Small victories

It's hard to believe that my last post was 10 days ago.  It feels like months ago!  The days fly by, but then again, sometimes not very much gets done.  That is the last weeks of pregnancy, my friends.  What a battle I've been having trying to be productive!  Thankfully (and I say that wholeheartedly!) there have been some highlights.  At least, not everything has fallen by the wayside, though I often have to be content with cleanliness as opposed to cleanliness AND tidiness.  Small victories.  

It still amazes me how much time I need to spend in the kitchen to get things done.  The food prep takes some time, but there are dishes, cleanup, planning, and maintenance (like cleaning out the fridge for example) on top of it.  Usually, I try not to spend every day in the kitchen cooking.  (Otherwise, I wouldn't get very much else done.)  So that means I have to a) make several meals at the same time or b) make larger quantities to last as leftovers.  I usually follow plan b, but I'm ok with a every now and then.

For Thursday we had Shepherd's pie - the gravy bubbling up through the crusty potato layer.  I can't believe I don't make it more often.  Can't go wrong with meat and potatoes.  :)  There was some grocery shopping that happened yesterday and I could barely fit everything in the fridge.  Not a good sign.  So today was organization time.  I actually managed to clean most of the fridge, sort, reorganize and use up mostly everything in there.  Sometimes things get "lost" in the fridge and I have to throw them out in the end because they've spoiled by the time I find them.  I always feel badly about that.  Terrible really.  I really am such a scatterbrain at times.  

Anyhow, our fridge is stocked with delicious, healthy food for the week; ice cold wedges of watermelon, juicy oranges, a drawer of crunchy apples, peppers waiting to be stuffed and baked, some leftover Shepherd's pie, beets waiting to be roasted and sprinkled with the last of the feta cheese, homemade yogurt, hardboiled eggs.  Oh, and the chicken I need for tomorrow's molokheye.  (How do I describe that... it's like eating a soup of jute leaves boiled in chicken broth and eaten over rice.)  D has been requesting it all week, and so how can I not try to spoil him a little?  He is shouldering so much around here.  What a champ.

And then there is the new quilt.  I have started cutting squares.  Every day or two, as the case may be, I cut about a dozen.  Slow going.  That's ok.  The pace suits me right now.  :)  I don't know when I'll get to that dress I've been wanting to, but I have the pattern and the material, so it's just a matter of opportunity.  Right now, I'm just thankful the laundry is done (and folded).  Like I said before, small victories.

I have a need at this point to focus on those.  The small steps.  They help me realize that life is still vibrant, that we are still thriving (though perhaps to a lesser degree?).  When we took a walk to the park the other day in the evening, I couldn't help stopping to listen to the crickets starting to chirp, to see the birds settle, to feel he heat ease and watch the whole of creation take on a softer, muted hue as it readied for nighttime and rest.  Small things that might pass you by as you hurry to catch up with two very energetic little ones on their bikes.  But I am so glad I caught them.  It made the whole walk more beautiful, contemplative in a profound way.  "How glorious are thy works, O Lord, in wisdom hast thou made them all." 

So, we went on a rather spur-of-the-moment journey to the Dormition monastery last weekend.  I think it was providential.  The kids had just started school and were slow to adjust to the new rhythm thrown at them.  We needed that time together away.  They were showered full of love, of acceptance, of beauty.  Lots of little trips around, some talking with the nuns or Fr. John, feeding the chickens, making new friends.  It seems there are always friends to be made at the monastery.  :)  On Saturday night they had vigil as usual.  After Vespers, we took the little ones back to the guesthouse and got them ready for bed.  D was pretty bushed, having been up early, so he got ready with them.  Once they were in bed, I got ready to go back for the rest of the service.  Suddenly, M's small voice came: Can I come too?  I was surprised.  (Let's face it, how many times does a child ask to go to church when the service is long and it is dark?)

We went together for a beautiful 45 minutes.  He lay quietly on the floor, looking as if he was literally absorbing what was happening around him.  Towards the end, he started to nod off, but he managed to by fully awake for the final benediction.  I think he was proud of himself as we walked back together outside.  (I certainly was!)  Anyways, suddenly he looked up and saw the entire expanse of darkened sky illumined with stars.  "Mom, look at the stars!  There are thousands of them!"  (We cannot see the stars very well because of the city lights, so I think that was the first time he's seen the stars from the country.)  He was so full of wonder at the night sky.  For that alone, the entire trip was worth it.  There were no words shared as we walked back together.  I think our hearts were too full for talking.

And even now, my heart is full.  Full of so many thoughts, of emotions, of what has been and what is now.  I pray my heart stays full of these memories because they are a help through rougher waters.  Wishing you too a full heart and a goodnight.

A little rearrangement

We did a little furnitre shuffling this past week to accommodate a new set of bookshelves.  (Have I mentioned yet how much I love Ikea?)  And I must say that I just love how it looks!  We are using it for all our school supplies, work and such props.  It's wonderful having it all in one place.  The kids have already been going on their own to a shelf to take down and work on an activity they are familiar with.  And I'm noticing that clean up is a breeze too.  I can't imagine how we lived without these shelves!  

This is J doing some chalk art.  (I think she said that was a portrait of me.)  And the second photo is showing her working on pouring liquids.  We do a lot of baking, so those kind of things are definitely helpful in a tangible, everyday way.  :)

The kids really are gearing up for summer.  I mean, the weather is consistently warm, and so they are full of plans.  I haven't really sat down to think about what we need to do this summer, except maybe with our curriculum goals.  I'd like to have some activities lined up for July and August - nothing crazy... I'm still exhausted these days and nausea does come and go - something for us to use when we need a change or some new fun.    

D decided we need to plant more spinach and parsley, so we kept a couple extra pots.  Guess what we're doing today!  Actually, today has been a great day so far.  Cleaned the bathrooms, folded the laundry and working on the dirty pile, swept the house and balcony, and set up the play kitchen outside.  A summer space for little ones.  

Hope you have a cheery and productive week!  I'm off to take my afternoon nap.  (Can't last without one...)

A Cheshire cat grin

As I write, I feel almost like stretching with languid satisfaction.  Almost.  You see, my home is clean.  Floors, my laundry, my dishes all done.  Bonus: the grocery shopping is finished and food is to be had in abundance in the form of a large potato-n-meat casserole in the oven and a big old pot of beef bones simmering on the stove for tomorrow's beef and barley soup.  Not to mention the plate of chocolate cookies and containers of chopped fruit.  :)

Why does that make me feel like a CEO who just solved a huge problem?  It always puzzles me to find out that happiness - I mean real and genuine joy - is to be found in such simple and rather unglamorous ways.  Anyhow, I figured I'd write it here for posterity actually since I so rarely have these days.

We spent a lovely weekend with some lovely friends.  I do so love having those pleasant, deep kind of conversations with a cup of tea.  :)  We also had a birthday this past week.  Little J turned four.  How time is flying.  That little one is still such a sweet baby to us.  But she is growing, that is for sure.  Her little personality is unfolding more and more.  She loves to have "conversations" (the kind where she tells mama all about something she's learned).  She can read, can zip up her own coat, do snap buttons, love to set the table for meals, loves to bake and help stir things on the stove, and is absolutely in love with animals.  And for the record, she LOVES her messenger bag.  It's just perfect for toting around the little things that four-year-olds must carry.  (Her prized notebook, a pencil crayon, Kleenex, lip balm, little model horses...)

And we had a fun week with math for M.  He is just loving math.  I can't tell you how much it just amazes me to see the wheels turning and then suddenly the light goes on.  It's absolutely amazing!  This is a photo of him working with the Montessori Addition Chart 6.  It's the blank chart that he has to fill in with the answers.  Some sums take him longer depending on if he has to figure it out, or if he's internalized the answer.  But he's pretty sharp in the end.  And he can always check his work with Chart 1 - the answer key.

Anyhow.  All in all, we had a full week.  As usual.  :)  But this one definitely more in the good books than bad.  Wishing you the same this coming week.

Weekend tidbits and a little garlic

A little crafting going on these days...

Almost done J's messenger bag.  Just have to sew in the lining and voila!  She'll have a sweet little bag to carry her treasures around.  Of course, it's almost impossible to keep things secret around here, so she knows she's getting a messenger bag.  I haven't shown her the final product though.  Last night I stayed up late pinning the lining to the outer bag... which leaves everything inside out.  Which means she can't see the bag itself, only the lining and even that is inside out.  Anyhow, best I can do under the circumstances.  Can't wait to show it off!

The kids made safety pin angels this weekend.  They strung beads onto safety pins, and then onto wires to shape into angels.  A sweet craft, but perhaps a bit much for little hands.  At least so I thought until yesterday when M brought me a whole bunch of safety pins he had strung with beads all by himself unbeknownst to me.  Basically they just needed to be strung on the wire and tied up.  Awesome!  I love being surprised like that!  (Although I think M surprised himself just as much...)

As for yarn crafting, that's kind of an ongoing given.  I am working on a few more hats right now and I hope to share them later this week.  Of course, I am hoping to share finished products by then, but who knows what will pop up in the meantime, so I'll leave it open.  :)

Oh dear, the laundry is piling up a bit and I can start to see the little mountain from where I sit.  As usual, it's not so much dirty clothes, just the clean clothes waiting to be folded.

And of course, illness is still our companion.  This time it's residual nightly coughing and an ear infection for baby.  It was painful for her, but we went the natural route this time and she is doing much better.  (We were so thankful that our doctor was supportive of this course.)  Her treatment was quite helpful in getting her comfortable especially for sleep time.  Nothing fancy: warm, garlic-infused olive oil drops for her ear, saline rinses for her nose, and managing her fever and pain with ibuprofen or acetaminophen.  And I have to say, she's a champ this girl of ours.  Didn't even flinch when we give her the saline drops up her nose.  Same with the ear drops.  I think the oil drops actually helped with the pain, but what do I know.  Regardless, she seems to be back to normal in less than 24 hours.

I am a huge fan of the more natural, herbal remedies whenever possible.  This recipe for the ear drops is pretty basic and really easy to make.  I usually make a fresh batch each day and administer it ever 4 hours or so along with tylenol.  She acts a little weird after I've put it in, but 5 minutes later she's a different baby - definitely happier.  And the healing time seems so fast - ours lasted for about 24 hours.  If you ever have a child with an ear infection, I would really encourage you to try this out.  (Just don't use it on a child with a perforated eardrum.)  Both olive oil and garlic are antiviral and antibacterial (amongst many other things!) so they're perfect for the job.  All this being said, I should also mention that I am no doctor, so please make sure to check with your doc beforehand.  

GARLIC-INFUSED OLIVE OIL EAR DROPS

2 cloves garlic,
4 Tbsp olive oil

Chop and then mash garlic so that it's crushed thoroughly.  Place in a small glass jar or cup and pour olive oil over it.  Allow it to steep for about 15 minutes.  Strain mixture through a clean cotton cloth scrap into another glass jar.  Warm gently by placing glass jar in a cup of hot water for a few minutes.  Test on inner wrist before administering.  Should be just slightly warm, not hot.  Gently administer a drop in the affected ear every so often to help with discomfort and swelling.



Joining Nicole and friends for this week's Keep Calm Craft On.  

Final days of summer

I am hearing everywhere how people are leaving their usual work by the wayside to embrace the final days of summer.  This is what is happening here too.  To such an extent in fact that I have neglected this space a little as well!  Also, I am not much in the habit of bringing my camera, so many times I have no photo mementoes.  I guess I'm just too busy living life these days to document it.  

Peaches are where we're at these days.  Ripe, fuzzy, juicy, peachy-smelling peaches.  We don't grow our own of course, at least not yet, but we do so love our Ontario farmer's market peaches!  

We got out to Rockpoint Conservation Area last weekend, which we really loved exploring.  It was a nice treat to spend time there with some dear friends as well.  Barbecuing in the park is always more fun with more!

Our balcony garden is actually not winding down like I expected.  No sir.  We will be starting up our fall radishes next week.  Also hoping to get in some garlic sown before the winter sets in.  Our spinach keeps sprouting no matter how often I cut it.  I love that plant.  Honestly.  One of my favourites.  Also, the parsley seems to be loving the cool spell we've been having.  I've had to face the jungle and given both pots a good trim several times.  Peppers are popping off the vine pretty regularly.  Tomatoes are slow, but every couple of days, a kid will wander outside and harvest a reddened globe.  It's a slow, satisfying harvest.  Even if we don't make pots of salsa, sauce, diced or crushed or roasted tomatoes.  We are beginning.  That is enough for me.  

We went to the library this week to finish off the last summer reading club visit.  If I've never said it, I'll say it now: my kids love the library.  I love the library.  Anyhow, we took out a book which I was a little apprehensive about initially.  It's called "The Day Louis Got Eaten" by John Fardell.  It's not classic lit or anything profound, but I wasn't sure how they would take the plot.  (Basically, a boy gets eaten by a fictional "Gulper" who gets eaten by something else, who gets eaten by something else, etc and his sister goes after him to save him.)  Can I just say that my kids LOVE this book.  They've memorized it.  They ask for us to read it to them every day, multiple times.  It's hilarious to them in some weird way.  And here I was afraid they'd be scared.  Anyone else have an experience like this?  It's my first.  

On Friday we are off to Michigan for a last family trip to Dormition before school starts.  I think this is fast becoming tradition in our family.  Soak up quiet beauty in prayer and meditation, calm the soul so tossed about, refocus.  They seem to come naturally at this time.  As if a timer goes off in our heads: "Ah yes, time to dust out the cobwebs, nourish the soul and prepare for Fall."  

Well, I have one more day to pack and a to-do list the size of my washing machine.  Which, incidentally has been running smoothly and regularly for the past few days.  (In my house, no laundry = death.)  I would love to get my house cleaned before leaving, but that might be biting off more than I can chew.  We'll see.  Loving this summer and hope you are too!

PS - My kids like to take turns experiment with the camera when I let them.  Sometimes we get some weird photos.  Like this one.  My son took this shot.  (Gotta love that dear-caught-in-the-headlights expression.) 

Christmas medley

I've been MIA lately because we have been running the gauntlet of illnesses.  Yay.  It's not just stuffy noses or little coughs.  That stuff is easy!  These are the full out, fever-with-a-hacking-cough-throwing-up sick.  It seems to happen all at once and always in the winter.  Maybe I should keep this as a spring-summer-early fall type blog.  With three kids passing viruses around, the winter is too unpredictable.  

Anyhow.  Christmas preparations have been limited here.  We've baked a tray or two of cookies (when fevers were down and moods were up...), done a few cards and lined up a few other crafts that have yet to be tackled.  No real shopping has been done, except for children's tylenol.  (Possibly the perfect gift for all our parent friends?)  We have actually considered buying shares...  Mostly though we're making pots of soup, peeling oranges (they say the vitamin C is good...), cuddling up under blankets, and basically doing what we can to help our bodies fight this off.  

We were planning on spending this Christmas in Michigan at the Dormition.  Doesn't look like that will happen at this rate.  I am disappointed.  I am also sad that I haven't been able to do very much to prepare for Christmas.  I don't lament the shopping, truth be told.  It's the other stuff.  The baking, the cooking, the decorating, the festive making and crafting.  D told me that this year, we're going back to the roots of Christmas - the real deal.  Without all these distractions and fuss, we have no choice but to focus on Christ Himself.  That is a very beautiful and comforting thought.  

In fact, while our situation is not comparable in the least, these past few weeks have made me think profoundly on the terrible war going on in Syria.  Not the war itself, but the hundreds and thousands of Christians who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ.  And here I am wondering what to buy for D.  How's that for a dose of perspective...

On a less serious note, though not one to subtract from the previous sentiments I hope, I wanted to share this funny story.  I had put on a load of laundry in the washer and left to do another few chores.  When I came back, both my kids had pulled up their soft chairs in front of the washer and were staring with wide eyes at the load spinning and sudsing up with soap.  They were there for like 15 minutes!  It was honestly as if they were watching TV, except they were watching a washing machine!  Some kids enjoy video games.  Mine prefer a good round of dark clothes to capture their attention...

A headless chicken

I feel rather like a headless chicken these days.  I just can't seem to get myself organized enough to sit and paint.  I've been dying to do a few watercolours, especially as Fall explodes around me.  But then J has a little accident, or S wants to be fed, or M needs to be picked up from school.  Not to mention the state of my bathrooms, the fact that my floors have not been washed yet (I really need to get on that!), nor the fact that meals tend to be rather primitive for the most part (sandwiches anyone?).  Fingers crossed that meatloaf makes the menu tomorrow.

I wanted to share this segment of a short story by Michael O'Brien.  It really resonates with me in so many ways. 

She told me once that people have changed a lot since she was a young woman. It’s true. We are different. We rush through our lives trying to get it all in, trying to get too many things done too fast. And as a result we make hasty decisions. We do not appreciate things very much. We are seldom grateful. We work and play and shop and “have liturgies” on the run. We cook and eat on the run. We consume news and entertainment and education on the run. We “improve” our minds on the run. We strain toward some elusive concept of “success” on the run. We settle for junk food, mass-produced filler that looks and smells and even tastes like food. We rarely choose to make a thing slowly and carefully with passionate love for its meaning. We have developed the habit of doing many things poorly, rather than a few things well. Is it really possible to think clearly in such a state? Is it possible to listen? 

For me, I cannot.  I cannot think or listen clearly, and so I love that being at home with my children has slowed life down in such a way as to live each moment as it comes with purposeful joy.  Yes, sometimes my attention is asked (nay demanded!) 3 different ways at the same time, but it is not a mindless, quick-paced, do-it-all environment.  We choose what to do each day and hope for the time to finish what we start.  It doesn't always get done, and I'm ok with that.  I've had tons of unpeeled garlic cloves sitting on my counter for the past 4 days now - it needs to be chopped up and frozen.  But reading with J, or going to the park is so much more important to me and to them.  I lament now that M has started school, it subtracts from our time together in this slow and comfortable manner.  As a friend very wisely predicted, my time is largely spent in the late afternoons and evenings on activities that quiet, calm and re-centre my darling son.  It is fun for us to bond over Lego, blocks, books, or those wonderful Thomas the Tank Engine audio books.  We both need that time, I think.  It is our way to connect, to remember home, to quiet our spirits.

So, I believe I have a load of laundry that needs to be turned over.  And a pillow that is calling out to me in irresistible tones.  Good night and sweet dreams... (ooo, and thanks D for the delicious melted cheese sandwich you just brought me!)