G is for...

...gobs of goodies! On this cold, windy snow day, I'm daydreaming about green grass. But, I'll have to settle for the sounds of my three dear angels slamming doors and singing loudly in the basement.

Places to go that start with G:
*towns/cities in your area that begin with G
*Gateway Market
*George the Chili King
*Gino's
*Godfather's Pizza
*Granite City
*Great American Cookie Company
*Great Plains Sauce & Dough (awesome pizza place in Ames)
*Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls
*garden tours
*Glamour Shots (especially if you have only daughters - this could be a fun, silly activity)
*Glazed Expressions (ceramics studio)
*Gray's Lake
*Greek food fair
*Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend
*parks starting with G (Greentree Park, Georgetown Park, Glenbrooke Park)

Things to do that begin with G:
*games (Gin Rummy, Go Fish, guessing games, etc.)
*geocaching (a treasure hunt using GPS)
*Globe Trotters (find a youtube video of them if they're not going to be in your area)
*go green (my next post will be about how our family "went" green last year)
*go-karting
*golf (or just enjoy driving the golf cart)
*call, email, or visit grandparents
*look for grasshoppers
*read books that start with G (The Giving Tree, The Going to Bed Book, Good Night Moon, Green Eggs & Ham, Guess How Much I Love You, or Giggle, Giggle, Quack)
*go through closets and give things to Goodwill
*wear gold, green, or grey clothes
*play a guitar
*watch movies starting with G (Garfield, George of the Jungle, Gulliver's Travels)
*listen to artists or songs starting with G (Genesis, "Glee" cast, Go Fish, Red Grammer, Justin Roberts' "Great Big Sun," Good Night," "Gym Class Parachute," "Get Me Some Glasses," "Giant Size Butterflies," "Giddy Up Gideon," "Giraffe/Nightingale
*playdates with friends like Graham, Grace, Grant, etc.
*watch TV shows that start with G ("Go, Diego, Go!")

Foods that start with G:
Gala apples (or golden delicious or Granny Smith)
ganache (chocolate and cream)
garden salad
garlic bread
gelato
German potato salad
gingersnaps
gnocchi
Gobstoppers
Godiva chocolate
gouda
goulash
graham crackers
granola bars
grapefruit
Grape Nuts
Greek yogurt
green beans
green grapes
grilled cheese sandwich (or grilled anything)
guacamole
gumdrops

Favorite "G" Bible Verses:
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit distributes them." 1 Corinthians 12:4
"God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too." Matthew 5:11-12
"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23a

We only found one "G" during our ABC photography. It is a part of the plant hangers we have on our front porch.

That's all for today! Hoping for warmer weather soon. :)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

F is for...

... the flu (unfortunately). Not the stomach flu bug from last year, but the achy, feverish, shoot-me-now flu. I have been getting the flu vaccine for over 10 years and have never in one of those years developed the flu. Until last night. My doctor told me this morning (as I'd heard on the news previously) that this year's vaccine was only 65% effective. There are two strains of flu that one can get, even if the poor soul got the vaccine. One of the strains will hit in a much weaker version if vaccinated. That's not the strain I got. My strain's symptoms (feeling like I've been hit repeatedly by a Mack truck, fever, chills, and cough) will *only* last 3-5 days - with Tamiflu - as opposed to the 7-10 days they'd last if I hadn't been vaccinated. I guess I should rejoice over that news, but I still wanted to be put out of my misery this morning. As a bonus, my youngest and my husband also have it. Just waiting for #1 & #2 to get it... So, while my Advil is working against the fever and aches, I thought I'd blog to pass the time.

Places to go that start with F:
*towns/cities in your area that begin with F
*factories (sometimes tours are available)
*fairgrounds (there's usually something going on; if not, just drive through them)
*fairs or festivals
*Family Fun Nights at the Ankeny pools ($8 for families up to four members)
*Family Museum in Bettendorf
*Famous Footwear
*Fareway (local grocery store chain)
*farm crawl in south central Iowa (or any farm)
*farmer's markets
*Field of Dreams (Dyersville)
*Finkbine Mansion on Grand Avenue
*fire stations
*Fleur Cinema
*Flowerama
*forests
*Franklin Library
*Famous Dave's BBQ
*Fazoli's
*Felix and Oscar's Restaurant
*Fong's Pizza
*Fuddrucker's

Things to do that begin with F:
*play flashlight tag or four square
*family nature programs through Polk County Conservation
*make Father's Day gifts
*trace or draw feet and/or fingers (using colors like fern, flax, forest green, and fuschia)
*find frogs or flowers outside
*catch fireflies (and then let them go)
*go to a fireworks show
*fishing
*host a family food fair for friends
*foosball
*football
*practice writing four and five
*Friday Fundays at the Des Moines Playhouse
*read books like "Fancy Nancy," "Fortune Cookies," "The Foot Book," or "The Friendly Beasts"
*watch movies starting with F (Finding Nemo, Firehouse Dog)
*listen to music (Ben Folds, fun., "Forgiveness," by Matthew West, "Fire Drill," "From Scratch," or "Fruit Jar," by Justin Roberts)
*watch TV shows like "Franklin" or "The Flintstones"
*playdates with Finn or Fred

Foods that start with F:
falafel
fajitas
fettucine
Fig Newtons
finger foods (this encompasses many children's favorites!)
fish
flapjacks
flat bread
focaccia
fortune cookies
French dip sandwiches
French dressing
French fries
French toast
fried green tomatoes (or fried anything, for that matter)
Frito Lay snacks
Froot Loops
Frosted Flakes
Frosties from Wendy's
frozen yogurt
fruits
fudge
Fuji apples

Favorite "F" Bible verses:
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I a your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"Even if he wrongs you seven times a day, and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him." Luke 17:4

We found F's to photograph in a fence and in a poster of the London tube lines.

Hope you are all feeling better than I am. Stay tuned for letter G!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

The Year of the Bugs

Yes, this is a bit of a departure from my ABC posts. Once in a while, I must digress. ;) So, as I've been reflecting on 2012 these past three weeks, I discovered a common theme our family dealt with last year.

This theme began on a Thursday in mid-February. As my oldest was at school and my younger two were napping, my BFF sent me a text. My heart sank as I read that she had just discovered lice in her daughter's hair (as her little girl was lying on the couch overcome with the stomach flu. Did I mention that this was my said BFF's birthday?). Our daughters attended preschool together and had spent the prior afternoon playing with one another. I had to google lice to even know what to look for in her hair. She awoke just a few minutes later and I dragged her over to the window to use the best light. No lice in her long, thick hair... just hundreds of nits (lice eggs). Ugh. I found nothing in my youngest's curly head of hair after his nap. Now we waited for #1 to get home. After a quick search on his head (and finding nothing), we drove across town to the only pharmacy around here that sells Lice Ice. We had learned from a speaker at MOPS the year before that Lice Ice is an herbal remedy that can also be diluted and used in a precautionary manner. I bought them out and delivered some to our friends' home. This thick blue gel is applied to the hair at bedtime and left in overnight, when it is supposed to harden around the nits (or any bugs in the hair). When washed out in the morning, the goal is to wash and/or comb out all the little nits and dead bugs. I treated everyone that night, despite only finding nits in #2's hair. Unfortunately, the yummy smelling shampoo I normally use on her hair also has conditioner in it. And that, my friends, caused the nits to somehow adhere themselves onto her hair like super glue. Yep. I washed everything I could possibly wash in the hottest possible water all night and into the next day. Friday night we treated with Nix (traditional lice shampoo) just to be sure we'd killed everything. Saturday morning I spent over two hours sitting on the side of #2's bathtub with her, combing through every strand, and literally plucking out every strand of hair that had a nit on it. I'm certain I pulled out at least 200 pieces of her beautiful hair. Had I not been so vain, I'd have quickly shaved my daughter's head. The good news? We never did find a live louse in our home. I did spot two dead ones in the bathtub, but better dead than alive! I often pray that we never have to deal with that again. Wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Many of my close friends and family heard me mutter during those three horrible days, "I'd rather have all three children puking at the same time than ever deal with lice again." Be careful what you wish for, right? Only a week or so later, #3 came down with the stomach flu (in the middle of the night, of course). Guess what? He'd caught it from my BFF's youngest. I told her that it was a good thing I loved her and her family so much, or I'd have to cut off all contact with them. ;) He was sick off and on for about 24 hours (this also started on a Thursday). By Friday evening, as I read to my oldest at bedtime, I knew I was going to be sick. My bug also lasted 24 hours. Our oldest developed his by lunchtime Sunday afternoon (most unfortunately, he was at local coffee shop with a chess coach when it hit him... and most everything on the table). His bug did not linger, thankfully. And finally, #2 came down with it Sunday night. She got hit the worst (poor girl). I again had to wash her bedding over and over. Sigh. After two nights of her getting sick (and me trying to sleep with her up in her twin sized loft bed), she eventually felt better. I kept waiting for my husband to be stricken, but he escaped the bug. Probably because he did not do any of the cleaning up of children. While the three children never actually vomited at the same time, having four of the five of us get sick within as many days was not a joy.

Happy to see the month of February end, we had no idea that more bugs would pester us. Spring came very early due to a mild winter, and for the first time in our nine years living in this home, we found ourselves with an ant infestation. They were somehow entering near our patio door and very much enjoying the never-ending pile of crumbs under our breakfast table. My husband made it his mission in life to rid our breakfast area of these little nuisances. A few "ant-b-gone" hotels and a trail of sticky ant-icide gel along the bottom of our patio door later, and they were all gone. However, nine months later, we cannot seem to get rid of the remaining sticky gel. Thank goodness it is clear.

Not long after the ant episode, I had an awful nightmare that our home was being destroyed by termites. As we live in Iowa, termites are not a common problem and our bi-monthly pest control expert assured me that it was not an issue I needed to lose sleep over. Whew!

Fast forward to late summer... The kids had played outside as much as possible every day. We hadn't been anywhere special (or especially woody) when I discovered a tick on my daughter's head. Yes, she seemed to get the brunt of all these bugs! I got it pulled out, along with a fair sized chunk of her scalp, and photographed him (her?) for research purposes before flushing it down the toilet. Happily, I found that it was a wood tick, which is the most common variety around here and rarely carries disease. I kept a close eye on her and the area where it had latched on, but she never had any side effects of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (the one disease they rarely carry). Because I know you all love pictures, I had to include a photo of the little bugger. If you look closely enough, you can even see her skin in its teeth (*shuddering*). Lovely.

Moving right along, we experienced an overwhelming number of fruit flies brought into our home with bananas we'd purchased this fall (along with almost everyone else we knew). We tried various methods of getting rid of them (i.e. spraying Raid in the general direction of the fruit bowl - sans fruit, placing a small bowl of cider vinegar on the counter to attract them, putting vinegar down the garbage disposal and drain in the kitchen sink where they supposedly breed), but found that the following worked the best... We put a small piece of overripe banana in a Dixie cup, covered it with plastic wrap, and poked one small hole in the plastic with a toothpick. We were amazed and sickened by how many fruit flies found their way in through that hole. Apparently, they're not bright enough to get out the way they got in, so once we had a fair number of them caught we tossed the whole thing in our garbage bin in the garage and repeated the process. Problem solved after two or three cups. Also, I ceased buying fresh bananas and resorted to thawing frozen bananas for our daily smoothies.

Thought we were home free once it finally froze outside. And then we traveled to the Dominican Republic with my husband's parents, siblings, and all of their families. I'd read about some awful fever/disease we could acquire if bitten by a particular kind of mosquito-like bug, and we did have to resort to bug spray if we were out after dark. No vicious fevers overtook us, thankfully. But, mid-way through the trip, I took our two youngest back to our room for bed after dinner. I had #3 asleep in one room, and #2 was quietly coloring while I took out my contacts and got myself ready for bed. I saw something out of the corner of my eye in the bathroom... never a good sign, right? Yep, cockroach. Fairly big one, too. I attempted to keep my screaming to a minimum so as not to frighten #2 or awaken #3, as I did my best to corner it. With no luck. It hid under the toilet for a while. When I finally scared it out of there, I tried spraying it with our bug spray, hoping it might at least slow it down. Nope. It did, however, scuttle out of the bathroom and attempted to escape into the bedroom where #3 was fast asleep. Thank the Lord, the doors were sliders and it wouldn't fit underneath the door. Instead, it quickly crawled up somehow into the cabinet that held the mini bar. While I panted for breath and tried to slow my heartbeat, I stuffed towels all around the cabinet, hoping to contain The Bug. Needless to say, we never again opened the refrigerator that week (luckily, it hadn't really been keeping anything cold anyway). Never saw The Bug again, but I'm sure it lives. I also couldn't get the annoying song, "La Cucaracha" out of my head the rest of the trip. What kind of person writes a song about such a disgusting bug??? Because we had been keeping several of our suitcases and shoes on the floors of the rooms, we vowed to not take any of our belongings into our house until they'd been thoroughly frozen. We rejoiced to discover that it was well below freezing when we returned home. Everything stayed out on the patio for over 24 hours before being brought back in the house and washed. The children were also bathed immediately upon entering the house. 

I now have the heebie-jeebies after recalling all of these events. As you can imagine, I am not sad to see The Year of the Bugs come to an end. It does seem that 2013 is already bringing its share of uncertainty and stress, but I'll take it. I'd be happy if I never saw another bug aside from butterflies, ladybugs, fireflies, or big, fat, bumblebees out in our flower gardens. Wishing you a bug-free 2013. Letter F soon to come!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

E is for...

... endless entertainment! My daughter's name also starts with an E, so she is easy to please on E days. :) For those of you wondering how the potty training is going, I am excited to share that B has gone several days without accidents, is usually dry after his nap, and has been dry on a few mornings. Woo-hoo! Now for E...

Places to go that start with E:
*towns/cities in your area that start with E
*East Village (trendy little shopping area downtown)
*Easter Lake (beach and/or park)
*El Azteca restaurant
*El Rodeo (#45 on Des Moines' top 100 restaurants)
*eden (a sweet little soap and fragrance shop in the East Village)
*Eden Farms (I'd like to see if we can tour this local farm that raises acorn-fed Berkshire pork)
*Earl May Nursery and Garden Center (sometimes they even have free popcorn!)
*East Elementary's playground
*Easy Living Store (my children like to visit and hear about when I used to work there)
*England and/or Europe (like I said in the last post, why not dream big?)
*Ethan Allen Furniture
*parks that start with E (Ewing Park)

Things to do that begin with E:
*read books (The Ear Book, by Dr. Seuss, The Egyptian Cinderella, by Climo and Heller)
*card games like Eucher (which I have no idea how to play)
*look for eagles
*talk about body parts like ears, eyes, elbows, etc.
*dress up in earmuffs and evening gowns
*eat!
*make echos
*practice writing the number 8 and the word eight (the most difficult numeric word for children to spell)
*have an impromptu Easter egg hunt (you'd be surprised how entertaining a bunch of empty plastic eggs can be - year round!)
*have a mock election to determine dinner one night
*paint elephants on the easel using colors like ecru, emerald, and eggplant
*draw an elipse or an equilateral triangle
*talk about ways to save energy and take care of our earth's environment
*investigate what the Iowa Energy basketball players do in the off-season
*drive by our old apartment on EP True Parkway
*listen to music (The Everly Brothers, Elton John, Eric Clapton, "Express Yourself," by Madonna, or "Everything Else Starts With E," by Justin Roberts)
*count evergreens in the neighborhood
*playdates with friends like Ean or Ella
*watch movies beginning with E (The Emperor's New Groove, E.T.)
*send emails to cousins (Emily, Elijah and Ezekiel)
*TV shows starting with E ("The Electric Company")
*exercise as a family
*visit the eye doctor (for an actual appointment or just to have fun trying on eyeglasses)

Foods that start with E:
eclairs
edemame
Edy's ice cream
Eggo waffles (a staple in our home)
eggs
eggplant parmigiana
egg rolls
egg salad sandwiches
elephant ears (pastries)
empanadas
enchiladas
English muffins
Eskimo Pies

Favorite "E" Bible verses:
"Don't use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing." Ephesians 4:29
"The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by vultures." Proverbs 30:17 (that's a fun one, right?)
"Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart." Ephesians 6:6
"'Honor your father and mother.' This is the first of the ten commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, 'you will live a long life, full of blessing.'" Ephesians 6:2-3

It was not as easy to find E's for our photography summer as I'd expected. The first and last of the photos below were parts of sculptures at the Jester Park natural playscape (that place was great for finding letters!). The middle one was more of a stretch... It is part of a bookend in our library that is shaped like a leaf. We had to zoom in pretty far to make it look like an E. :)

Hope you're enjoying the blog so far! As always, please send me comments if you have other ideas for me to add to a certain letter. And share my blog with friends! Soon to come: letter F.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

D is for...

...days of delicious delightfulness. As you will see, there are many, many yummy foods that begin with D. Plus, I just have food on my brain lately. I'm on day 11 (of 21) of a liver cleanse that I was hoping would increase my energy. (No luck yet on the energy front). I have to avoid certain foods during this cleanse that hinder detoxification, and that means that I had to avoid the food table at our annual MOPS spa day this morning. All of our spa day foods include chocolate, which is one of my favorite foods on earth. However, as refined sugars to not help to detoxify my liver, I couldn't partake. Also, I just finished reading Portia de Rossi's Unbearable Lightness, which was all about her years of suffering from anorexia and bulimia. She's a great writer; I highly recommend her book. However, the combo of all that craziness going on has led me to be thinking about food far more than I'd like!

Places to go that start with D:
*towns/cities in your area that start with D (ex. Des Moines!)
*Dairy Queen
*Daylight Donuts
*Dippin' Dots
*Domino's
*Donut King
*Drake Diner
*Dunkin Donuts (are you detecting a theme emerging yet?)
*find an area dam to visit (one of our favorite "D" days consisted of having a picnic of Ding Dongs at Saylorville Dam while we watched people water skiing in the lake)
*Des Moines Farmer's Market (every Saturday morning from May-Sept.)
*Des Moines Playhouse Kate Goldman Children's Theatre
*Des Moines River Walk (you can cross the awesome footbridge or check out the Chinese Pagoda)
*Disneyland or Disneyworld (might as well dream big)
*Dollar days at I-Cubs games (the following all cost $1 each: general admission tickets, small popcorn, small pop, and inflatables on the concourse)
*downtown skywalk system (best in the evening or weekends to avoid business crowds)
*Drake University (go to a sporting event or just walk around campus)
*go to a drive-in theatre (this may be a good date night for you and your spouse once the kids are in bed!)
*parks starting with D (Dean Park)

Things to do that begin with D:
*read books beginning with D (Danny and the Dinosaur, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, any Dr. Seuss books)
*have a special day with Dad
*have a dance party in your living room (or better yet, in your DEN)
*pick dandelions
*play in the dark (with flashlights or glow sticks)
*wear denim
*read devotions
*practice diving (or learn to use a diving board)
*draw things that begin with D (dinosaurs, dragons, dogs, etc.) with colors beginning with D (dandelion yellow, denim blue)
*dress up dolls
*eat at a drive-thru like Sonic or an old-fashioned A&W
*play Duck, Duck, Goose (or as we called in growing up: Duck, Duck, Grey Duck)
*feed ducks at a local pond
*play games that start with D (dominoes, Don't Break the Ice)
*watch movies that start with D (Dumbo, any Disney movie)
*listen to music starting with D (artists like Dave Matthews Band or songs like "Da Doo Ron Ron," by The Crystals, "Dancing Queen," by ABBA, "Daughters," by John Mayer, "Daycamp," "Doctor Doctor," "D-O-G," "Dad Caught Stars," or "Do You Wanna Go," by Justin Roberts)
*have playdates with friends that start with D (Drew, Dorie, etc.)
*try to talk like Donald Duck
*watch TV shows that start with D (Dinosaur Train, Dragon Tales, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood)

Foods that start with D:
*Note: If you plan properly, you may be able to celebrate the letter D on National Donut Day, which is held the first Friday of June. I know for sure that Krispy Kreme Donuts gives one free donut of choice to each customer (no purchase necessary). It is possible that other donut shops do something similar. :)
dark chocolate
dates
deep-dish pizza
deli sandwiches
Denver omelette
deviled eggs
devil's food cake
dill pickles
Ding Dongs
dip(s)
divinity
donuts (again... they seem to be my theme)
Doritos
Dots candy
double stuff Oreos
Dove chocolates
Dreamsicles
dried fruits
Drumsticks
dumplings

Favorite "D" Bible Verses:
Discipline related verse: "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." Proverbs 12:1 (and then I have to explain that somehow it's okay for the Bible to use the word "stupid" even though we do not allow our children to use it...)
"Don't ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry; for anger doesn't make us good, as God demands we must be." James 1:19
Doubt related verse: "Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything." Philippians 4:6a

As far as our photography ABC summer went, we were able to find two different spots at the Jester Park natural playscape that looked like D's. The third picture is my daughter's play high chair attached to a table.

I'm going to attempt to post more than once a week, but I can't make promises. ;) Next up, letter E!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

C is for...

...countless cuddles over Christmas break! Now that my older two are back to school, I'm back to blogging in between trips to the bathroom with my youngest (we're potty training big time today). Hope you all had a wonderful holiday break with your little ones!

Places to go that start with C:
*towns/cities in your area whose names begin with C
*Carlos O'Kellys
*Casey's (convenience store with great pizza)
*Champps
*Cheesecake Factory
*Chili's
*Chips (local restaurant with very addictive homemade chips)
*Chuck E. Cheese's (heaven help us all...)
*Cici's Pizza (for cheap buffets)
*Cinnabon
*CJ's Bagels (local yummy restaurant)
*Cold Stone Creamery
*Cosi Cucina (awesome Italian place)
*Cracker Barrel
*Culver's
*visit your state or nation's capital city
*tour your state's capitol building or the nation's Capitol (the building where Congress meets), if you're lucky enough to live close
*Carney Marsh (nearby area where we can feed the ducks)
*carousels (Story City, Coral Ridge Mall, or Union Park)
*Center Grove Orchard to play in the corn "pool"
*Chinese pagoda on the downtown riverfront
*children's museums (Iowa's Children's Museum is in Coral Ridge Mall, Coralville)
*The Chocolate Storybook (great chocolate shop/bookstore)
*churches (tour some historical sites or just some that have always drawn your eye, or find children's activities like open gym or music classes in area churches)
*city parks starting with C (Cascade Falls Aquatic Center, Crestbruck Park, Cottonwood Recreation Area)
*Civic Center Family Series has plays and musicals geared toward children
*Climb Iowa (cool place with climbing walls)
*community centers with children's activities
*concerts aimed at children
*trips to the country (to look for cows, calves, cats, etc.)
*covered bridges in Madison County
*Creative Kidstuff in Jordan Creek Mall has weekly story time
*creeks
*Crystal Lake Cave
*CY's Kids' Club (children's performing arts series at CY Stephens Auditorium)

Things to do that begin with C:
*board games or card games that start with C (Candyland, Checkers, Chess, Chutes and Ladders, Concentration, Crazy Eights)
*read books starting with C (Caps for Sale, Catundra, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, Corduroy)
*go canoeing
*find a cardboard boat regatta in which to participate or watch
*chalk (sidewalk or on an old-fashioned blackborad) circles, curlicues, or curves
*climbing (jungle gyms, trees, stairs, etc.)
*count all of the clocks in your house
*color with crayons or colored pencils (especially Crayola colors like Cardinal Red, Carmine, Celadon, Cerulean, Charcoal, Chartreuse, Chestnut, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cobalt, Copper, Coral, Cornflower Blue, Crimson, and Cyan)
*cloud watch
*crawl through an obstacle course (existing or home made)
*watch movies that start with C (Cars, Cars 2, Curious George, Care Bears, Casper, Charlotte's Web, Cinderella)
*play dates with friends like Claire, CeCe, Camden, Caleb, or Callen
*listen to music (songs or singers starting with C): I suggest Justin Roberts' "Count Them as They Go," "Cardboard Box," "Cartwheels and Somersaults," and "Centuries."
*watch TV shows that start with C ("Clifford," "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That," "Curious George")
*wear capris or cargo shorts/pants

Foods that start with C:
cabbage
cake
calzones
Canadian bacon
cantaloupe
Captain Crunch cereal
caramel corn
carrot cake
carrots
cashews
casseroles
cauliflower
celery
center cut chops
Charleston Chews
cheese (especially cheddar or Colby-Jack)
cheeseburgers
cheesecake
Cheetos
cherries
cherry tomatoes
Chex
chicken
chili
chimichangas
Chinese takeout
chips (especially corn)
chives
chocolate
chocolate chip cookies
cinnamon rolls
clementines (Cuties)
club sandwiches
coconut
coffee cake
coleslaw
Cool Whip
cork screw pasta
corn
cornbread
cotton candy
crab cakes
crackers
cranberries
Craisins
cream cheese
Creamsicle
crepes
croissants
crumb cake
cucumber
cupcakes
custard

Favorite "C" Bible verses:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:10
"In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing." Philippians 2:14
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them." 1 Corinthians 12:4

And finally, (this blog post has taken me the longest by far due to all of #3's trips to the bathroom!) here are the photos of found "Cs" that #1 took during his ABC photography summer. As I mentioned in a prior post, the top photo is a shopping bag hook that was on my stroller. The second is something from a tree (seed? leaf?) that we found on the ground and its shadow at a local park, and the third is the top of the little fountain we have in our front yard. It's amazing where you can find letters!

Soon to come: letter D!

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*