Texas vs South Dakota Snow

Last December was a bittersweet time for me I loved being in "real" winter without all the obligations of shoveling and scraping car windshields. It was like I was a kid again and had a chance to enjoy the best part of winter-sledding. I also had mixed feelings because my stepfather had just passed away and I was out sledding with my child. I just could not help it though, since I had not experinced the wonderful winter pleasures in seven years. Elliot had such a great time being pulled around in that infant sled, which by the way is so neat, because it has a belt to keep the child in place. Breathing in that cold air and getting my feet stuck in drifts of snow was just what I needed to relieve some stress and do some reminiscing both of my stepfather and of my childhood in a cold climate.

When I arrived back in Texas I was feeling almost spoiled that I had a chance to have fun in the snow and then come back to a warm Austin, TX winter. Just last week we had snow here in Austin and oh boy, did Cavlin and Elliot love it. A whole two inches that came and went in one day. It was fun, but nothing like the 25 inches Sioux Falls, SD piled up and will still be collecting for maybe a few more months.

This weeks fun kid activity.

My three year old started receiving the magazine Little Kids National Explorer. He enjoyed the first issue which included a science experiment with raisins. He loved measuring and pouring the correct amounts of water, vineager and baking soda into a cup. After adding a few raisins we waited for the raisins to "dance." Calvin and I watched those raisins very closely for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes. I was surprised to find that after ten minutes only 4 raisins slowly rose and then dropped to the bottom. He almost fell of his seat when the first raisin gave us a show. It was cute to see him say the word carbon dioxide. After the experiment he made truck shaped art by gluing raisin onto dots I made on paper. I think it turned out to be adorable and it kept my wiggly three year old sitting for a whole glorious half hour.

I enjoy looking, but can I keep up with writing?

Ok, I love looking at people's blogs for recipes, fun DIY projects, parenting, and being a part of a community. I am not sure that I want to add more work to my life, but I admit that I have become a bit obsessed with at least the receiving end of blogging. Maybe I will take the plunge and see if maybe I can do a little giving back. I started a blog a few years ago, but I decided to take a 3 year break, due to my very active life with two boys.

My goals for blogging are :
1-document fun projects I do with my children and see what others do
2-show ways I organize my home in a beautiful, yet practical way
3-stay connected with friends
4-remember the small things in life that matter to me personally and help me smile