All of Painted Hen's Rooster's Posts
Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jack
October 28, 2009 Posted by Painted Hen's Rooster
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team…
Today is the first day of the 2009 World Series and unfortunately my “home” team isn’t playing in the series this year. And that means just one thing: no nice, warm (over-priced) peanuts and cracker jack from the stadium vendor this October! My kids and I will be watching our favorite team, the New York Yankees, take on the Philadelphia Phillies from the comfort of our own home on television. But we all love those stadium peanuts and cracker jack. So this year, we’re going to try making our own. Sure, we could buy some roasted peanuts and cracker jack at the grocery, but we thought this might be more fun to try. If you want to try your hand at making some homemade peanuts and cracker jack with your kids this year, here are two good recipes that are worth trying. Now all you’ll need to do is find some fun little prizes to stick into your cracker jack and you’re all set!
Wild Encounters at Your Local Zoo
October 20, 2009 Posted by Painted Hen's Rooster
Yesterday, Barb Spagnuolo gave us lots of good advice on how to get out and enjoy wildlife with your kids. But for some, natural wildlife areas may not provide the accessibility they need to have a wildlife experience. And, lets be honest, not everyone is into getting out on the trail to experience wildlife either. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have meaningful wildlife encounters with your children. There are many great zoos across the globe that offer rich educational experiences as well as the chance to see live animals that you might not ever have the chance to see anywhere else.
A Parents Guide to Where the Wild Things Are (The Movie)
October 16, 2009 Posted by Painted Hen's Rooster
When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. So, it was without question that I was thrilled to hear that Spike Jonze was making a film version of it. I talked it up to my kids, we read the book a few times this week and today, we went to the opening matinee showing of it. In one word, I was disappointed. Maybe I should try two words: highly disappointed. My disappointment stemmed mostly from the fact I wanted so much for this to be a fun, family experience that we could enjoy with our two boys (ages 3 and 6) and it wasn’t! Parents be warned: this is NOT a movie for kids, especially young ones. The themes tackled in the movie are very heavy and include serious issues ranging from dysfunctional families, death, sadness, and anger. It was NOT a happy movie at all.
Do You Have an Autumn Ritual?
October 3, 2009 Posted by Painted Hen's Rooster
The crisp cool air, changing foliage colors, and the smell of warm cider. Yes, autumn is certainly in the air. Today, the Painted Hen and I took our two boys on our autumn ritual in the Rocky Mountains. Every year at the beginning of October, the elk in the Rocky Mountains begin to rut. And that means they all come down to the low meadows to put on their annual mating display of crashing antlers and incredible bugling. It’s quite a show set against the amazing backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in their splendid fall foliage of glowing yellow aspens. To us, the ritual sort of signals the real beginning of autumn. The kids never tire of it and love to see the elk. It’s usually on these trips that conversations turn to questions like “What should I be for Halloween?” It’s one of our favorite times of year, and I hope our boys remember these special times of year and our trips to the elk meadows as they grow older.
