SUMMER IS UPON US AND I AM IN THE MIDST OF TRIP PLANNING FOR OUR FAMILY. We have two different trips on the schedule. First up? The cycling dream my husband and friends are pursuing to cycle the entire Natchez Trace Parkway this summer. On Monday I’ll share more about how planning happens around here and what tools I use to map out the fun with a family.

What are your favorite planning resources and websites when making arrangements? Does your family love to travel or is it a chore?

THE SCHOOLWORK PILES UP ON MY COUNTERS EACH WEEK UNTIL I GET THE CHANCE TO SORT THROUGH IT. Today I found one the gems of childhood. Grace has been studying similes in language arts and writing. She loves her dog and it shows in this assignment. I really just wanted to document it and share the smile.

Any other pet lovers agree with Grace’s assessment of what a dog is like?

WE JUST RETURNED FROM A WONDERFULLY RELAXED SPRING BREAK AND EASTER HOLIDAY IN MY HOMETOWN. We visited my 97 year old grandmother who was alert and talkative. It was nice to see her recovering from some winter rehabilitation and back to her own home. Amazingly she lives independently in an apartment specially made for mobility issues…I venture to say she is healthier than most 40 year olds. Very little medication passes through her body and she is still able to carry on a conversation with skill. We also saw my Aunt Barbara while there at Mammaw’s apartment. Her family owns a tax firm so I thought it was a special gift to get a photo during the annual tax hibernation.

I sorted through some family history and found a tramp art box made from burnt matchsticks around a cigar box. It was made for my dad during the 50′s by a prisoner he visited as part of a church ministry. Dad now uses it to hold special photos like the one of he and my mother while dating.

I explored one of the family bibles for clues about my grandparents and their heritage. Well, my heritage also.

On Saturday we let the kids hunt Easter eggs all over the hill at my parent’s home. There are lots of statues and fun things to place the eggs in so we enjoyed the hiding part. Next year I think we have to get more complicated because the boys complained that we were too easy.

In the next picture Drake is about to find a hidden egg and make his sisters really mad…big competition there.

And not long after that Grace found a fork…in my parent’s driveway. Don’t ask, they live in the country!

See the baseball egg?

Grace and Alana search the driveway for eggs amid the daylillies.

And someone placed a lovely teenager amid all the chaos. No problem though…she used her tunes to drown out the craziness.

St. Francis cradles an egg…and ironically a caterpillar was crawling up on his head. Tis the season for butterfly magic.

Grace was enamored with the caterpillars. The three little girls made them pets until Uncle Russ explained that they needed to be outside. Thanks Uncle Russ for promising to guard those butterflies-to-be. I have the feeling that three girls will be looking for updates!

Best hidden egg was the one under Chloe the cat. She stayed like that for about 30 minutes.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter and Passover week with the ones you love.

MY MEMORY WAS JOGGED YESTERDAY BY THIS IMAGE. Yesterday my creative friend Erin shared a photo she took of a young couple near some graffiti. She captured the perfect combination of fun and personality in the shot. That reminded me of a trend which is spreading across Pinterest right now – photography using sidewalk chalk. A few months ago I followed a Pinterest link to the Modern Parents Messy Kids blog and fell in love with her design ideas. You’ll enjoy her initial post explaining the trend:

Balloons always make me happy…especially when they are part of an imaginative photo:

Kindergarten photo? Year by year school photos? Yes, please!

Isn’t this a cute way to send a Save the Date card for a wedding?

On Pinterest you can search for things like “sidewalk chalk, photos” and come up with an interesting amount of theme ideas like this:

That’s where I found this adorable Three Month Photo pinned by Taylor Roberts. Isn’t it sweet? Not sure they would lay so still once you get to the One Year Portrait!

And this sweet girl full of personality that makes a lightning bolt strike mentioned by Stephanie Lynn:

And Getz Creative Photography did this adorable picture of a “strong man” using chalk and some imagination:

And finally, I found this neat idea from ArtrageousAfternoon which details a nature hunt you can do by taking collections the kids have gathered on a pretty day and composing them within sidewalk chalk frames. Once you make the photo then you can preserve the day forever. I want to do this soon with my crew:

The spring weather is perfect for creating fun photos. Spend the sunniest part of the day getting set up for the photo and when the light softens in the afternoon you will be able to capture your own masterpiece!

JUST SUBMITTED AN ARTICLE WITH SOME IDEAS FOR ENJOYING SPRING AROUND ATLANTA. It was an article which could have gone on forever because Spring is one of the best seasons in our city. We cover events like egg hunts and other activities in our events calendar area, so I choose to generate some thoughts about a day out in the glorious sun. It seems like this season began in January because of the mile winter, but if I had to extend one season this is the best case scenario.

I’m not mentioning pollen….

I’m not mentioning pollen…

I’m not AaaaChoo!

Let me know if you have any other ideas for Spring…always looking for more ideas to explore with my family. 

HOW DO YOU GET INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT? Our family travelled to Pine Mountain, Georgia recently to experience a few special family moments together at Callaway Gardens. The weeks following Thanksgiving are sure to fly by in a big rush. Lots of scheduled plans usually find our family exhausted by the time the new year arrives.

We met my parents and immediately enjoyed a lunch (and incredible views) at The Country Store. We had time to visit the Day Butterfly Pavilion mid afternoon. The best time is actually around midday when the sun is at it’s highest, but we  got a glimpse at some wonderful butterflies in their habitat anyway. My kids were fascinated at the larger butterflies eating the fruit which is placed up in the trees.

Although they are all familiar with the life cycle of the butterfly, there is something special about seeing the crysalids actually moving and working to become a beautiful butterfly. Even my teenager, Jordan, was enamored with the different stages displayed in the pavilion.

As the sun went down we donned our jackets and excitedly prepared for the main event – Callaway’s Fantasy in Lights. As we arrived at the Beachside area we first saw the Nativity Story being portrayed in lights with a full narrative. Up in the food and concession area there were fires glowing, smores, kettle corn, and even heartier goodies to enjoy. Soon we boarded the trolley set to take us on the nighttime tour of the gardens. I had brought blankets to share, but the weather was moderate and we needed only jackets. Gotta love the weather in Georgia!

The initial part of the ride allows you to ease into the nighttime sky and then you begin to see the entryway to the lights and their glow. And then the oohing and aahing begins:

The kids had a great time because so many of the animated lights were delightful. I loved how the new additions to the exhibit included the butterflies we had enjoyed earlier in the day. It was just the right experience to put us in the Christmas mood.

After the ride we made our way to the  heated, indoor Christmas Village and visited with a really authentic looking Santa (or as we call it – a good Santa) for pictures at a reasonable price. There were so many specialized gift items inside and also opportunities for children to make glazed pieces as personalized gifts or memories for your family. We had a fabulous night together.

We stayed at the Cottages at Callaway Gardens and found them perfect for our needs. 4 queen sized bed made sleeping our family plus grandparents simple. There is a full kitchen inside the cottage and a living area complete with a already stocked fireplace. That’s what we enjoyed best of all…the fireplace. We all gathered around late at night and enjoyed some much needed conversation and down time with no television (through there were three available in the cottage).

The next day we awoke refreshed and after enjoying an early morning fire with coffee we headed off on our next adventure. Callaway has a full site of information about their 20th anniversary year of the Fantasy in Lights event. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the experience.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided with Callaway Gardens Holiday in Lights tickets, admission to the Gardens, and a night’s stay in one of their lovely 2-bedroom Cottages so I could experience this event and give you my honest feedback in this review.

THE MORNING LIGHT IS ONE OF THE PRETTIEST OF THE DAY. While working on a client project one morning I noticed that the sundial I had given my husband as a wedding present was in the perfect light. I snapped a few photos of it and then went on with my work. I choose that sundial because it had the words “Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.” on it. I’m so glad it has survived 22 years of moves, weather, and children. It currently resides on our screened in porch. While I was doing some research for this post, I found that the verse on our sundial was actually from the lyrics of a John Lennon song. Makes me like the memento even more.

Grow Old With Me

by John Lennon

Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
When our time has come
We will be as one
God bless our love
God bless our love

Grow old along with me
Two branches of one tree
Face the setting sun
When the day is done
God bless our love
God bless our love

Spending our lives together
Man and wife together
World without end
World without end

Grow old along with me
Whatever fate decrees
We will see it through
For our love is true
God bless our love
God bless our love

“Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.”

FRIENDS VISITED YESTERDAY…COLLEGE FRIENDS. Our friends Beth and Jim came to town yesterday with their two cute kids. William usually pairs up with their son James and Grace and Laura can usually found together. There is something sweet about seeing the next generation form friendships. I’ve known Beth since my first days at Auburn. She was my “big sister” in Delta Gamma, but we would have been best friends anyway. As a credit to her friendship, she took me to get stitches one late night following an X-acto knife accident that occurred while I was building a chipboard model of my architectural visions. She’s a true friend.

Last night we grilled dinner and then “the guys” went to MicroCenter for great geek fun. That left Beth and I with our girls. We took them to the pool for a quick dip. It was still super warm even at sunset and the pool water felt good. (Yesterday’s heat index was well over 100 degrees.) I snapped a few shots of the girls enjoying some time together. They are two years apart in age, but they got along famously. This was Laura’s first visit to Atlanta so Grace thought she needed to have a good time.

I was in love with Laura’s beautiful curls and sweet face. She’s a real cutie. I am excited for her to start kindergarten this year.

At the end of the swim we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset that no camera could capture properly. It was glorious. A fantastic end to a sweet day.

TRAVELING WITH KIDS DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO VISIT A THEME PARK EACH DAY. We were in Chicago last summer for a family reunion. We started our trip early to travel and experience the sights along the way. Once we were in Chicago we had several days to explore on our own as a family before everyone else arrived for the gathering. One of our favorite days was spent at The Art Institute of Chicago. My husband Dave requested this activity because he loved Seurat’s pointalism masterpiece, A Sunday on La Grande Jette and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. I adore art so I didn’t complain at all. Being in an art museum just fuels my soul…and it is a wonderful cool place to be on a hot summer day!

We had been through the majority of the museum when we got to the basement and it’s treasures for children. In that one children’s gallery I found so many incredible ideas and thoughts which would appeal to adults as well as children. The main attraction of that area is a collection of dioramas called The Thorne Miniature Rooms. These are miniature architectural rooms set up perfectly. They look as if you could just walk right in and live in them and they showcase each period of time with skilled accuracy. I plan to share more about them next week with you.

In a small corner adjacent to The Thorne Rooms I found Joseph Cornell’s Collage Boxes displayed. They were fascinating. Each box was a collection of found objects displayed together in such an artful way. There was a story for each box or at least a theme. We analyzed them closely in fascination. I’m gearing up to try some of these this summer and I wanted to share the information with you.

“My boxes are life’s experiences aesthetically expressed.”  —Joseph Cornell

Above is The Eagle, The Arrow, and The Dolphin and below, the beautiful Butterfly Habitat box:

I found a Portland Artist who is currently doing work based upon these ideas by Joseph Cornell. Greg Hanson builds assemblage collages in a three dimensional manner. His YouTube channel is fascinating and he also has a website chronicling the adventures of these found objects and how he puts them together. I like how he shows the process and mentions the materials and types of adhesives he has found that work well in these built items. I plan to build a set of these with my kids this summer.

For now, take a look at Greg Hanson’s work:

Won’t you join me on the journey to make a few of these fun boxes? I can’t wait to see what the kids create with this idea!

WATERMELON IS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS ABOUT SUMMERTIME. Dave and I cut up a cold watermelon the other night after the kids went to bed. It was delicious. The day had been hot as blazes and we were enjoying the melon. We started a discussion about how many calories were in watermelon – romantic, right? This is what I discovered:

10 melon balls / 122 grams = 37 calories

1 cut melon diced / 152 grams = 46 calories

1 wedge, approximately 1/16th of a melon / 286 grams = 86  calories

So far so good, right? Next:

1 melon (15″ long X 7.5 wide) / 4518 grams = 1, 355 calories

Unfortunately we had eaten 75% of the whole melon at this point. That, is probably a portion problem…ugh.

GUEST POST: WHAT WILL YOU DO THIS SUMMER WITH THE KIDS? I am so thrilled to share with you a guest post by Sue Rodman. Sue’s blog, Field Trips with Sue, has become a standard reference for me here in the Atlanta area with my kids. You may have also seen her on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta and occasionally the local Atlanta NBC affiliate 11 Alive with ideas for your weekends. Sue has taken the time to compile a book which focuses on activities you can do without breaking the bank. What better time than Summer to enjoy the fun around our area. Visitors to the area can enjoy many of the ideas also. Sue has three active boys and she has tested all the ideas in her collection. She’s always on the lookout for family fun. Sue has become a personal friend of mine over this past year and I value her friendship and advice greatly. I think you will too!

100+ Free and Cheap Things to do in Atlanta with Kids
By Sue Rodman, Field Trips with Sue

One of the best things you can do for your children is take them new places and let them experience the world around them. Summer vacation is the perfect time to explore, but heading out each day can get expensive.  Here are some free and inexpensive things you can do with kids this summer. The ideas are taken from a new book called 100+ Free and Cheap Things to do in Atlanta with Kids which includes the who, what, where and when, with costs up front for easy viewing. Web links guide readers to specific information on the attraction; addresses make it easy to plug into the GPS on the go.

The book is available at www.fieldtripswithsue.com/100free in e-book format for the iPad, iPhone, Kindle and Nook for $4.99 and $9.99 for the printed version. You’ll pay for it with your first outing! So pack a picnic lunch and head out for a frugal afternoon of fun. Here’s a taste of what you’ll find:

• Visit a Museum or Attraction – Several Atlanta area attractions including the Georgia Aquarium, Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta and The Atlanta Braves offer opportunities to visit for free. For instance, all Georgia Public Libraries have a Family Pass to Zoo Atlanta that can be checked out with a library card.
• See a Movie – Southern Outdoor Cinemas host free movies at parks, and shopping centers all summer long. For indoor movies, Regal Cinemas hosts the Regal Summer Movie Express. The theater shows G and PG rated films at 10 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and admission is only $1. Plus a portion of the proceeds benefits the Will Rogers Institute.
• Get Back to Nature – For low cost and big fun, check out Georgia State Parks or any of the National Parks. There are also several nature preserves around Atlanta that offer free admission including Dauset Trail. Dauset Trail is a 1200 acre preserve with trails, creeks, wildlife and an extensive calendar of events throughout the year.
• Play Sports – From watching professional sports teams to playing them on your own, the book gives you ideas on active fun including bowling. Several national bowling centers offer free bowling to students during the summer. Check out www.kidsbowlfree.com or sign up for Brunswick Zone’s Bonus Zone for emailed coupons. AMF also has a free bowling program.
• Build a Craft – Learn what stores offer kids activities for a bit of indoor (and cooler) fun. For example, Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement offer monthly kid’s workshops where children make and take a wooden craft. Both programs also include a kid sized apron.

E-Book Giveaway!

Sue has offered a free copy of the e-book to one Mundane Magic reader. The rules are simple to enter. You can do one or all. Each time you do I will give you an extra entry opportunity :

• Entry 1 – Comment below to say hello. If you have an idea for summer kid fun, I’d love to hear it!
• Entry 2 – Follow Mundane Magic on Facebook.
• Entry 3 – Forward the facebook link to this post on your facebook wall with your friends…why not share the love and help their activity planning this summer?

Disclosure: I have received a copy of 100 Free and Cheap Things to do with Kids in Atlanta for review from Sue Rodman.

LIFE GOES ON FOR THOSE OF US WITHOUT DAMAGE FROM THE APRIL STORM THAT BROUGHT HISTORICAL TORNADO DAMAGE TO RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES IN THE SOUTHEAST. But in the communities where life was forever changed the basics of recovery have only just begun. Nothing is back to normal, and for some people in the Phil Campbell, Hackleburg, Mount Hope, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham area it never will be the same. My family was thankfully safe during the storm and sustained little damage. We have yet to find out about a beautiful piece of property I’ve spoken of before. we suspect it was right in the path, but even if every old tree was hit, that is nothing compared to the loss of lives that others have felt in that same area. At this point there is very little access to anyone who does not actually live in that area to preserve the safety of the people remaining there.

What has interested me in the midst of all this damage and pain are the things that have happened as an effect of the storm. Day after day I have seen the facebook statuses of those who did have power or phone access. Their posts speak of the daily missions they are on to help their friends and neighbors. Churches and community organizations have united to provide food, shelter, clothing, and even chainsaws for those areas.

For me, the little pieces of paper and photos found over hours away in innocent yards have shocked me. What a testament to the power of that tornado. A baby photo or bill or old prescription is whipped away in an instant and then gets dropped in a stranger’s yard. Not next door, but hundreds of miles away. A facebook group has formed to help others find those precious few photos that might have made it though the storm. In some cases, what seemed mundane and ordinary before the storm may just be priceless now.

The photo above was posted on the facebook group called Pictures and Documents found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes and it features photos and documents which were found by strangers. In the case of this photo, the son of one of the women in the photo recognized his mother and aunt in the photo. The aunt’s house was destroyed in the tornado. You can follow the comment section under the photo to find out more.

There have also been special shelters set up for the pets who were lost or misplaced during the storm. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to have your family pet recovered in this situation? That is also set up on a facebook group page called Animals Lost & Found from the Tornadoes in Alabama on 4/27/11, but I did see links to other facilities and sources who are also broadcasting photos for people in hopes of a reunion.

I hope to post more information on the relief efforts and needs as time goes on. Once we get past the immediate needs, there will be ongoing help needed to rebuild and renew these families. I know you will want to be a part of that community.

BEAUTIFUL LE MONT SAINT MICHEL IN FRANCE — SWEET MEMORIES. A dear friend of mine is going to France for the very first time. I’ve been so excited for him that it got me looking through the photos my husband and I took on our trip in the Fall of 2009. It was a glorious, once-in-a-lifetime trip. Today I am sharing a [big set - sorry] set of images from the island abbey of Le Mont Saint-Michel. The first photos we got up early in the morning before sunrise and watched the sunrise over the salt flats where the tide comes in each day. We then went back and ate breakfast and returned to make the trek all the way to the top. I hope you get lost in the images here.

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YOU JUST HAVE TO LOVE THE WEEKENDS!

Last weekend bowling…

Waiting, waiting...

"Look, look, look everybody!"

Let the happy dance ensue! (Sorry for the blurriness, I just couldn't bear not to share the emotion in this photo with you.)

High-fiving Daddy after the victory dance.

This weekend the zoo…

Jordan feeding a parakeet at ZooAtlanta

The adorable new baby panda named "Po" at ZooAtlanta.

Riding the train at ZooAtlanta.

I love the weekends with my favorite people!

KID QUESTIONS ARE THE BEST – AND MOST OF THE TIME THEY CATCH US OFF-GUARD. William passed through the kitchen looking around high and low. Finally he asked,

“Mom, Do we have a plastic box?”

“Why?” I said peering over my work.

“To make a solar oven.” He said matter of factly.

“Oh…Uh…Um…” I stumbled, not expecting that question, “Plastic won’t gather heat well – not much conductivity of energy in plastic.”

“OK, I’ll just put foil  on it.” He said as he shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

Never did figure out what he wanted to cook.

Not sure i want to know.

WHAT COULD TWO FRIENDS DO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER IN ATLANTA? Lots! Grace had a friend over today and they had a blast. This is what they did on a beautiful Winter day:

Jump rope in the sunshine.

Playing double dutch with an imaginary friend.

Measuring the jump ropes to see which is longest…

and finding out that they were both the same. Pretty nice afternoon to enjoy with a friend.

LAST WEEK I NOTICED THAT THE PIONEER WOMAN MENTIONED JEWELRY DISPLAY. Most of us have our jewelry tucked here or there in a drawer or hanging on a knob. We have our favorites and there are a few pieces that just get neglected in the wardrobe because you simply can’t find them.

OK, maybe I am the only disorganized one. You probably have your bling perfectly organized.

I loved both of the alternatives Ree (Hi Ree!) featured. And, as a woman who love unique pieces of jewelry, I completely admired her collection reorganization. Very cool stuff…and then I saw what my friend, Erin has been making in her workshop lately and I swooned:

Nice right?

How about this one? Can’t you imagine tucking a favorite picture between the ribbons and hanging your necklaces on the bottom?

A great adaptation of an old window…the perfect “upcycling” project. Erin is the owner of Erin’s Attic – Treasures Untold and her talents are endless. She’s just got a way of recycling things that most people consider garbage into the coolest and most visual household items.

Today I’ll see Erin at church and I’m picking up a metal letter from her. It’s the letter ‘M’ from an old sign.  I’ll take a picture of it when I put in on my shelf in the family room. Did I mention how Erin finds cool things? I like my friends!

The long awaited story of how my dear son caused an alligator to be upset…well, this mother is finally ready to tell it all. It is hilarious if you don’t think about how much danger the boy put himself in by begging me to allow a photo opportunity with an alligator. I’m sure you will be asking me why I allowed such a thing to happen. Well, for educational purposes.

Educational. Yeah, that’s my answer on the record. You try looking at those big brown science geek eyes and tell him ‘no’.

So this is how it happened. We were visiting Orlando for fall break week. On a day which was free from Disney or Universal park activities I choose to take the kids to Gatorland. We had just watched the Alligator Wrestling show and the offer was extended if you wanted to have your photo made with the star of the show. It was $5 and there was a long line…so I first rolled my eyes at the whole deal. Then William started telling me how much he really wanted to actually touch and be near the alligator…and I caved. His sisters soon got in line with him and so I was $15 poorer instantly.

They waited in line for a while. 15 tourists later they were up for their chance to sit on the alligator. To be honest, by that time I actually felt sorry for the animal. All kinds of people – large, small, loud, obnoxious, and downright annoying – had been on top of the gator. We were at the end of the line so we had an animal who was pretty tired by this point. Not to mention the fact that alligators are not exactly lap pet friendly.

So, finally it was William’s turn and he raced over and sat down as instructed. Too bad that at the very moment this photo was being taken, HE STEPPED ON THE ALLIGATOR’S TOE AND CAUSED IT PAIN…

And then the trainer had to reset the animal back into it’s place…

And then the trainer asked William to get off of the alligator immediately in a firm, but scary voice…

And he kept wrestling with the alligator…

Ordered William back onto the animal before the situation got worse…and at this point I was ready to scream, “Stop!!! Don’t get on the alligator!” We got the picture as the trainer wiped his brow from the wrestling situation. I’m still not sure how William could smile after all that.

Then we put my baby on there. Grace, the one I worked so hard to bring into this world. What in the world was I thinking?!? I’m sure the alligator was happy she had on flip flops and not tennis shoes. I later asked her what she was thinking in this photo and she said, “Wow, this feels just like a leather couch and it’s not wet at all!” I’m sure Grace will work for the World Wildlife Foundation one day with a statement like that.

Next she looked deep into the gator’s eyes before leaving the comfy seat and noted that the alligator’s eyes were the deepest green she had ever seen. I am not sure that is the detail I would have been concerned about if sitting on an alligator!

Next up was Jordan, my oldest:

And then we went to get a snack after that eventful photo session…where the kids ate Alligator Nuggets and Icees.

The end. See you later alligator!