houpley

What are you doing? I'm ironing my skirt because it has wrinkles in it. Why? Because it has wrinkles in it. But why does it have schmuckles in it? Uh ... it has schmuckles in it because it was packed in my suitcase. Oh.

Every Friday, Heather at the site Family Volley posts a great, easy-to-do family game. We are fans, because typically each game requires items you already have around the house and they can be easily altered for whatever age group may be participating. As you can see below, we have all ages participating in our game night.

After a long weekend of traveling, Jackson and I spent a day puttering around the house. After his nap, we were snuggling on the bed and talking about our recent trip to New York, when he suddenly said, "Stop, mama!" "Stop what?" "Stop cuddlin' me." My heart shattered into a million pieces. But just before the tiny pieces of my heart sprinkled onto the floor, I thought to clarify, "Stop cuddling and stop smooching you? Or just stop cuddling?" "Just stop cuddling," he said. "You can keep on smoochin.'" Whew. That was a close one.

What may be the greatest summer photo of all time:

While cruising through the produce section at the grocery store, I handed Jackson a clump of broccoli to place in the cart. "Do you think we should add broccoli to the meal?" "No. I'm not a fan."

Summer is officially here in our part of the world. With temperatures rising, we've enjoyed running through the sprinklers, heading to the pool and generally enjoying the outdoors. With the season, comes some classic kid moments like enjoying a popsicle on the deck after supper. This works out well because who cares if there's any spillage on the deck? I also ask Jackson to take off his shirt before handling his orange popsicle. A typical parent-precaution that allows you to just hose off the kid after the popsicle has been devoured. He had no problem with this and was sitting at the patio table enjoying his icy snack when he turned to me and offered me a taste. "Mama, would you like a bite?" "Sure," I said leaning over for a taste when he stopped me and snatched back the popsicle. "Wait! Take off your shirt, first."

You know how a kid always finds your weak link? That little chink in your armor that can help them wiggle on out of trouble? For example, my best friend used to always tell stories about how her mother would be on the warpath chasing her around the base of the staircase, but if she could make her mom laugh she knew she might be able to squeeze out of the jam. Looking back, my folks were the same way. If you could slip in a relevant joke to the situation, you might diffuse your punishment. Our whole family has always been one to appreciate and respect a witty comeback. Well, it seems Jackson has discovered my weak link. When things are not going according to his plan, like let's say he wants to jump into the pool just "one more time" even after it's time to go, he'll break out the stand-up. He's got a fairly expansive repertoire of material. He might make a crazy face, use this ridiculous silly voice that cracks me up or start to flip-flop his head left and rig...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73102019@N00/4670259091/

I'm always researching magazines, web sites and other mothers to find out fun, easy, helpful parenting tips. I thought I might share one tiny tip that we do to ensure Jackson continues to eat healthy meals. Maybe everybody already does this? But I thought I was so clever when I stumbled upon the idea. My tip: Baby Food Carrot Soup, Pearsauce , or Mango Surprise? When Jackson moved from baby food to solid foods, it got a bit harder to make sure everything he was eating was healthy. So every now and then I still purchase DHA , vitamin packed, organic baby food and dress it up as an addition to a meal. I'll heat up the carrots, pour into a bowl and sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and he devours it.* Sometimes, in the fall, I dress the soups up with a bit of milk and some small pieces of ham. Baby food pears? A tasty breakfast. And Mango Surprise? Add a few strawberries and voila: Dessert! Of course, he gets real fruit and veggies, too. But I like to think of it as a way to fortify ...

Jack is getting himself dressed these mornings. Which is a very nice addition to the early morning routine. But sometimes he dawdles and then we have conversations that I feel are small glimpses into our future living-with-a-preteen years. All that's missing is a little eye-rolling: Ok, Jack. Good job. Now pull your pants on. No, mama. Those are not pants . They're shorts .

Hey did you hear Emily and Justin got married? It's true. I've uploaded tons of video on youtube. Here is the link to the first video at the rehearsal: http://www.youtube.com/user/houpley#p/u/3/aNoYGUOaHI0 I've put up several videos of the night before. Also pics on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73102019@N00/sets/72157624080214635/ Enjoy!

Digging in the dirt with tiny pocket knives. Prior to this, they were trimming individual blades of monkey grass with the set's miniature scissors. Landscapers or The Jets? Good parent or bad parent?