Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

This was the extremely pleading request of my almost-three-year-old today.  "Can we PLEASE go on an adventure??!"  I decided that visiting the DMV, although necessary and ripe with people-watching opportunities, did not qualify as an exciting kids' adventure. I've had this idea up my sleeve all summer, and today seemed like the perfect day, not to mention one of our last summer days, to have an OUTDOOR SCAVENGER HUNT!  After rather expeditiously renewing our license plate registrations at the secretary of state's office, I took all three girls to a local forest .  I gave them each a list, a pen, and a camera*, and a super-fun afternoon ensued.  (*Lilianna Carson actually left her camera in the car, but that turned out to be all for the best.) It was a perfect afternoon for old and young alike. Here is the list I gave to my older girls: Can you find…. ·         Something beautiful ·    ...

So there we were in an average, over-priced hotel room while buckets and buckets of rain dumped down on the outside world.  We were just about to put on our bathing suits and head down to the unexceptional hotel swimming pool when my oldest daughter blurted, without thinking, "I don't even mind having a baby sister if I still get to go swimming with my Mom!" I wondered how long she had been waiting to say something like that.  Earlier that afternoon the two of us had climbed into the car and driven less than an hour away where we checked into a hotel and headed out to do some shopping.  She had hardly stopped talking since we left the house.  At one point she paused to take a big breath and then carried on telling me about everything important that happened in fourth grade, things I had never even imagined.   There weren't any toddlers to chase or sighing eight year olds to console.  All of my attention was focused...

There really is no excuse for this.  We have been back in the US for over two years now, and we have a local, hometown baseball team.  But we just hadn't taken our poor children out for an evening of watching America's favorite pastime.  They were seriously deprived... but that was so last week.  Now they have experienced the thrill of a minor league baseball game. We paid six bucks each to sit on the lawn and watch the game.  It was worth the price of admission when Mama got a little choked up after a Vietnam veteran invited us all to stand for the national anthem, which was played by a lovely brass band.  My kids have stopped asking, "Mom, why are you crying?" because I do it so frequently.  (Watching the Summer Olympics has been a complete sob-fest incidentally.)   All of the kids decided the best thing about the game was the stadium food.  My daughter Emma will totally appreciate my posting this very attracti...

There are several recipes out there for "3-Ingredient Healthy Ice Cream."  Just so you know, this is NOT a particularly healthy recipe.  It is, however, very fun and easy enough for a two year old to make (with a little assistance).  We got this recipe from one of those Good Housekeeping magazines your mama gave us. Ingredients: 1 pint (which is 2 cups) of heavy whipping cream 1-14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk 1+1/2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract Directions:  Whip all of the above in the bowl of an electric mixer until it forms firm, stiff peaks.  (This will take at least 5 minutes.) Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan.  Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours.  Lick the beaters.  Stick your face in the bowl and lick that too while you're at it.  When you take it out of the freezer the next day, it will be very cold. You might be a little annoyed that your mama wants you to hold it while she takes a picture. ......

Perhaps you can imagine how thrilled my two year old was when Scooby Doo came to her house a couple of weeks ago.  It was so exciting; all of the grown ups were dressed in fabulous costumes.  Shortly before the party started, she asked me to put on her Pablo (from the Backyardigans) costume.  Of course I obliged, fastening all 77 snaps, then realizing I was off by one when I got down to her feet.  I was slightly frustrated by the time we got the costume on properly, but I felt it was important that she was involved in the fun.  Lili looked at herself in the mirror, giggled, and then, in one quick motion, tore open all of the snaps and declared, "Now I want to be a princess!!" "No."  was my simple answer.  I still had to get myself dressed and arrange all of the Scooby Snacks on the table. She settled for a princess night gown.  Still it was all very exciting and, as it turns out, also a little confusing. Everyday since I hostesse...