Helping Families to Connect and Thrive

Our Last Summer Beach Week of 2019

08.28.19

August gifted us another beautiful week at our cottage. WOO HOO!!!

It’s hard to believe it was our last full week at our favorite place for the foreseeable future. Life is about to change drastically with Isla beginning kindergarten next week. Having lived by our own schedule for the last 4 years, and absolutely relishing that freedom, I am feeling extremely hesitant about confining ourselves to a Monday-Friday schedule. It is true, I have been dragging my feet in the sand about these changes a bit… anyhow, back to happier thoughts– family walks, wave splashing, beach cottage thoughts!

Several negative low tides brought us out just as the sun was rising to search for sand dollars and other treasures. We enjoyed the successes of each beautiful discovery!

I’m crazy about Cole’s Future Old Salt shirt. Isn’t it the cutest?! I put him in it as often as I can when we’re at the cottage. I even think their faces look a little similar!

Cole has developed a fascination with barnacles, just like Isla. He now asks, “Go see de barnacles?” Then he shakes his head yes and responds to himself, “Sure!”

Of all the wonderful characteristics Isla models for Cole, CURIOSITY is my favorite. Isla’s excitement and genuine interest in the world around her is contagious, and Cole exhibits the same sparkly-eyed face of wonder when he watches his sister explore.
What characteristic do you love seeing your older children model for their siblings? Tell us in the comments below!

Love, love, love the way Cole puts his hand on us when we’re exploring together! Knowing we are his safe place means everything.

It’s a 3 mile trip to the river and back, and while Cole runs much of it himself, he needs a little assistance from time to time. This little dude is pushing 40 pounds, so yeah, it’s a good workout for us.

Isla was a sand-dollar finding machine! Her collection bag was filled to the brim!

The tides were so low that the “secret beach” around the headland of the estuary was accessible. So much sand had built up that we were actually able to walk way up along the river. As we explored this usually unreachable area we discovered tiny shore crabs everywhere!

Isla set to work catching the crabs as quickly as she could! Cole was very interested in the crabs, but nervous about holding them himself. With a little encouragement from his big sister, he held his first crab and was so excited!

Bracing himself to hold another crab. Haha!

We were so excited to have my childhood friend, Jamie, and her family join us at the cottage for a few days! We enjoyed lots of time splashing in the waves, collecting treasures, and listening to the sweet giggles of our kiddos playing together. Pure bliss! The only thing missing from our time is even ONE picture of us all together! Oops!

After finding this crab claw, Cole completely cracked himself up by pretending to pinch everyone with it!

Who knew that a yoga ball could be such a great beach toy?! Jamie and Aaron shared this fabulous tip with us. Dig a hole in the sand so that 3/4 of the ball is buried. Pack the sand tightly around the ball and it becomes a trampoline for the kids!

We are talking hours and hours of giggle-filled entertainment!

Nothing wraps up an afternoon on the beach like tin foil campfire dinners and s’mores before bed time. Summer perfection.

On Friday we bid farewell to Jamie’s family and welcomed Grauntie, Gruncle, and our friend, Steffen, from Germany. In the middle of our guest transitions I made a trip back to town to photograph our nephew Whitman’s delivery! This whirlwind day was one for the books!

Isla’s most epic barnacle find ever!

While exploring near the river Isla caught this little shrimp. It flipped out of her hand and landed on the sweatshirt tied around her waist. She was absolutely delighted that this little friend hung out with her for a few minutes.

Cole certainly relied on his courage and kindness when he came across all the little shore crabs near the river. He was so fascinated by them, but still not so sure he wanted to pick them up! He did creep up very, very close and talked so gently to them. It was the sweetest! Cole’s ADORABLE sweatshirt came from The Wishing Elephant. We are accumulating quite a collection of their shirts for the kiddos and love every one of them.

The sweetest sibling tide pool explorations ever.

Aaaaand, back to the barnacles!

A sweet treat helps take the sting out of leaving the cottage. Despite traffic’s best efforts to keep us sitting on the road, we made it to our favorite little fruit stand just minutes before closing and checked off another of our summer fun list activities. These fresh fruit milkshakes are sure hard to beat!

Good Dudes are rewarded with milkshakes.

Summers at the Oregon Coast sure are something special. (In case you didn’t get enough beachy goodness, our July cottage highlights are here) I’m off now to take Isla back to school shopping. Don’t worry, Oregon Coast, we will be back soon– even if we are confined to just weekend visits! Sniff, sniff…

DIY Toddler Taco Costume Tutorial

08.24.19

The other day a friend texted us to share that Isla’s taco costume was on Good Housekeeping’s website!!! We are so tickled our homemade costume was featured, and hope it inspires some other taco-loving, glue gun masters out there to create their very own taco costumes!

We realized the original instructions we provided was pretty vague, so put together a step by step tutorial. This time I made a mini costume for Isla’s doll, Little Nini (yes, that is her name!). I was kind of secretly hoping the costume would also fit Charlie, and it did!

Supplies:

Colored felt– golden for taco shell, brown for taco meat, green for lettuce, and yellow for cheese (we don’t eat tomatoes on our tacos, so we made a costume to reflect that, but you could also add cute little squares of red felt “tomatoes” too)
Sharp scissors
Hot glue gun (make sure to have a couple of glue sticks)
Ribbon (we chose black to blend in with the black clothes Isla wore under the costume)
1 Roll of kraft paper for the pattern (we get ours from the Dollar Store)
Pencil
Straight Pins

Use the kraft paper to make a pattern. Fold the paper in half and draw a half moon shape on the folded side (this is the taco shell).
Measure the taco shell pattern against your child to ensure it is the correct size. Make a mark where the arm hole should go.
Cut out the taco shell pattern and arm hole.

4. Fold the golden felt in half and pin the taco shell pattern to the folded side.

5. Cut out the felt along the pattern.

6. Fold the brown felt in half and pin the taco shell to the folded side

7. Using the edge of the taco shell as a guide, cut the brown fabric in a wavy line.

8. Remove the brown felt and cut it in half.

9. Cut the center portion of the brown felt out. This leaves you with an edge of “ground beef” around the taco.

10. Line the brown felt up along the INSIDE edge of the golden felt.

11. Fold the felts over to the front to double check that the brown edge extends past the golden edge, so it gives the appearance of taco meat sticking out of the taco shell.

12. Attach the brown felt to the INSIDE edge of the golden felt using a line of hot glue.

If you find that the end of the “ground beef” is flat on the ends, just use the scissors to round it out.

13. To make the “lettuce” cut out wavy strips of green felt.

14. Attach the green felt to the INSIDE of the brown felt using a strip of hot glue. Stick each piece of “lettuce” in a random, overlapping fashion, so it looks like the lettuce is spilling out of the taco.

15. Cut out lots of thin strips of yellow felt to look like “shredded cheese.”

16. Using the glue gun, attach the “shredded cheese” to the OUTSIDE of the “lettuce” strips. Again, arrange the pieces in a random manner.

17. To finish the costume, open the taco up and attach the ribbons to the INSIDE of the shell using the glue gun. Attach two towards the top of the arm hole (so it will tie over the shoulder) and two just above the middle of the costume (so it will tie under the arm).

We’ve absolutely LOVED looking back through these photos of our sweet little taco baby! It was such a memorable first Halloween costume, and I had so much fun making it that we’ve gone the DIY route with our kiddos costumes ever since…

We cannot wait to start working on this year’s costume!

Also…

TACO CAT spelled backwards is TACO CAT. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

Peach Picking + Easy Homemade Peach Ice Cream

08.21.19

We took the kiddos peach picking for the first time (one of our summer fun list activities) and had so much fun! Douglas Farm could not have been more charming, and the trees were FILLED with sweet, juicy peaches— many low enough for the kids to pick on their own. 40 lbs of fruit later, plus some corn, eggplant, and peppers (all grown on the farm) and we were on our way home, dreaming of all the tasty peach treats we would soon enjoy! See recipe for the easiest, tastiest homemade peach ice cream below!!!

Someone kept sneaking off to steal bites of peaches while we picked! That mischievous twinkle in his eye— it’s probably not a good thing we find it so endearing!
(Sorry, Douglas Farm! He only got a few, and thankfully they were from the ground.)

I’m so glad my mom could join us, as I have warm, fuzzy memories of picking peaches and making peach ice cream together when I was little.

I can still close my eyes and taste the homemade peach ice cream my mom made during the summers of my childhood. I remember standing next to the hand crank ice cream maker, barely able to contain my excitement for that first creamy, sweet bite. This ice cream is the tastiest summer treat!

It turns out my mom didn’t always use the same recipe back then, but she remembered the ingredients. After a little internet searching we came across this recipe, added a little more peach, and it tasted exactly like the ice cream my mom used to make.

Easy Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into quarters
1 1/4 C whole milk
1 C heavy whipping cream
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions:

Place pealed, pitted, quartered peaches into a food processor or blender and pulse until desired consistency. Our puree still had a few small peach chunks in it. YUM!
In a medium bowl whisk the sugar, salt, whole milk, and vanilla until the sugar dissolves.
Add the whipping cream and stir again until everything is incorporated
Stir in the peach puree/chunks
Add the mixture to your ice cream maker and turn it on. Each ice cream maker works differently, so follow the manufacturers directions for the time you let it churn. Once the ice cream maker is done, pop the ice cream into the freezer to allow it to continue hardening for 1 to 2 hours. We serve our peach ice cream just a tad on the soft side– absolutely heavenly!

Love peaches as much as we do? Check out our recipe for Peachy Keen Breakfast Popsicles!

What are your favorite homemade ice cream flavors? Please share in the comments!

Goonies Day!

08.20.19

Hooray for GOONIES DAY!!!

When we first showed Isla The Goonies we never realized just how much she would come to love it! She makes references to the story, recites quotes, and it is often her first request when we ask if she wants to watch a movie.
We are so fortunate to live just a few hours from Astoria and Cannon Beach, two of the places where the movie was filmed. I had so much fun coming up with a day trip inspired by The Goonies! We visited different filming sites and enjoyed other aspects of these charming beach towns as well. We’re excited to share details from our trip, in case any other Goonies fans out there are looking for a fun way to spend the day!

We left Portland mid-morning and headed to Astoria. The drive takes just under 2 hours. On the way we listened to the movie soundtrack– on repeat.
1. First we stopped at The Bowpicker for lunch. It’s a food truck— well, a food boat— and it serves the BEST tuna fish and chips ever. It is well-worth the long line! The Bowpicker has nothing to do with The Goonies, it’s just a really fantastic place to eat before you start exploring Astoria.

2. After lunch we visited the Oregon Film Museum. This former county jail was where the opening of The Goonies was filmed, and is now set up as a museum that pays homage to The Goonies and other movies made in Oregon. The kids loved exploring the jail, seeing props from the film, and making their own mini movie! Parents with little wiggly kiddos, it is worth noting this place is small, and if it’s a busy day there is no way your strollers will fit in there! So, plan accordingly 🙂

“Bullet holes the size of Matzo Balls!” The excitement in her eyes at this moment was everything!

3. Next we visited the historic George Flavel House, which sits across the street from the jail, and is the Museum where Mikey’s dad worked in The Goonies. You can buy tickets to tour the museum (both on site and as part of a package at the Oregon Film Museum). With two busy kiddos, we opted just to view the house from outside and played around in the yard, but would love to tour it in the future.

4. We hopped back in the car to try and get a peek at the house where the Walsh family lived in the movie, often referred to as “the Goonies house”. Visitors used to be able to walk right up to the house (we did the Truffle Shuffle in front of it 10 years ago!), but there is now a sign posted saying the house is off limits to the public, so we respected the rules and pointed it out to Isla from afar. Isla looked at the Walsh house and immediately said, “But Mom, the trim isn’t purple!” This kid and her crazy attention to detail.

When one celebrates Goonies Day, one must wear the appropriate attire…

Seriously though, how FUN are these shirts?! I was a little worried Cole’s might be taken out of context, but we actually lost count of the number of times people stopped us in Astoria and Cannon Beach to compliment it! Ma Fratelli, bringing people together!

Isla’s Shirt | Cole’s Shirt

5. Before leaving Astoria we took a few minutes away from our Goonies-inspired outings to walk along the waterfront and watch the barges carrying goods along the Columbia River. Astoria is such a charming town and we can’t wait to get back to explore some more!

For the second portion of our Goonies Day we headed south to Cannon Beach. The drive only takes about 45 minutes.

6. We stopped in for some Tillamook ice cream at Suzy’s Scoops– again, not a specific Goonies-related stop, but a day on the Oregon Coast certainly calls for an ice cream cone!

7. Next we spent some time playing on the beach, with the iconic Haystack Rock (featured several times in The Goonies) in the background. We went to the north end of the beach, but you can easily get much closer to Haystack Rock.

We headed home with sandy toes, happy hearts, and once again, the movie soundtrack blasting. When we arrived we enjoyed pizza (because it’s delicious and referenced numerous times in the film), Goonies-inspired s’mores (recipe here), and watched the movie together before bed. Hey yooooooou guuuuuuys, we’re SO glad we went on this Goonie adventure!

A few additional thoughts to planning your own Goonies Day:

Pack lots of snacks and water. This is SUCH a “duh” parenting move for a long drive, yet somehow we found ourselves on the road without anything to munch on. This lead to some very cranky kids at various stages throughout the trip.
Pack a change of clothes and towels for after playing on the beach. Again, I’m not sure how something so obvious alluded us. Thankfully we had towels in the car from our Car Sickness Emergency Box. Woo hoo!
Add Ecola State Park, in Cannon Beach, to the line up. This is the forest the boys ride their bikes through at the start of their adventure, and such a beautiful area to explore.
Start earlier in the day than mid-morning. We found ourselves getting a bit rushed towards the afternoon/evening, and thought it would have been nicer to have an extra few hours to fit in all our stops and activities.
OR– plan to stay in Astoria or Cannon Beach. Reduce your drive time and focus on the fun. We truly had a fantastic experience, but by the end of the day we were feeling worn out, and truth be told, I was acting more like Ma Fratelli than I’d care to admit. We will definitely go on another Goonie adventure, and we will definitely take the above points into consideration as we plan our day.

Oregon friends (and those planning a visit), we hope our Goonies Day inspires you to explore our beautiful coastline and go on a Goonie adventure of your own!

Family Travel Tips: The Little Mermaid and the Car Sickness Emergency Box

08.19.19

We’re on our way home from the beach right now– one of many road trips we have been on this summer. We’ve learned on several of these longer drives (including one crazy morning in Cape Cod) that our little Cole has a tendency to get carsick! It is brutal, you guys. Those of you who have been surprised by a kiddo throwing up all over your car know how miserable it can be to clean up, especially when you weren’t prepared for such a mess. Cole’s road trip carsickness adventures have taught us a few things:

Our family can overcome unexpected, gross, inconvenient challenges. Woo hoo!
Preparedness is key (Hello, Car Sickness Emergency Box!)

Let’s address that first point with a little trip down memory lane to the first carsickness event of the summer… don’t worry, it has a happy ending! We woke early to drive to Oceanside to look for agates. About 45 minutes into the drive Cole became carsick, and without warning, threw up all over himself. We hadn’t brought any additional clothes (I was trying to pack minimally- lesson learned!), and had TWO wipes left in the pack. When I told Isla we would likely have to scrap our plans, her eyes welled up with tears, and I knew her little heart was breaking, as she had been SO excited for this outing. Rather than give up, we took a few deep breaths and chose to assess our options. We dug around in the back of the car and found a paper bag for Cole’s soiled clothes, one towel to cover his car seat, a shirt from a bag of Isaac’s clothes headed for donation, a hooded mermaid towel, and a hidden pack of wipes! After cleaning Cole and his seat the best we could and dressing him in the found items, we loaded back up in the car, rolled down all the windows, and pushed forward (driving much more cautiously through the curves). We made it to Oceanside and enjoyed a beautiful morning of beach combing. Isla was in agate heaven and Cole ran around the shoreline happily as a little mermaid. Isaac and I basked in the satisfaction that this potentially terrible experience turned into a memorable morning that helped teach our kids the value of persistence, flexibility, and creative problem solving.

Subsequent carsickness events inspired us to try and be a little more prepared for the dreaded clean up process. And voila, the Car Sickness Emergency Box was born!

We bought a Tupperware container and filled it with:

2 towels
2 garbage bags
2 large ziplocks/2 small ziplocks
1 paper bag
1 new pack of wipes
2 bottles of water
1 sleeve of Saltines (though it somehow didn’t make it into the photo)
A first aid kit (Not really for car sickness, but figured it was good to have one in the car anyways. We also added a few blister pads to this kit.)

In addition to the items in our box, we now MAKE SURE to pack at least 1 change of clothes for each of the kiddos in our diaper bag.

We tucked the emergency box in the back of the car and that is now where it lives.

Are there any other parents out there who have dealt with children’s carsickness? Any tips? Anything we should add to our box?