CLARA AND LU'S RECIPE FOR FUN

• Pool drainage water (compliments of our neighbor Bob)
• a shallow spot in our yard
• 2 parents who are busy gabbing with Bob (and reassuring him that the growing mud hole in your yard is no big deal)
• 2 kids who LOVE water
• a warm bath and a hot meal

First, wait until both parents are deep in conversation and carefully tip toe into the mud hole till your shoes are completely covered. Next, wet pant legs. When parent looks up and sees you, work those dimples and look at neighbor. Once neighbor starts grinning, seize the moment with a belly flop into the heart of the mud hole (this works best if the belly flopper is a 2 yr. old). With neighbor doubled over laughing, you have reached the point of parental amnesty. Whoop it up till bath and dinner time. Don't forget to thank Bob.

FAREWELL TO SUMMER

As much as we all hate to admit it, the Minnesota winters are going to come along to freeze our tushies off in a few short months. In honor of the inevitable change of weather and Clara's new found ability to swim (I was so proud I could barely keep from calling to local papers to announce this amazing development) we made picnic plans at Snail Lake with Clara's buddies Ford and Veronica. Although this event happened a few weeks ago, my Mom duties have prevented me from a few spare moments to unload the digital camera. Which leads to me a sad realization, each and every day I have a personal 5 minute task of some sort planned ... either I am a poor manager of time, or the two bosses I work for require much of my attention, because at the end of the week I have accumulated about 33.5 hours of personal 5 minute tasks that never got done.

At least I know my kids had plenty of time for fun, as evidenced in these pictures. Good-bye summer, see you next year.

p.s should you wish to congratulate me on Clara learning to swim (underwater even!!!! can you believe it?!), don't hesitate to drop me a post with your astonished congratulations.

UH OH.

As Lu climbed up onto the back of the couch for the 60 zillionth time, disturbing Clara while she watched Arthur, I overheard this direct quote: "LU! Quit dinking around!!!!" hmmmm. Wonder where she heard that from ... maybe Pete knows.

SHOULDN'T THERE BE A POOP WAIVER?

I've come to believe that day cares and preschools need to include a poop waiver in the contracts we sign agreeing to pay late fees for late pick ups. There are certain natural disasters that prevent a parent from being on time to gather one of their charges. Like a blizzard, or a thunderstorm that floods the access roads to the schools. Or, the messiest, stinkin'est, poop oozing out the top of the diaper, all over the pants and onto the bed and now my child is getting his hands into it and rubbing it into his hair kind of natural disaster. That would certainly prevent a Mom from getting to school on time, I would guess she might even be a half hour late cleaning up that kind of mess. Wouldn't it be nice to just walk up to the teacher and say "no need to bill me the extra $20 late fee hon, I'd like to use the poop waiver please". Not that this happened to me today. I'm just saying.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE MOM! ... I WANT TO LIVE AT THE STATE FAIR!"

Spoken by a girl after my own heart. For a full year we wait for the biggest, best, most fattening, event in all of Minnesota, our State Fair. If you've ever had the good fortune to go, you know what I'm talking about. I can do one better than Clara, if I could marry the State Fair, I would.

I was a 4-H kid you see, with cowboy boots, a big ole' western saddle and a horse to ride around a little arena, competing with other country geek kids for blue ribbons (and I did win a few I'm pleased to report). Having swapped my bib overalls for, well, bib overalls -- only now I wear them with a City Girl sashay -- going to the fair kinda feels like going home for me. Not everybody here likes the Fair (gasp!!!!! Treson!!!! I say to no one in particular, like Steve Laliberte for instance)

Seems my kids have developed a taste for the old fashioned and oh so wonderfully kitchy exhibits, hundreds of varieties of food on a stick, barn animals (including my personal fav -- the State's biggest pig) milking cows and of course, the Butter Heads (sculptures of "Princess Kay of the Milky Way" and her Court, carved out of butter!) Truly remarkable fine art. That you can eat.

I can not wait for next year. Neither can Clara.


So this is where milk comes from


Mmmmmm. Butterheads.


Lulu hauls his crops to market


My favorite 4-H exhibit, Paul Bunyan, as a baby. I think.


Looking for a wearbale crop art bikini?


The biggest pig


Littler pigs


Riding in a bee, whee