3 Reasons Why Family Camp Was Just What We Needed

 I have good memories of going off to summer camp as a kid.  But my own family hadn't had a chance to go away to a camp until this past weekend.  And I'm so glad we went.  Here are three reasons why.

1.  The Fresh Air and Scenery

Where we live the land is flat and not particularly interesting.  There are no lakes, rivers, or ponds in our community, nor are there many flowers around, even after all the snow melts.  So it was lovely to enjoy the view at the water's edge and see the green hills of the Qu'Appelle Valley on our way there and back.  I spent many hours roaming the grounds with my youngest daughter and skipping rocks at the shoreline of the lake while my other children explored and collected rocks and shells.

2. The Food

I was unsure what to expect from the dining hall.  Memories of camp food from my childhood did not inspire me to expect much.  However, the volunteers at our camp made some fantastic meals and evening snacks for us.  The highlight was fresh donuts.  Move over Tim Horton's. Eunice makes some of the best in the country!

3.   The Freedom!

The best feature for me and my husband was that our kids were not always with us.  Not only that, I was free from my household responsibilities like preparing meals and doing laundry, while my husband was able to leave his job responsibilities at the office for the whole long weekend.  So we relished the opportunities to listen to Bible teaching twice a day while our children were engaged elsewhere in the children's program.  And there were other moments to sit and talk when our kids were busy playing and running around the campground.  We came back truly refreshed.

What are your summer camp memories?

Do you have a favorite spot you like to go for getaways?

I'm sharing this at the Pintastic Pinteresting Party and Thrive at Home Thursdays.

Great Read-Aloud Books to Fire the Imagination

Though our children are now school age (save one), we still believe in reading to them.  My husband has a knack for picking great books to read.  On our honeymoon, he read The Chronicles of Narnia to me.  And he finally read the Narnia series to our children this past year.  But we did not stop there.  We've developed an evening ritual of Daddy reading to the family, and more often than not, we can be found entering the imagined worlds found in the pages of a book.  It is delightful for all of us.

Books We've Read Together: 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The story of Edward proved captivating, as the main character was gradually transformed by his experiences and hard knocks. This book was actually one of the choices in the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program, though that is not where my husband got his copy.  Sadly, my daughter chose a graphic novel over this, but I think she might choose differently after hearing it read.



The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

We read this tale on a long road trip to Canada.  When he drove, I read, and vice versa.  Hearing it together was a thrilling way to travel.

A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy 

My husband just started reading this trilogy by Mark Helprin to the children. While it is a bit above my five-year-old's comprehension, he still enjoys the reading ritual that has been established. So far we're getting the background to the main story, and I look forward to discovering how the plot unfolds.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 

While having our garage sale this summer, we discovered that a 12-year-old friend from our church had never read these classic fantasy books, though she had read The Hunger Games. What a travesty! We immediately thrust our well-loved set into her arms. And then my husband ordered a new set (Book One Through Book Seven) for us to devour again. 

 
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  by Roald Dahl   

My 5-year-old son absolutely loved this book, as did the rest of us. Prior to reading the book aloud together,  I had only seen the movie version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which is also a classic. We watched the movie after finishing the book. And then we read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

 

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 

I thought this book might be a little scary for my son, but he mostly enjoyed it along with his older bug-loving sisters. The movie was a bit too intense for him at points, but diverged from the book considerably, and was therefore more palatable to young viewers than the original story would have been.

  

The 13 Clocks by James Thurber  

The theme of heroism rings through the absurdity of the language and the ordeals that the protagonist encounters. This book was an unexpected treat, and demonstrated to me again why it is wonderful to have a husband who excels at selecting great children's literature.

Their Imaginations Will Thank You 

Perhaps this list will inspire you to search the shelves of your library or bookstore and slake your family's thirst for stories.  These books would also make great holiday gifts for other families with school-age children.  But the key is to invest time as a family reading together, entering other worlds and gaining new perspectives as we strengthen our imaginations via the written word.

 

10 Things I Miss from the U.S.A.

Summer 2012: We set up a lemonade stand and yard sale in the blazing heat.

Our impossibly difficult summer move from Nebraska to Canada was not a triumphant experience.   Yet we slogged through the shedding, packing, and painting and made it north somehow.  We are resolved to never again allow the forces of chaos overwhelm us to such an extent.  By necessity, much of the extra clutter we I had amassed and stuffed in closets is gone from our lives, and I am glad.

Such a complicated summertime transition has meant less time for other pursuits, like kitchen experiments, crafts, and social media.  Hopefully as we settle in we can have space to breathe and live at a sustainable pace.

As we adjust to life in a small college town on the prairie, I am missing some of the blessings we had to leave behind, such as:

1. Extended family being a day's drive away

2. The friends we made in Nebraska

3. Delving deep into the Bible with other women at BSF

4. Lower cost of living

5. Eligibility for recipe contests

6. Nebraska farmers markets

7. Bike paths and the various wild foraging opportunities we had along them

8. Grocery stores in our neighborhood

9. Owning a house

10. Relatively mild winters (I've heard former Canadians talk of "summer coats" up here!)

That being said, we are happy about the Canadian approach to health care and education.  I am looking forward to finding a solid church this fall and going berry picking eventually.   Very soon I intend to connect with one of the local "mom and tots" groups.

After living in Vietnam, Chicago, and Nebraska as a growing family, we get to adjust once more to living in this semi-foreign part of the world known as Saskatchewan.  We've enjoyed a very warm welcome here; now it is time to expand and deepen the connections that have begun.

Saskatoon berry tart from a local bakery

Our First Nebraska Apple Orchard Trip

The long-awaited opportunity came this week.   My son's preschool class had a field trip to a local apple orchard.  My daughters enjoyed their orchard visits when they were in preschool as well. However, I had other youngsters at home then, so I was not free to go--until now.

My son was thrilled to ride the bus that he had heard so much about from his sisters.  Can you tell?

We selected a couple of apples to take home.

Stopping to pick and eat raspberries was delightful.

Each child also got to pick out a pumpkin.

And hay bales kept kids busy until lunch.

In all, we had a wonderful morning together.  I was so glad to finally get the chance to experience the orchard with one of my children.  And I brought home some fresh, cold apple cider to share with the whole family.  A truly blissful day it was.

What field trips from your childhood do you recall with fondness?

This is linked to Try New Adventures Thursday, hosted by Alicia.

Black Cherry Lemonade Mixer: A Healthy Drink Recipe

For the first time ever, I bought some 100% black cherry juice.  Intrigued by the health benefits of cherries, I tasted it and decided to find a way to mix it with other flavors to create something more drinkable.   We still have a cut watermelon in our refrigerator from the 4th of July, so I used some of the juice to balance the strong black cherry flavor. 

 

 Here's what I mixed:

• Black cherry juice
• Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Water (or seltzer water), chilled
• Watermelon juice
• Maple syrup

Directions:

Mix lemon juice, water, and maple syrup to taste, until you have a good lemonade.  Add equal amounts of watermelon juice and black cherry juice.  Stir and enjoy!

I'm also linking to Pennywise Platter Thursday at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Adding a Pet to Our Family: Introducing...Mocha!

Exactly one month ago, we welcomed a beautiful addition to our family.  She's a year old already, and her name is Mocha.

Though I was a little reluctant to have another body in the house to feed and care for, she's been a good fit for our family.  As a young girl, I always wished for a cat of my own; as an adult I thought a pet would cost more money and energy than it was worth.  I was wrong about that.  My husband, who grew up with pets, knew she would be good for the kids.  Though I won't ever be sending her to a pet spa, we're very glad she's become a part of our home and family.

Painting Themselves Silly

On the week of my daughter's birthday, we decided it would be fun to take the family to a paint-your-own-pottery shop here in town.  To save on the cost, we let the kids each pick out a piece of pottery and had fun watching their creativity in action.  A week later, after the pieces were glazed and fired, we picked up our hand-painted ceramic pieces.

 

My husband and I are already planning to return on a date night so we can try painting for ourselves.  Not that we get out that often, but still it's refreshing to have alternatives to dinner and a movie, isn't it?

 

Painted donut prior to firing

Final result: A glazed donut

I'm linking up with fellow adventurers at Try New Adventures Thursday this week!

Class Field Trip: Going as a Parent for the First Time

Last fall my husband offered to watch our youngest while I volunteered in our daughter's kindergarten class every other week.  Getting to know her classmates and seeing her teacher and classroom in action has been invaluable.  A few weeks ago,  it was announced they were going on a field trip in May.  I wondered if I should try to go. 

There have been many class field trip opportunities for each of my daughters, especially when they were in preschool.  They've visited apple orchards, pumpkin patches, museums and nature parks.  But since younger siblings weren't allowed on the trips, I had never gone along as a chaperone. Until last Thursday. I decided to step out in faith and sign up to go with them to the farm. 

 

If I went, however, I needed to find someone to watch my son for most of the day.  Thankfully, a kind friend from church was willing and available to take him.  This enabled me to go on my first field trip ever as parent!   And it was a perfect day of sunny skies and adorable kindergarteners and animals.  I am so glad I was there for it all!

Going Local at Tastee Inn & Out

 

Update: If you live locally, you can grab a Groupon deal for Tastee Inn today! 

For the first year or so we lived in our neighborhood, I would pass by an old 50's-era drive-in restaurant with it's vintage sign unlit.  The chipping paint seemed to indicate that the place had closed down years ago.  But this was not so, a friend informed me.  My foodie curiosity was piqued.  Was this apparent dive actually a hidden local gem?  I decided to be adventurous and find out. 

It's not your average chain restaurant decor...

If you like onion rings, try the onion chips with creamy dip.

A Tastee sandwich is made from loose ground beef and comes with mustard and a pickle.

The "tastee" sandwiches we sampled were indeed unique.  I would call them one-of-a-kind even.  The sandwiches (but not the hot dogs) are clearly the reason this no frills establishment has stayed in business.  I am already plotting when I might return for another taste.

Disclosure: This review was written before I knew about the Groupon deal today.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains referral links for Groupon.  I will receive compensation if you purchase a Groupon through the links above.