blah blah blog

It's a gray, rainy day and I feel cooped up. Turned out to be a great day for making art with E! We practiced using scissors, scribbling, and peeling labels off crayons. We also practiced NOT eating crayons. I was eager to make his a colorful word chart for the fridge and I've been working on a little word book for him (insert the word DORK here). I'm proud to say "rain" and "wet" and "art" have been added to the list, thanks to this soggy day!
The rain and onset of early spring also has me thinking about the ever-growing to-do list for our yard. So here's what was on it last year:

2011 The Ultimate Spring Fever To-Do List:
Remove the nasty English Ivy from under my hedge row (in progress)
Re-establish a border for my front garden, use branches from our Beech tree
Incorporate a dirt-digging pile for E somewhere in the backyard
Build a sand box for E
Get plans for a cool fort/playhouse (if not this year then next)
Create a little table/chairs area for E to do outside art projects (in progress)
Remove more English Ivy from the fence in the back yard
Rearrange and transplant perennials in the back garden
Pot several more herbs with E to use in our cooking
Divide and share our Lemon Basil
Give strawberries and tomatoes another go and plant some more peppers
Relocate the crazy pumpkin sprouts to the back yard and up a trellis if possible
Convince my neighbor to take care of her horrible English Ivy situation creeping into my yard!

See the area behind the plants? That's where E's little art area will be.

Okay, so I didn't do everything on the list, but props for doing half of the list, right?

And here's the new and improved list:

Summer 2011 - first year of veggie garden!

2012 Ultimate Spring Fever To-Do List:
Remove heinous English Ivy from back of yard, clear and plant native shade garden with natural play area!
Build a cool playhouse and sand box for E in new shade garden
Replensh E's digging pit
Install recycled instrument area for E (I started this last summer)
Make a living hut with E - train grapevine over bamboo frame
Continue to remove the nasty English Ivy from under my hedge row UG
Plant some fruit trees along the sunny hedge - cherry, pear, apple?
Finish mini stone patio with table/chairs area for E to do outside art projects
Rearrange and transplant perennials, especially the spider wort and coreopsis
Plant and pot more herbs with E to use in cooking (rosemary, basil)
Veggie garden - plant more tomatoes, strawberry upkeep, try zucchini, peppers, beans, and lettuce
Border for front garden - stacked stone wall?
Convince my neighbor to take care of her horrible English Ivy situation creeping into my yard!

So obviously I'm the most excited about creating a new woodland garden along the back part of the yard. There are three beautiful old tulip trees there and room for tons of great features. Our compost pile and shrubs will live on along with native shrub plantings to benefit the birds and bugs. There are lots of great old limbs and logs that I will keep for E to climb on and add more log jumps and loose parts for him to build with. We've got a bat house waiting in the wings because the mosquitoes are horrible here. I can't wait to add a tree house and sand box for E, but that will take some recruiting to build. If nothing else, we will be able to enjoy them first thing in the mornings before the skeeters are in full force. I also want a little quiet nook for me and my husband to put our feet up with a glass of wine (or beer as the case may be) and watch the lightening bugs when E is asleep.

There are some beautiful native hydrangeas and azaleas that should do well along with lots of fern and a pretty little stone path. There's no way we could afford to do all the plantings this year, but I'm hoping to at least get the bones of the garden in. Maybe even an archway at the start of the path...

This was taken in late June 2011 - consider it our "before" shot.
If you look closely you can see our shed on the right where the compost pile will go.
The neighbor's fence is on the left behind our property, just to give you sense of how big the
garden will be. The area is about 20 feet deep or so. (I'll get a tape measure when I go out next.) 

These are the mature tulip poplars in the space.

But first: irradicate the English Ivy once and for ALL!

I have literally tried everything from newspaper to landscape fabric and cardboard to smother and kill it. I've pulled alot by hand, too. But the area is enormous and all tangled with the stuff, not to mention poison ivy here and there. Unfortunately the only solution left is Round Up if I really want it gone. My dear friend is a Master Gardener and she assures me it's the safest, most effective thing to use to get rid of ivy and it won't stay in the soil.

The plan is to spray on Friday and start this process...so wish me luck...

what's accreditation?

Lots of things come with a seal of approval, a certification to acknowledge high quality. I've worked (and am still working) diligently to create an outstanding nature-based preschool and, honestly, I want to shout about it from the mountaintops.

This leads me to the next phase of my planning which is NAEYC accreditation. The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the bees knees where standards for young learners are concerned. Regarded both nationally and internationally, NAEYC sets the bar for the best early childhood programs and care centers. And since offering the very best educational experiences is my goal, accreditation is an important distinction for my preschool.

Yesterday I spent the day in D.C. doing a workshop to prepare for their lengthy accreditation process. The emphasis was on self-study and reflection. They ask candidates to take an honest look at all aspects of their programs: staffing, curriculum, the physical environment, health/safety practices, relationships with families and children, and on-going assessments of what the children learn. I'm bracing myself for the work ahead of me.

NAEYC outlines 10 standards by which they measure over 400 criterion. Yes, you read that right. There are over 400 criterion that I must meet by showing evidence for each one in a program portfolio and in classroom portfolios. Long before anyone ever comes to observe our program, we will need to scrutinize how we implement these best practices and set up improvement plans where we fall short.

As I was reading through the criterion I was definitely feeling overwhelmed. But at the same time, I wanted to race back in to work because I know we already have tons of "evidence" for our portfolios. I'm eager to meet with my team and get everyone on board and reved up about this!

If you are looking for high quality preschools or child care centers for your little one, I highly recommend that you find NAEYC accredited programs in your area. These are places that have decided that a fully enrolled program is not their only goal. Just because a center has a wait list doesn't mean they are offering the highest quality care - it just means they are meeting their budget goals! Programs that seek to constantly improve work hard to achieve accreditation. It says a lot about a program.

(Now, I should also note that there are many places that don't know about the benefits of accreditation or have decided to wait on doing it. I don't mean to discount all of the wonderful programs out there that are not accredited. This is an extra step centers can take to distinguish themselves among the best.)

And this is not just a one time thing and then you're done - in order to maintain accreditation, a program must re-submit materials and do another observation every five years. This is an on-going commitment to offer the highest quality program possible, and to be confident enough to locate chinks in the armour and fix them.

I'll keep you posted on our progress. This will take over a year to complete!

birds and the bees

This bundle of fireworks is butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). It is a host plant for Monarch butterflies who eat the leaves as caterpillars.

The sweet yellow blooms here are evening primrose, sometimes called sundrops (Oenothera biennis).

Tall bell flower (Campanula americana) is seen here, bells drooping. I think they would be aptly called wedding bells instead because they bloom in June and the white blossoms are so stunning.

This sad little scene will be something truly special when I'm finished! I've started our first vegetable garden (on the left) with tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and carrots. The empty grassy area will become a little patio with an outdoor easel, table, and chairs for E to make art. Or help in the garden!

My garden has been keeping me busy this spring! I've got more weeds than common sense yet I still make new planting beds. The existing ones have sprung into action. A good friend of mine, a certified Master Gardener, told me "the first year they (your plants) sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap!" She's so right.

One of my favorite things about gardening is all the bugs. I am completely taken with insects, spiders, and all manner of creepies. (Well, they're not creepy to me, anyway.) But I really love BEES! Sadly, bee populations are in sharp decline. There are many theories about why nearly 1/3 of them are gone, but very little action to help them. Read up at the Huffington Post or this NRDC article. My father always said if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. For me, I hope I'm helping the little buzzers with plenty of nectar and pollen from native wildflowers.

As for the birds, they're more like pigs in my yard! I can hardly keep the feeders full. And, this is big excitement folks, our ruby-throated hummingbird has returned!!! I saw it yesterday drinking from my bee balm. Today the hummingbird feeder will go up - and I hope to get a picture of it to share!

This is bee balm, one of my favorites and a favorite for hummingbirds, too. (Monarda didyma).

growing up

That's what they're doing, my snap peas that is. I found some old seeds under the kitchen sink (I'm talking 2-3 years old). Not being one to give up on things, I thought I'd give them a try.

E and I scooped soil into these egg cartons outside. I chose to use these cardboard cartons partly out of necessity (didn't want to buy plastic) and partly because the cartons can be planted right in the ground since they are biodegradable.

I had three kinds of seeds: chives, peas, and peppers. After nearly a month, it looks the chives and peppers are...done. But the peas are thriving! I can't wait until it's warm enough to get these in the ground. I've also got some other seeds (carrots, squash, and butterfly weed) that I'm going to sow directly in the ground in early May. Those aren't old, so there should be more survivors!

I thought this would also be a good time to refer to my to-do list. Let's see: in the last two months I've accomplished a couple of things and got a jump on some things, too. But as you can see, there's still plenty to do. If you see ( ) below, it means I'm actively working on it...

The Ultimate Spring Fever To-Do List:

( ) Remove the nasty English Ivy from under my hedge row
( ) Re-establish a border for my front garden, use branches from our Beech tree
Incorporate a dirt-digging pile for E somewhere in the backyardBuild a sand box for E
( ) Get plans for a cool fort/playhouse (if not this year then next)
Create a little table/chairs area for E to do outside art projects
Remove more English Ivy from the fence in the back yard
( ) Rearrange and transplant perennials in the back garden
Pot several more herbs with E to use in our cooking (rosemary, tarragon, oregano)
Divide and share our Lemon Basil
( ) Give strawberries and tomatoes another go; plant some more peppers, plus peas, carrots, and squash
Relocate the crazy pumpkin sprouts to the back yard and up a trellis if possible
Convince my neighbor to take care of her horrible English Ivy situation creeping into my yard!

Additions to the list:

( ) Relocate cobblestone edging to create an edible garden
Relocate flagstone to create E's art area
( ) Hand seed the yard where there are bare spots
Plant climbing vine or plant in pots with trellises on either side of the front door
( ) Make new chair cushions and pillows for patio seating

The sad thing is that I could still go on and on about more things I'd like to do in the yard. I will try to keeping the plants growing and the to-do list shrinking...

the ultimate spring fever to-do list

I know I need to write another post, but things have been even keel around here lately so I haven't felt like there's much to comment on. We got another wallop of snow last night, which is exciting, but all in all, things are smooth and uneventful.

Last week's burst of mild weather fooled my little tulips into peeking up from the ground...I think the fresh snow may have insulted them.. I can't say I blame them, poor things. I was almost fooled into spring last week, too!

Sufficed to say now I've got spring fever and I'm already thinking about my grandiose garden plans once the weather hits fifty again.

The Ultimate Spring Fever To-Do List:
Remove the nasty English Ivy from under my hedge row
Re-establish a border for my front garden, use branches from our Beech tree
Incorporate a dirt-digging pile for E somewhere in the backyard
Build a sand box for E
Get plans for a cool fort/playhouse (if not this year then next)
Create a little table/chairs area for E to do outside art projects
Remove more English Ivy from the fence in the back yard
Rearrange and transplant perennials in the back garden
Pot several more herbs with E to use in our cooking (rosemary, tarragon, oregano)
Divide and share our Lemon Basil
Give strawberries and tomatoes another go and plant some more peppers
Relocate the crazy pumpkin sprouts to the back yard and up a trellis if possible
Convince my neighbor to take care of her horrible English Ivy situation creeping into my yard!

Little E, my nature boy, last May 2010. Remember those Bumbo days?

(Yes, I'll double-check this list in September to see what I can cross off the list.) What's on your ultimate to-do list?