Well, we’re one week into summer break and I’m realizing “down time” may elude me until mid-August. This shouldn’t come as a shock, but it always takes me a few weeks to get reacquainted with summer’s pace. ‘Tis the season for non-stop snacking and the perpetual application of sunscreen. ‘Tis not the season for finishing a cup of coffee, thinking deep thoughts, or writing in complete, coherent paragraphs. So, I’m going to ease into the break with a few bullet points this week.
- In our quest to be outdoors as much as possible while temperatures are still bearable, we went on a hike for Memorial Day in a local state park. This was the Preschooler’s first real hike or “nay-chuh” walk as she called it. Her main concern is that we were going to get lost in the woods “fo-evah.” The 2nd Grader, ever concerned about something, watched the forecast that morning and reported to us {actually she reported to Mimi, who accompanied us on the hike}, that there was going to be “a lot of ‘humility’ in the air.” Later, she overheard us make mention of the possibility of ticks. We didn’t think much of it until we noticed she was dressed like this:
She worked up a sweat within five minutes due to all that excess “humility,” but… she stayed tick-free.There was much complaining on the second leg of the climb {primarily about the need for snacks}, but the little waterfalls at the midpoint and the peak were pretty exciting.
- Speaking of the outdoors, there are some things that should stay there. Last summer the girls talked the Spouse into getting three fish in three separate little bowls. I was okay with that plan since they/he promised to take care of them, and I had heard pet store betta fish don’t typically have a long life-span. Well, here we are nearly a year later and Betsy Ross, Boomer, and Sparkles are going strong despite a few incidents involving accidental abandonment and gross neglect. But, this summer the 2nd Grader has gotten on a kick about yet another pet. This time around it’s a… wait for it… teacup pig.
In case you’re as unfamiliar with these creatures as I was, here’s a picture for reference:
You can Google “teacup pig” or “micro pig” for all sorts of photo entertainment. Let me just say here in writing, under no circumstance will we be getting a pet pig {teacup size or otherwise} this summer… or ever, for that matter. Nor will we be getting Kurt the guinea pig at the Agri Feed Pet Supply even though the 4th Grader insists it would make her life complete if we did so. I believe three fish and a high-anxiety dog are quite enough for now. The name of this blog is purposely Suburban Shalom… not Farmyard Follies. Nevertheless, I guarantee you this won’t be the last I hear about how fun it would be to have a pig of some sort that we could carry around in a purse. And, it’s only June 1st. - Because it is June 1st and we’re only seven short days into the break, I’ve tried to come up with a few boredom busters for our afternoons. This energy won’t last, so I have to act on it while the mood is right. So, last week I saw a cute craft on Pinterest and thought we’d give it a whirl since we had all the supplies on hand. All you need is shaving cream, Elmer’s glue, flour, food coloring, markers, and some cardboard to make your very own puffy paint ice cream cone.
{To make the cone: cut out cardboard in the shape of triangles and draw a simple grid; To make the puffy paint: mix 3 cups shaving cream, 1 cup Elmer’s glue, and 1 cup flour; add a few drops of food coloring to make your desired “flavor”; use marker or craft paint to add cherry, chocolate chips, or sprinkles}
I predict that by next week my enthusiasm for craft time may take a nosedive. What I can say with certainty is that no matter how bored or hot or tired we may become as summer goes on… my position on us raising a tiny pig will hold steady.
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