Screams Like a Banshee, With the Memory of an Elephant

My littlest monkey is quite the communicator.  He doth speaketh much!  He dost also screameth much, but we are working on that :-)

I love this kiddo so much! One thing that really strikes me about this little man, is his memory.  It is amazing how he can recall events that happened months ago.  He is just 2!

Earlier this week, he said something about riding on the swing and seeing the geese. At first, I was like what? Is this some imaginary game or did he have a dream he is telling me about?  Then it dawned on me that he was talking about something that happened back in May!

We were at a state piano competition with our two middle monkeys and Music Man brought the two little monkeys outside to play.

And they were swinging and checking out the geese.

So, the little man was telling me about one of his favorite memories.  How sweet!

Or maybe he was trying to tell me how terrified he was of the geese.  Maybe, he has inherited my phobia of these feathered beasts!  They terrify me!  One tried to eat me when I was 3 years old.  Not really, but it did bite me, or peck me, or something vile like that.  And I have never gotten over it!

I want a bumper sticker that says, "Honk if you Hate Geese!" Haha...get it.."Honk"...oh, never mind!  I need coffee, or a lobotomy, or something.


"Honk",

Melissa

Eating the Alphabet - Letters "E", "F" and "G"

What?  Did you think that I forgot about the whole eating the alphabet mission?

Well, I didn't.  In fact, I have eaten the alphabet and then some.  Ahem...scales do not lie...

So, for "E" we have enjoyed...Edamame, which is a really rad green veggie that makes the littlest monkey very happy. He loves to take the tiny soy beans out of their pods and pop them in his mouth. 

"F" is for flax.  Which has a sneaky way of making it into our hamburgers and smoothies.  It has those Omega 3's that we all need.

Finally, "G" is for garbanzo beans.  I can't help but think of Gonzo from the Muppets whenever I say garbanzo beans.  I have issues.

 These beans are great when you toss them in some olive oil and sprinkle them with cumin.  Then, I pop them in a pepper and the bean feast is on!

 Hugs,

Melissa

The Summer Scene

A Planter After My Own Heart

I am smitten.  No really, I am.

There is this amazing planter that I would love to have in my life.  Check this out:

This is one of the smartest container gardens that I have ever seen.  And in my opinion, container gardening is were it is at in Central Florida.

You see the ground here in our neck of the swamp is basically a bear.  The soil is sandy and very nutrient poor.  And there are wicked, evil, nasty weeds.  Oh, and the fire ants...bad. to. the. bone. 

And the icing on the cake is that this planter has....

WHEELS!!!!!

How awesome is that?  Really, this is one clever design. I would love to have several of these in my backyard to grow vegetables and herbs in. 

Hugs, 

Melissa

DIY Liquid Handsoap

"Wash the fellowship off of your hands", is something that I often say to our monkeys.  After church, youth group, ballet, martial arts, science center outings, you name it.  It's a germy world out there and germs are not welcome here.

Since it seems as if you have to have a chemistry degree to decipher most of the ingredients on the back antibacterial liquid soaps, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own liquid soap.

Here is what it entails:

Take one foaming-type hand soap dispenser (mine were recycled).  Fill it 1/4 of the way with liquid castile soap (I buy mine at the Vitamin Shop or Whole Foods), add 3-4 drops of essential oil (lavender or lemon grass), and fill the dispenser the rest of the way with filtered water.

One dispenser full of this soap lasts a little over a week in our high traffic bathrooms.  It costs pennies to make each batch.  It is necessary to use a foaming-type dispenser because the liquid soap is very thin and can be easily wasted in a regular type of dispenser. 

I love this hand soap because it is economical, non-toxic, effective and easy to make.

My monkeys love it because it is foamy and it smells great.

Hugs,

Melissa

I Love Me Some Prairie Home Companion

Ahh...the sound of Garrison Keillor's voice on a Saturday afternoon makes my heart swoon.

I absolutely love a good story and when you tune into "A Prairie Home Companion" on the radio that is just what you get, right along with some side splitting jokes, awesome tunes and sage wisdom.

Photo courtesy of PHC website

I was introduced to one of my favorite music artists, Sarah Watkins, via the show.  She even hosted a show this year.

Last Saturday's broadcast had a hilarious little ditty about high school graduation open houses.  I laughed so hard that I almost ran a red light and nearly peed my pants (not necessarily in that order).  Funny stuff.

How about you?  Do you tune into PHC on the weekends? Do you ever wish that you were from Lake Wobegon where, "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average"?

Hugs,

Melissa

This Is How He Rolls

Our youngest monkey lives life to the fullest.

He never misses a beat.  And he is loud.  Really loud. And he is in constant motion.  Constant.

The only quiet moments in this child's life are when he was first born (literally, no sound, just wide-eyed and looking around) and when he sleeps.

He has an imagination that is pretty uncanny for his age.  I call his brain the Imagination Station. 

Each day is an adventure for monkey boy. Like the other day, when I looked back at him in his carseat, and saw this:

Yep, those are flippers on his feet. 

That is just how he rolls. 

Hugs, 

Melissa