Mulberry Street

I had to look at my July calendar to remember where all 31 days went. I can tell you one thing that I remember well about July - It was One. Hot. Month. We spent several days at the pool, playing in the sprinkler, and visiting the water fountains to stay cool.  We ate popsicles and watermelon.  We picked our own fruit at an orchard with friends.  We went into the District for a class at the National Gallery of Art.  We had play dates with friends (though not nearly enough, according to Genevieve).  We had checkups at the doctor.  And, In order to maintain all the basil coming out of our ears, we made way too many batches of Pesto.  We even got to hang out with Melody from H.S. and her new hubby.  Somehow we managed to fill up the month with activities and can't believe August has already arrived.   "Thought it would be a efficient to take the kids in for their yearly checkup at the same time. You k...

It's been way too long since Eric and I were in France.  I think we need to go again.  Only, when I mentioned it to him he said, "Sure.  You just have to wait nine more years."  Bugger.  I was thinking sooner than later.  Ah well.  I can re-live our trip through photos.  Here are some shots I picked out awhile back, but now I can't remember why...other than the fact that they are pretty good and represent the variety of our trip fairly well. Cassis - the local fishing boats Antibes - variation in architecture Beautiful Driveway - somewhere in the south Old BMW Roadster - we stumbled on a car show in Bedouin Marseille - Chateau d'If off the coast Grape Fields - on the way to Bedouin Sur le Pont d'Avignon Chateau de Barbentane

Middleburg is oh so quaint, and if you owned a horse and riding boots, then you'd totally fit in.  I felt like an elephant in a china shop while I browsed through authentic french fabrics, elegant birdhouses, and delightful dishes.  It was, perhaps, foolish to enter this dreamy store in the first place, my two kids in tow.  The only other shop I entered was a second-hand store which is more my style and price range.  It was fun to poke around Main Street and look through shop windows.  We sipped smoothies in the shade and let our minds wander.  Genevieve dreamed about getting a dog while I dreamed about owning a house in the country.  I'm pretty sure Emory just dreamed about milk. Photos by Alisha Photo date: 7/27/11

We went peach and berry picking with Al and the crew.  It was a great opportuntity to view the absolutely beautiful Virginia countryside.  After a short 30-40 minute drive west you escape into a rural haven.  If you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of a gaggle of geese making their way to the pond.  Only, don't get too close or you'll scare them out of line.  You'll eat a delicious peach and decide that one peck isn't quite enough.   (My two helpers separately confirmed that fact.)  Then you'll learn real self discipline when you pick giant blackberries, because you're not supposed to eat them before paying...

Subject:  The day has come... Eric, I made a deal with Genevieve. Genevieve asked about Chuck E Cheeses. She said her friends told her "there was something scary there." Great. So I told her, it was just a restaurant with games and people dressed up in costumes. So she asks, "Can we go there?" I tell her that it is a place we can only go for super special events or for special rewards. The idea came to me that if she could learn to write her name all by herself, then we would go. She agreed and we printed out some more practice sheets. In hindsight, I'm not sure why I didn't play up the scary part because maybe that would have kept us away from that place. Except that the conversation took place right before bed and I'm tired of all the "scary things" creeping into her life and keeping her from falling asleep. If I can explain them away - I'm going to. So, in case I forget - we get to go to Chuck E Cheeses. B...

We attended the Stories in Art summer program at the National Gallery.  It was a fabulous way to introduce the kids to art, museum etiquette, and the Netherlands.  The program featured Dutch painters and each class exposed the kids to various aspects of dutch culture.  Each class was one hour long and included learning about one painting, reading one related book, and completing one art project.  It was a fabulous way to spend three mornings and worth the stress of getting into the District.  Landscape We first learned about landscape paintings.  We looked at Rembrant's The Mill and discovered that light plays an important role in directing our attention.  We learned about windmills and also learned that the Netherlands has a lot of windmills set upon dikes along the coastline.    The teacher read us the book, The Hole in the Dike retold by Anne Norma Green, illustrated by Eric Carle.  Genevieve list...