Creed's Week in Pictures

A spatula in hand everywhere we go: check

Lots of quality time with the Zozes before they moved out of our neighborhood today: check

First awful eye infection: check

Exhausted dad who has picked up two extra overnight shifts this week: check

Mom struggling to keep Creed entertained: Check

First fat lip from slipping after a bath: check

Smiles because this week is over: check

Project CD

So we weren't really sure what to give David for his birthday. We made Nikki and Audrey homemade gift so it seemed like we should make something for David too, but I was having a hard time coming up with ideas. Then Thursday night Larry had a brilliant idea: a mixed Cd for David. I wasn't sure at first because we really don't know a lot about David's musical taste so how would we know what to put on the CD, but Larry suggested that we make a CD of kids' music for him and we would each make one and make it a competition to see who could gues what David would like more. Well, I couldn't refuse that challenge and let him think that he's a better CD maker than me, could I? So we had one day to come up with a CD of kids' music for David.

David's Muzak - Compiled by Larry

Jungle Gym (featuring G. Love) / Jack Johnson And Friends
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything / Relient K
Red Sweater / Aquabats
Coconut / Kermit & Cast
Steal My Sunshine / Len
Oompa Loompa / Anthony Newley
Mudfootball (For Moe Lerner) / Jack Johnson
Daydream Believer / The Monkees
Heigh-Ho / The Dwarf Chorus
Borneo / Cast
You've Got A Friend In Me / Randy Newman
"C" Is for Cookie / Frank Oz
Everlasting Gobstoppers/Oompa Loompa / Anthony Newley
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious / Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke
Rubber Duckie / Jim Henson
I Want It Now/Oompa Loompa / Anthony Newley
Playdough / Aquabats
Wonkamobile, Wonkavision/Oompa Loompa / Anthony Newley
Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) / Disney Ride Tracks
Smile / Vitamin C

Songs To Grow To - Compiled by Stephanie

Big Bang Boom / Big Bang Boom
Mah Na Mah Na / The Muppets
Doodlebugs / Laurie Berkner
Speed Racer / Everclear
La La La La Lemon / Barenaked Ladies
Sweet Pea / Tommy Roe
Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work) / They Might Be Giants
I Know a Chicken / Laurie Berkner
The Happy Song! / Adam And The Couch Potatoes
Clap Your Hands / They Might Be Giants
ABCD Medley / Laurie Berkner
Bicycle / The Jellydots
The Foil (Malfoy) / Harry and the Potters
Me and My Arrow / Harry Nilsson
We Can All Get Along With Dinosaurs / Terrible Twos
Catch the Moon / Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb
Lady Bug / Terrible Twos
Rainbow Connection / The Dixie Chicks
Home / David Tobocman
Who's My Pretty Baby / Bird Elizabeth Mitchell



A couple of the songs that I chose were catered just to David, but you would probably like the rest of them. "Big Bang Boom" is a really fun birthday song that I think most people would like, but it's not for sell on Itunes, which is a pain. "Speed Racer" because it was a Speed Racer themed party. "Sweet Pea" is on there because I've heard Nikki call Audrey Sweet Pea, but I might not have thought of it if it wasn't on a CD Brittany gave to me. "Bicycle" because David loves to mountain bike. And "Me and My Arrow" because I know Nikki and David love the Beatles and the Beatles were big fans of Harry Nilsson. "Me and My Arrow" is from an album called The Point that Alicia introduced me to ages ago. It was a cartoon musical and one version of it was even narrated by Ringo Starr. Oh, and "The Foil" because Nikki and David are also big Harry Potter fans and that song is just funny to fans. Then I put the peppy songs at the beginning and wound down to the slow songs at the end.



Just before Creed was born, I came across this blog and decided I would follow it and become the ultimate kids' music expert, and our house would be full of non-lame kids music that adults everywhere could enjoy. That lasted for about five minutes when I checked our library for some of the CD's that Warren reviewed and our library didn't have any of them. Plus, who has the time when you could be outside jumpingin mud puddles and picking dandelions? Anyway, this challenge was a good opportunity to do a little research and come up with some new music for Creed.



We presented David with his CD's on Saturday morning before we left for Hocking Hills so he would have the day to judge them and select a winner. We spent the day trash talking each others CD's, which was pretty funny because Larry and are one of the least competitive couples we know. At one point Larry even told David, "I just want you to know that my CD is compiled of music we already owned, while Stephanie purchased a bunch of her songs so mine is homemade with love and hers is just store-bought!" Ha!


That evening David held a hilarious award ceremony while we were at the Park. He called it Project CD and formatted it like the end of a Project Runway episode and presented the winner of Project CD with a Speed Racer medallion (it was a Speed Racer themed party afterall).


And the winner was . . .


ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I have to acknowledge that I had wonderful suggestions from my sister Candice, Warren of KidsMusicThatRocks, and Brittany, and Larry's CD was also great. We each forgot a few songs on our CD's so we're going to combine our forces for a third CD, which is bound to include:


Hot Dog by They Might Be Giants (Creed's favorite song that he does a sweet dance to)
Nellie the Elephant by The Toy Dolls
I Love Trash by Oscar the Grouch
I Love My Lips by Larry The Cucumber
Teeny Little Super Guy from Sesame Street

I hope that you found some new songs here to share with your kids and if you have any favorites that we missed, I'd love to know what they are.

Columbus Corners - Homestead Park

Recently my sisters and I have complained that they just don't make playground like they used to because all of our favorite playground equipment is now deemed unsafe; no teeter-totters, no Merry-go-rounds, no super-tall swings (never mind that I would never let Creed on a playground merry-go-round like the one I used to love). Every playground I've seen lately seems like it has the same old generic equipment. Well, never fear, there are still some amazing, original parks out there and one of my favorites just really upgraded.


Have you been to Homestead Park lately? I already loved how different it was from other parks in the area. It still has the caboose kids can climb on, it still has the fishing pond, it still has the huge wooden fort with built-in squirt guns (at least I think the squirt guns were just stored for the winter). But now, my friends, you need to head back to the park because they have an incredible new playground. The playgrounds on the south side of the park could use a bit of rehab, so head to the north playground and check it out.


They have a crazy triple-slide

All sorts of things to climb on

including this cool jungle gym/sculpture

And two of these cavesCreed's favorite is still the sandbox, but Larry and I loved the rest of the park so much we headed back a few nights later with Nikki, David and Audrey (do public sandboxes like this make anyone else a bit uncomfortable too?)

From Nikki in my email today . . .

This made me smile when I opened my email. I had to post it here so I can remember it. This may seem like an odd picture, but I just had to share it. While trying to capture Audrey on the music making machine, I captured you and Larry in the act of parenting . . . reaching for Creed at the same time and brushing hands. Your hands look so graceful and in my humble opinion is an excellent representation of your seemingly natural mode of parenting. I'm sure you have your moments (we all do), but you two are clearly in love with each other, in love with Creed and are loving your role as parents. It's refreshing to have friends who are in the same place as we are.

Love ya,
Nikki

Go Speed Racer, Go!

Our friend David celebrated his birthday this weekend and Nikki threw another unforgettable party. David loves to be outdoors so she planned a picnic in Hocking Hills followed by a hike to Old Man's Cave. It rained all morning, but by the time we finished our picnic under a pavilion, the skies were clear.

David says he loved Speed Racer way before it was cool so Nikki threw him a Speed Racer party complete with Speed Racer themed plates, cups, napkins, tablecloth and cake and to top it off she gave him this. (David joked that anyone walking by would think it was Creed's birthday instead of his birthday) Isn't that amazing? A guy at her office does them. I was being lazy with my camera so I shamelessly stole the Etch A Sketch picture from Nikki's blog and I don't have any picnic photos. I did bring my little camera along on the hike so here we are at the lower falls.

And here's the rest of the crew. They have really become our family here so we loved spending the day with them.

Audrey was so good in her pack.

Creed was another story. Here he is with Larry enjoying the upper falls (and by enjoying, I mean, being very annoyed that we would not let him climb in the water).

We lived in Columbus for years before we headed to Hocking Hills, but on our first visit we realized that it's really not that far and well worth the journey so we've visited many times since and it was one of the things we HAD to do one more time before we left so thanks to the Hudsons for helping us cross something off of our list!

Spring Bulbs 101

Spring is my favorite season. I think it's because all of the time I spent living in Hawaii without seasons. I didn't miss winter much except around Christmas time, but I really missed all of the beautiful spring flowers.

When I first got married and moved to Columbus, I didn't know a thing about planting spring bulbs, but decided to experiment and I've learned they are really easy to grow. Since then, I probably gone a little out of control and I usually force bulbs in the winter too, but I can't help it; they are so beautiful and barely any work. I've had a few friend ask me about planting bulbs so even though there's not much to it, I thought I would share what I know because I love looking at this as Creed and I play in the yard.



First of all, this tutorial is not timed very well because you plant spring bulbs in the fall. You want to try to plant them at least a few weeks before the ground freezes so their roots can become established and provide for a hearty plant, but they won't start growing above ground. When you buy bulbs they usually don't needed fertilizer because they've already been prepared for the best blooms.

Since we've moved a bit I haven't purchased expensive bulbs, but you can order some really amazing bulbs from catalogues like pink daffodils or funky tulips that look more like peonies. I've just picked mine up at Lowe's or Wal-Mart. Look and the bulbs and make sure they are healthy and firm, and the bigger/fatter the better your flower will be. My favorite part of the buying process is designing my flower beds. I try to come up with bulbs of all different heights that will bloom at different times so I can enjoy spring bulbs as long as possible. Crocuses and snowdrops usually come up first, then hyacinth and daffodils, then tulips, then my favorites, allium. There are tons of other varieties so just check the packaging to see if the bulb will bloom early, mid-season or late. That way you can ensure all of your flowers won't bloom at the same time and you'll be able to enjoy them longer. My allium are just coming up, but they will soon look like this. They are my favorite spring bulb (technically a flowering onion).
Some people like to stick with a few colors or even all one color and others like to go crazy and get every different color that they can. It's totally up to you to have fun with. You'll obviously want to plant the shortest growing flowers in front and the largest in back of your planter, but if you don't have a lot of space, you can plant them on top of each other (dig 8 - 10 inches and plant your tulips, then fill your hole in a little plant other bulbs like crocuses that can be planted shallower and will bloom sooner. Gardeners recommend that you plant your bulbs in groupings of at least 6 to 10 instead of rows, because it will look more natural and have a bigger impact and almost look like a bouquet. You can do this by digging a big hole and placing each bulbs a few inches apart (the packaging will tell you exactly how far apart) or bulb planter of small hole to dig several small holes near each other. Just make sure the spot gets lots of sun and stick the bulbs in pointy side up. Cover them up, water them and you're good to go (unless you have squirrels, which will dig most tulips bulbs up and eat them so you need to put wire mesh or something over them until the ground freezes).

I never thought to plant bulbs around the base of a tree, Anita, the previous owner of my house did and I love how it looks.

And the best part is that most bulbs come back year after year and many will multiply. Once the flower is spent, be sure not to remove the leaves until they turn yellow so the plant will be able to make enough food to replace the energy spent growing the flower. I used to have a lot of bulbs at my old apartment and a girl in my ward moved in there after we moved out and the next spring she thanked me for the surprise in her garden. I had no idea what she was talking about until I realized that she didn't know that bulbs come back every year and she thought I most have planted them for her before I moved so that she would have a nice surprise in the spring. I wish I had thought of such a sweet surprise. Maybe I can find a non-gardener in my next neighborhood that I can provide a spring surprise for. Wouldn't you love that surprise?

Columbus Corners - Historic Downtown Powell

We've had a busy week, and I'm behind on blogging so I have pictures to feature about eight Columbus Corners, but let's start with one of my favorites, Historic Downtown Powell. Ok, technically it's not IN Columbus, but it's an easy drive and a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon.

Jessica and I try to have Wednesday dates a few times a month because she doesn't work on Wednesdays so we go adventuring. We first explored Powell with the Zozzes, and since they are moving out of their house this week, it only seemed natural to spend one last afternoon there.

To get there from Columbus, take Sawmill North of I-270 for a ways and then turn right (east) on Olentangy Road and follow it until you see lots of cute little shops. I'm a little worried about Downtown Powell because there's a lot of construction going on and my favorite part about it is the small original boutiques so I hope that they don't get squeezed out by chains with all of the new buildings going up and changes happening. That said, there are some really fun new boutiques right now so hopefully Powell will stick with that trend and it will just get better and better.

If I only had time for two shops, my personal favorites are Bloomsbury Loft and The Collection (The Collection is actually on Depot Street a little North of Olentangy). I can't afford most things at the collection, but I love going there for new ideas because every time I step foot in there,
it's completely different. They are constantly rearranging and repainting and coming up with the coolest collections of things. I could do a whole post just about the different cool ways they've painted their walls and arranged things on them. I didn't have my camera so Jess snagged a few pictures of our outing for me on her handy dandy I-Phone. Here's a canopy that I think would be so fun in a kid',s room covering the bed and more (plus I just noticed the bookshelves with the pediments to the right that are pretty cool too.)And oh how I love Bloomsbury Loft! They actually do have a few things that I can afford, and I'm always wowed by the unique things they carry. And now, they too carry Amy Butler fabric. We should have taken a few more pictures because this photo is in a room at the back of the store and doesn't quite capture Bloomsbury Loft's spirit, but it does include a very cute baby. The owner of Bloomsbury could not be nicer and she's full of information about items they carry and other things to check out around town. I love these new fabric frames from Georgia that she just started carrying. Aren't they so cool?

If you're heading there with kids there are a few things in town that they will love and the promise to visit them just might allow you to check out a few shops. First is a new bakery started by some women from our church called Beehive Bakery. It's in the new shopping center just south of Olentangy on Liberty. Most of the shops in the center aren't open yet, but the bakery is and it's down at the end so don't miss it!

Everything we tried was amazing and Jess and I both ended up heading home with delicious bread.

But Donny told Jess, she better bring him back a cupcake from the Pink Moon Cupcake Bakery too and a trip to Powell really isn't complete without a stop there anyway.

And last, but not least, Powell has an awesome spray park for kids. The water was still off for the winter, but it should be on again soon and I can't wait to take Creed there. It's so nice to have a spot where he can get soaked without the worry of drowning. Oh, and not to mention, the Columbus Zoo isn't far either.

So have you been to Downtown Powell? What's your favorite stop?

Columbus Corners - Sew To Speak

Fabric shopping in Columbus can be a disappointing experience. Maybe I'm just not knowledgeable enough about the options, but it seems like JoAnn's took over the world around here and most other large fabric shops closed several years ago so your options were basically JoAnn's, Wal-Mart (bleck) or some small very traditional quilting shops.

In the last year or so, new shops have been opening up and things have been getting better, but now I'm thrilled by the newest option. A new fabric shop called Sew to Speak just opened, and it is unlike any other in town. The owner Anita saw a lot of beautiful modern fabric for sale online and thought there should be a place somewhere in Columbus to buy fabric like that, and since there wasn't, she decided to open just such a shop.

Sew to Speak is located on the East side of High Street between Henderson and Morse Road (4610 N. High Street). Right now they have a fairly small selection of fabric as they learn what kinds of fabric are in demand. It's a bit expensive because they are mostly designer fabric lines like Amy Butler, but it's so pretty you won't be able to leave with out some.
Creed was totally going crazy while we were there and the owner, Anita, could not have been nicer about it. She brought out whatever she could to help entertain him so I could shop and smiled as he ran around like crazy telling me there was nothing that he could hurt.

There are sewing machines at the back of the shop and a variety of fun patterns that will tempt you.

Check it out if you have a chance.

Got Chocolate?

Creed does!

And thanks to his ever elusive front teeth, he's got a cute hippo smile to boot!

(Don't worry mom, I don't regularly feed my baby chocolate! He found a small packet of chocolate drizzled Quaker mini Rice Cakes that he's been playing with for a few days, so when I was scurrying around trying to ready our home for the inspector I relented and let Creed have a few. It was totally worth every moment it kept him busy and happy)

What would your mother say?

Don't be fooled by this scene, it's not as idyllic as it looks. I woke up the other morning and as usual Larry was already at work. He made his side of the bed, but I decided to really make the bed well and started stripping off the covers to discover this.

Way to "put away" your pile of papers Larry! Are you forgetting that I know your mom so I know she raised you better than that?

Actually it gave me a good chuckle before I headed on with my day.

I just wish I could say it was the first time he did that!