dirt don't hurt

Planning for summer. Camps. Sports. Always use pencil in your calendar.

We did a little fishing this past weekend in the farm pond. Yes, it's stocked and catching a fish is just a matter of tossing in a line. (The fish have been known to bite on just a hook -- no bait required.) But seeing the excitement in Toby's face was a good reminder that kids love fishing. He was extremely proud of himself for casting and reeling in his very own fish, as you can see by this shot. There's just something about bringing a fish to the surface, like you are witnessing a visiting alien. And what little boy doesn't like aliens? I think we've got a little fisherman on our hands...

We did a little fishing this past weekend in the farm pond. Yes, it's stocked and catching a fish is just a matter of tossing in a line. (The fish have been known to bite on just a hook -- no bait required.) But seeing the excitement in Toby's face was a good reminder that kids love fishing. He was extremely proud of himself for casting and reeling in his very own fish, as you can see by this shot. There's just something about bringing a fish to the surface, like you are witnessing a visiting alien. And what little boy doesn't like aliens? I think we've got a little fisherman on our hands...

Last summer, during my rampage of trying to instill my children with a love of the outdoors and nature, I decided to make a pledge to bring wildlife to my backyard. You have to understand that for me to actually INVITE wildlife to my personal space was a big step, since I’ve had such outstanding luck with animals even when they were not invited. (Think: snapping turtles under the porch, squirrels in my garage, birds in my house, rabbits in my dogs’ mouths, etc.) But the things we do for the love of our children, right? So with my husband laughing at me all the way, I went to the National Wildlife Federation Web site and registered my little backyard as a certified wildlife habitat. To qualify for this prestigious status, you must provide the four basics needs for animals: water, food, shelter, and a place to raise their young. And a small donation, of course. But that goes without saying. For an extra fee, you can purchase your very own aluminum sign to proudly display. Besides be...

It seems like only yesterday I was hovering over my oldest daughter, thinking to myself, “c’mon, roll over already! What are you, four and a half months old? Do it! Make this milestone happen! Don’t you want to be exceptionally advanced?!?” And today I’m looking at my new baby, now four and a half months old, enjoying every second that she can’t roll over. I’m loving the fact that she can’t sit up yet and that she’s still not eating real food. I’m savoring each toothless smile and drop of drool, and yes, even each dirty diaper. Why? Because I am learning more and more each day that they grow up so fast. Too fast. I realized the speed of growth the other day at the dinner table when my oldest daughter told me about her day in kindergarten. “I learned a new game at recess,” she said. I’m expecting Red Rover or TV Tag. Maybe Keep-Away or Chase-the-Boys. Instead I heard, “it’s called Truth or Dare.” Still keeping my cool and hoping for a preschool-type version of the game where t...

Well, an update. She laid a total of five eggs...and hasn't come back since. We're all a little bummed about it, to be honest. Strange enough, the first day she didn't show up was the first day Canada Geese moved in at the pond across the street -- coincidence or not? Anyone know?

Well, an update. She laid a total of five eggs...and hasn't come back since. We're all a little bummed about it, to be honest. Strange enough, the first day she didn't show up was the first day Canada Geese moved in at the pond across the street -- coincidence or not? Anyone know?

Visit my other blog, Outdoor Mama, for more info! www.outdoormama.blogspot.com

For those of you who missed last week’s column, I told a gut-wrenching story of how I publicly humiliated myself in my daughter’s elementary school by being one of “those” moms who fusses and complains about everything. I was arm-waiving and whining about parents putting their kindergartners in the front seat of the car at an already chaotic school pick-up. And as much as I’d like to take a few deep breaths and unwind from my semi-frenzied state, I just can’t. Not when it comes to something as important as keeping our kids safe. Let me first tell you that I am not one of those overly protective parents that have outlet covers and foam padding all over my home. I have never installed a safety latch on a kitchen or bathroom cupboard, and don’t own those doorknob kid-proof contraptions because I can’t even operate them myself. I don’t even require my kids to wear bike helmets…oh, the humanity! But not when it comes to carseat safety. When I was kid, I remember riding in the back of m...

It's not everyday your flower bed becomes nesting grounds for a mallard duck... A few days ago, Toby and I found what we thought to be an egg on the side of the house. And, sure enough, it was. After some research, we figured it to be a mallard egg. Mallards lay one egg each day until they have layed them all (around 10, usually), and then they return to the nest to sit for 26-30 days. The next day, we went back out to see if there was another egg-- she could have layed that first one days ago and abandoned the nest, and we could have just missed seeing. But, just as it should be, there was a second egg in the nest! (It's buried in the mulch and you can't see it in this photo, but you can really see that it is indeed RIGHT NEXT to our house!) This morning when I woke up, I snuck outside crossing my fingers to see if egg number three would be there. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? MAMA DUCK!! Look at that brilliant camoflauge! Stay tuned for more pictures and st...

It's not everyday your flower bed becomes nesting grounds for a mallard duck... A few days ago, Toby and I found what we thought to be an egg on the side of the house. And, sure enough, it was. After some research, we figured it to be a mallard egg. Mallards lay one egg each day until they have layed them all (around 10, usually), and then they return to the nest to sit for 26-30 days. The next day, we went back out to see if there was another egg-- she could have layed that first one days ago and abandoned the nest, and we could have just missed seeing. But, just as it should be, there was a second egg in the nest! (It's buried in the mulch and you can't see it in this photo, but you can really see that it is indeed RIGHT NEXT to our house!) This morning when I woke up, I snuck outside crossing my fingers to see if egg number three would be there. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? MAMA DUCK!! Look at that brilliant camoflauge! Stay tuned for more pictures and st...

This was the question of the day. Answer: YES. Answer supplied by my dad, who in his South Carolina home caught a gecko and put it in some water. Thanks, dad!

This was the question of the day. Answer: YES. Answer supplied by my dad, who in his South Carolina home caught a gecko and put it in some water. Thanks, dad!

I knew I needed a vacation because I caught myself getting pretty riled up at kindergarten pick-up time. Don't get me wrong, pick-up time after school is a time where one is justifiably allowed to be frustrated-- there are kids and cars everywhere and its mass chaos for a solid ten to fifteen minutes. Sometimes I need to practice Lamaze breathing techniques just to get through it without keeling over on the sidewalk. But then I found myself yelling and waiving my arms at a woman who parked illegally and left her other kid in the car when she picked up her child, while I parked a block away and toted my two kids through the knee-deep snow. I'm talking mega arm waiving. I was a veritable lunatic, very publicly humiliating myself. Then not a day later at the same pick-up, I noticed how many parents were letting their kindergartners ride in the front seat of the car and was totally outraged. ''Don't they know how unsafe that is?? I can’t believe these people. They ...

We're slowly approaching the one year anniversary of Snappy, the gigantic snapping turtle that crawled under our back deck to lay her eggs. (You can see the dark, poor quality video here: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/snappy-removal/3542902338 ). Since then, we've learned a lot about snapping turtles and turtles of all sorts... In Ohio, the box turtle is the only turtle that can pull it's head and arms completely in it's shell. I didn't know that....but now I do.

We're slowly approaching the one year anniversary of Snappy, the gigantic snapping turtle that crawled under our back deck to lay her eggs. (You can see the dark, poor quality video here: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/snappy-removal/3542902338 ). Since then, we've learned a lot about snapping turtles and turtles of all sorts... In Ohio, the box turtle is the only turtle that can pull it's head and arms completely in it's shell. I didn't know that....but now I do.

My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas??? It no longer works. Instead she's serving nachos. Poor, poor Pluto, we learned, isn't a planet anymore. It's a dwarf planet. And it's got a messy orbit. My kids are always asking me obscure questions, so that we have to look them up. i've decided to start posting the answers should anyone else have this problem. Today, Ellen asked why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Apparently, it was decided in 2006 what the real definition of a planet is. In order to be real planet, it has to, among other things, dominate it's orbit. And Pluto's not doing it's part to clean it's orbit, which is very similar to the way Ellen doesn't clean her room. Pluto's orbit is filled with asteroids and other such outer-space garbage, Ellen's room is filled with dirty clothes, notepads, and Barbie shoes. Not only that, but Pluto's moon is nearly half it's size, so much that Pluto isn't ...

My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas??? It no longer works. Instead she's serving nachos. Poor, poor Pluto, we learned, isn't a planet anymore. It's a dwarf planet. And it's got a messy orbit. My kids are always asking me obscure questions, so that we have to look them up. i've decided to start posting the answers should anyone else have this problem. Today, Ellen asked why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Apparently, it was decided in 2006 what the real definition of a planet is. In order to be real planet, it has to, among other things, dominate it's orbit. And Pluto's not doing it's part to clean it's orbit, which is very similar to the way Ellen doesn't clean her room. Pluto's orbit is filled with asteroids and other such outer-space garbage, Ellen's room is filled with dirty clothes, notepads, and Barbie shoes. Not only that, but Pluto's moon is nearly half it's size, so much that Pluto isn't ...

My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas??? It no longer works. Instead she's serving nachos. Poor, poor Pluto, we learned, isn't a planet anymore. It's a dwarf planet. And it's got a messy orbit. My kids are always asking me obscure questions, so that we have to look them up. i've decided to start posting the answers should anyone else have this problem. Today, Ellen asked why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Apparently, it was decided in 2006 what the real definition of a planet is. In order to be real planet, it has to, among other things, dominate it's orbit. And Pluto's not doing it's part to clean it's orbit, which is very similar to the way Ellen doesn't clean her room. Pluto's orbit is filled with asteroids and other such outer-space garbage, Ellen's room is filled with dirty clothes, notepads, and Barbie shoes. Not only that, but Pluto's moon is nearly half it's size, so much that Pluto isn't ...

Here in Ohio we have just had our first springlike weekend of the year. Everyone in my neighborhood was outside, trying to make our mud-filled brown yards look a little better. It is a sign of spring. Another sign of spring is that we are seeing robins again. And in the spirit of our birdie friends, this month's activity is just for them. Birds make their nests in different ways. Some birds nest on the ground, others in trees. Some make their nests out of mud. Some make a dozen nests and let their mate pick the best one (philisophical question -- would this work in the human world?) But many birds make their nests in trees out of materials such as grass and twigs. Birds also use non-natural items to make their nests, such as string and fabric. This month's activity is meant to help them along. NESTING BAG Items needed: Mesh potato or onion bagBits of string, yarn, fabric strips, grasses How to do it:Have your scissor-lovin' kids cut up a bunch of yarn or string, and simply...

Here in Ohio we have just had our first springlike weekend of the year. Everyone in my neighborhood was outside, trying to make our mud-filled brown yards look a little better. It is a sign of spring. Another sign of spring is that we are seeing robins again. And in the spirit of our birdie friends, this month's activity is just for them. Birds make their nests in different ways. Some birds nest on the ground, others in trees. Some make their nests out of mud. Some make a dozen nests and let their mate pick the best one (philisophical question -- would this work in the human world?) But many birds make their nests in trees out of materials such as grass and twigs. Birds also use non-natural items to make their nests, such as string and fabric. This month's activity is meant to help them along. NESTING BAG Items needed: Mesh potato or onion bagBits of string, yarn, fabric strips, grasses How to do it:Have your scissor-lovin' kids cut up a bunch of yarn or string, and simply...

Celebrating Easter! That's my grandparents with the Easter Bunny. You can't tell me they don't look fabulous. And of course, baby Annie with the ears, and Ellen and Toby making out bigtime at the Easter egg hunt.