Strawberry picking

I have always said, everyday is an adventure. Today, my adventures took me and my kids strawberry picking. I have taken my kids apple picking and pumpkin picking. I have even taken my kids fishing. I (we) have always survived. My kids have enjoyed the sweet taste of fresh apples, the spice of homemade pumpkin pie, and occasional salty bite of a leech. But. I have never taken my kids to a big, open strawberry field, handed them a bucket, and let them loose.

Having done this before, my girlfriend Rebecca assured me it would be "fun." So. We packed up a few juice boxes, poured ourselves a coffee to go, grabbed the 6 closest kids we could find (ok, our kids plus two little friends) and piled into Rebecca's minivan. Once we got to the strawberry farm, we slathered on the sunscreen, picked out our buckets, and secured an ideal picking spot.

Me with 6 kids, pre-picking. Notice the naive smile?

We had a strategy. We would each stand and block all the kids in one row of strawberries, working our way into each other. Our goal- pick as many, juicy, red strawberries as we could carry, the whole time hoping our children would pick their little hands tired.

One row? Good plan.

The summer sun was warm. The day was perfect. Our kids. Well, they picked a few strawberries, tried a little patience, but had a lot of fun.

For every one strawberry I picked, both of my little Schueys ate two.

I had a hard time making any head way.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to recruit the older kids to pick strawberries for me. So, I quickly turned into a bit of a strawberry pimp. Only my little pickers paid me in juicy, red, fruit.

the direct result of strawberry pimping

Today was an adventure. It was fun. Yes. Rebecca, you were right.

My kids had such a good time. They chased their friends, giggled, and enjoyed being children. And an added bonus, the fresh air tuckered them right out. They both fell asleep in the car on the way home. Can you say- "quiet time?"

 

Me with Rebecca. I think our smiles are little forced. These smiles are trying to hide itchy legs and tired hands.
All kidding aside, it was a day well worth the $1.35/pound of strawberries. See Hudson's stained face? Yep. All the kids needed a good rinse when we were all done.

Happy Summer, with love-