Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Chivalrous Love

The knight and his "princesses"

It just so happened that he wore this shirt today. A planned short picnic at the park with our friends proved to be full of adventure. A "lousy dragon" tried to invade the castle and make off with the princesses. Fortunately there was a knight in shining armor there to protect them, scare the lousy dragon away, and wisk his darling princesses off to a feast for kings.
 Sweet chivalrous boy.

Monday, November 8, 2010

November Love!

Have you been keeping busy, too?



Great Grandmothers are wonderful homework helpers



And rocking the ladder & slide in a favorite costume is a fall favorite




A little random drawing



and creative expression.



Did I mention that we are learning to write our name?


As I sat down at the computer tonight I realized that somehow we zipped through October and landed a week into November. With only a little over two weeks left before Thanksgiving  I think it's time to pull out the Holiday meal planner and start with the arts & crafts. I love how each year the hand print turkeys get a little bigger than the last. And the joy of working in the kitchen as the wonderful tradition of letting the children create the dinner placecards takes place nearby.

Do you have a Thanksgiving tradition?

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Color Change

Mixing it up


It's amazing what modern children have access to. Games, books, toys, a myriad of items have flooded the market all hoping to find their niche in a billion dollar industry. From toys with images of fine art, beautifully illustrated stories, to computer generated games & ideas or $0.99 rubbish, we have only a little clue as to absolutely everything they come in contact with. Toss in any phone or game App , and you widen the gap between what we had during our childhood & what they have.

Bingo, Memory, Letter & Numbers, iTouch & in-process Dino Sock Puppet

Today at lunch while I finished eating, my son, playing on this , mentioned that he was going to paint his pumpkin orange. Earlier this year we learned about the color wheel so I asked him is he remembered what colors you mix in order to make orange. He confidently replied " Green, blue & red." Slightly confused, I reminded him that red & yellow make orange.  "You're so silly mom! Red, Green & Blue make Orange!" and the kid promptly opened up his app and showed my just how RGB make orange.



Silly Me.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Laundry Love



My littlest one Loves to sort socks. This is great for me as I can always use an extra hand when it comes to laundry. It also is good for him for a couple reasons. First, he is helping, which is something that is important to him. Second, he is doing it himself & third, he is learning to sort. He sorts the socks by who they belong to. Then he sorts through to find the mates. This requires skill as not all black socks are the same.

I wonder how long until he asks to be paid :)

Friday, September 10, 2010

Self Love

Being True to Oneself

One of my fondest memories of the girls would be from ages 3 to 5. The period where dressing themselves with total disregard for any rules of fashion was law in our home. Some of their ensembles would make you squint your face & raise an eyebrow. Our eldest went on a walk one day with her grandfather & came home in this black velvet number adorned with shiny sequins & glitter - along with a matching bolero. This was her self titled "Vegas" dress & she LOVED it. She would pair it with rainboots or tennies and go everywhere in it.Our middle daughter enjoyed LOTS of color, bows & princess attire, but somehow she was always well put together. She still is quite the fashionista.



As our third child, a son, began to reach that dress up age, I was wondering if he too would find a unique combination of articles to wear. To my suprise, he enjoyed wearing full costumes everywhere we went. Dinosaur, Dragon, Woody, Max & most recently, himself. He refuses to let us cut his hair, claiming "It's part of me Mom!" and it has besome quite long and wild - Think Mad Hatter


I am quite proud of how each child has chosen their own path. They mix a little mainstream with a hint of their own personal style & it comes across quite well. They carry it, own it & enjoy it. I Love it.




Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Foundation Love

As humans we have to grow. We either grow together or apart, there's no standing still.

We have three kids - 13, 9 & 4 and as the mom, it is very rarely that I feel guilty for our weekly date night. Everyone has their needs met throughout the week and mom & dad spending time together is a necessity, not a luxury. They have grown up with us having our time & is just part of our routine. I think they are at the point where they enjoy when we go out. We always come home laughing and refreshed - we are better parents because we are happy and secure. We are creating a solid foundation.

It is a balance. We give our kids everything to make certain they are happy & secure. When we take care of our relationship, we are modeling the importance of tending to the foundation of our family. We are providing the kids with the tools they will need as they become adults entering into their own relationships, and that's not something to feel guilty about.

My parents had "bill day." Who gets excited about paying bills? It wasn't until I was married that I understood why. They would go out to lunch, pay bills, shop & only they know what else. All I know is that no one was allowed to go with them & they came home (late), happy. They were married for 55 years until a sudden passing. They had "their day" for as long as I can remember. Along with unconditional love, it is one of the most important things I learned from them.

The kids are going to grow up and move out & you'll be stuck with your partner so you might as well make certain that they are your best friend from the start. It is much easier to maintain something than to try and fix it once it is broken.



Friday, July 2, 2010

Improvised Breakfast Love

The other day I woke up to a little man with a quiet voice whispering something about the sun being up & we shouldn't be sleeping when Mr. Sun is up. It's time for breakfast, things to do , dinosaurs... "why are your eyes still closed... MOM!!" It's a good thing he smothered me in hugs and kisses (warm smile)

So, he successfully pulled my sleepy self right out of the very warm cocoon I was so cozy in.
I can't resist his cute bedhead orange curls & little freckled face full of love.




We stood there for a moment looking at all the possibilities our pantry had to offer. Before I could suggest anything ... "Biscuits!" So biscuits it was. After we put on our aprons & pulled out all the kitchen tools we would need I began to read off the ingredients so he could find them. The problem was we had run completely out of milk, soy milk, rice & oat milk. I was even out of my favorite back up. What we did have was some yummy chocolate milk. It's still milk right? It will work.





Chocolate milk biscuits made me a morning hero. And, they were quite yummy, too.


 - Love

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Still Love

It's nearly 10am and the house is still so peacefully quiet. The children are sleeping or quietly reading, filling their energy tanks with fuel before blasting off to a full and fun filled day ahead.

Yesterday, I woke up to the bulldozing screeching sound of ALL the neighborhood kids right outside our home. Apparently, the mouse the cat dropped off at our front door was experiencing rapid decomposition thanks to many natural insects that make our courtyard their home. It took 9 hours, and in the end the children were left with a spine, a skull with the tiniest teeth, a little bit of a tail & some fur. The rancid smell that had accompanied the experimental lab earlier in the day had completely vanished.  

 After a quick recovery from such an unexpected beginning, Belgium Waffles with Nutella were in order & the day had officially begun. Our home was quickly alive with the pitter-patter of eight pairs of little feet. Heaven. The youngest two (4 year olds) built a secret club house nestled in the corner of the family room. Cuddled in between the couch and a favorite lounging chair they we able to create a world of their own in which they played for hours. Quiet giggling and well executed conversation between the two and their imaginary friends was priceless.

The older crowd experimented with soy candle wax flakes, a wood block and some shredded paper, trying to create a something they could roast a hot dog over. Adult supervision required. Sadly, their hopes and dreams for that particular experiment never quite made it to fruition.

It was moving day for our friends and no one wanted the day to end. The kids kept busy, experimenting, building, remembering, chatting, playing, creating & planning. Our eldest loves road trips and made promises  that a 3000 mile road trip for a visit was in her future.

Summer is a time for so many wonderful things. It's like a holiday from regular life that prepares you for the rest of the year.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Picnic Love


I love Spring and Summer.
 It seems like the days where you can smooth out the Grasshugger and pull out the picnic china to enjoy an afternoon lunch with friends finds itself more of a frequent necessity than a rare treat.

On the very best days you can sit for hours, chatting with friends while the children run around in circles exploring, bring tiny treasures back to the blanket for safe keeping. A rock friend and a variety of flower blossoms find their new home in the bamboo basket that just finished it's job of holding the delectable but simple lunch so quickly consumed. 

A simple day, sweet giggling, branches waving in the breeze, time ticking - without caring, 
A Simple Day Indeed!

Wishing you a schedule with a free day to enjoy. 

 - Stephanie

Monday, February 8, 2010

Puppy Love

A furry adventure


As we were out this past weekend, dodging wet bullets from the sky, a request was made to stop by the animal shelter on our way home. I wasn't necessarly in the market, but pleased that the children still like to go to the shelter and love up animals waiting for a loving homes. I was completly taken aback when I looked down and saw these little eyes staring back at me...


G & Puppy Love

My heart melted into a puddle on the floor. Meet & greet time was over so if we were really  interested we would have to wait until the following day at noon. Bubbles of promises began floating from my children. I kept my excitement and hopefullness to myself. The following day we went back to meet our huge pawed friend. As I sat on the floor and did a double pat to my side I couldnt help but hope that he would rush right over. This is exactly what he did and promptly laid his on my lap....

Welcome to the family George.






It's these apples of amazing memories from childhood that carry on and continue to grow until one day as adults we can make a pie to sweeten our life.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Fresh Love

A Quiet Good-bye...


As the trees slowly make their way back outside, one by one like a evergreen train, the house begins to fill with that early holiday scent of fresh trees and a faint hint of gingerbread. A trail of browned needles leading the way from each room prove as little footprints of a full and finished season.




The Christmas china is carefully pack in their bright red boxes and loving stored. As each box is placed securely in its yearly home, a sweet memory of times gone past make their way front and center and force a smile along side a little tear of love as it passes by the lists of today.



One by one the bowls of everyday make their way back home filling the shelves with their happy colors. They are quickly joined by plates & tea cups who also had been hiding out during the holiday season. The morning of New Years day alive with slight cheering of their return proved to be a perfect reminder that the season was coming to a close and a New Year had begun.



With all the excitement whirling a much needed rest was in order, along with some anti-holiday french fries.

Wishing all a very Happy New Year filled with the perfect balance of
Peace, Patience, Understanding, Joy, Inspiration and Love.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails