honeyfest at the grovestead

There have been many moments since moving onto this little hobby farm when Rory and I look at each other and say, "everyone should experience this!" Tapping our maple trees for the first time was like this. So the next year we had a tree tapping party. And then last summer we got honey bees and every time Adam, our beekeeper, showed up we were in awe of what he did and what he said. So we decided to host a day where Adam could pass on all the fascinating things he tells us each time he shows up.

These days are a joy to host. I love having so many people out to our place. We invited friends and family we thought would be interested and the turn out was awesome. And it's fun to work with Rory on these events. He's an interesting fella to be married to. He always has these big ideas and then he actually sees that they happen. I'm afraid I fall more in the "let's talk about doing it for the next couple of years..." category. Rory just does it.

So here's a fun fact: In a honeybee colony there are three types of bees: 1) the queen: her job is to lay eggs, eggs, eggs. 2) the worker bees (all worker bees are females who do not lay eggs): their job is to guard the hive, pollinate flowers, make royal jelly, build honey comb, feed larvae, collect nectar to make honey. They will live only 30-40 days and will literally work themselves to death. 3) the male drones: their only job is to be ready to mate with a queen. And when they have done so, they will immediately drop from the sky and die. Bring that up at your next trivia night!

Another amazing fact: bees wax is made inside of the worker bees bodies around the 10th day of their life. The wax comes out through openings in the bees abdomens and then they use their back and middle legs to pass the wax to their front legs at which point they will chew the wax and shape it into wax cells, making the honey comb shape. Did you catch that?!! It comes out of openings in her abdomen! CRAZY!

We had a station set up for kids to get to roll their own bees wax candle to take home. My mom graciously helped each kid at this station. Thanks Mom!

And then we walked down to the hives. Somehow the rain kept holding off. It would sprinkle every once in a while, and then it was as if the rain was having mercy on our little honeyfest and it would stop. 

Adam held up frames for everyone to see crawling with bees.

And then it really did start to rain...at least enough that the adults went to the garage and the kids stayed out to play. Adam's wife and my friend, Christina was there with her parents to sell their incredible honey and gorgeous candles. Christina's mom, Jan, is the one who makes the candles and they are stunning. She was telling me how finicky they are to make...the room as to be at the right temperature and humidity level, the pots and molds have to be preheated. It sounds amazing and I begged her to invite me the next time she's making them. And she makes this body bar that is incredible. It is like lotion in a bar of soap and it's great for hydrating dry hands. I loved it.

Elsie was our mascot all day long. I had meant for other kids to get to try this costume on with their parents in the bee keeping gear, but I couldn't get Elsie to take it off once she put it on. So she walked around all morning, our sweet little busy bee happily feeding the chickens.

It was a super fun morning. Adam and Christina, Tom and Jan are awesome, awesome people. You can follow their bee keeping adventures at Honey Patch Apiaries.

The Stepping Stones Community Walk: Please Come!

Rory and I have become involved in our local pregnancy center, The Northfield Women's Center. Rory serves on the board, and recently I signed up to help lead a community walk for one of the many programs the center runs.

Here's what I love most about this center: they are fighting for the mama just as hard as they are fighting for the baby. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, there isn't much you could disagree with at this center. They are a life-affirming center that respects the unique situation of every woman. They help her see the value of her own life, and the value of the life of the baby she is carrying. 

They don't only want the baby to survive, they want the young mother to thrive.

So they work tirelessly to provide resources, programming, childcare and empowering education to help these moms find their footing once again.

I think the reason I adore Stepping Stones so much is because I get it. Stepping Stones is for young moms who need some help and support to get back on their feet. Hello. As a mom who is in the thick of it, and struggles herself, I can think of no more important work. I think I have been honest enough on the blog that it’s no surprise that motherhood has been hard for me. And I even have a supportive husband, an awesome mom, family in the area and friends who have all helped me. Stepping Stones is the safety net for the mama's who don't have such a broad support system.

Stepping Stones connects a young mom with an older woman in a one-on-one mentoring program. Together, they walk through a curriculum that helps the young mom see her future as one that is filled with hope, with a plan to not only get through the day at hand, but to dream about what her future might look like with an empowered heart.

And this is why I'm so excited about this walk. And why I really, really would love for moms and their families to walk it. Because moms fully know how hard the hard days can be and that a woman has to have help and support to keep things sane.

Frankly, I don't just want moms and dads and families to walk it. I want everyone who is able to come out and walk it.

The walk is one mile, paved and takes about 15 minutes to walk. It's a great little trek that ends at Mill Park in Dundas (where all of these pictures were taken). The walk begins at 10 am on (the date has changed to:) Saturday, August 16th at Rejoice Church in Dundas, right next to the Menards on Highway 3. It promises to be a fun morning, with the Stepping Stones Community Walk concluding in the heart of Celebrate Dundas the small town's big summer fair with food concessions, a kid’s carnival, a car show, musicians and a magician.

The cost is $30 a family for the walk, $15 for an individual. This is how we are raising money for Stepping Stones. We decided not to have people gather pledges and instead charge for the walk. The charge is basically a donation given to support the Stepping Stones mentoring program at The Northfield Women’s Center.

I really hope you will join us for this fun summer morning, supporting a program that is transforming lives, supporting moms as they get back on their feet and celebrating the community that we share.

And all are welcome. Whether you live in the area or are looking for a fun summer outing and want to support a program that supports and empowers young moms, I would love to have you join us.

Register at: http://www.steppingstonescommunitywalk.eventsbot.com/

Happy Father's Day Rory!

Becca: "Ivar, what do you love about daddy?"

Ivar: "I love playing colors and shapes!"

Becca: "Elsie, what do you love about daddy?"

Elsie: "Nah nah. Daddy-hoo? Mama Dada Mama Dada!

the brown and orange mcdonalds

We have lots of different McDonalds in our life. Sometimes we go to "the blue McDonalds" which other people might call Culvers. Sometimes we go to the red and yellow McDonalds, which other people might just simply call McDonalds.

Well last night I took the kids to the brown and orange McDonalds. The new favorite of all the McDonalds. Here they bring out the kids size(!!!) float just after you order. By the time the burger and fries show up, they're old news, and may not be touched. But those floats...they are amazing and messy and sticky and so, so worth it. While Ivar looked at his mug he said, "I see the letter A and the letter W!"

We'll be back brown and orange McDonalds.

Clever Child Care

I'm starting to get smart about child care. Or at least I have friends who are smart, and it's starting to rub off on me. It's a funny thing to "get a sitter" when you're a stay-at-home-mom. It's hard to justify spending money on a sitter when your primary job is to be home with your kids.

But it is also super easy to justify spending money on a sitter when your primary job is to be home with your kids. Because you can never leave your job. Ever. Unless you have a sitter.

So here are three creative sitter ideas I want to pass along:

1. Hour for Hour: The most obvious of the babysitter swaps. My friend Ali and I try for this once a month. We set the dates on the calendar. One day a month I'll drop my kids off at her house from 9-1. And then later that month she'll drop her kids off at my house from 9-1. It means when my kids are at her house, I can be at my own house, without kids. Which is one crazy, amazing feeling. I've also noticed how much easier my own kids are when Ali's kids are over. Everyone seems a bit more self-sufficient because they have playmates. I still have to help with toy disputes and sharing from time to time, but I love having her kids here. And I love having my own time too. And when my kids go to her house, she feeds them her food. When her kids are at my house, I feed them our food. No packing lunches...that just makes more work for the mama who is getting the morning off!

2. Parent Date Night: My friend Allyson thought this one up and it's brilliant. At the beginning of each month she emails me dates they are available for the next month. Any nights of the week are game. Then I reply with the dates that work for us. We narrow down to two different nights. One night Rory and I will bring both cars and our kids to her house, while she and her husband go out on a date. When bedtime comes, Rory loads our kids in one car and takes them home for bedtime. I put Allyson's kids to bed and then cozy up on their couch with a good book because the deal with this swap is that it usually allows for late night dates. The couple on the date isn't paying for a sitter, which means this date can be longer than normal. And when they return, I get in my own car and drive myself home. It eliminates paying a sitter AND driving to pick up and drop off the sitter! The babysitting itself is a family affair...I love having Rory babysitting with me and it's easy peasy because our kids adore each other and entertain themselves nicely.

3. Monday Morning Babysitter: This one costs money. At some point it dawned on me that dollar for dollar, I would rather pay for a babysitter for four hours on a Monday morning than for four hours on a weekend night. So I have a girl from church come for just four hours each week. I pay a little more because she's married and this is her income. But it's worth every dime. The bonus is that when I wake up on a Monday morning around 7, I have this two hour high productivity window that amazes me. I know my reward is coming at 9:00 in the form of a babysitter, so I get the house in shape, clean the kitchen, do some laundry, get myself ready and at 9:00 I fly out the door to a coffee shop or whatever. And sometimes Rory and I will arrange to meet for lunch, which makes this a legit date with my husband, as well.

And finally, I can't number this one because I haven't done it myself, I have a friend who used to live in South Dakota and swapped with two other friends. One loved to watch kids, one loved to make soup and another loved to make homemade cleaning products. So once a month they swapped these services. How clever is that?!!

So these are my latest discoveries in the world of Mama Self Care. Anyone else have any clever babysitting ideas?

Honey Bee School 101

So Bee Keepers are passionate people. There is a whole movement out there to save the honey bees and this week I have jumped on the bandwagon. Each night we've been watching another movie or youtube video and trying to educate ourselves as quickly as possible. And it's true. All that is happening to our honey bees is a really big deal. During one movie I turned to Rory told him that I'm really proud to be keeping our own bees.

Today I wanted to pass along a few of the movies and videos and sites that I have discovered. Two movies were recommended right in the comments of this blog. Brad (are you high school Brad?) recommended a great video called Portrait of an Urban Bee Keeper. It's 20 minutes long and really well done. Enjoyable to watch and worth your time. Also really cool to think of keeping bees in the city!

Then I found beverlybees.com and the resource page on that site is fantastic. This TED Talk she has on her site is an incredible overview of what is happening to our world's bees and why we should care.


We watched every other video on the Beverly Bees Resource page. Really fascinating stuff there about verroa mites and foul brood and colony collapse.

Rory's brother Kyle told us about the movie More Than Honey and we ordered that on Netflix. I enjoyed this movie a lot and was amazed at the up close footage they had of the bees doing their thing, even the birth of a queen. Really fascinating. The transportation of bees to big monocrop operations is pretty terrifying. The whole time we watched I kept shaking my head, "this is all against God's created order. God never designed the world to work this way..." It's sobering to watch.

And my greatest resource is our teacher, Adam. He came out again this week and was so excited to see our bees thriving. We even added a box so that one hive can spread out and make more comb! That's a great sign of a healthy hive and I was so excited.

And finally, there is Oma Zina. Oma Zina is my sister-in-law Lisa's mom who came out for her 77th birthday. She loves it out here and really loves our bees. She and her husband used to keep bees and she has a lot of great lessons to pass on about swarming, drones and even has her son sending her late husband's bee suit so she can get in on the action. What a joy!

Elsie eats a popsicle

The ratio is always the same: One Popsicle Equals One Bath.

being the fun aunt and the little sister

My sister had her 15 year reunion at St. Olaf this weekend, so I got to have her girls for two nights. It was awesome and also reminded me once again how hard it has been to transition from Aunt Bec with no kids to Aunt Bec with kids of my own. This is a warning to all of you readers who are aunties without kids of your own yet: LIVE IT UP! Before I had kids of my own, I was able to be all things to my nieces (especially my sister's kids...we lived in Montana for a season with them, and I made TONS of trips to visit even when we lived a 22 hour train ride away.)

The moment I had my own kids my ability to be all thing to these little girls shifted, and I'm still adjusting. I think they are too. Instead of being Super-Fun Aunt Bec, I have to do all sorts of things that tend to my own kids. Which makes me Not-Quite-As-Fun Aunt Bec.

This is just a shift I'm still trying to come to grips with. But again, if you are an auntie without kids of your own, savor this time. And know that things change a bit when you have your own.

This is unrelated, but a funny thing to recognize. My sister was with her college friends all weekend. And I adore her college friends. They're great people who I have gotten to know through weddings and parties and stories. And at age 33, I realized I totally fell into the little sister role again, pining for stories from Annika when she got back, asking for updates.

It's just funny to still be the little sister. Made me laugh a bit. I've been pining for stories and updates about Annika's friends since she was in the 5th grade. Wanting to know what they were doing, what they were talking about, what they're interested in etc..

Hilarious. I will always be the little sister. And I will always try super hard to be Super Fun Aunt Bec.

summertime things to do at home

A part of the summer packet we were given at ecfe was a list of things to do at home during the long days of summer. I actually much prefer staying home during the summer. It's finally time to be outside, and we've got plenty to do.

-Paint on the driveway with big paint brushes and a bucket of water
-Wash things with a bucket of water and soap (the stroller, the cars, toys from the sand box)
-Get out the sprinkler and baby pools. Make an obstacle course.
-Make up plays, dances: Oak Tree Theater.
-Set up a tent and pretend camp.
-Pick flowers, make dandelion necklaces and crowns.
-Blow Bubbles: make huge bubbles with hoola hoops and kid swimming pools.
-Decorate bikes for a neighborhood parade.
-Use sidewalk chalk. Make race tracks, hopscotch, big art.
-Catch bugs in a jar.
-Make a terrarium.
-Wash the car.
-Paint the house with water buckets.
-Have a water balloon toss.
-Go fishing (for real or pretend over a sheet with clothespins attached)
-Go bird watching with a bird book.
-Build a fort over a clothesline. (my personal favorite)
-Have lunch over a campfire: hotdogs and smores.
-Make a frisbee golf course.
-Play croquet, bocce ball or badmitton.
-Target practice with water guns.
-Slide into a baby pool.
-Make forts out of big appliance boxes.
-Have a lemonade stand.
-Put a blanket down under the trees with a big bin of books and read.
-Have a picnic in a new location in your yard each week.
-Make cookies.
-Play in the rain with rain boots and umbrellas.
-Play board games outside on picnic table.
-Make a collage out of nature objects.
-Make cards for relatives.
-Have an indoor picnic on a rainy day.
-Give the kids the water hose in the sandbox.
-Fly a kite.
-Make paper airplanes and fly them.
-Throw a "very merry unbirthday" party.

And one of my very favorite websites to get lost in (careful, you'll be sucked in for hours!) is: Modern Parents Messy Kids. You'll find all sorts of fun ideas on this site like ideas for outdoor play spaces or this list of outdoor playtime ideas.

summertime things to do

I'm not sure what I mark as the official start of summer. Is it Memorial Day, June first, or the last day of school (ecfe)? Or is it the first picnic, the first popsicle, first boat ride, first ripe watermelon? I'm just not sure. But whatever it is that officially marks the start of summer, I believe it is here! Which is a little confusing because our peonies have yet to bloom, but based on all I listed above, SUMMER IS HERE!

My ecfe teacher made a gigantic list of things to do with kids during the summer. The list is awesome and at first I was going to make it into my summer bucket list. But then I typed it out below and decided this can be my "at some point while the kids are under 18 we'll do these things..." list. Because it's pretty huge.

I thought I'd share it as an awesome resource for those of you in the twin cities/south metro looking for something to do this summer. And Sunday afternoon as the kids napped for three hours (!!!) I spent some time creating some links for the list. Happy Summertime!

PARKS
Murphy's Landing in Shokopee (we love this place!)
Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater (can't wait to go here)
Antler's Park in Lakeville
Carleton College Arboretum in Northfield
St. Olaf College picnic on campus in Northfield
Centennial Lakes in Edina
Chutes and Ladders, Hyland Park Preserve in Bloomington
Lutz Railroad Garden in Eagan (3rd Sunday of the month, 1-4pm. Mark it down, Dad!)
Minihaha Falls
Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis
Zumbrota Covered Bridge, log cabin and playground (looks so fun for a day picnic)

STATE PARKS AND OUTDOOR DESTINATIONS
Afton State Park
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park
Sakatah State Park in Morristown
Whitewater State Park in St. Charles
William O'Brian tate Park in Osceola
Rice Lake State Park
Fort Snelling State Park
Lake City/Lake Pepin

NATURE CENTERS
Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington
Hyland Park Nature Center in Bloomington
Woodlake Nature Center in Richfield
River Bend Nature Center in Faribault
Thorncrest Farm in Dundas
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen

MUSIC AND SPORTS AND FOOD AND ZOOS AND FAIRS
Minneapolis Outdoor Music
St. Paul Saints Game (so excited to get to a game this summer)
Twins Game
Red Barn Pizza Farm in Northfield (great pizza, sort of spendy)
Farmer's Markets
Dundas Ball Park
Minnesota Zoo
Como Zoo
County Fairs
Valley Fair

MOVIES
Minneapolis Outdoor Movies
Centennial Lakes Outdoor Music and Movies
Lakeville Theatre (free kids movies on Wednesdays)
Elko Speedway Drive In (I'm so excited about this!!!)
Outdoor Movies and Concerts at Burnsville Civic Center

SWIMMING AREAS
Outdoor pools in Kenyon and Farmington
Northfield Swimming Pool
Faribault zero entry pool, fountains, playground, slides
Crystal Beach in Burnsville
Apple Valley Water Park (Ivar talks about the AV Water Park nearly every day...)
Cascade Bay in Eagan
Lake Minnetonka Swimming Pond
Lake Harriet (trolley rides, rose garden, music, beach. My favorite place in the summertime.)
Lac Lavon Park in Brunsville

SPLASH PADS
Kelley Park in Apple Valley
Civic Center Fountain Park in Burnsville
Minnesota Zoo

BIKE TRAILS
Cannon Falls to Redwing- 20 miles
Faribault Bike Trail- starts at DQ along hwy 60, trail goes to Sakatah State Park to Mankato

INDOOR
Mill City Museum
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Wild Rumpus Bookstore in Linden Hills, Minneapolis
Science Museum and Omni Theatre (museum closed Mondays)
Gymnastics open gym in Northfield
ABC Toy Store In Burnsville
Pump it Up in Burnsville
Red Balloon Books Store on Grand Avenue in St. Paul
Serengetti indoor water park in Owattona
Skateville in Burnsville
Nerstrand Meat Locker
Brunswick Zone in Lakeville
Edinborough Park in Edina
Good Times park in Eagan
Local Library
Water Park of America in Bloomington
Bowling

So what did we miss? Any glaring omissions that I forgot?!!

this week...

+ Last Friday we planted 12 apple trees out in the far corner of our field. Rory posted a lot of pictures and all the work that was done that day here. It was a full day and my mom showed up at just the perfect moment to watch the kids so that we could plant some trees. I was so grateful for her timing!

+ We finished all of the planting this week. Ivar put the corn kernels in each hole that Rory dug with the end of a pvc pipe. Rory planted the strawberries, pumpkins, squash, melons and lettuce. Have you seen Rory's logbook of what he is planting each day? And we put a bunch of sunflowers in front of the barn. I'm really excited about the sunflowers.

+ Rory and I hung my christmas present this week in a tree that overlooks our field and apple trees. This is just another victory in my goal to have a swing of some sort hanging from every tree on our property.

+ The kittens and cats continue to show off their mousing skills. Rory and I decided we would not want to die by the hand of a kitten. They really drag it out. I think the picture above was a chip monk. And perhaps most impressively was the day Velma, the mom, carried a bat into the garage with the wings flapped around her face. Gives me the shivers.

+ I've always been against double wide running strollers for their obnoxious size. Annika gave me hers a year ago and I thought we'd just store it for a while. Well. I am eating my words this week. We pulled it out and it is my favorite. The wheels are so big I can push it through the alfalfa out to the little orchard. It is awesome. It is so easy to maneuver. There are a whole lot of words to eat once you have kids of your own reaching each milestone. Lots and lots of words to eat.

+ Other than that, we've been holding our own sort of Honey Bee School each night after the kids go to bed. We've watched lots of youtube videos, read articles and watched a few movies. More on all that next week. I have so much to excitedly pass along.

what I know about you, elsie

I know you have left the house when I hear the kitchen door slam behind you. I know you are fearless when I find you standing on top of the kitchen table. I know you are up to something when I cannot hear you at all.

I know you are happy when you are singing sweet songs. I know you are witty from your clever naa naa joke. I know you are opinionated from the outfits you determinedly pick out to wear each day. I know you adore your brother from how hard you laugh with him. I know you two are going to be close by how little personal space you give each other. I know you will both be team players by how often I tell you to "work it out" each day.

I know you're going to challenge me all summer long to keep your hat on. I know your sweet skin is going to be a top concern of mine every single day. I know your enthusiasm based on your happy "yeah!" or "no!" I know you adore our farm life and all the animals and outside time that comes with it.

I know you are tender and strong, sassy and caring. I know you are full of personality and full of sweetness. I know you love me as much as I love you. You are my favorite little girl on the planet and I am so glad you're mine. And that's what I want you to know: how thankful I am that you are mine.

my dad is 70. SEVENTY!

A few days before his birthday my mom mentioned casually that this was dad's seventieth birthday. What in the world?!! How had I missed the memo? And how in the world could my dad be turning 70? Seven Zero! It actually did quite the deal on my own psyche. If my father is 70, the I must be sort of old too...

Mom and I talked and we decided to go low key. We'd invite the Anderson's over for a picnic. It sounded great. And then the day before the birthday she kept calling me and telling me who else she'd invited. And soon we had a legit party on our hands. Ivar was thrilled to be planning a birthday party for Grandpa Paul. He knew just what to get Grandpa for his birthday, "A Thomas Train from Target!" So the theme was set. And even better, my dad went to Party City before they came over and bought every Thomas plate, napkin, table cloth, bubble set, bucket and party blower the store had. Ivar had nailed it on the theme. Turns out, Grandpa Paul loves Thomas the Train!

Uncle Carl sat with Ivar at the kids table and they had a smashing time. Those two are quite the pals.

We made Grandpa Paul a cake with a 70 train track on it with a train car filled with skittles. I think Ivar may have eaten 70 skittles by the end of the night...

My whole life I've asked Dad what he wants for his birthday. He always replies, "world peace." Which was followed by a groaning, "daaaaaad, I can't get you that!" To which he'd say, "eh, just get me some whoppers and duct tape. You can never have enough duct tape." Which actually makes him the easiest guy to shop for.

It was a fun night celebrating a great guy. I told the story of when Mom and Dad dropped me off at the airport before I left for a semester in India. Dad leaned in and said, "Becca, when you're there, never forget..." And I thought he'd say something super spiritual here but instead he finished, "wherever you are, that's where you're at." 

I was baffled by that comment. But days later, when I found myself beginning to feel a bit homesick, I remembered those words, "wherever you are, that's where you're at." And I honestly think I bypassed homesickness because I was able to be fully present right where I was. And I loved my semester in India and all of the experiences I had there because of it.

It's still some of my very favorite advice. I still think of it, remembering not to wish a moment away, a predicament, a obligation or a season of life. There's no room for escapism in those words. Enjoy where you're at. Because that's right where you are.

So Happy Birthday Dad! You are a wise seventy-year-old man!