Just Another Winter Weekend

This weekend was certainly a busy one. Actually, I didn't even leave the house except to go to the grocery store for our week's food and to take the 3 boys on a 2-hour neighborhood walk, where Jaguar started his nature collecion with some itty bitty pinecones and some various acorns. Bobcat walked pretty well, but I carried him in my sling most of the time, and Lynx was quite conversational and satisfied with the wet washed look of all the plants and trees.

Bobcat discovered a fascination with moths. He was quite scared of them...well, he is still very frightened when they randomly take flight near him, but he loves to look at them and talk about them as he points. We went around last night and counted all the moths up in the corners of the walls and on the ceiling, and I noticed they look like little hearts upside down ~ how perfect with the upcoming Valentine's Day.

Today was our baking day, as it usually is on Sundays, so Jared was in charge of making Apple Poppy Seed Bread in the bread maker. It called for apple sauce, of which we had none, so he is seen here cutting up apples for our homemade apple sauce. We have honestly not yet tried it, which is silly because fresh bread that is warm out of the oven or bread maker is the best. Once we try it, if it is good, I will create a posting with the recipe.

Lynx is seen hand-creaming the butter and sugar for our Dark Chocolate Heart Cake made from scratch (usually we are guilty of using cake mix). He was quite "buff" this time because he did it completely by himself and without complaint. Our electric mixer is from like the 1950s passed down from my grandmother, and it isn't performing too well. We can't afford a new one, so we make due. His cake was very yummy, soft and moist and very tasty! A recipe worth sharing! The recipe of course didn't call for making a heart, but we decided to anyway because I found a heart-shaped cake pan at the thrift store and it again was inspired by Valentine's Day, though it is a little early. It is actually called  Dark Chocolate Cake I, and we modified it to half measurements.

They were determined to build a house. They took the cardboard box cutout house from the back deck, some mats, chairs, a couch cushion, and blankets to create the structure and bedroom of their house. Lynx created a laundry room with a washer, a kitchen with a sink, cupboards, and a full pantry. They even had a mailbox out front. Lynx plays wonderfully with his brothers...when he wants to ;). They took a trip to the store (their bedroom), where Lynx was inspired to make tons of money and setup an elaborate display of merchandise to purchase and price tags. This literally took up hours of their time. Yay!

The look of satisfaction as he savors our newly founded houshold snack, Nori. Nothing like a nice helping of tasty and mildly salty seaweed. Yum!

We decided to attract our local birds by creating some delicious treats. Jaguar helped me to prepare our Suet, a mixture of cornmeal, oats, peanut butter, lard, flour, and so on. It is fairly dry, but it globs together pretty well. When we were done, we put some in the hanging net seen below for the birds to feed from. We also strung peanuts on some yarn and tied each end to nails at both ends of the somewhat weathered birdfeeder. The rest of the huge batch of Suet was placed in old jars and stuck in the freezer. Unfortunately, we did this late in the day, so we can only expect the birds tomorrow morning. In addition, Daddy pulled himself away from his continuous studying and played some basketball outside with the boys.

They read, I ironed and did some more loads, Lynx rode his skate board, Jaguar his scooter, Bobcat practiced his talking and skills of imitation, we all did a lot of cleaning, hanging out, and so much more.... Good night (or day) to you and I hope you enjoyed our weekend full of simplicity.

A Few Thrift Store Treasures

As you may know by now, I love vintage treasures and I love frugality. So, not only are antique shops of interest, but thrift stores are divine. There are always fabulous vintage and used items at these lovely second-hand shops. This last time I went, I didn't find much, but I did find a couple of cute finds.

I am somewhat of a collector of different mugs, generally from Japan or fancy companies. We use them and they always replace some of the chipped or broken cups. The blue spiral mug on the left was made in Japan and I love the color and character of the piece. On the right are two mugs featuring wonderful Norman Rockwell paintings with brief stories on the opposite side. I love Norman Rockwell and this was particularly cool because I already have two other editions to this set, also from the thrift store (they are in the dishwasher right now, so I will have to share another time.)

These were about $0.25 for this set of ceramic autumn candle holders. I know that autumn is a ways away, but I still couldn't resist for the price and the lovely colors. Plus, we love candles in this house, so this was a perfect buy.

At the local thrift store, there is always tons of junk in the book section, but if you have the time or patience to weed through it all, you will always find some gems. Each of these books offer wonderful illustrations and classic stories. The entire shopping day cost us about $4.00, and we just went to the one in our community so I am not even going to count gas. It is always so rewarding and it is always fun to go on treasure hunts!

Kitchen Play...Work, Rather

Bobcat and Jaguar both were mesmerized by washing the dishes and playing in the water. As you may already know, it is very important to give young children the opportunity to engage in water play...or work...however you want to look at it. The bath tub, a pool, near the waves on the shoreline, at the edge of a lake, splashing in a puddle, playing in a water table outside...these are all wonderful and vital experiences. Since winter is very chilly where we live and far travels aren't in the cards for us lately, we have only the indoors to play with water. The bath is always a place of amusement for these 2, but now we have discovered the kitchen sink. For my 22-month-old, it is a place of sensory experience and a learning zone for science. My 4-year-old gets the benefit of coordination and both sensory and practical experience. You can guarentee there will be somewhat of a mess, but it is easy to clean up, it's just water.

Recently, I decided to fill the big bottom drawer in our kitchen with various cooking utensils, tupperware, and pots and pans with their lids. This is mainly for my youngest, but his bigger brother decided to get involved. Bobcat learns how to match, create different noises, to nest, to stack, to clean up....Jaguar flexes his imagination pretending to cook many different dishes as he sees Mommy doing all the time. This is also a great opportunity for them to get into stuff, as young ones will inevitabley do...well, mainly Bobcat. It is better to set them up for learning success and preoccupation rather than to constantly shew them away from exactly where they want to be, the room you are in at the time.

Sewing is Totally Cool

When I was a kid, I always thought of sewing as an old lady's boring work. But now that I am older, I regret never taking sewing lessons or learning from my mother or grandmother. I never realized the awesome and vast possibilities with such a skill. I have come across some really great books for the lively, young folks in and around my generation. Check them out below.

Wonderful Illustrated Season Books

I absolutely love these picture books based on each season. Gerda Muller is the illustrator of these wordless wonders. They are great for all ages and each of my kids love them. I usually put one on the bookshelf that corresponds with the current season and tuck the others away on a less frequented shelf. These can be found at any book seller or reseller. I bought these used on Amazon for cheap. These are great for anyone who is curious about or involved with Waldorf education, anyone who loves nature and art, or for anyone interested in warm, fuzzy picture books for their little ones.

As one might suspect, we currently have the *Winter* edition out for the boys. Below is one of the detailed, soft paintings within the board book. There is always something happening everywhere you look. Bobcat can listen to my narration as he absorbs the lively colors and images. Jaguar can tell the story to me differently each time we go through it. Plus, it gives him several ideas of what he wants to do, expanding his imagination and creativity.

 Below is an example of each of the books' illustrations throughout, in addition to the beautiful panoramic images. These pages display separate smaller paintings that depict particular activities by the which the characters engage. Characters include children, sometimes their parents, and their dog.

At any rate, check your local library or purchase them used. It is well worth it. The paintings suck you right into a land of childhood experiences, family, traditions, nature.... Again this set of books are fantastic for toddlers, preschoolers, and older children, as well.

Recap of our Kwanzaa Celebration

Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that honors African-American people and their heritage. Everyone can join in the Kwanzaa celebration, which lasts for 7 days from December 26 until January 1.

Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, an African-American teacher. He wanted to help African Americans learn about their African history, culture, and customs.

Dr. Karenga took the name for the holiday from the Swahili word "Kwanza," which means "the first fruits of the harvest." The extra "a" was added so the name would have seven letters to match the seven principles of Kwanzaa. First harvest, when crops are gathered, is a time of great celebration in many regions of Africa. Like the first harvest, Kwanzaa is an exciting and joyful occasion.

Jaguar and I worked on many things to celebrate and to learn about Kwanzaa. We read a few books, and read stories to exemplify each meaningful day therein.



This is the Kinara that Jaguar made from homemade playdough, which was crusty in texture by the 7th day. A kinara is similar to that of the Jewish Menorah used on Hannukah to represent each day of the celebration. The middle candle is supposed to be black, the left three red, and the right three green, but we made due with leftover birthday candles used on our prior menorah.

Jaguar made a Bendera, which is the African-American flag that is displayed during Kwanzaa. The black represents African-American people, the red symbolizes their struggles, and the green stands for a happy future. We used dollar store felt and scrap yarn from my stash, and Jaguar sewed the 3 strips together. He utilized popsicle sticks to make the flag's handle. Sewing is great for dexterity and coordination, even for a 4-year-old.

African quilts are a customary part of the culture. Making quilts is a wonderful part of gift-giving during Kwanzaa. Jaguar and I picked out different African designs off of the internet, sized them, and printed them. He then meticulously colored each patch to his liking and put them together to form the perfect African paper quilt.

Jaguar created a woven place mat with common African colors, and he used this as his book cover. Within his book, he has numerous pages that include crayon-colored images of Africa, Kwanzaa scenes, and more. He also did matching activities, letter fill-ins, word fill-ins, write the Kwanzaa words, and more.



Happy (Belated) Kwanzaa!!!

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Homemade Christmas Play Dough

Making Christmas play dough couldn't be any easier. Just follow the recipe from the play dough article from November of 2009. The white is simply made with no dyes. The red assortment was made with about 40 drops of red food coloring and 7 drops of yellow. And the green was made with about 20 drops of green and 7 drops of yellow, once again. Below, are some ideas for sculpted Christmas creations. The other colors utilized are the leftovers from the Fall collection of play dough.

Brothers: Sewn Letters Wall Hanging

I decided to make an experimental decoration for the boys' room. This ornamental wall hanging is composed of brown suede, scraps of random fabric, embroidery floss, and a stick from outside. I was going to make some cute lizards or turtles on each end, but I decided it was enough work spelling out an eight-letter word. One can easily adapt this creation to any word or phrase or use any material or use a rope, wire, or rod instead....This a fun, universal project.

Menorah Menagerie

During these last 8 days of Hanukkah, we have accumulated a small collection of Menorah art work. The framed pieces displayed are mine, Jaguar's, and Lynx's simple portrayal of, of course, Menorahs. I originally drew my amatuer asymetrical version of a menorah and the boys eyed my drawing and simulated it the best they could. Actually, Jaguar looked at mine one time, and then he drew it completely off the top of his head after that. The art work on purple construction paper was Jaguar's memory of a menorah a couple days later. And the popsicle stick edition on top is my creation, one of which I was trying to get the kids to do, but they were busy playing at the time, so I let them.

Hanukkah: Celebrating as We Learn

December is full of holiday spirit. Not only Christmas falls in this month, but also Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a celebration we are just learning about. I have read a few Hanukkah books to Jaguar, began a small Hanukkah coloring book, and created a few activities, along with his older brother, Lynx.

Since we are on such a low budget, we just made a menorah out of leftover homemade autumn play dough, which actually looks quite like a submarine. We poked holes in it with birthday cake candles and Ta Da! We have been adding a candle and lighting it every night.



Both Lynx and Jaguar secretly made gifts for one another, and exchanged them the next morning. They each made picture frames, which was funny because they picked out almost identical features for each frame. This was very rewarding for each of them.


I drew and colored a menorah as an example for the boys, and then Lynx and Jaguar created their own. Good symetry and line activity.


There are other activities we plan on doing, so stay tuned for he next Hanukkah update.

Montessori Christmas Activities the Dollar Store Way

Montessori "jobs" for kids, or learning activities, can be adapted to any holiday or theme. Christmas time is filled with many possibilities. Currently, our family is on an extremely tight budget with this less than satisfactory economy. So, I have come up with a few educational ideas from simply visiting my local dollar store. I have many more ideas than listed here, but here are a few that Jaguar, and Bobcat for that matter, have tried.

I bought a package of small drum ornaments and a package of large ones. He used them as building/stacking blocks.


Jaguar also sorted the drums in categories, such as by color and by shape. Simple, but great for mind organization and the ability to discern differences and similarities.


We bought a package of Christmas erasers and utilized them for a simple matching game. Great math skill in the preschool years.



We grabbed a package of foam Christmas trees and some Christmas-theme foam stickers. Jaguar meticulously decorated his Christmas tree. This is a great spacial activity because it helps promote an awareness of placement and design.


We picked up a package of Disney Christmas stickers and stamps. Jaguar and Bobcat went to town with decorating their work. This stimulates creativity and imagination.


In the meantime, Bobcat found the tinsel and decided to begin decorating the tree. I thought it was a brilliant idea on his part and it is a great practical life activity to engage in decorating the Christmas Tree with family.


There are many more activities to come within the realm of Christmas, but right now we are working on Hannukah. So, we will get back to Christmas after the eighth day of Hannukah, and then Kwanzaa thereafter. What a festive month December is!!! Have fun creating jobs for your young ones.

My "Notebook" - Organize Life With a Binder(s)

Getting organized can be done in many ways. There isn't just one right way to go about this. I have discovered the use of a binder (or binders) with dividers. There are just too many aspects of life for me to keep track of on my own, so I end up writing things down. The only problem with writing things down is that I often don't look at what I wrote. However, with a binder filled with all my schedules and lists and planners, I am sure to keep refering back to it again and again.
















My "Notebook" is a work in progress, but so far, I have included the following:
Family
• Personal Information for each child (Developmental Toys and materials, extra curricular activities…)
• Clothing Size Tracker
• Master Occassions (Birthdays, Anniversaries….)
• Gift Ideas List
• Birthday Party Ideas
• Recommended Websites
• Movies to Watch
• Books to Read
• Library Information
• Craft Queue and Progress
• Holiday Planner

School
• Weekly Planner for each child
• Reading List
• Summer Programs Information

Home
• Monthly Cleaning Schedule
• Home Inventory
• Home Improvement/Decorating Ideas
• Car Maintenance /Schedule

Meals
• Weekly Schedule
• Shopping List

Finance
• Spending Record
• Bills to Pay
• Credit Card List












There are so many other subjects and categories that are important to every individual life. This list is not a full reference list of what one should have in their “Notebook” if they so choose to start one, but it is a great start. I have yet to expand on mine listed here, but at least now I feel like I am much more in control of my life. :)