Happy July! Because I'm a nerd, I'm gonna go ahead and bore you with garden-y stuff again and link up with Cari for her garden tour link up. I'll make it snappy, because Mr. Never-Nap is currently in his high chair spitting out cheerios and who knows how long that'll give me (not long enough for a shower, but perhaps long enough for a blog post?)...

Zinnias blooming! Marigolds too, and baby sunflowers close... I harvested the garlic scapes and used them in a very tasty salad dressing last night, too. 

Zucchini, summer squash, mystery squash, and cucumbers are growing nicely considering we started them late.

Looks like at least one cucumber has been pollinated so far (I've been doing it by hand because I don't trust the bees and because it kind of makes me giggle to think that I'm doing "artificial insemination")!

And a zucchini, too!

The volunteer tomatoes are CRAZY. I'm pretty sure we've got some roma plants and I'm not sure what else... Carrots are in that bed too, and sugar snap peas that have just about died off.

So far we've got one adorable little ichiban eggplant from that bed as well, and it's going to fulfill its destiny in a tasty ratatouille tonight!

Pole beans are growing decently but don't look like they'll produce as well as last year, and basil leaves much to be desired but I've got high hopes for pesto!

I've harvested a total of two bush beans as well, to add to our farmer's market purchases. Oh beans, why you gotta be so lame?

At least they're pretty?

The other tomatoes are producing generously, and we've feasted on many a cherry tomato so far.

  

Sadly, they're diseased and even stripping off all the affected leaves didn't help. So we'll see if they can stick it out, but so far they still look good except for all the dead leaves!

I've got many big, beautiful tomatoes just waiting to ripen and as long as I can keep toddler paws off of them, I'm thinking we'll be eating lots of caprese salad in a few weeks!

Also, so many cherry tomatoes that I can't find places to stake them all... This happens every year!

The morning glory in the Mary garden has started climbing, and we have ONE lonely flower from the seeds planted at Easter. There are a few more that will be coming soon I think, but it's not going to be quite as lush a garden as it was last year, sadly...

I have no idea what this is, it came in a wildflower seed packet from the dollar store. But at least it's pretty!

In the rest of the yard, the hostas are blooming and weeds are trying to take over everything else!

How does YOUR garden grow?

Fried Green Tomatoes, Confiscated Pillowcases, and Twin Transgressions {7QT}

--1--

I tried fried green tomatoes for the first time this week. Not by choice, but because Elizabeth decided to pick a rather large one, attempt several bites, and then discard it in the grass.

I was NOT pleased. But I sliced it up, sprinkled with salt & pepper, and fried it in some olive oil with panko bread crumbs. Surprisingly tasty!

Meanwhile, the twins also decided to pick about a dozen green cherry tomatoes, burying them in the garden because "We're gwowing da tomatoes!!!"

Some people plant extra crops in order to make up for natural loss due to animals. I planted extra to make up for loss due to toddlers.

So now I'm picking them as soon as they start ripening, in the hopes that I'll save more from the twins that way!

--2--

And speaking of the twins, you'll be shocked to hear that they're still crazy indoors, too!

After putting them on time out in their room for one transgression, I went to get dressed and returned to find that they had removed every item from their dresser and then climbed onto it to remove everything from their closet bar. Oh, and they took their pillowcases off their pillows.

So now their dresser is no longer in their room AND they're not allowed to have pillowcases. The punishment fits the crime, but I still feel ridiculous... "NO! You're not allowed to have a pillowcase anymore!"

--3--

Why do I even try?

They *wanted* me to take their picture! And yet... The expressions. Kills me!

--4--

Apologies for not rotating this picture but... I've been working on these quick takes for more than a day, so I just don't care!

John Paul sorted through one of those coupon mailers we get in the mail every few weeks, setting aside the ones he wanted. My personal favorites?

"I saved this garage door one, because we don't have a garage!"

and

"I saved this cell phone one because I really want a cell phone!"

So thoughtful, that kid.

--5--

Blueberry season is here! Andrew's mom is going to be visiting at the end of the week and we don't have room in the car for everybody to go blueberry picking, so I get to stay home with Peter while they labor in the fields!

And then we'll enjoy our waffles on Waffle Wednesday with fresh blueberries! Those holes are just perfect blueberry spots!

--6--

Peter's still bellyflop-crawling and it's SO funny to watch but kid can move! Nothing is safe anymore, and he's also trying (unsuccessfully, so there's that) to pull up on tables and chairs and all sorts of things. I'm considering removing the little table from the playroom until he's figured it out, solely because there's too much potential for head bumping and I can't spot him 24/7!

--7--

On the plus side, "crawling" means he's a little more content to be put down for more than 4 seconds at a time. Favorite toys? Obviously Legos! Actually, he tends to go for cars, trucks, balls, trains... Very typical "boy" things which is interesting to me because John Paul was not at ALL that way, so it'll be fun to see what he ends up liking!

In anticipation of him actually liking cars (and because Elizabeth always really likes this toy at other people's houses), we found this toy for $6 at a consignment store and bought it for him for his birthday... Which is in November. I've been socking away rather a lot of birthday & Christmas presents for all the kids and need to remind myself to STOP because then we'll end up with mountains and mountains of presents come birthday season, which is just ridiculous because we don't need *all the things* at all! 

Cutting myself off. No more toys. I hope.

Linking up with Kelly for some Saturday Quick Takes! Hope you have a beautiful weekend! We'll be celebrating our 7th anniversary early tonight (it's tomorrow) because my awesome sister is babysitting!

Music Education... At Home?

I have to admit, one of my major objections to homeschooling is that there's just no way to offer the same music experience at home that kids can get in a classroom environment. Whether it's through regular elementary general music, band/choir/orchestra ensembles, or good old recorder playing, there's no way to completely replicate the experience kids get in a music classroom.

This is a major interest of mine, guys. Because I majored in music education and then went and taught choir, guitar, keyboard, and general music for several years. It's important. But I think there are a lot of ways you can do it at home, and even though it won't be the same, in some ways it will be better!

Here's the big term I'm going to throw out at you:

Developmental Music Aptitude.

What is it? Basically, it's the capacity for musical thinking that your child has, and it can change up until about the age of 9. Which means it is within your control to give your child the best possible start, because musical aptitude is not solely determined by genetics, and musical achievement correlates strongly with aptitude! Here's a quick summary for you if you're interested in a little more detail.

That's not to say that every child should become a world-class classical guitarist, or that you need to raise a bunch of tiny little Mozarts. But I think our culture as a whole would benefit greatly from a generation of children who know how to sing, who love music for what it is rather than how it might increase their scores on a standardized test, and who value creativity in the artists who are composing and performing new music.

And, as a Catholic, I think it's important for parishioners to be able to sing in church!

In short, the way to increase your child's musical aptitude (up until around age 9, at which point it becomes static), is to provide frequent and varied experiences with music. Listen to a wide variety of good music, discuss it when the opportunity arises, sing a variety of songs at home (even if you aren't a good singer!), and try your hand at playing whatever instruments you can get your hands on!

Full disclosure: We are a family of music nerds.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO FREAK OUT ABOUT! You are not "ruining" your child simply because you couldn't sign up for those "Baby Music" classes starting at 3 months and didn't pipe classical music into your womb from the moment of conception. But there's a lot of fun you can have with this at home that will (I hope!) teach you something, teaching your kids something, and provide your whole family with a love of music that will bring you together for years!



I'm planning on giving you some recommendations for music you can listen to, inexpensive instruments (that are still a good quality) you can start collecting, song books worth looking at, and maybe even some lesson plans to have fun with! We'll see how much I have to say on the matter, but I hope I can pop in here at least a couple times a month to share some music with you.

What about you, experienced homeschoolers? How do you do music at home? Or are you a newbie like me who's trying to figure out how to work this in without getting stressed about it?

Perfect Sandals and Baby Updates {WIWS}

This morning was one of those don't-have-time-to-iron-throw-something-on Sunday mornings. Jersey dress to the rescue! Cecilia did NOT wear that to Mass, but she found it afterwards in a bag of consignment store finds, and HAD to change her outfit into this "nightgown dress."

Those sandals are new though; after MONTHS of scouring the internet for a new pair of sandals (and I pretty much just wanted the exact same pair I had before because they were so comfortable), I searched on Amazon and found...

The exact same pair.

In multiple colors.

And way cheaper than I expected.

So I clickety-clicked and $30 and two days later, my new mint sandals arrived!

Seriously, if you need the perfect sandal, these hold up REALLY well, are incredibly comfortable, and come in a million colors and sizes!

This adorable guy has his two bottom teeth! They were hard-won, with many weeks of inexplicable fussiness before they finally broke through (I'm pretty good at babies, but I can NEVER tell when they're teething - he was drooly for MONTHS and those gums look exactly the same to me until the first tooth actually breaks...).

Of course, he's still rather fussy now that the teeth are in. And still won't sleep unless he's nursing and/or wedged in my armpit or Andrew's.

It's funny because he's rather high-maintenance but still gives HUGE smiles to anyone he sees even if he's in a miserable mood, so he seems like a happy, cheerful baby! At least there's only one of him.

He's making forward progress with his crawling/scooting, but only if he REALLY wants something - generally a ball or a shoe (proving my hypothesis that babies are essentially puppies).

He *can* sit up but would much rather try to crawl because sitting is boring.

His hair seems to be staying reddish!

And he's so spoiled by his older siblings, who just want to play with him ALL the time (and snatch his toys, unfortunately...).

Happy Father's Day to all of you & your families!

Linking up with Fine Linen & Purple for What I Wore Sunday.

50 More Reasons My Toddler(s) Won't Nap

She took her dress off

She got one arm out of her sleeve and can't get it back in

She took off her diaper, changed into underwear, and now she needs to pee

She has peed in her second diaper, removed it, and peed all over her pillow, sheet, and a book. (But she mopped it up with a wipe...)

She threw her dress out of her crib and wants it back

She pooped

She pooped again

She NEEDS TO POOP!!!

She can't throw Mario out of her crib

Mario is out of her crib but he needs to be out of the ROOM

She threw EVERYTHING out of her crib and wants it back

There's a fluff on her finger

There's a fluff on the floor that looks like a bug

There's a hair in her mouth and she can't get it out

She CAN'T FIND HER BOW!!!

She needs her bow back in her hair

She took her bow out again

She's scared of the curtain

The noise machine stopped (because she unplugged it)
The sound on the noise machine is wrong (because she pressed a button to change it)

It's playtime!

Her toe is hurting

It's BLEEDIN!!! (it's not.)

She needs "something" What? "Um, somethin'"

Her dress is on backwards

She's "NEK-kid!!!"

She needs to practice galloping

A truck drove by and it's COMIN!!!

Something is on the ceiling (light. from the window.)
She needs a hug and a kiss.
No, a BIG kiss!!!
On the OTHER cheek!
And a hug!!!
AND A KISS!!!

She needs a book

She ripped up her book and needs it to be thrown away

She needs another book

She found a scrap of paper and it needs to be thrown away RIGHT NOW!
Her pillowcase is full of the pieces of ripped up book that she tried to hide and now she can't sleep.
She needs to hug and kiss the baby.

Her pillow is wet. Because she was sucking on it.

She needs her fingernails clipped NOW!!!

She can't reach something. What? SOMETHING!!!

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!
There's a book stuck between her crib and the wall.
Last week she had a pink barrette and she wants it back. NOW.
She needs socks so she can go ice skating.
She took her socks off and she needs them back on NOW.
She needs her milk that she refused to drink during lunch.
Actually, she would like to finish her lunch also.

Remember when nap time was a quiet time during the day when you could recharge while your kids slept or played quietly?

Yeah. Me neither.