Andree Clark Bird Refuge May 31, 2008

We went to the Andree Clark Bird Refuge to feed the ducks.

Before exiting the car, we noticed this:

Hmmm. Leaving the stale rolls safely in the car, we decided to make an adventure of this.

And an adventure it was-

Mother Earth said to me:

“There is no ‘work’ involved with ‘appreciating’ Me. Just come out into my spaces and Love me, enjoy me, drink me, breathe me, sense me. It will fill you back up. And you will ‘save’ Me as well. Your Love for the trees, the streams, the rocks, the animals will feed them and keep them safe. Your appreciation of me will ‘appreciate’ me, will lift me up in vibratory rate, will strengthen me and I will be able to give you my beauty and love back.” ~ Tobias Lars, BS, MBA, Mensa

Around the House May 30, 2008

One of Sadie’s favorite things to do is write shopping lists. So when we discovered we needed a few things to make a friend’s granola bar recipe, she quickly set to work drawing the needed items. Then it was off to the grocery store…

This is how we roll.

There’s just something about walking to the grocery store. It feels earth friendly but it also makes the food seem so much more important. Believe it or not, an hour (or more) journey to the grocery store on foot/in stroller is much more enjoyable for everyone than a 1/2 hour one in the car. We spend time together talking and playing on the way rather than wrestling with car seat buckles and traffic.

Mmmmm- granola bars. Here’s the Parent Clan’s take on the recipe-

Use 4 cups of quick cooking oats to make a mountain in the center of a mixing bowl.

Pour 3/4 cup of molasses over top creating volcanic lava streams.

Plop 3/4 cup of natural peanut butter here and there to make mudslides.

Scatter about 3/4 cup each of raisins, chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts.

Help Mama pour in a smidge of milk (yes Friend, it did turn out to be about 4 tablespoons) to bind it all.

Stir, stir, beg Mama to help you stir.

Spread using a variety of kitchen utensils (finally settling on a spatula) into a 9×11 pan.

Go outside to play and leave Mama to bake them at 325 degrees for 40 minutes then slice them while still warm.

Playing outside entailed playing pretend in the library/record store (found between the bushes and the fence- how do they know what a record store is??), blowing bubbles, coloring on wood scraps with chalk, and…. playing with Emma, of course!

 

Alameda Park May 29, 2008

Having had several people comment that they would love to visit Santa Barbara, I would be remiss in not posting about Alameda Park. Not only is the park gorgeous with its ancient trees and sprawling green grass, but the playground is fabulous.  We walked the 3 blocks from the library (and I mean walked- the only stroller rider was Baby Emma).

Shortly after this cute moment, the kids dissolved into frustration and generally terrible behavior that results from exhaustion. The walk back to the car, though initially tricky, resulted in many curb balance beams and stopping frequently to smell the flowers outside the multitudinous cafes.

Musical Playground May 28, 2008

This led to quite a musical breakdown followed by Elijah checking the tones of every other piece of playground equipment.

More Beach Art May 27, 2008

What to do with those adorable little apple juice bottles from the bagel cafe?

Get some sand at the beach,

separate and mix with food coloring,

and layer in bottles to make a fabulous work of art!

Webcam May 27, 2008

Elijah and Sadie hate talking on the phone. With most of our family at a distance it can be difficult for them to stay in touch. The webcam has been a wonderful way for them to stay in touch with their grandparents. Here they are chatting with Grammy and Grampa Murphy from CA to NH!

Leaf Identification May 27, 2008

Sadie gets an early morning impulse to create a book for leaves that we come across in California to compare to those in Texas. After making the book, collecting several leaves, and placing them in the book, we proceeded to draw some and look them up on the computer using an identification tool. Seeing all the leaves on my computer screen, Elijah decides to make his own laptop out of the leaf drawings- see lower picture.

We learned some very interesting facts about the avocado tree from Wikipedia:

• The leaves and bark of the tree as well as the skin and pit of the avocado are very poisonous to animals. Toxicity to humans seems to be in allergy only.
• An average avocado tree produces about 120 avocados annually.
• Avocados mature on the tree but ripen off. They ripen within a few days at room temperature or faster if stored with a fruit that releases ethylene gas. We picked a few more big ones and placed them in a paper bag with an apple.

i madonnari May 25, 2008

i madonnari- Italian street painting festival at the Santa Barbara Mission. Fantastic and amazing artwork drawn with chalk on the asphalt set to beautiful live Italian music and accompanied by yummy Italian food (mmm- sausage / are snow cones Italian?). These artists were so inspiring. We’re decorating the patio with chalk tomorrow!

This is phenomenal. I had to get down on the ground to make sure the orange coi wasn’t actually 3D. The artists said that they distorted the pictures in such a way that they would appear to be 3 dimensional if one was standing at the center of the picture.

Art From Scrap May 25, 2008

After loving their table at The Children’s Festival (see previous post), we attended an Art From Scrap workshop where the kids and I made art from a plethora of recycled materials- everything from medical supplies (I’ve gone from using them in the hospital to using them to make art!) to wine corks.

What we loved the most- their direction (and lack thereof): ‘Today’s workshop is making river critters… or whatever you want.’ We opted for the latter. Pictured above: Elijah and Sadie show Jill- AFS Art Director- their masterpieces.

Who Writes This Stuff? May 25, 2008

Sadie (watching a TV commercial): ‘Mama? There’s a door in that shoe!’

Mama: ‘Yup! There was an old lady who lived in a shoe. She had so many children that she didn’t know what to do.’

Sadie (bewildered): ‘So she put them in a shoe?!’