Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Tag Archives: backyard

Why You Should Let Your Kids Run Around Barefoot…

Why You Should Let Your Kids Run Around Barefoot…

“It’s fluffy Mommy!”, announced C excitedly, as he danced and jumped around in the soft, tickly grass in our backyard.  Those first few barefoot days of spring are priceless – reconnecting us with the earth in the last gasps of winter.  For our family, footwear has always been optional in warm weather.  It’s not like we’re dirty hippies – we wear shoes to church, school, and the grocery store.  But shoes are the first to come off when we arrive back home, both inside and out when the weather is warm.  I’ll be honest, for us it’s always just been a comfort thing – who doesn’t…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

Greatest Hits 2012 (and Taking Requests!)

Greatest Hits 2012 (and Taking Requests!)

It’s tradition around here to designate the beginning of the new year as “Highlight Week.”  And I figured there was no better way to start the week AND end the year than with a “Greatest Hits” post. For those of you that are relatively new Cragmama readers (or for those interested in a walk down memory lane), here’s a look back at the most popular posts over the last year.  ”Popular” in this case means high traffic and a lot of overall buzz – via hits, comments, and social media.  I chose some from multiple categories… TRAINING:  This was a…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

5 Homemade Ornament Ideas for Outdoor Trees

5 Homemade Ornament Ideas for Outdoor Trees

What do you get when you combine a couple of nature lovers, a few basic ingredients, and some holiday cheer?  Christmas decor that’s good enough to eat (for the birds, that is!)  Since the bio-degradable bird feeder we made a while back was such a hit, I’d been on the lookout for similar nature projects to do with Cragbaby, especially for cold, rainy days.  Well our days of late haven’t been very rainy, and have been ANYTHING but cold, but our yard sure does look festive, thanks to all of these great ideas!   CHEERY CHEERI-ORNAMENTS:  Simple enough for even…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

Safety with Snakes and Curious Toddlers

Safety with Snakes and Curious Toddlers

“I see a snake Mommy.” This was the rather nonchalant announcement from Cragbaby the other morning while we were working in the garden.  I looked up to see a brown, slithery friend sunning himself on a rock.  He was maybe a foot long, with a diameter similar to my index finger at his thickest point.  He was motionless, and his body had obviously not warmed up enough to make a fast getaway.  Either that, or he had never encountered a curious toddler.  My guess is that the next time he sees C coming he’ll summon up enough energy to make…Read the rest of this entry →

Share

Green Hour Craft Project: Bio-degradable Bird Feeder!

Green Hour Craft Project:  Bio-degradable Bird Feeder!

Cragbaby and I are always looking for new craft ideas involving nature, so when I stumbled across this idea on this website, I knew it would be loads of fun for both me and C as well as the feathered friends that hang out by our kitchen window.  We decided to do it on a whim, which was perfectly fine since all the materials are stuff we had lying around the house anyway.   It was a pretty even division of labor.  C took on the task of eating the insides of the orange while I poked and threaded the…Read the rest of this entry →

Share