Celebrate Loved Ones While They Live

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
"This view [...] surrounded by fields all covered with yellow and purple flowers [...] like a Japanese dream." - Vincent van Gogh

This is a note I sent to a childhood friend upon learning that her grandmother had passed away:

She was such a wonderful woman and I feel lucky to have known her and had her (and your mom!) as Scout leaders. One of my favorite stories that makes me think of her annually is from a camping trip we took in the Spring. She asked us to take a look around us and what color flowers we saw. We saw only purple and yellow - royal colors she explained. Continuing, she told us how the royal colors found in the flowers represented God's majesty and that if we looked, it was always to be found all around us.

I will continue to think of her every Spring, just as I'm thinking of you and your family now - fondly and with good wishes.

The early parts of Spring, with budding daffodils and crocuses, have passed, but I still see purple and yellow in the blooms here in Kansas: irises, dandelions (which I, in all truthfulness, love!), and flowers whose names that I don't know grow in my yard or around my neighborhood.  Being that time of year, once again, I recall this memory.  And I ask myself, "why do we wait to to say such nice things about people until after they are dead?" 

I've been trying to be more vocal about my appreciation of friends and family.  I have some amazing women in my life, ones I wish to emulate.  They say things like "my dear" and "your friendship is the best present I could have" and "we are so lucky to have you in our lives" with all sincerity.  These are words that make someone's day.  What are you waiting for?  Share a favorite memory.  Go tell someone why you love them.  Pick up the phone, shoot off an email, turn away from the computer or phone - do it now!

Star Wars

A very important PSA about Star Wars and your children.  Plus, cute Yoda baby.

The takeaway?  Several points you must teach your kids:

• Han Solo shot first.
• Jar Jar Binks is not cool.
• They need to hear it from you, not on the playground.

A biologist, quantum physicist and an anthropologist walk into a bar and discuss Star Wars.  Ok, I don't know if that's how The Board of Education created the funny and fun song, "Why is Dad So Mad?" I hear all the time on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, but it's nice to imagine it went down that way.  Go here to download it for free or pay $1 so these guys can make more music.

“Why does Dad get so mad about Star Wars? Mr. Lucas, what did you do?”  The "kid" in the song makes some arguments for why the prequels and special editions really aren't bad.  I'm no Star Wars purist; I (mostly) enjoy the prequels and (mostly) like the alterations in the special editions.  Other than point one and two of what to teach you kids listed above, I'm (mostly) good about it all.  It's just the originals, having watched them as a child, retain so much magic for me.  I'm not as far gone as the "dad" in the song, who laments, “It’s too late for me, son…”

So it's up to you to decide, are the prequels and special editions the best way to introduce your child to Star Wars or are they a gateway drug to a lifetime of actually liking the characters everyone else hates, like Jar Jar Binks, Wesley Crusher and Scrappy Doo?  This is the kind of thing about which you simply must make an informed decision.

Printables

I love Pinterest. Really love it.  It gives me all sorts of ideas that I wasn't creative enough to come up with or execute on my own.  And it helps me, as a visual person, to store thoughts and favorite blog posts in one place.

It is a fantastic source for free printables!  I wanted to share a few that I've used recently. 

Source: embellishgoods.blogspot.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Source: blog.persnicketyprints.com via Meghan on Pinterest

I sent the above cards to friends, who are indeed dear to me (go, puns!) in celebration of the birth of their son.

Source: kmckaydesigns.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Source: erin-specialeducation.blogspot.com via Meghan on Pinterest

These were two activities I printed in preparation of hanging out with a friend's children.  With the top one, the last time I had helped with her three, I slapped together a quick treasure hunt.  I thought it'd be fun to always have a scavenger hunt on the ready and they can be stored in an empty Altoid tin! 

Source: mrprintables.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Mr Printables = AMAZING!  They offer endless free learning printables for the kiddos.

And then there are the ones that I have downloaded, but am waiting to print.

Source: qadesigns.blogspot.com via Meghan on Pinterest

I've selected most of the states that I've called home to frame in a planned printable collage.  Not all 50 states available.  Sorry, New Hampshire, amongst others.

Source: ruffledblog.com via Meghan on Pinterest

This alphabet bunting has all letters, which come in different patterns and colors, including a heart spacer.  I thought it might be nice to use to separate Slim's half of the shared bedroom from Curly's.  Perhaps just over their beds?

I suggest if you find a free printable that you like and it's downloadable, download it right away.  Sometimes printables are not free forever or the creator removes the ability to print or download.  I love that so many people who are more artistic and computer savvy than I make the printables available, even for a short time!

Home

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Meghan on Pinterest

What I love most about my home is who I share it with.  Yes, yes, yes!  That's a free printable courtesy of eighteen25, kindly offered in eight different color choices, that I intend to hang in our new home.

Finding a place was more challenging than we had hoped, but we are excited with the house we will call home.

So, what do the walls that will surround our family look like?

Nope, that's not it.  We kinda fell in love with this old, yet well maintained 3,000+SF farmhouse-ish house, but we lost out on it to a single woman.  I'm not sure what one person needs with all that space, but at least I won't have to worry about not having AC (not equipped with it, being over one hundred years old and all.)

That's not it either.  While an ideal location for R's work and the preschool we'll be sending Curly to, the owners preferred their tenants to have less pets.  I get it, I absolutely do.  It just seems a strange sticking point considering they were already renting to some college bro types.

Wrong again!  This is one of the two houses for which we were approved, but it was the most expensive of all the homes we looked at and further from the preschool than I would have preferred.

There we go - home sweet home.  For a little while, at least.

I have yet to see it in person, but R took some pictures this morning. The property manager is having the house rehabbed.  Pardon the mess as they are taken amidst work being done, but these are some of my favorite features:

This is one of the two fireplaces.  It's custom-done and in the family/living room.

The kitchen has been gutted and opens to the dining room ...

and the family/living room.

A lovely bay window in the family/living room.  R says the house gets lots of wonderful natural light.

The second fireplace is in a second living area that we'll use as the playroom.  The floor in there is so cool.

Other than apartments, we've never had a stone exterior.  And the landscaping looks easy enough for this poor excuse for a gardener to manage.

Just look at those refinished floors!

The house is not without its challenges - it will be the smallest home we've lived in since pre-kid life.  We've already decided the boys will share a bedroom.  The master and one of the bedrooms are the same size - 12x14, with the third bedroom being 10x11.  We'll use the tiny room as an office/craft/homework area.

I hope you enjoyed the house tour.  I'm itching to see it and work with R on making it our own.

The Playground Series Launch: Garrett Park, Shawnee, KS

Welcome to the launch of my Playground Series!  I can thank Parenting.  Illustrated with Crappy Pictures. for the light bulb over my head switching on.  If you don't read Amber Dusick's blog, you have to start.  Now.  Her sense of humor and stick figure drawings bring the "did that really happen?" moments of parenting to life. 

Back in November 2011, she wrote a post about taking her kids to the park.  Unlike Amber, I don't hate parks but I find solidarity when she says, "I'm still searching for the perfect one. I can pretty much always point out all the things wrong with a park. I have a whole mental checklist of safety, fun, visibility, ratio of nice to mean kids, unattentive parents or nannies and cleanliness. I'm like an undercover park inspector. I guess this means I'm a little, tiny bit critical of parks."    And I'm figuratively nodding my head and internally shouting, "I know, right!?" as she questions the thought process of park designers and labels the playground with such kid-unfriendly features as the "idiot wall" and the "cliff of death."

In the comments, I discovered a blog, Play St. Louis, that seeks to visit and review as many parks in her area so that fellow parents know where to take the kids to play.  I read several of her spotlighted parks and playgrounds and decided that I wanted to do the same thing for my area.  Months later, now I am.

I think parks are an asset and an essential part of a thriving town or city.  Several essays provide information on how parks can revitalize and engage communities, foster economic development, create safer neighborhoods, help children learn, improve public health, and promote tourism, amongst other potential benefits.  In a transcribed interview about why parks are important, many answers are given, but they all come back to a primary theme: kids need to play and explore nature - parks facilitate both.

I am fortunate to live in the Kansas City area, in Johnson County, KS.  We have lived many places and I seldom have found such a dedication to outdoor spaces, be they an expansive trail system, parks geared towards a wide age range with multiple uses, and an abundance of playgrounds.  As an example of this, please check out the parks information on Overland Park's website.  "Overland Park has 83 parks and open spaces and four small lakes where visitors can run, walk, bike/hike, play and fish."

Photo Credit: http://www.landplan-pa.com/garrett-park.html

Yesterday, April 9, the boys and I enjoyed a picnic and some playtime with friends at Garrett Park in Shawnee, KS.   

Park elements include:

• A multi-use recreational trail, with footbridges and trailheads, that meanders along a natural creek bank.
• Shelters and a small play structure is located on the east end of the park.
• A multi-purpose practice field is located along the south side of 47th Street. This field provides a green space buffer between the street and the Garrett House. A softball practice field is also provided.
• A restroom facility is located at the central portion of the park to provide good access to all activities within the park.
• Two parking lots are provided in the park.

The building on the left is the historic Garrett House



Garrett House, Shelter, Play Structure


As you walk into the park from the 47th & Aminda entrance, there is sufficient green and trail space separating impulsive littles from running into the parking lot.  Some teenagers or young adults were playing frisbee in the multi-purpose practice field, which was a perfect buffer, as stated above, between the park and the road. 

The shelter, as seen facing the parking lot

There were other people occupying the picnic shelter when we arrived, but it didn't feel crowded thanks to multiple large tables.  One of my friend's daughters found it a bit chilly in the shade, but that would be needed on a Summer's day.

Perhaps agreeing that the shaded shelter wasn't just right, some people decided to lay out a blanket and soak up the sunshine instead.

We didn't check out the entire park, but Slim and Curly and their friends really loved what and where they did play.

Curly has a shaved head, so not so curly.  He's in red.

The playground equipment had different climbing, sliding, balancing, and hanging components and entertained the two-six year olds in our party.  With all the mentioned bits, plus a zip line, I'm glad there's a soft landing surface.

Slim and Curly follow their friend up the stone stairs, past the bathroom and to a "secret hideout"

There were two baby swings and two regular swings.  The swingset portion has wood chip mulch.

A cursory Google search doesn't reveal why the Garrett House is historic, but the stone facade is rather pretty.

Slim and Curly demonstrating "The Purloined Letter" method of hiding as they hang out in their friend's secret hideout.

Their sweet friend cheering on Curly as he climbs his first tree.

The secret hideout opens at one point and what you see is a perfect introductory climbing tree.

The kids found a lizard in the brush by the creek bed.

There are short a few short dirt paths off of the paved path that lead to the creek.  We didn't explore them because there were some concerns about "leaves of three" and wanting to encourage our children to "let it be."

Not one of we six had need of the bathroom, but it is a well-placed facility. 

Overall, the park is boffo (sorry, we watched Muppets Take Manhattan recently and Kermit exclaiming, "Boffo Lenny!  Socko Lenny!" is stuck in my head.  And now yours too.  Maniacal laugh.  That's more Muppets.  From The Muppets.) 

Do you live in Johnson County or the Kansas City area?  What parks and free play places should be on our list to review before we move?

Heart



Too true. Since I posted this, I discovered the source of the picture.  Buy here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/74193152/left-my-heart-print

I love those moments when children surprise you.  In a positive way, not when they flour bomb the floor like it's Kim Kardashian.  I'm talking about the times when their inherent wisdom, humor, and awesomeness shine through and you realize, nay remember, the capacity for kids to be so stinking wise, funny, and awesome is deep and wide.  Slim reminded me of this recently.

With preparing for an impending move and running a household of two wild and crazy guys and five animals by myself, I've been understandably stressed.  One day I wasn't being the kindest mom.  I am a big believer that parents are not exempt from making mistakes.  This is a short article that articulates my beliefs about why and how to make peace with your child.  I told the kids that I was sorry I was being mean and that I felt overwhelmed about the move and leaving Kansas and our friends here.  I explained that I needed to find a better way to express my frustrations without yelling.

Slim told me, "Mom, you just need to pretend your friends are your family.  Then they will always be in your heart and you won't miss them."

Woah.

A few days later as we were recounting the story to a friend, he went on "And they'll be in your brain and you won't ever forget them."

Damn! Kid, you are my Yoda.

Playing surgeon at KidScape

Within about the same time period, we made a visit to KidScape, a permanent "hands-on suburban streetscape for kids to explore community" at Johnson County Museum.  There is a hospital setup within the exhibit, complete with OR.  Open the doors on the patient's chest that you see above and you discover an organ puzzle.  Drs. Slim and Curly gleefully removed the organs.  When Slim took out the heart he declared, "The man has no heart.  He can't love anymore."

I have no heart related Curly anecdotes, but I wanted to share a few cute things he's done or said lately:

• I use my regular vocabulary around the boys, which consists of occasional big words.  I also use I feel _____ when _____ statements.  Curly has picked up on both the words and the statements.  He has taken to saying, "I feel irrited (meaning irritated) because (I can't play, I want a lollipop, you are taking me on a boring errand ...)
• I think, thanks to the nursing relationship with each boy, I have been my sons' "lovey".  It is less apparent now that Slim is getting older, although he still is such a sweet cuddlebug.  But Curly, in the last few months, has taken to gently rubbing my ear lobes when I hold him or as we lay next to each other as I'm getting him down to sleep.  It feels nice and I find it as relaxing as he does. 
• He hero worships Slim.  "I love you my brudder."
• In less than two weeks, my baby boy will truly no longer be a baby - he is turning three!  But if you ask him how old he'll be?  "Four, then six, then eight, nine, ten ..." and on and on.  Curly just wants to bypass this year for some reason.

Hiatus Over ... Now What?

It's been months since I last blogged because I've struggled with what I want to do with this tiny piece of internet I've carved out for myself.   Mostly I'm questioning just how much I should put out there. I have drafts of posts on current events, but I'd prefer to not get too political.  Plus, those events are long past current.

Something I want to dedicate time to is an idea stolen from Play St. Louis - posts reviewing parks, pools, and indoor play places.  Johnson County, Kansas and the metro Kansas City area offers an abundance of free fun.  I especially want to do this as it will serve as an active fond farewell.  Sadly, we are moving in about two months.  Fortunately, it is to the area where R and I grew up - an equally wonderful place.  As I shared on Facebook, this is the epitome of bittersweet.  But in the meantime, I will be out enjoying all this area has to enjoy.  I hate when I miss out on visiting the cool places in and around the towns I've called home.  I still kick myself for not going to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum when we lived near Cleveland.  And if this series proves popular, I will continue it in Pennsylvania. 

I end with a quote that brings me a measure of comfort right now, "There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction." - Winston Churchill

I remain hopeful that every step in my life ultimately leads me in the right direction.