Lazy summer days

I'm going to pretend I haven't been away from here for so long.  It just makes it easier to pick up the thread of blogging again.  :)

We spent the month of June in Lebanon.  It was a great trip!  And you'll have to take my word for it because I forgot to bring the camera.  :(  That was a sad moment - knowing that years from now I won't have anything to look back on to remember.  We are planning another trip, hopefully for next year.  And I sincerely hope that I will have the presence of mind to remember a camera.  But that is a long way from now...

I've been on a reading spree this past month or two.  I guess I go through dry patches where I don't read at all.  Then, just like monsoon season, the reading comes in torrents!  I am currently reading Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson.  It certainly goes counter cultural to the parenting philosophy of our times.  I haven't made up my mind what I think of it, given that I'm just about halfway through.  Some of it makes sense, almost emphatically at times, but I then I have this niggling doubt at the back of my mind at others.  I am trying to keep an open mind until I finish.  I think part of the problem is that I've been really enjoying Dr. Laura Markham's style of parenting, at least from what I've been able to implement.  The gentler, "connecting" aspect appeals to me very much.  I will wait to compare the methods once I have a better understanding of Dobson's.

Last week we got a new piano.  My friends, I have been waiting for this moment for years.  I didn't think it would happen, certainly not while we lived in a condo, but it has come!  And yes, I am a mature adult, but right now I feel like running around the living room whooping! The older two kids and I take turns fighting over whose turn it is to play.  Very mature, as you can imagine.  I think I monopolize most of practice time, but you'd be surprised how tenacious they can be.   

In other news, baby M has figured out how to open the fridge.  Of course.  This morning she ran into the room where I was working repeating "wauta, wauta, wauta".  She was obviously trying to tell me something.  I went with her to the kitchen with a sinking feeling in my stomach.  Sure enough, she has managed to upset the milk jug on the bottom shelf and it was all over the floor.  That was lovely.  So I yelled at my very sweet and overly curious toddler, with her eager helpfulness and delicious cheeks.  How I wish I could relive that moment.  What a lost opportunity.

After mopping up the mess, it occurred to me that she was actually trying to be helpful by coming and telling me that there was "water" all over the floor.  I think I'm going to have to reorganize the fridge.  And if I'm being truly honest, I think I could start doing some pouring and sponging exercises with her.  She'd love it.  

Our summer has been somewhat disorganized as far as summers go.  The kids have swimming and soccer, but not much else.  Also, I've been very tired or even lazy to sit and work with them academically.  It doesn't help that the older ones are a reluctant to work on certain subjects.  This means there has been lots of Lego building, bike riding, and practical life activities going on.  :)  All is not lost, mind you.  J has learned the alphabet in cursive and is starting to read french books in cursive now, which has done wonders for her confidence.  M is working on perimeter and starting word problems.  Despite his aptitude in math, I've sorely neglected word problems for him.  S has forgotten some of her letters, so we are going back to the sandpaper letters for review.  'Tis to be expected since we took more than a month's break from them.  It doesn't sound shabby, but I envisioned things differently.  For example, I had wanted to do more art this summer.  That kind of fell by the wayside since I wasn't organized enough to even set up a rough outline.  I think my psychological bucket needs filling up.  Too much emptying and not enough filling does that to me, and then I'm good for nothing for a while.  :(

Of course that is not to say we haven't enjoyed the summer.  It's just an odd feeling on the whole to be largely flying by the seat of one's pants.  Which is not to say I'm a control freak; just that I like some degree of order in my life.  Ah well.  These seasons seem to come and go for me periodically, so I shan't worry too much.

I hope the summer has been good to you too!  

Post-holiday happenings

Our holidays don't seem to be as restful as we'd like.  It's just with a big family and many friends - all great blessings in our lives - there is a lot of entertaining and being entertained.  It is nice to catch up with old friends though, so I'll take it.

After the holidays were through, we settled into a more relaxed rhythm.  Everyone helping around the home, doing a little academic work together (mostly math and writing), and some excursions to round things out.  The kids did a lot of baking with me, including those cheese pies.  Come to think of it, I don't think I did much besides the prep work.  They pretty much put them together and I stuck trays into the oven.  Done.  It's actually a wonderful feeling to have helpers in the kitchen.  It's taken a few years of "training", lots of messes, plenty of patience and encouragement, but they seem to be well on their way to self-sufficiency in this area.  

 J is working on math now.  She is a playful monkey, so it's tough to stay on track usually.  I have to keep reminding myself that the work she's doing doesn't matter nearly as much as our time together and how we connect.  Not easy.  She is chugging along however and has mastered the collective exercises for addition.  We are working on carry-overs now.  She and Michael partner up for this, and I am the happiest mom watching them work together.  I think J likes it because we make a big deal whenever someone says "ten" as they count beads.  :)  

I have to say that most of our work is done in 10-15 minute increments.  It's very manageable.  In fact, many times the kids move on to a second round of work, or else they do a little extra,  I like that aspect immensely about Montessori.  It doesn't take much.  The trick is to do it as often as possible - if not daily then at least 2-3 times a week.  This repetition helps to cement concepts in a profound way.  I find that even if a child does not grasp every single aspect or angle of whatever the lesson is, they still understand the concept.  

This little munchkin is growing like a weed!  She is past one and walking.  Climbing is more like it.  She climbs everything.  We've had to be creative with this one, she just can't help it.  She loves to by a part of whatever's going on, which usually means getting up onto the dining room table, or climbing all over the sofas and side tables.  She's so happy and so full of zest as she goes exploring, we can't help but kiss those cheeks!  

When evening arrives, the best way to calm down rowdy kiddies is to read with them.  I was so glad when D captured this moment.  I don't think we have any recent shots of us reading together.  Here we are reading "The Quiet Little Woman" by L.M. Montgomery.  The kids love it, especially the older two.  

There is always work to be done in the kitchen.  As per usual.  I don't think we've been terribly creative on that front, but I have had more spurts of energy, so we have had less sandwiches and more hearty fare.  I am trying to stay away from cold cuts, which is difficult because a) it's convenient for lunches, and b) the kids love it.  I've made them steak sandwiches, pulled beef and turkey (from leftover turkey) that I've stashed in the freezer.  I think that's going to be my new system.  Once we have something like a roast or turkey, I will freeze a certain amount to use for lunch meat.  Finally got this down!  

I painted this icon years ago, but the gold starting peeling off thanks to a bad metal size I used.  (Of course!)  Thankfully, we found an experience iconographer to fix it.  I will never use that size again.  Yeesh.  Thankfully, all's well that ends well.  

So, I bring this little update to a close.  It's sounds an awful lot like a point by point rehash of bits of our days, but right now, that's all I've got.  Didn't want to keep postponing it.  Wishing you a great weekend!

Apples and pumpkins are upon us!

I've been procrastinating and procrastinating and procrastinating writing a post here.  And suddenly, POOF!  It's already October and time has flown by.  Early October, with its crisp mornings and sun-warmed afternoons; with its long sleeves and sweaters (at least in the morning); with its explosion of colours on the trees and plants everywhere; with its profusion of apple and pumpkin EVERYTHING!  September is a more subtle introduction, but October welcomes autumn in all its flaming glory! 

I have three hats in queue.  Already.  In fact I would like to do a few more as gifts, but it may be more than I can handle at this point.  Slowly, slowly.  I do have plans for another patchwork quilt, but that is more like a long-term project.  Perhaps before the springtime?  D has been giving me shirt after shirt - the ones that have worn out with wear, which means I have a nice selection of fabric waiting for me.  

I did finish up some summer projects, most notably that icon above.  A special work indeed.  I don't know if I'll work on another one before the end of the year, but it is awfully tempting!  

Kids have settled into their school routine, though I would like to make a greater effort to be outside more.  Too fleeting this gorgeousness!  I hope to be back with more happenings before November!  

In the meantime, just look at how these monkeys have grown!  Too fast, I say!  (Oh, and how much do I love raising little readers!)

Just before Lent

We've had the mildest winter I can remember so far.  This week it's supposed to get into the teens!  (For my American friends, that's in the 50s F.)  We've had sporadic skating adventures here and there, but they haven't been as often as we'd have liked.  That's partly because I wasn't up for skating until mid to late January, and after that because of the periodic thaws we've had.  

That being said, I have to say that skating at night is fun!  It's something I don't remember doing when I was growing up.  I think I prefer the day, just because of the warmth factor of the sun (brrr!), but I'm glad we got to go at night too.

More shots of the little ones here.  :)  Little M is growing.  Cheeks and all.  Our baby is almost 4 months now!  She's easily the best sleeper I've had.  Of course, they change at the drop of a hat, so I'm not really holding my breath.  We shall take things as they come.  My new motto!  (And it took 4 kids for me to be ok with that!)  

We had a snow day (the first this year) and we got to enjoy our day together without rushing.  That is a gift to me.  More and more, I find I can't do rush.  I get anxious inside, I get panicked and that's usually when I start yelling or snapping.  And even if I'm not shouting, I certainly am not enjoying the moment.  I miss out on a lot in retrospect.  M will come to me trying to share a cool fact he's learned, or J will want to have a conversation to process something new, and I'm basically not there for them.  So you can imagine how much this mama enjoys leisurely days with her brood!    

Lent is almost here.  One week left to go.  The Great fast.  My kids are actually very excited to fast.  Their schoolmates are almost finished Lent, but they are raring to go.  I can't say I am excited for the Fast, but I have to say I am looking towards it with a sort of relief.  Perhaps eagerness too.  It is a journey of intentional reflection, of inner quiet, of sober undertaking.  And so, I will most likely be absent here in large part. 

Until we meet again, I wish you a wonderful spring!   

Daily updates, Sunday dinner and popcorn

Just wanted to share a quick knitting update.  I only have the front left side to finish and then sew the underarm seams.  It's a little wonky in places because my gauge is not quite uniform.  Behold the beginner!  Despite the imperfections, I think it's still a sweet little sweater.  I just can't wait to see if our little one or another baby girl will get to wear it.  (And here's me already mentally working on a new boy's sweater in grey!)

We have been going easy on schoolwork since school actually started.  It sounds logical since we're not technically homeschooling, but normally, "school" is much more than academics.  It is a complete life experience.  They learn cooking, cleaning, taking care of themselves and their environments and everything else that this wonderful life entails, including reading and writing and arithmetic.  :)

However, with D-day so close, and me so tired most of the time, we tend to take an even simpler approach.  A little reading together, washing the dishes, washing off the table, putting laundry away, a little sewing or other handiwork.  My sweet little son took up an embroidery needle for the first time this past week and made a little stocking for his teacher.  He was "practicing" for the Christmas gifts we plan to make, but he did so well.  He was just full of pride!  And he was absorbed for a while finishing his task - always careful to make sure the sharp needle didn't prick his fingers.  I love watching them fall in love with creating.

We've had some leftover ham in the fridge for a bit which needed using up.  I was going to make a potato ham chowder, then I thought we could do a ham quiche.   I ended up making a simple casserole.  And I'm so glad I did.  Roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli and ham, drizzled with olive oil, a dash of salt and sprinkled with cheese.  Nothing fancy, but 100% comfort food.  And there you have it, Sunday dinner!  :)  

I found this recipe here and I made a few minor adjustments.  It is really a delicious recipe for caramel popcorn and my little ones gobbled it all up in no time.  (Guess that means we need a double recipe for the future...)  I also love that it doesn't have corn syrup involved.  Plus, it takes very little time to throw it all together.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

VEGAN CARAMEL POPCORN

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp salt (can cut it to 1/2 tsp if desired)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp sunflower oil

6 cups air popped corn (I think it's like 1/3 cup kernels?)  

Pour maple syrup into a small pot.  Heat until boiling.  Add rest of ingredients except salt and keep stirring over heat for about 2-3 minutes.  (Turn heat down only if about to overflow.)  Pour over popcorn and mix well.  Sprinkle salt and mix well.  Place on baking tray and spread evenly.  Bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Break into pieces

Cookery and some yarn projects

I've been finding that life is pretty messy these days.  It gets to me insofar as I feel powerless to do anything about it, but otherwise, I have been trying to embrace it more.  (Hurray for progress!)

The kitchen is still our main hub of activity.  Food is always needing to be made, eaten or preserved.  We have been on a bit of a pizza spree for the past month.  Translation: we've made pizza about 4 times so far.  This is a spree for us.  I think this is mostly because I've been wanting to perfect a pizza recipe for a while.  I took a base recipe and tweaked it a bit here and there.  I don't remember where I got the original recipe, but with the modifications, it's a really great one.  (At least we think so here...)  Anyhow.  You can bet my little sous chefs have been involved in these adventures.  In fact, on Saturday they made the pizza themselves.  I did the dough and then took a nap while it was rising.  Afterwards, I gave each kid a lump of dough and they did the rest.  It was actually pretty neat sitting back and letting them go.  I have to learn to do that more often.  I thought J would have problems with the rolling, but she was great!  All her own elbow grease and no mama help.  Just what a 4-year-old needs for confidence!

By the way, making pizza is messy, even without kids.  Imagine how much more so with the kids doing the work.  That's part of what I mean about life being messy.  And I'm ok with it.  Because hey, my kids made dinner for me!  And because they were happy doing it!  And because learning to take care of themselves and others is a priceless skill.  (We just need to work on the clean-up part afterwards...)

Right now in the kitchen, a pot of soup is simmering on the stove - a savoury beef and chunky vegetable soup.  Just the thing for a crisp, cold autumn day.  Also, precious little can beat a good bone broth in my books.  We also have a tray of granola cooling on the counter which S and I whipped up this morning.  This time, we're trying granola bars, not just the usual loose granola.  (It's a first for me.)  I figure we'll be needing some snacks for around when baby decides to debut.  We put in peanuts, raisins, and dark chocolate chips.  (My kids will eat anything if it has chocolate chips inside, so I try to take full advantage of that fact.)  It looks like they turned out great, so I just need to package them up and store.

Outside of the kitchen, M has some upcoming projects for school.  This has kept us busy and promises to do so for the coming week.  Thankfully, we have split things up into manageable chunks instead of cramming it all into one day.  But still, I've promised myself that I'm throwing in the towel after this!  (Hello, new baby coming!)  I miss my quiet, uneventful routine!  Waaa!

I've gone back to knitting.  That is, I've been alternating between crocheting some hooded cowls and finishing the sweater for baby.  The cowls will be Christmas gifts, so I won't share them here.  I am happy to have at least a few handmade items for this year.  I don't think we'll come close to last year, but that's ok.  There is still time and lots of love to go around regardless.  I don't know if I mentioned it before, but my darlings unraveled most of my previous knitting.  I couldn't salvage it, so we finished the job and I started over.  Thankfully, I sized it properly this time around.  (It was too big before.)  I have made a note to try and keep my knitting out of reach for now, but I do like to take it out at frequent intervals when I need to sit down, so it always manages to end up on the side table or sofa.  I am tempting fate, I suppose.  But those little hands are curious, and those little brown eyes so sweet and honest when caught unravelling stitches.  Somehow, I didn't mind as much as I thought I would.

And since it feels like this blog sometimes reads like a to-do list, I thought I'd add that I am looking into putting up some pumpkin and squash before the season finishes.  It's just so nice to have some on hand for soups in the fall/winter.  I'm starting to genuinely loathe canned food.  And it's not only about the taste, although there are worlds of difference in taste between fresh/dried/frozen vs canned.  When I read about what they line the cans with, I think to myself, "No wonder we're struggling with all these health problems!"  There is something to be said for putting nutritious, wholesome, real food into our bodies.  And that desire is fuelled even stronger when you are responsible for little ones.  Every season, every year, we try to do something else to further our journey towards eating properly and truly enjoying God's bounty.  

Now if only I can motivate myself to exercise a little more!  I suppose running around after 3 will have to suffice for now.  

Life is full right now!

While not always punctual, it seems that I have fallen into weekend blogging.  Meaning, I usually post after the weekend has passed, and often about the weekend too.  It seems to work for now.  We are busy enjoying each other during that time, and after all that connecting, I am only too happy to come here and unload all that joy.  :)  Of course, it's not all fun and games.  There are definitely rough patches in our lives.  I struggle often on what to share and what not to.  It's not just my my story to tell.  I want to respect the other members of my household, and those others who touch our lives as well.

So just for the record, there are many things that happen around here (as everywhere else I'm sure) that are not seen.  In all things though, I do try to focus on the positive because it is easy to get sucked into a negative "energy" vortex, and I personally tend to often veer towards the melodramatic.  (And pregnancy hormones do NOT help with that...)  So this is a place where I try to focus on and remember and celebrate the beauty and blessings around me.  And I am 100% sincere in what I write.  Every single word.

I mentioned I've been trying to sew that quilt a few strips at a time.  Well, I've finished piecing the squares together and now needs pin the strips together to sew up.  I am happy that this sewing rhythm is not eating into other important parts of our days.  My dear mama came by on Friday to help me make and freeze a batch of meat and cheese pies.  They are safely in the freezer (minus a dozen or so that the kids gobbled up) for when baby comes.  While I don't have a large freezer, I am trying to stock up on food for when things are especially crazy.  You just never know.  I am hoping I can squeeze at least one or two more such sessions before D-day arrives.  We'll see.

Just as we ran out of apples, D decided to take us apple-picking again.  If you haven't noticed, apple-picking is not just a once-a-season affair for us.  We are not tourists about it.  We love our apples.  And we love picking them ourselves as they come in season.  It is so satisfying to tune in to nature's timeline.  This time we got some Golden Delicious, Jonagold (duh!) and we had some Macintosh and Mutsu to round things out.  I think there will be at least one last run before the season is over.  Too bad we don't have an extra fridge.  I'm convinced it would be devoted to at least 90% apple storage if so.  And while I'm at it, I wish we had our OWN orchard!  Now THAT would be awesome!  Just mosey on out into your backyard and pick a few whenever you wanted...  A gal can dream.  

M made a poster in french for the letter "M" for school this past week.  He was so into it.  I mean, I got into it too, but he was hardcore.  (I did the drawings, and he did the colouring, writing and glueing.)  We had finished working on it the night before and that was that.  In the morning, M woke up at 6:30, came to me (thankfully I was already awake) and said very seriously, "Mom, we forgot something.  We forgot 'masque'."  And he proceeded to coach me on how to draw a mask for him to colour and glue it on a small empty patch right up near the corn.  Hilarious kid.  Although, I imagine how it would've been less hilarious had he actually woken me up.  

The school adventures don't stop there.  Aside from reading (boy is she getting speedy at spelling!), J is obsessed with pets.  Not the typical kind, mind you.  I mean snails, spiders and all things small.  She brought home a snail from school.  There is a wall outside the school apparently, that with the changing of seasons has had quite an array of snails stuck to it.   So my darling daughter put one in her backpack and brought it home.  Of course, she lost it for a while because it had climbed up the other side of the pocket she zipped it in, but once we found it again, all was well.  I do feel badly as the snail died a couple days later.  I told her he (or she?) needed to be outside and that was the best place for little critters.  So far she hasn't brought any more home, so perhaps the message resonated?  Although when she and M found a spider in the bedroom, they put it in a cup and kept it for a couple of days before D kindly let it outside.  Not before they accidentally crushed some of its legs with a small pebble they put inside the cup though...   (Apparently they wanted spidey to have a rock to rest on.)  I think we need to work on that before we look into getting any real pets.  :)

So yes.  It is Wednesday and we are halfway through the week.  My how time flies.  I don't feel any "nesting" instincts kicking in so far, which is a little disappointing.  It's nice to have all that energy to work.  Most days I'm practically forcing myself to go through the motions.  Thank God for D.  And for all these little hands who love to help out mama (well, most days...).  I suppose there's still time.

Wishing you a wonderful week! 

Hello, Fall!

It seems that with the coming of each season, our routine changes.  I have discovered that I don't like change very much.  At least, not when it throws me out of my comfort zone.  :)  Fall is upon us, though the temperatures have been very kind.  School has started, and while the kids are adjusting, mama it seems is still have a tough time with it all.

I can't seem to share the opinion of many parents when their kids start school.  To me, I'd rather have my babies around me.  We had a wonderful summer together.  Just wonderful.  I'm not ready to let that go.  Time is a precious gift.  It really let me connect with each child one-on-one at random times during the day.  I honestly felt that we had such a great routine going for us in the summer - profitable, relaxing, exciting and basically just right for us.  Now, I am rushing to get out the door on time without being able to truly connect with each one beforehand - at least not regularly.  I miss our less stressful mornings!

What I do love though is our evening routine.  Once they've finished any homework they have, we go outside to the park or wherever, and they run and play.  (D is great with that part!)  Then we come home, bathe if needed, get into pjs, have a snack, and cuddle up on the sofa to read.  And we read and read.  All three of them.  All over me.  Climbing, switching places, gently softing my belly, and then random conversations ensue.  Lots of questions, mental exploring, processing, revealing whatever's on their mind.  Oh, how I love that time.  I look forward to it all day.

And there are always weekends too.  In the fall, our weekends shift focus.  We are more eager to spend time together, so sometimes that means staying put.  Other times, there are soccer games, visits with family and friends, apple picking.  We've been apple-picking twice so far.  We suddenly decided to go last minute on Thursday.  So we picked up the kids from school and drove up to Dixie Orchards.  (I'm so glad for these last minute plans of ours sometimes!)  They were picking our favourite apple, jonagolds.  So we brought home a nice almost 1/2 bushel.  I suspect there will be more trips like that this month.  :)  The kiddies loved the play area and the animals.  J wanted to take a chick home!  They were only 8 days old - all fuzzy and peeping as they pecked at an apple.  How can you blame her!  

For this weekend there is food.  Thank God!  After a week of leftovers and last minute meals, there is a pot of chili on the stove.  And spinach with ground beef to serve with rice.  Like I said, thank God.  This mama is getting more tired each day.  I wish I had the energy to bake some fresh bread.  Maybe after I have a nap?  (I always say that and it never happens, but a gal can hope!)

Then again, there are so many creative projects awaiting, so perhaps I will get distracted in that vein.  Like this adorable Arctic fox hooded cowl that I crocheted in an evening.  (The yarn was super thick and worked up really fast, which I love!)  Except my youngest thinks she looks more like a cat.  What do you think?  Fox or cat?  

Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along.