Cliché

 

 

The children left their father and me some presents. I have Iron Man staring me down from my bedside table and my husband has some guy from Star Wars. These kids drive us batty all day long and then we desperately miss them once they've gone off to Dreamland.  

Lightness...

 

Happiness fills the

earth as long as

lighness defeats darkness

-Sugar Plum, age 9 

Simple Knitted Headband...

Last Thursday afternoon, Sugar Plum requested a simple headband pattern.  She has been knitting away consistently for the past few weeks and was ready to follow a pattern on her own.  My little girl was finishing up the last details of her headband by Saturday night and I cannot tell you how impressed I am with her work!  There is not one dropped stitch and everything looks exactly how it is supposed to look.  She read the pattern instructions by herself and figured everything out on her own.  What will she knit next?

A Wee Bit of Length...

Our girl is getting such long legs that we have been on the lookout not only for longer length dresses and skirts, but also for a slip with lace to extend some of the current things her wardrobe.  Enter, Hanna Andersson's pretty little girl slips.  They are light, airy, comfortable, and have a generous eyelet edge that adds the sweetest touch to my sweet girl's outfits.

Pockets of Quiet...

Our daughter had hot chocolate for a mid-morning snack the other day and before she enjoyed it, she lit the candle, set out a napkin and spoon, scooted the vase of flowers closer to her place setting, and requested the camera to take a picture of her little tableau.  She comes by it honestly!

It has been raining for days here and I kind of don't mind.  After our school is done, we've been enjoying the luxury of having nothing going on.  The summer is going to be a busy one for us with a couple of trips and lots of visitors, so these little pockets of quiet are definitely savored.

The trio has been watching American Ninja Warrior with us (not something that I would have ever thought that I would enjoy!) and they spend hours after every episode setting up couch cushion courses to conquer.  They have even commandeered the crib mattress my niece uses for a bed when she visits as the final climb challenge.  They take turns announcing one another and commenting on each performance.  It's super cute and very funny to watch!

The Land of Big Children...

 

 

 I spent a some time last night gathering books, papers, and projects for our last homeschool review of this school year.  I finished up the final draft of lesson plans and our attendance sheets and gathered everything up into a huge bag to bring to the library for Miss Eloise to look through.  This was the last year we will have two little scholars...  Mister Button will be joining us for lessons as a kindergartener in September.  It is hard to believe that we will have three school-aged children.  We've been moving into uncharted territory for awhile now (Potty training!  Weaning!  Sleeping through the night!) and though there is always the hope that we will someday add to our little brood, we've reached a good place...  The Land of Big Children and all of the fun things that they can do!

Tiny Posie in the Doll House...

 

There has been a a resurgence in dollhouse play for our daughter (and to a certain extent, our sons) and it all began with a tiny posie.   Once the flowers were set upon the dresser, the pots and pans had to be organized, and then we decided to hang icons the walls with fun tack.  Sugar Plum has been crocheting little bits and bobs to add to the decor all weekend.  I expect that we will have several very spoiled dollies on our hands pretty soon!

Outfitting the Children...

We've been going through lots of clothing lately...  boxing up things that are more warmer weather or that no longer fits, sorting through baby clothes for my little nephews and big girl clothes for Lucy, and taking stock of things that we need.  

For the past four years, we have made the conscious effort to keep our wardrobes small.  Having fewer clothing has meant that I have to do laundry more often. Washing, drying, and folding a load of clothes each day has become a part of our routine. We have also had to learn to take care of our things a bit more carefully by wearing aprons when we do something messy and folding or hanging up our things when they are not being used or put in the hamper.

Here is my cold weather clothing list for each child: 

5 Everyday Outfits (dresses, trousers, tops)
1 Nice Outfit for Church 
Fleece Jacket or Vest and Coat
2 Sets of Pajamas
Sneakers, Boots, and Rain Boots
Hat, Mittens or Gloves, and Scarf
Underpants and Undershirts (enough for the week)
Socks, Tights, and Leggings (extra socks and tights!)

We are slowly working our way through our lists, buying a little here and a little there.  It has been interesting to see our children's different styles emerging...  we have a little artsy fashionista, a cowboy, and a monochromatic dresser on our hands.  For the first time, I have had requests for jeans from all three children (up until now, I have avoided jeans just because I don't really like them), which I have honored.  Our daughter is branching out from skirts and dresses and is asking for some pants (which is a little bittersweet, to be honest!).  Interestingly though, all three still like to match, which is really cute!

What are your autumn wardrobe plans?  Any favorite items that I should check out?    

A Navy Gingham Tent...

While my sister and her family were visiting a week or so ago, we worked on making tents for our little ones.  I had made the tent frame for our family around Pascha, but wanted to make a fitted tent cover to go with it.  Kate sewed up covers for our tent in navy gingham and seersucker for their family.  I drilled holes for the dowels (we used dowels that were 5/8" because that was the size of the drill bit we had) and we also bought 5/8 chair caps for the tips of the dowels which prevents them from slipping out of their holes (Thanks to a great employee at Home Depot who suggested that!).  I am so please with how this little tent turned out and the children really like playing in it!

Mini-Golf, Part One...

For years our children have spotted those garish mini-golf places on the sides of the road with the giant volcanoes spewing smoke, snarling dinosaurs with blinking red eyes, or vikings hanging off of a ship and begged to go.  We always planned to take them, but it just never happened.  Well, the boys took matters into their own hands and created their own mini-golf experience in the playroom.  Using a wooden sword for a putter and all kinds of different things from around the house, they built the coolest course I have ever seen!  Father John even got in on the action!  

We're going to surprise them by taking them to a real mini-golf place this Sunday...  I can't wait!

A Ticket to Dreamland...

The past few nights have been rough ones.  Button has been up in the wee hours coughing and feeling generally miserable.  We were able to be squeezed in at the doctor's office today and it seems that our little boy has an ear infection and bronchitis.  Hopefully he'll be back to himself soon and we will both get some rest tonight.

It was such a perfect day weather-wise and so I threw open all the windows in reckless abandon.  Our little garden by our dining room window is flourishing and I really enjoy looking through it at all the pretty things.  The lettuce has been finding its way into our salads, the false indigo is laden with blooms, and our hydrangeas are fairly bursting with buds.  My goal is to fill the flower bed with so many plants and pots that I can no longer see the gravel that is covering the dirt and offends me every time I spy it.

I'm off to enjoy the last piece of pound cake before I slip off into dreamland...

So Sleepy...

Our littlest little one just couldn't keep his eyes open today! 

Keeping Home: Getting the Little Ones on Board...

Tidying up, cleaning the kitchen, and keeping up with laundry is all well and good, but I am the one who is doing all the work in this house.  If I try to get my children to help, they end up fighting and whining and I start screaming.  How do I make this more pleasant for all of us?

If your kids don't find tidying up enjoyable, you aren't making it fun enough!  Make housekeeping a game.  Does Daddy take a shower every morning?  See if all the bedrooms can be cleaned, the laundry whirring away in the machine, with everyone sitting down for breakfast before he gets out of the bathroom.  Blast a favorite song and see if the room can be tidied before it is over.  Set the timer for ten minutes and race to clean the kitchen.  Talk about your day or plans for tomorrow while you fold and put away clothes together.  Make like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and pretend that an evil queen is coming to inspect your house to see if it is clean enough...  if it isn't, everyone will be locked in the dungeon.  Read an extra story, sing songs, or play a game as a reward children who are pleasant and helpful.

Make things fun and you will be shocked by the great results you get...  the best being a home that everyone helps keep nice!

Ballet!

 

We have had a very busy week!  Monday was Sugar Plum's first ballet class.  She has wanted to take one for a long time and we were able to sign her up for a class at our local community center.  I am very pleased with the class and like that it is such a low commitment.  The next seven weeks will give her a chance to see if she likes ballet without a huge expense.  I am really considering joining the adult class for the next session.  I have always wanted to take ballet! 

The Attendance Was Two...

On Sunday morning, we woke early to find that a thick blanket of fog had moved in overnight.  I don't know what it is about fog, but I love it.  It feels mysterious and cozy all at the same time.  Little Man and I took a quick stroll around the outskirts of the woods before people started pulling into the parking lot for church.  It is interesting to me that this boy of ours actively pursues alone time with his parents (much more than our other children).  Once or twice a week, Father John will return from his evening prayers (which he does in the chapel) and he'll whisper to me that the "attendance was two."  While I'm busy fiddling with the knitting, Little Man slips out of bed and tiptoes in to pray with his papa.  I asked tonight what he does in the church, and Father John said that he just sits on a bench and quietly listens to the prayers.  This boy is in constant motion during the day, but he seeks out the peacefulness of a nighttime service with this father and an early morning walk with his mother.  He'll be six in a few short weeks.  I cannot believe it.

Big...

It is so quiet here!  The little ones have gone for their first sleepover tonight and will be gone most of the day tomorrow so that I can go on a little adventure with friends.  They seem to be doing well...  perhaps better than their parents!  Not having our children here seems so BIG. 

I think that the thing that I am most looking forward to tonight is sleep!  Button has always been a poor sleeper and I am still up with him most nights.  Sweet dreams, Friends!

Our Favorite Toy Shops...

I am often asked where the toys that we have come from, and so I thought that I would put together a little list of shops that I really like.  I plan on adding to this post if I think of anything else.

The Wooden Wagon
Our favorite purchases from here include Ostheimer figures, wooden swords and shields, and knitting forks

Imagination Childhood
 Many of our nature toys come from this shop.  The children really like their bug house, window birdfeeder, potholder loom, and plant press

Nova Natural
 Several of our amber necklaces were purchased through Nova.  I also spent a little birthday money to buy seasonal and fairytale postcards to display a few years ago.  The most recent thing that we've gotten from this site is a crossbow for our daughter's birthday (she requested the crossbow and an apron, which I think is so cute!) and it is a huge hit!

Palumba
We have a few sets of knitted play food that we bought after the paint on some wooden food we had started to chip and peel

I also use Amazon quite a bit and we are fortunate to have a local toy store that we really like. In addition, I have gotten many of our toys gently used.

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Here are a few other posts that I have written on the subject of toys:
Toys to Build Imagination

9 Ways to Help Spark Your Child's Imagination

Bathtime

A Deluge...

The rain is raining all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

It has been a rainy week and so we've spent more time in our playroom that usual for this time of year.  We finally hung up the little chalkboard I've had leaning against the wall since we moved in (19 months ago already!).  I was tired of worrying that it would fall down and smash.  I have quite a stack of other things to hang, but I think that they will have to wait since we've just discovered that the leak in the church we thought that we had fixed at the end of Great Lent actually isn't.  That's a large project for Father John and he's falling behind significantly in his other work (which I thank God for, since it means that his business is doing well!).

It's hard to believe, but I've started to think about the books and materials that I need to get for September (we'll be doing kindergarten and second grade this year) and how to organize things a bit for that.  I'm beginning to think that we'll really have to have more of a plan for our days so that we can fit everything in for both children, while leaving room for the attention our energetic three-year-old is sure to demand. 

 I really hope to have space to make plans to do things out an about one morning...  it's quiet at the zoo and library before little ones are let out from school each day.  I do have to say though that I'm really seeing the benefit of being home more often than out.  I'm feeling the urge to read Simplicity Parenting again to try to apply some of the tricks of the trade that I used when the older two children were smaller.  I'm really feeling the need to cut down on going out with the children, take the media exposure down a notch, and implement some quiet time each day. 

It's nice to have these rainy days to work some of these things out in my head.  A lot of it just has to do with me being able to keep the resolutions that I have for our family without letting a rough night or laziness get in the way.  What are you thinking about these days?  How do you keep yourself on track when you're trying to make some changes in your lifestyle?

Little Pascha Baskets...

This year we will have a little trio of matching baskets for our children to use for Pascha .  Sugar Plum's is the basket in the center with the navy blue details and the boys each have a natural one (these are the small size Bolga baskets).  We found Sugar Plum's several years ago for sale at our favorite apple orchard.  Every year since, I have looked for baskets for the boys but they never had them.  This past March, we ordered one for each of the boys from A Toy Garden.  I opted to get them both natural colored ones to cut down on squabbling, but a bonus is how much I love how the baskets look all together!

Though we will use these baskets for Pascha, they are also handy for play, storing things (Sugar Plum likes to keep knitting projects in hers), and outside adventures (they are washable and we have had no staining issues with any of them!).   We plan to bring our dinners with us in our baskets to the outside shows that we like to attend during the summer and the children plan to use them for berry and peach picking, too!

Do you have a special basket that you are pulling out for Pascha? 

Small Changes Make a Big Difference...

Before

After Staining

A Better Representation of the Color!

We have had these nice little cubbies for years now, and I have never felt the need to stain them.  We bought them at Michael's Craft Store and stuck baskets inside to sort our toys (Legos, wooden blocks, baby toys, musical instruments, and farm pieces).  I love that they are just the right height for little ones to explore and for several years, we have displayed seasonal and/or festal items on top of the middle cubby.  

Yesterday, Miguel (our church's handyman), came over to stain some built-in cabinets in the church and I had a flash of inspiration!  The unfinished cubbies!  We quickly spread on some stain and one coat of sealer and voila!  A whole new look that really compliments our floor, the baskets, and the toys!  I really like how it looks and wish that I had done it earlier!