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| Cuddles to help sore tummies |
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| Monday night hockey |
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| A new favorite hat |
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| "I can still say 'thistle'" |
Friday, 8 February 2013
Thursday, 7 February 2013
For me
I was at the library about a month ago, and I had wandered into the adult section for just a few minutes of quiet time after attending Toddler Time with Astrin. After wrestling her back into her winter clothes, where we alternated between her doing it herself and her stopping to watch what the other toddlers were doing, I needed just a wee break before attempting to wrench Jaelyn away from the computer screen in the kids' area. And somehow, I stumbled upon Fresh Fashion Knits, a book with knitting projects that somehow looked accessible (no double-pointed needles), and at first glance looked like it had a promising selection of knitting eye candy (if a thick wooly sweater is your idea of eye candy).
A few days after that, I was rummaging through my stash of yarn, and I noticed that a few of the balls I had purchased in the fall from our local yarn store were the same as was called for in the patterns. Suddenly, I realized that I would have considerably less trouble figuring out what yarn to purchase, because I could simply choose the stuff that was called for in the patterns. I grabbed the book again and started going through it a little more thoroughly. Would I actually wear any of these items? Would they take me forever? Could I actually knit something for myself?
That weekend, I practically skipped to the store, I was so giddy to find out if they had enough of what I needed for a few of the patterns that I picked as my favorites. And they did! I cast on that very day, and then I cast on again after Astrin ripped out the little I had done, and then a third time and a fourth for various other reasons. I took a break for the rest of that night.
It's been pretty smooth sailing since, with little bursts of knitting happening here and there. There was a nice hour stretch when the children were playing with clay. There was ten minutes this morning when I sat beside Nicholas while he did his bookwork. There have been a few evenings when I stayed up a bit too late just to get another row or two done.
And while I don't think it will be done for this winter, I'm pretty confident it will be ready for next winter. Which is fine. I'm loving the process, and I'm loving learning new little bits of this and that as I work through the pattern. Most of all, I'm loving how these hands are creating something useful, beautiful, and special, just for me.
A few days after that, I was rummaging through my stash of yarn, and I noticed that a few of the balls I had purchased in the fall from our local yarn store were the same as was called for in the patterns. Suddenly, I realized that I would have considerably less trouble figuring out what yarn to purchase, because I could simply choose the stuff that was called for in the patterns. I grabbed the book again and started going through it a little more thoroughly. Would I actually wear any of these items? Would they take me forever? Could I actually knit something for myself?
That weekend, I practically skipped to the store, I was so giddy to find out if they had enough of what I needed for a few of the patterns that I picked as my favorites. And they did! I cast on that very day, and then I cast on again after Astrin ripped out the little I had done, and then a third time and a fourth for various other reasons. I took a break for the rest of that night.
It's been pretty smooth sailing since, with little bursts of knitting happening here and there. There was a nice hour stretch when the children were playing with clay. There was ten minutes this morning when I sat beside Nicholas while he did his bookwork. There have been a few evenings when I stayed up a bit too late just to get another row or two done.
And while I don't think it will be done for this winter, I'm pretty confident it will be ready for next winter. Which is fine. I'm loving the process, and I'm loving learning new little bits of this and that as I work through the pattern. Most of all, I'm loving how these hands are creating something useful, beautiful, and special, just for me.
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Healing ourselves
We've been battling a bit of a flu bug here for almost a week. Fortunately, it's only hit one person at a time, so while it feels slightly prolonged, there have also been moments where we have all been well enough to escape the house and enjoy the wonderful outdoors.
Now, though, the last of our stash of homemade apple juice is gone. And authentic soup stock for home made chicken noodle soup was non-existent. So, I roasted up a chicken for supper last night (which two of the five Selingers happily ate), then started on making a stock. I am aware of the irony of cooking up a Sunday night style supper simply to get to those bones, but it made sense at the time (particularly since the chicken had been thawing in the fridge since Sunday, when I thought most of us had escaped the flu bug).
I'll be honest, soup isn't my favorite thing, and neither is making stock. To me, it smells horrific and I'm convinced the smell was fuel enough for a headache last night. But when I strained it into jars, I imagined all the healing goodness that would soon be entering those little (and big) bodies. My mind also wandered off to consider other little things we can do to strengthen our immune systems, like reducing the amount of sugar we consume and adding fermented foods. While we won't be eating sauerkraut everyday, I just might pull a small bag of it out of the freezer for sampling.
Now, though, the last of our stash of homemade apple juice is gone. And authentic soup stock for home made chicken noodle soup was non-existent. So, I roasted up a chicken for supper last night (which two of the five Selingers happily ate), then started on making a stock. I am aware of the irony of cooking up a Sunday night style supper simply to get to those bones, but it made sense at the time (particularly since the chicken had been thawing in the fridge since Sunday, when I thought most of us had escaped the flu bug).
I'll be honest, soup isn't my favorite thing, and neither is making stock. To me, it smells horrific and I'm convinced the smell was fuel enough for a headache last night. But when I strained it into jars, I imagined all the healing goodness that would soon be entering those little (and big) bodies. My mind also wandered off to consider other little things we can do to strengthen our immune systems, like reducing the amount of sugar we consume and adding fermented foods. While we won't be eating sauerkraut everyday, I just might pull a small bag of it out of the freezer for sampling.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Getting my creative back
I think January was such a ho-hum month because of all the creative energy I spent before Christmas. I needed a breather from days and nights of crafting. Don't get me wrong - I loved the crafting and I love who I did all the crafting for. I'm amazed at all I learned too - how to knit mittens with double-pointed needles, how to make "real" hair for wooden dolls (as opposed to the painted on variety), how to make lip balms and body butters and flowery bath salts. But a break was most definitely in order.
Now, though, the page on the calendar has been flipped. The sun is shining through the windows for much more of the day now, we're in a bit of a warm spell, and some of our energy is returning. I've been scouring the internet for some fun projects to share with little ones. I've been flipping through books and letting the gears spin in my head for how to take someone else's amazing idea and add my fingerprint to it.
So, what's in store for the weeks and months ahead?
~ Learning the science of popcorn and flexing our scientific process muscles
~ Considering how colour and music can express a feeling, then taking a shot at creating our own expressionist art
~ Trying out some needle felting with cookie cutters to make a valentine's day swag (and to share an important message about treating our own and others' bodies and feelings with the utmost respect)
~ Looking at the light spectrum, and playing with impressionism
~ More poetry!
~ Making our own paint from natural materials - think eggs, perhaps milk, some dirt or coffee, berries, and we'll see what else
~ Taking a crack at surrealism and using some unusual objects to create different textures.
~ And I'm taking some time to knit a little (big) something for me too.
Stay tuned!
Now, though, the page on the calendar has been flipped. The sun is shining through the windows for much more of the day now, we're in a bit of a warm spell, and some of our energy is returning. I've been scouring the internet for some fun projects to share with little ones. I've been flipping through books and letting the gears spin in my head for how to take someone else's amazing idea and add my fingerprint to it.
So, what's in store for the weeks and months ahead?
~ Learning the science of popcorn and flexing our scientific process muscles
~ Considering how colour and music can express a feeling, then taking a shot at creating our own expressionist art
~ Trying out some needle felting with cookie cutters to make a valentine's day swag (and to share an important message about treating our own and others' bodies and feelings with the utmost respect)
~ Looking at the light spectrum, and playing with impressionism
~ More poetry!
~ Making our own paint from natural materials - think eggs, perhaps milk, some dirt or coffee, berries, and we'll see what else
~ Taking a crack at surrealism and using some unusual objects to create different textures.
~ And I'm taking some time to knit a little (big) something for me too.
Stay tuned!
Monday, 4 February 2013
Free-range Monday
I write this post with lunch-time approaching. But everyone seems so immersed in their work that I hate to disrupt them. Here's what's going on throughout my house...
Jaelyn is making Valentines for her friends and family. I'm helping by cutting out hearts of all shapes and sizes (which is very meditative). I asked her who she would like to give Valentines to, and wrote out the list she dictated to me so that she can work at her own pace. She's also organized her list by family, and by how she knows each family. I'm pleased that she's writing a little note in each one, and decorating them with her own artwork and other special items. That being said, she's only finished two so far, and her enthusiasm may whittle out as she gets to the end of her list.
Nicholas is upstairs in his room reading Whispers of War: the War of 1812 Diary of Susanna Merritt. I truly believe there is no other place he would rather be right now than laying on his bed, fully immersed in that book, which is adding further details about the war that he will imaginatively play out later.
Astrin is, well, sleeping. We went for our morning walk, and then settled down at the table where she started drawing and then promptly dumped all the crayons on the floor. I brought her down to clean up her mess, and then she informed me she wanted to go to bed. And it's been quiet ever since.
And me? Besides cutting out hearts, I've put together a birthday party invitation, imagined the activities I'll lead for this month's homeschool co-op classes, mentally added things to our grocery list, and rearranged what the day's meals will look like given the errands and activities that need to be done today. If the afternoon continues like the morning, and my little toddler sleeps much longer, I may even pick up the knitting needles and do a round or two.
Jaelyn is making Valentines for her friends and family. I'm helping by cutting out hearts of all shapes and sizes (which is very meditative). I asked her who she would like to give Valentines to, and wrote out the list she dictated to me so that she can work at her own pace. She's also organized her list by family, and by how she knows each family. I'm pleased that she's writing a little note in each one, and decorating them with her own artwork and other special items. That being said, she's only finished two so far, and her enthusiasm may whittle out as she gets to the end of her list.
Nicholas is upstairs in his room reading Whispers of War: the War of 1812 Diary of Susanna Merritt. I truly believe there is no other place he would rather be right now than laying on his bed, fully immersed in that book, which is adding further details about the war that he will imaginatively play out later.
Astrin is, well, sleeping. We went for our morning walk, and then settled down at the table where she started drawing and then promptly dumped all the crayons on the floor. I brought her down to clean up her mess, and then she informed me she wanted to go to bed. And it's been quiet ever since.
And me? Besides cutting out hearts, I've put together a birthday party invitation, imagined the activities I'll lead for this month's homeschool co-op classes, mentally added things to our grocery list, and rearranged what the day's meals will look like given the errands and activities that need to be done today. If the afternoon continues like the morning, and my little toddler sleeps much longer, I may even pick up the knitting needles and do a round or two.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Poetry
I'm loving how enthusiastic Nicholas is about writing poetry. For a guy who would prefer to talk instead of write, he puts up very little fuss when it comes time to write some poetry. We've worked through limericks and haiku, and we recently moved on to poems that do not rhyme, but that instead follow a pattern in the number of syllables per line. Nicholas wrote a lovely poem about owls the other day, and I chose to get in on the action by writing one too. While he was reluctant to share his, here's mine:
The Sentry
I gaze out my window
At her speckled white feathers--
She barely notices the cold.
She perches so regal atop the bale
And stands watch over the field.
The fields are all icy,
Covered with a thick blanket
Of hard-packed, freezing white snow.
Who would venture from its cozy warm home
To the dangers that await?
What was that over there?
Her head quickly spins to the
Movement she spots in the distance.
Ah yes, there it is, a plump little mouse--
A welcome meal for tonight.
She spreads her great white wings
And with a powerful flap,
Rises up and silently skims
Over the surface of the bleak white field.
She is beauty in action.
She speeds toward her prey
With effortless ease and grace--
The mouse is unaware of her.
Her lethal talons stretch out for the kill.
One small life fuels another.
I gaze out my window
As she sails back to her perch
And she blinks her big yellow eyes.
Watching and waiting for hints in the dark--
The alert sentry stands guard.
The Sentry
I gaze out my window
At her speckled white feathers--
She barely notices the cold.
She perches so regal atop the bale
And stands watch over the field.
The fields are all icy,
Covered with a thick blanket
Of hard-packed, freezing white snow.
Who would venture from its cozy warm home
To the dangers that await?
What was that over there?
Her head quickly spins to the
Movement she spots in the distance.
Ah yes, there it is, a plump little mouse--
A welcome meal for tonight.
She spreads her great white wings
And with a powerful flap,
Rises up and silently skims
Over the surface of the bleak white field.
She is beauty in action.
She speeds toward her prey
With effortless ease and grace--
The mouse is unaware of her.
Her lethal talons stretch out for the kill.
One small life fuels another.
I gaze out my window
As she sails back to her perch
And she blinks her big yellow eyes.
Watching and waiting for hints in the dark--
The alert sentry stands guard.
Friday, 1 February 2013
A week in pictures
The battery for the camera has been found - hooray! We did a few fun thing this week - hooray! Welcome back, A week in pictures.
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