Will Read for Food!

Remember in the 80's when Pizza Hut did the whole BOOK IT challenge?  I was so excited to get my pin. Probably so I could stick it on my rad acid washed denim jacket and go to Pizza Hut and get my very own personal pan pizza.

My kids do not have BOOK IT, but each summer they participate in the Library's Summer Reading Program. After they finish reading X-number of books, they can turn in their reading list to the local librarian and she gives them an awesome coupon booklet full of all sorts of free stuff.  Some of that free stuff is food, so we decided to try and use all/most of our food rewards in one day.  Amazingly, no one threw up afterwards.

1. Free Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

2. Free Noodles at Noodles & Company

3. Free Ice Cream at McDonald's

4. Finally, free burgers at Elevation Burger

1,2,3 Strikes You're Out at the Old Ball Game

 If our family could live at National's Park in the summer time, we totally would and we would be happy doing it.  We love the atmosphere, the food, the general Americana-ness of baseball, the president's race and of course, we love our Nat's players. Not to mention there is something so relaxing about watching baseball.  Actually,  baseball is just a laid-back kind of game.  After all, what other sport can you snack on sunflower seeds and chew tobacco products all while playing it professionally.

 We generally only make it to 3 or 4 games a year but, last week,  as luck would have it, we went twice. We even got to stay for the fireworks show Friday night.  But, the most exciting thing of all was when the Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder, Ender Inciarte, threw us a game ball, which of course immediately made the Diamondbacks our second favorite team.  Atley was the lucky recipient and he was overcome with joy.

A Baby Atkins Diet Perhaps?

All three of my darling demons had well-child check-ups last week.  The doctor made them dress up in these adorable paper robes.  She told them they could leave their underwear on, but as luck would have it, none of them were even wearing underwear. Hmm, that was awkward. I was admiring their cuteness and thinking about how very thankful I am for modern medicine and for vaccinations against all sorts of horrible diseases when I heard the doctor say that Nash was "CHUNKY!"  She then used the term "CHUBBY"  and said something about him laying off the carbs. Next, she suggested that I quit letting him steal his brother's food.  Of course, this was annoying on so many levels.  First, he was sitting right there. Whatever happened to sensitivity and a decent bed-side manner? Second, is there no accounting for body type in this world. Where's the humanity?  But, what probably made me most upset of all is that I KNOW Nash cannot be fat because six months ago we made him switch to DIET Coke! Hello, what more can we do doc?

Puppet Master

Just over the Potomac in Glen Echo, MD lay the remnants of an old amusement park.  All that is left is the beautiful old carousel complete with a self-playing organ, a few buildings, a small park and The Puppet Company.  Honestly, I couldn't help thinking what a perfect setting it would be for a horror movie. Anyway, we saw an absolutely adorable puppet show all about the Wolf's version of what really happened to the Three Little Pigs and Goldie Locks.  

Isn't it pathetic that after I rode the carousel I felt nauseous for like three hours?

Apparently, you are never too old to ride a giant bunny. In fact, the whole experience made Atley quite reflective.

  Glen Echo Park shares a parking lot with the Clara Barton National Historic Site.  Of course, I made the kids visit Ms. Barton's home too.  They grumbled a little but Nash caught a blue-tailed skink which actually shed its tail for us and he discovered a colony of millipedes, so it was totally worth his while.

Our Food Truck Adventure

Washington D.C. is full of food trucks. They line the streets around Capital Gallery and Farragut Square throughout the day but especially at lunch time.  I have heard great things about some of them and Harley is completely obsessed with eating at food trucks. I think it has something to do with a hot dog she once had at a food cart in New York.  She'll never be the same. The D.C. food trucks are much more than just hot dogs. There is a grilled cheese truck, a peanut butter and jelly truck, BBQ trucks, lots of Mexican food, Vietnamese Pho, plenty of Halal and Kosher foods, cheese steaks, pizza, lobster, mac and cheese, donuts, and pretty much anything you could imagine or your little heart could desire.  Yesterday we decided to go on a food truck adventure.  We parked as close as we could to Capital Gallery (7th & Maryland). The only rule was we each had to get something from a different food truck and share what we found.

I got a burrito from this little truck.  The words FAR EAST TACO didn't register until  I had my first bite and realized my burrito was filled with some strange Chinese/Mexican food hybrid.  

Nash opted for a jumbo pretzel.  He had no desire to be adventurous with what went into his belly.

Atley headed straight for the Cheese Cake truck.  It was delicious.

Harley opted for some red beans and rice from a Cajun truck but all she really wanted was cupcakes from the cupcake truck, so of course she got some of those too.

When we got home I was totally exhausted so I ordered a pizza for dinner.  After Nash scarfed down his fair share he said, "Mom, you really gotta start feeding us something healthy. My belly is killing me. I think I am slowly dying of obesity."  

If I learned anything from our adventure it is this: when a food truck's line is long it is probably for a good reason and when a food truck does not have a line it is also probably for a good reason.

When we returned from our adventure I found this great WEBSITE where you can track your favorite food truck by pin-pointing its exact location.  So, if you are desperately in need of the delicacies of the Sweet Bite truck visit the website before you leave home.

Rainy Day's and Tuesdays Never Bring Me Down

 (Do you have that Carpenter's song, Rainy Days and Mondays in your head now? If not than you are probably too young to be reading this blog.  There may be information not suitable for children under 35)

Wow! Sorry about that parenthesized tangent. In case you couldn't guess today was one of those dark, dreary, soaking wet kind of days.  Therefore, all of our fun had to be had inside of the house.  Nash loves days like this because he adores simply being at home. Atley and Harley on the other hand love to go, go, go and then they are ready to go again!  I had to find a way to keep them all entertained peaceably.  First, they brought their scooters in the house and rode them around the loop that is our dining room, kitchen, foyer, and formal living room until all of them had cried at least once and it became very apparent that the mother had better intervene.  So, we made these nifty little bouncy balls. Yes, they actually bounce. We have a gazillion rubber bands from the fleeting excitement of the Rainbow Loom fad.  We finally put them to good use.  We began by wading up a small piece of paper and then wrapping the paper with the colorful bands.

Then we built the most amazingly cool thing EVER!  With the help of an old floor fan and a king size sheet we built an air fort.  Nothing has made me want to be a kid again more than this little invention. It was like totally tubular to the max. 

(Again if you didn't get the Carpenter's reference you might be struggling with this last phrase as well.)

When the sun never even tried to peek out from behind the clouds and trees, we made Sun Catchers with our stash of plastic beads.  We placed the beads in mason jar rings on top of an old cookie sheet and put them in the broiler for 10 minutes or until all the beads were melted. Maybe tomorrow we will see if they really catch the sunlight, that is if the sun decides to actually come out.

YOLO

You know summer better end quickly when the kids get so bored you begin taking risks with their life in an effort to keep them entertained.  You only live once right?  Last week Scott built a zip-line into the pool for the children. Harley seemed to grasp the concept better than anyone else.  The boys sometimes refused to let go and just hovered over the pool screaming. Actually, we only had one small incident which I caught on video. Mostly it is just me screaming at Scott because Nash let got before he was over the water.  It is a little comical. My favorite part is Nash screaming, "What the heck!" over and over. See video below.

Maybe just a little terrified to be the guinnea pig!

The boys had a friend over while Scott was building the zip-line and when they first attempted it.  When we asked him if he wanted to give it a shot he said, "No, because first of all Mr. Butler is not a professional zip-line builder and second, my parents think you guys are crazy." 

Additionally, feeling a little nostalgic for the freedom of Colorado the boys busted out their motorcycle which never gets ridden here because, well  there is no place to ride it without the police getting involved. Scott and I decided to open the back gates and let them take laps around the yard. They had a great time and so did Scott.