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What’s On Your Green Back To School Shopping List?

July 16, 2012 0

Here in Florida, summer break is half-way over! This means I have started to consider Eben’s back to school shopping. Luckily, Eben’s school takes care of all of the school supplies. Hooray!

I didn’t want to make any unnecessary purchases so Eben and I went through all of his clothes yesterday. We sorted all of his clothing into three bins, Keep, Sell and Donate. I was happy to find that most of his school uniforms are still in great condition and with a handful of new uniforms that a friend gave me, I won’t have to buy a single uniform this year! I washed his backpack (his is the Land’s End one) and lunchboxes (he has a PlanetBox and Laptop Lunchbox) – all came out of the wash looking brand new!  And while shopping for a pair of sandals at the beginning of summer, I found a pair of KEEN Truckee sneakers for $5. So, the only things that I will need to pick up are socks and undergarments – I feel like I am ahead of the game!

This made me wonder, are you already starting your back to school shopping? What’s on your list? Are there items that you will be reusing?

photo via laffy4k

Summer Adventures

July 13, 2012 0

This morning, my nephew Taven will be boarding his flight home to Salt Lake City. Sending a child off on a flight solo is very nerve wracking! I wanted so badly to stay with him, to make sure that he is comfortable and entertained on his journey home. I will be holding my breath until he is back in his parents’ arms!

Taven’s flight today marked five weeks of staying with us this summer. While he was here, it was as if Eben had a big brother – and it is an experience that we as a family are very grateful for. We had a wonderful time snorkeling at the beach, swimming in the pool, eating ice pops, visiting all of the nature centers, and sailing for a week in the Florida Keys. I was enjoying being the mother of TWO boys. It was a mile a minute, but to see the boys together was amazing.

I was wondering, did you have an adventure like Taven’s when you were a kid? Did you stay with a far away cousin or friend? Where did you go?

P.S. Eben starts summer camp next week? Have your kids headed off on an adventure this summer?

How to Make Dr. Seuss’ Oobleck for Summer Fun with Kids

July 12, 2012 1

Are your kids fans of the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck? It’s a fantastic story of the day Oobleck fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom. Why not read the book together and then head outside to make your own Oobleck? All you need is a few common ingredients you probably already have in the house. It only takes a few minutes to make, but it entertained my boys for a few hours on a hot summer afternoon. They were mesmerized by the way that Oobleck is both a liquid and a solid, making for an afternoon of get-your-hands-dirty fun! Jump over to Inhabitots to learn how to make Oobleck with your little ones.

How to Make Nutella Fudgesicles for a Creamy Chocolately Treat

July 10, 2012 0

This hot summer weather had me reminiscing of my own childhood summer vacations filled with long days outside and fudgesicles! I remember those yummy, creamy, chocolatey ice pops with a great fondness, and was looking forward to sharing the goodness with my son. The only problem, I bet they weren’t healthy and the non-recyclable packaging that they came in was always littering the garbage can. Yesterday, I decided I was going to make a yummy fudgesicle for the kiddos, and they became an instant hit. Jump over to Inhabitots for my printable Nutella fudgesicle recipe. 

Loving and Losing Lilly

July 9, 2012 1

Hello, Friends. We have been sailing in the Florida Keys for the past week. It was an adventure that our family had planned for months and a vacation that we were really looking forward to. If there is one thing that doesn’t mix, it is flat-faced dogs and sailing on hot, Florida summer days, so we decided to leave Noodles (Pug) and Lily (English Bulldog) with Grandpa Sweet Greens for the week. This way they could enjoy the week as they would prefer, snoozing in a cool house. Ha!

The week before we left, Lilly was feeling great! She napped, played with Noodles, chased the boys through the house, and even enjoyed a few rounds of her favorite game – bark at a balloon.

On Sunday morning as we were packing up the sails, getting ready to drive home – Grandpa Sweet Greens called with super sad news, Lilly had passed away. We knew that Lilly was getting old, however she was in excellent shape and health. Grandpa said that in the morning, her back legs weren’t working properly, so he carried her over to the area where her water dish. When she wouldn’t drink, he scooped a handful of water up to her mouth trying to help her. She quietly passed away in his arms. Pure sadness.

I will never forget the day that I first laid eyes on Lilly, she was sitting in a baby swimming pool at the breeders, all by herself, facing away from me. She was just out of my arms reach so I wasn’t able to reach in and pick her up, so I inched my fingers as close as I could get to her and poked her saying “Hi, Baby Bulldog.” She slowly turned her head over her shoulder to look at me, with an annoyed look on her face, she looked away and she didn’t budge. I slowly inched her towards me with my fingertips until she was in arms reach and then I picked her up. She was a chubby, wrinkly, super soft bowl full of jelly. I was immediately smitten with her, I handed her to Jayson and I could see him melt – he was hooked. We took her home with us that day.

Lilly loved to sleep in the hammock, bark at balloons, chase soccer balls, chew up tennis balls, play kill the vacuum, lick Jayson’s head, and lay in Jayson’s lap like a baby.

We will always have nothing but love, gratitude and fond memories of our Lilly dog. She was our constant companion and one of the most loyal dogs I have ever met. She would follow us wherever we went in our home, and when we left to run an errand, she would sit by the front door waiting for us to come home. She loved to lick people and if you came over to our house, chances are she licked your legs or feet as soon as you sat down! Lilly taught us that it is important to slow down, smell the flowers and take time to enjoy life.

Lilly’s passing has been extremely hard on Eben, he was only a toddler when we brought her home – they grew up together. And since Eben is an only child, losing her has had a very large impact on his life. Luckily, we have Noodles who is also a constant companion to him and her love is helping his cope. This has been a difficult time for our family, we have been spending time each day talking about all of the fun times we shared with Lilly and the wonderful ways that she touched our lives. We feel truly lucky that she was our dog, she was a lovely friend.

Lilly, we will forever love you.

In memory of Lilly Lyon.
August 12th 2004 – July 6th 2012.

photo credit Cameron Mora

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