Fri - June 16, 2006
Little House in the Big Woods camp
Camp ended today. She had a blast. Oddly
enough - mostly they did chores. Laundry, cooking, cleaning. But they did it
all as Laura Ingalls Wilder would have done it. (without running water and
electricity) and it was great fun.
Hula girl
Carrying water for the laundry
More laundry
Hanging Laundry
Inside the cabin.
Hula girl
Carrying water for the laundry
More laundry
Hanging Laundry
Inside the cabin.
Posted at 02:24 PM
Sat - May 27, 2006
Only in Wisconsin
I just returned from registering for the Madison
Marathon (though I am only doing the half.) It is located at the
same site as the World's Largest Brat Fest.
So, tomorrow, when I finish my little 13.1 mile jaunt, I can meander over and have a few brats. Proceeds of both events go to charity, of course.
That pretty much sums up life in Madison, I'd say. Hyper-active type-A athletic activists who eat a lot of cheese and brats.
And the weather forecast? Now it is up to 90 degrees for tomorrow. ouch. Hopefully, the heat won't arrive until the afternoon, when I am resting and drinking a post-race Wisconsin brewed beverage....
So, tomorrow, when I finish my little 13.1 mile jaunt, I can meander over and have a few brats. Proceeds of both events go to charity, of course.
That pretty much sums up life in Madison, I'd say. Hyper-active type-A athletic activists who eat a lot of cheese and brats.
And the weather forecast? Now it is up to 90 degrees for tomorrow. ouch. Hopefully, the heat won't arrive until the afternoon, when I am resting and drinking a post-race Wisconsin brewed beverage....
Posted at 04:46 PM
Thu - April 20, 2006
Food, glorious food
The Farmers Market starts on Saturday. We will be
there with bells on. (not really, but if we had bells, we would put them
on.)
One of the great things about Madison is that for much of the year, most of your food comes directly to you from the farm. We get our dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) delivered all year long. Straight from the cows to the cooler on our front porch at 4 am each Wednesday. From May - November, we pick up a box of vegetables from our CSA farm every Saturday. From April - October, we also try to visit the farmer's market each week to actually meet the farmers.
From December - March? We eat junk. And buy produce grown in Chile and Mexico. Hey - It's winter in Wisconsin - no one could possibly be expected to engage in the heathy, non-processed food lifestyle during a Wisconsin winter. That's asking too much.
I've slowly been eliminating as many processed foods as we can handle. (keeping, of course the boxed Mac-n-Cheese, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen pizzas or hot-dogs for those nights when I just can't bring myself to chop anything.)
Dana's been doing very well. She's gotten to the age where she will try anything. She even liked the spinach pasta we had last night. Davis, he's another story. Good thing I nursed him for so damn long - he appears to be coasting through his 3rd year hoping to exist entirely on milk, macaroni, plain meat, bread, fruit, baby carrots and dessert.
So, now it is time to face my one big vice: artificial sweeteners mixed with chemicals in carbonated water. Otherwise known as Diet Coke and Fresca. I *know* the stuff is toxic. I *know* it has no redeeming nutritional value. And yet I drink it. 2 a day. Sometimes 3. I think I'm going to need to go cold turkey. Soon. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Eventually. Someday.
It's nice to meet the people who grow your food. One of these days, I may even arise at 4 am on Wednesday to meet the dairy farmer. (Nah, but it's a nice thought.)
One of the great things about Madison is that for much of the year, most of your food comes directly to you from the farm. We get our dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) delivered all year long. Straight from the cows to the cooler on our front porch at 4 am each Wednesday. From May - November, we pick up a box of vegetables from our CSA farm every Saturday. From April - October, we also try to visit the farmer's market each week to actually meet the farmers.
From December - March? We eat junk. And buy produce grown in Chile and Mexico. Hey - It's winter in Wisconsin - no one could possibly be expected to engage in the heathy, non-processed food lifestyle during a Wisconsin winter. That's asking too much.
I've slowly been eliminating as many processed foods as we can handle. (keeping, of course the boxed Mac-n-Cheese, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen pizzas or hot-dogs for those nights when I just can't bring myself to chop anything.)
Dana's been doing very well. She's gotten to the age where she will try anything. She even liked the spinach pasta we had last night. Davis, he's another story. Good thing I nursed him for so damn long - he appears to be coasting through his 3rd year hoping to exist entirely on milk, macaroni, plain meat, bread, fruit, baby carrots and dessert.
So, now it is time to face my one big vice: artificial sweeteners mixed with chemicals in carbonated water. Otherwise known as Diet Coke and Fresca. I *know* the stuff is toxic. I *know* it has no redeeming nutritional value. And yet I drink it. 2 a day. Sometimes 3. I think I'm going to need to go cold turkey. Soon. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Eventually. Someday.
It's nice to meet the people who grow your food. One of these days, I may even arise at 4 am on Wednesday to meet the dairy farmer. (Nah, but it's a nice thought.)
Posted at 08:57 PM
Wed - March 29, 2006
Maple Syrup Festival
Took the kids to see the Maple Syrup Festival at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center last weekend. They had a blast. Of course, they only spent about 10 minutes watching the actual maple syrup process and instead spent hours running through the fields and throwing sticks into the pond and climbing trees. It was one of those afternoons filled with shrieks of breathless laughter and boundless energy. After a long Wisconsin winter of being cooped-up inside, these first spring days are magical.
I often wonder how long this idyllic "sibling-best-friend" phase will last. Sometimes, I watch how great they are together and I just well up with tears. I know this can't last forever. I just hope that they both have a memory of this time - this time when they prefer each other's company over anyone else's. There is no "Keep Out" sign on Dana's door. Davis isn't making fun of Dana's friends. The fights have not yet begun. They haven't yet learned that it matters that they are different ages or genders.
And proof that Wisconsin kids are hardy souls: This is a picture at the lake around the corner from our house. (Though, in general, in Madison, it is hard to be farther than 3 blocks from a lake, most of the time.) We walked/biked down to the park to play and ended up throwing rocks into the lake. You will see that I am dressed appropriately for the 41 degree day: coat and gloves. The kids? No coat, no hat, no gloves. As soon as it goes above 39, they think it is summer.
Posted at 09:17 PM
Thu - February 16, 2006
Snow Day!
For only the second time in 10 years....Madison
Public Schools have closed. It snowed overnight and will continue to snow all
day. They are predicting 11 inches, (but I think it will be less.) Madison
schools never close. I told Dana to remember this day. It could be her one and
only snow day of her entire elementary school
career.
The kids are beyond excited. Looks like a day of family sledding. Whhheeeee.........
The kids are beyond excited. Looks like a day of family sledding. Whhheeeee.........
Posted at 08:07 AM
Wed - January 4, 2006
I can hear them laughing behind my back
Ten days ago, I bought sunglasses. I have yet to
wear them. It's been cloudy for the last 10
days.
This morning, when I went for my morning run.....it was 38 degrees and RAINING. Raining! In January! That is almost unheard of. This is Wisconsin. January is usually all about sunny, single-digit, frigid weather.
So, I got to work and announce that spring is here. It has to be here - the snow is gone and I can see green grass everywhere. Spring has sprung. It's just early this year.
That's when the laughing started. After 10 years here, you'd think I'd learn. But I don't. First glimpse of grass and I think spring is here.
The kids are certifiably depressed. They can't go sledding. A winter day without sledding is evidently akin to torture or severe deprivation or something. I explained that some kids live in warm climates where they can't really go sledding, ever. They looked at me with huge sympathetic eyes. That - that, they can't imagine.
Funny how where you grow up dictates what you think is fun. I'm sure there is a child living on the ocean somewhere who can't imagine a day with out the salty waves and the sandy beach.
The truly ironic thing is that we've been outside less this week than any other week this winter. The "36 degrees and raining" model is not conducive to outside play. Give me 20 degrees and snowing any day. We live outside on those days.
This morning, when I went for my morning run.....it was 38 degrees and RAINING. Raining! In January! That is almost unheard of. This is Wisconsin. January is usually all about sunny, single-digit, frigid weather.
So, I got to work and announce that spring is here. It has to be here - the snow is gone and I can see green grass everywhere. Spring has sprung. It's just early this year.
That's when the laughing started. After 10 years here, you'd think I'd learn. But I don't. First glimpse of grass and I think spring is here.
The kids are certifiably depressed. They can't go sledding. A winter day without sledding is evidently akin to torture or severe deprivation or something. I explained that some kids live in warm climates where they can't really go sledding, ever. They looked at me with huge sympathetic eyes. That - that, they can't imagine.
Funny how where you grow up dictates what you think is fun. I'm sure there is a child living on the ocean somewhere who can't imagine a day with out the salty waves and the sandy beach.
The truly ironic thing is that we've been outside less this week than any other week this winter. The "36 degrees and raining" model is not conducive to outside play. Give me 20 degrees and snowing any day. We live outside on those days.
Posted at 07:26 PM
Thu - December 15, 2005
Snow, snow, snow, snow
The weather guy said we have 20 inches on the
ground now. Just a few more to hit two feet... :
)
Still no snowman. The snow was a bit wetter today, but not enough.
I did find a big ball of snow on the porch and tried to roll it into a snowman. It was bigger than the other clumps of snow lying around, so I thought it might have potential.
You see where this is going?
Dana came running over to me yelling, "MAMA!!!! YOU ARE ROLLING THE BABY JESUS INTO A SNOWBALL!!!!! STOP!!!!"
Still no snowman. The snow was a bit wetter today, but not enough.
I did find a big ball of snow on the porch and tried to roll it into a snowman. It was bigger than the other clumps of snow lying around, so I thought it might have potential.
You see where this is going?
Dana came running over to me yelling, "MAMA!!!! YOU ARE ROLLING THE BABY JESUS INTO A SNOWBALL!!!!! STOP!!!!"
Posted at 09:23 PM Read More
Wed - December 14, 2005
Snow Day
How is it that we can get 6 inches of snow in one
day and nothing is even delayed? The kids went to school, as usual. Doug and I
each went to work. He even went to his soccer game
tonight.
They are way too efficient in Wisconsin with the whole snow removal thing.
The kids and I spent the afternoon playing in the snow. It was *almost* snowman quality snow. We needed a few more degrees of warmth to get the snow to the right consistency for the optimum snowman. We tried, but could not roll the balls big enough for a snowman body. (So Dana started making "Baby Jesus" snow-babies and placing them throughout the yard. I'm not sure if that is appropriate or not...but I figured if our neighbors can have a Virgin Mary statue in their back yard, we can certainly have the baby Jesus sculpted in snow in our front yard.)
I used to think that the fact that the Eskimos had 8 words for snow was so silly. But now, I'm starting to get it. 5 degree snow is definitely different than 32 degree snow.
I'm not sure of the word for the snow we had today, but our afternoon transpired into the most fun snowball fight. We couldn't make a snowman, but we made some awesome snowballs.
I think we have about 12 inches of snow on the ground right now. Definitely a white Christmas here. Everything is so beautiful and white and sparkly.
They are way too efficient in Wisconsin with the whole snow removal thing.
The kids and I spent the afternoon playing in the snow. It was *almost* snowman quality snow. We needed a few more degrees of warmth to get the snow to the right consistency for the optimum snowman. We tried, but could not roll the balls big enough for a snowman body. (So Dana started making "Baby Jesus" snow-babies and placing them throughout the yard. I'm not sure if that is appropriate or not...but I figured if our neighbors can have a Virgin Mary statue in their back yard, we can certainly have the baby Jesus sculpted in snow in our front yard.)
I used to think that the fact that the Eskimos had 8 words for snow was so silly. But now, I'm starting to get it. 5 degree snow is definitely different than 32 degree snow.
I'm not sure of the word for the snow we had today, but our afternoon transpired into the most fun snowball fight. We couldn't make a snowman, but we made some awesome snowballs.
I think we have about 12 inches of snow on the ground right now. Definitely a white Christmas here. Everything is so beautiful and white and sparkly.
Posted at 08:50 PM
Wed - December 7, 2005
Down Below....
Ugh. Today the nice NPR morning announcer
announced "It's 4
degrees......below."
Below is bad. Below is cccccold. Below means it hurts as soon as you step outside.
Ugh.
Must be time to remind myself of something good about Wisconsin again: We are now getting our dairy products delivered straight from a farm to our house. It's so cool.
It's like Christmas every week. We put a cooler out on our front porch, and they fill it with milk (In glass bottles!), cheese, and any other dairy product we might order. The milk tastes a thousand times better than the stuff you get at the grocery store in those cardboard boxes. And it is fresh. We order straight from the web on Sunday nights, and the products are delivered on Wednesday morning.
Our CSA box ends this month. (We get a box of fruits/vegetables directly from a different farm every saturday.) I will miss it. I'm excited for next year, when I will actually know what half the vegetables are. (This year was a learning experience, to say the least.)
At least we have the dairy delivery to tide me through the winter. Of course - this week they asked us to put hot water bottles in our cooler - it was so cold that the milk bottles could have exploded... Ah, life in Wisconsin.
Below is bad. Below is cccccold. Below means it hurts as soon as you step outside.
Ugh.
Must be time to remind myself of something good about Wisconsin again: We are now getting our dairy products delivered straight from a farm to our house. It's so cool.
It's like Christmas every week. We put a cooler out on our front porch, and they fill it with milk (In glass bottles!), cheese, and any other dairy product we might order. The milk tastes a thousand times better than the stuff you get at the grocery store in those cardboard boxes. And it is fresh. We order straight from the web on Sunday nights, and the products are delivered on Wednesday morning.
Our CSA box ends this month. (We get a box of fruits/vegetables directly from a different farm every saturday.) I will miss it. I'm excited for next year, when I will actually know what half the vegetables are. (This year was a learning experience, to say the least.)
At least we have the dairy delivery to tide me through the winter. Of course - this week they asked us to put hot water bottles in our cooler - it was so cold that the milk bottles could have exploded... Ah, life in Wisconsin.
Posted at 07:35 PM
Tue - December 6, 2005
Above and Beyond
It's started.
That time of year, when the weatherman adds the word "above" after the temperature. Because, you know, it could be "below."
This morning, my clock radio NPR host said, "Good morning. It's zero in Green Bay and Milwaukee and one-above in Madison."
For the next two months, they will not be able to give us just a number for the temperature. They will need to use the word "above" or "below" to clarify.
So, it is time to reflect on all the good things about life in Wisconsin. (One must not think about the current temperature of 6 above. That would be a mood-killer. At least it's not 6 below?)
Let's see....today's good thing is: Guaranteed White Christmas. My kids will grow up with snow on Christmas, just about every year. Christmas lights just look better when they have snowy fir trees as their backdrops, I think. Sitting on Santa's lap is just a little more fun when you have to put on your snow boots to get there. Christmas just feels more like Christmas with snow. I don't know why that is - it just does.
We have about 4-6 inches out there now. And most likely, it will stay until March. By March, I'll be really, really, really sick of it. But right now - the snow is clean and festive and very Christmas-y.
That time of year, when the weatherman adds the word "above" after the temperature. Because, you know, it could be "below."
This morning, my clock radio NPR host said, "Good morning. It's zero in Green Bay and Milwaukee and one-above in Madison."
For the next two months, they will not be able to give us just a number for the temperature. They will need to use the word "above" or "below" to clarify.
So, it is time to reflect on all the good things about life in Wisconsin. (One must not think about the current temperature of 6 above. That would be a mood-killer. At least it's not 6 below?)
Let's see....today's good thing is: Guaranteed White Christmas. My kids will grow up with snow on Christmas, just about every year. Christmas lights just look better when they have snowy fir trees as their backdrops, I think. Sitting on Santa's lap is just a little more fun when you have to put on your snow boots to get there. Christmas just feels more like Christmas with snow. I don't know why that is - it just does.
We have about 4-6 inches out there now. And most likely, it will stay until March. By March, I'll be really, really, really sick of it. But right now - the snow is clean and festive and very Christmas-y.
Posted at 04:42 PM
Wed - October 19, 2005
Field Trip!
Friday, we go here for a
hay ride, corn maze, and pumpkin patch visit and here to ride the
ferry.
So very Wisconsin.
My children don't know that you can buy pumpkins at a store. The only time they've ever procured pumpkins in their short lives is by picking one off the vine at the pumpkin patch. Evidently, the climate here is made for growing pumpkins. People grow them in their yards.
And Halloween is huge here. People go all out. I've never seen houses decorated like they do here. Lights and everything. My theory is that it is too cold to really decorate much for Christmas, so Halloween is just an easier alternative.
Friday's trip will be an "all-Kindergarten" field trip and Davis and I will be chaperoning. I think he is more excited than his sister is. The boy is quite convinced that he is in Kindergarten.
And Saturday....Saturday it is supposed to snow. Only flurries, but still. Snow. I'm not ready!!!
Again, so very Wisconsin. Sigh.
So very Wisconsin.
My children don't know that you can buy pumpkins at a store. The only time they've ever procured pumpkins in their short lives is by picking one off the vine at the pumpkin patch. Evidently, the climate here is made for growing pumpkins. People grow them in their yards.
And Halloween is huge here. People go all out. I've never seen houses decorated like they do here. Lights and everything. My theory is that it is too cold to really decorate much for Christmas, so Halloween is just an easier alternative.
Friday's trip will be an "all-Kindergarten" field trip and Davis and I will be chaperoning. I think he is more excited than his sister is. The boy is quite convinced that he is in Kindergarten.
And Saturday....Saturday it is supposed to snow. Only flurries, but still. Snow. I'm not ready!!!
Again, so very Wisconsin. Sigh.
Posted at 10:28 PM
Fri - May 27, 2005
Mad-city
"According to America's list makers,
Madison is one of the friendliest, best-designed, healthiest, most literate,
best-wired little cities in the country, with the best biking, canoeing and
hotel rooms under $125. It takes Michael Feldman, who hosts the public radio
show "Whad'Ya Know?" from Madison's convention center, to put the boosterism
into perspective. "If you don't factor in the weather, Madison is number one
for everything," says Feldman. "If you do consider weather, it's
159th."
So true. So very true.
Posted at 12:46 PM
Wed - March 30, 2005
Tornados and Thunder and Hail, oh my!
It must really be spring! The tornado sirens
went off today for the first time this
year.
I was at work when the storms started. There was a ton of hail - so much that the ground was completely white. So, what did we do? We all crowded at the window and watched. Smart, huh? But as soon as I saw a funnel-y looking cloud, I got the hell away from that window.
When we first moved here, I was terrified of tornados. The first time I heard the sirens, I was driving down the street. I pulled off into the first parking lot (at a Borders) and ran into the store, yelling frantically, "A tornado is coming! A tornado is coming! Everyone seek shelter!" The employees and customers all looked at me as if I must be off my medication or something and then went back to their business. I went to the bathroom and cowered by the sturdiest wall I could find.
Eventually, slowly, I developed the same nonchalant attitude the locals have towards severe weather. "Tornado? Cool! Let's go outside and see if we can see it!"
Until last summer. A tornado touched down right next to my office and took about 30 trees completely out of the ground. It was the freakiest weather-related thing I've ever seen. It was scary, too. 10 feet over and it would have been my office. I've rediscovered my respect for tornados.
The kids thought it was great today at preschool - they got to go to the church basement and watch movies all afternoon. Can't beat that.
I was at work when the storms started. There was a ton of hail - so much that the ground was completely white. So, what did we do? We all crowded at the window and watched. Smart, huh? But as soon as I saw a funnel-y looking cloud, I got the hell away from that window.
When we first moved here, I was terrified of tornados. The first time I heard the sirens, I was driving down the street. I pulled off into the first parking lot (at a Borders) and ran into the store, yelling frantically, "A tornado is coming! A tornado is coming! Everyone seek shelter!" The employees and customers all looked at me as if I must be off my medication or something and then went back to their business. I went to the bathroom and cowered by the sturdiest wall I could find.
Eventually, slowly, I developed the same nonchalant attitude the locals have towards severe weather. "Tornado? Cool! Let's go outside and see if we can see it!"
Until last summer. A tornado touched down right next to my office and took about 30 trees completely out of the ground. It was the freakiest weather-related thing I've ever seen. It was scary, too. 10 feet over and it would have been my office. I've rediscovered my respect for tornados.
The kids thought it was great today at preschool - they got to go to the church basement and watch movies all afternoon. Can't beat that.
Posted at 07:42 PM
Sun - March 20, 2005
Happy First Day of Spring!
Here's what our front yard looks like
today:
Ah, spring in Wisconsin. But the kids are excited to go build a snow fort this afternoon. So, that's something.
Ah, spring in Wisconsin. But the kids are excited to go build a snow fort this afternoon. So, that's something.
Posted at 02:43 PM
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Kristen's blog on family life in WI with her 3 D's. (Daddy D, Daughter D and Son D) What can we say? We liked the letter.
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Published On: Jun 16, 2006 02:24 PM
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Published On: Jun 16, 2006 02:24 PM