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I went to my first baseball game (the Iron Pigs) last week.  (Unless you count big brother’s games, which they call baseball, but other than the bat, ball and gloves it’s kinda hard to see the similarities….sorry big brother.)

Now I know my baseball because even though I never went to a game before, I sit most nights with pappy and big brother and watch the 2008 World Champion Phillies, and the Iron Pigs are a AAA team for them that are only 15 minutes from our house.

The name Iron Pigs, I don’t get, because as far as I know pigs can’t play baseball.  But mom says the name has something to do with steel and Bethlehem (huh?)  Ok whatever mom.

But it was really fun.  There were lots of people to talk to who told me how cute I was…..and there were french fries.  What more could a girl want?

Oh, and they did win the game.

The Great Allentown Fair started yesterday, and we’re lucky enough to be demonstrating some kid friendly homemade gift and recycling ideas again this year.

The kids and I will be on the Centennial Stage in Ag Hall on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:00.

If you’re around we’d love it if you’d stop by and say hi.

And if you stick around afterward, you can catch my hubby and a friend playing guitar and singing at 6:00 each evening I’m there.

One of my kids favorite things to do is bike ride.  No doubt because from 18 months old and up we toted them around in a bike trailer on long rides all the time, and their blessedly still at that age where they actually like to do what mom and dad do.

So we were thrilled a few years ago to discover that the local cycling track in Trexlertown had a program called Pee Wee Pedalers where kids 5-8 could master their cycling skills and ride around a worldclass track.

Four Saturdays in August for an hour they practiced riding through obstacles and around the high banked track and we sometimes stayed to watch the afternoon racing afterwards.   They loved it.

They bring their own bikes and helmets and learn bike safety and how to adjust their helmet.  But mostly it’s lots of riding fun.  They get a cool Pee Wee Pedalers t-shirt each year (this was their fourth), and the best part is that when the class is over they get to ride around the track at intermission during the friday night races in front of 1000+ people.

This year they got rained out on Friday night, and then on Saturday night it poured just as the racing started, so they missed their exhibition.  But next year they graduate up into the Developmental Cycling Program for kids 9 and up so they’ll get on the real cycling bikes and get on the track a whole lot more.

And did I mention, it is completely FREE!  Kids ages 5-18 can learn all about cycling for FREE.

Programs run during the summer months May through August and you can find out more info at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center website.

They do also have an adult program for all you wanna be track cyclists for only $50.  I’ve thought I’ve trying it a few times myself, but I keep chickening out and coming up with excuses why I don’t have time.  Besides, I don’t look quite as good in bike shorts as I used to.

We’re very lucky where we live that there is always lots of neat stuff going on in the summer months to take the kids to.  And it’s always better when it’s totally free to do.

Yesterday ended the 10 day run of this year’s Bethlehem Musikfest.  Unfortunately, with the twins away at church camp we only got to go one day this year.

There are something like 150 different musical acts in the course of the 10 days, and all but the bigger name events (like George Thorogood and David Cook) are free.  You can go from platz to platz (it was started as a more Pennsylvania German event over 25 years ago) and sit and listen to all kinds of music all day long.  Or hit the FestPlatz and let the kids polka the day away on the dance floor.

Plus there’s a whole big kids area on Banana Island, with kids music and shows and free crafts for kids.  And there’s kid friendly food for sale like macaroni and cheese and pb&J sandwiches.

I heard this past year they had applications for over 2200 different acts to whittle down to the 150 they take, so it’s really some great music.  And plenty of a huge variety of great food for eating.

If you’re ever in the area of the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania (about an hour Northwest of Philly) in the beginning of August, be sure to check it out.

We went to the Kutztown Folk Festival last week, and it was fun (once we whined enough and were able to drag mom out of the quilt barn).

There was a hay maze, and a sand box full of corn to play in instead of sand.  I’m not sure if it sprouts corn when it rains, but there were lots of toys it in so it was cool.

There were lots of old tractors, and sitting on one wasn’t particularly exciting, but it seemed to make mom and dad happy so I went along with it for the photo shoot.

They also tried to get me on a pony, like brother and sister, but I would have none of that, and I was sure to let everyone know what they were trying to do to me.   Now I love horses and feed the neighbor horses carrots and apples all the time, but lets see mom and dad get tossed up on an animal that is 3 times taller than them and see how they like it.

Luckily there were lots of cute baby animals to make up for the trauma of the whole pony experience.

The tractor ride I enjoyed.  It was nice and safe sitting on mommy’s lap, and  I got to wave at alot of people.

And there was a neat puppet show, and lots of music and this odd little building that was kinda fun to hang out in with brother and sister.

 And most importantly, no outing would be fun unless there was lots of food.   Funnel Cakes, ice cream, apple dumplings, dutch fries,  mmmmmm.

I was looking up a few things to do for the long holiday weekend and thought I would share a few that we found.

If the kids are bored while you get ready for a 4th of July party,  have them make some upcycled decorations from old cardboard tubes and red white and blue streamers or fabric (or let them paint strips of newspaper red white and blue for this project).

For an inexpensive new game to play at your picnic you can make a Scooper Ball game from old milk gallons and any old thing you can roll up into a ball.  (Old socks, aluminum foil, newspaper…you get the idea)

And just for the little kids make a big batch of cheap homemade bubbles or give them old paintbrushes and a bucket of water and let them ‘paint’ on the sidewalks or driveway.

Have a Happy 233rd birthday America!

I could literally spend all day in the Quilt ‘Barn’.    My children unfortunately have about a 10 minute tolerance for a building lined with over 1000 quilts and crammed with lots of people.

This was my favorite this year.

This is Makenna’s favorite.

And this was Brian’s favorite, and a close second for me too.

I’ll be back again today and drag the kids in the ‘barn’ (it’s not really a barn, just called that because it’s a celebration of the Pennsylvania Germans, and they had lots of barns, and it does sound much better than quilt building)  again so I can get a better look.

The prize winning quilts are all hung on the walls and are auctioned off on the last Saturday of the festival (July 4th this year).  The other quilts are all on sale and priced as marked and there are volunteers there to spread the quilts out for you to look at them completely. 

If you’d like a better look at the prize winners for this year and over the past few years you can check out the Kutztown Folk Festival website.

It’s so neat.  I get inspired every year.  Yet, I come home and don’t quilt.

This year will be different, since Makenna was really into them, and I already have the fabric chosen for her quilt.  So as soon as I’m done with Jarod’s shorts I’m good to get started….Really.

There’s nothing quite like going on a weekend camping trip with three kids to leave you exhausted on a Monday morning. 

Go camping by a stream and have it rain for 70% of the time and it’s even more fun. 

My morning has been spent doing loads of wet, muddy, mildewy smelling laundry because kids don’t mind a little rain and mud coating their entire body.

Luckily we were able to have a campfire one night and got to toast (and burn) plenty of marshmallows, because  what’s a camping trip without stuffing yourself with half burned marshmallows until you feel sick.

I’ll be done with laundry soon, and then I’ll have to clean all the mud and grime out of the travel trailer, but luckily another relaxing weekend won’t be coming up for another 4 days.

We went to the Lehigh Valley Zoo for my birthday.

I love animals, so it was lots of fun.

We fed the fish, and watched the penguins.

 We played wolves in the wolf den….although we didn’t see any wolves.

My favorite part was feeding the pretty birdies nectar from a cup.

My sister and I loved that: my brother, not so much.  He screamed when one landed on his shoulder and scared a few kids off from coming in to the birds….it was kinda funny, but don’t tell him I said that.

After the zoo we went on a bike ride and I screamed alot. 

I was tired. 

The zoo was exhausting. 

I can’t be expected to be cute and adorable all the time.

I went to my first Indy 500 before I was two years old.  (Thank you mom and dad)

I took my husband there on our honeymoon 14 years ago.  (All the men in his family thought I was a really cool wife)

I went when I was 5 months pregnant with twins and took the twins to there first race when they were 7 months old. (My dad worried the loud noise so close to the track would harm the twins ears…..I think they’re ok)

Alex went to her first 500 at 11 months old last year.  (I was not crazy enough to go when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with her…I love the 500, but I did not want to give birth at the infield care center)

It’s kind of an unexplainable passion for me.

When I was Makenna’s age, I was probably the only little girl who had my room decorated in posters of Bobby Unser and Mario Andretti instead of ponies and princesses.

Makenna’s favorite part of going to Indy is staying at a hotel with an indoor pool.  (I don’t claim her as mine at this time of year)

I can name all the winners of the race since the late 60’s and without hesitation can rattle off the years Foyt, the Unsers, Rutherford, Johncock, Mears and Andretti won the race….

It’s not healthy really.

Nothing says Happy Anniversary like a family photo by a bunch of tires.

So we will head out tomorrow morning for the 12 hour trek to Indianapolis.

A 12 hour trip with 3 kids who only slept an hour of the trip last year……It’s not pretty.

But wanted to give a heads up that I won’t be posting while we’re gone.

Hava a fun Memorial Day and God bless all those who have served our country so bravely.