Secret Garden Party. We finished this book together and loved it so, so much!! As with most book to movie adaptations, the book is WAY better. We wanted to finish reading it in time to go to Thanksgiving Point and go inside their secret garden. It almost didn't happen because of Covid, but luckily the week we finished, they opened up for limited attendance. We weeded in the garden in the morning (totally legit way to celebrate this book, but the kids didn't think it was as magical as Mary and Dicken), and then we went to the Secret Garden and snacked on Irish Soda Bread (closest thing I could find to currant rolls like Susan Sowerby would've made), and when we came home we ate food based on the book (eggs and potatoes, fried ham, and fresh milk), and watched a different version of the movie than we'd seen before. ( meh.) Love celebrating literature with my littles.
Just as a child's hands, legs and feet should look after a day with good weather. :)
I wanted to teach the 2 oldest the basics of sewing (even though that's barely all I know myself), and I wanted to use up as much of our scrap material as possible before moving, and we needed a new picnic blanket. Boom! I cut all the squares, but the kids sewed them all together! They were actually quite proficient with the machine by the end, and I was happily surprised and proud. I sewed the squares into columns, and then sewed those together (that required a bit more skill) It was such a great beginners project for us. It's useful and beautiful, and we made it from nothing. I love it.
One of the things I'm going to miss so much it hurts when we move is Sunday dinners at the Garners. Just like we went to Sunday dinner at the Christensen's while we were in Idaho, and we missed it so, so much when we moved here, I know I'm going to ache for this Sunday tradition when we move. Besides being a temporal blessing to our family, we love being with everyone and having something to look forward to every week. Makes me real sad.
Still trying to sell our house...It feels like the marathon of house selling. On the plus side, since we have been almost militant about keeping the house clean...our house is really clean all the time and the kids know how to hop-to at a moments notice. On the downside...keeping it clean all the time because a showing might pop up in the next hour is exhausting and anxiety inducing. One of the tricks up our sleeves is that if a showing is booked last minute and we don't have time to clean everything, and there are dirty dishes, or random things on the counter, we shove it on the oven so it's out of sight. Usually we remember to pull it out right when we come home... This time I slowly baked roughly 15 bananas and 8 avocados.
We have gotten rid of so much, and a lot of other stuff is packed away. The kids have had to get creative! They found a way to rig this strap on the clothes line to make a swing. I was super impressed by it's actual functionality, and also by how long it would keep them entertained! We had to put a stop to it after about a week though, because it was killing the grass underneath.
Another night, another showing, another last minute outing. Richie had taken the kids up in the Canyon near Timpanogos cave the day before for a showing. They wanted to take me back. The Tanners live nearby, so we invited them, they were game, we pooled our food and had an awesome night. Nothing like roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and letting go of 99% of parental control. Feels good sometimes. Want to climb that rock? Go for it. Want to eat nothing for dinner tonight but chips, gatorade and chocolate? Great. Want to be covered in dirt and not wash your hands? Awesome. I love how well our kids get along, I love chatting with Nicolina, and I LOVE the light-heartedness that Scottie brings out in Richie.
Another morning showing, and Dad had a Zoom meeting with his students, so we headed to his work. We brought breakfast with us, the kids played with the random "toys" at his building, raided the candy stash, I tried to sneak in something educational (giant spelling word-word search, and skip counting dot-to-dot for Lindy), and Dad taught them how to play "carp-golf" (a game where you cover glue sticks in velcro strips, and then try and throw them to squares made of tape on the floor. The kids thought it was awesome.
Another showing, another afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's. We try to help around their property, and then play. Dad pulled out the big guns this time. He introduced them to Buckin' Bronco on the tramp (a game he played with his siblings as a teenager where he wears his belt around his chest and someone tired to hang on as he bounces), and then he started teaching the 3 oldest how to do a backflip on the tramp. He's a pro. He taught me when we were first married. I couldn't do it now, but it's a fun memory.
Russ and Nat (and co) were up visiting Zadi (and co) and invited us to hang out at a park down in Alpine. Turns out, Utah County hasn't had the same Covid restrictions as SLC county, so the kids actually got to play on the playground equipment! Between that, the pizza we brought and their cousins, they were in heaven! So fun to see them for a bit.
Easy science experiment. Take slices of bread and rub them on different surfaces, stick them in a bag, and wait. We wanted to see which surfaces were the most germy. Kitchen floor, Davy's high chair, and my phone were the clear winners for most disgusting. (Ugh) Untouched surprisingly grew more mold than washed hands and a few others. Toilet seat never grew any! The kids and I were both fascinated and grossed out by it.
I had Richie take a picture of me and the kids on Mother's Day I'll have to add later. Other than that, this is the only picture I got. Gwen and Lindy painted my nails and put makeup on me. :) I told Richie not to buy me anything this year because of our no-spend challenge. My favorite thing is alone time, so I asked him to take the kids on a drive Sunday morning so I could have a few hours to myself. I slept in, took a bath, took a walk and talked to friends and made a Mother's Day cake in peace. Glorious. I sometimes feel bad that I'm not one of those moms who wants to be around her kids all Mother's Day. I love my kids more than life itself, but my introverted nature makes my quiet, alone time not just something I like and crave; it's absolutely necessary to my sanity. That's just how I'm wired. Hopefully my kids understand that. If not now, then later.
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