Favorite finds, what a relief!

Am I weird for not dreading talking to my kids about anatomy, sex and all those topics that make parents squirm? I was not an inquisitive youngster on this topic, but I do wish I'd had more accessible information that respected my level of need to know / want to know. 

With so much misinformation and filth so prevalent these days on such a topic so vital to my kids' well-being, I want my kids to be armed with confidence in the truth. I also obviously want them to know their parents' and faith's values based upon our Heavenly Father's plan. I've been on the hunt for years to find good age and personality-appropriate books to read WITH my children. I am not good without a script! A book allows me to guide the conversation, gives us something to look at, and encourages the kids to comment and ask questions. Surely, in this day and age there had to be some good books that fit the bill, right? Well, most to date have made me squirm -- not enough detail, too much detail, bad illustrations, heavy bias one way or the other . . . etc.  

But Hallelujah! I think I found some I like for the ages of my kids! Here's my recent favorite finds found browsing the library shelves a few weeks ago. Both of these are by Robie H. Harris and have different illustrators. They are available on Amazon for ~$16 each.

"Who's Got What?"
Geared toward 2-7 year olds as a family takes a trip to the beach with their dog. Okay illustrations of what's inside and outside the body that makes us male or female. I shared this with my 3 and 6 yr old and they enjoyed the information and story. Nice and basic.

"It's So Amazing: A book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families"
I'd say this one is for 5-10 yr olds that want to or need to know more than who's got what. Just good to have around. I'm sure many adults will learn a thing or two as a refresher course, I know I did! Big topics are broken down into bite-sized sections for easy digestion so kids and parents can take it all in at their own pace! Topics include anatomy, feelings about these topics, puberty, reproduction, sex, sexuality, keeping your body safe, birth, adoption, family types, and STDs -- in 79 pages! The artwork and text are thorough without conveying a bias which I find to be the most amazing part! The author seems to strive to define each topic and not state a bias - that will bother most or some but for me and where I stand, I love how open ended this leaves it for me, the parent. The comic strip illustrations and text are very age appropriate to draw a child of reading age in and get them talking. 

I have begun sharing "It's so amazing" with my 8 year old because I know kids around him are beginning to have conversations and experiences that make me want to homeschool! While reading this book before introducing it to my kids, I felt impressed to simply print and post a copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World in the book. I feel that the majority of my values on these topics are stated in this one document in bite-sized chunks. Having it in the book lets me reference it as needed. Once my own copy arrives in the mail, I will do the same and probably make a note in the book's margins of what Proclamation paragraph and line I want to use to clarify our family's beliefs. 

I do want to note that I was able to read through the author's book on puberty and I found it too full of opinions I do not share. I was very disappointed. The search will continue!

But to end on a happy note, last week I stumbled upon this next gem we used tonight for Family Home Evening. Written by an LDS gal whose blog I follow and beautifully illustrated, "God Gave Me a Body" is a great way to introduce modesty and keeping your body safe from pornography and other harmful things. I'm so happy about how our reading and family discussion went tonight, it was just awesome! Before the lesson, Ryan asked me if the kids were too young for these topics but by the end, we were both convinced we were in the knick of time if not late to the party!

Not totally unrelated, if you read through the comments below their book's post, there's a discussion and great comment from the illustrator, Jessica W. Clark, about LDS artists, nudity, and pornography. She shared an interesting blog post by LDS artist J. Kirk Richards. If there's one thing you become accustomed to seeing when traveling in Europe, it's nudity in art. Is Michaelangelo's David pornographic? To me it is not and I see it and appreciate it as a masterpiece. Yet my life's experience and level of comfort with nudity is such that I don't necessarily wish for a full body replica to be displayed in my home. We do, however, have a small souvenir bust of David's head because of a description I read about how Michaelangelo set his David's eyes to convey different emotions rooted in human spirituality - faith, determination, hope, and courage versus fear, uncertainty, and despair. I love David's story - his entire story. I admire Michaelangelo and loved the portrayal I recently read of him in Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's. 

Pumpkin Festival Ludwigsburg

The annual Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is awesome! We've not made it there until now, just seen pictures and heard about it from friends. Had we known about the delicious pumpkin entrees offered, you could not have kept us away! And for once, the kids had a great time on one of our family outings! It greatly helped that we ran into a ton of their friends' families from school.

Our kids have made some great friends at their international school these past couple of years. One of those families is the Frikkens from the Detroit area. They are here for 3 years working for Bosch. Easton and their son, Anthony, have been best buds since the first week of grade 1. However, grade 3 finds them in separate classes this year. Luckily, us moms have been able to get them together for some after school activities, Cub Scouts, and this past weekend we found ourselves together at the festival! Awesome fun!

Just missing Joe here!

All pictures in this post are courtesy of Joe and Vian, because while I remembered to pack a good picnic lunch, water, the stroller, the diaper bag and such . . . I forgot the camera! Argh!!! I'm so glad they got such great shots! THANK YOU!!!

It was one of those last beautiful warm days before the chill of autumn arrived. We all picked this day to go because of the Pumpkin Regatta. About eight ginormous pumpkins are hollowed out and stuck in a big pond for people to race in. Why not?!

One of the kids' dads got to participate because they were short a competitor. That white pumpkin above was the fastest, easiest to maneuver it seemed. After watching a few races and eating our picnic, we meandered down to where the pumpkin sculpture garden was set up.

With October Fest getting underway, if you're out an about you will see lots of Germans decked out in their lederhosen and dirndl dresses. Vian caught this picture which is just too cute!

Here's a shot looking down into the sculpture garden and festival area. Previous years' themes have been sea creatures and dinosaurs. This year it's all things Swiss! Notice from left to right -- an edelweiss star flower, the alp long horn player, and the Matterhorn!

 The traditional long horns, we love these!

The Swiss Army knife!

Alpen milk cow and farmer pouring milk. {We hope to attend the upcoming festivities and parades of when different towns bring their cows down from mountain summer pastures. They deck the cows out with all sorts of regalia and really throw a good party we hear.}

The house there had every kind of pumpkin gourd displayed on the outside with a gift shop inside. The hay bales and pumpkin paths made great seats whenever you needed to park for a bit and enjoy the views!

Gourde creations! Cows, snakes, mice, frogs, eels and all sorts!

But by far, the best part as far as the kids were concerned was the hay play area! They were having so much fun that Ryan couldn't help himself. He just had to join in, more than once! The kids pounced on him and I am still finding hay in random places! I absolutely love how Ryan gets such a kick joining in (or leading) all the fun!

And me on my perch keeping track of our little wanderer who couldn't decide which was best - the crazy fun in the hay, roaming the pumpkin displays, trying to push all pumpkins off the hay bales along the paths, or taking a break snuggling with mom. Let it be noted that he only wanted to be snuggled when kids were interrupting his roaming with too much excited attention. Whatever, I'll take it!

Best buds! I love that all our kids get along real well! 

Representing USA, Mexico, and England!

So if the hay was the kids' favorite, the food was me and Ryan's favorite! Pumpkin soup with toasted-to-perfection, spicy pumpkin seeds and classic German crusty dipping bread. YUM!!! As many ways to cook pumpkin and to serve it were here! Roasted, sautéed, fried, grated, pureed served in sweet strudels with whipping cream, savory soup, tasty spaghetti sauce over pasta, served like potato wedges for dipping, and in a gumbo concoction. It was mind-boggling! There were also sweet roasted seeds or spicy curried seeds. Man, I wish we had more of those! We need to track down a recipe ASAP! I also find it fascinating that at these festivals there is no paper and plastic serving ware beyond the cafeteria tray and napkins. There's a big dishwashing operation behind the food hut. Very interesting!

This gal has saved my bacon many times when in a jam! She is one of the most gracious, beautiful, stylish, easy friends to have! She also puts on a mean Middle Eastern food spread in keeping with her Chaldean (Christian Iraqi) roots! YUM!!! 

It's so great to have a picture of us together! Thanks, Joe!

Venetian Mask Festival in Ludwigsburg

We had a gorgeous Saturday last weekend and while we had a lot of chores to be done, I just couldn't bare the thought of not going out to enjoy the sunshine. But as my family likes to joke, "I got hot!" Ryan had tried to warn me it was going to be hot out there, but I was determined - so off we went!

The Venetian Mask Festival happens every other year in the center of old town in Ludwigsburg, not very far from our where our ward meets. We've been up here a couple times - once on a date night for their Christmas Market and also once with the kids to enjoy the grand palace that was built by royals on the site of their hunting lodge. They made their own Versailles with beautiful gardens and it's a lot of fun. It was these royals who brought the festival here from Venice back in 1768 and then it was reintroduced almost 20 years ago. I was itching to see ornate costumes and boy did we! Plus every 30 minutes a new act would begin on one of the many stages around the square. Some of the performers we saw included a colorful group that danced on stilts, an improv comedy troupe, a Gypsy-like novelty  acts, acrobatics, and some inventive mimes. I can only imagine what Carnivale in Venice would have been like in it's hey day!

So the costumes were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! It was so odd to find myself staring unabashedly and having it be welcomed! Those costumed readily stopped and posed if they noticed you raise your camera. Very nice of them, but also just odd! I don't like not being able to see people's eyes, it kind of creeps me out. Here's some of the variety we saw, some with masks, others simply in period costumes or modern creations.

Smartest costume given the heat of the day!
This guy loved all the attention!

All those peacock feathers were mesmerizing to me! 

These soldiers really enjoyed being showmen! 

The deer stag on her headpiece is the symbol of the region's royals.
On their coat of arms is three stag horns. This area was royal hunting grounds.

Venice is famous for its lacework like that found on this parasol. I love this costume because of her Middle Eastern mask with Western European frock and parasol. It's all very Venetian to me with Venice's medieval position as the  East-West trading crossroads. Venice had a thriving cottage lace industry for centuries which Western European royalty took note of and brought to areas in northern France and Belgium. The regions' styles are different, but it's all very beautiful yet a dying craft. Parasols, delicate little fans, handkerchiefs, and all manner of personal items and linens are big sellers on one of the Venetian islands. At least that's what I understand and remember ;)

This gal was a mime and at one point got off her box and gave Ryan a hard time about having exposed leg. He was wearing shorts and white socks with his shoes. Ryan got a good kick out of that! They say you can spot an American anywhere in Europe because they'll be wearing white socks. :) 

I got McKay and Morgan to join me on this delightful couch.
They were a bit freaked out by it all but have talked about it a lot since.  

Now lest you think this was a glorious adventure with the kids, it wasn't. We'd planned to meet up with one of Easton's best friends and his family but it just didn't come together. Easton made it his duty to make sure I heard him whine the whole time about the injustice of being dragged to an event only interesting to adults. It was lovely. We did run into a different school friend at this shipwreck sandpit in the square so there was some fun to be had.

McKay is in side this barrel being rolled. He loved it! 

There were these big balloons being bounced around the festival and the kids pounced on one. They hit it around, chased it with wreckless abandon and I even had to buy my first beer because of it. No, the outing didn't drive me to drink - the kids knocked a man's tall beer into his lap so we needed to replace it. Thank goodness he was already in a happy place and his replacement arrived shortly.

The soldier created this photo op. Easton was not thrilled at the idea of him popping the balloon and took some serious convincing to participate. Funny, literal kid!

See Easton, it wasn't a total wash! I'd do it again in two years time if we're around, but perhaps as a date night! Sure would be awesome to see those performers' acts at night!

My Daily Doses of Joy

Jake will be 13 months in a couple days. He is seriously so much fun! First thing upon waking up, he wants a bottle of milk. If it's close enough to when we're to be up, we bring him to our bed to snuggle. After his bottle he goes back and forth between Ryan and I giving kisses and looking quite pleased with himself. I wish it could last forever! It's the best way to wake up!

Look at those curls! He's my only one to have had them and I can't bare the thought of cutting them off yet! The kid loves baths, balls, new to cars, and above all, CLIMBING! Every day he seems to find something new to climb up and give me a heart attack -- up to the trampoline, the tall kitchen step stool, all the way up the ladder to the top bunk, dining room chairs, the couches. He lives to explore his environment and is often scarily independent! The last few days he's also gotten stuck under beds and furniture while seeing if he can fit or trying to get an elusive ball. But when he's tuckered out or just needs a hug, he comes to find me. I scoop him up with kisses and if he's ready for a nap, he'll yawn and then start sucking those fingers while laying his head down on my shoulder. It's moments like these that I treasure and thank God above that I am able to be a mother.

Today was our first real dip in temperatures indicative of fall weather. Jake will surely miss his favorite room of the house - the backyard! He pushes the truck, rides and climbs all over the bike, and ends up on the trampoline every time. I zip it up, throw some balls in there and he's good for at least 15 minutes just playing.

Jake's also recently been working on hollering my name. He perfects this while we are confined in the van together. He wants me to answer him each time and grins big when I do. It sounds more like "Maaa" as in "mad" rather than "Mom".

Here's our girl! She loves having her own soccer practice. When I announced Sunday at dinner that we'd have to miss her practice because of the boys' school open house, her lips frowned and a slow sad cry began. It wasn't a tantrum, it was real sadness! We declared a family soccer practice for FHE the following night in her honor which cheered her up and kept her going all Monday.

Morgan has enjoyed having some quiet time to just play on her own lately during Jake's naps. While I buzz around doing chores in the morning, she happily plays alone for an hour or so with her dinosaurs, cars, dollhouse family, and lots of books. She still loves baths and would take them twice a day if allowed. We've been working on being a kind big sister to Jake and it's been fun to start to see her understand that role and find joy in it. She has a hard time when Jake gets into her staged toys so I'm helping her figure out ways to distract him. They love to play chase and peek-a-boo around Ryan's spinning chair. Such a cute happy girl!

The kids aren't enjoying waking up for school and are rarely up on their own. I've been trying to make it a fun think like my dad did. If I'm not humming Beethoven's 5th while tickling them awake, I'm humming the Star Wars title song. It's fun to see them stubbornly giggle first thing in the morning, but if I'm not on my game and need to get them up without a fight, I'll turn on the TV to play the Piano Guys Star Wars parody, called Cello Wars. Awesome! Check it out below! Once the kids hear it begin, they're up pretty quick! Ryan added the funny dog teaser and it's been a hit too. And if I'm not up for arguing during breakfast, it's been great to turn on the Book of Mormon Stories videos since they're short and easy to cut off to get the rest of the routine rolling.





Last week we got broken in with a little homework for the boys so this week's "home learning" felt like an onslaught. Finding pictures for their Identity posters, spelling lists, reading time, mathletics and antolin.de time online, and the like. Ever heard of edmoto? It's like facebook for a grade school classroom. As part of Easton's Identity research unit, they're learning about being good digital or online citizens. Woah! The boys also started their school's after school activities of science club, Chef's Academy, and Easton starts piano tomorrow. Life's feeling full, especially our evenings! Thank goodness I've got Ryan to tag team the kids' needs and help keep life fun! I sure love this family of mine!

Married 10 Years! Celebrating in Venice!

Ryan loves it when I blog our travels. I'm woefully behind, but as a belated anniversary gift I told myself I'd chronicle this trip Ryan planned for our tenth wedding anniversary this past weekend.

Ryan likes ambiance. There's scores of romantic, beautiful places in Europe, but Venice tops many lists and that's where Ryan took me to celebrate, plus a little stowaway, Jake. We had a great time despite Ryan coming down with a high fever and horrible headache he couldn't kick for the last half of our getaway. This is actually our third time in Venice and I have to be honest, I wasn't super thrilled to be going back at first. But a getaway is a getaway, so away we went!

Back in 2009 on our first big European adventure with the kids, we stopped in Venice on a whim at the tail end of a week in Italy with the kids where we crammed in the big sights of Florence, Rome, and Pisa too. Needless to say, all those cute little bridges over scenic canals were not my favorite when tromping over them with a gangly double stroller and tired little kids (ages 5, 3, and 6 months). Our second stop in Venice was at the tail end of a whirlwind trip with my parents and that went better, but it was so quick I really didn't see much except some great blown glass in Murano and exquisite handmade lace linens on Burano with my mom. This time, however, I was determined to give Venice a fair shake even though it would be crowded with tourists. It was the last big weekend of European summer vacation plus Labor Day weekend for all us Americans. Venice is a one hour flight from Stuttgart, or a few hours by train, or just six hours by car I believe.

How do you do, Venice? With the views we enjoyed, I can honestly say I'm glad to see you again!

View from the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal.

10 years together! I love my Cute Boy!

If you can see the price tag, it reads 7,50 euros for ONE box of mix! That's about $10!

San Marco Plaza, love the dueling five piece orchestras!!!
I could seriously sit and listen to them with a good book all day long anytime!

Someone is getting tired of being ignored and rolled through museums.
Just after the Correr Museum of Venetian history and art.

Man I love kissing on this sweet little guy!
Thank you Ryan for catching these cute shots! 

One of my favorite faces he makes a lot when watching something interesting or being surprised.
Even cuter when his mouth makes a perfect little O.
I recently discovered he inherited it from his Grandpa Nelson! So fun!

Dad can make him downright silly and it's so fun! Ryan is such a great dad!!!
Jake is quickly starting to prefer Ryan to me sometimes but I still get some moments!

We stayed at a lovely B&B called Campiello Zen. LOVED IT, can't recommend it enough!!! They let us know that the Historical Regatta was happening on Sunday. Although Ryan came down with a very high fever and debilitating headache late Saturday night, he just couldn't miss the pageantry and race before heading back to bed. It was worth it!

We could hear the trumpets on the lead boat long before we got to see the parade of boats before the race. 

The lead boat had a tough time with the current right in front of us.
Boats that strayed too much toward us had a tough time not hitting these docked boats. 

Many boats were dressed in historical garb from Venice's hey day in the 1500s.
But some were just teams there to compete in the regatta races, like these gals decked out in pink!

Don't forget the peasant farmers from the North in their dirndls and lederhosen who brought their harvest bounty! 

Time to head back to where the races will be held.
Great that the sun came out to show how colorful it all was!

I loved the charging horses on this one!

Jake enjoyed the spectacle but was even happier to play peek-a-boo!
Italians, Germans, and Asians we came across on this trip, however, all say "cuckoo" instead!

One of the great things about the B&B we stayed at was it's view into what life is like living in Venice. A short walk from the place is a quiet neighborhood plaza with most of the amenities you need - grocery store, a few restaurants, pharmacies, bank, and so forth. Our first day there we bought stuff for a picnic lunch to enjoy in the plaza to tide us over until dinner - bread, a pecorino cheese chunk, fresh tomato, grapes, some chips, M&Ms, water, and juice. We also set Jake free to wander and chase his very first pigeons! He loved the freedom and it was such a safe, quiet place with locals milling about.

In this same plaza this weekend, the local Communist party here throws a neighborhood celebration each year. It was more like a German fest minus the handful of disjointed political booths. This fun clown had kids rolling with laughter! The signs at the booth behind the clown talk about protesting cruise ships docking in Venice's lagoon.

Ryan had to head back to our place because his head was spinning. Jake and I took our time heading back. I love watching him walk around like he owns the world. And I get such a kick out of seeing people's reactions to him!

Since Ryan still wasn't feeling well today, I set out on my own for a couple hours while he and Jake napped. I got myself to the water bus stand (minus a handful of wrong turns) and hopped on the Grand Canal slow boat #1, plugged into my iPod where I'd downloaded a Rick Steves podcast travel guide, and enjoyed listening to him tell me what to watch out for on my way toward San Marco.

I still have yet to see the inside of San Marco's Bascillica or the Doge's Palace! I couldn't brave the horrendous lines this time and forfeit time to meander, shop and eat gelato. If you ever come across a Grom gelateria (like in NYC), try their dark chocolate fondente! You'll thank me later!

All too soon, it was time to load up and head home. Jake was worn out, Ryan was trying to hold it together with only slight relief from his symptoms, and I bemoaned forgetting our good camera's charger such that all these shots are from the dinky iPhone camera. Oh well, at least it captured some great times celebrating ten great adventurous years with my best friend! I love you, Ryan!