National Marshmallow Day

We decided we needed a new holiday, so yesterday was National Marshmallow Day* at Casa de McMiller.  Armed with a pack of mini-marshmallows, a pack of star shaped marshmallows, and an armload of toothpicks, we set to work.

Robin mostly made ate a handful, made some triangles and sticks, then ate another handful.

Erin was totally focused.  She spent a good 20 minutes constructing.  She built mostly churches.  We worked on how to made a 2-D triangle into a pyramid to stabilize her spire.  And when the construction was finished:

What should be our next holiday?


*There is a National Toasted Marshmallow day on August 30, but who needs to wait for that? 

Play time: Water beads

I've been reading about water beads for sensory play and finally figured out what water beads are. They are small polymer beads that expand greatly in water.  They come in a rainbow of colors, are meant for flower cuttings/soilless plant growing, and they are very inexpensive. 

Mixed up a first batch.  The packet on the left is 3 grams.  The bowl on the right is two packets worth, soaked in water for 2 hours.  They swell for 4 hours, so they probably could get bigger.

I set out the beads with some bowls and spoons as a first foray into water bead play.  No explanation, just the invitation.

The girls LOVED it, and played for about 45 minutes.  First, exploration, "They feel squishy, they feel slippery, they bounce, they shoot when I squeeze them, they tickle. " Then projects. Pouring into bowls, mixing, spooning, bouncing. Then gear shifting as we put them in baggies to squish around.

Finally moved it outside to the water table.  Lots of giggles, lots of good fun.  And they watered the potted plants, placing many of the water beads right where they're "supposed" to go.

We had so much fun and I bought so many packets, we'll share the love and try a McMiller PDX giveaway.  I'll mail a packet to the first 10 people who leave a comment.

CSA box 2: Apriums and Cherries

About 6 # Honeyrich Apriums and 1# Ranier cherries.

I'll likely be pinning a bunch of apricot-related recipes later this week.  Anyone have suggestions? Last week we ate most of the peaches and apricots, but I still ended up making and freezing about a pint of compote.

So simple a child could solve it.

What, you mean your 27 month old doesn't rock the Sudoku?

Sacramento Family Picnic

More picts to come but . . .

Brian's Uncle Mike hosts an annual church/family picnic every Memorial Day weekend at a park in Sacramento.  We made the short trek this year and had a great time.  Amazing food!  Games for every age kid!  Interesting conversations, hiking along the American River, and did I mention really great food?

The really fun thing is the girls have a ton of 2nd cousins that they got a chance to meet/play with.  We've played with some of the cousins before, but this was the first time meeting others.

Grandma sent these pictures, which seem to capture the spirit of the girls.

Hodgepodge dinner

For the adults:
Homemade pinto beans with sausage, avocado, cheese, tapatillo, steamed artichoke, boiled new potatoes.
For the kids: hard boiled egg, "sprinkle" cheese (shredded mexican blend), boiled potatoes, avocado, steamed broccoli, token beans.

Some dinners are just things on a plate and end up perfectly delicious.

The Steel Anniversary

B and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary (two days early) true McMiller style:  fancy pizza, good beer, and a documentary movie about sushi.  Does it get any more romantic?

My parents took the girls out to a healthy dinner, and we came home to find the kids bouncing on their beds.  They crashed out soon after and in the morning retold many stories of the fun they had the night before.  Truly though, we were grateful for the outing.  Happy 11 years, Mr. B.