Yaarrgghh!

This past weekend we had the pleasure of a visit from my sister (commonly referred to as Aunt Shannon by the minions).  We had a fun time visiting, playing, and hanging out.  We planned a theme for the weekend, and tailored our dinnertime around it.  
The theme: Pirates.


We played games, dressed up, read stories, and created a meal where each item of food was built around pirates.

The table was set, complete with pirate table service and an eye patch for all to wear.

Here is the food.  We had kabobs (swords), zucchini 'boats', couscous islands with coconuts (almonds) and trees (celery), and cauliflower 'clouds'. 

The band of scalawags ready to dig in!

Pin the flag on the treasure map.

Having fun with dress up.

A fun weekend and a reminder to play.  It's good for you!

Random, fun morning

I woke up this morning, not of my own accord, but because Eliza was lonely as she roamed around her room.  I quickly put her back into her bed, hoping that she would go back down (we use a room darkening shade and it was still pre-dawn).  It worked for a little while, but before long I heard the full cadre playing in their room.


I decided that this was my cue to get up.  Stephanie was still sleeping, soundly I might add.  I snuck out to the kitchen to get the oven going with thoughts of hot cinnamon rolls wafting through my head.  I managed to get the oven going and pan out before a set of little footsteps could be heard coming towards me.  Thinking that if I ducked down with the lights off they would retreat back to their room, I waited with baited breath.  Ian or Caroline would head back, but lo and behold it was Lydia who came out to play by herself.  Cute little girl.


Count to 8 and the rest of the troupe was out with us.  We then proceeded to play quietly until the food was ready.  Well, as quietly as possible for a ravenous pack of wolves.  Miraculously enough, Stephanie was able to sleep up to the point of me serving the food.  I decided that she didn't need to get up and served her breakfast in bed.  She really wasn't awake yet, but she did light up quickly at the sight of hot ooey gooey goodness and a cold glass of milk in front of her.


After breakfast was over, the kids went back to playing.  I cleaned up, made my coffee and sat down to respond to some emails.  Stephanie soon showed up, smiling from a nice relaxing and peaceful morning in her sanctuary (bedroom).  She greeted the kids and then returned to the sanctuary for a hot shower.  It was during this time that I decided some music was in order.  Stephanie gets done with her shower to find the rest of us having a wild dance party to a very eclectic mix (example: Sara Groves followed by Kid Rock).


Honestly, you can't go wrong with a morning like that.  Have a fun day!

Selling things is funny

We have reached that point. 

The point of getting new things, and in the process of finding a home for those new things, finding old things that we no longer use or use that much.  We get into the mindset of finding new homes for these things, and in the process search and find more items to purge.  Thus begets this years post holiday selloff.  Some items we freecycle or donate to Goodwill.  Most we try to sell, either through Ebay or Craigslist.  Since we are nestled inside of a subdivision, I have found it easier to meet people in a parking lot nearby to deliver the items than to try and guide them through the winding streets.  

One thing that these experiences have taught me: People are funny.

Some are funny in what they will actually take (and even pay money for!), others are funny in their dealings, while others are funny in what they think a reasonable offer is (barter, don't insult, people).  

And then there is me (Jason).  There are times that I get a kick out of bucking social conventions just to get a reaction out of people.  Recently, I was presented with an opportunity to do this and make some money at the same time.  Double bonus!

I had a person interested in purchasing a desktop computer that we no longer needed, and I quickly had to come up with a meeting spot, since turning on the computer was necessary for the sale and there are no plugs in the middle of the Kohl's parking lot.  I settled on meeting at a local Panera Bread, knowing that there would be available outlets.  Being the early bird that I am, I arrived before my customer, so I proceeded to set up the desktop for display.

My viewpoint.

I apologize that I do not have any other photos of peoples reactions, but believe me, they were priceless.  Yes, I was that guy who shows up to the coffee shop with his complete desktop, sets it up, and then proceeds to get a cup of coffee and sits down at it.  I never turned it on while I was by myself, but I was set up in a corner close to the front door, so the rest of the customers could not see that it was off.  I pretended to work on it for a bit, just clicking around and occasionally typing, but keeping an eye on the door.  The reactions of others as they walked in and caught a glimpse of some guy with a desktop were hilarious.  I saw my share of elbow jabs and whispers to the side while glancing in my direction.  

The fun part was that my contact was delayed, so I had the opportunity to look at a message on my phone, get slightly irritated (an act), and hurriedly pack the whole thing up and rush out.

Sign me up for the next Improv Everywhere tryouts.

Playing around with Pinterest

It's no secret that I love to try new, crafty ideas out and that Jason requires lots of projects when the weather drives us indoors, so yesterday we put our heads together and made this nifty little necklace holder together:

Necklaces no longer live spread across our dresser!

I got the idea from Pinterest where I had pinned this image a couple of months ago but hadn't figured out quite how i would implement the idea:

Original idea from Pinterest

As far as projects go, this was SUPER simple! The only materials needed were:

• A piece of scrap wood (mine is just under 1 foot in length, because that's what worked in my space
• Drawer pulls or knobs (we happened to have extras from when we purchased our bedroom furniture...7.5 years ago--yes, we have packrat tendancies...)
• Screws to attach the knobs or pulls to the board
• Paint, if you choose to paint the board
• Power drill to make the holes for your screws
• Picture hanger brackets to mount it to the wall

First, I painted my piece of wood and allowed it to dry. Since it's a rough-hewn piece of wood, I decided on just one coat to let the natural wood grain show through.

After the wood was dry, we measured and marked the places where we would drill the pilor holes for the screws. After double-checking that the knobs will be where i wanted them, Jason drilled the pilot holes just slightly smaller than the screws we would use.

Next, he went back and screwed the screws into the board with the power drill, so that the screws were flush with the board on the back and sticking out about 1/4-inch on the front. I attached the knobs to the board, then we gently attached the picture-hanger brackets to the back and hung it on the wall.

30-minute project, not including drying time for the paint! So simple, but makes such a visual difference in the organization of our bedroom!

The best part is that we had all of the supplies on hand, just sitting around and waiting for a purpose--a virtually free project too! I love finding new uses for old things!

Supermarket Sweep

Do you remember the game show Supermarket Sweep, where the contestants are set loose in the grocery store to fill their carts with whatever they choose in a set amount of time? Well, The Simpson Six set out on our own version of this game yesterday afternoon!

Ian with a full shopping cart!

Jason's sister, "Aunt Shannon", gave the 4 kids each a $5 gift card to Trader Joe's as part of their Christmas gift. Well, our kids LOVE to play market and each have a growing collection of "credit cards" (empty gift cards) that they regularly use when they play store or restaurant, so to have their own gift card to their favorite grocery store with real money on it was about all the excitement that they could handle!

One of our favorite things about Trader Joe's is the kid-size shopping carts!

The caveat to this gift, however, is that they were to purchase only items that they had never tried before and to send a picture to Aunt Shannon of the items that they chose. Also, she gave them each a picture of an item to look for while in the store: Caroline was to look for a "Carolima Bean", Lydia was on the hunt for "Lydiasagna", Ian was searching for a "Kianiwi Fruit" and Eliza was trying to find a "Weliza Melon"!

The kids with the papers with their respective "exotic foods" that they were searching for.

While we didn't have any luck finding these exotic foods, we did have a lot of fun looking for new and exciting foods to taste--some new for all of us and some that those of us who have tried it before were finally able to convince others that it's time to try.

Hmmm...are there any dried fruits that we haven't tried?

Caroline decides that she wants to try eggplant.

Looking through the dairy shelves for a new food to try.

Eliza is along for the ride as we search for new produce to try.

Another one of the fun things about shopping at Trader Joe's with the kids is that they get to search for the monkey who hides somewhere in the store. If they find him and go to the coffee counter, an employee gives them a "monkey treat" for finding the monkey! 

Today he was hiding near the cat food--and ready for New Year's Eve!

The four kids even chose something new to try for their monkey treat this trip--fig cereal bars.

The spread of new food items that the kids picked with their gift cards.

When it was all said and done, they picked out a total of 9 new food items to try with a grand total of $21.61:

• Snapea Crisps
• Baked Lentil Chips with sea salt and black pepper
• Unsulphured sweetened and dried mango
• Pomegranate
• Asian pear
• Eggplant
• Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola
• Sweet potato gnocchi with butter and sage
• Feta cheese with caramelized onion pastry bites

Last night they tried the Asian pear with dinner and the snapea crisps for a snack--both earning rave reviews! Dinner tonight will include the Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola and pomegranate. Perhaps this will be a game that we play every couple of months to experiment with new foods of the season. Thanks for such a fun, creative gift, Aunt Shannon!

Advent: What are you doing while you wait?

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a purest when it comes to celebrating the Christmas season. I'm outspoken in my stance of not being a fan of Winter and choose to cling to Autumn for as long as it is around--to the bitter end of November.


However, December 1st is upon us, and with that, our family joyously ushers in the Advent season and throws open the door widely to celebrate this time of waiting in anticipation of Christmas. Waiting is a life lesson that I am still learning into my 30's, and I expect that I always will be in that process. But when you are little, waiting is a challenge of near impossibility--especially if what you are waiting for is Christmas! For our family, this means a day full of special meals, a few small gifts to open, a crackling fire in the fireplace and a day spent together at home with our little family and no agenda--and the arrival of Baby Jesus to our Nativities.


That's a lot to look forward to. And that's exactly why we celebrate the Advent season of waiting by celebrating each day in December leading up to Christmas in a special way, making each day exciting as we wait and count down to Christmas.


A few years ago I picked up a small wooden house to serve as our family's Advent calendar and each day from December 1-25 we open a door and find an Advent activity for the day.

The list of activities that we have planned for this year are as follows. They are in no particular order, and subject to change. As much as I plan ahead, I am also a last-minute kind of gal--so if something comes up that sounds fun, it may be added to the list as well!

• Make Christmas Countdown chain
• Decorate the doors inside our home
• Visit Celebration Crossing at Indiana State Museum

Caroline and Ian ride the LS Ayres train at Celebration Crossing.

• Go to Christmas at the Zoo
• Visit Jolly Days at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum

Ice Fishing at Jolly Days at the Children's Museum

• Go see the Gingerbread Village and Christmas events at Conner Prairie
• See Jingle Rails at the Eiteljorg Museum
• Visit a live Nativity (we like the one put on at Epworth United Methodist Church)
• Bake and Decorate Christmas cookies (this takes more than one day!)
• Deliver cookies to our neighbors
• Go see the Christmas lights at Reynold’s Farm Equipment
• Attend Ian’s preschool Christmas program
• Pack Spread Some Cheer boxes for Crosspoint
• Make a gingerbread village

Ian works on his Gingerbread house last year.

• Make ornaments for our Christmas tree
• Make a Christmas gift for grandparents
• Mail and ship Christmas cards/packages
• Make and wrap gifts for teachers
• Attend a Christmas Eve service at Crosspoint
• Watch a Christmas movie
• Read a Christmas book
• Read the Christmas story from Luke Chapter 2
• Color Christmas pictures
• Visit the Gingerbread Bazaar at Heritage
• Go Christmas caroling at a local nursing home

Another great source for more Advent activities is the Family Fun website. Also, you likely have unique holiday activities and events in your area that can be included as part of your Advent celebration.

This year we are also adding in a scripture reading each day that goes along with the Jesse Tree idea of tying all of scripture together, leading up to the birth of Christ. While I don't plan to go all out with a tree and elaborate ornaments this year, I appreciate tying the Bible stories that our children are learning together in a meaningful way. And knowing myself and my kids, we'll probably make a little tree and create our own ornaments as we go.

The season of Advent is upon us. What will you be doing while you wait?

A reminder to have fun

Recently we had Dad's lunches at the Elementary School.  This is an opportunity for the dads to come eat lunch with their child(ren) and spend a little time with them at school.  I like it, because it kind of forces the dad out of the workplace and to come check out school during the day, not just during a practice or performance.  Of course I do have a different perspective since I work there, and am used to experiencing the daily tasks and routines.


I still went and had lunch with Caroline, and we had fun.


I was able to eat with her in the cafeteria on a day that she ordered her lunch (such a big girl), so she was able to show me the routine of getting in line to get the food, eating quietly and then socializing, cleaning up the mess and lining up.  Something that I did not know was the kitchen staff will prepare samples of fruits or vegetables that the children may not normally have to expose them to new things.  This is so COOL!  I was able to try spaghetti squash (so yummy).  All of the dads had to try some to be an example to the kids.  I embraced the opportunity, while some of the dads did not look so sure about themselves.


OK, I am hanging up on the boring stuff.


So after lunch we went back to the classroom for a few minutes to start a craft and (I am guessing here) to let the food settle before recess.  Did you catch that?  RECESS!  I was invited to go play with the class!  Not one to turn down a good romp around the playground, I followed that pretty, smiling face outside.  The second we were out of the doors, everyone took off running.  I had to sprint to keep up.  Soon I found myself clambering around the monkey bars, pushing kids on swings, lifting them up to the high bar and running races around the playground.  I was so lost in running with the herd (which kept me in the middle, not sure why :p), that when I finally did look up and catch a glimpse of the other dads that stayed for recess, I realized that either I was a hyper kinetic wound up individual, or these guys have forgotten how to have fun.  There they stood, gingerly pushing their kid on the swing or waiting by the slide for them to come down, all the while keeping an eye on their phone for the latest message or sport stat or something.  


But they were just standing there.  Idle.  Looking bored, not interested.


There I am with beads of sweat forming on my brow and am trying to catch my breath, 15 kindergartners surrounding me, laughing, squealing, calling for 'Caroline's dad' to run with them, lift them up, run with me.  Their joy, laughter, energy was contagious.  It fueled me, beckoning me to run faster, jump higher, smile wider.


And that's where the kids have it right.  Adults need to enjoy the moment, forget what else there is around you.


Play.  


Have fun.