Back to blogging

We've been home from vacation now for a week and I have yet to blog! Currently, I have SEVEN posts started but none completed. Ugh. I hate that unfinished feeling.

Lately I sit down to blog and even though I've already envisioned what I'm going to write, I inevitably lose my motivation.

So, in an effort to jump back into blogging and breathe some new life into the horn family chronicles, I'm stealing borrowing a play from my pal Jenny's playbook.

Instead of posting a detailed entry on a single subject, here's a smattering (great word, eh?) of our recent activities and endeavors.

1. Jam making: I've impulsively entered the world of home-canning! Unfortunately, I made a big mistake and left too much head space in the jars. So, now I have to re-can it. Shouldn't be too difficult though (famous last words). Thus far I've made 9 pint sized jars of luscious homemade strawberry jam from fresh-picked locally farmed berries. I simply can not describe how much yummier this jam is compared to store bought stuff. I have visions of canning much more yumminess this season!
   
2. Picking, picking, picking: No, I'm not referring to my children's dirty habits of booger removal. Lately I've been picking local farm fresh produce and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Picking, shelling, cleaning and EATING our food straight from a local farm has been highly addicting. Thus far I've picked strawberries, peas, and two varieties of raspberries. Blueberries are next on the picking agenda.
   
3. Solomon: He's growing fast, folks! Coming up on his 10 week birthday tomorrow already and weighing in at 13 lbs 7 ounces. Solly is quickly transitioning from newborn to a full-throttled infant. He's cooing and smiling up a storm. I'm a sucker for his grins! Not sleeping consistently through the night yet but I'm hopeful that milestone is around the corner. He's had several 5, 6 and 7 hour nighttime sleep stretches but our recent vacation messed him up nicely. Grrrr.
   
4. Gardening mania: We are gardening full-force this year and I couldn't be more excited about it! Since our backyard soil is awful, Matt built 11 raised garden beds. Five big beds and six smaller ones. One of the beds is exclusively Chloe's and she's growing carrots, beets, radishes and peas. The rest of the garden is planted with leaf lettuce, zucchini, squash, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, eggplant, blueberry bushes, asparagus and I don't know what else. I was in the throes of post-partum zombieland when the garden needed to be started so Matt was the motivated sower and chooser of seeds. I also have a small potted herb garden which includes basil, oregano, mint, thyme, and cilantro. It is pure delight to pick fresh basil for quiche, pasta sauce, or caprese salad (one of my summer faves). I feel like a moron for not knowing what the plants look like which yield the foods I've eaten for 30+ years. It's educationally liberating and empowering in a weird way to be able to identify the plants, leaves, flowers, and fruits which give way to familiar veggies. How very sad that the process of growing, planting, and cultivating has been so completely removed from food consumption! I'm certain the average American kid thinks food comes from the grocery store and is clueless regarding the steps necessary to produce said food.
   
5. Summer schedule: Matt is a teacher. You know what that means, don't ya? THREE full months off each summer!!! WOO-HOO! Having Matt home most weekdays is an incredible and indescribable blessing. I am so spoiled. And thankful.
6. Potty training: Clive is potty-trained! Mostly. He's still working on going #2 consistently in the right place. Somehow, our vacation to Wisconsin helped rather than hindered our potty-training efforts. Though he had his share of accidents while we were away, Clive did surprisingly well. And now he's in big boy undies all day long and rarely has an accident! Still doing diapers for naptime and bedtime of course. I realize we're still a long way from Clive being fully trained but this is an encouraging and positive step towards that end!
7. Vacation: Had a spectacularly enjoyable time visiting the family matriarchs in Wisconsin. We were away for two full weeks and I am amazed at how well the kiddos adjusted to new routines and settings. Loads of pictures chronicling our visit in FB.

So now we're all caught up! Ah. And now I can retire to bed in peace. :)

What have you been up to in the month of June?

Mommy Hair Salon

Today as I noticed again the heavy mop of hair dampening Chloe's neck with sweat, I was moved to do something drastic. Poor Chloe has inherited my hair to a tee. Thick, slightly wavy, and a dark blond/light brown in color our shared hair color is known as "dishwater blond".

Though I've tried somewhat to keep Chloe's hair off her neck during these sweltering summer days, it's to no avail. Braids, ponytails, and pigtails (with accompanying barrettes) are almost never strong enough to keep her hair away from her face and off her neck. By the end of the day, "scraggly" and "ragamuffin" are apt adjectives for Chloe's appearance.

So, this afternoon we set up an impromptu mommy hair salon on the front porch. I know, I'm impulsive. And you already know I'm cheap. Dishing out $10 for a kid haircut is not even a consideration to me. Sometimes my impulsivity (is that a word?) leads to really stupid decisions and mistakes.

Don't worry, this haircut doesn't fall into the stupid category. :)

Thankfully, the one time I previously cut Chloe's hair was a huge success. Ergo, I went into this haircutting venture with confidence. Ironically, because of Chloe's hair texture, it's very forgiving to the amateur hair cutter. Choppy cuts and slightly jagged lines look good in her hairstyle.

Let me tell you, Chloe LOVED every moment of the home hair salon experience! She set everything up and helped me think of all the tools we needed. We even included the small talk banter typical of a regular hair salon experience.

After much cutting, trimming and fixing the finished product is a hit! I was trying for a nice short bob that would lie above Chloe's neck and keep her cool during our humid midwestern summer.

Whew! Thank the Lord it turned out well! Chloe loves it, I love it and so does Matt. (Before and after pictures posted below).

When Chloe asked if she could have a turn cutting my hair I politely declined. :) Let's hope when she plays hair salon in the future she doesn't do any real cutting. Then I might have to put away my mommy shears and chalk this one up to a "live and learn" mommying moment.

Where do you get your kids' hair cut? Or do you trim their locks at home?