it's so easy!

i have never made my own playdough before....until today! it's SO EASY! six years into motherhood and i wonder what took me so freakin' long?

this is what you need:

1 cup flour (don't waste your good organic flour on this like i did)
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring

huck all but the coloring in a pot and stir over medium heat:

once it smooths then starts to chunk up add the coloring:

keep stirring until it forms into a ball and looks doughy:

plop it onto the counter and knead it until blended--careful, its hot!

i had royal blue and ivory food coloring and these were the colors we made:

let it cool before handing it to your cute kids (or grandkids or neices and nephews...) to make cute stuff:

keeps moist for a long time in airtight containers.
enjoy!

10 pictures of George's first beach trip

last monday we headed west toward the ocean--i've been dying to go to the beach since last fall but in oregon you only get nice beach-weather in the summer. the closest town is Seaside and the closest beach is called Ecola State Park (sounds like E coli but i am sure this beach was named long before the bacteria made headlines)--it took us an hour and a half to get there with minimal kid-flooping (classic parent-kid conversations along the way: how much longer? has it been and hour and a half yet? no, it's been fifteen minutes. oh, can have a snack? sorry, the food is in the trunk; we'll picnic when we get there. oh....will you hand me that book? *sigh*) of course, mr. best-baby-ever didn't make a peep until we pulled into the beach parking lot. it was not to hot day i anticipated, but luckily we all had extra hoodies in the trunk; it ended up pretty cloudy and coolish the whole time but it didn't rain--blake deemed it perfect weather since he dislikes the sun anyway. i love how the beach is a large section of smooth rocks before the sand starts...we pulled up a piece of driftwood for a bench on the egde of the rocks and layed out our stuff on the sand. despite the cool temps, it didn't take long for the girls to strip down to their suits and chase the surf. george-ephraim just meeped and squinted in his stylish american apparel hoodie. after a while, blake had a flashback to when he and his sister explored tide pools so we took a walk toward some giant rocks in the distance, and sure enough we found some starfish and sea anenomes. the three of them were so cute looking for sea creatures! all-in-all, a successful family-of-five day trip to the beach...maybe next time we'll stay overnight in a yurt!

a self-family-portrait success!

it's no wonder his nickname is "baby meat fat"

team chait, the reunion, pirates, and smiles

let's get started, shall we?

team chait (hawk, allison, max, and nina) graced us with a short but very sweet visit a few weeks ago. we love this family and miss them terribly.

mayan is sure she will be marrying max when they are older. we took the kids to omsi.

the Nomad shirts have arrived!

B is actually quite silly on occasion.

this is where george-ephraim takes his mid-day naps--our friend rich made this baby hammock and it rules! the grasshopper mobile is from a jeweler that blake knows and it also rules.

very special--all of the cousins from the perlingieri side come together (mayan, chemynne holding george, athena, and isadore)

it was a great day for a family reunion!

avia brought mayan a rocking chair from england (and she literally bought it in england and lugged it here) circa 1870. happy early birthday, mg!

keeping it together!

avia reading a bedtime story to all of her grandkids

the breeders (minus a napping baby g)

running with scissors

more stories

my boys with matching haircuts

avia taught mayan how to crochet

ilya and her children, blake and chemynne, together again. pretty special father's day.

so many sweet faces!

beware of the dreaded kitty-pirate!

and look at these fierce bucaneers!

mr. man is all smiles these days. he's so handsome!! yum yum yum!

ancient secret of happy babies and long naps: swaddle and bundle. (we noticed this in the book celebrating babies, that nearly all tribal newborns are swaddled then tied to keep the swaddle in place--this not only calms babies but also helps them sleep sounder by protecting them from their own flailing limbs.)

happy solstice everyone!

baby g's first photo shoot

ah, we are so lucky! our dear friend Amy at Funky Wonder did a shoot for us at Nomad just before George-Ephraim's first moon celebration and, of course, the results are breathtaking...

in arms

the biggest sister

george-ephraim in a basket (oh, the hair!)

so handsome

adornment

little boy nomad

whisker kisses

father and son

the nomad family (looking straight out of a magazine spread)

family of five

mommy's little chunk

through the museum case

i, g, m

bright eyes

edible

so, amy and i were belly-sisters--due just a few days apart. she ended up having her baby boy Max exactly 2 weeks before I had George and this was her first photo shoot since the birth. we just had to get pics of the boys together and it proved to be hilarious! i don't know how she captured it but here is the shot that had us all rolling....

max and his little birdie

don't worry, my boy ended it, quick and cool-like--LOL!

THANK YOU, AMY--for capturing the beauty of our lives to enjoy forever and for being so great to work with!