A Little Break

Or rather, a tiny fracture or two ~
Our littlest one was practicing her high jumps from the loft ladder to the couch (we've had many cloudy/rainy days here lately ;) only about 4 feet from the ground but, high enough to fracture 2 metatarsals in her right foot when she slipped and landed on the floor rather than on said couch...
This little energy sprite, the most active of the bunch, is now crawling about the house and needed to be carried much of yesterday (when this happened) and today. Mishap that it is, I have seen the shining light of a few blessings in this ~ more cuddle time, more time to sit and talk one on one in those long hospital and doctor's office waits and more opportunities for reading books, playing games and, in general, a bit of a slower pace - for a little while :) Only about 3 weeks and she will be tearing loose again...I'll enjoy this little break while I can while I also look forward to seeing her free spirit running wild again soon ~

Sporty

While we don't do Cubscouts we did pick up one of these little Pinewood Derby kits at a local store which also provides supplies for scouts. After 2 hours of nonstop work from designing to carving to coloring our 7 year old has a car he *loves* and is asking to pick up more kits :)

Time flies

What prompted this post was laundry...amazing how such an everday, often mundane task can really rock your world ;)
Something so simple too....I was sorting the laundry and had a few items in my hand ready to hang in our now 14 year old's closet...except one thing...they were the wrong size. These were the hand-me-downs our 7 year old wears from his big brother but, for just those few moments I had lost track of time. So wild. It seems to hit me in moments like this...the passage of time...the reality of where we are now, what has been and what will be. Beautiful, bittersweet moments...all tied together with a little laundry ;)

Creativity

4 year old creativity
She has *really* been enjoying these pattern blocks lately. I am often amazed at what she comes up with too ~ now to try to help her understand that they will eventually get nudged and become scattered...;)

Showtime ~

My little guy is really into science - and showmanship. What he would love is to sit at the end of our driveway and provide a science show for folks in the neighborhood....one catch...our neighborhood has about 5 folks who walk by on a daily basis. Trying to get him to understand that it may be a long wait at the end of the driveway while at the same time, not crushing his enthusiasm has required some delicate dialogue ;) In the end, he had the idea that 'hey people put up flyers to let us know when something is going on...' You're right little man, they do :) So now, in a couple of weeks - it's showtime :)

Slow and steady

Some days are too perfect for words ~ while this was not one of those, it has had its moments of beauty all the same :)
One of the reasons we choose to homeschool (and continue to to do so after moments of reevaluating and reconsidering) is to give our children the one time gift of childhood. A slow & easy meandering without too much cluttering their minds and musings...
Homeschooling on a one income budget may not give them the best bikes around, hippest clothes or fancy vacations but it does give them small, indescribable moments of pure beauty and a freedom to just be that will never fade as the bikes and clothes are slowly outgrown. I guess that in itself makes for a perfect day...

Pins and Needles...

I should admit that as awful as this really is for my family, for some reason (even as I type this) I can't help but laugh...(call me secretly evil) ;)
My husband is a patient man (as well as my kiddos)...see those needles...those are the little buggers my husband finds around the house....on the floor....on the sofa....stuck into the bed.....(really, no kidding here) ~ The fun doesn't stop with just family either...my oldest son has had more than one friend have the joyful surprise of sitting upon one of these little daggers.

Whenever my 'oh so patient' husband finds one of these sweet things, he pops them onto this magnet for safe keeping ;)

What prompted me to share this? Finding that large doll making needle stuck into the crack of the wall in the kitchen next to a window - right at eye level as I do the dishes - this got me thinking...where was it found and why was it stuck into the wall instead of onto the magnet? Hmmm....a little mystery ;) Maybe my love is trying to communicate a new....more desperate message....;) It did get my attention :)

Wood Sprite Birthday party?

When crafting the crowns, I always cut them by hand so no 2 are alike and I never really know how they may turn out ~ I realized after cutting this emblem that it resembles an acorn!
This got me thinking of how it would be fun to have a fall birthday theme of Wood Sprite (or Wood Elf, Wood Fairy or simply Acorn Fairy) ~ There are so many crafts and games one could play with found acorns and oak leaves (leaf painting, acorn fairies from acorn caps, acorn top whistles, who has the acorn?, scavenger hunt for acorns and much more). Enjoy!

Smores are in!

There doesn't seem to be anything quite like the first campfire and smores of the season. Everyone comes in smelling deliciously of smoked wood and sugar ~ simply yummy :)
Not to mention that we can enjoy some time outside without mosquitos swarming thanks to our friendly fire smoke ;)
Have a tasty weekend!

Small Space Living

Over the years, I have fielded LOTS of questions about how we manage in this space of ours. To be sure, I have also complained my share too about how we didn't seem to be managing - at all ;) In retrospect, I see it's really all about....perspective....and a whole lot of acceptance :)

I'll dive more into that soon, but just wanted to share some smatterings of our space and what seems to work ~

1. With limited amounts of space, it was important to figure out, well, what was important. Allowing the kids to have access to supplies for creating and learning (since we homeschool) was one of the top things.
2. Books ready for reading. Since we spend so much time reading, having books right next to the couch (that little corner of reddish color) is a plus.
3. The much used and beloved doll corner/playkitchen. This was in a couple of different locations in the main area of our house...always being tripped over and toes banged upon (not to mention how tough it is to try to keep at least the appearance of a semi neat home when one whole wall is glass) so we moved this to the kid's room. Which of course meant some sacrifices on their part. But now, that's a whole 'nother post ;)

Mornin' with my men ~

Today's first light brought a little special treat ~ a morning with my two big guys before they had to rush off for school and work :) We have a small flock of sweet 'roosters' who reside in our house that crow at the slightest crack of dawn so mornings are always a busy affair in our home. A spring fever has settled our little roosters a bit so this morning it was just "the boy", my man and myself for a while. I thought I'd do something a little special...we bake daily with the littles but my big guys often just get the cold leftovers or even day olds so I popped together some banana chocolate chip muffins (chocolate chips being a staple food in these parts) and they had the rare opportunity of some warm baked goodness before their day ~ it's the little things :)

Sweet vintage goodness ~
two pieces of triangular fun - for just $1.99 each!
The fabrics are in good shape so I plan on piecing these together for a sweet quilt :)

First Dip

Their yearly ritual~
My oldest son has braved this water when there were still large icebergs floating about it in....my littler ones tend to be a bit more cautious - but not much more ;)
The plan was to come down and play in the sand and water making castles and rivers; however, a couple of trips in to fill buckets soon brought laughter, splashing and even some underwater adveturing. I'm not sure of the temperature but it has been in the 40's at night so it can't be too warm ;)