Weekending

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

The three older kiddos have all been under the weather at some point during the last few days. Still, we’ve managed to find joy in some moments of wellness. There was bowling with grandparents and uncles and their families, a visit to the newly remodeled children’s museum, a rare dinner out (two year olds don’t always make the best restaurant patrons, ahem), and even a beach visit. Now everyone is snuggled up and spread out all over the living room. A beautiful, quiet morning.


They’re *inside* a bubble!

{weekending}

Posted in on my doorstep, weekending | 5 Comments

Things my mom has sent in a box

Posted on February 16, 2012 by

A few years back, when we still lived in Texas, I blogged about my mom and her love of sending care packages. She still does it, even though we see her more often. Most of the time, the contents of the boxes only make sense to me. The highlights from yesterday’s box:

  • halloween cupcake liners and matching kitchen towels
  • an empty pumpkin butter jar
  • 5 pairs of socks for Wren
  • 1 finger puppet
  • a neckwarmer for Finch
  • an ikea spice rack
  • programs from the ballet

Do you like to send or receive care packages?

Posted in trees all dance | 2 Comments

Valemtime*

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

live laugh love

Happy Valentine’s Day!
*How the kids pronounced it when they were smaller

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Weekending

Posted on February 13, 2012 by


Nothing else really matters b/c it snowed! It’s no secret that I love snowy weather so when I saw that it was in the forecast, I crossed my fingers, toes, and eyes and said “oh please, oh please, oh please!” It obviously paid off. We went out to make merry immediately.


Lark and I came in after a few minutes b/c she kept taking her mittens off and eating the snow. Lovely.

L had been having some pain and though he was scheduled for a (minor) surgery consult on Monday, he ended up not being able to wait, and we went to the ER Saturday night. We were in and out surprisingly quickly and he spent the rest of the weekend in bed which is highly unusual. I feel like I’m at my most motherly when I’m nursing my family back to health so I enjoy this, in a strange way.

My procrastination finally got the best of me Sunday night. I always wait till the last possible second to turn in coursework, and as a result, last night, I had to keep quite a few balls in the air by myself. It was hectic and I vow to try to avoid situations like that, when possible (and this was totally avoidable).

Hope your weekend was lovely.

Posted in on my doorstep, trees all dance, weekending | 1 Comment

Yarn Along

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

Finished one of the baby hats! I used short circulars that I bought when Darcel and I went to The Yarn Club last week. I really like the short circs for tiny projects. The unwound yarn (colorway is Cloudy Sky) is for a mystery project that I can’t talk about because the recipient  reads my blog, hehe. But it’ll be my first time doing this type of knitting, so wish me luck! The book on the top of the stack is Hands Around the World which I used last year when we homeschooled, sometimes as a morning journal prompt. Making Things is the book in the middle. It’s the type of book I would’ve loved (actually, still love) as a child and I notice Wren uses it a lot as a jumping off point for activities. Trust the Children is on the bottom and it was one of the first books I bought after deciding to homeschool for sure. I feel the need for inspiration lately and I find it in these books.

Posted in homeschool, knitting, yarn along | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Simple

Posted on January 31, 2012 by


all we need to have a good time is a cardboard box! (it’s kinda true)

I’m in love with the idea of a simple life, a minimal life, an ascetic life. Sadly (luckily?happily? unfortunately?) the folks I live with aren’t with it. I read Simplicity Parenting and scoffed*. Seriously, I was just going to make 11 years worth of toys disappear and my kids would go for it? That’s not to say I don’t like the idea, I just think it would be easier to implicate with younger (non pack-rat) kiddos. And so, I’ve started with the babe. Over the weekend, I whittled her available toys down to her favorites which can fit into this bin. Her silks, a few dolls, and her toy animal collection is in there. The rest are put away and I’ve schedule regular rotation via my google calendar which is the only way anything gets done around here. She also has just 5 board books available on the table where we keep our 6 favorite fairytale and fable books. I have to say, I’ve already noticed her drawn to the books time and time again because there aren’t so many now. Surprisingly, when Finch saw what I was doing, he asked if we could do the same with his things. And so, I have set aside some time to comply with his request.

*Great post on this subject here.

Posted in books, kids, waldorf inspired | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

All wet

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

The kids had the day off Friday (and it was raining cats and dogs), so we headed over to the Virginia MOCA.

It’s our favorite local museum and the one we visit most frequently. The kids loved the new ARTlab and again, I felt thankful to live in a place with easy access to the arts.

Going from New York to small town Texas involved some culture shock , to say the least, and moments like these make me realize how much I missed easy access to the ballet, museums, and the like. Anyway, back to the MOCA, they have a photography class that I would love to attend. Hopefully some day soon, I can find the time to make that happen!

Saturday found me doing some projects I’ve had on the back burner for a while. I finally made dishwasher detergent using Nici’s recipe and now I feel complete. O.K., not quite, but that was the last household product around here that wasn’t homemade. I’m trying to do better at taking care of my hair and letting it grow rather than getting bored and cutting it off every few years like I normally do so I also made my own version of the ever popular (for natural hair) whipped shea butter.

The consistency of the finished product makes it perfect for use on hair and skin. Here’s the recipe:

  • 1 cup room temperature shea butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  •  1/4 cup sweet almond oil (or substitute another favorite oil)
  •  1 tbsp vitamin E
  • a few drops of your favorite essential oil, if you like

Combine items in a bowl and beat (I used a handmixer) till fluffy. Super simple!

Aside from a quick trip to pick up an old toy jeep from an acquaintance, Sunday was a major cleaning day. We were on a roll with the laundry, until my machine decided to stop working during the spin cycle. I can’t tell you how much fun it was to remove heavy, wet clothes, and wring them out by hand. The machine is still full of water while I figure out if to get an extended warranty or just call a technician. This is the second month in a row this thing has had issues! My last machine, I had for 6 years with no problem and it wasn’t even  new when I purchased it. Ugh.

{weekending}

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