Tennis Ball Painting

So even though I am not a big fan of summer I have been trying to do some fun activities and I do actually enjoy summer mornings before like 10:30.  Then it gets too hot.  Which is pretty pathetic seeing as how it has only been over 93 here a few times. Jared and I go on a walk almost every day and then I try to let him play outside for awhile because it's very unlikely I would be willing to go outside again after his nap.  So this was an activity I saw online.  It was fun but Jared was more excited about running around the parking lot.  We never let him play in it or even really walk on it (even though there are very few cars, we figure we might as well get him trained to stay on the sidewalk or grass) So we went over the the far corner and began "painting."

I mixed up some water with cornstarch and lots of food coloring. Then we rolled the tennis balls in the mixtures and started throwing them. It was cool to see the liquid spray off of it when it hit the ground and to see the prints it left behind.

Jared got sprayed a little too.

 It was fun and I recomend it.  I think kids a  little older then Jared (21 months) woul really get into it.

Here's to finding some ways to enjoy summer...

Homemade Fruit Popsicles

Jared and I colored some construction paper popsicles this week that we can use to work on colors.  After we colored them I decided we should make some real popsicles too. We used strawberry-banana yogurt, strawberries and bananas.

 

I thought they were a little bland and you can see what Jared thought of them.  We will have to try some vairations. Mark wants to try some cheesecake yogurt and raspebrries. He wasn't too impressed with the flavor either. We do really like the popsicle holders because they have a little base attached to the bottom and it has a straw on it so if it melts it doesn't spill and you can drink it up. Very clever.

 

Easiest painting activity ever

All you need is a paintbrush, container of water and the great outdoors. Jared really loves to paint and he really loves to be outside so today we combined the two for a super easy and fun activity. He loved it and I don't see how any kid or parent could not.  It is the fastest cleanest way to paint.

 He learned this trick from his Dad.  Last week they were painting and Jared put the brush in his mouth so Mark did it too and showed him how to paint that way.  I was really surprised when he did it today.

Whenever we go outside Jared loves to run up and down this part of the sidewalk because it is slightly sloped.  He just finished his run here. We are always outside with him and he does an excellent job staying on the grass or sidewalk.  All we have to say is "Grass or sidewalk" and he looks down to make sure he is where he should be.

He also absolutely loves jumping.  He does it all the time, inside, outisde, in the store, in bed, at church. Anywhere, Anytime. When we are inside he will go to the bottom step of the staircase and look at us to count down from 5 for him then he jumps off on blast off!  Sometimes he jumps before we even start counting.  When we go outside he loves to go to the set of townhomes next to ours because they all have steps leading to their porch and he loves to jump off of it which is what he just finished doing in the above picture. He looks so pleased with himself.  He is just so adorable and I love this kid to pieces.  I find myself constanly thinking: He is sooo cute! Mark and I talk about it ALL the time. And he is so big now! 

Happy Independence Day!

Here is a more typical 4th of July post.

This morning we drove to Monument to check out their 4th of July parade.  Unfortunately we had to walk a good 15 - 20 minute to the parade route and it was HOT! The area we had to walk in to get to the parade route (on the overpass of I -25) was pretty newly developed so it was definitely lacking in trees and shade. The parade was pretty fun, pretty standard for a small town parade.  I had plenty of blue and white to wear but no red but I took care of that by getting a festive sunburn while watching the parade.  After about 40 minutes I suddenly felt super lightheaded and decided I better go sit down in the shade of a building (since there were no trees nearby).  I am so grateful that the building was there. Passing out during a 4th of July parade is not at all festive.  Before we left I smartly put sunscreen on Jared but seemed to think I was invincible from the sun which based on my whole life I know is so not true. He seemed to enjoy the parade (and did not get sunburnt) but I don't think he thought it was the coolest thing so I do not think we will be visiting the Monument 4th of July parade again. After the parade we came home and re-hydrated and then went to some friends house for a BBQ.  I made a super fun JELLO dessert.  I have always loved the fun 4th of July desserts people make and finally made one. I also made some fun graham cracker flags.

 I loved this bagpipe band.  The crazy thing was that there were more of them then in the high school marching band.

 I had never seen elephants and camels in a 4th of July parade...

 Festive

I was trying to show the blue and red layers of JELLO.

We have now finished our traditional Root Beer Floats and are waiting for the fireworks to be set off at the baseball stadium that we can conveniently see from our house. It's already 10:40 and they are in the bottom of the 8th inning.  Baseball is so slow! We are also hoping that all the neighbors setting off their fireworks do not wake up Jared. We hope that your independence day celebrations were all you hoped they would be.
God bless America!

Not your typical 4th of July post

Propaganda: Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Over the past few months I have read quite a few books about Asia.  Asia has never been at the top of my list of places to learn about. (Except Afghanistan because while it is in Asia it doesn't bring the same image of Asia to mind as other places in Asia do.) The Middle East, America, Europe all good reads but I never got into Asia. A few months ago I saw the book "Nothing to Envy" a book about North Korea on Goodreads.  After I read that I found 2 books by an author I really enjoy, Lisa See, "Shanghai Girls" and "Dreams of Joy". I also read "Years of Red Dust."  It is beyond amazing to me what people will believe and who they will trust.  Often when I think of propaganda the first thing that comes to mind is the Nazi's but the Communist had amazing propaganda artists.  As I was reading these books I felt angry, depressed, shocked, sickened and grateful. I love reading historical fiction and my most favorite are books or magazine articles that talk about places that have been kept "secret" such as China or North Korea or at least it feels like they have been kept secret because I know so little about them.

There was a quote that stood out to me from "Dreams of Joy".  Joy is a Chinese-American raised in LA who went back  to China because she loved the idea of communism and working in the country with everyone helping each other. After she has been there a while she sees how horrific it really is.

"Later in school we often debated why Germans didn't revolt against their leadership and why Jews didn't fight harder for their lives.  Now I understand how that happened, because there have been no riots, protests or uprisings here either.  We're too weak, tired and scared to do those things.  We've been brainwashed with hunger, and people still believe in Chairman Mao and the Communist Party."

When I read the book about North Korea they gave examples of poeple who escaped from North Korea into South Korea and after being there they missed North Korea and wanted to go back.  It's so strange to me that people would want to go back to such a miserable lifestyle. How did they handle it?

I like to read the news and try to stay somewhat informed of what is going on but really you have to take things with a grain of salt. I just wonder what sources are truly talking about what is happening.  It seems unusual for both sides of a story to be presented and you can't print an article and give an entire history of the subject either. I just read this great ARTICLE in this months National Geographic (a source I like to think is reliable) about Baghdad in present day. I love learning about how places really are from someone who has just been there. This ARTICLE from last month was interesting too in a sad, disheartening, unbelievable sort of way (Mark has a subscription to the magazine)

My point (besides just telling you the books I have recently read) is that while I do not think that America is the only place I could live and be happy or that it is even the best place to live. I am still MOST definitely grateful and appreciative that I was born and raised here and have been given so many opportunities. Reading books like the above make me realize what I have been given. Mark and I truly hope (and plan) to live overseas again, there is just so much out there to see and experience.  But that doesn't mean we won't make the best of being here now and enjoying all the benefits of living in the United States.

Like I said "not your typical 4th of July post." I hope you enjoy the holiday weekend we plan to.