The Good Life

Well, these pictures are not the best but I wanted to get something up on the blog. It has been a really hectic time of late but now that it is summer I am hoping things will slow down. (After I plan Science Camp for Telluride Acadamy and packing us all up for a two week trip!)

I have taken on a lot latley, Mad Science, Forest Boys, a Master Naturalist Class, a summer camp and a garden. And while I do enjoy all of these things (and the paycheck that comes with a few), it is a good reminder for me of what is really important here. Which of course is Drew and Nora. It is really easy to loose sight of this as the kids get older and I start thinking I can do more, but I miss the rythem we used to have, and the time I used to spend with them (not just planning, running, cooking, cleaning, but playing, crafting, reading, baking, ect.).

As I look at our busy summer (my busy summer), I am trying to remember that everyday counts, every moment counts. Tommorow we plan to make chef masks and pretzels. Ah, the good life.

Easter 2009

Drew and Nora after finding their baskets.


Jen and the kids post easter egg hunt.

Nora, Mona and Drew


Mmmm. Candy, Nora was stealing it from Willow's basket. So proud:).

American Idol's Blake Lewis version of Bon Jovi

Nora in the kitchen

Nora has really become quite handy in the kitchen and likes to experiment with new food combinations like mashed sweet potatoes mixed with popcorn and green beans on pizza. She has talent I tell you. The hot pink sprinkles on this very chocolate Valentine's Day cake were all her idea and I thought it looked great.

She actually dredged all the eggplant for Eggplant Parmesan, and then enjoyed a huge piece of it. I am so glad she has this love, I really enjoy her company while preparing relaxed, weekend meals.

The Kids

This outfit has become very familiar this year.

Fun in the 10 inches!

Dragon Masks


Sue at the Chicago Science and Industry Museum

Val and Nora have the beat.

Spiderpig, spiderpig, does whatever a spider pig does.

The reason the blog is neglected...

I recently started working at Mad Science and Waldkindergaten Inc. Mad Science is a fun job, easy and pays well enough. I am really excited about Waldkindergarten Inc. It is an outdoor (all outdoor) preschool program started by my friend Amy Farmer. We meet in Arcadia, IN on the Goss Family Farm. They are organic farmers and also friends and it is great that they share there healthy land with us. They have a big garden and raise sheep and chickens. Our Waldkindergarten is modeled after the movement in Germany and other parts of Europe that is slowly springing up in our country. It's all about connecting, with nature, all of the senses, each other and individually. The boys hike, engage in pretend play (which is so fun to watch), picnic, have journal/circle time, explore natural phenomena, help take care of farm animals, and do extreme sports such as huge log pile climbing and icy creek bank sliding. As the group of boys gets older, (they are almost all five or half way to six), we are able to read books together and plan outdoor based projects (shelter building and gardening for example). The boys have grown so much in the last couple years, and it is evident that Forest Boys(the boys group name) has had a great influence on them(a lamb was born last night and Drew said "it's all starting again mom!" remembering the lamb we witnessed being born last spring). Amy is now leading group of younger kids(girls and boys) and it is really neat to get that 3 year old age group out there because they are still so in awe of it all. Nora has been once and I will enroll her is spring. This winter has been brutal! Our blog (and website)is linked on this blog under check me out:).

Indiana State Museum

A couple of weeks ago Drew, Nora, Lily and I attended the Indiana State Museum. We actually had a lot of fun after we ran into the building nearly escaping frostbite and waited in an hour line to ride on a tiny train. (The kids didn't seem disappointed in the train at all so I hid mine- I think)