Toddler Teachable Moments: Hands on Nature

Yes that's my 2 year old transfixed by our neighbor's honeycomb. We love learning about nature up close and personal. Our neighbors have bees, we have chickens, and we adore our veggie garden.

[first bit of honey from the neighbors]

I love experiencing life's special moments for the first time through my daughter's eyes. That is why I try to give her new experiences all the time. She is so unspoiled. By that I mean, everything is exciting, new, and amazing. Earth's beauty isn't overlooked but little ones. It is such a precious thing to witness. 

[cinnamon, buck beak, mrs. weasley, and alice - our hens] 

Everyday we must ask ourselves, "what have I done to help my little one grow today".  Okay but really most days, as long as we are in one piece, it's a victory but I'm shooting for the moon here ladies! :)

I'll leave you with this gem of a quote from Jerry Seinfeld in case you though that I lost my funny bone. ;)

 

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Raised Bed Garden Update

We are one month into our raised bed gardening season here in Northeast Ohio. Wahoo! I know, I know, I'm like a fat kid in Willy Wonka's Factory when it comes to watching my garden grow. But this year we went nuts planting all kinds of different plants and I'm so happy that most of them are thriving. 

 

Today I caged and staked my tomato plants. I also did some major weeding. We just tilled and planted this year so I'm having trouble keeping up with pulling weeds and grass. In the bed above we have planted (from closed to furthest away): carrots, onions, potatoes, brussel sprouts, and tomatoes. Everything is growing nicely though the potatoes come up in unpredictable spots and I'll plant them differently next year. 

Here we have one watermelon plant in the front, eggplants, and squash. The eggplants are not happy campers but I'm trying to give them time to see what happens.

My pepper plants are still quite small but the tomato plants here are looking great. :) The photo doesn't do them justice.

Peas & Basil

Beans & Cilantro

More beans ;)

Mmmmm basil!

I imagine that in just another month we will have huge growth now that we have +80F temps nearly everyday. 

With that here's my favorite gardening quote as I am a new wino: "Compost is best aged a little like a fine wine. I mean, would you prefer to drink a nice 97, or something that was made last Thursday."

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The Last Forever & Dear John Book Reviews

I've fallen back in love with reading. Or I should say we reunited after a brief parting of ways. People who know me would say that I can only handle one hobby at a time. From sewing to crochet and from baking to gardening, I love it all.  This past week I read two books. Our family has been sick so it's been the perfect quiet time reTREAT for me. 

The first book I read was The Last Forever by Deb Caletti. Following the death of her mother, Tess must deal with an unravelling father while attempting to sift through her own grief. While I expected a swooning love story, this book focuses more on family dynamics and personal growth. I love the way Deb Caletti writes. She writes the way I think and that was refreshing. The story itself was a nice light read but lacked the depth I usually prefer in a book. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The second book I read was Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. The military made him a respectable man but when John met Savannah, she helped develop his character by teaching him what selfless love really was. The movie version has already been on DVD for awhile but I haven't seen it yet. This was my first Sparks book and I really enjoyed it. It's tender, heart wrenching, and shines a light on a growing condition in this country, Austism. All in all a medium weight book and a very quick read. I would recommend it especially if you haven't seen the movie yet. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Current weeks reads: A Time to Dance by Karen Kingsbury and I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman. Now, rediscover the library (if you don't already live there) and jump on this summer reading adventure with me. What are you reading right NOW?

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Father's Day Handprint Craft / Card

Father's Day is quickly approaching, t-minus 13 days and counting. Craft #1 that my toddler and I worked on is a handprint card. The outside says, "Happy Father's Day Daddy". Here's a picture of the inside.

This is super fitting of my hubby. He loves to fish but rarely catches a thing. Teehee, he's a really good sport about it though so I think he'll enjoy this card. 

We are also making a "Fisherman's Survival Kit.

[free printables here: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/survivalkits/ss/Fishermans-Survival-Kit.htm]

Your turn! What kind of Father's Day surprises do you have lined up this year?

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Making a Summer Adventure Bucket List

Here in Northeast Ohio we are lucky enough to have thousands of miles of trails to enjoy. Everything including: all purpose paved trails, towpaths, rugged trails, mountain biking trails, bridle trails, and so on. As a nature loving family, we love it! Yesterday we visited Brandywine Falls (again) and hiked a moderate trail. Hubby straps Little Bitty to his back and off we go. If you asked hubby or I why we hike, you'd get two different responses. I would tell you that we enjoy nature, being active, and exposing our little bitty to nature. Hubby has some crazy idea stuck in his head that we are training to "thru-hike" the Appalacian Trail. He is obviously delusional but we love him anyway. :-)

I snapped this pic before tightening the wrap, little bitty was sitting a little low but you get the idea. For now, the easiest way for us to cover a lot of ground is to wear our toddler. 

[Brandywine Falls]

With our love of nature I thought that we should make a Summer Hiking Bucket List. So Hubby & I have created a list of awesome hiking areas to try this summer and fall. All of our locations are a reasonable drive from our home in NE Ohio. Here is our top 10 places to hike this summer. (The following summaries of the trails are pulled from various websites which will be listed at the bottom)

   1.) Squires Castle

Squire's Castle at North Chagrin is a 5.2 mile loop trail located near Cleveland, Ohio that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. 

2.) Mill Creek Park

Mill Creek Park has at least fourteen good hiking trails that will make you think that you were not in Ohio. The topography in Mill Creek Park seems to come from another state out West. Mill Creek park covers 2,530 acres and includes 21 miles of scenic drives and 15 miles of foot trails, and a rare collection of gardens, streams, lakes, woodlands, meadows and wildlife for all to enjoy. 

3.) Happy Days, Ledges and Pines

How can you not feel happy and relaxed with a trail named Happy Days, Ledges and Pines? Wind through the sanctuary of stone, trees and moss and enter a trail of enchantment. Happy Days trail offers three trails that are approximately 4.3 looped miles that are moderate to difficult. 

4.) Prairie Oaks Trails

Prairie Oaks features nearly 500 acres of lush prairies and grasslands. In late summer and early fall, visitors can see fields of beautifully flowering ashy sunflower, royal catchfly and purple coneflower against a backdrop of big and little bluestem and Indian grasses.

5.) Clear Creek

Clear Creek Valley is one of the most pristine and secluded natural areas in Central Ohio. Variations of land surfaces, soils and climates have produced a medley of habitats that harbor more than 800 plant species and 150 species of birds, many of them rare. You may catch a glimpse of turkey, deer, ruffed grouse, coyote, black vultures or even see the traces of the elusive bobcat along the park's 12 miles of trails.

6.) Nelson's Ledges

Nelson's Ledges State Park is a 2 mile loop trail located near Garrettsville, Ohio and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for mountain biking and is accessible year-round.

7.) Little Miami River Loop and Spur Trail

Little Miami River Loop and Spur Trail is a 9 mile loop trail located near Yellow Springs, Ohio and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible from April until October.

8.) Deer Lick Cave Loop Trail

Deer Lick Cave Loop Trail - Brecksville Reservation is a 4 mile loop trail located near Brecksville, Ohio that features a river. The trail is rated as difficult and primarily used for hiking, trail running & walking. 

9.) Mohican Trails

Mohican Trails include 13 miles of trails take you to the more interesting areas of the park and forest. Lyons Falls trail follows Clear Fork Gorge and features two waterfalls. The Hemlock trail leads to the scenic covered bridge, and Pleasant Hill trail follows the shoreline and offers beautiful views of the lake. 

10.) Hocking Hills - Old Man's Cave

The most popular of all the Hocking areas is Old Man's Cave, located on State Route 664. Here at the Upper Falls, the Grandma Gatewood Trail begins its six-mile course connecting three of the park's areas: Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls to Ash Cave. This same trail has been designated as part of Ohio's Buckeye Trail as well as part of two national systems - the North Country Scenic Trail and America's Discovery Trail.

So that about wraps it up. For more info on these locations I provided the links for my sources below.

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http://www.hockinghills.com/old_mans_cave.html

http://www.discovermohican.com/activities-mohican2.html

http://www.metroparks.net/parksprairieoaks.aspx

http://ohventures.blogspot.com/2011/08/10-great-ohio-hiking-spots.html?m=1

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-hiking-trails-in-cleveland/

http://hikingohioparks.com/south-chagrin-reservation-hiking-ohio-parks.html

http://alltrails.com/trail/us/ohio/nelsons-ledges-state-park

Raised Bed Gardening Video

The garden is in and growing but I thought I'd share our first weekly garden video blog. Eeeek... So exciting! Enjoy :D

http://youtu.be/ykYzsCb6s-I

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Raised Bed Gardening in Northern Ohio

Well I have been mostly MIA since the weather here in NE Ohio turned beautiful. We have been playing with the chickens, planning for our cow, and creating our garden. 

The garden began with my husband building three large beds. Then the chickens worked on scratching up the grass. Little by little our fruit & veggie garden began to take shape.

We tilled in some peat moss to make the soil nice and light for our plants. We are very fortunate to have extremely fertile soil, we have hundreds of earthworms as proof, ;)

[A hard at work hubby]

We had to install fencing around the garden since we have all kinds of critters living near by. Our wildlife (pesky a-holes) include: rabbits, geese, ducks, wild turkeys, raccoons, a fox, cats, deer (otherwise known as overgrown rats), ground hogs, squirrels, and mice. All of those are just what I've seen. The fence won't keep them all out but hopefully it'll deter them from trying to hard!

We are using straw in the beds as our mulch and also on the ground to keep the grass down (we need more still).

This first bed has carrots, onions, potatoes, brussel sprouts, and beefy tomatoes. The second has watermelons, eggplants, acron & spaghetti squashes. The third has green & red peppers, cherry & Roma tomatoes, and brussel sprouts. Once I get the spacing figured out, I'll plant my basil and cilantro seeds.

We are so excited to see what works and how well everything does and I'll keep you updated as the summer progresses.

What are your gardens looking like this summer?

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