Kids, Lakes, Loons and Pines

Carrot Tomato Soup

 

We have had a week of unseasonable warm temperatures here in Northeast Minnesota.  This weekend was perfect for just about anything!  Our family spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the fall colors on the leaves and the opportunity to keep the windows open just a little while longer.

At the end of the work week I was gifted with 3 gallon-bags full of garden carrots, clean and washed!  Early Saturday morning I gathered tomatoes from the garden and made a huge batch of Carrot-Tomato Soup, one of my cool-weather comfort foods.

I made my first batch of this soup years ago inspired by Amanda Soule's recipe on her blog.  Since then I have made a batch each fall using what I have on hand and what I am able to harvest from my garden.

Typically the Carrot-Tomato Soup that I make is a combination of:

• Onions, garlic, and celery sauteed in garlic oil
• Carrots - boiled in chicken or vegetable stock until tender
• Oven roasted garden tomatoes & basil

When the carrots are tender and the tomatoes are roasted I combine all the ingredients in a blender in small batches until pureed.

I use my pressure canner to put up as many jars as I can.  - If you choose to do this follow your canner's instruction manual.  I processed mine for 75 minutes.

When I am ready to serve this soup, I usually just warm it up, add a little bit of whole milk and serve with some good cheese and bread, with individual family members seasoning it to their taste - maybe a little salt and pepper or a little bit of ginger.

I love having this soup on hand, for a quick weeknight supper.  

I also love feeling that goes along with repetition of processes and experiences within the seasons from year to year.   I am becoming a more seasoned mother.  With each passing year I am filled with more and more gratitude for the blessings that abound in our family life.  

I am grateful today for a bountiful backyard harvest, for good friends, a loving family, good health and happiness.

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What are you grateful for?

 

 

 

5 Great Fall Read-a-Louds

One of my favorite parts of my day as a kindergarten teacher is story time.  I love sharing the love of reading with my students, and they love hearing stories.  I work to be intentional with the quality of literature that I share with my students and my own children.  We check out several books from the library each week, and I often order in books that I select through our inter-library loan option.  Sharing today some new-to-me books and some of my old favorites that are great fall reads:

 

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson is a fun and interactive book about a tree through all four seasons.  Kids get to touch, rub, and blow kisses to the tree as it changes page to page.

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger is a beautifully written book about a leaf in the fall who hesitates to let go from its branch.  I came across this book by chance and I very excited to read more books by this author.

Apple by Nikki McClure is a very simple book, with just one word per page, following an apple through the seasons. Nikki McClure's beautiful paper-cut illustrations complement this story, which is great to read in repetition or as an echo with a young child.

 

 

Nuts to You is a story about a sneaky squirrel.  This book has engaging illustrations and is fun to read.

Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow is one of our family favorites about a tiny family in the woods.  

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What great books have you been reading to a child lately?

 

Postcards from Northeast Minnesota - Fall

Sharing a couple of snapshots from this beautiful place in which I live.  

Welcome Autumn!  

Mama Megan's Green Smoothie

School has now been in session for over three weeks.  Needless to say, as a kindergarten teacher and mother of four I am exposed to a LOT of germs. 

A couple of months ago I started drinking green smoothies in the morning. This has been one small effort to be proactive with immune defense that has become a habit.

I am always working to find balance with my responsibilities, care for others, and care for myself.

Lately, I have been tapping into the power of kale.

Want to give it a try?  Here's my recipe:

Mama Megan's Green Smoothie

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 banana
• 1 loosely packed cup of kale greens
• 5 baby carrots
• 1 heaping tablespoon of vanilla greek yogurt    
• (optional) 1/4 cup frozen berries

Blend together to your desired consistency.  This recipe makes approx. 16 ounces.  (I usually share with my kids pouring their serving into 3 oz. paper cups.)

We are now over three weeks into the school year and I have been feeling really healthy.  Starting the day with this green smoothie can't hurt!

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Do you have a great smoothie recipe to share?  If so, please share it in the comment section below.

Slacklining With Kids (and a Slackwire Giveaway from ENO!)

What is slacklining?  Slacklining is a portable outdoor activity that puts the ideas of tightrope walking and bouncing on a trampoline together in a portable, simple, yet challenging activity that practices balance, focus, and coordination. 

We purchased an ENO Slackwire slackline at the beginning of the summer for outdoor play.  At first, it was a little too challenging but then we added a simple guide-wire.  For us this simply meant setting up the slackline parallel to our clothesline and tying a jump rope to one end to make it easy for the kids to pull down the guide-wire within reach for independent play.  This simple adaption makes slacklining fun for kids and beginner adults.  Now our slackline has turned into a daily go-to place for play.

Once you get your slackwire and guideline set up it's time to play!  Try these suggestions for kid-friendly slackline ideas, tips, and activities for outdoor fun on a slackline:

• Walk the Tightrope - Start by simply working to walk across the slackline without falling off using the guide-wire whenever needed.  As confidence, balance, and coordination build work to measure the distance or count the steps you take without the guide-wire. 

• Slackline Balance -  This can be done as an individual or as a competition.  Count how many seconds you can balance unsupported on the slackline or see who can stay on the line the longest.

• Slackline Trampoline - Jump!  Practice some tricks!  Start training for the Slackline World Cup!

• Play Slackline Champion -  This game was developed by our four kids.  The gist of the game?  Do everything you can to knock the other person off the line.  The last one standing wins!

• Slackline Obstacle Course - Create a backyard obstacle course with a slackline as one of the elements of the design.  

 Are you ready to start slackling with your family?  Then I've got great news!

ENO has generously offered to give away one Slackwire to a

Kids and Eggs reader!!!!!

This is a $69.95 value!

So enter NOW! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

five - the not quite perfect party.

***Just want to be clear about things right away.  The cupcakes on the left were handed to me at the end of the day by our amazing childcare friend for our birthday boy, the cake on the right is the half-thawed freezer cake that the mama picked up from the grocery store.***

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We have a new five year-old in the house!  His "real" birthday just happened to fall on a busy Wednesday with the daddy out of town for work, that meant this mama was flying solo in her efforts to make this day special at home.

On stretches of days that I am on my own with the kids I develop much compassion and empathy for single parents.  But, I also do remind myself, most single parents are not taking care of four children, 40 some chickens, two hives of bees, a eighty pound German Shepherd, and 16 kindergartners.

I try to cut myself a little slack.

When the daddy is away, I get worn out quick.  Going into the week I was not aiming for perfection.

And I am glad I wasn't.  My efforts for a little Wednesday night celebration were a flop.

I had hopes to have a somewhat peaceful meal together and cake on his real birthday.

The reality was that we had buttered noodles, a dog eating off the table, crying and fighting, and half-thawed freezer cake, with the option of perfect cupcakes for a second dessert.

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Things did not go as I would have liked them to go, but, what I do know is that this little five year old child is loved by his mama and daddy, sister and brothers more he can ever imagine.

That is the greatest gift that we can give him on his real birthday this year.

Not quite perfect, but full of love.

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Cultivating Intention, Mindfulness & Joy - Guest Post

I have a guest post up on hunteryoga.com.  Check it out here.

Happy Wednesday, may it be filled with joy!

Make a Pom Pom - Tutorial

Making pom poms are fun, and are an easy way to let young children experience quick success with a yarn project.  Here is a simple tutorial to get you started:

Materials:

yarn

a fork (we used a large serving fork, but a smaller size works too - the bigger the fork, the larger the pom)

sharp scissors 

Wrap the yarn around the fork to desired thickness.  Once you make a few you will get a good feel of what you need to make a full pom pom.

 

Snip about 4 inches of the yarn off the skein.  Tie this piece with a double knot, vertically between your wound yarn on the fork.

 

Slide the yarn off the fork.

Use sharp scissors to cut the loops on each side of the knot.

Fluff up your creation.  You just made a pom pom!

This project is great for young children (ages four and up) to practice their fine motor skills with gentle guidance from adults.  

Older and more independent children can do this with ease.  (If your child likes making band bracelets they will probably like this activity too!)

And grow-ups, don't be shy - give yourself permission.  Go make a pom pom!

Stay tuned for some more pom pom inspiration later in the week!

 

Good Tunes - The Okee Dokee Brothers

 

 

Do you like Bluegrass Music?

Do you have kids?

Check out the Okee Dokee Brothers!

Yesterday our family got to see this great family-friendly band at a local music festival and I wanted to take this opportunity to share them with you on Kids and Eggs!

The Okee Dokee Brothers band is made up of Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, childhood friends who share their passion for music and the outdoors.  

According to their website Joe and Justin record and perform family music with a goal to inspire children and their parents to get outside and experience nature. They believe this can motivate kids to gain a
greater respect for the natural world, their communities and themselves.

In our family's opinion - their music is pretty awesome.

 

They have three albums - Through the Woods, Can you Canoe?, and Take It Outside.  

Their album Can you Canoe? won a Grammy for Best Children's Music Album in the 55th Grammy Awards!

So if you haven't already - Check these guys out!

 

*images and video from http://okeedokee.org