Free Things I Love To Do In The Summer

Kids are freaking expensive, and places where you usually bring your kids for entertainment can be REALLY expensive - hence why we've never been to Underwater World (See here for ticket prices) or Valley Fair or to the rides at the Mall of America or even to the Minnesota Zoo without someone that has a membership. 

Am I denying my child a fun childhood? NO.

I'm being a smart parent that likes to save money.

So we do other things instead.

Saint Louis Park offers free concerts in the park on Wednesday nights.

I did end up buying a pool pass for each of us, however, we've used it 5 times in a week so that's already paid for itself. 

The local neighborhood park is always entertaining.

We bike to Lake Calhoun and stop at the parks around the lake, bring a snack/lunch/drinks and people watch. 

The LIBRARY. OMG. It's the best. I swear, I come home with two new books to read and The Monkey comes home with BAGS full of books. Do they all get read? Not every week but we sure do have fun picking out books - her current favorites are the Fancy Nancy series and all books by Mo Willems (if you haven't heard of Knuffle Bunny, you need to get on that shit, best kids' book series ever!). 

We also just bought a new tag-along bike trailer so The Monkey can sit and pedal along (it's called a WeeHoo). It doesn't have the storage like the full-on bike trailer but it sure is easier to ride and a heck of a lot more fun. Bimmer Man can get up to 17 miles per hour (probably even faster if we were really biking) and I was going along at 13 mile per hour around Lake Calhoun - one guy was happy enough to give us our speed and an enthusiastic thumbs up to The Monkey for being an awesome "biker."

LEGOS. Our basement looks like The Lego Movie. 'Nough said.

Gardening in our yard. The Monkey is happy with a shovel, a bucket, a rake, and a garden hose. Dirty? Yes. Memorable? Yep. I'm starting to teach her how to identify plants. So far she knows a few herbs, lilies, tomato plants, and butterfly bush. And yes, she's only 3.

Cooking/Baking. She helps dump all the ingredients into the bread machine to make bread. She smashes eggs (please note, I didn't write "crack" eggs), stirs what needs to be stirred, scoops cookie dough onto cookie sheets, and is a pretty great "helper" in the kitchen. 

Splashpad. It's free for residents. Generally The Monkey only lasts 15 - 25 minutes anyway, so we don't go as often. Andplusalso because it's free it gets busy and the older kids can be a little nuts. Some parents don't actually watch their kids and the older kids ruin the fun of the younger kids. 

CLEANING. Put your kid to work. I give The Monkey a cloth and a squirt bottle of water and I just say... "Have fun cleaning! You said you were bored!" It doesn't last long... but I also haven't heard "I'm bored!" in quite a few weeks.

Sooo... there's my list of ideas of things to do that are free (or mostly free if you already have the supplies). Summer is a ton of fun and I really like to make sure that we're enjoying the great days outside when we can. I LOVE summer... and I LOVE to enjoy these days while we can - because in the middle of winter I really do miss the 90 degree days of the summer!

Crochet Boot Cuffs

Bah. Photographing crochet and getting it listed on Etsy can be tough. Take photos? Sure! I've got time for that, but actually list items and make a description... bane of my existence. I'm horrible at describing things. I just am. What can I say? They're made of yarn. They're soft. They fit 15 inch calves. And um, well, that's about it. HA. 

In any case, most of these are now listed on Etsy. After coming up with a description I actually like, I just copy and paste, unless I've used thinner yarn or something. Why can being creative be so difficult?

Take a look. If you like what you see, then buy!

I'm thinking at some point I may post patterns, some I've been inspired by others but mostly I crochet as I go and keep the pattern in memory. 

I saw a super cute crochet wrap bracelet that I've been working on the past two days. I somehow need to make it adjustable with just one button but I don't think I can, I may have to add another button and make some measurements. Meh, we'll see how ambitious I am after The Monkey wanted to play at 1:30 am. 

Toddlers, go figure, right?

Help Me With Growing Grass

This is the part of our backyard where the dogs play. They tear up the grass, rough house, roll around and pretty much ruin the grass. I've taken the liberty of showing you the WORST spot in our yard.

Why?

Well, because I need some help. How in the world do I grow grass here? You can tell that I'm experimenting with grass seed - I spread out a bag of black dirt, tossed some seed and kept it watered. This is after a week. I just don't know if it's worth it to do the rest of the dead part or not. Well, unless there is some secret grass that holds up to dogs (anyone know?).

I think I'm going to rope it off next week and throw down more black dirt and try to seed the rest of the dead spots. GAH. It's just grass - I shouldn't care too much, but I just HATE when Rusty comes in with muddy paws.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I tried to embrace the mud but I just can't do it anymore. I'm not a fan.

Happy 4th of July!!

Yeah, sorry. I've been getting distracted lately by the AWESOME weather. It's been warm, sunny and just perfect to work outside, sit outside and read, cook on the grill, swimming at a friend's pool. Minnesota in the summer is the BEST. So I apologize for not sharing in the fun.

But I have a problem in my garden - my Clematis died. Again. This is the only plant that I kill outside. Continuously. Well, besides the tomatoes that I had to replant. Whoops. Mostly because I don't think the Clematis is in a spot where the soil drains well. I think I'm going to have to go to Sunnyside Gardens and get another one and then plant it right next to the house on a trellis since that soil seems to drain well. GAH. Gardening. It never ends!

Recipes I've made:
Mostly brats on the grill. Who wants to see pictures of brats? Well, not me.
Potatoes AND asparagus on the grill (this is sort of a weekly staple in our house in the summer, I never bother taking pictures because otherwise I'd be posting the same thing over and over again - just seasoned with salt, pepper and Moroccan spices for both veggies)
Chicken on the grill - seasoned with Mediterranean seasoning and sprinkled with lemon juice
Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast

See - I'm boring when it's nice outside. But I found a recipe for Cherry Crisp, so I think I'm going to run to the store and pick up another bag of cherries and maybe make that for dessert tonight. Simple, but delicious!

Happy 4th of July - be safe with the fireworks and hope that everyone's day is AWESOME!

Oh, Man. Rain & Fish.

I've totally been feeling off my rocker lately. Not only has Cora-Bumi-Steve been with us for almost two weeks, but this weather is driving me INSANE.

 Ok, so that's C-B-S in the background, she is super cute, right? ADORABLE is more like it. And here's Rusty. He sort of looks proud of himself... for something... I don't know what. It kind of looks like he killed C-B-S and brought her to me for a gift but no - he sees a camera and he sits for you. Strange dog.

In any case - the rain has been around, the clouds have been around and it seems as if Spring has taken over Summer. I'm done with Spring. Give me my Summer back, please. I'm tired of muddy footprints, frizzy hair and dreary clouds.

Today is the next CSA box, which I'm super excited for. I'll have more recipes soon. From my email earlier this week this is what's in the box:

French Breakfast Radishes

Garlic Scapes

Italian Parsley

Kohlrabi

Napa Cabbage

Rainbow Chard

Red Butterhead Lettuce

Red Leaf Lettuce

Scallions

Strawberries

Oh, and the whole entire point to this post which I probably NEVER would have gotten around to had I not put "fish" in the title:

Cora-Bumi-Steve's owners brought us FRESH FISH FROM THE FAMOUS PIKE PLACE FISH MARKET IN SEATTLE. IT'S LESS THAN 18 HOURS OLD. Ok, I mean this fish was pulled out of the ocean to its death for me to eat less than 18 hours ago. It was not caught, flash frozen and shipped to Cub Foods to be thawed and colored. How awesome is that for a thank you gift? Eep, I know what I'm making for dinner tonight!

Indy 500 Checklist: Update #1

Phew. I'm making progress. Slowly but surely. I can't clean the floors until Saturday night - the dog gets them dirty. So my timeline is posted below my list.

1. Kegs - Mich Golden Light &  Rush River IPA

2. Food: Pasta salad, fruit salad, veggies + three dips, bruschetta, pulled pork sandwiches, homemade BBQ sauce, Black bean salsa, regular salsa, chips, hummus & pita chips, maybe cous cous something or other?

3. Desserts: Margarita cupcakes, brownies, key lime bars again? Maybe Mississippi Mud Cupcakes?

4. Clean the floors with Bona. Make them pretty


5. Set out rugs at doors so people take their shoes off

6. Clean up the back patio, get outdoor rug so people can go barefoot if they want

7. Dog water dishes

8. Clean the bathrooms, make sure two kegs fit in bathtub

9. Clean kitchen (and really clean it, don't just "wipe it down")

10. Purchase $30 vacuum that works then go and return it. (Ok, mostly kidding on this one but I do need a vacuum)

11. Get pile of crap ready for THE GREAT SWAP

12. Realize that I will need to accept this day as insane and start the day off with a mimosa or similar drink.


Timeline for Party Prep:

Friday: Grocery shop, de-clutter
Saturday: Pasta salad, margarita cupcakes, brownies, bruschetta, THE GREAT SWAP
Saturday night: Pulled pork, plate all the salsas & veggie dips (cover tight with plastic wrap), more cleaning, vacuum out the vents for people with allergies & change furnace filter, dust, move furniture, floors
Sunday morning: Fruit salad, cous cous, slice french bread, Swiffer, fill up the TP holders, etc... Sit down, drink beer and don't forget to make the bed

Indy 500 Checklist

1. Kegs - Mich Golden Light & Surly

2. Food: Pasta salad, fruit salad, veggies + three dips, bruschetta, pulled pork sandwiches, homemade BBQ sauce, Black bean salsa, regular salsa, chips, hummus & pita chips, maybe cous cous something or other?

3. Desserts: Margarita cupcakes, brownies, key lime bars again? Maybe Mississippi Mud Cupcakes?

4. Clean the floors with Bona. Make them pretty

5. Set out rugs at doors so people take their shoes off

6. Clean up the back patio, get outdoor rug so people can go barefoot if they want

7. Dog water dishes

8. Clean the bathrooms, make sure two kegs fit in bathtub

9. Clean kitchen (and really clean it, don't just "wipe it down")

10. Purchase $30 vacuum that works then go and return it. (Ok, mostly kidding on this one but I do need a vacuum)

11. Get pile of crap ready for THE GREAT SWAP

12. Realize that I will need to accept this day as insane and start the day off with a mimosa or similar drink.