nest

For every Bird a Nest --
Wherefore in timid quest
Some little Wren goes seeking round --
Wherefore when boughs are free --
Households in every tree --
Pilgrim be found?
Perhaps a home too high --
Ah Aristocracy!
The little Wren desires --
Perhaps of twig so fine --
Of twine e'en superfine,
Her pride aspires --
The Lark is not ashamed
To build upon the ground
Her modest house --
Yet who of all the throng
Dancing around the sun
Does so rejoice?


Emily Dickinson

slow down!

From Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes Sunday, April 11th:



(CBS) " We’re doing a lot of complicated things in the world these days and we’re doing them too fast. Something’s got to be done about the passage of time. It’s got to be slowed down. The days, the weeks, the months and the years go by too fast. Our lives go by too fast.
We’re always hurrying time along by looking forward to things tomorrow instead of enjoying today.
Last weekend I heard a television weatherman say that summer was right around the corner. Well, summer is not around the corner. Summer starts on June 21. The corner is still 71 days away. I mean what’s the rush?
Planning is bad for the passage of time. Planning anything a month in advance makes that month pass quicker.
In March I was looking forward to the beginning of April because I like April but I was so busy looking forward to April that I forgot to enjoy March which isn’t bad, but first thing I knew, March had passed and I’d hardly noticed it.
The days that drag are the days when we have nothing coming up in the future. We could use some of those days because they’re what we need more of to make time last longer – days that drag.
So, slow down, don’t plan, savor every minute.”

Baby Barn

Today Mary Beth's class went to "baby barn" at NDSU. The kids had a wonderful time seeing the baby animals and petting them. This is Mary Beth's best friend Maggie- she has just returned from a 6 week visit to Arizona so Mary Beth was so happy to be reunited with her.

This is the closest she would get to the horse so I could get a picture.

Mary Beth and her good friend Jada with a baby cow. The cow sucked on that lady's finger for 5 minutes(gross)!

Little bunnies. They were for sale 2 for $15 but I didn't think Bella wanted to share her house with rabbits- I'm sure there would have been quite a bit of howling.

Mary Beth's group(half her class and a couple of younger siblings thrown in too.)
Good times.

Great Outdoor Challenge

We've been playing outside every single day for hours and hours.

We are soooo happy that it's not freezing out anymore.

We wish our yard was bigger(like acres bigger :) ) and that some days we weren't trapped in our backyard when we really want to ride bikes or play in the front(having to do with our neighbor and his giant, vicious rotweillers) but we are still having lots of fun!

Some little tiny girl requested elaborate chalk drawings of the characters from... can you guess??

We are FULLY and HAPPILY participating in the children and nature awareness month challenge. Want to join us?

Quote of the day:

A bold statement made by Chef Jamie Oliver: "Parents, consistently giving their children unhealthy food is child abuse."
I agree.

Also, did you know that this is the first generation of children who's life expectancy is shorter than their parents? Wow.

Spring-y project

I just love the colors Mary Beth used on this butterfly she got as an Easter gift from my parents. The boys got dinos- we'll have to see what they do with theirs...

Play Outside!

Recently, I read an article in the NY Times called Playtime is Over, by David Elkind, and he said something that amazed me (in reference to Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods)- “our young people are more aware of threats to the global environment than they are of the natural world in their own backyards.”

Please take a few minutes and read this article and then send your kids out to play. :)