It is officially summer!! (And our town's kiddos are STILL in school....)
But it is a new season, and the days are gradually warming up! For me, it feels like a new season of life as well, as there have been a few changes in my life these days. The biggest - at least for now ... stay tuned - is that I'm no longer nannying, as the girls are off on their wagon train adventure that begins the summer for them! And, since I am no longer nannying, at least for now, I have switched from the evening shift to the morning shift at work, watching the kiddos at the gym.
I've been doing that morning shift for three days now, and I'm suddenly aware of how much time I have in the afternoons/evenings again! How much I missed this! My schedule prior to this was - get up, morning routine, check email etc, work on Avon, water the garden, maybe take Hansel for a walk, then off to nanny at 11:00, drop the girls off with their mom at 3:00, run to Walgreens for something to eat later, then straight to work from 4:00 til 9:30. Then home, pretty much dilly around for 45 min and then go to bed.
NOW!! Wow, I'd forgotten what I was missing! Now, it's up (earlier - 6:45), basic neccessity morning routine, eat breakfast and off to work. BUT! When I get home at around 1:20, I can water the garden, check email etc., take Hansel for a walk, then go pick up my mom when (if) she gets off at 3:00, and we can run to the thrift shops, then spend leisurely time at home, have dinner, even watch a few shows or a movie to wind down in the evenings. No zipping home and off to bed! If I'm not running errands, now I even have time again to write!! It's been so long!
What a perfect season to switch over!
I aim to spend as much time as possible outdoors, working in the garden, exploring trails, having picnics, camping, and so on. And learning the hula. : )
What are your summer plans?
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Raindrops and Mud Pies
I had a bit of a magical moment last week while watching the girls. First off, I should say that I have been learning how to do a hula to He Mele No Lilo with my mom in preparation for our second annual summer luau party. It's really fun, and amazing that when we first watch the video, we were like, "Wow - how are we ever going to learn to do all that?" But we've been learning it a few bits at a time, and we are now to the point where we know the order of the whole hula and are just fine-tuning it!
That said, back to last week with the girls. We went outside to play, and after a bit it started to sort of drizzle, but we ignored it. Then after a few minutes, it really started pouring down rain! Play moved onto the covered porch. : )
And I noticed the very edge of the part of the deck where the cover ended at the side of the house, a perfect line of raindrops. So I sat on the inside edge under the covered front porch and watched the rain come down. There is a perfect backdrop for the rain where the twins' family lives - a large green-grassy yard bordered all the way around by evergreens. Beautiful! It wasn't cold out, so it was a joy to sit and watch the rain come down. Then the girls joined me, and we all sat watching the raindrops. There was a rhododendron just off to the right of us, and fat droplets were slipping down the smooth leaves of the rhodie, and it really just gave me an overwhelming sense of being in Hawaii. Now, I have never been to Hawaii, but rhodies have always made me think of Hawaii, and I know they have sudden periods of rain there. So for me, that was as close to feeling like what it actually might be like to be there. It felt magical.
Rhododendron - - - - - - - Plumeria. See?? The leaves are similar!! ; )
cue hula music .......
Then the rain stopped. The girls started catching raindrops from the rhododendron leaves in tiny flower pots and dumping them into a plastic bucket. Then they decided to plant something. So they needed dirt, right? More water in the bucket! More dirt! Water! Dirt! Another bucket! (No seeds involved at all here, I can't remember what they said they were planting. Probably something magical.) Then the plastic buckets were mud pies, fun to squish your fingers into. And so on. Just let your imagination rule the play - day!
Then it was time to get cleaned up to go into town, so off to the hose it was! Rinsing hands and feet and flip-flops, and getting a drink -- yes! Drinking out of the garden hose!! ; ) Ah, the good old days!! lol
That said, back to last week with the girls. We went outside to play, and after a bit it started to sort of drizzle, but we ignored it. Then after a few minutes, it really started pouring down rain! Play moved onto the covered porch. : )
And I noticed the very edge of the part of the deck where the cover ended at the side of the house, a perfect line of raindrops. So I sat on the inside edge under the covered front porch and watched the rain come down. There is a perfect backdrop for the rain where the twins' family lives - a large green-grassy yard bordered all the way around by evergreens. Beautiful! It wasn't cold out, so it was a joy to sit and watch the rain come down. Then the girls joined me, and we all sat watching the raindrops. There was a rhododendron just off to the right of us, and fat droplets were slipping down the smooth leaves of the rhodie, and it really just gave me an overwhelming sense of being in Hawaii. Now, I have never been to Hawaii, but rhodies have always made me think of Hawaii, and I know they have sudden periods of rain there. So for me, that was as close to feeling like what it actually might be like to be there. It felt magical.
Rhododendron - - - - - - - Plumeria. See?? The leaves are similar!! ; )
cue hula music .......
Then the rain stopped. The girls started catching raindrops from the rhododendron leaves in tiny flower pots and dumping them into a plastic bucket. Then they decided to plant something. So they needed dirt, right? More water in the bucket! More dirt! Water! Dirt! Another bucket! (No seeds involved at all here, I can't remember what they said they were planting. Probably something magical.) Then the plastic buckets were mud pies, fun to squish your fingers into. And so on. Just let your imagination rule the play - day!
Then it was time to get cleaned up to go into town, so off to the hose it was! Rinsing hands and feet and flip-flops, and getting a drink -- yes! Drinking out of the garden hose!! ; ) Ah, the good old days!! lol
Fun times!! Sadly, my days as the twin's nanny are coming to an end -- officially, at least. Today, in fact, and we are having a party! Summer is coming, their mommy is off work (as a middle school teacher), and next year they will be in full-time preschool. Hard to say how things will go in the fall, but in the meantime, summer fun is just around the corner, and we can just hang out!
What are your fun summer family plans?
Enjoy each sunny day!
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Spring! And the crops are growing! Leaves bursting out above the soil, and some early harvests, particularly of strawberries!! The girls and I had a chance to get outside and play, and enjoy some sweetness before it started to rain. How is your garden? Do you have one? A patch of land, or containers like my little backyard garden? What do you find easiest to grow? What is your favorite home-grown goodie?
I love the simple pleasures of time outside! It's timeless fun, unaffected by TV trends or technology. Don't take for granted the wonderful beauty of the outdoors! Summer is coming - be ready! : )
I love the simple pleasures of time outside! It's timeless fun, unaffected by TV trends or technology. Don't take for granted the wonderful beauty of the outdoors! Summer is coming - be ready! : )
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