The Cole Mine

Vellum Fireworks

Here are the easy steps to make these simple, festive vellum fireworks:

1. Fold a 3″ by 15″ piece of vellum in half twice lengthwise.
2. Cut slits every 1/2″, leaving 1/4″ at the top uncut.
3. Unfold and attach a piece of double sided tape to one uncut corner; stick to bamboo skewer and wrap paper around.
4. Adhere another piece of tape to the other end and curl lower strips with edge of scissor as you would a ribbon.

Fireworks Printed Napkins

We bought some inexpensive napkins, then dipped the bristles of a kitchen scrubbie into fabric paint to make our own fireworks.

Josh made his own fireworks on a paper plate:

Thanks to Martha Stewart Living for the fun ideas. Hope your Fourth of July is filled with friends, family and  much fun!

A few evenings ago, they boys and I took a little trip down memory lane. Before we bought our current home, we lived in a part of downtown that I love…early 1900’s homes with big porches, friendly neighbors and craftsman style detail. Our home at the time was small, but full of laughter and such good memories of Josh learning to walk and talk.

We lived just the perfect walking distance from a tiny, eclectic ice cream shop, which we fondly referred to as “Velvet Freeze”. Many an afternoon with baby Josh were spent strolling leisurely around the neighborhood, finding special finds like flowers or friendly kitties…Of course, our final destination was too often Velvet Freeze.

Last week, we had some extra evening time so I took the boys back to this place. We strolled the neighborhood, ate frosty sweet treats (Riley even enjoyed a little taste!) and watched a few moments of a little league baseball game. Josh cheered for the players (which they found quite amusing) and Riley watched the world with big wondering eyes.

It seems simple, relaxed activities like these often make my children the happiest - they don’t seem to mind the ice cream either.

Josh is a regular Picasso these days…

His favorite thing to do in art class is paint with tempera paints. He swirls, mixes, scrapes and smears. Check out his latest creations:

Dinosaur & Volcano

Marble Painting

Storm

I’m trying to get Josh really excited about art this summer, partially to prepare him for preschool but also because I would like to be more art-focused and creative myself. Art projects also provide a nice afternoon activity to keep the boy happy. As part of our creative summer, we’re also reading books about art. I’ll post more of our favorites as we progress.

Josh has loved What Makes a Rainbow since he was nearly a year old. One of the teachers from the school where I taught before Josh was born gave it to me at my baby shower. A creative introduction to colors, its bright ribbons paired with Mommy & Daddy’s creative character voices make it a hit at our house still. Be sure to put the scissors away when reading this one.

P.S. Mommies get to paint in art class too…

Circles, by Mommy

I was tagged by fellow Colorado Mama, Catherine to complete the “List 5 Things About Me” meme. She asked for a little dirt and being an only child (1 down, 4 to go) I love to talk about ME so here it goes:

The real dirt:

Whoops! Ok, ok, here it is:

1) I am an only child. This state of being is purely and simply what drove me to have a second child. Quite possibly NOT the best reason to propagate the species, but we love Josh so much, we wanted him to have a sibling - someone to share a common experience in this life. If all goes as planned the boys will be there for each other long after Mom and Dad are gone.

2) Sometimes the pictures posted on The Cole Mine reflect something other than the truth. For example, here’s a pic taken of me and my husband at his recent company picnic:

We look pretty darn cute and happy, right? Well, this is the “fake smile” happy pose. Truthfully, we were both a little overtired and over IT trying to hang on to our last bits of sanity not to mention two overtired and over stimulated little ones. And it was really, annoyingly windy that day. This photo depicts a more accurate story (tired, windblown with two fussy kids in tow), but typically, I may not post a photo like this:

3) I have decided that motherhood is a relative breeze when a little nightly nightcap like THIS is added into the equation:

4) Heights make me queasy, so our recent zoo trip to view a breathtakingly sky-scrapingly high exhibit freaked me out a little. But I loved it. This Mommy lives dangerously, I tell you.

5) And the last thing I will let you in on…Joe and I went out to dinner with friends last weekend and chose the cheesiest, silliest, oldest restaurant known to man - a pirate themed restaurant with a German chef.

+ = “Ahoy Matey! Care for some schnitzel? Arg!”

Truly, it was surreal. Thankfully, our kind friends forgave our dining choice and we had a great time despite the Campbells soupy seafood bisque and the pickled German salad.

So there are five little know facts about me. I’d love to read about you so I’ll tag anyone who feels like playing.

My friend Kristen (aka Greenstylemom) and I are working together to solicit auction items for an upcoming fund raising dinner to benefit the Children’s Literacy Center. The proceeds from this event help provide free one-to-one tutoring to more than 1,000 children each year.

As you can imagine, asking for auction item donations can be quite a challenge, so we both thought we would use our blogs to advance our cause. Because this organization is near and dear to my heart (I have volunteered for them on and off since 2000, beginning as a tutor to a fourth grade child who needed reading help) I feel comfortable blogging about the cause.

Kristen’s blog is a fantastic arena to promote eco-friendly businesses and products and has never used her blog for financial gain or advertising. For this reason, many companies seek her out to review their products. She only reviews products she firmly believes in. So, if you know a rep who may be willing to donate a product or service to this charity event (the donation is tax deductible), the Green Style Mom herself is willing to offer some FREE blog marketing in exchange. If interested, email her at kristen@greenstylemom.com. More details HERE.

I just have a regular old family mommy blog, but please feel free to include your auction item ideas here as well. We’re looking for anything from knitted scarves to jewelry to books- Anything can make a special auction item that brings donations to the organization. You are welcome to email me about any and all ideas at thecolemine@yahoo.com.

Thanks so much for helping us to support a great cause!

Hope you enjoyed your morning paper, coffee and all the sunshine morning brings…

On a breezy summer evening, during cuddles and stories,

I witnessed a little miracle:

A page turned,

A pause,

Then four first words read-

But not by me.

Echoed from the fantastic being that is my child,

four words tiny, but so momentous:

“Soon,” said Mother Bear.

Never before had Josh seen this book. Mine when I was a child, I brought it out to read and reminisce, not imagining it would inspire words on this night.

He looked at me with shining eyes, so proud of himself.

Magic hour.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Seuss

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”- Walt Disney

I’m honored to be featured as a Guest Blogger over at Mile High Mamas today!

I recently wrote about a change in my perspective with regard to my husband’s schedule and being alone with the kids at night. The beginning of the post reads:

I have taken it upon myself to change my perspectives lately. I am a stay-at-home mom. My husband works evenings. For so long, this weighed heavily upon my soul. I was disappointed we didn’t have a “typical” family that could sit down to a family dinner every evening. I grew up with conversation galore and both parents sitting down to dinner with me every night. I mourned the loss of this usual and socially acceptable structure in my life. It is how I always thought life would be and we had it for a short while when my son Josh was tiny and my husband was on a different career path for a brief 10 months…Read on by clicking HERE.

And be sure to check out Mile High Mamas, an entertaining community resource for area moms. The site “includes regular posts by some of Colorado’s most popular Mommy Bloggers (with a token dad thrown in the mix), a message board, event calendar, cutest kid contest and regular giveaways (because who doesn’t like freebies?)”.

And just for the record, I still miss my husband at night, but the decision to change my perspectives about my alone time and the special time I get to share with my two boys in the evenings, has made all the difference.

How do you feel about the circus?

Must say, I’ve never been a big fan, especially of today’s shows. I mean is it not enough just to see the acrobats and clowns? When did motocross cage racing, giant TV screens and acid rock enter the ring? Shouldn’t simply seeing goofy guys like this:

be enough to whet our culture’s circus appetite?

And beyond all that, what about the animals? Before having children, I completely banned the circus from my social dictionary. Admittedly, I’m no Dog Whisperer, but I’m pretty sure those tigers and elephants would rather be hanging out on the Savannah or at least in some sort of natural habitat like zoo. Check out these depressing facts and this list of USDA circus inspection reports and you’ll see what I mean.

So Saturday night rolled around and honestly, I was torn - Torn about taking my son to the circus. Sure it’s “cool” and we would most certainly “have fun” but do I really want to show my three-year-old animals acting in completely unnatural ways? Do I want to teach him that it’s acceptable to poke and prod tigers or make elephants stand on their heads? Then again, do I want to be that Mom who keeps her kid from doing normal kid stuff?

After reading more about good old Barnum & Bailey, I won’t be taking my boys to the circus in the future unless there’s some major animal activist learning going on. I’m not feeling too guilty since Josh still maintains his favorite part of the circus was “when the guys cleaned up all that big elephant poop with their brooms”.

Instead, we’ll focus our energies on animal-free shows and may even check out PETAKiDS.com for their great ideas on how to make a difference when the circus comes to town…

So anyway, our evening at the circus did finally end and after nonstop flashing lights and loud noise,

one clownin’ Daddy,

too many bites of $12 cotton candy,

and three hours of the “Greatest LONGEST Show on Earth”,

This Mom was ready for a major Calgon moment…

Thank goodness for the arrival of my latest and greatest blogging giveaway prize - all the way from New York City. Thanks to the MamaBird and her Diaries, upon returning home I enjoyed a few moments of husband, child, circus and stress free bliss in pure and natural Organic Style!

We do not always see eye to eye, and yet, you have always been there for me.

You introduced the little girl that was me to so many worlds right in our own backyard. We did not travel to distant lands but in imagination-

Because of you I’ve hunted lions on safari and landed on the moon.

You gave me time and security and appreciation for family.

And in my darkest hours, you were there too.

You were the one I needed to see upon waking from surgery, not sure of the outcome, still in a foggy haze, it was your hand I wanted to hold.

And you are the one who has given up your own happiness for mine.

You have bailed me out, made me laugh, supported me and pushed me when I didn’t give it my all…because you knew I could do better.

You have shown me what true character is.

You cheered silent cheers of encouragement from the waiting room as I painfully pushed my way into Motherhood.

And now, you support me still, despite my follies and mistakes.

Deep down I know how you feel, even if the words aren’t often spoken and I hope you know too, that I feel blessed to call you my Father,

Today and every day.