That’s Messed Up!
Azul and I recently went to our local Public Library for one of the summer programs they offer for kids. The summer programs are awesome, when you sign up you get a reading log and are awarded prizes for reading when you bring in your log. In addition to the reading and prizes, they also provide weekly family friendly entertainment; we’ve seen magicians, story tellers and musicians. On this particular day they had a musician, singing and playing his guitar. My six year-old was quite impressed with his musical abilities, being a budding guitar player himself.
The performer’s name was Andy Mason and the songs he sang are silly and age appropriate, usually requiring participation from the young audience. The kids were having a BLAST! Azul loved it until there came a song called “My hair had a party last night.” He was good until the part where everyone was supposed to mess up their hair, Azul was having none of that.
Sitting in the back of the room, I was watching him and knew he wouldn’t mess up his hair on purpose. While all the other kids were going crazy with their “partying hair,” Azul gently stroked his hair into place. As much as I wanted to bust out laughing, I just giggled through the rest of the song.
At the end of the song, Andy Mason said, “You can always tell the princesses who don’t want to mess up their hair.” Oh, my! That put a stop to my giggling.
After the show, Azul stayed after to talk to him, compliment his performance and get his card. As we walked out the large glass double doors of the Library he turned to me and said, “I was NOT going to mess up my hair. Not after I spent time combing it this morning.”
Now that made me bust out laughing!
See you at the library. http://abclibrary.org/summerreading
Jam On It!
Every parent knows how important jelly is to a child (I mean who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?), and when you run out of the sweet nectar of the gods, your child and your own inner child scream like Luke Skywalker does when he learns Darth Vader is his father. Nooooo!
In order to avoid the PB&J meltdown all you have to do is make your own and store it in the pantry. Yeah, Darth Vader has nothing on you! The ingredients are few, but the time it will take may seem like forever, so give yourself a couple of hours for this project, and although there are things your child can do, don’t be surprised if you are left working alone at times. Also very important is naming your jam, this should not be taken lightly, or you can just let your kid do it. Lighten up, it’s just jam.
Step 1 – The first thing you need to do is obtain the fruit. For this recipe, we have used a combination of plums and apples. I’m sure you can use almost any firm juicy fruit. Really, no bananas or melons, come on. We started by trading with our neighbors, our squash for their plums and apples. Our bartering was successful, we ended up with a lot of fruit, and now ready to make jam.
Ingredients:
6 pounds of fruit
3 lemons
6 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
canning jars and lids
Other things you may need:
scale
large pot
immersion blender
spoon
ladle
knives
thermometer
juicer
labels and marker
extra dish towels
Step 2 – Sort and weigh the fruit. This is a perfect job for your young assistant. Azul loved it.
Step 3 – With your child busy with a job, you can juice the lemons and zest one lemon. Then prep the fruit. Wash, peel and core or pit whatever fruit you were able to pick, buy or trade. This job, because it involves a knife, may be best for an adult. Prepping takes some time and can be booor-rring!
Step 4 – While you prep, your child can measure out the other ingredients and add them to the pot. Place the pot on the stove over low heat and add the peeled fruit. Cook on low heat and stir occasionally. Just remember low and slow, low and slow.
Step 5 – Have your child make the labels for the jars. You don’t have to do this, but it is super cute!
Step 6 – Once the fruit is cooked down, use a hand blender to blend any peels or large pieces to make it smoother. Now, turn the heat up to medium and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Keep an eye on this hot liquid, there is so much sugar in it, it can burn easily.
Step 7 – Cook to 220°, this is hot enough for the jam to set. Then turn off the burner and begin to ladle “the reason you are the best mom ever” concoction into the jars. Leave 1/4 to 1/2 inch of head space, tighten the lids, place the jars on their heads, and let them cool. There is no need to boil the jars, the heat from the jam will help the lids seal.
Step 8 – While the jars of jam cool, you can clean up. Yeah! Once the jars are cooled, stick the labels on the jars and place in a cool dry place or in the refrigerator to chill.
After all our work, my six year-old said, “I think it’s cool we make our own jam.” And because I am a child of the 80s, enjoy … and Jam On It!
Happy Fall
Today is the first day of Fall and although we have already put away most of our summer toys and gear for the season, going through this process has reminded me of last year when Azul and I packed up the blow-up swimming pool. Yes, sometimes we are crazy together!
From October 16, 2013
The Leviathan
This weekend Azul and I decided it was time to deflate the blow-up pool we had set up in the back yard all summer. Now, if there is a secret on how to do this, please don’t tell me, because I don’t want to feel stupid.
This is how it went down — first we opened the little blow holes (you know the ones you put the air compressor in to blow up the thing in the first place) and we sat on the pool to force the air out, that didn’t work. The air wasn’t coming out and we both just rolled off laughing. Next we decided to stick our fingers in the holes while we were sitting on it, so the air could escape, and when I say “we” I mean “me” because I am obviously the adult and the one making the decisions. Now, if you have never had to stick your finger in a hole, I’m telling you, you have got to get it just right for it to work! I’m on one side fingers engaged, while Azul is on the other trying to jump on the pool, but just getting bounced right off. Then he tried to jump on my side and it was like playing teeter-totter by yourself, with the far side in the air.
Mind you, we’re an hour in, we can’t stop laughing and are getting nowhere fast. But, my Starbuck and I were not about to turn back or be outdone; we conquered our Moby-Dick, albeit with sore bellies from laughing so hard, and put the Leviathan away, at least until next year.
Carmelina Hart 