Food Fight: Type A Style

Sometime in the dead of this past winter, a seed of an idea was planted and began to grow into something beyond what any of us (except Jacob, maybe/probably) imagined.  Here is a general outline of the progression: 

• (after reading Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs): Can you imagine it raining (insert food here)?
• Are food fights a real thing?
• Have you ever been in one?
• A food fight would be funny. 
• This (any random food) would be fun to have at a food fight.
• Can we have a food fight?
• When could we have a food fight?
• When will we have a food fight?
  (I think when I answered it would need to be warm for one, he assumed I meant we were for sure having one once it was warm.)
• This (any random food) would be fun to have at the food fight.
  Me: The food fight…?
• Can we invite (random friend) to the food fight? 
• We should have that at the food fight. 
• We could serve that at the food reception after the food fight.
  Me: (?!)
• Have you invited (one of many friends) to the food fight, yet? 
• (to anyone on or off the “official” 90-person-deep guest list): Are you able to come to the food fight? It’s June 8th. You’re welcome to stay for the food reception afterward. 

I will liken this progression to the growth of our volunteer cilantro that started coming up on a warm day in mid-January and is just now going to seed. 

Hard to tell in this picture, but it was as tall as her.

So, at some point, we started planning in earnest.  We made a list of food fight items, "food reception" fare, and guests.  We scouted, we budgeted, and we acquired.  We invited family and old friends and new friends.  We talked about the food fight nearly every day…for real.  

As the event drew nearer, the guest list grew, as did my to-do list.  Never did I ever expect to set aside time to prepare over a pound of Jello powder (it fills a dish pan, for the record) or fill thirty squirt bottles with watered-down caramel (in case you ever find yourself doing so, just know it’s much easier to water it down first than to shake them together in the tiny bottle).  I also did not see myself preparing several packages of pudding (with nearly-expired milk) to be flung at a target or asking my husband to help fry pancake "frisbees."  And yet, we did it all; all in preparation.  

Grandma scouted this for us as a small-town store in Auburn, NE. 
So, I guess we could say we had imported Jello…?

This was a treasure of an Aldi find.  When we first scouted Aldi for cool whip, they were out.  We were there for other things the next week, this was no longer on my radar, but Jacob changed the air pressure in the room with his "Mom!! LOOK!!!!" gasp, and I changed it again with my subsequent gasp of excitement.  Not only did they have what we were looking for in stock, but they had a larger size for a better price!  (This was later used for plate-full-of-whipped-cream "pies" to be put in faces.)

expired pasta + expired food coloring

Remember that time I worked at HyVee?  I put my one remaining contact to good use and checked in to see if they might be able to contribute any discarded items.  It doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

They definitely delivered!  None of us could believe it. 

Many old, crusty marshmallows were thrown.

preparing powdered sugar "bombs"

As she was leaving the event, a friend of mine said, "This was the most Type A food fight ever, and it was awesome!"  As a fellow Type A herself, she noticed and appreciated the many details we had thought through, including, but not limited to: a packing list with a suggestion to wear goggles, food-related games to play upon arrival, shower caps, clearly-marked boundaries, a hosing-off station, a paper trail to the bathroom, washcloths/soap/shampoo ready in the shower, and extra grocery bags to transport wet clothes.  Another attendee noted that while other Type A onlookers may have cringed at the mess, they whole-heartily enjoyed (and commented on out loud) the organization of it all.  Of course, this made my heart swell to hear, because what more does a Type A love than to be acknowledged for his/her forethought and efforts?  Ha.  In all seriousness, though, it was nice to be noticed, but nicer to have had everything go so well.  And truthfully, Jacob was really in on a lot of the planning and organization.  He even utilized his police megaphone to gather all the participants for the kick-off.

Jacob was so excited to mark the path to the bathroom.  He started with his version of a star, included many smiley faces along the way,

and ended with an X (to mark the spot, of course).

He also enlisted his very artistic cousin (and two little helpers) to create a banner.

filling a bucket with cookies

While everyone was still arriving, participants could try out the Jello stomp, pudding fling, and pancake frisbee toss.  Yes, the Jello stained feet.  Yes, there was pudding everywhere.  No, the pancakes did not fall apart...much.

After some deliberation, we decided to put vessels of food fight items in small, random groupings around the yard.  The "ammunition station" provided anything squirtable, as well as spoons and straws to utilize however desired.  This is also where the whipped cream "pies" were distributed and refilled after being smashed in faces.  

Buckets of water were provided to help clear eyes/goggles/hands in the heat of the battle.
The tarps were up to ensure the baby plants in the garden didn't get doused in caramel sauce, or something.

Once most everyone had arrived, we convened to go over some ground rules, counted down from three, and yelled, "Food fight!"  My brother is credited with the suggestion to include the iconic "food fight" battle cry.  He is also credited with offering to build a playlist and bringing a professional-grade speaker on which to play it.  And he kicked off the fight by spraying everyone with root beer.  Pretty sure this was a dream that lived in his head in a similar way to how it lived in Jacob's.

The green pool was full of noodles, and the Jello all got dumped in the pink.

So much whipped cream in so many faces...haha!

Just a kid living his dream.
I treasure this picture so much. ♥

The fight itself lasted close to forty minutes before ammunition ran out and people were done being sticky.  It is worth noting there were no tears and no injuries, that I know of (unless you count some rock-hard-cookie-induced welts on a couple of the older participants, which were just laughed away).  After helping "sweep" the yard, the thirty-ish participants filed through the hosing-off station and were welcomed to enjoy the "food reception" with the thirty-ish onlookers.  While the small host initially thought this meal should include all the fare guests had used in the fight itself, we got him talked down to hot dogs, chips, and whatever anyone wanted to bring to share.  Grandma came through and at least provided Jello to be eaten, which seemed to appease him.  ;)

We fully realize this was all a little "extra" and somewhat wasteful, but it really was worth it.  It was not a "yes" we had to say, but it was also a "yes" there wasn't much reason not to say.  Not only were we able to turn it into several math lessons, but also lessons in hospitality, generosity, and logistics.  (The kid very well may have a future in event planning after honing his skills with this one.)  While it was not necessarily an easy "yes," it turned into one after seeing how much joy even just the anticipation was bringing the small host, as well as many potential guests.  We were so glad to provide the space and opportunity for kids (and a few adults) to be kids and make a core memory together.  

Jacob was genuinely grateful (without any coaching) and has continued to thank us in the days following.  He has even said the next one could be "medium," then the next "small," then we could just have people over to play.  (Ha!)  I took that to mean he realized how much work and resources went into making it happen, so he does not expect "bigger and better" if/when we do it again.  I also took it to mean that he highly valued having some of his favorite people from so many of our circles in the same place and really just loved having his friends meet his friends.  ☺  We'll see about a "next time."  It did encourage several pantry clean-outs...so...

Thank you so much to all who helped make this dream a reality for our sweet boy.  From contributing ammunition (some even without attending), to showing interest, to participating - he truly loved it all.  Special thanks to the dear friend who volunteered to serve as the event photographer - complete with real camera!  Several others took and shared pictures, which is always appreciated, but never did I ever think we would have such quality shots of all the memories made.  I (perhaps obviously) did not share them all here for the sake of privacy, but we are so glad to have such thorough documentation to enjoy for years to come.

Still finding sticky spots and now-crunchy noodles in the yard,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

meeting new people

bargains

stuffed animal camp-out at the library
(They each left one to spend the night at the library and got to see what "mischief" they'd been up to at story time the next morning.)

Total Solar Eclipse #2 (but #1 in our hearts)

Thanks to my husband's interest, initiative, and creativity (and in true homeschooling fashion), we took a road trip to view the 4/8/24 solar eclipse in the path of totality!  While we technically saw one from our backyard in 2017, it was a cloudy day that did not leave us feeling like we had experienced it to the fullest.  So, away we went to chase this opportunity.

We stayed with friends in Jeff City the night before, checked the forecast for cloud cover the morning of, and headed to Salem, AR (one of several locations Bryant had scoped out, based on time in totality and potential cloud cover).  In his "scoping out," he had found ball fields (nice wide open viewing space), and the park happened to include some somewhat-necessary amenities, as well, which was a huge bonus - there was a small playground, picnic tables, and even open bathrooms with running water and soap!  Our viewing experience was stellar (pun intended), and we were so glad to have made the trip and the memories.  

We hadn't road-tripped in a while, so they were thrilled to get to break into their road trip backpacks again.

The tiny town had a Sonic next to the one gas station, so we partook of the "limited edition" slush float.  It was just ok - haha.  The kids were in it for the sprinkles.

the first of the theme snacks

homemade pinhole projector

A "spinny thing" is always a highlight for him.

She couldn't believe there was a bouncy ladybug.

first contact

The blob in the bottom of this picture is a printout of the Sun I was holding while they covered it with their thumbs from a to-scale-sized Earth 65 ft. away.

We even had a playlist!

♥

He found such fun and memorable experiments!

We were very thankful to have been able to make this trip.  The amount of road time in the 36-hour trip was not all peaceful and wonderful, of course, but it was worth it to have witnessed what we did together.  We'll see what we come up with for the next one! 

While I'm posting, here are a few other recent happenings:

This girl recently dropped naps and is learning to play independently for longer periods of time.  I love seeing what she comes up with when not being influenced or coerced by her big brother.

♥

People often ask what Lydia does while Jacob and I do school.  It is literally different (and totally unpredictable) every day.  Today, she noticed my container of paperclips and asked to sort them.
☺

'90's day at Sunday school
(Jacob was proud of, yet confused by his outfit.  "Why didn't they use the buttons on the button-up shirts?" hahaha)

We have things coming up in the garden, are reaching the end of our school books, and have already had several picnic lunches.  Bring on spring and summer!  I am relishing season changes more and more as I age, and I am pondering the reason for this.  Perhaps another blog post will come of it, but in the meantime, can you relate?  And if so, have you been able to pinpoint why this happens (for you, personally, at least)?

Pondering-ly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

when all is quiet in the house and I find both kids reading on the couch

cookie butter

Life not-so-lately

I have (obviously) been terribly behind on blog posts - I keep not posting things on Instagram because I plan to make it a blog post instead, but those "posts" have accumulated...

So, in the name of efficiency, this is going to be one long post of "short posts" (a la a book of short stories).  This blog is very much a tool for posterity's sake, so while I do share it for those who are interested, I definitely don't expect anyone to be super invested or read it in its entirety, by any means.

As we put away our Christmas decorations on Epiphany, I reflected on the joy and magic and special-ness of this season with kiddos.  We took the week off school the week before Christmas (as well as a couple after) and immersed ourselves in the Christmas story.  After talking about all things Christmas in Sunday school, as well, Lydia requested we make a nativity, and Jacob was immediately on board.  I assisted with the structure, but the rest was all them.  They brought out all their stuffies to play various roles (note the Furby angel (thanks, Sonic)) and proceeded to truly adore their baby Jesus. 

What struck me most about this occurrence was how organic it was.  I played no part in initiating any of ideas; I simply granted a request to help with the heavy-lifting.  This was a role-play I certainly could have tried to orchestrate.  A reenactment I could have prescribed and directed.  By giving them space to play and imagine (even if that space was created due to me wanting to finish the breakfast dishes), however, they did it all on their own, and it was so precious.

I was feeling under the weather one day, so Jacob made and delivered a red-themed Lego creation with special flowers and love notes in the mailbox.  Lydia followed suit as best she could.  ♥

Work smarter, not harder.  Proud of this boy!

modeling their "skis"
(You gotta do what you gotta do for entertainment in the dead of winter...)

a snow "donut shop" complete with drive-thru window, thanks to Daddy

The first (and last, so far) time I've granted the "Can we nap together?" request.  They took forever to settle, Jacob was only pretending to sleep, and Lydia only did so for a sleep cycle.  Was sure a sweet idea, though.  (Lydia has since dropped naps, so we'll see if this ever happens again.)

The kids and I recently made our first trip all together to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  They did a great job practicing museum etiquette and were appropriately interested in several pieces and artifacts.  Mostly, however, Jacob wanted to see the huge "flowers" (a.k.a. shuttlecocks) that we always see outside on the lawn when driving by.  They asked for joint and individual pictures by each one...enjoy:

I grew up going to this museum on field trips and have vivid memories of the delicious smells and sounds of dining coming from the atrium. (We always took sack lunches to eat on the front steps.) So, I decided to fulfill a childhood dream and explore and partake in the museum restaurant (I packed lunches for the kids, not knowing what would be available for any of us. Was glad I did, as the PB&J kids meal option (which is what I packed for them) was $10.50...😬).  I felt so indulgent and irrationally fancy and excited about it - haha.  Totally worth it, though - delicious!

Photo courtesy of Jacob ♥

The steps we didn't eat on... 😉

That post ended up being less meaty than I originally thought - ha!  I guess the quantity of unfinished/unshared thoughts was more daunting than it needed to be.  All the same, thanks for reading and maintaining interest in our normal, everyday lives.  We have made it through winter and are so glad for all that spring will bring!

Gratefully,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

weeding the garden and picking volunteer cilantro in January

cocoa-dusted truffles

our homeschool co-op