Punkin' Pickin' Goodness

We braved the crowds and headed to Tate Farms this past weekend.

We climbed tires and pretended  to measure our height. 

We checked out the petting zoo, climbed around in a cool vintage fire truck and enjoyed an array of climbing gear.

We took a trip on the corn train and made several stops at the corn bins.

 A short ride out to the pumpkin field and daddy and Samuel picked some good looking pumpkins,  while David and I played in the hay. 

Exhausting but fun day!

Guilty by show of hands

BOTH the boys are sick. And not just one symptom. We have the full on crusty, drippy nose. The kind that leaves a trail up the arm as its wiped haphazardly and could easily win some sort of guiness book of world record in the boogers department. Then there is the coughing. We haven't hit the stage of manners yet, so the cough goes spewing into whatever is close by: Person, animal, toy or furniture. Tack on whining, fever, on and off cuddling, and did I mention whining... my weekend and Monday have been put on hold. Nothing is accomplished and lots of tissues are piling up. 

I wrote such a descriptive preview as to point out that boys should not be prone to mischief when sick. Shouldn't they want to lay on the couch, read a book and sip hot tea???? It always works for me.... No, Samuel would rather get into my  BLACK stamp pad that I, the responsible adult, left on the kitchen table. Whilst cooking a nutritious luncheon of fish sticks, corn on the cob, and cantaloupe(1 out of 3 isn't bad), He managed to paint the table, chair, chair cushion, wall, his companion the backhoe, my laundry basket and of course the clothes and hands attached to his body.

 Ink is permanent for a reason. Yet stubbornly I tried several methods of removing the stains from his hands. FOR THE RECORD: lotion, soap, and eye makeup remover do not cut it!

Do you see that guilty face? Cute, yet loaded with regret....

Many hands make composting happen

Ain't it a beauty?! I've been wading through dead leaves, pine straw and garden cast offs for some weeks now. I've also been researching how to reduce our trash pile-up. Since the weather has turned nice, I've got the extra boost to get outside and scratch off some of the TO DO list items. This week it was a bon-a-fide Compost Bin.  Of course, this became a family project...

 After David went down for his morning siesta and Tim headed to town to run errands, Samuel and I were left to load up our newly built bins. I lost count after ten trips...

Samuel eventually gave up helping and just hitched a ride and chatted in his toddler language.

I don't have a "finished" picture, b/c I was to tuckered out to retrieve the camera. I'm looking forward to having home grown nutritious compost to use our our flower and veggie gardens in the spring!

Creative Cleaning

My children are notorious for leaving a trail of crumbs wherever they go. I firmly believe in eating at the table or AT LEAST on tile flooring. Yet somehow cheerios, bananas, and countless other food groups find ways to cling to tiny toes and pants... inevitably making their way throughout the house! At this point in my cleaning strategies, I've just about retired the broom entirely. In its place are my trusty vacuum attachments!!  These small yet wonderful tools can get in cracks and crevices, way under couches and beds, behind the washer, ect... As I was furiously cleaning house today (Tim was entertaining the boys..the house was EMPTY), I began to chuckle at one of my methods of cleaning. I asked myself, "Do other moms vacuum the top of their kitchen table?" So now I'm most curious.  Here's the assignment:

Email/Facebook/Comment on your most unconventional method of cleaning. It can vary from cleaning the house, cleaning out the car, or scrubbing down a kid. I'll repost a compiled list in a week or so. I'll start it off:

1. Vacuum: Good for retrieving wooden train pieces from behind the TV, under the crib, and the far corner of the closest. 
2. Vacuum: Also useful for disposing of food particles ON, under and around the kitchen table.