Hidden Haven 2015

Our 4th return visit to Hidden Haven didn't disappoint.  We had great weather for swimming and boating, a cabin with A/C which made for great sleeping, and the entire week was spent doing nothing but enjoying our family and the outdoors.  As far as fishing goes, we still have yet to "figure out" the lake.  I went off the grid and "unplugged" for the week.  No computer, no Facebook, no Instagram.  It was so great.  Furthermore, our family decided to have a screen free week.  The boys watched cartoons when they woke up early in the morning, but that was it.  Needless to say they didn't miss a beat and enjoyed every bit of being present in their surroundings.  Aunt Becca found the medallion in the scavenger hunt.  We missed out on ice cream and game day because it was a bit rainy and we went into town for a movie, but we'll sure to catch it next time.

We generally head to this resort every other year, but I wouldn't mind heading back every July!

Luther spent most of his days napping and snuggling with Grandma.  

A great day on the lake.  

The other half of the crew.  

Go fast!  

This is Wyatt's say cheese face.  

Give him a tractor, dirt and some shade and he's good to go.  

And only one girl...

Notice my child sticking out his tongue.  Nice.  

Everyone was talking about my white pants.  

This kid makes angels...snow, gravel or sand doesn't matter to him.  

This was a another fun day.  The outlaws escaped to the middle of the lake.  

Paddleboarding.  Just kidding.  These are kayaks.  Just checking to see if you read the captions.  

The melty beads were a good activity for downtime.  

Conrad sans dinosaur, with Noah.

Not a keeper.  

He had fun catching this one.  

Perfect.  

Campfire donuts are always a hit.  

Really, really, good.  

Minnesota love

We are taking full advantage of our summer - and it's only the beginning of July!  I'm so thankful that my back has healed and I can ride in the car, hike, and actually enjoy things without being in pain.  Amen!  Jake started with a week of baseball camp (awesome), Scott is coaching his team again this year (they are having a blast), and we've spent a good amount of time up north already.

On our first road trip of the season we took the boys to the north shore.  It was so much fun.  We stayed at a hotel with a pool/waterslide so of course that was awesome but we also packed in all of the north shore favorites.  New Scenic Cafe, Betty's Pies, Gooseberry Falls (I was a little tense exploring these falls with the boys), Splitrock Lighthouse (both of my boys aren't big fans of heights...tall skinny staircases to be exact) and if you go there be sure to watch the 20 minute film... along with plenty of agate hunting and rock skipping.  We had one rainy day when we headed even further north to Naniboujou Lodge.  We had a terrific lunch, caught up with family,  found a cool agate (which I am having made into a necklace), and scored one of my Aunt Nancy's famous cinnamon rolls.

Jake then spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa Jake (and learned to ride the 4 wheeler) until Nathan and I joined him again for a long weekend.  Scott spent the weekend in Iowa helping Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair in the moving process while Nathan kept me on my toes in the north woods (he's got a lot of land to explore and this kid is fearless).  We stayed busy collecting and feeding monarch caterpillars (Jacob would make the milkweed runs thanks to his new 4 wheeling skills) and had a fun time exploring the Mississippi headwaters.  Scott joined us early week and got in a good workout bailing hay before we headed south to Sarah and Mike's cabin where we celebrated Lydia's 3rd birthday, enjoyed swimming, fishing, and paddle boating and took in a 4th of July parade before heading home.

The boys are having a blast this week at Vacation Bible School and we've got plenty of time in the next couple of weeks for trips to the outdoor pool and some local excursions before a week of swimming lessons and a week at Hidden Haven to round out July.  Man, summer rocks.

Thanks for checking and hope you are enjoying your summer!

This kid surprised me...normally very cautious he was determined and fearless moving across those rocks!  

Way too close to the edge of the falls in my opinion.  

He pretty much had this pool to himself.  I wonder how many times he went down this slide.  

Naniboujou Lodge

That's just Nathan sitting in the Mississippi.

One of the best things about hotels...watching cartoons in bed.  

Minnesota at it's finest.  

A trip to the MN zoo - we took the kids to watch Flight of the Butterflies at the IMAX theatre.  It was awesome.  

Jacob's got this one figured out.  

The field before.

On the way to bale hay.  

A string of yellow lights

Today was one of those days.  Have you ever been driving down a street that has several street lights in a row?  Today felt like I was driving down that street and you just couldn't quite get the timing down.  It was like when you are driving and see the light turn yellow but are going too fast to stop but you know you have to otherwise you most definitely will run a red.  In a split second you debate the risk versus reward and decide YOU MUST STOP.  You come to an abrupt halt.  You stop, but only to find yourself halfway through the crosswalk where the poor pedestrian is trying to cross and looks at the crazy lady in the mini-van.  At that point you kind of wave and give them a "Sorry...I'm not as crazy as I look" cringe.  Then, you continue driving and the same darn thing happens at the next traffic light.

My "yellow lights" today involved Nathan stopping traffic (thank the Lord he didn't get run over) on a busy street because he decided he wanted to go to the park; losing Nathan AND my wallet while in in a store (I found both, thankfully); desperately trying to be that cool, calm, collected mom without raising her voice to encourage her kids to speak with kindness when they are bickering; having a conversation with a 7 year old about how it's okay to not do things "perfectly" because that is how we learn...only to find his little brother standing at the ice cream truck handing the lady his glass jar filled with coins that he just plucked off his dresser.  Parenting is not for wusses.  I know I'm not the only one that goes through this.  I'm just trying to figure out how to change gears and not let the rest of the day get the best of me.  At this moment, the boys are in their rooms for quiet time.

As I sit pondering my day, most of my thoughts are consumed with Nathan.  This boy keeps me on my toes and aside from needing to be more hands on, he just doesn't do things in the order or logical manner that I see the world.  Jacob was familiar to parent, because like me, he found comfort in schedules, routine, and knowing what to expect (he still does...ironically he and I are both working in the area of being flexible and being careful of setting expectations).  Nathan on the other hand is my creative, live in the moment, think outside the box boy.  Even as I am writing now, Nathan is the one yelling from his room "Mom, can I come down now?"  I also just heard a crash.  He fell off the stool as he was attempting to "borrow" a couple of legos from Jacob's shelf.  Jacob, on the other hand, is all snuggled in his bed still sleeping.  (Boys, if you are reading this years later, you are both amazing, gifted, talented sweet boys with amazing hearts and know that I love you both to the moon and back and thank you for the opportunity to teach me about patience, grace, and flexibility!)

The hard part for me is that no matter what they do / don't do, to not take it personally, and remain calm and consistent while not losing my cool or worrying that I might miss an important parenting moment and if I don't guide or correct the boys will never learn, or be concerned about what anyone else things of my parenting, tone, or the scene we are causing is drawing attention to the fact that I am wearing black leggings and my navy crocs.  (Who am I kidding, I wear my crocs all the time).

I hesitate to even complain or grumble about what a "hard day of parenting" it was.  Let's just call it venting, okay?  And not for a single second am I ungrateful for these beautiful gifts that God has entrusted us with.  Scott and I just need God's help doing it.  And I could really use Scott right now.  It's got to be close to 5, right?   I am so thankful for that man.  Remember, parenting isn't for wusses.

Now that I've had the opportunity to write a blog post (because it has to go somewhere), take a few deep breaths, say a prayer of thanks to God for keeping my family safe, and give thanks for my comfy home - I'm ready to press on through the rest of the day.  Bring on the yellow lights!

Spring cleaning: Spices

Like many of my fellow Minnesotans, I can't wait for spring to roll around.  

With warm weather comes spring cleaning.  Windows finally get opened and need to be cleaned, screens get put back on (or vacuumed off if you are like us and leave them on in the winter), planting begins, old leaves get raked up, new batches of mulch are hauled in, spring clothes get moved to the front of the closet (or, if you are like me the storage tubs get switched out).  Bottom line...there is a lot to do.  Personally, I find spring cleaning to be therapeutic (for some people the idea of cleaning puts them in therapy) but keep reading for an easy task.  

Spring cleaning can be overwhelming!  You may very well be tempted to move to the fridge, or the pantry, or the toaster cupboard where all of the crumbs have accumulated, or look at the leaves out front just waiting to be raked, or perhaps even write a blog post about your cleaning tips...but just stick to the task at hand.  Today, the project is simple.  Spices.  Cooking is more fun (and tasty) and it will give you a new appreciation for actually using your spices.  Although using out of date spices won't cause harm (from what I have read), they won't have the potency and flavor intended.  

Also, if you have children at home - this project is a great one to incorporate their help.  Let them smell each of the different spices (great sensory lesson) and give them small tasks of dumping, stacking, or sorting.  Win, win! 

So here we go:

Step 1:  Take out ALL of the spices in your storage space.  

Step 2:  Wipe down drawer or cupboard where you keep said spices.  If you are like me, you may consider sterilizing your drawer if you suspect you are looking at mice turds and not black peppercorns.  When we moved into this house old house a few years back, we found old evidence of a mouse.   Although we never caught one, we haven't seen any more evidence of them.  After today, I am not sure what to think.  I am just going to keep going.  And maybe reading about Runaway Ralph will help me think of mice in a new, happy light.

Step 3:  Check expiration dates.  Empty expired spices into garbage.  Recycle containers.  Combine duplicate spices.  For those of you that have a hard time with throwing out things...think of it as gaining valuable space.  If they have lost their spice, why keep them?

Step 4:  Put spices back in drawer.  And if you want to get really crazy, put them back in according to spice type. (Most used spices in front for easy access, pumpkin pie baking spices grouped together in back...now that is some Type A mentality for you!)

For those of you that don't have a drawer to store spices...try storing spice containers in a smaller storage tub (no lid) for easy access and easy clean up.  

In a short amount of time you've condensed, cleaned, and accomplished one spring cleaning task.  

Next week, Scott will be our guest blogger on how to spring clean your garage.  Wink, wink.  

Happy cleaning!