Feeling Crafty?

If you have had it with the finger paints, glue sticks, and construction paper and are looking for a different type of craft to do with the kids, pick up a copy of this month's Chicago Parent and check out my article about wet felting.

My kids loved this project . . .. but not as much as I did.

Don't Go!

Do you think that it is odd that I have actual sadness over Labor Day's approach? I am seriously sad about September's arrival and all that it brings. I know that September has lots to offer and I will get in the mood for pumpkin bread and sweaters soon enough, but I am not ready for it now.

I don't want Ellie to go back to school. I don't want to make soup. I am downright depressed to see some of my plants winding down for the season. I wish the temperature wouldn't go down into the sixties at night. I don't know what I am going to do when the pools and beaches close next week. Probably cry a little bit.

I have not had my fill of summer yet.

I still want to eat three meals a day on my porch. I want to lounge in the yard and weed and admire my thriving vegetable garden. I am going to continue to wear flip flops every day and night. I want the baby pool to become a permanent fixture. For the first time in my life, I have a near-perfect tan. Instead of spending dark fall afternoons making muffins, I want to work outside and paint more lovely decorations for the garden (like these masterpieces from my little artists).
Damn you, seasons.

The Perfect Summer Lunch

I am up to my ears in tomatoes. Between my garden and my CSA box, I have red slicing tomatoes, green tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and saladette tomatoes.

I have to eat at least a tomato a day to keep up. And I am doing so - happily. My favorite preparation is a simple caprese salad for lunch -- eaten on my porch in the sunshine.

Boy, Oh Boy!

This is the new man in my life. Here he is giving us a wave during our ultrasound last week (where he kicked and flipped and rolled like a crazy baby). We are all so excited to meet him.

Beauty at the Beach

We are all going to miss our excursions to the Foster Avenue Beach -- especially Ellie. Oh summer, why do you have to go?

I Peeked

I saw the leafy green tops getting bigger and bigger. I assumed that actual carrots were growing somewhere down there. But I had to see for myself.

And look what I found . . . actual carrots growing in my back yard. They need another thirty days or so, but I think that I am looking at a bumper carrot crop for the fall. Yippee!

Fall Already?

I absolutely cannot believe that it is time to start thinking about back-to-school and fall activities already. If you are starting to make your plans for the next few months, check out the Fall issue of Going Places Magazine. Going Places is designed to help families find local, affordable and fun activities. And trust me, the magazine has the most comprehensive events calendar for the Chicago area that you are going to find.

I have two pieces in the fall issue out this week: Throwing the Perfect Fall Party and Make the Most of the Last Days of Summer. Pick a copy up when you see one.