thirteen camping memories

... note: I forgot to publish this yesterday (Thursday). So, yes, I know it's not truly a Thursday Thirteen (even in Australia, where it's already moved onto the weekend!) Just pretend it is, or pretend you forgot to read yesterday, and enjoy the little list!

We went camping, and it was fantastic. I've decided that should be one of those things they require to get your parenting license. (What? You didn't have to get a license?) There are benefits of camping you simply cannot match in your home, like encouraging that friend who just watched her child pick something out of the dirt and put it in her mouth with a laid back, "hey, it's organic!" and then hearing her echo it to another squeamish mama later. That, my friends, is priceless. So are some other great memories of our weekend...

1. S'mores. Simply put, there are few better reasons to go camping. My friend asked me if whole-wheat graham crackers make them a health food. "Only if you use my dark chocolate," I quipped.



2. The only thing better than s'mores is plain roasted marshmallows, which I love. Perhaps it's the process as much as the treat, really. I love roasting them slowly, turning constantly so they're just barely golden and perfectly molten inside. Mr. Kenobi likes to start them on fire and eat the crunchy part... eeeeewww!



3. "Airplanes! Look at all the airplanes!" My Obi-1, now nearly 4, was amazed by the bright lights above him on the first night. Oh, dear - we have an urban boy.
   "Those are stars," his daddy corrected.




4. Counting the stars - after explaining they're not airplanes - is an amazing way to see my son connect with the bible story we read a few weeks ago. Genesis 15:5-6 tells a beautiful story about Abraham, and we memorized a related verse from Galatians. To see that story, the amazing largeness of creation, and the promises of God come together in my son's mind was beautiful.



5. Hanging out around the campfire with other grownups... after everyone's kids were sleeping. Every bit of packing, organizing, cleaning, laundry, and too-thin-camping-mats was worth it to get to know these precious friends better.



6. Coffee. Delivered hot & fresh in a French Press from friends next "door."



7. Simplified housekeeping. Boiling water, biodegradable soap, four plates, four utensils, four cups, a pan, and some dish towels. Dishes were done after every meal, and took only a few minutes and little water. I am reminded of how wasteful our home life can be when I look at the little hands reaching for his fourth new cup of the day!



8. Simplified housekeeping, part II. Sure, you can wear those shorts again today! What's three days in the same clothes?



9. Swimming - er, wading - in the river. It was all of 60 degrees, so quite refreshing, if you will. The boys were warned sternly of the dangers of rivers:
   

   "You can only go to the river with Mama or Daddy. If you go by yourself, you could fall in and get water up your nose!"

   My friends' child is not nearly so cautious (she can swim!) and needed a more convincing warning:
   

   "If you go in without us, you could get swept down the river and never see Mama again!"

   Therapy with that s'more, anyone? :)



10. Snakes (that I didn't see, thankfully!), weird cartoon-looking caterpillars (orange with "fake eyes" painted on their backs), and baboons hiding in the grass by our site (actually, that's how he said "bamboo," but who's getting picky on pronunciation?) Ahhh, nature. It's exactly the kind of stuff you need to get out of the city to see.



11. Our first real hike - on foot for everyone. Both Obi's did great. We only went about 1 hour, and probably covered less than a mile, but it was a good introduction (read: everyone had fun) to hiking without carrying a boy in the backpack.



12. Sleeping in the tent. Under the stars. With the breeze gently blowing through (or emphatically, as it did Saturday) and the whole Kenobi clan nestled into our sleeping bags.



13. Shared meals in lawn chairs. New friends and stronger friendships emerged from our weekend, often borne out of pot-luck style meals in the shade of our campsite.

I've decided on a new business idea for my lists (I'll explain later). Make fun of me if you want, but things are ready for our next outing and the hardest part was finding our tent. Now that the weekend is behind us, we're looking forward to the next outing. Perhaps you'll join us!

the birthday party dilemma

Obi-1 turns four soon - FOUR YEARS OLD! - and we're having a small dilemma over his celebration. He's old enough that he knows what birthday parties entail: cake + presents for him. He's even mentioned Chuck-E-Cheese, to which I replied, YIKES! I don't want to spoil the joy in a child's birthday, but the details are tricky.

We have been blessed with many little friends now, some from the 'hood, some from play groups, some from church, and some (especially one very best friend ever) from our old city. We talked with Obi-1, and suggested we have only neighbor friends at our party this year. He is satisfied with that, but we might want to provide treats for our play group and church parish group that day, too.

Our family considers themselves "local," but can't commute over to us mid-week. Obi-1's birthday is on a Wednesday. Do we celebrate on a Saturday instead? We have plans that weekend, and it doesn't seem fair to make him wait days to be celebrated, anyway. So should we have a party without family? Or, do we have separate celebrations; family one day, friends another? Do I need to make a cake for both?!?

Finally, what do you do for a 4-year-old's party? There are entire sites and catalogs and industries devoted to theme-parties. Again, YIKES. We're just hoping for good weather so we can have it in our backyard.

The main dilemma for us is this: how do you celebrate the child in your family? How do you focus on him, and not how much sugar one can eat or plastic stuff one can accumulate in a week? Is that possible? Is it reasonable? Obi-1 knows the birthday routine of others, and in spite of creative options otherwise, he expects presents and cake. However, I'd like limits on some things, so our values don't get thrown out once a year.

So, that's the question o' the day. We want to express to our son that we are so grateful for him, so proud of his growth, so excited about his next year... all without excess stuff and events that muddle the message.

packing list

Once upon a time, Mr. Kenobi and I were bright-eyed college kids in Bozeman, Montana. There I learned to camp, mountain bike, hike and downhill ski. What makes those memories especially sweet was the company of my best friend and favorite guy in the whole world. Living so close to the trails and rivers allowed us to head outside on nearly a moments' notice. I remember throwing some gear and a couple packets of Lipton noodles into his SUV one Labor Day weekend. We spent most of the day biking and hiking, and finally got around to setting up camp as the sun set.

Only then did we realize we had brought a cooking pot, but no utensils or plates. After scrounging around through the car, we found a couple dixie cups and a packet of plastic silverware from a fast-food place. It'd have to do. We whittled off piece of kindling to stir the boiling pot, then dipped the cups into the pan, trying to avoid any major burns, and ate in with laughter while the stars came out over head. We ended the evening in our crazy-creek chairs by the campfire, eating marshmallows (the one camping essential I never forget!) and dreaming out loud. It's an amazing memory, one of many times we went somewhat under-prepared for modern conveniences. We were always ready for survival, but rarely planned for comfort.

Fast-forward to now, and our impending camp trip with our church. I have an excel spreadsheet of lists for packing. Our minivan will be loaded, all for a 2 1/2-day camp out with about 100 friends. Here's just a sample of our list...
camp stove, fuel, coffee pot, cooking utensils, cups,
dish soap + sponge, dishes bucket, little broom (for cleaning out the tent),
mattress foam (for under boy's sleeping bags), sleeping bags, sleeping pads,
spare rug/mat (for holding muddy shoes), tarp, tent(s), towel/rag, towels,
plates, pots/pans, utensils, wet wipes, utility knife, mallet (for hammering in tent stakes),
camp chairs, swimming suits, baseball bat, bikes, buckets, water guns, sunscreen,ice cream ball...

Our plans for meals include chicken kabobs with red peppers, fresh guacamole, omelets, and gourmet sandwiches. One look at my list, and I realized a lot has changed...

Lately, I have felt homesick for the lifestyle and landscape we enjoyed in Montana. As my list shows, I've gotten much more domesticated in my camping plans. I'm sure some would say it shows I've learned from the non-utensil days.

Perhaps that's not the only lesson. My family never camped; my mom hated the stress of trying to replicate our life outside, and she never slept well in a tent. Mr. Kenobi's family, like us, stayed at hotels when they traveled. Our mothers didn't enjoy the enormous task of planning, packing, setting up, cleaning, and everything else they saw as part of camping.

We have dreamed of taking our children into nature. We hope they'll love the physical and mental challenge of life in the wild, and grow to appreciate and care for the marvels of creation. As I pondered this list today, I wondered if I might be trying to turn the outdoors into a mini-version of our home, rather than just being at home outdoors. That pressure could quickly take the joy out of the experience for everyone, and we could end up like our parents: giving up on camping because the work leaves little time for fun.

So, I'm re-thinking my list and priorities. I'll keep you posted on the stars and marshmallows.

humanitarian relief

Do you ever think it's not if, but when, you will go crazy? A friend recently said this to me, and I laughed but agreed. This week, it feels like the end of my sanity is truly drawing near.

Last night, I suggested to my husband that we do a humanitarian trip to the place we last visited on our honeymoon (Playa del Carmen, Mexico). As that city is ravaged by Hurricane Dean today, I think of the days ahead. The sun will return, and the people will come back to survey the damage and try to move forward. Many, undoubtedly, will need help.

As altruistic as my idea sounds, this idea is not utterly selfless. See, I'm a weather girl - finding ways to integrate it in ways like here and here. Not that I predict weather (though I've been known to do that). It's just that... I'm affected by weather. I try not to be, but I am. I like sunshine - no, I really, really, really love sunshine. I love hot, sunny days of summer, but even in the winter I love the glitter of sun reflecting off snow.

This is a problem because I live in the veritable rain forest, also known as northwestern US. Yes, it's lush and beautiful here. It's like that because of the abundant months (9-10 each year) of rain we get. It's also green because of the relatively mild temperatures, cool enough to keep from scorching plants, but warm enough to avoid freezing their roots. It's also green because usually we get a few months where the sun shines and photosynthesis reigns.

This year is different. We have not yet had more than seven - ! - consecutive days of sunshine. We've had some sunshine, and we've even had heat, but no summer (by my definition). We've had many days where the sun "burnt off" the morning cloud cover around 3 pm. That is not a sunny day, folks, even if you want to argue that sunset wasn't until 8 pm. Mostly, we've had a few days of sun, followed by a few more days of clouds and "scattered rain" (different, in some weird twist of comedy, from "patches of rain." Don't ask my why. Someday I'll write a TT on all of the odd meteorology terms used in this area!) The clouds will clear, we'll get a few days where it gets hot - like, over 80 degrees - and then back comes another system of clouds.

I'm seriously creeping into crazy. What makes this most unbearable is the sheer volume of people who have loved this weather. Many of them don't think there's anything wrong - perhaps it's even one of their favorite summers in memory. These people, though I love them, think I am the odd duck. Some have very unsympathetically retorted, "but that's why we choose to live here. We love this weather." Maybe true. Maybe it's delusional. Maybe this is just an incredibly well-populated area of water-logged brains. Or perhaps, as they've implied (or said directly), I'm in the wrong place. I hope not, because Mr. Kenobi loves his work here and is very unlikely to move, and I'm not interested in living several states away from him.

If you are thinking, "buck up, little camper," or "sheesh, she's an ungrateful little gal," or "wow - that sounds like paradise," please keep your comments tucked away for a while. I need sympathy. I need prayers. I need a sun dance. I need some real, honest-to-goodness, sun-drenched heat.

So I look at the destruction of this hurricane, the despair facing those whose lives have been completely uprooted and blown across their city, the water everywhere, and I think it would be good to go help. Perhaps, in the midst of that service, I'd even get some much-needed solar therapy.

the phone rings

...and the craziness begins.


Does this happen at your house, too?

We can be having a nice, quiet, fun afternoon. The boys can be enjoying each other's friendship. They can be eating their favorite pita-hummus lunch concoctions, or playing happily with their train set. Everyone can have everything they need or want.

It does not matter, as they will think of Something Urgent about .0538 seconds after I pick up a ringing phone and say, "hello?" No matter how calm and satisfied we were, life will turn upside down at that moment.

Obi-2 will need to go potty. Right. Now. He will shout loudly, "I need Mama help me!!!" though normally, he doesn't want my help (yippee). Obi-1 will decide he no longer wants to share with his brother. Water (or juice, or milk) will be spilled. Somebody will whack his brother, and both boys will need to report the incident to the proper authority. These things may happen individually, but more likely it's all at once.

I can respond to the boys' pressing needs, giving my caller the pleasure of hearing flushing toilets, "Tell him you're sorry," or "just a minute," intermingled with our conversation. Or, I try to do enough pantomime and sign language to handle their needs silently. These options leave my discussion distracted, at best. The other option is to leave the room, but they follow me. I'm a regular Pied Piper, traveling around the house with a phone at ear and a trail of children behind me.

Do you want to know why you don't receive phone calls from me? Are you curious about why you get my voice mail when you call my cell phone AND my home number? Do you think to yourself, "isn't she a stay-at-home mom? What could be keeping her from the phone?"

Sometimes I avoid phone calls because I enjoy those moments of peace in my home. Oh I like to be able to carry on a conversation with you, but that is difficult while I'm wiping bums, washing hands, pouring milk, retrieving the lost Lego, or reminding two boys in bunk beds that they are Supposed To Be Napping. If you want a real conversation on the phone, we should schedule it in advance or talk after 8 PM PST.

A few months back, I instituted a new rule here: "When Mama is on the phone, the answer is no." It worked really well for a while, but I lost ground when I failed to enforce it. It only takes one time of pulling out more snacks by the handful or retrieving Larry the Cucumber from toy jail to let everyone know that "when Mama is on the phone, the answer is whatever-makes-you-quiet."

chocolate zucchini cake (health food)

Presenting one of my favorite ways to use summer produce... :)

Nani’s Chocolate Zucchini Cake
½ C butter
½ C oil (canola or vegetable)
1 ¾ C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ C buttermilk (you can make this qty from powdered buttermilk if needed)
2 ½ C all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
4 Tblsp cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon (or less, depend on taste)
2 C grated & drained zucchini
1 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 cake pan.
Cream together butter, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Add zucchini and mix to combine.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs on it. Let cool before serving.

enjoy!
- MamaToo

summer travels and memories

Hi again! We're back - and I'm nearly recovered. When I say "back," I mean we're back from a long-weekend family reunion of sorts, and a week of guests. When I say "recovered," I mean I've finished unpacking & doing laundry. At least for this moment. :)

We went to California to meet up with Mr. Kenobi's family. His parents, 2 of his brothers, their girlfriends, and 4 cousins all convened on the sunny state for a weekend of fun. Just before we arrived, his oldest brother had proposed to afore-mentioned girlfriend, and she said yes. So, there was lots to celebrate upon arrival. It looks like there will be ample wedding preparations for the Kenobi family: 2 of the boys are en route to wedded bliss in the next year, and the youngest appears pretty serious. So, maybe I won't be the only daughter-in-law for much longer... HOORAY!!!!!

Yes, if you were able to keep up with that last paragraph, there are FOUR boys in Mr. Kenobi's family. And they all share a wise-cracking, laid-back approach to life, along with their parents. I sometimes imagine their childhood home being much like a really cool clubhouse, with ample treats supplied by Mrs. Cleaver and NO GIRLS ALLOWED posted on their door frame. It's probably far-fetched, but who knows. To spend a weekend hearing the litany of stories from antics of those guys, I wouldn't be surprised.

With that level of testosterone present, it shouldn't surprise anyone that a highlight of the weekend was a baseball game. The Oakland A's played the Anaheim Angels, and won. I must preface this portion of the update with a disclaimer: I have never been a big baseball fan. Having grown up nearly 10 hours (by car, not horse-drawn carriage!) from a MLB team, I had only sort-of followed the Twins.

However, when we first moved to sunny Seattle years ago, we were given tickets to a Mariners' game. We went to the game and loved it, so we went back as often as we could while we lived there. The game of baseball? Fine. The experience of an outdoor game with 35,000 people? Really cool. Having a team in your new city setting records for most wins in a season (2001 in Seattle)? Priceless.

We loosely followed the Mariners while we lived there, though they haven't always been that successful. I tell you this to take the most time possible to explain that this time, when we went to the game, we were rooting for Oakland to win, simply because that would put the Mariners a notch closer to 1st place in their division. See? Not a big fan, but I can enjoy the sport.

So... the really incredible highlight was that Grandpa Kenobi got to throw out the first pitch! At a real, live, nationally-televised, big league baseball game! Am I the only one impressed? Come on - this was cool!! Comment, folks - how often has your grandpa thrown out a first pitch. (Okay, yes, I don't want to initiate a "my father-in-law is better discussion. Take this in humor!)

My sons did not understand how rarely this opportunity will fall on their grandpa. To Obi-1, Grandpa got "the first peach." Yes, the first peach. My boys were mildly disappointed that there was no fruit shared after the ceremonial start to the game. Hee hee...

The first, eh, peach, was good. Grandpa Kenobi should be proud. The rest of the game was fun, too. And, come to think of it, so was the weekend.

Happy summer vacating!

and they say we live in the city

When I was a kid, my grandpa had a very large garden, and grew just about every vegetable imaginable. The work started in the spring, with tilling the ground, planting seeds, watering, weeding, mulching, staking, and everything else that goes along with gardening. As soon as we were old enough to walk around, we were helping in the garden. Mom would lather us up in sunscreen and bug spray and we learned the difference between a weed and a baby zucchini sprout. A bit older, and we could help Bampa (my grandpa) form the tomato cages and place them carefully around the young plants. We'd help tow the irrigation pipes across the rows, carefully placing them to make sure no water was wasted.

As the summer wore on, we'd harvest - fun (tasty!) but difficult work. Most plants require bending over them for hours on end while you search for the perfectly ripe produce. My mother's seven siblings would visit in late July or August. Most of them lived in large, urban areas where gardens like ours weren't an option. However, they loved fresh produce, and so they'd happily show up and eat it.

Seriously.

We would do all of that work, often even picking everything, and they would eat and relax on their vacation. Often, I was scolded for having 2nds at dinner by somebody saying, "Aunt La-ti-da and Uncle Yoo-hoo are only here for a week. Let them enjoy the tomatoes!" Certainly, we ate plenty of fresh produce, but it was frustrating to watch other people gobble up what they hadn't worked to produce.

Ah, how times have changed.

We have now picked over 30 pounds of blueberries at local farms. We are hoping to reach a total of 50 lbs before the season is over. We've also harvested 27 pounds of peaches, a dozen or so ears of corn, and some broccoli and cauliflower. Next week, we hope to get cucumbers and green beans. As summer progresses, we'll aim to get a bunch of tomatoes.

We're eating fresh, that's for sure, and stocking up for the year ahead. We've frozen most of the blueberries, and drying or canning peaches. Of course, we're having fruit on our cereal and enjoying snacks and desserts and salsas in the meantime. I'm planning to make this cobbler, too. We'll try pickling next week if we get enough cucumbers, and we'll freeze beans. I'm most excited about tomato season, as that's probably my favorite food. I'm going to try canning some sauce, and making lots of fresh salsa and BLTs on our menu!

It sounds like I'm back home in South Dakota, doesn't it? Perhaps that's why I'm amazed at how cheerful the folks are at the u-pick farms. They've worked so hard to grow these crops, and strangers like us gather them up without a second thought, gladly dropping some change for a chance to enjoy fresh produce. I suppose that's why I tell the boys to say "thank you" to the farmers, even after we've paid for our portion. It's a gift to harvest where we have not sown.