an active life, and we do all sorts of things during a typical day.  We have our share of routines- like reading our ‘Dog’ books in the morning, or settling in for some Lego building.  We have mellow times and crazy times.

    But in many ways, the best part of any day is at the end.  After reading a few comic books, brushing teeth, and putting on pajamas, Bluey is ready.  Usually, TRMom gets him into bed, and reads one more book before Bluey begins to settle down.  After snuggling with TRMom for awhile, TRDad takes over and helps the young Bluey find the sleep zone.IMG_0544

    Laying there in the dark is just the best.  We’re usually quiet, although sometimes Bluey still has a few things to discuss.  But soon enough, he is dozing off and quietly breathing.  Sometimes his eyes are still open, shining in the dark.

    Bluey drifts towards sleep.  TRDad listens to Bluey breathing and thinks about him- he is such a great kid.  This moment of quietude is TRDad’s most treasured of the day.  It’s the snuddle time that Bluey misses on nights TRDad isn’t there to cuddle with him.  We hope he remembers these moments, as he cruises towards adulthood.  We know he won’t want to settle down like this forever.  Eventually, he’ll put himself to bed; as his older sister does now.

    As much as we want him to recall visiting the St. Louis Arch, or climbing at Devil’s Lake, or a hundred other fun and interesting things we do; we hope that he treasures these quiet times, too.