Fun with tangrams

Have you ever heard of tangrams? I hadn't until I came across the concept during a late-night Pinterest session a few days ago but now I am obsessed. Tangrams, which are puzzles made up of seven different shapes that form a square, have been around for thousands of years and used for everything from entertainment in the trenches during WWI to modern day intelligence tests. The gist of the tangram is to look at a silhouetted outline -- of a bird or tree or building, for example -- and to recreate it from the tans, the shapes that make up the tangram.

The pin I found was for making a tangram out of wood, but instead, I used a pack of foam sheets from our craft box. Everybody in the house has taken turns playing with the tangram pieces but I think A. likes them best of all. I'll park her at the front door with a bowl of water (water makes the foam stick to the glass) and she'll play for the better part of an hour, using the tans to freestyle a little art while I do laundry or get dinner on the table. I really love how the tangram forces her how to use an unfamiliar set of shapes to idealize familiar concepts (and some of the designs look pretty cool, too).

(The photos above are, according to A., a daddy, an airplane, and a sailboat.)

Who knew geometry could be so fun? (Besides my h.s. geometry teacher who promised me it would be if I could just give it a chance...)

Happy weekend!

Sand Clay

I've had a bag of sand hanging out in the garage since I planted my raspberry bushes a few months ago (they like a mix of sand and soil for good drainage). The hardware store where I bought my bag only carried sand in 50 lb increments, and I only used about 2 lbs in my planting, which means I have 48 left to use up somehow. Enter sand clay.

The texture of this clay is just like a grainy play-dough, but the real fun of it is that it will dry hard, meaning that you can use it to make summer treasures to keep.

Ingredients:

2 cups sand
1 cup cornstarch
1.5 cups water
2 tsps alum (found in the spice aisle)

Directions:

Combine the ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Within a few minutes, the dough will begin to thicken up like playdough. Turn out onto a surface, kneading smooth when cool enough to touch. Shape and let dry overnight (or longer) to set. The clay can be stored in an airtight container for three or four days or so.

We made a sand castle, of course, and used our beach toys to cut out shapes and some shells from a recent beach trip to decorate them with. About halfway through I realized I could make Christmas tree ornaments and so I worked on that while A. made a few extremely scary sand snakes. We set our shapes outside in the sun to dry (it took about 12 hours) and put the rest away to play with over the next few days (by the end of day four it was gummy and pretty much finished). And only one piece broke, which is a higher success rate than we've had with either salt clay or baking soda clay.

I think this would be a great craft for when you want a little beachy fun but can't get to the beach, or a creative way to use up some of that sand you might bring back from a special beach vacation. I have a jar of sand somewhere that J. and I brought back from the red sand beaches of Prince Edward Island a few years ago -- if I can find it, I'm going to pull it out and make of ornaments out of it.

That last picture makes me think of this. Snake! A snaaaaake!

Baby's First Movie

Last week, I took Anne to see her first actual in-the-theatres movie. We were very excited about it -- so excited that I ignored a little bad behavior the night before that I really shouldn't have just so that we would still be able to go. We were that excited. We looked up the showtimes to see what was playing, watched some trailers together, and finally decided that we'd go to a matinee showing of Planes, at Military Circle Mall.

Going to the theatre at Military Circle Mall was important to me. It's where I went to the movies when I was growing up, before MacArthur mall was built-- I have so many memories of being there with friends, and going to see scary movies with my Mammaw, who would smuggle in McDonald's hamburgers in her purse and even bring her own pillow (!) so that she could get extra-comfy in the seats.

Anne told everybody she met that she was going to her first movie: the people in line with us, the ticket-taker, the cashier at the concession stand. But as soon as we walked into the dark theatre, she faltered a little. When the previews came on, she covered her ears and said, "It's too loud! It's too BIG." I managed to convince her to give it a try by plying her with M&Ms (and covering her eyes during the Dinosaurs 3D preview OMG). There were a few hairy moments and we had to take a break during a battle scene with lots of gunfire and mean-looking planes but she did manage to make it all the way through. By the end she was dancing in the aisle and clapping "Go Dusty!" with all of the other little kids in the audience.

As for me, I thought the movie was adorable. Of course I cried when Skipper, the rusty WWII Corsair, found his wings again and took off tremulously into the sky. I'm lucky that A. is still young enough that this wasn't awful and embarrassing for her. If my mom had cried like that in front of other people I would have died.

We're already planning to head back in November to see Frozen (the preview with the melting snowman looked too cute). Have you taken your little ones to the movies lately? What did you see?

Chrysler Museum Glass Studio

I love creative playdates! A week or so ago, Anouk and I joined friends to go and see visiting artist Gianni Toso work live in the Chrysler Museum's glass studio. And it was probably my favorite of our adventures around town to date -- such an inspiring, educational, and colorful experience. I've never seen anything like it before (not even in all my poking around for things to do).

I'm not sure what I expected -- maybe something like the glassblowers at Jamestown? Sort of campy and fun? While this was definitely fun, there was far less of a boisterous vibe. Things were quieter, more focused, as the artist worked and the people sitting in rows of chairs around the workspace watched intently. Occasionally, a staffer with a microphone would step up to narrate what Toso was doing as he switched tools, or melded two different colored glass rods and stretched them into a delicately twisting ribbon. Classical music was playing while he worked and there were also large monitors hanging around the room so that even the people in the back could see. Toso comes from a family line of glass makers spanning back 700 years (that's not a typo), and he himself has been doing this for six decades, so you really want to be able to watch him closely, and luckily, you can.

Anne and her friend C. really enjoyed strolling around the perimeter of the room and looking at all of the work done by glass studio resident and visiting artists -- the more colorful or intricate it was, the better. To be completely honest, though, this was probably one of those outings that was more exciting the parents than the kids, at least in our case. S. and I were fascinated by the whole experience, but I think they were just too young to appreciate it fully. However, there were many older children in the audience -- ages 6 to 8 or so and then some older tweens and teens -- who seemed as into it as we were. So that's probably the best age group for this event.

The next nearest museum-affiliated glass studio in the U.S. is in Toledo, Ohio (there are only five in the whole country), so we are very lucky to have this one so close to home. And there are many opportunities to visit. The Chrysler's glass studio presents free daily demonstrations at noon, every Wednesday through Saturday, and regularly offer classes, workshops, and Third Wednesday parties with booze, music, and glass art demonstrations. You can find out more on the studio's website, and you can see more of what these remarkably talented artists do on the studio's YouTube channel.

Egg Creams (Discuss)

Over the past couple of weeks, our family has developed a little bit of an obsession with the egg cream, which, like a Linda Richman joke, contains neither egg, nor cream but is rather a mix of milk, chocolate syrup, and seltzer. The history of the egg cream varies widely according to whom you ask -- a few minutes of internet research turned up at least four people/institutions claiming responsibility for it. Everyone can agree, however, that it seemed to originate in the late 1800s/early 1900s in New York City and that it is delicious.

When mixed correctly, an egg cream tastes like a velvety chocolate soda with a refreshing, fizzy snap. When mixed incorrectly -- it's kind of weird/unappealing, not gonna lie. Luckily, we have had enough practice by now to be able pass on the correct mixing procedure to you and you will be able to avoid less-than-stellar egg creams! Hooray!

Step 1: Fill a 16 ounce glass with three tablespoons of chocolate syrup and 1/2 cup of very cold milk. To get the milk to the desired level of coldness, we usually chill it in the freezer for a few minutes. Most places seem to recommend whole milk as opposed to skim or 2% for the creaminess factor; we use soy milk because A. and I have issues with milk. Full-fat coconut milk works, too and is probably my favorite, but the flavor is a little off from the original recipe.

Step 2: While whipping the chocolate and milk mixture with a fork, as though you were beating and egg, pour enough chilled seltzer into the glass to fill it to about an half-inch from the top. The result of the whipping and the pouring should cause a thick layer of foam to form that will rise up and fill the rest of the glass.

Step 3: Enjoy immediately, while it's still at maximum levels of coldness and fizziness.

Our recipe lacks total authenticity because we didn't use Fox's U-Bet, the legendary syrup used to make this drink in the old days, and also because we added the chocolate before we added the seltzer, which made our foam turn brown instead of white. Technically, you're supposed to pour the chocolate down the side of the glass and stir it gently into the milk and seltzer once the foam has formed, but we found that led to improperly mixed egg creams or a lack of foam. We just don't have the knack, but what do you expect from a bunch of Southerners?

After our first perfect egg cream, I had to admit that y'all Yankees actually can do some eats pretty well (though I still think your cornbread sucks). Who knows, we might even have to venture north of the Mason-Dixon line to try out a real New York egg cream one of these days.

Have you ever made an egg cream? Do you have any tips on mixing? Do tell.

Tides are In

 A couple of weekends ago, my sister came into town from DC, and my uncle noticed that the Norfolk Tides, our local minor baseball league team, were offering a deal for Buy 5 tickets, Get 5 tickets free. Put them together and what do you have? Family baseball night. Hooray!

We set out to Harbor Park on a drizzly Saturday night hoping that the rain would hold off so that we could see the Tides play the Rochester Red Wings. It also happened to be Navy Appreciation Night, which meant that we got to listen to the Navy band, see a group of young men and women be inducted into the service, and cheer for a few military men and women (and military spouses) who were being recognized that evening. I feel like nothing says Norfolk like the Navy, and so I was extra proud of my hometown when I saw the crowd that had turned out that night.

Our seats were fantastic -- right behind home plate, which meant that A. got to see most of the action unfold only a few feet away. She was entranced by everything that was going on -- she kept up a pretty steady stream of commentary that could give the official Tides announcer a run for his money ("That man goes up there. He hits the ball. He running! Wow, he run!") For all that, I still think that she was more into the games in-between innings than she was the actual baseball game -- she cheered harder for the teams racing to build a giant hamburger than she did any time one of our players got a hit. (Although the hamburger race was very exciting that night, with one team running the wrong way and another forgetting the cheese).

We also introduced Anouk to cotton candy while we were at Harbor Park that fateful Saturday. She was definitely a fan of that, eating almost one whole bag by herself and then crashing hard from the sugar high. This coincided with the point at which the rain started in earnest, so we left at the top of the 7th inning. But we still felt like we got a good amount of excitement out of the evening -- we couldn't have asked for more.*

*Except maybe the Tides to not get shut out, but that's a small thing, right?

Go team! Have you ever been to a Tides game? What's your local minor league team called? (I still think Richmond has the best with the Flying Squirrels).

12 in 12 (August 2013)

It's August, and therefore time for another 12 photos in 12 hours. I feel like every time this project rolls around we have a really boring day and I long to be able to put my camera aside and wait to shoot when something more interesting is happening. It's hard to find the inspiration when you're just not feeling it. But I guess that's why this project is important -- it gives me a chance to search for something special in the little moments that don't seem very inspiring. And isn't that what most of life is?

I'm sure Rebecca and Darcy had far more interesting days, so be sure to check out their blogs today too. Here's to you, August 2013! Can you believe we're more than halfway through August already?

9:45 AM: It's a hot day that's only supposed to get hotter, so A. and I take our trip to the park as early as possible, right after breakfast. Despite our best-laid plans, it still feels like we're sitting in someone's armpit. Bleh. However, the chubby baby legs (climbing so high!) made me smile.

11:00 AM: A quick stop by the Virginia Tech Agricultural Research and Extension Center, a site that I'm thinking of reviewing for the blog based on a recommendation by my friend E. It looks interesting so A. and I make plans to come back later in the week when we have a little more time to explore (and when it will hopefully be cooler).

12:00 PM: Anouk's lunch: chicken nuggets, cucumber, goat cheese, and ketchup. Lots of ketchup. Anouk likes everything with a side of ketchup these days. Mama's lunch: a second latte and a few handfuls of Captain Crunch (not pictured because it was eaten hurriedly while A.'s back was turned, I want to keep her from a horrible lifelong Crunch addiction).

1:30 PM: While Anouk naps, I try on the bridesmaid dress I'm wearing in K. & D.'s wedding to see if I need to alter it at all. I can't believe I'm going to be wearing this beautiful dress in less than two months! I can't wait to see two of the best people that I know get married to each other. It's going to be rad.

2:15 PM: I reached for this magnetic Disney Princess set when we were in the thrift store a week or two ago to distract a very whiny Anouk from trying to jump out of the cart. It worked and she basically hasn't stopped playing with it since. Totally worth the $1.50 I paid for it.

3:30 PM: Kroger! Grocery shopping goes six times faster when the car-cart is available.

4:45 PM: The Josie-cat watches the squirrels in our yard. She got a clean bill of health at her checkup at the vet last week, not one issue for our 14-year-old girl. I hope this means we'll have her for 14 more.

6:00 PM: It's too hot to cook so we go out for dinner at Guad's at Granby. Our waitress was nice enough to bring A. her own bowl of  salsa because she understands that sometimes, you just have to double-dip your chip.



7:30 PM: On the way home, we stopped for a family portrait in the window of the H&R block. If I was still a humanities undergrad, I could write a fifteen page paper on how this photo is a commentary on the attitudinal changes between the American family in today's recession versus the Great Depression of the 1930s, and I would draw allusions to Grant Wood and Dorothea Lange and Sinclair Lewis. But luckily I'm not and so I don't have to do that kind of thing ever again.

8:30 PM: Bedtime cuddles with Daddy.

Pollinator Protection Project: A Home for Bees

It's been a few weeks since we last wrote about it, but that doesn't mean that we haven't been hard at work on our Pollinator Protection Project. One of the duties under the Pollinator Protection Pledge is to create and protect bee nest sites, and after noticing a few mason bees swarming around the yard at the beginning of the summer, we decided that we would build a nest for them.

Mason bees are solitary bees that make their homes in holes caused by wood-boring animals or in hollow reeds near rivers and swamps. They are important in the pollination of fruit trees (so much so that they are sometimes called "orchard bees.") Like other bees, their populations are threatened by deforestation and the use of pesticides and insecticides, so steps should be taken to protect and supplement their habitats, where possible.

Building a house for the mason bees in our yard was a quick and easy project that took only a small slice of our Saturday afternoon. There's a great tutorial here with step-by-step instructions. In a nutshell: we took about a foot long piece of 4x4 lumber and drilled small, deep holes in it using a piece of pegboard as a template for spacing. Then we angled the top to encourage water runoff and hung it on the fence near a nice wet spot where water from our gutters accumulates when it rains (mason bees love mud).

So far we're not entirely sure if any bees have moved in to the home we've made for them, but we have seen more of them buzzing around than usual so maybe? We're excited to see if any decide to become our neighbors permanently and will keep you updated if they do.

Here are some other tutorials for making nesting spots for backyard pollinators:

• A home for carpenter bees (very similar to our project but on a bigger scale for a bigger bee)
• Bumblebee nest using flower pots and plastic tubing
• Butterfly nest boxes 
• Building a caterpillar house 

And for good measure, a few super-creative and fabulous designs for solitary bee houses. Some of these are really gorgeous!

Do you have bees in your backyard? What kind?

Update, 10/20/13: By mid-October, about half the nesting holes in our mason bee house were occupied. See how some of the holes are plugged with gray mud? This will hopefully mean lots of pollinators in the yard next spring/summer. Hooray!

"Mama's Music"

Lately, I've been enjoying housework and driving around from errand to errand more than usual and this is because Anouk has been requesting "mama music" lately instead of her usual kids' music. Hooray! I am only too happy to hook up my iPhone and oblige her. One because there are only so many times you can listen to Dan Zanes before you want to throttle him.

Two, because one of my favorite memories from growing up is going through a big stack of records with my dad and listening to his favorite songs, which became favorites for me, too -- Pure Prairie League's "Amie," Stephen Stills' "Four and Twenty," even some Hall and Oates ("I Can't Go for That" is a quality song, I don't care what you haters think). So it's especially nice to share some of my favorites with Anouk.

I made a Spotify playlist of some of the songs A. and I have listened to the most over the past few weeks/months, the ones that will always bring me right back to Summer 2013 whenever I hear them in the future. I left off "Blurred Lines" which is probably THE official song of this summer in our house because I am actually really sick of it (I'm sorry Robin! I still love you!) But the rest I could listen to over and over -- in fact, I am now, as I write this. :)

Please note that as these are not songs FOR kids, only songs liked by my one particular kid, I can't verify that they don't have some inappropriate lyrics. Luckily my kid doesn't understand ALL THE WORDS yet and so it hasn't been an issue in our house. But be forewarned. 
Pix are from our walk around the Hague yesterday with friends. I love one with the gaggle of girly ducks all together so much. I like to think they were gossiping and really letting loose while their mallards had the ducklings for the day. 
Have a great weekend!