Rhythm of Home: Out in the Garden
I’m excited for this month’s challenge to write more about our home life and how we spend our days!
Of course, it would be untrue to say every day we do the same things. Season by season changes our lifestyle in New England. But we find a rhythm to our days, and I’ll try to capture a typical Saturday in this post.
I love Saturdays because generally, I get to “sleep in” which mean, my husband gets up early (he’s an early riser), and when our little guy starts giggling, singing, or sometimes crying in his crib, he gets him up, changes diapers, and brings him downstairs for breakfast.
Who knows what my two menfolk do for the next 30-60 minutes, but I get to sleep! It’s a luxury to get up and ready without scurrying to the baby’s room first!
Daddy and son have this whole “cheesy egg” breakfast routine down! When I ask my son if he wants cheesy eggs during the week, he always turns me down. I guess Dad’s are better! Usually I find some coffee and perhaps “cheesy eggs” waiting for me when I go downstairs.
Now that it’s spring, our new routine is to head outdoors. Sometimes that means tag sales (garage or yard sales for other parts of the country!), sometimes working around the yard. Lately… our new passion is the Community Garden plot!
A local college started a Community Garden and we got an 8×8 plot for just $10! While we have garden space behind the house, our soil is poor and the sunlight minimal. So we were excited to get this plot with good soil and nearly full sun!
We’re in the beginning stages. Hubby had to sift the entire bed to get rid of rocks and other debris. The entire Community Garden is committed to organic farming practices so nobody will be using any chemicals. They’ve provided organic compost for us to add to the beds as well.
Last weekend, our son delighted in pushing truckloads of compost from the big pile to our garden. He stared fascinated at a huge earthworm (but didn’t want to touch it). He dug and climbed in the dirt while Daddy sifted. And left covered head to toe (and inside his diaper) with dirt. Just as every little boy should be happy to spend his days, right? (Perhaps some little girls too, but not me!).
This mama wears gloves on for all dirt activities (which is actually a good idea for pregnant women – there’s a lot of bio-chemical stuff happening in dirt that you don’t want traveling to your baby in utero!). But mostly, I am terrified of bugs. LOVE to garden. Terrified of bugs. Yep, that’s me! Not so keen about dirt under fingernails either.
We plan to plant a host of paste tomatoes (Roma/plum) for sauce making, peas, cucumbers, squash, beans, and colorful peppers! I’ll keep you posted on how our garden grows. We have a good crop of radishes coming in at home, so I’m excited to see what takes off in the Community Garden plot!
We’ve found gardening to be an excellent way to teach our son to follow directions (planting seeds), be observant (finding worms and rocks), work together (digging and dumping dirt with Mommy), and get active outdoors! I think it’s the perfect family activity! He loves checking our seedling beans to see how tall they grow each day!
After a morning of outdoor work/play, we have a simple lunch, and then nap for baby (sometimes mommy and daddy too), and our day usually winds down from there. Dinner might be leftovers or grilling out. We’re usually pretty tuckered out at the end of a Saturday, but sometimes we’ll find time to socialize with friends as well either hosting or attending a dinner or picnic. Phew – our days are full once warm weather hits!
What’s a typical Saturday like in your house? If you write a post about it, link up in the comments!
Funshine Event! Backyard Safari Outfitters ~ Giveaway
We’ve got ants!!
No cause for alarm, they are all well contained. We are on an “ant-venture” with Backyard Safari Outfitters Antropolis set!
Antropolis is a build-able ecosystem where we can watch ants dig, tunnel, eat, drink, play and “bump heads” as they create a new “anthill.” We received the live ants via mail (frankly, I was a little creeped out and made hubby put them in the ant container – I’m not a bug fan but for my little boy I will try to be!!).
Within twenty-four hours the Harvester Ants started burrowing through the sand, creating passages! It is so cool to watch them carrying chunks of sand around, scurry down the tubes to eat or drink water, … and just be their little ant selves! Our little ants are shy though and decided to take all their sand and move it into piles in their feeding containers… we are trying to encourage them to “move back upstairs!” so we can see them at work a bit more!
Our son is only two, and he’s always asking us ee the ants! He’s going to learn a lot about bugs this summer!
Another great feature of the Antropolis is that while many BYSO toys are designed for outdoor use, this can be explored indoors, which is perfect for rainy days!
It’s definitely a great time of year to check out Backyard Safari Toys to get your little explorers geared up for summer exploration.
They might want to chase storms with the Storm Chaser… use the portable weather pod to track and monitor rain, sleet, hail, snow and wind. The compass will teach kids to find true north, and the anemometer measures wind speed. You can collect and measure rainfall, or check air temperatures. This would be perfect for a tree house/fort, or taking on treks and camping expeditions!
Keep them hydrated with the Field Canteen… after sun protection, nothing’s more important than keeping kids hydrated in hot weather. A realistic canteen has a fabric holder to protect and insulate, and a “no lose” cap band and shoulder strap for transport! The perfect accessory for any field work!
Dig and explore with the 6-in-1 Field Tools – sturdy tools with hundreds of uses – gather samples, excavate, signal with the safety whistle, and also clip right onto your child’s vest or belt loop for easy access!
I love how sturdy and useful the toys from Backyard Safari Outfitters are. And, they each come with a “patch” that kids can earn when they complete their explorations! You can get a BYSO Cargo Vest to affix all their earned badges to, so these toys are a great “collectible” item to get for kids at birthdays, Christmas, and other special occasions so they can earn all the patches!
Find Backyard Safari Outfitters gear and tools online and at variou retailers like Toys R Us and Walmart! Keep up with the adventures on Facebook and Twitter!
WIN IT: One reader wins a Backyard Safari Outfitters Prize Pack of all these items featured here!! ARV $83. Enter in the Rafflecopter form below!
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Safe Sunshine with UVSkinz ~ Giveaway
Today I’m thrilled to give you a review and giveaway from my May Sponsor, UVSkinz, and a peek into company founder, Rhonda Sparks’ mission for UVSkinz!
A Year With Mom and Dad: What inspires you?
Rhonda Sparks: It is extremely inspiring to see the ‘light bulbs’ going on for parents that understand the importance of sun protection, and who absolutely love the peace-of-mind and efficiencies our products bring. I love knowing we are helping families protect their loved ones from the potential dangers of the sun!
AYWMD: What’s your favorite part about what you do? The most challenging?
RS: Favorite part is working with my team to make WOW experiences for our customers. Our mantra in the office is to ‘exceed the customer’s expectations’ … give them something they weren’t expecting! The most challenging aspect of what I do is managing cash flow and budgeting.
AYWMD: How do you incorporate your children/family into your business?
RS: I run all of our designs by our kids to get their opinions and I also listen to ideas they have. I also use our younger kids as fit models and catalog and website models. The joke in the office is that I had more kids because I needed more models for the company – ha!
AYWMD: Do you have a favorite quote or idea that motivates you?
RS: “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll
AYWMD: What do you most want people to know about you and your mission with UVSkinz?
RS: That we are more than just a fashion company, trying to make money. We have a mission to ‘get all kids covered!’ across the world and our goal is to touch each of our customers (and potential customers) with our passion and commitment to education about the importance of sun protection. We don’t measure the dollars that we earn, but the potential lives we save with each unit sold.
Thanks, Rhonda!
UVSkinz is truly about more than making money – Rhonda is personally motivated by life experiences (she lost her husband to melanoma at 32 years old) to educate consumers about the need for adequate sun protection.
95% of skin cancer is preventable! And, when children get a sunburn, they double their risk of skin cancer as an adult. So, let’s prevent and protect!
The baby / kids’ lines from UVSkinz have fun prints and styles so kids will want to “Live in their Skinz.” My favorites are the UVSkinz Combos - short, shirt, and hat sets that coordinate! Check out my little dude in his Surf Set!
With UVSkinz UV protective clothing, my son doesn’t need as much sunscreen on, cutting down on chemical exposure. Plus, it doesn’t wash off like sunscreen does! And, UVSkinz are perfect for the pool because they are chlorine-resistant!
UVSkinz are designed with a comfy fit, not a skin tight fit, which makes them easy on/off clothing for kids – they feel silky and smooth and slide right over kids’ heads! Check out more great features of UVSkinz:
Last year, after reviewing the baby sunwear from UVSkinz, I got hubby and myself each a UVSkinz shirt and am happy to say none of us got sunburnt at all last year!
BUY IT: Check out the baby, kids, and adult lines from UVSkinz – get your whole family protected from the sun this summer!
DISCOUNT:
Just for my readers!! 25% off UVSkinz orders through June 30, 2012! CODE: UVAYMD25
FREE SHIRT: May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, UVSkinz pitches in with their Save a Baby’s Skin campaign. EVERY purchase in May receives a FREE Baby Skinz shirt! Also UVSkinz is donating thousands of UVSkinz swim shirts to maternity wards and pediatrians across the country! I told you they were more than a business! It’s truly a giving operation!
WIN IT: Discounts and free shirts aren’t enough? One lucky reader wins a UVSkinz shirt of choice (baby, kids’ or adult!). ARV $25-39! Enter in the Rafflecopter form below!
Funshine Event! Hapari Swimwear ~ Giveaway
A mom’s least favorite get-ready-for-summer job? Finding a swimsuit… am I right?
Last year I shared the mom-fabulous Hapari Swimwear with you. And I’m happy to say that a year later, I continue to think they have the cutest tankinis and am featuring them again! Here’s my new pick for 2012 – there’s even cute little turtles hidden in this print:
I have THREE suits from Hapari – all ordered online, all fit perfectly when they arrived. Now, come on… how many times does the FIRST suit you take into the dressing room fit great??
What makes Hapari suits amazing is their styles give you good coverage, so you aren’t always fighting to pull this part down and that part up. I really have found their tankinis to be some of the most modest you can find (when talking about just the suit itself).
Most of the tankini tops are versatile – wear it three different ways – halter, criss-cross, or tank – so you can fit your body type.
And, because the brilliant, beautiful printed tops coordinate with the solid and dotted bottoms, you can mix/match to find the right look! Bottoms come in a good variety – Tummy Tuck brief, bikini, sarong, boy short, and skirty.
Best of all… you order each piece separately, which for me is key, because I need one size on top, and a different size on the bottom (you know how that goes??). This is why I think Hapari has the perfect swimwear for your body that fit great right out of the mailbox – there is just so much customization!
BUY IT: Hapari Swimwear has excellent customer service – and a huge selection of 2012 suit prints and styles!
WIN IT: One lucky reader wins an $85 gift card to Hapari.com (which covers a top/bottom and shipping!) or something else that catches your eye! Enter in the Rafflecopter form below:
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MATERNITY EVENT SPONSOR
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