Swimming in May

We took the kids camping last weekend, our first with the kids.  I have limited camping experience. I've slept in a tent in a campground a handful of times and although I did complete a 4-day canoe trip (for credit) in university, it was hardly a great experience.  For starters, we didn't get to decide what food to bring so a lot of groups had a raw beef roast in their food barrel for four days. It didn't look good by the end.  I also had severe road rash on my right hip having fallen down a large hill while rollerblading two days before we left on the trip.  Not my best moment.  All this to say, I was charmed by the idea of camping with our kids, but I wasn't sure how much they - or I, would enjoy it.

 

Turns out, I do like it.  Even with black fly season upon us and sleeping in a 3-man tent with five of us.  The kids LOVED it.  Wow.  And the weather - we couldn't have asked for better weather.  I went swimming. Like, under the water without getting a headache.  Growing up near Lake Superior means that swimming before July is not for the faint-of-heart.  It is cold - and it stays cold.  It's just that the outside temperature gets hot enough that you stop caring how cold the water is.  But not here in Ottawa.  The Rideau River was perfect, if not a little weedy.

 

Now we're just trying to figure out where and when we can go next.  And we'll have to buy some equipment of our own. Our friends were kind enough to lend us what we needed for our trial run - but I need to return it to encourage them to get out camping too!

~ this moment ~

"Daddy, you help me poke the water?"

In the Garden...eventually

Isaiah and I have just finished up his Space Unit Study we've been working away at for the month of April. We used this book as the backbone for what he's learning.  He's a clever little boy and he really enjoyed learning about the planets and other celestial bodies floating around out there.  Since we're wrapping that up last week, we've started looking at the Green Thumbs book and planning some of our summer school activities.  Now I'm super impatient for the Powers That Be to put sod in our backyard so I can get going on the gardens.

Isaiah and I have made plans to grow veggies to eat (and make salsa) and also flowers that attract garden helpers like bees and butterflies. We're also hoping to make some bird feeders and our own sprays for pest control.  I'm really hoping to create a beautiful and productive space out there with enough room for the kids to be able to run around a little. 

Right now our back yard looks like a mud bog and unless I want to try to chip dried clay off the knees of their pants and rubber boots - the kids really can't play back there. We have plans to fence the sides of our yard as well but that may be a project for next summer.

Earlier this week we did our first "Green Thumb" activity - planting seeds in egg cartons and putting them in plastic bags which work like little greenhouses.  The weather was rainy so we had to do our project indoors.  Now, believe me, I knew it would be messy, I'm no fool. But I did lose my temper at one point when I was trying to clean up and Lucy kept walking in the dirt and then walking on the floor and simultaneously Isaiah kept squirting one section of egg carton with the spray bottle until it lost all structural integrity and folded into a very soggy, very muddy mess. Sigh. Next time I think I'll wait for a sunny day since neither of those incidents would have been an issue outdoors.

Anyway, our seeds are still below the dirt but hopefully we'll see some shoots soon. If you're looking to do a fun project with your little one, may I suggest a Fairy Garden?  They use Chia Seeds which sprout super quickly for those impatient kidlets and it is always fun to decorate. I thought I had a picture of one we did a couple of years ago but apparently I do not. Here's a tutorial if you'd like one.

~ this moment ~

"Can I put my fingers in the water, Daddy?"

Weekending...

We have a lot of fun with the kids on weekends.  We try to go on at least one big walk with them and then usually have an errand-type day as well.  Here are some pictures of our more recent weekend adventures.

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Yarn Along

I've recently picked up the Guernsey Wrap Shawl I started knitting back in October or November but abandoned to finish up Christmas presents and baby items.  I am really enjoying the project.  It is knit from charts, which is challenging for me at times but I think I have a pretty good system worked out so I don't lose my spot.

On the recommendation of Maria Popova of Brain Pickings (which I think you should all subscribe to on Facebook), I've started reading Einstein's Ideas and Opinions.  As it turns out, the man wasn't just a physics genius and had a lot of very good thoughts about a lot of important things.