a little crafty nest

moments from the week

Just a few glimpses of the better moments, the calmer moments.  Because, this week was a bit, well, trying.  Night weaning is on-going, and Huckley and I are still trying to create a new rhythm to our nights.  I do believe we are over the hump, and last night he woke just once to roll over...with no treading up and down the hallway in the dark!  And just as I was getting a bit more sleep, my oldest son and I both got the flu.  Gratefully, it was a 24 hour kind-of-thing and my husband was home because of the long weekend. 

And here we are a few days later, with not much to show for the week, but this...

~ transplanting the last of our basil, before planting it maybe next week?

~ seeing how my big boy enjoys weeding his garden bed...he likes it nice and tidy, like his mama

~ watching the neighbour clean up around our garden fence posts after digging our pond

~ anticipating new garden gates being made by Papa

~ enjoying having my biggest boy in an herb class for homeschoolers...and he loves it!  He has come home with nettle vinegar, dandelion lemonade, and comfrey tincture and salve.  He made himself his own first aid kit and every night asks for new "patients".  Tonight, while massaging oil on my "wounds", Forrest tells me he wants to be an herb doctor while Sunshine chimes in she wants to be a "massager".  Sounds good to me!

~ loving that my six year old son was taught to needlefelt at the herb class because he loves it so!  He made a dandelion fairy for a friend this week and I was amazed at  his concentration and determination, and then his pride in his work.

~ enjoying all the spinach goodness coming from our garden

~ planting all the flowers out, bringing some cheerful colour to the gardens and house

~ feeling grateful to my husband for being the glue of the household while I lay in bed with the flu

Here's wishing you a healthy, happy weekend outdoors, my friends!

moments from the week

This week we leapfrogged over late spring and landed, kerplop!, into the middle of summer.  Lots of sunshine and hotness and seeking the shade.  And lots of...

...experiments with water...

...new skills learned...

...favourite places to climb aboard...

...bits of togetherness, with Nana and with each other...

Yes, a good, hot, summery week ~ in Springtime! 

Tonight is night #3 for night-weaning my youngest.  He will be two years old in about 5 weeks and my exhaustion is pushing me to do this.  I feel very ready...and very reluctant.  The first two nights proved that it does not get easier with each successive child.  Huckley is by far, showing the most resistance to this most unwelcome of changes.  Poor fellow.  It is so tempting to succumb to the tears (both of ours) and just give him what he wants, but for many reasons this is best for all.  As soon as Mr. Sun wakes up in the morning, he gets free reign again with his beloved oy-yoi's.  (Yes, Huckley calls them oy-yoi's because it seems all too often I would collapse in a chair to nurse him and quietly exclaim under my breath, oy-yoi-yoi!)  All I can do is hold him all night long, sit with him and try and calm his aching little heart.  I am hoping tonight will be less of the marathon we experienced last night...oh, how hard it is to hold back the thing he loves so much.  So.  Hard. 

And this too shall pass.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...it is a Long Weekend here in Canada which means Papa will be around here more ~ hooray!!!

moments from the week

This week, I am happy to remember...
~ water play in the Big Garden with Tonka trucks, allowing me to work on the tedious task of digging out some couch grass and creating some more growing space

~ how quickly and thoroughly mud play consumes clean clothing

~ a surprise visit from someone we wish we'd see more often, bearing gifts of bubbles and books

~ the beginning of dandelion bouquets

~ Forrest's first herbal class with other little ones his age...and the excitement over being allowed by the herbalist to needle felt a nettle gnome to protect his nettle vinegar

~ the relief that I wasn't there to witness the needle felting

~our little village's annual Water Unity Festival...always fun to see the colourful locals celebrating Water and Life with parades, children's activities, a samba band, dancing, and poetry

~ how my children decided, on their own, to dress up for the parade...and pose their brother beneath a tree for me to photograph

~ the intrigue that a sample of river water and all its critters could hold for these three littles

~ overhearing the conversations my six year old is having on the phone with his friend from across the river...such giggling and silliness...for over half an hour!

~ how much I love our two four-legged companions, Cocoa and Nyla...such happiness they bring with their sloppy, wet-nosed, in-your-face, relentless, faithful love

~ how simple life can be

moments from the week

Stormy spring weather continues, allowing the garden to drink up fresh rain, turning everything into a vision of emerald abundance...I will never tire of the vibrant shades of spring greens, tinged with yellows...proof that miracles happen in the ordinariness of today.

My friend, Melanie, made a post about an ordinary day, which made me instantly think of something I read recently.  Many of you may know about Taproot magazine, brought to you by the multi-crafty-talented Soulemama and friends.  Well, my favourite essay in the whole lot was written by her husband (what a team!) and he wrote, "...somehow great things occur under that false cloak of monotony."  These words have stayed with me, whispering in my ear, reminding me to accept and even embrace this very moment ~ no matter how mundane it may seem.

When I look back through the camera card that records our week's everyday moments, they seem more than ordinary.  They do, in fact, seem extra-ordinary.  I feel blessed for these miracles that are occurring right before my very eyes. 

See my helpers, eager to do the simple tasks of our household...

a blurry photo of a determined Huckley bringing in the kindling

Forrest wanted to help me pick the first nettles of the season...well-protected

pancake morning...Sunshine mixes the wet ingredients til they are good and frothy

while Huckley is in charge of the dry ingredients, focused on keeping it all in the mixing bowl

After the more serious tasks of the household, comes the real work of childhood, imaginative play.

Josh brought these two rootballs home from the bush, on two separate excursions, this spring.  Sunshine is sitting in the fairy castle, with the knight's armament beside her against the woodshed.  There are already grand plans for the adventures of all the gnomes and fairies.

Indoors, the four season's playmat ignites their imagination.  A friend from maplerose made this beautiful work of art which is a real treasure.

Many a spring day you may find us beside our creek, throwing rocks, poking at the mud, playing with snails and toads, or just swinging.  On days like this, I sit quietly beside the littles, drinking in the spring goodness.

This last photo is a tender one for me, as it signifies the first time I really had to put solid boundaries down regarding nursing with Huckley.  He is 22 months old and still nurses on demand, around the clock.  I am happy with this arrangement, too, as he truly is the best night-time snuggler.  However, for awhile he has begun nursing in earnest at night, leaving me exhausted and sore.  After a few sleepless nights, I realized he wasn't eating as much for dinner, making him hungrier than usual during the night.  So, I have decided to be firm and consistent about eating first, nursing second.  Well, after nap on this day, it wasn't going to fly very easily and Huckley's determined streak came out.  Let's just say it was a long, tear-filled half hour...for both of us.  Forrest and Sunshine encouraged me to just nurse him, but I explained that he needed to know I wasn't going to give in on this one.  I held Huckley, I told him I loved him countless times, I acknowledged this was a hard thing for him to understand, but that it was important.  I told Forrest and Sunshine how I night-weaned each of them at about the same age and it was difficult, but necessary to the health of our household.  I'm not sure they believed me, but when Huckley finally understood he just had to take one bite before he could nurse, the tears dried and my sunny boy re-emerged.  Mama was forgiven.  Hours later, I'm still taking the Rescue Remedy for that one, but experience has shown me that this is just another of the many trials of motherhood.

Indeed, these mundane and everyday moments are what we make of them.  For me, they form the memories of my little one's childhood.

And they remind me, in a beautifully humbling way, of the wonderful company I keep.

moments from the week

Thunderstorms are rumbling around here now, and the weather has been moody.  I love it!!!  At night, the lightening shows through our windows are spectacular...and they've barely begun. 

This week, we have been struggling with colds here, though I'm happy to say it is not the flu.  Usually, I manage to sail through it all while tending the rest of the family...but not this time.  I got it good.  Luckily, it was fairly short-lived and we were able to spend a lot of our weekdays outdoors, in the garden ~ sniffling and coughing and breathing in the fresh spring air.

chainsaw puppy...complete with sound effects at full throttle

clay play after our Earth Day paddle with the real thing found at the river's edge...hours of fun!

digging together

garden critters

a knight's tournament

Ok, this one deserves a better explanation.  Forrest absolutely adores anything to do with knights and castles and dragons.  For a very long time, he has been wanting to do a real battle with his papa because we don't allow sword fighting...usually.  Many days passed that there was supposed to be The Battle, and each time it got post-poned, until Forrest broke down in disappointment the day before this event.  In the morning, he awoke and picked out an outfit for himself and his papa (I have no idea where he found the slick biking shirt (?) and the silly helmut (or should I say, the silly biking shirt and the slick helmut?) but there it is, complete with socks for gloves.  There was much fanfare before the fight, as mama presented Forrest with a scarf to show her allegiance to her young son (I hedged my bets with the least ridiculous-looking).  Spectators watched from behind glass windows, dogs tried to get involved, and the rain drizzled.  In the end, after much hoopla and hysterical giggling, Sir Young-Son defeated Sir Papa-a-lot.  Then we had breakfast.

And that is how we ended our week.

moments from the week

While the sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds for most of the week, we found ourselves outdoors for longer and longer stretches.  There is so much to do right now...aside from gardening chores which are delightfully endless (yes, I really think so!), there were also ziplines to be attempted from scratch...

And boats to make and float at a homeschool nature group...

There is always a little one beckoning mama to follow him about...

And a girl by my side, reaching for my hand.

We were so lucky this week to have papa around a few more days than we thought...so we jumped right into some projects on our little piece of land that we have been meaning to do for a few years now.  It was wonderful to get to it, but mostly, it was wonderful to be outside together ~ digging in the soil, hauling rocks, raking rocks, sorting rocks (do you see a pattern here?), clearing brush, having several bonfires, creating garden spaces, making dams, and swinging about on our new swing.  We were all so very busy and immersed in activities, but there was such a sense of family and connection happening...bliss!  Even Forrest, who likes to share his heart's thoughts, remarked, "I really like this.  I really like being out here and doing this with everyone."  Indeed, me too.

I noticed that this week I have several photos of togetherness, something that seems rather rare...

And my favourite, (and not just because the littles are sitting on my new compost bins)...

Mind you, it wasn't all perfectly smooth and lovely, but I do hope my children will remember that this week, we were all five together a lot, and we shared a wonderful time making our land more into our home.  I am so grateful to all of them!

May you all a wonderful weekend!  Happy Earth Day on Sunday!!!

moments from the week

We are feeling that quickening pace of spring already, with more activities beckoning us to leave the comfort of our property and venture further afield.  This week, we have had friends come play with us, we have visited our favourite goat farm, we participated in a children's nature walk along the river, we (nearly) finished a little home renovation (details coming!), and we accidentally found a lovely new place to play on our land that has us very excited indeed!  Phewf!  Yes, it was a busy, full, lovely week of clear weather sprinkled with spring storms...I love it!

Little boy blue come blow your horn...

Dancing on the pallet tower (soon to be our newest compost bins).

Snails and slugs are still rather sweet at this point in the gardening season.  By August, not so much.

On the spur of the moment, we decided to clear an area lower down our creek for a better compost system.  Josh used his brushsaw and his chainsaw to take out some stubborn hawthorn bushes and suddenly we discovered a whole new world.  As we raked and stoked a fire to burn all the nasty little thorny branches, Forrest used the clippers to make a path into the woods beside the creek, whereupon we discovered the perfect branch for making a swing.  With a quick hole drilled into a branch and a piece of climbing rope slung over teh branch, we had a daring little swing that even holds me!  Our little creek has begun to swell, and just overnight with the rains washing down some snow further up the mountain, the quiet murmur has been replaced with a raucous babbling.  How exciting to swing out over the rushing water on a branch swing...

Huckley insisted on trying it, too (of course), but I couldn't take a photo as I was holding him upright!  Besides, he preferred to be close to his chainsaw-wielding papa...he truly loves big, loud, noisy machines.

I do think we will be using this swing often in the coming months...it is within sight of my big garden which is exactly where I want to be right now.  I can see some fun weeks ahead of us, for sure!

Friends, I wish you a lovely weekend in the fresh air, nurturing whatever gardens you find yourselves in!

moments from the week

As the snow recedes, though not disappearing quite yet (it snowed today!), we are expanding into recently uncovered areas to play.  Once again, we found ourselves drawn to the shop, to be close to papa and hear the buzz of his saw.  Before he begins his first contract of the season next week, he is working on a little home renovation ~ of the inexpensive variety...love those!!!

But over the bridge and to the shop we go...to climb, chisel, and teeter-totter ~ country style!

When I moved the long board over, I asked the children to stay clear, and it looks like they took it to heart.  I suppose they are not used to seeing mama move big boards around, but they look nervous, don't they?

Indoors, this little bug is as snug as one can get...he loves to get cozy in tiny little spaces, and there he sits until he is discovered, upon which he gleefully giggles!

We have been spending the last of our homeschool money...for science experiments like this worm garden.  Indeed, it is fascinating to watch the wormies compost the leaves and dig their tunnels.  Forrest was right into this activity, trudging out in the pouring sleet to dig up some critters from our gardens.
We also purchased a beautiful "real" guitar for Forrest to begin Suzuki guitar lessons in the fall.  I had intended to hide it away til September, but he asked me if I had bought it yet, so I showed him.  He is thrilled!  He really seems ready to begin...and, as he says, "rock out!"

Oh goodness, do you see his haircut?  He hadn't had a trim since a family event at my parent's last summer, and it was really getting too long.  So, I just began to trim it up here and there before realizing that I should NEVER cut my family's, or anyone's, hair ever!  Luckily, he doesn't know any different, but Josh reminded me of the time I managed two distinctive clearcuts up the back of his head with the clippers that forced him to buzz his whole head.  Yes, I can manage to shave hair, but not trim it.

And finally, we spent a few moments here and there this week in our garden, reconnecting with the soil that is coming alive again!  Critters of all sorts are visible, waking up and greeting this new season.  My little girl preferred to help mama in the kitchen garden while the boys tended a bonfire across the creek. 

Yes, indeed, it feels good to be back in this space...how I've missed it!

moments from the week

a Leprechaun by Forrest, age 6

This past week was full of mud, snow, sleet, hail, leprechauns, and rainbows.  Did I mention mud?  Living on the side of a mountain, our whole property slopes down and so the snow melt literally becomes a rivulet coursing down our driveway, gaining momentum, and collecting in pools and puddles all around.  Wonderful for all sorts of splashing, mucking, boating, bucketing play.  Oh, 'tis mud season alright!

I'm determined not to twitch too much with all the muddy clothing.  For there is a lot of muck coming through our front door right now ~ clinging to all the mama-made woollens, clogging up the sink, settling in little rings on the floor.  Nope, I'm not going to say one word about it...rather, I'm going to try and enjoy this (mud) season of their childhood.  It is really fleeting, afterall, and soon, oh soon, the mud will be replaced with little green shoots poking up.

May your weekend be fabulously filled with happy, mud-soaked smiles!

moments from the week

We thought King Winter was retreating, packing it in for the season to head North.  We thought Mrs. Thaw was now in charge, and we were getting used to her slushy sloppiness, enjoying the daily retreat of snow as it receded into the shadows, leaving mud and muck behind.  Ha!  We thought wrong...

This is yesterday morning, and it was taking a lot for me to show enthusiasm for this magical, snowy dump.  My, the difference three months makes for if this was December 15, it would be heavenly.  I am amazed by my children, though, who thought this was wonderful and got ready for outdoor play sooner than they had in weeks!

Earlier in the week, there were three pairs of hands building a treehouse, while inside, as many hands helped in meal preparation.  My youngest is my constant kitchen companion, and I love his serious determination (even if I have to remind him which part of the knife cuts tofu the best ~ don't worry, these are old, dull knives that all three children have learned on)!

There was a brief moment of "turtle" play...

...and some wet-on-wet painting, an old favourite that we have revisited lately.  The two older children will paint during Huckley's nap time as Huckley is a fierce and reliable "chucker" right now.  Everything is fair game ~ crayons, forks, compost (!), laundry (especially if it has just been folded), breakfast/lunch/dinner, anything.  The ultimate in mama-patience is being tested...so for painting, Sunshine and Forrest work on their creations alone.  It is such a beautiful, peaceful time for them, and they are often in deep, quiet contemplation while they paint. 

And when Huckley is awake, he wants to be just like his older siblings.  It is almost like he studies their every move and mirrors their behaviour, their gestures, their moods.  For me, it is quite humbling to see in practice what many seasoned parents and educators have explained about imitation being so integral to learning.  It is something I have to remind the older children (and myself!) to ensure more mindful actions and words and deeds.  A tall order, to be sure, but a worthwhile one!

And perhaps my favourite moment from the week.  During one "quiet" time in the afternoon, I finished putting Huckley to sleep and went to Sunshine's room to sit with her and knit.  But outside her door, I could hear her quietly "reading" a book, almost word-for-word.  I slipped inside her room and found her reading to one of her bears...

Sunshine has never been a particularly "dolly" kind of girl, but lately she's showing more of a "mama" side with various dolls.  It is really sweet to see this side of her, and as I was a complete dolly kind of girl, I love it!

Enjoy your weekend...may King Winter finally find his way home so Spring can arrive next week in all her glory!

moments from the week

That was one swift-moving week...I can feel the motion of Life speeding up as our creek begins to babble beneath the frozen snow, as the birds chatter back and forth steadily all day long, and as the drip, drip, drip of the gutters creates a backdrop to our days.  While the snow is still deep in most places, every day we notice it receding and revealing awakenings beneath.  A wondrous time, to be sure!  And outdoors we find ourselves for longer and longer stretches each day.

The boys are standing above our creek, and the whole while we could hear the murmuring beneath the snow!  It was like the whisperings of Mama Nature herself.

Before the snow disapears from the driveway, there is one last sled run to be had.

Returning from town, a rare event in the backseat ~ oh, why did I not bring my knitting basket this one time?

And still more greenhouse play with water and mud...lots and lots of mud!

Inside, we are turning on our archaic stereo a little more often.  Ever since Forrest was born more than six years ago, we have been completely media-free in our home.  We have no television, and I can count on both my hands the number of movies Josh and I have watched together.  When Forrest was just a few months old, we tried watching a movie with him sleeping in my arms, but the music was so dramatic and intense, we turned the whole thing off!  We don't even listen to the radio, which has always been a staple in my life...and I do miss much of the CBC (Canada's equivalent to NPR), but there are so many sad, horrible "newsworthy" stories that I don't want my young children to be exposed to.  So our home is very quiet. 

However, slowly we are incorporating a little more music-time into our lives.  The children become so enraptured by the songs, they sit quietly listening as close to the CD player as I let them.  And then I have 45 minutes or so to make dinner on my own...ahhhh, a little mama time just fifteen feet away from Woody Guthrie or Bob Dylan or Jerry Garcia entertaining my little ones.  (I've also decided that Woody is as relevant to our times as ever he was back in the 1940s!)

And on that note, a funny thing happened last night.  At 1:30am I awoke to get a glass of water and noticed Forrest sitting up in his bed.  I quietly asked him what he was doing, and he giggled and said "Mama, I'm rockin' out!" and then hysterically giggled some more.  Yup, he enjoys his music, this one!

Have a lovely weekend everybody ~ may you embrace Mud Season in all its messy, sticky loveliness!

moments from the week

My Friend From Across The River had a wise reminder for me the other day, that shaped my whole week.  She had read that the soul life of a mama will so clearly impact the emotional being of her child that if she is tired, her child may have dark circles under his eyes and be sleepy.  Indeed, I see this in my own three little ones.  Earlier this week had such challenges, both internally and externally from our family unit, and it was weighing so heavily on my heart.  After talking to My Friend From Across The River, I made such an effort to be more peaceful within myself, more steady and calm...and you know what?  There was such harmony in our home ~ between the children and myself!  I felt the heaviness lift up and a lightness graced the whole atmosphere of our home, filling us up.  I really hope to hold onto this reminder, and not have to reinvent the proverbial wheel again and again.

And now, on with our week...

Little Huckley is growing up so fast...I find my heart is full of the bittersweet wonder of the youngest baby becoming a little child.  He is so intent on helping and imitating the older people around him, in a quiet, self-assured way.  While he hardly speaks clear words, he says so much with his grunts and with his gestures.  Gratefully, he is also very into cuddling his mama and giving her the great big bear hugs that are only from the Huckley boy.

We made a few ventures out to the greenhouse to check on our greens that were sown last week ~ nada.  After hauling a few buckets of icy water for them, I watched the children busily "gardening" the only bed not planted in the greenhouse.  One brought shovelled snow in from outside, one hunted for worms, and one dug and dug "to the bottom", only to learn there is no bottom to these beds.  He laughed to think he might dig until someone in China popped their head up from the hole to tell him to please put the dirt back, it's cold up here.  Then he added, "No, that's silly...they don't speak our language in China." 

A long, involved game of "pirates".  Unfortunately, the littlest one would not stand still long enough for the pirate portrait!  It is so fun to watch these two create fantasy games together...they are spending more and more time together this way, often up in one of their bedrooms, which has turned into a castle or a ship or a gnome's cottage.  I hope they remember these moments, when they were each other's best friends and playmates.  It certainly is a mama's dream come true to see her children get along so well.

Today, Forrest and Sunshine gathered all the crystals and pictures of crystals they could find in our home and commenced to "study crystals".  Oh, ok.  I'm not sure what inspired this, but there was such a proud determination to the activity that made me quietly smile.  They spent a long while drawing crystals and copying what they saw into their drawing books.  Forrest is using a magnifying glass he found somewhere to see it more clearly. 

After yet another big snowfall earlier in the week, I heard the door open and close while I was in the kitchen.  When I went to investigate, I discovered a snow fairy romping gleefully in the garden!  My, wasn't mama surprised that the snow fairy decided such little clothing was necessary and socks were not an option with her sandals.  I bit my lip and asked to take her photo.  Apparently, snow fairies are immune to catching colds with so little clothing on ~ thank goodness.

Indeed, when this mama tries a little harder to remember what childhood ought to feel like, the whole family breathes a little easier.  And life just seems so much more fun!

I wish you all a wonderful weekend with your little fun-makers!

moments from the week

Thank you to all of you for your well wishes with the flu that some of my family battled this past week.  It was intense, but relatively short-lived and we enjoyed taking care of Papa.  He received lots of teas, hankies, cuddles and kisses over the four days he was in bed, and this Mama had a few moments here and there to share some quiet time with one child at a time ~ so special!

Between intense sweats and dozing sessions on the couch, Papa read to whoever would listen.  I love that!  He is back at work today, not nearly 100% but good enough.

As always, Forrest has been drawing and drawing and drawing.  He particularly likes to draw knights and castles and dinosaurs and skiers.  For a change of pace, I saw him quietly setting up a desk by the south-facing wood door.  He told me he wanted to "capture the sunset". 

Unfortunately the sun was behind the mountains before he even began, but I reminded him to try and take a photo with his mind and draw from that.  He set to work and drew a lovely picture of the sun setting...beautiful.

Sunshine, Forrest and I are each beginning to sew a doll.  Sunshine really loves handwork ~ oh, this just brings such happiness to my heart! 

I really love sitting beside her and hearing her chitchat away while she works.

I was so eager yesterday to plant our greenhouse full of greens, yet I seem to have not thought this out thoroughly.  Our creek is still frozen over and the soaker hoses are unhooked and the garden standpipe is buried in snow...oops!  So I'm hauling water to our greenhouse for our wee little seeds ~ garden dedication at its best!

And my oldest boy found a Viking battle-axe from a party we had six years ago...he is in heaven (that would be Valhalla)!

And one last photo...here is my toothless boy.  Honestly, it is so sweet listening to him talk right now!  He lisps slightly and I can see he is a bit self-conscious about it.  Oh, if he only knew that I would love to just bottle up this fleeting moment of his boyhood, so I might savour it in the years to come. 

It is almost like he is at the threshold of innocence and losing his baby milk teeth is symbolic of him entering into a whole new realm of childhood.  The tooth fairy has let me keep his teeth in a little container, though I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet.  I just know that I find myself looking at this boy an awful lot right now, quietly lingering a little longer with admiration and awe.  He is one fine six year old, that is for certain.  I love him so!

Enjoy your weekend, friends!  May you have one filled with sunshine, family, and perhaps a little garden planning! 

moments from the week

Lots of outdoor time this week, though our best day went unrecorded.  In fact, it was our best day in weeks!  We visited another homeschooling family who live directly across the river from us and so we naturally call them, The Boys From Across The River.  We visited their homestead and it was such a perfectly wonderful afternoon, none of us wanted it to end!  The sun shone in a cloudless blue sky, the snow was so strong and icy, we walked on and on over hill and dale without breaking through.  The six children and us two mamas saw an eagle, ducks, and six swans!  The littlest two boys played alongside each other at the river's edge, content in their own worlds, shoulders nearly touching.  My daughter tried to keep up to the three older boys who ran and hollered and investigated and spied...it was sheer delight!  And, sadly, not one single photo.  This wonderful afternoon will be embedded in our hearts for weeks to come!

However, there were some photos from outdoor play around here...

A visit to our neighbour's horses.  Danny-boy is so beautiful, and becoming so friendly with my children.  Forrest is teaching me how to feed him properly so your fingertips don't get nipped.

This is how we travel for a winter's walk.  I pull littlest (or two) in the sled, though I'm trying to encourage Sunshine to walk more.  This day, she walked the whole way, although we had to turn around far too soon as I didn't prepare for all her activity and she had a diabetic low.  Usually, I have a juicebox, crackers, and a banana with me, even to just cross our creek into the meadow on our own property.  I don't know what I was thinking to venture so far from home with just a juice!  Here she is doing what she does rather frequently lately, sipping a juicebox to bring her back into range.  I never would have thought I would feed my children juice boxes, let alone several in one week!!! 

We ended up turning around at this point, a 15 minute walk home.  It was a beautiful day, clear skies and crunchy snow.  Little signs of the seasons changing are becoming apparent...birdsong, creeks murmuring, and even pussy willows peeking out!
With all this spring anticipation, Huckley heads straight to the sandbox while I look for snowdrops beneath our beloved oak tree.  We will have to wait a bit longer, which is just fine, as usually the snowdrops don't arrive for another few weeks yet. 

I used our shovel to clear an area for Sunshine to get back on her swing.  Oh, does she soar when she is in her happy place!

And finally, the tooth fairy has made not one, but two appearances here in the span of three days!  Forrest's top tooth was dangling about for weeks, and the night before Valentine's Day, it popped out.  I still have to take a photo of him with both top teeth out, which is so darn cute!!!  I'm having a hard time not smiling when he speaks right now...it is simply adorable!

And yet another wondrous thing...Forrest found his mama-made hat from the fall!  He wore it for two weeks or so in October and then it disappeared.  I usually don't worry too much about this, knowing it will eventually show up, but this time, after one month, then another passed, I sadly dismissed it as truly lost.  I really liked this hat ~ my favourite on Forrest so far.  Well, we were in town at the toy store, of all places, and Forrest came running over to me telling me he spied his hat...it was behind the cash register and had been for four whole months!!!  Oh, lucky day!!!  However, in four months my son's head sure did grow and so now, this hat has been handed down to Huckley.  But what matters is that it's all in the family, right?

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends!

moments from the week

This whole mama trip really demands a lot!  More than I ever imagined, I have had to dig deeper inside myself, and on a regular basis, find the strength within.  And just as I seem to find a groove and feel like I'm really sailing along rather than puttering, I hit a rock and get beached all over again.  Last week was a hard one on so many levels...mothering, step-mothering, managing diabetes, having my husband mostly away...but at some point during this week, a shift happened.  I felt a huge weight lift that I had thought was just a minor load.  And oh, life feels so much better now.

A few nights ago, when Josh got home from work, I told him that I wasn't being the kind of mama I wanted to be.  I felt like I wasn't giving my children my best.  He listened and let me know he supported the decisions I was making.  And I realized that my children will continue to bicker over seemingly mindless things, they will shout and leave muddy footprints throughout the house just after I've washed the floor.  My children will not always ask me for things nicely and they will not always behave as I want them to.  They are children, afterall.  But the difference is me.  I can choose to get wound up and freak out about it ~ I can pick my so-called battles.  I really am the one who determines the atmosphere of the home and if I get uptight and cross and unhappy, it is felt on such a deep, heart level with these three little ones.  I am their emotional barometer.  I am showing them how to deal with Life, in all its chaos and imperfections.  A heavy load, to be sure.  But, it is what I make of it.

And when I understood this, again (for how many times have we all visited and re-visited these ponderings?), I felt better.  I am choosing to be here with them and so I need to choose what is important to guide them through, and what is best left with a simple shrug.

This week...A puzzle queen was born, as any puzzle of any description or difficulty was attempted.  Most were a success, some needed help.  And a little boy became the puzzle queen's apprentice.

My goodness, Sunshine is persistent and determined.  At one point, we had four floor puzzles lined up in a row to be admired.  One proud girl, and mama, to be sure.

~Quiet time with the brothers.  Looking through photo albums, before our digital camera arrived.  I must get back to printing more photos for each of their photo albums.
Also, Forrest is finally back in his bedroom after four months of a stalled and started and stalled reno.  A few more details and I will share...

~Huckley is continally trucking our kindling and logs around the house.  He loves to move them to various locations, and "build" a fire, sometimes with a silk.  It makes a mess, but it is so darn sweet.  He has such a serious look about his "work", I dare not stop him!

~ Most of the outdoor play this week has been re-constructing Snowflake Village.  It has gotten colder again, with a few sprinklings of snow, so the children were excited to be back in the Village.

This is our little kitchen garden under a few feet of snow.  While they played, I dreamed of the fruit, vegetables and flowers I wanted to grow, right below where they are each standing.  I have always tried, ever since my oldest was born, to really be present in the moment and not ever wish for a stage to hurry up and be over, as I know it will be all too soon.  I don't want to ever hear myself say, "Oh, I really want him to be done with that!" or "It will be so much better when she isn't doing that anymore."  So I am trying to enjoy this winter, this coldness, this grey spell for all it is worth.

Though, it seems Forrest is thinking about playing in the dirt, too.

Huckley won't be brought inside, if he can help it.  Within two weeks he has gone from disliking outdoor play, to reveling in it.  Perhaps it is because he found a favourite sand shovel and is moving snow, little bits at a time, in an unhurried, purposeful way.  He refuses his mitts as they won't allow him to grasp the shovel that way, and the other two children followed his lead ~ I'm not sure how they stand the cold for so long!  Funny, there hasn't been a single complaint, though.  Picking your battles, remember?

And inside, there is a little Valentine magic emerging on the Nature Table, which the littlest has discovered.

And once mama remembered to be a positive barometer, the whole household was feeling the love...

Yesterday, I helped my three year old daughter with one of her puzzles and she looked at me and smiled and said, "Mama, you are a really good teacher."  Oh, if she only knew...it is such a difficult path some days.  Thank goodness the rewards are looking up at me and whispering such loving kindness.

moments from the week

While last week was filled with flowing rhythm, this week was anything but!  I felt so challenged...by living with diabetes, by my children's energy levels, by my distinct lack of patience...Ahhh, it's been a tough one and of course, late at night lying in bed, I go over the countless ways I could have handled things better.  I know you know what I mean.  I really needed just ten minutes to myself to gather, to center, to regroup.  Josh is away on long long days, we don't see him at all until bedtime, and I have really felt the burn-out this week. 

I must add, though, that this is exactly where I want to be...at home, with my family.  I just struggle sometimes understanding how in the heck a western world's nuclear family is suposed to thrive, let alone survive?!

So this week, I have been experimenting with different ways to gain a few moments to myself amidst the bustle of living with three small people, with only myself to lean on.  It's a balancing act, this motherhood gig, I tell you!

However, the best way to center myself is to review the week in photos, and to see the happiness that was indeed there, shining right before my very eyes!

These three little ones are my joy!  I plunked the oldest in the snow, and the others gleefully demanded the same.  The snow is soft and heavy ~ Spring Snow.  I'm certain there will be colder days ahead, but the rink is finished and we are onto sledding and snowshoeing.  And yes, these are specatator sports...

We also did our new monthly visit to the library ~ how did I ever manage before the blessed library became a part of our life?  Forrest is so anxious to dive in, he hadn't even undressed completely before he was immersed in his new stash of books.

Youngest boy loves his books, too!  All the older people in the household model to this wee one just how wonderful books are, and he doesn't ever want to miss out on a thing.

I am also trying to incorporate a new quiet rest hour after lunch...again!  I could see how tired the older two were getting from late nights waiting for Papa to come home, yet they are too old to nap.  So I purchased some inexpensive CD players for their bedrooms and while I lay down with Huckley, Forrest and Sunshine sit on their beds, reading, drawing, or making puzzles while listening to a story or soft music on tape.  Right now, James Herriot's collection is a favourite.

I have never "plugged" them into anything before, but it is sitting well for me.  After a short while alone, I went and sat beside Sunshine while she lay quiet, basking in the warm winter sunshine streaming in her window.  It was so lovely to snuggle and cuddle my sweet girl for half an hour, alone.  I think this is going to be a helpful activity to give me some much needed quiet time...and the children, too.

We have also been spending some quiet afternoons by the fire playing these cooperative boardgames.  Do any of you know about these games?  They are really very simple, ranging in skill levels but many games can be played with 3 year olds.  Our favourite right now is Snowstorm and we all work together to clear the roads so we can get our errands down about town.  Good times!

And then, there has been handwork...lots of embroidery and (finger)knitting...a true joy for me to see my own children delight in handwork.

While it was a hard week for mama (and inevitably everyone feels that, right?), I look back and see that there was a lot of goodness, too.  It is so helpful for me to savour these little ordinary moments, at the very least they are a reminder that there certainly is some beauty radiating out of these three sweet souls I am honoured to call my children.  What wonderful teachers they are for me...I am truly blessed!

Have a lovely weekend, friends, filled with beauty, goodness and Light.

moments from the week

Around here in wintertime, if the sun is shining in a blue sky and the powder is deep and fluffy, we call it a bluebird day.  We have had many of these this week...

Lots and lots of snow.  It almost feels like Spring snow.

We were even snowed in at home with a crazy, powder-packed driveway ~ perfect for a little snowboarding!

While Papa took Forrest to the ski hill, the rest of us went visiting.  Do you remember being three with your best friend?  For these two girls,and a brother, there was a lot of doll play, dancing, and dressing-up, of course!

We also spent  some time at the ice rink...can you tell?

And all three of them pretended to be going off to school!?!

I busted this little imp sneaking almond butter in the kitchen...he thought that was great fun, seeing mama's surprised face peering over the other side of the island.  Oh, how he laughed!

A rare photo of my littlest and me after dinner...

There was a little dancing in Sunshine's bedroom with the boys.  Huckley found an outfit that he insisted on wearing ~ I'd love to know what he thought he was up to here!

And there was one happy, dancing, singing, blissed-out little girl!

Enjoy your weekend, friends! 

Next week, I am excited to be a guest blogger at the Homespun Waldorf Winter Carnival!  There will be many Waldorf inspired homeschoolers sharing ideas and inspiration over the course of four weeks...come and check it out!

moments from the week

The January cold snap arrived this week, with a pile of snow...and more on the way!  It was easier getting the children outdoors, with all the fresh powder possibilities beckoning. 

Lots of skating at the local outdoor rink behind a little restaurant near us.

Yesterday we arrived long before our homeschool friends and the ice was covered in a few inches of fresh snow.  Using a shovel, we made a series of meandering trails to skate along ~ perfect for playing "tag".  My sweet girl is now skating on single blade skates and her sense of balance is incredible.  In her very own Sunshine fashion, she refuses to use a chair for support, but insists on doing it her way, at her own pace.  This is her third day skating, and she is now beginnng to glide.

And this eager, active boy is so happy to be playing hockey!  Hard to believe two weeks ago he was using the chair for support.  It is a real testament to homeschooling as we have been spending a lot of time here during the week when most of the local children are in school.  I have felt really good about it, knowing that my six year old simply wants to be active...all the time!   Some days we skate with just one other homeschool family, wth six little people on the rink...and other days we are here when there are more than forty people on the ice!

Last weekend, we had our diabetes trainer come visit our home to set up Sunshine with one more piece of technology.  I think I'll save the details for February's Pink Elephant, though I will share that in less than one week we are seeing the benefits of using the sensor, a continuous glucose monitoring system.  It has taken us several days to get used to all the bells and alarms that ring, but it is worth it! This is a photo of Forrest playing with Lenny the Lion's pump and sensor.  Diabetes nurses use this stuffie to help the little ones feel more comfortable with injections and needles, and indeed, it works! 

Housekeeping in the little playspace beneath our stairs.

Playdough pie...just like mama's.

Inventorying our seeds from last year to get ready to make some orders soon.  With all this fresh snow, it's hard to believe it's almost time to begin our starts.  Though, if the truth be told, I'm always thinking about the garden ~ all year round!

Adventures in a boat in the middle of a lake.

I'm not sure words are necessary here.  It speaks directly to my heart.

 Friends, have a wintery, snowy weekend full of fun!

What are your moments from your week? 

moments from the week

This week, I have been trying to incorporate more social activities for Forrest's sake.  He really enjoys going out and about, and our little local restaurant has an outdoor skating rink.  There is nothing so Canadian feeling as skating on outdoor ice, surrounded by the mountains, while a fire smolders in an open pit.  Indeed, this is where we have relocated most days this week.  Sometimes we are alone, other times with a few other homeschooling friends, once with the local alternative school (where I once taught)!  And while I trail the wagon behind me, loaded up with one, two, three (!) little ones, I am witness to my sweet six year old transforming before my very eyes!  He skates now!  Sometimes with shaky ankles, sometimes with swift grace...my boy is flying!!!!  Sadly, you'll have to take my word for it as I have no pictures at all of skating this week.  But stay tuned, as long as the night's are icy cold and we wake to frost flowers covering the trees, we'll be at the rink.

A return of our favourite super heroes!  These two masks were unearthed and our courageous duo have endured some heroic rescues and dangerous missions this week!

In addition to an astronaut and a skier, this week Forrest tells us he is going to be a fireman.  Thanks to Nana and Pops for the very noisy costume!  Ahem.

There is no way young Huckley would miss out on the noise, er, fun!

I love this photo of Forrest.  It captures so much of who he is, the side of him when he is not full of enthusiastic energy and boisterous activity.  Unfortunately, this was just five minutes before this activity ended in tears.  Forrest is a very spatial learner.  He has an incredible ability to visualize something and then, simply, create it.  It boggles my mind, because while I can sew, there is no way I could make a blacksmithing forge, or paper shoes that look like moccasins from a pattern, or helmuts and face masks galore.  Here he was busy for nearly an hour, sanding and taping and cutting to make a hockey stick out of an old sock, cardboard, and a stick.  I think this is the first time he felt such intense disappointment when he realized he couldn't create what he had hoped.  And I love that to make it better for him, he simply needed a long mama cuddle.

My little mischief maker.  Often this week you might here this in our home, "Mama, Huckley is being mischievous, again!"  Cue water poured all over the middle of the floor, or objects floating in the toilet, or walls decorated with beeswax crayons, or our wee little violet trimmed.  Hmmmm, methinks he likes Trouble.

At the beginning of this post, I told you all about Forrest and skating.  Well, I must include Miss Sunshine, too.  She has been using double bladed strap on skates.  From the get go, she was comfortable on the ice...and loving it!  Finally, we went to town today and got her "real skates" and a helmut, pink ~ of course!  This is her skating outfit.  She has decided that this is what she must wear on the ice.  My gosh, can you imagine what would happen if she only knew about the Ice Capades?!!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!  Enjoy the wintery weather, indoors and outdoors!!

What are your moments from the week?  I'd love to hear...

moments from the week

I'm posting this a day late, as yesterday was our one year anniversary of being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  

The first week of 2012...a time for making New Year's resolutions.  I often find I've compiled a long list of things I'd like to do, to be, to seek, only to crumple up my list by the end of the month...maybe as far along as mid-February, if I'm lucky.

But it seems 2011 really kicked me in the pants, and I'm just grateful to be firmly planted here, in this new year.  There sure are a lot of things I'd like to do and be and seek, but I think, this year, I'll let them unfold like little gifts as they arrive. 

This week, we had a lot of fun outdoors...

Our family enjoyed a New Year's Day skating at the local, outdoor rink.

Forrest and Sunshine are spending a lot of time outside in the kitchen garden building "Snowflake Village".  Each of them has a house with lanes meandering in between.  They built one for Huckley, too.  There are grand plans for this little village...each home will have windows, and bookshelves, and chairs, and candles.  So far, the walls are 6 inches tall and we are awaiting more fresh snow to continue.

My little dishwasher.  *He loves to play with the suds...until he gets so wet that he shrieks to be changed.  And then, back again to the suds.*  (Repeat from * to *).

I made Forrest and Sunshine new sewing cards to add to their dog-eared collection.  They will sit for long periods of time, stitching "up from the earth, up to the sky".  Sunshine is crazy for unicorns right now, and Forrest wanted knights.

A third child in one of my first knitted projects.  I made these overalls for Forrest.  They are so heavy as I used three strands of alpaca wool.  I have learned so much about knitting since then, five years ago.  It makes me so happy to see the children wearing, and liking to wear, their mama-mades.

And wee little Huckley is now one and a half years old!!!  We celebrated his half-birthday with some simple decorations, a special cookie after dinner, and some lovely Huckley activities...trucks, books, racing about!   I was inspired by Melanie celebrating her children's half-birthdays, and it nicely bookends yesterday's Diagnosis Day with Sunshine's half-birthday on Sunday.  And these three little ones love to celebrate!

Happy Weekend to all of you...enjoy the weather, whatever it may bring!