The Jam's Birthday Week

Last week I spent very little time blogging, and a lot of time celebrating Jam's first birthday! I realize I am a bit late with this post as his birthday was actually on the 14th of this month, but life has just been so hectic lately that blogging has sort of taken a back seat. We are getting ready for a big family visit, Josh's graduation from nursing school, and waiting for orders to find out where we will be moving next month. However, we still managed to have a blast last week!

 THE BIRTHDAY BOY, the day before his first big day!

 Daddy surprised the boys with trip to the toystore...

..where we let Jam pick out a few gifts.



We also made sure Bubs got a treat for conquering the big boy potty, and being one month accident free!!

On the big day we went to our usual park and made cupcakes after dinner. :)

 Jam wasn't too sure about the candle,

but the cupcakes were another story!

Bubs was very serious about using his best manners,

but it wasn't long before Jam was done

and ready for bed!

We did quite a bit more this week: A trip to Olympia and a day at the Tacoma Children's Museum, but since I have been linking up with Chestnut Grove Academy I will save those for the Field Trip Friday blog hop!

Swan Creek

We have been making a point to visit a differnt park or trail every couple of weeks, simple task here in the Pacific Northwest. Even better, so many of these places are within a 10-15 from the house. Lately Bubs has been wanting to visit a waterfall. We've all been a little under the weather this past week and weren't feeling like making much of a drive, So we found the next best thing. Swan Creek is a fantastic little hike! It was more dificult than any we have done as a family, and Bubs loved it. Until now we have tried not to stray too farr off of the beaten path, unsure how well our tot would manage, but he did very well and asked to come back again next week!

What's neat about Swan Creek is that it isn't a park in the sense of paved walking trails and crowded playgrounds, but because it is part of Tacoma's Metro Parks all of the bridges, etc. are very well kept.

We're linked up with Chestnut Grove Acadamy for the Field Trip Friday Blog Hop!

What's Cookin': Cookies and Bread

I have been saying for quite some time that I wanted to spend a weekend day freezer cooking, and see how much time it saved me during the week. Well, today Josh suggested I give it a shot. I spent a few hours in the kitchen making sauces and breads to freeze, and calling my mom-in-law for tips and tricks. (Note to self: Time to invest in a label maker.) While I had a lot of fun, I was really sad that Bubs wasn't around to help with the pouring and mess making; so I decided that I want to start cooking or baking with the boys (their choice what we make) every weekend. Bubs was easy to convince, and I'm hoping that once Jam is old enough to really get involved we can make this a family event.

We make a lot of bread. It's a pretty mundane task for a 2 year old, and Bubs  is generally not too interested. Having been in the kitchen all day today though, he was eager to jump in whenever I needed a helper. He is nowhere near ready to measure on his own, but he sure is headed in the right direction!

Everyday Flax Bread (for the bread machine)

3 cups wheat flour

3 TBS agave nectar/other sweetener

2 TBSP flax seeds

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 TBS oil

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup HOT water

-Place in bread pan in order above

-Select crust setting (we like medium) and bake for 3 hours and 18 minutes.



We also baked some late-night cookies! I saw this recipe on the back of a corn flakes box, and have been just dyingto tweak/"veganize" it. They are REALLY good, but taste more like a breakfast bar than a cookie, if you ask me.

Craisin and Granola Corn Flake Jumbles1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup "butter"

Egg replacer to equal 1 egg

4 tsp vanilla soy milk

1 cup Craisins (we LOVE the pomegranate ones.)

1/2 cup granola

2 2/3 cups crushed corn flakes

-Preheat oven to 375

-Stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and powder. Set aside.

-In a large mixing bowl beat sugar and butter until smooth. Add egg, soy milk and flour mix, beat until fluffy.  Stir in Craisins and granola.

-Place corn flakes in shallow bowl. drop rounded spoonfulls of dough into flakes and roll until coated.

- set on greased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown

Discovery Trail

I'm pretty sure I have posted about Ft. Steilacoom Park (aka: the castle park) before, but there is a whole other aspect of this place that we have been overlooking for months; It's called Discovery Trail. There are acres and acres of hiking trail, the biggest dog park I have ever seen, and a huge lake; arom my understanding the grounds were once home to the old Washington State Mental Hospital. Our intention was to take Daddy out for a day at the boys' favorite playground, but once we discovered this little gem even Bubs was happy to "explore the forest" :)

Bubs specifically asked to take this picture. He was so excited about these barns, and talked for hours about the different animals that live in them and the sounds they make.

Adventures are always more fun with daddy! (and daddy is always happy to wear the babe for me :))

Here we learned that a labyrinth is not a maze, there is only one path. Also, we learned that monks often walk a labyrinth as a form of meditatio. Definitely interesting!

The lake. Sadly, like many lakes we have found here in WA, it is has been overtaken by toxic algae and is not safe to play in.

There is a paved walkway that goes around the entire lake. Bubs thinks the trees are "thiiiiiiiis big!"

And lastly, the trailhead. After this I put the camera away and just enjoyed the outdoors with my three boys.
                                                                         

Creative Doesn't Necessarily Mean Crafty

I am full of great ideas, but I do not have a glitter-glue bone in my body! Which is why one of  the things that I absolutely love about my children is that they are so easy to please!
Bubs has been getting more and more into trains these days, so Josh and I have been going back and forth with the idea of getting a train table for him and Jam; honestly though, it just isn't in the budget right now. For a while I was feeling bad about this, but then it occurred to me that this little man can find tracks and roads in the cracks of the sidewalk {No joke} so I decided to get creative and whip out some tracks of my own. Let me just say that while this looked a lot better in my vision, the boys are still playing here a week later, and Bubs is even teaching Jam to say "Whooo Whooo!" Like a train.
Perfectionism 0, Kelley 1 :)

Planning & Routine

I have been thinking a lot lately about the lack of structure our days have, then tonight I was catching up on some Tweets and noticed that a handful of my favorite bloggers, specifically Maureen, over at Spell Outloud, were talking about organization and scheduling.

 I realized recently that, while I am an obsessive planner, I am absolutely terrible at sticking to a schedule. Because of this I find that our weekdays vary from super-structure to go-with-the-flow, and on the weekends, (when daddy is home) it's basically a free for all. Needless to say, this is not working for anyone.  Unquestionably, Bubs and Jam, like most children, thrive on structure; but because I have not made it a priority to figure out and stick to a routine that works for us, every time we try to get back into it, it becomes a struggle. As for myself, I find that disarray overwhelms me to a point that I just throw my hands up and watch the chaos unfold for a little while, then scramble too bring some semblance of order back to our home and lives. This is the point where I find myself with an excel spreadsheet, scheduling out 10-15 minute intervals of the day. Again, not working.

I think I know that the biggest issue I have with juggling my responsibilities is over thinking. Life is not perfect, there is no perfect order, and I am far, far from perfect. I really need to learn to give a little before giving up when it comes to order and routine.

So, with this piece of mind, it's time to start fresh. I think I will take some time tomorrow to revamp my lists, (which I am notorious for) and come up with a flexible routine, free of expectations and full of room (for changes and mistakes)

Wordless Wednesday