How We Picnic
We've had some fabulously warm weather here this month, which is a lovely change from the cold and snow and cold and snow we had all winter. I've been trying to take advantage of this weather with my kids as I know all too soon it will be muggy and hot, and the mosquitoes will arrive to torture us.
So, the other day we packed up some lunch and a few school books and headed down to the pier.
We said hi to the geese,
and spotted some tiny fish.
Then we had lunch at the picnic tables. I packed my kids' sandwiches in reusable containers, which doubled as plates.
Just for fun, check out the picnic tables back in February. That was beautiful, but I'm very over snow for this year.
Back to some warm pictures, now...I brought leftovers for myself to eat, packed in my beloved Pyrex containers. You should do yourself a favor and buy some of these if you don't already own any. Love them!
I brought a real fork to eat my leftovers with, but neglected to bring a knife to spread peanut butter on our bananas (we brought the peels home to put in our compost bin). No matter...the handle of a fork works kind of like a knife in a pinch. 😉
We drank water from our canteens, which are such a great bargain compared to bottled water (not to mention you don't have to keep trashing or recycling these.).
And we packed it all in one of our cloth Del Sol bags, a $20 bag which we get for $5 every year in Myrtle Beach (with a coupon, naturally). I use these sturdy bags for grocery shopping, library books, picnics, and a multitude of other things.
After we ate lunch, we soaked up the sunshine while I read aloud from these two books. Love the portability of homeschooling!
I love stuff like this...our outing cost nothing, it produced no trash, and my kids had a fabulous time. Though it's rainy and cold today, the weather promises to improve starting tomorrow, and that means this week will probably hold some more delightful picnic lunches at the pier.
Life is good.
I love picnics.... and Pyrex... and Laura Ingalls Wilder. 🙂
Funny story about Pyrex, though. I recently ordered replacement lids for my glass containers, because they are actually Anchor brand, and the lids are junk... they are all cracking. Pyrex lids fit, though, and are excellent quality. So I ordered replacement lids online. Some of them have arrived so far, and the amount of packaging is beyond crazy. One big box contained three small lids and lots of bubble wrap, and a second big box contained three other lids and more bubble wrap (and those inflated plastic bag things). And that isn't even my entire order! I actually took a photo because I was so baffled. Love Pyrex... but this is nuts!
My Anchor lids are doing the same thing. Pyrex is WAY better.
I'm jealous about two things from this post:
1. the warm picnic weather--I wanted to picnic with my husband tomorrow but it's raining/snowing again!!!
2. pyrex--when we moved to France, I gifted my beloved pyrex containers to my uncle. I haven't seen anything like them here yet. But I'm going to keep looking.
thanks for sharing your picnic with us!
Hi - I'm also jealous of the weather! I'm happy to notice that this is just about exactly how my kids and I picnic too. One thing I learned from a smart mom is to bring an old/not fancy tablecloth to cover the table - I like having a layer between the kids' hands and the bird poop, etc. You could even throw in some cloth napkins while you're at it! Thanks for all the great ideas.
Hi - I'm also jealous of the weather! I'm glad to notice that this is exactly how my kids and I picnic too. One thing I learned from a smart mom is to bring an old/not fancy tablecloth to cover the table - I like having a layer between the kids' hands and the bird poop, etc. You could even throw in some cloth napkins while you're at it! Thanks for all the great ideas.
I've been doing what I can to take advantage of the warmer temps here. Loving the change in weather.
I purchased some Pyrex containers like yours in February as part of my movement to eliminate plastic (save a few though for kids to use in taking lunches to school) and I absolutely love them. A worthwhile investment.
I love glass and have a mixture of Pyrex and Anchor myself. I am currently trying to used what is left of my plastic to it's death so I don't feel bad when it has to go.
I actually treated myself to a set of Pyrex this weekend! I felt so silly being SO excited over some glass storage containers, but I couldn't help myself 🙂 Small luxuries...
The lid doubling as a plate! Why hadn't I thought of that. Love it! Where did you get your canteens? Would like to get some as frugally as possible. I usually take a gallon of cold water and cups from home. Of course, the water always gets warm before we're done for the day.
Feeling jealous over this post. The weather is warm here today. My kids are off on spring break. I'm at work. boohoo. Regardless, your still an inspiration - THANKS!
Hi Laurie,
Try the clearance section of HomeGoods. The store near me has a whole bunch on clearance for $2-$3 a piece. Even if you can't find them on clearance, the original price there is only about $5-$7, which isn't that bad considering how often it can be reused!
I have recently seen them very cheaply at Walgreens. They were less than $5 each and I think they had a deal of some sort like 3 for $12.
There are a couple of ways to keep the water cold. There are special ice cube trays that make long sticks of ice, easy to slip into a bottle or canteen. Or you could half fill them, freeze that half, and fill with water on your way out. The first requires another item, the second advance planning.
I've even used the trays that manicotti shells come in to make ice for jugs. They're pretty flimsy, but it's nice to be able to get another use out of the packaging before it goes into the trash. They're also good for making rustic sidewalk chalk a la "The Frugal Zealot" Amy Dacyczyn.
Sounds wonderful...makes me excited about homeschooling my little one in the future!! And I love Pyrex too! I pack my husband's lunch in Pyrex everyday and I'm working up to having exclusively Pyrex...no more plastic!! 🙂
I just got married and discovered my husband has a brand loyalty to pyrex, so we registered for some (and he had some already). I LOVE THEM. I pretty much use the bowls constantly for leftovers...big and small. Best investment EVER.
They're calling for 70s and 80s here (N. Md) by the end of the week ~ I can't wait to pack up our books and take school outside 🙂 My kiddos love picnics, we don't have a pier nearby, but we have plenty of parks...
My mother used to do things like that when we were kids. I loved it and enjoy days like that so much!! I look forward to passing along this kind of fun to my kids. What a great post. 🙂 It makes me happy.
Lovely pictures! I am going to take my kids for a surprise picnic at the park today. They just do not know it yet. In a minute, I will go to the kitchen and make sandwiches and cut fruit. Unfortunately, we have to drive to get to the park, but not too far!
I have some reusable bags that I use for EVERYTHING! 🙂
Oh yeah, I also found some Pyrex dishes at Sam's Club after the holidays marked down. I also LOVE mine! They are great, especially the tiny ones for sauces/small servings.
I love reading your blog.. always makes me smile.
Pretty pictures! I'm all about the Pyrex too. Once every few months I make a whole chicken in the slow cooker, and then the next day I make chicken soup in one pot and chicken stock in another. The batch of chicken soup makes almost a dozen servings, and I freeze them in individual portions in my Pyrex. I love that they go from freezer to microwave with no problem. My husband often works late and soup is his favorite food, so this works really well for us.
(Oh, and I love that you read aloud! I wish more parents and teachers did that!)
This is something I have always wondered about. What is the difference between "chicken soup" and "chicken stock"?
I think that stock is plain chicken broth and soup is broth with other stuff (carrots, noodles) added to it.
Pyrex is amazing! That and Built together is amazing, lol.
This looks to have been the perfect picnic, because it included elements of my three loves -- tap water, Pyrex and Laura Ingalls Wilder!
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2009/05/a-love-letter-to-laura-ingalls-wilder/
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2008/11/a-love-letter-to-tap-water-2/
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/03/a-love-letter-to-pyrex-2/
And I think I spy a library book as well, which was another of my "love letters." Now if you could only have worked cast iron pans into the mix, then everything would have been perfect!
It's all cold and rainy here too, but I have the recent memory of T-shirt weather to get me through until next month. Thanks for sharing!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
I have a selection of the same pyrex storage containers. My goal is to rid myself of the plastic rubbermaid as they break or otherwise become unusable. It will take some time.
Using the lids as plates was a stroke of genius!
Thanks so much--there are some wonderful ideas here---and some we do, too! Fun to see your children--always. AND to see homeschooling in all its fantastic flexibility, 'cause we're gonna homeschool, too.
Fun, also, to recognize Aldi crackers in the midst of your spread!
What a fantastic picnic! G and I really need to find some parks around here that we can picnic at. I love the pyrex containers, they are handy dandy, and the shallow rectangular ones are perfect to send G's lunch in! I've actually done homemade mashed potatoes, a chicken leg, and some asparagus all in one, and a salad in another small one for him. Two pieces and he had an entire deluxe meal!
I recently bought two sizes of Pyrex dishes with the same goal as others above--to use less plastic. But...I'm having trouble getting the lids on the bowls! What's the secret--do you push down on them from the middle, seal from the edge, or what? Maybe it's just my old arthritic hands that aren't strong enough, I don't know! Thanks for any help anyone can offer!
Ooh mine too! I said above that I just purchased a set this past weekend, and my goodness, it's hard to get the lids on! It's hardest to get the covers on the smallest containers. I'm wondering if perhaps they will stretch out a little bit over time and with use? I really hope so!
What a good mom! I love little house on the prairie 🙂
Jana
At first I thought Sonia wasn't there but then I realized she's hiding in every picture! Adorable pictures by the way!
Saturday was our Grandson's 1st Birthday and after celebrating with everyone, he and his family and my husband and I were taken to a park though the sun was behind the clouds too. We had a wonderful time as well and he went down the slide voluntarily unassisted and was met at the bottom of the slide by Grampa. Delightful time! So glad I didn't heed my Doctor's advice to "terminate this pregnancy" after my appointment in 1979 when pregnant 6 weeks with our Grandson's Dad. Being a Type I Diabetic since 1950 God has been an ever present help in times of need. Every day with HIM has been a delight when remembering all HIS Goodness to us as a family.
I love that you are creating so many wonderful memories with your kids that they will carry with them throughout their lives and probably carry on the traditions with their own children! I have so many wonderful memories tha tmy own mom created, and it seems like so many parents today don't take the time to do these things with their kids and it's so sad. Even though I can't have kids, I love that I will have these memories forever of the times spent with my family; I know now that I am an adult that my childhood was probably not as "magical" as it seemed but I know how hard my mom worked to make sure I had those memories and make it feel magical, and it makes me so much more impressed. Great job! It's nice to see a young mom care about these things!
I got a picnic basket with a cloth tablecloth, napkins, plates, cups, and utensils as a wedding present. We've gotten so much use out of it! If I didn't have it, I'd snag your totebag idea because I have lots of totes for grocery shopping.
I recently saw little Pyrex containers like yours on sale at Odd Lots. I'm seriously considering getting them to replace my plastic lunch containers when they run out.
Hi Kristen,
I just found your blog and I absolutely love it...
I am also 31, I don't work outside the home, and I have 5 kids. I am very thankful that God has given me the opportunity to be home with them, and consider my "real job" to be getting the best deal on all I can. Your blog is inspiring! Thank you!
Aww, I'm so glad. 🙂
I love the photo of the Little House book... it looks exactly like my copy... tears and all! My favorite childhood reading, and I have read them for my daughter and three sons, who all enjoy hearing Laura's stories. They are timeless 🙂
I stumbled on to your blog while researching how to paint furniture, so thanks for the tips!