welcome to summer

welcome to summer party! found here!

summer is almost here!!  i am thrilled to have hendrix all to myself.  we opted out of any lessons, classes, or sports for the summer.   soccer was sort of a disaster (story for another time) so we learned our lesson and are going to wait another year or two before we commit to the daily/weekly shuffle to activities.  he's three so i think he's going to be okay. ha!  i do have a very loose list of summer plans and goals for our family, though.  what are your plans?  did you check out the list of free stuff happening in our area?  or did you see this list of places to visit in nebraska? 

here is what i have in mind for our family.....

make tents
eat smores
nurture our garden, so we can try these recipes
go on a roadtrip to somewhere in nebraska
be bored
go swimming
eat ice cream, popsicles, and other cold treats
go to the sarpy county fair
overdo it on watermelon
build our chicken coop
do free stuff
camp in the yard (we live on 180 acres, so there is plenty of "yard")
take part in the summer reading program at the library
build a sandbox for hendrix
hang a tire swing
run through the sprinkler
have potluck bbqs with our friends and family

forgot to make lunch

hendrix asked me what was for lunch.  it was 1 pm.  i had completely forgot to make lunch and we had a very empty pantry.  plus, i had a cold so i was in no mood to run to the store that morning. so here is what to make a for a hungry toddler.  thank god for gardens.

1 tortilla
small handful of cooked black beans
chopped spinach
shredded cheddar
cilantro

top tortilla with beans, spinach, and cheese.  bake until cheese melts and tortilla is crispy.  top with cilantro.  call it mexican pizza.  go back to sleep.

rhubarb crisp

it is windy and chilly today.  much more normal than the 90 degree weather last week.  so i finally made some rhubarb crisp.  cherry rhubarb crisp to be exact.  here's how you can, too.

cherry rhubarb crisp:
{filling}
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1 c. cold water
1 (21 oz.) can of cherry pie filling
1/2 t. almond extract
4 c. fresh, chopped rhubarb
{crust + topping}
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. oats
1/4 t. salt
1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter
1/4 c. chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans
preheat oven to 350 degrees. in saucepan, combine water, sugar, and cornstarch.  cook until thick.  stirring constantly.  once quite thick, remove from heat and stir in pie filling and almond extract. set aside to cool.  in food processor, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, salt, and butter.  scoop out half and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  top crust with rhubarb then cherry mixture.  add nuts to remaining crust mixture in food processor to make the topping and combine well. scatter topping over the crisp and bake for 40 minutes or until top is golden.  serve with ice cream or whip cream. enjoy!!

gardening + parenting

yesterday, hendrix and i planted some more carrots & beets. while, i was prepping the beds i asked him to fill a bucket with compost before we planted the carrots.  he replied, "because they're hungry?". promptly, he got a bucket and filled it without any help or questions.  i was amazed.  he has been displaying a lot of gardening and cooking knowledge, lately.  almost like it is second nature.  then it occured to me that the cooking and gardening that he and i have been doing his whole life was finally starting to rub off. he was getting it!! 
i visited with the ladies of the pathway program this week.  we focused on ways to get and keep their homes/lives organized.  as well as, how to work with their children to contribute thorough chores and meal prep.  we looked at ways to incorporate family calendars, chore charts, meal plans, and budget plans into their everyday lives. while, i was there one of the ladies shared with me that she had used some of my cooking tips (from our last class) with her children and they were now eating salmon*!! we all had a great time thinking of ways we could involve our children in the housework and what lessons they would take from it. 
....
if you are interested in gardening this week, why don't you check out the community garden at the heart ministry center on wednesday.  they'll be working and planting beginning at 5pm.

also, you can set up your own garden AND help the center by going to the plant sale.

*fyi: you can get a pretty good sized bag of frozen salmon for $4.99 at aldi.  and it is good!

my husband

mike has been busy planting corn.  it has been nuts.  he leaves the house around 6:45 am (i think. i'm not awake. ha!), goes to his office job, comes home around 5:45pm, eats dinner, and goes planting until about 9:15ish.  prior to planting, he was working late at the office gig since it is also their busy season.  he wasn't getting home until 7:30/8:00 some nights.  my husband is the hardest working man in town. hands down.  miraculously, he is not crabby.  because if i was working like that...i'd be crabby.  hell, i am crabby when hendrix has a hard day.  i am so grateful that this is the man i married. also, my husband is good looking.  so that makes spending the rest of my life with him a really easy thing to do.  ugly is a hard thing to look at day in and day out. 

family for free

or nearly free.  i think we all know how much i love free.  last year, super mommy extraordinaire lesley worked up a calendar of all the summer activities happening around town so that she could refer to it while she enjoyed the summer with her two girls.  she was kind enough to share some of those activities with me. in turn, she inspired me to get a plan early and to pay it forward by sharing it with you.  the following is a list of free or nearly free, family friendly events happening in the omaha area for may + june,.  some require registration, so please check the links for details. also, please share any events i missed in the comment section and i can update the list.  i'll come out with another for july + august sometime in june.


may...

wed. may 2/10:30-11:30 (FREE):
learn about the science of bubbles and more @ westroads mall

sun. may 6/10a-2p (FREE):
fishing clinic with firefighters @ hanscom park

sun. may 6/noon-5:00 (FREE):
kite festival at lavista soccer complex

sat. may 12/10:00-11:00 (FREE):
lowe's build + grow workshops for kids

fri, may 18/7:30p (FREE):
rango the movie @ sumtur

sat. may 26/10a-2p (FREE):
fishing clinic @ mahoney state park

sat. may 26/10:00-11:00 (FREE):
lowe's build + grow workshops for kids

june...

wed. june 6/10:30-11:30 (FREE):
learn about the science of bubbles and more @ westroads mall

fri. june 8/7:30 (FREE):
cars 2 the movie @ sumtur

fri. june 8 thru sun. june 10 (FREE):
summer arts festival downtown omaha

fri. june 8 thru sat. june 9:
springfield days

sat. june 9/10:00-11:00 (FREE):
lowe's build + grow workshops for kids

thurs. june 14-sun. june 17:
papillion days

fri. june 15/3:00 (FREE):
bubbles, games, + free dreamsicles at central park in lavista

fri. june 22/7:30 {FREE):
adventures of tintin the movie @ sumtur

sat. june 23/10:00-11:00 (FREE):
lowe's build + grow workshops for kids

events happening all the time//places to check out....

omaha community centers offer all sorts of classes, open swim, & open gym time.  their swim classes are some of the cheapest i have seen.

story time + summer reading programs at the library.  our gretna children's library's wee read runs every other wednesday all year and is so wonderful.

farmer's markets are great places to take a family walk and perhaps try something new.  the downtown papillion + aksarben ones are especially nice since they are near playgrounds.

free family flicks at aksarben cinema during the summer. every tuesday morning at 10 am, i believe.

the slides at the gene leahy mall

volunteer with your older kids at the heart ministry center

splash pads are city parks that also have an area were there is a super duper sprinkler system.  hendrix loves the one in papillion since he gets to hang with his cousins at the same time.

stormchaser games at werner park often have family nights and 1/2 price burger nights.  tickets run $5-15/per person. (kind of a splurge for us, but fun to do a couple if times of year)

indoor play area at the westroads mall

friday + sunday music at soaring wings winery

there's a cat in my blindspot

my father is technically legally blind.  he suffers from retinal pigmentosa which is a degenerative disease which basically means his eyesight will just continue to get worse.  he is also deaf.  thankfully, he does still have a sense of humor.
several months ago my brother, jim, and his wife stopped by my father's apartment. they walked in and saw a black cat walking around like he owned the place.  jim mentioned to our dad that there was a cat in his apartment. dad frantically started rushing around trying to find the cat.  you know, since, he doesn't own a cat.  i'm sure the neighbor was pleased to have their car back.  who knows how long that cat was in there.