my baby went to camp!

i'm very happy to say that bb did SO well at camp. . . or rather he IS doing well. today is the last day in his first week and i couldn't be more proud. i'm breaking hubby's "don't show his face on your blog" rule and putting in a picture of him leaving for his first day. he was all excited to carry his own lunch.



the worst that's happened is he's gotten over-tired from not napping as long as he does at home and not going to bed any earlier than usual. and the 93 freakin' degree weather hasn't helped. yesterday he got droopy and a little sad, but i think it was really the heat and his fatigue talking.

his teacher said, "he's the perfect camper!" he's the youngest one in the group so she was thinking he'd probably stay close to her side, but he prefers to be with the other kids exploring and doing whatever they are doing. when i picked him up the first day i expected a big hug-filled reunion. but, he was sitting on his towel (like all the other kids) eating a popsicle. he looked up and said, "hi mommy! i'm having a POPSICLE!" and he didn't budge. no running for hugs. no "i missed you!" it was disappointing on one level because I NEEDED the hug, but it was also. . . awesome to see how capable he was of having a good time without me. he was fine. he napped there. he went potty there. (came home yesterday with NO dirty undies!) he went swimming. helped make snack. and yesterday he even rode a pony and then was shown how to lead the pony with another child on it. he's not even 3 yet!

yes, i am proud. and relieved. and happy for him. in the meantime hubby and i got a little time together and i got to get a LOT of work done on my summer job as activities coordinator for a student exchange program. and i even snuck in a swim at the lake yesterday. so, it's all good. my baby's growing so strong. i couldn't be more happy for him.

my baby is going to camp

so, tomorrow bb goes to his first day of camp. it's being held at the school he'll attend in fall. he'll go from 9-3 monday thru thursday next week and the week following.

he's never gone anywhere for that long without me or daddy or a family member with him. yes, mommy's feeling a bit nervous about it.

i know he's ready. i see it everyday. i often say to hubby, "he's going to love school." i think he's ready for friends and to have more things to do in his day. . .especially when he wants mommy to play with him every minute of the day! and he's doing great with the potty. i wouldn't say it's going incredibly fast, but it's going. . . HE'S going. sometimes he'll go twice in a day, other days not at all. but that's all fine.

daddy will drop him off tomorrow at camp. i'm not letting on how i feel, but i'm afraid that if i were to drop him off i'd get all emotional and maybe he'd start to be afraid or sad when really i think he's going to be excited.

i tell myself, "there's nothing to fear. he loves it there! you trust his teacher, he's familiar with her and her ways and he'll have a great time."

but then the other voice creeps in and says, "what if he cries and wants to go home? what if a kids isn't nice to him? what if he feels abandoned?"

in my heart i know that if he feels this way, he'll get thru it. and i'd rather teach him how to navigate those feelings then to shelter him from having them.

still. it hurts a little. letting him go.

wet water.

i've blogged about it before and i probably will again. i've got 2 toddlers-about-to-be-pre-schoolers on my hands (one mine, one not) and they need stuff to do.

somedays i'm really organized and i plan stuff for them--little activities or something fun to do in the kitchen. we made scones last week---YUM! there are days (and you know what i'm saying if you're a stay-at-home mom) when they need more than i got. so, i have to be able to preempt the meltdown when i see it coming. somedays they can happily skip around from thing to thing outside. today was not one of those days.

so, i turned to my old, faithful mommy trick---water.
water can keep these guys busy for an hour. if i add some color, fo'gitaboudit. they're gonners. today i gave them each a bowl filled with water and the food coloring of their choice.

throw some plastic cups at them and they're off! they spent a good chunk of the morning moving the water from one vessel to the other. including the bb's wheelbarrow and his tractor's trailer. "i'm going to scoop some WET water!"


this is serious good times for these guys. if you're having "one of those days" and you need something else to do. try water. it's simple. it's wet. and we all have it (aren't we lucky?)



what are your fail-safes? do you have an activity that never lets you down? if so, pass it on!

babywearing giveaway!

the fabulous steph over at adventures in babywearing is having a *sweet* giveaway!!

the prize is a $75 gift certificate to mamkanga. and they have some totally great stuff. and as a mama who will be welcoming a newbie in september i'm on the search for some good babywearing gear. . . so pick me steph!

if i were to win it i'd have to get this or this or maybe this. dang, this is hard!

more greenery!

yesterday was one of our favorite days. it was the first day at our CSA farm.

Community Supported Agriculture is one of the cooler things about being living where i live. yes, there are CSA farms in many places--probably one near you. i am lucky enough to live in an area where there are several to choose from. if you don't know what they are, hit this website and find out. it's a great way to "be green" and support your local growers. the family farm is disappearing, this is how we can keep them going.

This week's share: mixed greens, spinach, bok choy, broccoli raab, turnips and packs of flowers to plant in the garden. (sweet!) we can also purchase extras of certain produce if they have a lot of it, as well as fresh eggs, raw milk and locally baked bread.



The one we go to is big on being kid-friendly. the farmers have kids, so they get that sometimes kids don't want to be in the barn picking out potatoes. so, in front of the big barn (inside of which is the distribution room) are toys. not a lot, but enough to give the kids something to do while we parents are inside getting giddy over our choices for the week.

they have a couple dump trucks, a tricycle, a toy lawn mower. it's great fun. they also have a dog, because what would a farm be without one?

after i'm done getting goodies in the distribution room, bb and i head for the fields! we go pick beans, peas, cherry tomatoes--or whatever is available at the time--as well as herbs and flowers. a big beautiful bunch of cosmos, sunflowers, snap dragons. i can't wait til they start blooming. it's great for kids because they start to connect more with where food comes from and they are invested in seeing it come home and get cooked. bb loves to snap green beans. the best part is that it does make him more interested in veggies and in gardening at home (we're hoping for lots of tomatoes this year). he loves to help pick whatever it is we are picking and then take his full container back up the hill to the barn. it's awesome on so many levels. i highly recommend you find one near you!

bein' green.

i've always been the one in my family who was what they called, "counter-culture." i went against the grain from a young age. independent. free-thinking (when i wasn't feeding myself destructive self-talk).

i listened to all the "alternative"music, dressed in clothing that was. . . outside the norm of the Gap and Express, i explored spirituality and thinking outside the church. and i got into "being green." at first it was hard for my mom to get used to--the idea of recycling was weird. and she worked for a plastics company, so she got all bent-outta-shape when my theatre group did an environmental piece in which we slammed plastic.

i hope that nowadays being "green" isn't seen as counter-culture or weird or out of the norm, but i'm sure in many places across the U.S., it is.

honestly, i have gotten lazy. i wish i were better at it. it took Al Gore's movie to put me over the edge. . . well, that and having a child. i want him to have a life where he and his kids can breathe the air outside and take hikes and see SNOW. so, i'm trying to do all the right things.

currently i'm struggling with the diaper debate. they say the cloth are more environmentally responsible. i'm sure they are, but i've read some info. from both sides. the cotton industry ain't so pretty. it takes water (energy) to wash them, etc. but the real debate goes on at home. hubby wanted nothing to do with them. and since i was calling a lot of the baby "shots." i said, ok. we'll do disposable. i feel guilty about this. AND about all the wipes we use, too. but the truth is, i don't like the cloth ones AT ALL. the boy i nanny for uses them. no likee. smelly, stinky, leaky and when they get to be toddlers i just don't wanna get that intimate with the poo, you know? i know that's a wimpy thing to say. but it's true. so, it's hard for me to argue with hubby, but i do. now that there's a new baby coming, can i keep plugging up landfills with diapers?

here's a great article on "green parenting." i found it helpful. maybe you will, too.