Adventures in Living!

We Love Halloween!

I was not impressed with the hot, sticky weather we had, but Halloween at the Brandel household was  terrific !

Friday night, we carved three massive pumpkins...

 

 

 

 

RAAAAWR!!!  (Wren is so awesome...)

Noah says "Raawr!" too!

Halloween Night...spooky dinner...Mummy Hot Dogs....Monster Face salad...and a glass of sparkling green Monster Juice to drink!

Getting ready....everyone gets glow sticks and glow bracelets.

Going out....the bat, the Tinkerbell, and Professor McGonagal (from Harry Potter).

At the neighbor's house....."Trick or Treat!!"

The kids had a blast! It was unseasonably hot and humid, which reminded me of Halloween nights in Miami. Travis and I were sweating by the time we got done. The kids were great; polite, cooperative, and everyone had fun. There was one fantastic house that was totally done up with spooky decorations and a fog machine and a scream soundtrack. Wren was a little unsure, but Noah just marched right in with Kira. We have to spend more time decorating our yard next year. I definitely want at least one inflatable things, and to put some ghosts and some lights up in the trees. I think we might need a spooky graveyard, too. 

Kids are in bed now, lights are off, and I am trying to stay away from the unsupervised pumpkin buckets full of candy. We'd set a big bowl of candy on the porch before we left, only to come back home to find someone had stolen it! Low-rent jerks! Ah, well, it IS trick OR treat, right? I can get another bowl next year.

I think I will also avoid getting started on my yearly Halloween rant about the people who DRIVE their kids from house to house for trick or treating. I could understand it if the houses were a quarter-mile apart, but this is suburbia! Sigh...you walk, or you don't go. That's how it should be. (well, unless you're two, then you can ride in the wagon)

Anyway.

I love Halloween. We had a great time! Hope everyone got lots of candy, got scared if they wanted to, and had the best costume ever!

A little better today

Still sick, but with a better attitude today, at least. So that's something. Right?

I'm going to take this opportunity to remind everyone that my husband is in fact the BEST. So there.

Random pictures from our household....

MY adorable dog, Ruby. Newest member of the Brandel dogpack.

Wren completed her first session of gymnastics. She's going back for another session.

Kira completed a wonderful project on the Lewis and Clark expedition for her Honors Social Studies class.

And that's all I've got for today....more later, I promise.

Been a long time...

Okay, I have been a slacker. I have failed to post now for ....many....days. It's not like there's nothing going on around here; hell, *something's* always going on around here! I guess I could just blame my recent attack of Life. Good excuse as any, I guess.

Let's see....the kids are all back in school. First day was successful for Kira at middle school, and the little guys are loving being back in preschool. Honestly, Mom loves them being back in school a little bit, too. I like having structure and some semblance of order to my day, and the little bit of free time and peace and quiet doesn't hurt, either. ;)

Travis and I continue our quest to obtain motorcycle licenses and scooters. I cannot wait. We got a little piece of junk Chinese import scooter the other day, and Travis ahs been working on it and we have both been riding it around the neighborhood. It's really fun, and it totally solidifies my desire to have a bigger 'real' scooter SOON. It's only 50cc, so top speed is 40mph if we're lucky, but it's prefect for practicing riding around and stopping and turning and such. I feel so much more confident now, especially with turning, since I have been riding it.

This is not our 50cc scooter. This is Kira's Razor scooter, which is battery-powered and attains a top speed of 10mph. Noah loved riding up and down the driveway on it with me. Poor Wren is dying for her own scooter.

We went to the Children's Museum with my brother and his two kids and my mom. It was great fun, especially since we just about had the place to ourselves!

Noah has the worst case of strep I have ever seen in one of my kids, so he is down for the count, but rallying back with some antibiotics. We were so sure it was the H1N1 flu -- super-high fever, lethargy, vomiting -- but thankfully, he "only" has strep. Yay for bacterial infections.

Today my mission includes ridding the house of all the outgrown kid clothes, putting things in the attic and taking things out of the attic, and planning an assault on the bedroom of my pre-teen, who seems to be incapable of throwing anything out. This weekend looks to be full, with a trip to the farmer's market, the Richmond Folk Festival, and other enjoying-the-fall weekend fun.

Pumpkins must be obtained, and costumes decided upon, as Halloween is coming! I need to develop the pre-trick or treating weird and wonderful dinner menu. Last year's supper included such delicacies as Worms On A Bun and Dirt Dessert, so I want to find something equally startling to eat this year. I love Halloween!

I also have a rant going on in my head about the people who continue to refuse vaccination for their children and place all of us at risk for resurgence of crap like smallpox, polio, diphtheria and widespread measles because of their uninformed opinion that vaccines cause autism.

Additionally, I have something to say about awarding the Nobel Peace prize to someone based on the things they *might* do, rather than the things that HAVE been done to further world peace, but hey, then I'd be branded a hater, and I don't have time for refuting that kind of nonsense today.

And the proposed names for the Richmond minor league baseball team? Seriously, the Richmond Rockhoppers? Flatheads? Flying Squirrels? HAMBONES!? What. The. Hell? If I cared more about baseball, I'd probably be more upset, but since I don't have a dog in this fight, all I can do is shake my head incredulously at the dorks who are potentially making my beloved city a laughingstock.

The tourism people should be having a cow about now.

Ah, well. Lots to do. Guess I'd better get to it.

Summer season

The scenes of summer, here at our house.

riding on the Washington metro, June 09

  nasturtium flower

the herb garden, early July

Hershey Park, Hershey, PA with the Girl Scouts

playing in the pool

  gathering from the garden

tomatoes by the wagon-load this year

Wren goes adventure riding, August

Ah, summer. It's been a great one, and although I am seriously done with the heat, we have managed to ahve fun, grow vegetables, and travel a small amount. Fall is coming, and I am waiting.

There's a reason this blog is called Adventures in Living.....

I try, oh, how I try, to look at life as an adventure. There are so many things to do and try and see and people to meet and good food to eat and places to go that it would be impossible to get to them all in one lifetime. I try not to focus on that, because the possibility of missing out on some really cool stuff is depressing, but rather to make my little journey through life with a sense of wonder and uniqueness, and focus on the opportunities I have and the things and people around me. It's not always easy to remember that life is about the journey, that it's not about always doing the 'perfect' thing, or even the 'right' thing, or worse, the 'always expected' thing. You get bogged down in the dailies: money (or lack thereof), job (or lack thereof), raising kids, keeping the roof from leaking, taking the dog to the vet, buying groceries, paying the bills....you get the idea. Some days it's hard to remember that YOU are a real person with real, interesting ideas and desires. Some days it's hard to remember that your life is your own, and while it is important to take certain people and things into consideration, ultimately, YOU are the one who lives your life.

Picasso was quoted as saying, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." It's one of my favorite quotes. I think there are a lot of descriptive words that can replace 'artist' in that quote...'every child is a dancer'.....'adventurer'.....'is creative'....'is fearless'....'is non-judgmental'...

Lots of things.

Then we grow up, and Life takes over, and before you know it, we are all afraid. Maybe we don't call it fear, but that's really what it is. Afraid to take that trip, afraid to run out of money, afraid to get hurt, afraid to screw up your kids, afraid to climb that mountain, afraid to lose your job, afraid to be alone, afraid to die. The path you travel becomes straight and narrow and limited, and the journey is more about some 'destination' -- lots of money, prestige, power, material goods, 'making it big' -- rather than about what you encounter on the side of the road. Sometimes there's a big stinking hole, but most times there are so many interesting and wonderful things to be found....rose gardens, and picnics, and castles....people with courage and interesting stories and new ideas...art...languages...mountains to climb. Why miss out on all of that?

Life is about risk. Every single day is about taking risks....big ones and small ones. If you spend all of your time trying to figure out how to avoid all the risk, you remove yourself from the possibility of encountering real pleasure, and of finding out things about you that you didn't know.

Life is too short NOT to try out whatever you want to try. Someday you're going to be gone, and the best legacy is a life well-lived.

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Chocolate in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOO-HOO! What a ride!”

Amen.

Status report

avoiding: chocolate chip cookies, candy and ice cream. For today, at least. Apparently my daily dose of these items is not helping my weight. Plus, I am exhausted from being up constantly with Noah for the past few nights. I tend to overeat -- especially sweets -- when I am very tired.

eating: leftover roasted potatoes, tomato salad, and a nectarine, all from the garden or the farm market.

feeling: too old for this getting-up-all-night-with-a-teething-kid crap.

watching: Wren discover some basic principles of magnetization and poles.

thinking: about a variety of things, none of which are very productive at the moment.

hoping: Noah feels well enough to sleep all night tonight.

wishing: I could take advantage of this rainy afternoon and pass out on the couch for a few hours.

loving: the fact that Wren is playing "farmer's market stand" with some of the veggies from our garden.

What we've been up to around here

Okay, so the end-of-school-year whirlwind has come and gone, and now we are on summer time. I wish I could say that means sleeping in and lazing around, but with two highly active little ones, well....there ain't much sleeping OR lazing.

Here's a recap of June in the Brandel family household:

We ripped out a wall in our living room....
which turned the living space in our home into the greatest great room ever....
(don't mind the dirty couch bottom....blame the dogs)

Kira received her Girl Scout Bronze Award for service, and bridged to Cadettes...

And fifth grade came to an end.

Travis took a week of vacation, and we had a picnic on the carpet of our new living room, and Kira and I went to see Night At The Museum. Then we took ourselves and the kids to Washington!

Riding on the Metro was a new experience for all the kids.
We saw the Smithsonian Castle building....

WHile we were there, we saw the 'pile of treasure' prop that was made for the Night at the Museum 2 movie:

We also went to the Air and Space Museum, where Wren was in awe of the tall, tall planes and spaceships...

And we lost her briefly, in the museum. Scary, but not surprising.

Kira loved the Washington Monument!

I always like seeing the Capitol at one end of the Mall and the Monument at the other. Very cool.

Of course, we  went to the Museum of Natural History...

Kira and Wren touched a HUGE amethyst chunk.

We saw the Hope Diamond in a huge crush of people all clamoring to see it. I liked it better when it was a walk-by window in the gem hall. Now it's in the center of the room and people just crowd around it. Very hot and disorganized.

Noah, without his usual three hour nap, was starting to be done with the whole sightseeing thing.

We had a terrific time, though, and the kids behaved wonderfully. We tried some astronaut ice cream, the kids ran in the grass at the National Mall, and we got to see Julia Child's kitchen which was reproduced in the American History Museum. Awesome.

Since everyone was exhausted, we didn't get to see Oscar the Grouch, or the American flag or much else in the American History Museum, but I imagine we'll go back again. Maybe in the fall when there aren't so many school groups traveling! Plus, because of the way the Metro fares are sold, we have at least two Metro passes with nearly $20 in fares on them still. Sounds like a trip to the National Zoo, among other places.

I really want Kira to visit the Portrait Gallery and some of the other art museums.

Congratulations, Kira!

My baby. She just started kindergarten yesterday, didn't she?

I'm just so proud of her, I could burst. No, she didn't win any fancy awards for having the best grades, nor was she a safety patrol, nor did she have perfect attendance. She did struggle, and find her strengths, and learn about people, and make some good friends. She learned to play the recorder,  She developed an attachment to her teachers and to her school, and was an eager participant in the annual All-County Art Show every year since second grade.  Most of the office staff knows her, she has been supported and loved by so many people, and she has been recognized for her unique talents and interests.

I am so grateful to everyone who put in hard work and had patience and thought outside of the box when it came to educating Kira. 

Kira and her fifth grade teacher, Ms. Diamond.

Kira and her mentor, Mrs. Gregory (and Kira's dad in the background).

Two more half days of school in this year, and then it's ON TO MIDDLE SCHOOL!! Providence Middle School, here she comes!

I still can't believe it. And I'm still so proud.

Love you, honey. Congratulations!

On the trials of shopping for clothes

Kira is going to be finishing the fifth grade this week. In Virginia, where we live, our school system uses the middle school concept, and elementary school goes from kindergarten to fifth grade. Middle school is sixth through eighth, and high school is ninth through twelfth. On Wednesday, the fifth grade will be having their 'recognition ceremony', to celebrate the end of the year and recognize the accomplishments of the kids. The requested attire is 'nice school clothes', which to me, means stopping short of a dress and stockings. I'm thinking more like nice khakis and an attractive top, flats, and some cute jewelry.

Kira and I went shopping this evening, in hopes of finding a suitable outfit.

HA!

We went to Kohl's, JC Penney, Macy's, Sears....we even tried Old Navy, Aeropostale (*rolls eyes*), Limited Too, NY & Co. and the Gap.   Nothing.

NOT. A. THING.

There was nothing in any of the stores that even remotely resembled a nice outfit for wearing to any kind of ceremony. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts with glitter and funky graphics, cropped pants, spaghetti-strap tops....if that's what we wanted, then we would have had tons of options.

No plain khakis, no 'dress' pants, no casual tops that were not t-shirts or tank tops.

I could sew her something, but I was confident we'd find something, and there isn't much time for me to bang something out, even if I had a pattern I know would fit her -- and I don't.

So. Frustrating.

Tomorrow night I'll have to venture forth again. Don't know where I am going to look, and if I can't find her something, I guess she'll have to go with nice jeans and maybe a new top.

Doesn't anybody dress their kids nicely anymore?

The Best Mother's Day ever!!

Seriously, today was probably the best Mother's Day I have ever had in nearly eleven years of parenting. What a great day and a superb weekend!

Saturday, we did our weekly farmer's market run, picked up our CSA allotment of veggies, got some sinful cinnamon rolls and whoopie pies, and then checked out a new market in the area that I hopefully will be selling my glass at. We made a stop at the pediatrician's office to find out if Noah had an ear infection (he doesn't), and then back home for lunch and naptime. During the kids' nap, I knocked out about 19 of the daisy beads I have to make for a custom order, and roasted in the heat and humidity. Wren got to go over and play at the Elkins' house for a while, and when Noah woke up, we joined her there for dinner.

After dinner, playing, and bundling the kids off to bed, Travis and I watched Prince Caspian. I was surprised how good of a movie that was. Now I have to read the Chronicles of Narnia again. It's probably been a good twenty years or more since I read it.

Sunday, all I wanted for Mother's Day was breakfast at my favorite buffet, Joe's Inn in Bon Air. It's so popular that even when it's not a holiday, it's best to get there a few minutes before they open. It was yummy and worth the wait. I always get a plate of fruit and Belgian waffles covered in real butter and whipped cream. MMmmmmmm!  The weather was so fantastic that just going home after breakfast would have been a waste of a day. We went to Maymont Park to let the kids run themselves silly.

Maymont is a Gilded Age mansion and 100 -acre grounds in Richmond. It's beautiful, and HUGE. There's a Children's Barn with lots of animals, some wildlife that is being rehabilitated, and bears! We always have a good time there.

We started at the Children's Barn.

Wren got acquainted with a goat.

Noah learned about goats, too.

Then we found a large expanse of grass and we RAN!

"Look! There's Daddy!"

On our way back to the car, I checked out Maymont's vegetable garden, and got ideas I plan to steal for next year's garden.

Home in the afternoon for naps, then, and I decided to take myself out for a walk. The James River is high these days, what with all the rain we've been getting, and I really wanted to walk down by the rapids at Pony Pasture.  It was beautiful, sunny, breezy and not at all humid. The trails there are wide and flat, and there are a bunch of spur trails that make for fun exploring. I am definitely bringing my mountain bike back there this week to ride.

I didn't take my camera, so no pictures, but take my word for it, it was amazing.  The river was actually closed to general activities because it was high, so no swimming. I walked the 2.5 mile trail, and then found a seat on a huge rock with a good view of the upper rapids and just relaxed in the breeze.

We ended the day with huge cheeseburgers and milkshakes from Cheeburger Cheeburger, and a road trip on the scenic route to pick up Kira. The kids watched movies and Travis and I looked at all the gorgeous farms along the way.

Now the kids are all in bed, and I am headed there myself, soon. I'm happy to have had such a great day. I love my family so much!