second grade art :: gustav klimt

we looked at these

we talked about shapes.

we talked about repetition.

we talked about pattern.

we made these

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a song to start your week

do you love mumford & sons?

{source}

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sunday walk

ned & i saw the very first spring ducklings!

gorgeous, fragrant flowering trees everywhere

ned thought this tree would be the perfect

spot to make a little house

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ac/dc

do you love ac/dc?

ned does.
he sings highway to hell out loud. in the backyard.  hello, neighbors!

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second grade producers & consumers

to complete their unit on economics,

ned's class had a store today.

the kids made things to sell,

and their classmates purchased them

using pretend money.

everyone was both a producer and a consumer.

for sale were:

folded paper hats,

fruit loop necklaces,

paintings on stretched canvases,

flowered & feathered headbands,

blue frosted cupcakes with sprinkles,

brightly colored goo,

greeting cards,

a leopard shoe sculpture,

wooden tic-tac-toe games,

origami throwing stars,

colorful magnet gems,

cardboard tube binoculars,

hershey's kiss cookies,

homemade playdough,

and ned's beaded bracelets.

he sold them all.

here's a peek at yesterday's

production at our kitchen table

today's class store was loads of fun.
the kids were so proud and so excited.
it was one of the best parts of this
entire school year.

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pamela ~ this is an origami throwing star.
also called a ninja star.

people are funnier than you think

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two easy ways to get more greens in your diet

1. this smoothie

i like to add strawberries, pineapple,

avocado & cilantro.

2. serve meals on a bed of greens

this is a bean & rice taco atop a leafy green hill.

these are some really tasty greens.

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you are more beautiful than you think

see the whole project here.

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◄emily went to coachella►

3 days of camping & lots of music.

she said it was dreadfully hot,

{yes, she said dreadfully} 

but fun.

jay went, too.

{hey, jay}

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rainbow high five

see it on etsy
☼right here☼

this is the theme song

left hand right hand - wash em both at the same tiiiime

have you seen these method commercials?
they are hilARious.

those jugs you're luggin are buggin me, hee-hee-hee

...and a mecca-pecca-peedle-a-poop

and, did you know that thursday was
national high five day?

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drenched walkathon

in the pouring, pouring rain

this kid ran 32 laps

that's

EIGHT MILES!

way to go, ned!

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pleasant surprises

new to boise, is whole foods market.

because i am a loyal co-op shopper,

i have been there ONE time before today.

{and it was just to use their bathroom}

i had to trek over to the east side of boise

{i live west of the city, so it's a haul}

to visit a podiatrist, and the office is

just few blocks away from whole foods.

i found some really good things, like:

grind-your-own chocolate peanut butter,

organic whole cashews,

white turkish figs,

and, in the parking lot,
this

which is part of this: samaritanblog

{i hope you are reading this, pam. i know it will warm your heart}

en route, i heard this song on the radio

it took me back to 1990 when

i saw blues traveler in a bar in nashville,

before they hit the big time.

i had never heard of them before,

and loved them immediately.

a few days later i saw them at sewanee.

about a year later, i saw them play

at a college in maine.

here's another one

you might like the line,

"the newsman said not to sit on strange toilet seats"

my final pleasant surprise was my podiatrist visit.

the office is very nice, the doctor was a gem,

they have lollipops in the shape of feet,

and i don't need surgery.

the doctor even made me a little jacket

for my big toe to wear

it will cushion the nerve

which short-circuits sometimes.

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what now?

my god.

i'm just trying to think of how

we are supposed to go on after all of this.

i remember after 9/11,

wishing that i didn't have to raise my children

in a world where such things were possible.

even wondering whether the world

could exist for much longer.

i remember feeling relieved

that my sweet grandparents,

having passed away years before,

were spared ever knowing of such evil.

so, what now?

i consider mr. rogers a saint,

and his quote about "look for the helpers"

really resonates with me.

i want to be one of the helpers,

in big and small ways.

these made me smile
they actually reminded me of my sweet friend, sandi.
anyone who has crossed her path will understand why.

being fabulous is helping, right?

have you read this?

so when you spot violence,

or bigotry,

or intolerance

or fear

or just garden-variety misogyny,

hatred or ignorance,

just look it in the eye and think,

"the good outnumber you, and we always will."

this song was on the radio today.

natalie merchant is all kinds of goodness,

all kinds of helping.

here is the beautiful music video

friday is ned's walk-a-thon.

i'll be helping.

i'll be handing out ribbons.

i'll be standing with all the goodness,

at the finish line.

♥

i can't think of anything else

this sweet boy.

8 years old.

just like mine.

♥

static & coffee cake

this weekend...

we had lots of static

and lots of coffee cake

{enough to share with friends}

{the coffee cake, not the static}
{the recipe is here}

♥

◄run wild, my child►

a new treasury featuring

emily's new etsy shop

◄WestCoastBoho►

{that's her!}

◄run wild, my child►

please give her a warm welcome

◄right here►

♥

-:- mancala -:-

do you ever play

mancala?

ned and i are playing today.

i learned to play mancala

when i was in elementary school,

and it's still one of my favorite games.

i have had this wooden board and stones

for almost 25 years - i bought it in the old port

in portland, maine, long before i had kids.

i have seen mancala for sale everywhere,

but you can make a homemade version

using an egg carton.

{i would recommend using stones or buttons, not paperclips}

{source}

and check out this one

{source}

this one similar to mine

{source}

i think the board is so pretty that i put a

sawtooth picture hanger on the back

and it hangs on the wall in our family room.

a mancala board would also be great to display

shells or beads or pretty rocks.

{source}

here's a new one made by the same person

who made mine, so many years ago

{source}

would you like a copy of my

torn & tattered instructions sheet?

thought so.

right click each page to save, then print.

conserve paper by printing page 2 on the back of page 1.

♥