Milk vs. Juice

The Great Debate.

I know some parents don't let their children drink juice, we do (watered down), but that's not the debate I speak of today.

Generally at meal time we try to get CiBaby to drink milk and other times she can have juice if she chooses, within reason. It's not that she doesn't like milk, she just prefers juice...she is our little fruit bat, you know. Anyway, this morning is no different, with one exception.

CiBaby to me: "Milk?"
Me: "Sure honey, let's dump out the milk from last night, it's yucky." (I missed that cup in the clean-up)
CiBaby: "Yuck!" (she loves to say "yuck," very emphatically)
Me: I cleaned up the cup, refilled it with milk and handed it to CiBaby.
CiBaby: "Milk?"
Me: "Yes honey, it's milk."
CiBaby: "Juice?"
Me: "No, it's milk. Let's have milk this morning. We'll have juice later when we go to the Dragon Festival."
CiBaby: "No, juice!" (she's never put the two together...nor do I recall her saying "no.")

Sigh, it's started...greaaaaaaaat

Louder than all...

Have you ever heard 2 metal cooking pot lids be banged together by a very vivacious 2 year-old? If yes, I'm so sorry. If not...it's louder than all get-out!

Raspberry Knappers

A few of our neighbors love to stop by our raspberry canes and have a treat or two, once in a while. I don't mind. If I catch them, I razz them a bit, but it's all in good fun. I especially love it if I'm in the back garden, on the other side of the fence and raspberries and "catch" them in the act.

Today, CiBaby and I walked up the alley to a garage sale. On our way back down, one of the cars that had been at the sale drove slowly down the alley and then backed up, pulled closer to the left side (where our house is), stuck out their hands and helped themselves to a bunch of our raspberries! What kahunas! It's one thing when you know the people and you've been invited to "help yourself," but would you ever help yourself to goods (veggies, fruit, flowers) in a stranger's yard???

"I tuck"

This morning while I was in viewing email I heard from the other room, "I tuck." In the living room there was CiBaby with one foot wedged between the flaps of a empty Huggies* box. "I tuck."

*yes, we still use a few disposable diapers here and there.

Calling All Volunteers

Thank goodness I have a good crop of volunteer plants this year as my seed starting was in the “sad to pathetic” range. With starting a bit too late, leaving on vacation and T-Daddy forgetting to water the seedlings, they were a bit set back.

oodles of tomatoes, fennel and dill...

and you've got to love those flowers that just "show up"

The volunteer relocation project…

I thought they might enjoy a "garden view"

It’s a good thing my 1 new item to start by seed, onions, is actually making it (most of my new varieties are doing okay)! Otherwise I would be useless to The Growing Challenge. I have a couple tomatoes that made it (Black from Tula and Long Tom). They’re still pretty small, but I think they’ll pull through.

Our grapes are filling in by the bunch loads.

And our raspberries have started their first give for the season. Who knew when T-Daddy and I planted these several years ago that we would have our very own fruit bat! CiBaby doesn’t seem to like that at all (can you tell by the pictures?!). Just wait until the blueberries start producing! oy

Now you see it, now you don't!

Hot

Yesterday was a particularly warm day. It got up to 91F with 47% humidity (although today we decided it seemed a lot more humid than 47% - whatever, it was hot and humid)...a wee bit steamy. We spent a lot of time in CiBaby's little pool and then later in the afternoon G-Mama, Bapa, T-Daddy, CiBaby and I all piled into our little car and drove over to Minnehaha park for a bite to eat at Sea Salts, for a little hike around the falls, and then back for ice cream.

Once we got home T-Daddy took off CiBaby's little hiking shoes. She grabbed her meaty little socked foot and proclaimed "hot!" Yes baby, you are correct.

about me...part 2

I was tagged with a meme again (who comes up with these names?!). This came from Hippy Goodwife, via Ducky, via Samsara...etc...

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people (or whatever) and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?:
I had just moved from education to the health care field. I bought my first car and we were planning our wedding.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today:
weed out all of the Chinese lantern plants
transplant some volunteer tomato plants
dishes
bike ride (that got cancelled out on a count it was really hot and humid and we went to Minnehaha falls with the 'rents for a hike and eats)
sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

(3) Snacks I enjoy:
hummus
cheese and crackers
any kind of fruit
do beverages count as snacks???

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Travel
Buy a hobby farm
Teach kids how to grow and prepare their own food

5) Places I have lived (don't count me out, I've travelled a lot :-):
St. Paul
A quick stint in La Crosse

6) Jobs I have had:
babysitting - I did a lot of this back in the day
house repair person
assistant to food stylists (I prepped the food to be photographed)
receptionist
special education pee-on...er yeah...that's about right
supervisor of physically and mentally challenged adults learning work skills
Mary Kay consultant
event planner
webmaster
office manager/administrator (2 diff jobs, same kind of title)
Mama!

7) People I want to know more about (if you're not into/jiggy/down with "it", no worries!):

Angie

China Pattern

Karen
Clare

Smile, it's the 4th of July!

"sMile!"

CiBaby's first U.S. Independence Day was a busy one.

It was filled with breakfast eatin'

picture takin'

bike ridin'...and nappin'

Bapa (CiBaby's new name for G-Papa) "buggin'"

"pay-do" playin'

camera fiddlin'

family gatherin'

Corn eatin'

ketcup lickin'

deviled egg smushin'

baby-got-back

and a full belly

but never too full for ice cream and strawberries

FUN!!!

We hope you all had as much fun on the 4th of July as we did!
CzaMama, T-Daddy and CiBabby