the ten.3

1.  I don't know if I mentioned this, but we found a babysitter!  She's been with us for a couple weeks now, and is working out great.  She makes it easier for me to get some things done during the week, and for Brian and I to have a date night every now and then.  We ACTUALLY saw a movie not too long ago! 
2.  Yesterday I found a frog in our house.  I'm not sure if it's the pool, or our heavily wooded neighborhood, but we have a lot of frogs round here.  They'll keep you up at night with all their caterwauling (frogerwauling?).  Anyway, Mr. Frog jumped out at me while I was picking up shoes, and I screamed.  Yes, I'm a girl.  The littles came running because mama screaming = good times.  And Fletcher was so happy to see a frog hopping around in the house!  So I put him to work keeping an eye on the frog while I went to find something to put him in.  I came back with a bug box, and the frog was nowhere to be seen, and Fletcher and Rowan were happily playing with cars.  I asked Fletcher where the frog went, and he just shrugged his shoulders.  ARGHH!!  So I put him back to work picking up the shoes and bags where I had last seen Mr. Frog, while I stood a safe distance away.  Finally, after much screaming (me in sissy-girl fashion, the littles in fun gleeful fashion) we finagled Mr. Frog into the bug box and took him outside.

Fletcher named him "Puddle-jumper" and did NOT want to let him go.  It took much convincing that Mr. Frog, er, Puddle-jumper would enjoy being with his froggy friends more than being in our home.  Phew!  Living out here has been a lesson in creatures and creepy-crawlies.  The spiders are so ridiculously large, you can HEAR them walking.  I am *not* kidding about that.  We heard one swimming in our pool.  (shudder)
3.  Speaking of spiders, Rowan has taken to asking to eat ridiculous things.  I ask her what she wants for lunch, and she'll say, "the couch!"  And then she'll laugh hysterically.  The other day she asked to eat spiders for lunch.  So I provided spiders for lunch!

Hummus, pretzel sticks, and a couple of peanuts did the trick.  She was delighted.  Motherhood is one part love, to one part discipline, to one part thinking on your feet.  True story.
4.  Summer is not my favorite season, but summer season foods ARE my favorites!  Strawberries, rhubarb, squash, zucchini, and green beans... just to name a few.  We've been grilling out more, and I've been throwing random ingredients with veggies into grill packets and each one tastes better than the last.  If I actually had a system, I would post a recipe.
5.  Red hair is hard to maintain with the summer sun.  I've been doing a lot of hat wearing, and a lot less of hair washing (gross).  Dry shampoo is my new best friend!! 
6.  I found this website, which now has me obsessed with landscaping around our pool (it has tons of general landscaping ideas).  But seeing as how we'll be here for only a couple years, I hate to spend a bunch of time and energy on it.  What to do, what to do...
7.  I've been loving the maxi dresses/skirts this summer, and this one is right up my alley.  I'll take it in a large, please.  Email me for my address if you'd like to gift it to me (ha!).
8.  Last night I left the laundry on my bed for just an hour or so, and look what it did!!  It got busy and multiplied.  That's the last time I leave it alone on my bed.  Naughty laundry.

9.  I'm itching for a road trip, but I can't decide where I want to go.  Maybe we'll just settle on a trip to see family and friends back in Chicago/NW Indiana.  Brian and I used to take many many loooong road trips before the littles came along.  I'm looking forward to the time where we can pack up and go without worrying about diaper quantities, sippy cups, and snacks.
10.  We've been *loving* this vintage Parker Bros US map puzzle that I got at fuzzymama's always wonderful etsy shop. 

Fletcher needs help putting it together, but then he sits backs, and soaks in learning the states.  He loves geography!  And he's learned quite a few, and which loved ones live where, so that's a bonus, too.