Game Spotlight: Q-bitz

No reading involved.

Arrange the cubes as quickly as possible to match the cards.

We add a timer to the game so that our youngest player is on par with other family members.  (His assigned head start is 40 seconds.)

As short or long a game as players want it to be.

We all win!
Play on!

2017: Nourish

Alongside the hustle and bustle of every day life, I will carry a word: nourish.

When I sit down with my calendar, I will consider this word: nourish.

Do more of what nourishes us, and do less of what does not.

Some of what has nourished me this week ( "2017 Pilot Project"):

A few much needed repairs,
little details that matter,
honing in on rabbit care that creates calm & peace,
noodling around with the sewing machine
& finally getting to some upcycling projects

Do you keep a word close to your heart throughout the year?  I'd love for you to share it in the comments.

Game Spotlight: Dragonwood

Dragonwood by Gamewright

Hey!  Our friends shared this game with us recently, and we loved it so much that it showed up under our Christmas tree!

Meets our family game criteria: 
Fun (obviously)
Easy to learn
Game stays fun for the entire length of play
Excellent for non-readerss
Good for 2 players as well as for more

Bonus gems:
Good for early math learners
Inexpensive
Reminds me of Castle Panic (though this is not a cooperative game)

Thunder Cake

This morning, Linus was afraid of thunder.
Tonight, he is not.

He didn't have to go up against Nellie Peck Hen or old Kick Cow, but he did go out to the garage for butter and tomatoes, and brave the hand mixer and food processor.  He learned to separate eggs, beat the whites into stiff peaks, fold them in, and operate the hand mixer all by himself.

He is brave.  He is skilled.  He has chocolate crumbs all around his smiling mouth.

Celebrating Dailiness

The end of a year and the beginning of a new one naturally calls us to reflect.  The calm meandering of my day today allowed me to come in and out of thoughts about, well, my daily life.

I drifted to and away from my desk all morning -- peeking at blogs, perusing my long-neglected Pinterest boards, reading articles I had saved.  Combined with thoughts about last year and half-formed "plans" for this year, I started to feel... overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed by ideas, overwhelmed by the simple beauty around me.  By the chores.  By the dreams.  By the realities, by the possibilities.

Where to start?  Where to go?  By what means?

I took a step back.  Let it all sit awhile.  And what rose to the surface was Amanda's most recent post on her blog, The Habit of Being.  She'll be #celebratingdailiness on Instagram.  And while I know that I shouldn't add in another place to be, I'm drawn to the practice of lingering on the beauty of my dailiness.

It used to be easier to notice, to stop, to linger.  I spent more time appreciating and celebrating the ordinary.  But the pace has picked up too much.  Time to switch gears, decelerate.

So, I'll be celebrating my dailiness here everyday in January (to start to rebuild my habit) and probably off and on after that.  Amanda will be on Instagram.  If you're up for celebrating, too, I'd enjoy that very much!

making a bed

I think I *might* just be raising a winker.

I couldn't be more delighted.

Weekending

To know someone is to know what makes them truly happy.  If you know me, then you know this weekend's "weekending" with my littles was my absolute heart's delight.

My big girl learned to pour the pancake batter she's been perfecting and to know when and how to flip her cakes.  She was so proud.  That face!

We threw in a big kid how-to-clean-up-after lesson, too.  She did the dishes like a champ.  

(Bonus: she also now knows where the expression "first pancake" comes from.  And that it's all a part of the process.  Good life lesson shared.)

There were many games of Sleeping Queens -- special request of my sweet little guy.  He loves the game, but more so, I'm quite sure he loves that it's the first game in which he isn't on a "team."  He positively beams from his side of the game.  And, I do, too.

And while they made up their own radio show, I made good progress on a blanket stitch I can finally live with.

Thanks to Amanda, my inspiration for snapping a few shots of our weekending!

To You!

Happy New Year, friends near & far!

I am ever-so-grateful for the gifts you have given me. 

I carry them in my pockets, and I smile when I come across them --

(though they do get a little smudgy next to old tissues and wrappers and rocks I'm asked to hold on to).

They remind me of you -- and how fortunate I truly am.

Thank You.

And now I'm off to watch It's a Wonderful Life.  Because it really is.

Celebrate

The Big Dance

To all the mamas & daddies who planned, 

shopped, wrapped, shuffled, baked, made, 

cooked, assisted, fretted, cleaned, and gave up sleep

to put together a special holiday for your family --

you did it!

Wishing you a joyful day & a harmonious 2014!

Creative Placement of Creativity

I have a little basket near the table --
just a little basket with a needlebook, embroidery floss, scissors and a project.
How my kids eat meals: giggle, giggle, take a bite, giggle, tell a story, 
     (fall out of a chair), giggle, take a bite, ...
So, I eat.  And then stitch and giggle and relax.

Fences

We've had this section of fence that's been falling down for years.  (I really wish I was kidding about that.  But I'm not.)  So, I fixed it.

Fences make such rich metaphors, and we use them in all sorts of ways.   

My body and mind worked together on this metaphor of fence building -- as in: strong fences make good neighbors.  You know, boundaries.

I deconstructed the old fence and removed the wide variety of screws, nails, and various fasteners used over the years to try to hold it up. 

I assessed what I had to work with and moved forward.

I got out my shovel and made level ground on which to put my fence.

I used what I had available.  I didn't have any work gloves, so I used my gardening gloves to keep out the splinters.

The boards were weathered, but still sturdy. I replaced the supports.

I took it bit by bit, letting each step guide me to the next, based on intuition and common sense. What would make sense here?  What is needed?  What can I do today?

I asked for help finding the right hardware even though I didn't know what things were called.  Whether I looked foolish could not be considered.

I put it all together with a sturdy tool I borrowed from a friend.

Is it perfect?  Nope.
Could someone else have done a better job?  Maybe.
Could someone else have done it faster?  Probably.
Is it sturdy?  Yes.

It's what was needed, and I did it.

Tiny Toys to Make & Use

Fairy gardens (and trucks, and doll houses, and race cars, and dinosaurs) need people.  We made these three summers ago from acrylic paints and wooden pegs we bought at Michael's.  I'm happy to see that they've resurfaced -- they're lots of fun!  

The guy on the left was lovingly named Oliver by one-year-old Linus.  Come to think of it, everything was named Oliver that year!

 The trick is to use a toothpick to paint thin lines and small hearts & flowers.

What else have we transformed for dollhouses and gardens with a little paint?  Drawer pulls have become toadstools.  Wooden plugs (screw hole buttons) have become tiny cupcakes and tiny toadstools.

It's getting to be that time of year when we spend more time indoors.  These are the bitty treasures that show up in lots of our fall and winter activities.  Fun for play, but also for storytelling, drawing, math.  And they're great in a "take along pouch" -- where I toss in a handful of surprises to play with while waiting.  Because there is always some waiting.

In Which We Finally Find our Summer Rhythm

I structure our homeschooling life so that we can find a new rhythm in the summer months.  A slower rhythm.  More time to putter. Time to let days unfold.  To read leisurely -- together and separately, for as long as we'd all like.  To play all day.  Let inspiration strike us.  To loll or to dig in.  To really get to choose.

And I've been waiting all summer -- waiting waiting -- for this to kick in.  Doing what I could to nudge it at times -- sometimes with patience, sometimes not.  (Because summers do end.)

I thought starting our summer read-alouds would move it along. But even that didn't do it.

We picked up The House at Pooh Corner (narrated by Peter Dennis) at the library.  We have listened to it no less than twenty times through -- which sounds like it could be torturous.  But, it isn't.  It is lovely and sweet and funny and wise and gentle.  And predictable now.  Pooh and Piglet and Owl and Rabbit and the whole gang are old friends to us.  Listening along has been... meditative.  It's changed the rhythm of our summer.  It's brought us back.  Back to center.  Back to something predictable and gently-moving.

We've gathered our Pooh books from all corners of the house -- these are a few.  More turned up, with flaps to lift, even, and honeypots to scratch.  Each one is perfect.  We've cooked from the cookbook.  I'm dreaming of making stuffies from the craft book.

No one is ever too old for A.A. Milne.



What I Can Do

For the last three years, we've wrapped up our year with a spring ballet show.  Like the music and movement of the ballet itself, it adds a rhythm to our days and weeks, as well as our ears and eyes.  It's a big commitment for everyone involved (especially Linus).  "Is it worth it?" some ask.

I found Sela's rehearsal schedule on the table this morning.  She had used the paper cutter to trim it so that it could be carefully glued together as a single sheet, and she marked her rehearsal times with neat stars.  Her bag's already packed for her next rehearsal.

So, yeah.  It's worth it.

To see her joy at the opportunity to be involved in a project that could only be experienced as a group -- is worth it.  It's one thing to have a good ballet "class."  It's an entirely different experience of childhood and of growing up to have the chance to be part of a "production."  It's a massive undertaking by her ballet teacher (and many others).  I can't replicate this experience for her.  But I can lend support to her, to the production, (and to little Linus) because: they are worth it.

The Thing About Saturday

Saturday I walked around thinking this,
"I've done nothing today."

Two things --
One: I felt just fine about that.
And, two: Turns out, it was absolutely not true.

Here's what I actually did:
:: cleaned the bathroom
:: swept the playroom floor
:: cleaned up the living room
:: made a healthy and delicious dinner
:: had a friend over to play
:: was kind, loving, gentle, and generous to my family

Here's what else happened.
My children:
:: played peacefully together
:: read
:: drew
:: wrote
:: relaxed
:: laughed
:: imagined
:: talked

All those things are not "nothing."
I'm really trying to break this very, very bad habit.

If You Build It...

Every once in a while it's time to gather up all the pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, glue sticks and what-nots from all corners of the house.  I scoop them up, drop them in jars, set them where little hands can reach, and voila!  It's like they have magnetic pull on small hands.  It's a force of nature.  Love this.

It got me thinking about this idea -- strategically placing "things" around "places."  I've been doing this for so long, I don't remember where or when or why or how it started for me.  I remember doing it when I worked at a University Lab School with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers as "curriculum."

  

And I remember coming across a Feng Shui principle that says we should keep the things we want to get around to doing in our environment (insert photo of dusty guitar case leaning on armoire here.  And stacks of fabric and sewing books. Wait.  I might not totally get Feng Shui -- isn't there also something about "clutter" in there, too?  But, this is not my point.)

And I've always done it with my children.  With all sorts of things.  Books, games, art supplies, and other items of potential interest.  A friend recently pointed out that this has been given a name: "strewing." 

It makes me wonder how else I could apply this idea to my life, to my children's, that would support other important experiences.  Support in a meaningful way, that isn't contrived or manipulated.  Or, how perhaps, I already do, but haven't thought about it.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, too.  Leave a comment and share!

Something Funny. And Touching. To Me. And Maybe You?

Lots of traffic tonight. (TOO much traffic). So, I thought I was entertaining my kids as I s-l-o-w-l-y drove us home, really singing with feeling to Justin Roberts' She Sits (which is a very funny song about babysitting).  There may, or may not, have been dance moves involved.

Stopped in traffic, after realizing what was actually happening behind me, I threw my phone up and quickly snapped these pictures over my shoulder.  Ha!

child 1:

child 2:

Well, at least I was entertaining myself with lines like this:

Cause don't you know she makes mac and cheese 
With no recipes just straight from the box
---
At first I thought this girl's a freak 
Playing simon says and hide and go seek
Then I came to understand
Why she is in such high demand
And all across the land they're singing this song
Or at least your neighbors will have to admit
---
She is so convenient
She's like Mom but lenient


And while I'm at it, I might as well tell you that I had a nice little cry to the next song -- Giant-Sized Butterflies. In fact, I cry Every. Single. Time.

Can you believe I couldn't find a good, full link to either of these?!  So disappointing.  (Well, there is a sweet one on You Tube about a little girl's first day of preschool.  I don't even know them, and I cried again watching it because it was so so sweet.)  I really wanted you to enjoy them, too.  Guess you'll have to buy the cd.  Totally worth it.  All his lyrics are great.  (You can launch his "radio station" here.)

Can I just share with you his lyrics to Giant-Sized Butterflies?  At the risk of being over the top (who, me?!)...

I felt so nervous in the morning light
My Mom said it would be all right
Still I had giant-sized butterflies 
On that first day

So she made me some hot oatmeal
It couldn't change the way I feel
How was I to know how it would go?
On that first day?

We're in the car and we're on our way
When we get there, Mom, will you stay?
I might need the space, but just in case
On that first day

It's my first day

Then Mom told me "when you first came
Into this world we felt the same
We had giant-sized butterflies 
On that first day"

"If there were some kind of magic spell
That could protect like a turtle's shell
Everyone would be wearing one 
On that first day"

And when she opened the back seat door
Told me what butterflies are for
How they were meant to fly
And they were born to be your guide

Now Mom's beside me and the school's in sight
And everything is gonna be alright
Cause I've got giant-sized butterflies 
On my first day

It's my first day

And my butterflies are well-disguised
But those butterflies they're giant-sized
Yeah, my butterflies are giant-sized

Little Craft with a Purpose

How about sewing some little napkins to jazz up lunch?  (Or breakfast. Or dinner.)

1.  Cut some squares, making length and width 1/2 inch bigger to accommodate folding over & finishing the edges.
2.  Fold & press 1/4 inch on each side with an iron.
3.  Repeat -- so that the raw edge of the fabric is no longer showing. (You've just folded it over twice - no biggie.)
4.  Zip around the perimeter of the napkin with your sewing machine to sew in place the finishing job you just did with the iron.  Use a reverse stitch at the beginning and the end, so that it will hold up to lots of washing.

The Beauty is in the Details

I was rushing by the dollhouse when something caught my eye. Was this a deliberate set-up? I had to slow down and go back.  Tucked in the back, in front of two dolls rolling a ball between them and a baby sleeping on the bed, here sat two friends, reminding me: Slow Down.

Sigh : )

I haven't been on my blog in a while.
I miss my blog.
Really miss my blog.
I've been trying to get back here.
I have thought about how to re-enter,
how to describe why I've been away --
without whining, complaining, raaaaaambling...
Life is so busy lately.
So busy.
And, not really related to the holidays (though they add another layer).
Last night, I walked around the corner from the kitchen to see this --



This kind of sums up why I don't have time for much lately.