June 24, 2010

Father's Day

The only problem with having a spectacular party for one person, is that then you have to have a party of equal or grander proportions for the other person. Take Mother's Day for example. We had the best kabobs, "Cami's Great-Grammy's Lambies", a fabulous mousse cake, music, and family. Now comes Father's Day... *insert ominous music here*.
We somehow managed to pull together a somewhat bettered party for the boys (Pops, Husband, and Brother #2). It included lamb kabobs, grilled corn on the cob, pickled cabbage, and grasshopper mousse cake. The lamb kabobs, I have a feeling, are now a family event staple. Which is fine since they are so easy to make and so delicious to eat! For anyone scrunching up their face at the mention of pickled cabbage... I am soooo with you. It wasn't my idea I swear! As for the grasshopper mousse cake- it was yummy. I would include the recipe, but I cheated and picked it up from Safeway. In my defense, I already had to dissect all those lamb cuts for kabobs so I didn't feel like making it from scratch. Maybe head over to Smitten Kitchen and see if they can whip one up for you. Or do what I do and just eat whatever is on the front page.
Hope everyone had a delicious Father's Day!

June 18, 2010

Arts Camp in Columbia

So I have blogged about Columbia State Park and their various shops before.... candy.... BUT I have not blogged about how our little community pulls together every year for a summer arts camp. Every June for the last seven-ish years the local Arts Council puts together a week long Arts Camp for kids ages 7-12. There are three classes every day in various visual and performing arts with local artists. There is a group performance and student art show at the end of the week.



Anywho-- every year I volunteer to help setup as well as teach a class. This year I decided to do "Chinese Brush Painting" as my class. The kids really loved it and the results were phenomenal. We used concentrated liquid watercolor instead of boring ol' black ink and I think they are more interesting for it. If you happen to live in the area, look into this yearly summer camp!

Other than my hectic day of teaching whilst leaving my little Camster in the hands of my granny (who also volunteers every year), the Camster and I did "administrative work". Which really translates as spending the week signing in late campers, administering the occasional band-aid, and managing daily sign outs. Still fun work though... plus, Camster and I got to sit under the shady trees enjoying the beautiful Columbia scenery and watch the stagecoach with the big dark horses walk by each morning. Camster loves horses!

June 6, 2010

Breastfeeding in Public

I am proud of being able to nurse and sustain my child by breastfeeding, but unfortunately it is not the norm in America. Don't get me wrong, breastfeeding is not right for everyone and I'm not on my way to a "breast is best" rant. I am simply feeling at odds with the general public. The majority of adults and almost all children haven't been around a nursing mother and therefore don't know how to act. To be fair, I was one of those people.

For those of you who do breastfeed in public- do you end up feeling inappropriate? I have been lucky enough to have a supportive family in this new world, but I can't help but feel like the people around me don't know what to do with me. Do they sit down and continue the conversation as usual.. Or do they sit three tables away until I'm finished? Do they give a "good job" nod.. Or do they shove their nose in a magazine for a few minutes? I personally rather people go about business as usual.

It just seems that the lack of exposure (no pun intended) to breastfeeding mothers in America has made us as a people unprepared for these situations. What have been your experiences as either the feeder or the friend?