our sundays travel with us + a recipe

Over the last few years, as we have traveled, one of the most memorable things we have done is not necessarily the sites we visited and explored, but what we brought with us. 

Our Sundays.

By bringing some of the elements that make up our typical Sunday, we are able to maintain a sense of familial rhythm that is cherished by us and particularly important for young children when far out of their element. 

When away from home there seems to be a little more of everything: fun food, TV, stimulation, shopping, and adventure. It is so useful to have a scheduled day of less.

An ideal Sunday for us includes a long leisurely morning with really good coffee, a substantial breakfast, a fat newspaper and sometimes some PBS cartoons (so the adults can read that fat newspaper).

In the early afternoon we need a long walk, either into town to see some art or in the country to connect with nature. 

And the evening meal is my favorite. A very simple yet completely satisfying roast chicken and vegetables, with a huge salad, and some wine fills our stomachs and hearts. (We use the chicken to make stock to use through out the week too).

When travelling, maybe especially when travelling, we seek to create the same atmosphere that allows for calm and reflection at home. Breaking bread as a family is one of the ways that we sustain and fortify ourselves when we are on the road.

When in Paris with our very young children, we loved our Sunday suppers of rotisserie chicken from a street vendor, complete with the little potatoes and olives that sat under the chicken roasting all day. Paired with a salad, baguette, and a pastry carefully chosen by the children, we were in heaven, and yet felt completely at home.

Last fall in NYC, we had one of the best Sundays yet. We spent the morning walking through Central Park, collecting leaves and acorns so different from the ones at home. We checked out a local street market and bought goodies for dinner. The afternoon was spent at the Natural History museum looking at the haunting dioramas of nature captured, imagined and preserved. Tired but happy, we wandered back to our rental apartment for our Sunday supper of roast chicken. Adventure and comfort all together. 

Whether at home or on the road, the simple Sunday supper that we have made our own, connects us to each other and the traditions we are building as a family. It is fun to watch each kid jockey for whatever is the favorite piece du jour (it was legs, now it is breasts and skin), negotiate who gets the wish bone and smell the familiar smell of crock pot stock each Monday morning, no matter where we are.


Roast Chicken

1 happy chicken (free range, organic if possible)
lemon, butter, salt, pepper, tarragon

Make sure to remove the organ meat from the cavity, give the chicken a quick rinse with water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Squirt the outside with a lemon and then put the rind into the cavity. Rub the chicken all over with a few tablespoons of softened butter (you can also use olive oil), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put a bunch of tarragon in the cavity (or under the skin). 

We usually cook ours in a 425 degree preheated oven for about an hour. It depends on the size of the bird. In the summer when it is scorching hot, we cook our chicken on a rotisserie outside. 

You can experiment with whatever you have knocking around your kitchen. Sometimes, I put lemon slices under the skin, or garlic cloves in the cavity. There are no rules and it is fun to develop a favorite "house" recipe for your family.

{family lab} BIG announcement

So, as I was working on session 5 of the Family e-Lab that I have been hosting since last fall, I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to share it with more people. I love the essays, the prompts and ideas that are shared in it and I feel like it is important to spread the word that creative family living is worth it and attainable.

I refunded the people who have already signed up and am releasing this offering to the world for free this week.

And the best part? I am not using this as a stunt to get your email or fill your inbox. Nope. Besides the fact that I am horrible at marketing, I want this to be easy for you and for me.

So, on Fridays pop overt here to see what the lab is. We can have a deep conversation in the comments or you can work at your own pace and level of comfort. Whatever you need. (Although I would love to hear from you!)

If you need a reminder to check in, you can follow my feed, subscribe to get updates to your email or follow me on Facebook (make sure to elect to see my posts or you might never get them).

Can not wait to play!

{Wellness Challenge} :: Get Outside - Everyday

A new month, a new challenge. In January we worked on increasing our water consumption, February was all about clutter and in March - we are going to get our bodies moving and outside. Everyday!

If you want to participate, you can join my Facebook group here.

It is free, it is easy and it is fun!

I will offer daily challenges, quotes, resources, and more. There will also be the space to share what it is like in our place in the world, which should be interesting!

Join us and fill free to spread the word!



You can also follow Mama Scout on Facebook here. That is where I post links and discussion questions about creative family shenanigans.

explore botanical gardens with kids (+ a project)

Have you spent time in botanical gardens with your kids? They are some of the most magical, relaxing places to be. We recently spent an afternoon at the Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando and loved the grounds as well as the entertaining home tour (Florida pioneers have to have been a special breed to risk life down here in the 19th century) .

I highly recommend a visit for any family who is in the area doing the theme park tango. Calm strolling through the gardens, lounging in the great lawn or dock over looking the lake and smelling the rose garden might be the balm you need to restore yourself before heading back in to the plastic madness. A side tip: there is a funky, local restaurant nearby. Check out Dandelion Communitea Cafe for a healthy vegan or vegetarian lunch.

Most homechoolers are pros at reciprocal programs. There are ones for science centers, art museums, and botanical gardens. By becoming a member at your local botanical garden you can likely participate in the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admission Program, which means you can get into another 270 gardens all across the US and Canada. It only takes a visit or two to get your money's worth. We find that as members, we tend to visit more new places more often.

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The next morning we spent time working on designing our own botanical gardens. It is always fun to make a map, and even funner to fill it with the plants you like. We had poison plants, bee areas surrounded by lavender and orange trees, yoga gardens, and my favorite: a people's garden, where "people can just come and plant what ever they want." 

This seems to be the approach to many of our outings, field trips and explorative travels.

Go somewhere, see inspiring things, come home and play with whatever new ideas we have gleaned - adding to our toolboxes of ingenuity.

If you could design your own botanical garden, what would be the most unique feature?

The Family e-Lab is signing up now. Join us in April as we shake the dust off our creative souls and rejuvenate our family life. You can read more here. 

I would love to work with you!

{mama prompt} :: secret steam

an occasional series of quick journal and creative prompts just for mamas

in the steam of the shower write something amazing about yourself. know that it is always there.




want to dig deep this april with other mamas looking to reclaim a little of themselves? check out my "book about me" lab. it will inspire and motivate you to start the process of stepping into the creative vision for your life. you can read more here.

{monday mission} start a collection

Building a collection is such a great activity to work on individually and as a family. We have enjoyed working on various collections over the years and have learned so much as they often spur new directions in our explorations. Here are a three ideas that have helped us in our collection of collections.

my tiniest collection - 3 woodpecker feathers

1. A collection can be of anything. 

we currently have collections of:

bottle caps
smashed pennies from our travels
rocks
fossils
seed pods
my little pony figurines
restaurant crayons (?)
stamps
golden books
dolls and doll clothes
coins
sugar cubes from around the world
records
buttons
feathers

my feather collection is stuck in one of my found birds nests

2. Offer ways of both storage and display.

A collection can easily become a junk pile if it does not have a useful way to be both stored and displayed. We often keep our collections in tin and cigar boxes, plastic bins, shoe boxes, entire drawers and tote bags.

For display, think creatively. I like a series of glass fish bowls, a hanging banner or even a temporary table surface. Old letter press trays can be found at antique store rather cheap. Shadow boxes from the craft store can be painted or stained in any creative way.

Ask your kids to make a museum or dinner centerpiece with their collection. And invite people to come over and share their collections or just enjoy yours. It is fun to bring things out of storage to enjoy.

some collections are temporary

3. Allow collections to have a life cycle.

Meaning, sometimes a collection might be short lived (like the one we had of silly bands). This is especially true of environmental collections you might make when spending a day at the beach or in the woods. Above, is a collection of interesting found objects my kids found when exploring an old windmill well. They set up a display, invited us over to look at it and then left it for the next hiker.

It is important to let kids take charge of their collections on their own. There is no easier way to kill a kid's interest and passion than by trying to take control of the project by demanding limiting perimeters or even by being overly enthusiastic.

When we took our daughter, a budding philatelist, to a local stamp shop to meet the owner, it was nearly soul crushing. Instead of encouraging her novice enthusiam, he immediately started explaining how she needed to focus her collection on only one country and should invest in a particular $100 album. There was no room for her interest or discovery. Thankfully, we all agreed his restrictions were unreasonable for the type of stamp collecting she was interested in.

4. Take the time to look at other collections.

We love checking out other people's and institution's collections. Antique stores, yard sales, conventions, trade shows, car shows, museums and visitor centers are all great places to get inspired by what inspires others.

We have enjoyed collections of citrus labels, Coca Cola memorabilia, gems and rocks, cigar bands, local shells, pins, marbles, doll furniture, historic costumes, old cars and more.

It is always invigorating to be around enthusiasts and learn what intrigues them about their area of speciality and passion. Because, in the end, we are not only learning about a new subject matter, we are also learning about how to craft an engaged and curiosity driven life.

In the comments, share with us about your collections...

Want to work with me in boosting your family's creativity? 

check out the newest section of the Mama Scout Family e-Lab. 

10 rules of the happy people

I am a people watcher. Not just random people strolling around town, but people I am acquainted with too.  I feel like I can learn something from everyone I meet and have recently been interested in what makes happy, upbeat, positive people tick. Here is what I have come up with:


1. Happy people laugh a lot. At themselves, at their troubles, at daily situations. Approaching the day with humor is the way to go.

2. They always have something to look forward to. A trip, a class, a dinner, or a big project - anticipation of something interesting keeps life vital and fun.

3. Energetic people have a connection to nature. They like to hike, garden, look out of their windows, go to the beach and just walk around outside.

4. People are happier when they have pets or at least like and respect animals.

5. They like and eat good food. Healthy, decadent, special, weird food is all great for happy people.

6. Happy people are confident in their life choices. They take responsibility and are willing to make changes if something is not working. Victim mentality never equals happy camper.

7. They have strong relationships but are non-attached to particular roles for others to fulfill. Meaning, they love deeply, but a happy person's joy is not dependent on another person making it for them.

8. Happy people keep their minds active and agile by thinking new ideas. They are non-dogmatic in their thinking. New concepts are invigorating, not scary to them.

9. Some sort of physical activity keeps the happy juice flowing. A sedentary lifestyle usually is not going to get you there (literally or figuratively).

10. A happy person always has something interesting to share. They read cool books, listen to a variety of music and go to interesting plays and films.

I loved coming up with this list and thinking about the things I do (and can do) to keep myself happy.

So, what are some of the tenets from the happy people in your life? Please share in the comments!