Planters NUTrition

     Days are full of last minute summer activities and prepping for another year of school.  The sun is setting earlier and the minutes are whipping by at a record pace.  I know there is only a short time to hold on to the peace and calm of these last few days.  I grabbed a jar of this stuff at the store a week or so ago and passed up getting a jar of the bad cookie stuff that seems to be all the talk.  I saved it.  This morning we snuggled for a bit and caught up on a little tv while devouring toast smothered in cinnamon raisin granola nut butter.  It is tasty and the protein gives you what you need to make a piece of toast last until lunch.  Great snack idea for lunch boxes or for a quick breakfast when needed.  Might even be great on some celery. 
     I'd like to send a shout out to all of the Moms out there in the back-to-school-make-it-all-count scurry.  We bust our asses to find the shoes, get the supplies, figure out new lunch ideas, do new charts and calendars and then worry about the nine million little details for the next ten months.  Take a breath and grab a snuggle because the stuff will always be there but the little ones won't.  If you can grab that snuggle with a yummy little treat...even better!!!

Fruitbow

     We often talk of Pinterest at work.  What I love about Pinterest besides the million recipes and braid ideas is the fact that sometimes we just don't think outside the box...and it reminds us to.  Let's take fruit for example - we have eaten it always and if we need to put it all together we go for the mixed bowl of fruit salad.  Occasionally, you might see a watermelon turned into a basket or something but typically it's the same old thing.  Then Pinterest comes along and says, "Hey, make it into a rainbow!".  Uh...duh.  I'm a rainbow freak so why did I NOT think of that?!?
     We were brainstorming ideas for our Monday morning meeting/Leigh Ann's birthday treat and of course cupcakes, cakes and ice cream popped up.  But this is a meeting at 9am and Leigh Ann is a healthy girl so I was sorry it took so long to think of it but when I did I was elated.  I could make her the thing we had talked about loving on Pinterest.
     Strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries and grapes made a lovely bow.  Big fluffy clouds of Cool Whip featuring blueberries in the shapes of the appropriate numbers made it complete.  It was gorgeous, healthy, fun and just right for a morning treat.  Thanks, Pinterest and happy, happy, happy birthday to my friend, Leigh Ann!

Paranorman

     Don't expect a cute little kiddy cartoon here because you won't get one.  It is dark.  It is deep.  It touches the heart and left people with quiet little tears streaming.  It covers big topics.  From a film point of view it is mind-blowing.  The angles are "shot" in a beautiful way but the replacement animation takes the whole process to a new level.  The details are incredible.  The characters are rich.  The writing is clever.  Plus there are zombies...and everyone likes a good zombie. 

A Night with Anna

     Emily has a BFF.  They are twins in so many ways it's scary but different enough to keep things interesting.  They missed the heck out of each other this summer so I promised a sleepover at some point.  They are in band together and have shared two weeks of band camp prepping for a special concert.  We all gathered at the high school to listen to pieces from the 5th grade all the way through high school.  Each band was a bit more seasoned than the younger ones before but all good.  They came together at the end with the Fight Song.  My little fifth grader sat in front of a big high school guy playing the same music.  These are the moments when you watch the layers of your child grow right in front of your very eyes.  She walked a little taller that night.
     Then there was the sleepover.  We had a huge dinner and played a fun game.  Then they headed to bed to giggle about Mad Libs and the things that girls that age laugh about.  It was a great time and we are already planning some future sleepover activities.  Let the giggles begin.

Black Diamond Ride

     Huge amusement park fan here...HUGE! I am a coaster fanatic and though my body hates spinny rides I can still appreciate their essence.  I love a good train ride around the park and will take any opportunity to "drive" a car, boat or vehicle.  But it's hard to find something original after all of these years.  There is a new ride at Knoebels that is quite unique.  It's a three story "coaster" that takes you on a journey of the coal miner.  Sounds weird I realize...but the experience is different...in a good way.  It is part history lesson, part homage to the life a coal miner, part scary and part fun.  It is also on a track that takes you up and down with different speeds.  I went in quite dubious at the extra ticket price that would cost us nine dollars to ride but it was worth it.  Now if only they would figure out Flying Turns...but then again it will be one great new thing for next summer.

Haunted House and Timing

     It is the great challenge of the mother to know when things are right.  We need to be aware of timing.  One push too soon can be damaging.  A wait too long can be sad.  This is the balance we strive to give to our children.  When I was young my mother found the highest wedge sandals that she could in order to fool the woman in the height booth of the Dragon Coaster in Rye.  This was wrong on so many levels but I'll leave it for the therapy sessions.  I did love the kiddy coasters that I had ridden previously but was I ready for the big guy?  Nope.  Yet, there I was terrified at a ride that probably could've waited one more summer.  I guess after the string of movies that I viewed in the theaters that summer it was no big deal...but that's another therapy session.  My point is that some things in life are about timing.  If you pull the pole out too quickly you will lose the fish.  If you hit the flipper too late you will lose your multi-ball.  Last year I felt it was time for my little man to hit the big coaster.  It was perfect and we both enjoyed the ride together.  But after spending too many nights convincing the crying little guy that monsters weren't real I knew it was not time for the dark place full of terror.  This year I knew he was ready.  We celebrated together.  He is at the age when he is trying so hard to be brave so I did some of the work for him.  We rode together.  I kept my hand on his leg.  I warned him about the strings that would trickle down upon on his head.  (I also was sure to ride early in the morning so that it had time to wear off before beddy bye.)  Everything else was up to him.  He closed his eyes and jumped right out of his seat at certain parts.  I could tell he was scared to death.  When the ride was over we did a high five and he went back into "brave" mode as he talked about how cool it was with his older sister.  He trusts me now.  I spent a lot of time on this trip letting them make decisions and by the end of the trip they understood that I am thoughtful and a bit more experienced in my old age...and maybe they can listen just a little bit longer to Mom.  I'll take any minutes I can get...because I know what's coming.  But then again I know the headlights and loud truck horn honk are coming at the end of the dark hallway in the haunted house and yet it gets me every time!!!

Fire and Bananas

     There are certain occasions when tradition is something to fight for...but in those moments it is hard to find something new.  We try to hold on to the magic that worked before.  We want a sense of deep roots even when the dirt is shallow and the growth is young.  This is when creativity can help.  And Pinterest doesn't hurt either.
     This is our second annual camping trip to the same place with a request for the SAME site because it is simply perfect.  I can't tell you the letter and number for fear that the world will learn of it.  Same tent and sleeping bags.  Same special guest and goodies.  But this time instead of regular old s'mores we tried something new.  You split a perfectly ripe banana down the middle and stuff chocolate and marshmallows down into it and toast over the open fire.  You get a luscious dessert that can be eaten right out of the peel. 

Extra new thing alert:
There is a store that is passed each time we venture to Knoebel's.  Each time I have seen the name of it and cringed...sometimes I even rant silently. Ok, sometimes not so silently.  The name of this sweet little farm store shares the name of a not so sweet woman who crushed me on a daily basis while student teaching some twenty years ago.  Each time I go by I think of her.  I remembered a passage about "putting the woman down" and how much I lecture others on this thinking.  Why am I allowing something that happened half of my life ago to hinder me so?  Because that's what people do when they are stuck.  This time we stopped.  We were rewarded....with fresh peaches, delicious tomatoes (that sat out like a box of candy they were so sweet) and a small container of gummy peaches.  AND the pooch got a fresh bone that kept her quite happy by the fire.  The store was wonderful and I had been missing it all of this time because of old wounds.  Each day is a practice on how to get better and be better we just have to find the ways. 

     Now enough of this inspirational message...go light a fire and roast some nanners!!!