MommyCoddle

go ahead, ask me anything

I have no pictures for this post. So instead you get to see one of the few "say cheese" pictures I've ever taken of my children.

The children's department in our library has a display case that features the collections of the young library patrons. Our family got "the call" for Emma to share her Schleich collection during the month of March. It was quite eye-opening to see them all together. Dan's mother works in a toy store and one of the perks is that my children have been getting a little family of animals in the mail or for any and every holiday since birth. 

It was quite painful for the kids to have their collection on display. When Emma signed up, I don't think she thought about what it would mean to have her whole collection taken away and locked up for a month.
Both of them sort of wandered around the house aimlessly, not exactly sure what their creative play life would look like without a handful of horses, zebras and deer. But they're back and the reunion was sweet.

So on a completely different note and my purpose for this post--questions. Spring fever is hitting my blog and I'm doing a little work on the old sidebar, including finally tackling my "about page". I'm really horrible at this stuff--sizing myself up, describing myself in a neat little paragraph. So instead, I thought I'd put out the all-call for questions. So fire away, ask me anything. Please. I don't care what you ask--where were you born? What color are your eyes? What's your favorite meal? Do you color your hair?  What college did you go to? As long as its not my social security number, home address or checkbook balance, I won't care. Give me some material folks. I'd love to have some questions to answer in my about page, because the long-winded paragraphs I just wrote are no good. And if you don't ask me some good questions, then you'll just have to suffer with the gibberish I just wrote--at ten at night, dinner dishes untouched, dog scratching at the door and someone in ladybug pajamas taking up my spot in the bed.

Help a girl out. Ask me anything.

**PS. thank you for all the birthday wishes for miss mary. warmed my heart.**

the birds and the bees

The birds:
I made cutting boards for my family two years ago in this sparrow shape and I've been wanting to do something else with it ever since. So last week when I had my sewing machine out, I tried a swallow-shaped pillow. However, I don't think they are going to work as a pillow. I haven't stuffed them yet, but I think they'll lose their shape and charm when stuffed. Now I'm thinking they'd make a great applique on a pillow....any other ideas?

My purpose for having out the machine was to make two of these friendly little turtles--a favorite homemade toy in our home, who are now wrapped up and safely on their way to a very, very, VERY patient family.

The bees:
Melissa sent me an email this week, asking me to blog about a very important project. The Great Sunflower Project is an effort to attract and count honeybees in personal and community gardens. If you sign up for the project they will send you a free packet of sunflower seeds to plant in your garden (or even a pot on your deck). All you need to do in return is take two bee counts (according to their simple instructions) and send in or fill out their online count. The whole count will take less than 30 minutes. I'm going to do it as a school project with Emma and Mary. I hope you'll join Melissa and me and be a part of this important project. (I'd love to know if you decide to join in!) Here is an article in the NYTimes about our honeybees in peril.

The birds and the bees:

First of all, no. I am not pregnant. But that doesn't stop me from getting inspiration from an amazing new book that April at Chronicle Books sent me last week. The book is called Nursery Style and it is by Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter of the California-based store, Serena and Lily. I love these kinds of books because I find so much inspiration and ideas packed into them. And I love paying attention to the little details--the artwork, the pillows, how the toys are put away, how an armoire is utilized, the curtains.

1. image 1, 2. image 2, 3. image 3, 4. image 4

Even though the book is aimed at nursery design, there are still so many great ideas in this book for anyone decorating a home with and for children.(stefani, I thought about you with those silhouettes in image 3. Can you do that?! :) So baby on the way or not, this book is full of beautifully designed living spaces, new ideas and fantastic tips and hints for decorating. And April, I want everything on page 74 and 75.

Happy Weekend everyone. Sign up for your bee count, read a good book and take it easy.
See you Monday.

four

Yesterday someone in our house turned four. It was a very big deal. I'm not sure I've seen her so tickled with life as she was yesterday. Did the smile ever leave her face? I don't think so.

I always get all weak in the knees on these birthdays. I want to stop time, forbid getting any older. And yet, I love seeing how they've changed and grown in just one more year's passing. I'm proud, sentimental, sad, full of joy and full of satisfaction.

So you're four miss mary and what can I say about you?

*you love cows. even though I know that you secretly love horses. but since your sister loves horses, you decided to start loving cows. Just to be different.

*every odd sound and gesture that Elizabeth makes--I owe all to you. And you're the reason that Elizabeth knows how to snap her fingers. Because every morning when the first coos come over the monitor, you race into her room, climb into her crib and entertain her for another fifteen minutes before I come in. She lights up for you.

*you are a snuggler. big time. i love that.

*two nights ago, when I put you to bed and told you I'd love you forever...you told me you wanted to die at the same time. so we could be in heaven together.

*you're tender. you still tell me that you have a broken heart over "spring", your kitten that was lost almost two years ago.

*you tell me that you love me at random moments in the day. I hope you never stop.

Happy birthday sweet little mary.

fresh air

The house is quiet tonight. Elizabeth has been tucked in her crib for quite some time. Emma went to bed extra early after a meltdown. Dan fell asleep on the sofa after a tough day at work. And Mary was my sidekick, helping me finish up the last dinner dishes, setting the table for breakfast and sneaking off to her bed "quiet as a church mouse."

When I disappear from my blog, like I did last week, it is usually a sign that I'm overextended or something in my life is leaving me uninspired. And to be honest, I'm rarely that busy, so generally, it's the latter. This last week, it has been continued battles with my dear six year old. Is there something about this age? Is it spring fever? I'm not sure, but I'm pulling out all my parenting know-how, all my former teacher know-how, all my "someone I know tried this" know-how, and I'm having little success. I love the girl for the way she feels her way through life, and dives into everything to the fullest--but at the same time--she feels everything and dives into everything to the fullest. It means lots of emotions, and ups and downs, and hurt feelings, and disappointment, and frustration....phew. I can hear my mother's wisdom in my ears, "This too shall pass." I'm holding on to that truth.

So for me, it means I need to work harder to find my moments to refuel and relax. I found one moment this evening--dinner was warming on the stove, Dan and the girls were off on a quick errand and Elizabeth was asleep. I stuffed the baby monitor in my coat, a pair of scissors in my back pocket and headed down to my grandmother's gardens for something to brighten up my table.

The sun was golden and the air was perfectly crisp. It was the breath of air in my lungs that I needed in order to face the rest of my evening with grace and joy.

And now, a quiet house, a kitchen "put to rights" (to quote Mr. Berry), some daffodils on my table, a dark house, except for the glow at my desk, and the prospect of a warm bed and a good book. Another breath of air in my lungs, a release for my mind and my heart and I'm ready to face another day with joy and grace.

And I hope you'll see me here again tomorrow. That will be a good sign.   

Creative Family

I had the amazing pleasure of getting a review copy of Amanda's new book , The Creative Family, in my mailbox last week. I have been carrying the book around with me everywhere I go, slipping in a few more pages as time allows. Things are underlined, starred, pages are dog-eared and the cover is already tattered from marking my place as I move through her book. It is like holding all the inspiration and ideas from her blog in your hands; having it on your lap to easily flip through or revisit a favorite part.  And that is what I've found myself doing this past week. Feeling the need for a recharge, I grab her book and open to my place and find a little inspiration or idea that helps me push back into my day.

Amanda approaches motherhood, creativity, and the work of raising our children with tenderness, care,  joy and intentionality. And her book is a reflection of that spirit. It is wonderful to read Amanda's words and thoughts on making by hand, dress up play, sewing with children or falling in love with the woods, and then turn the page to find one of her favorite projects or activities.

The Creative Family, is one of those books I think every mother(and father) needs to read. It is a reminder of the curious, tenderhearted, open minds of our children, and the important task we are given in shaping and guiding their young lives.

Every so often, I'll read a book and come to a passage or an idea and think, "That, right there, made the whole book worth it." Sometimes I'm tempted to close the book at that place and soak in the words I just read--so that I really remember them. That experience happened to me several times reading this book but the first time was in the beginning, reading Amanda's thoughts on gratitude. It made me remember that teaching my children gratitude and thankfulness is one of the greatest gifts I can give them. She says, "Practicing gratitude in our families can help our children...giving them a lifelong gift that will nurture all of who they are."

It reminded me of a favorite quote from Wendell Berry's Andy Catlett that I have scribbled in my journal, "No one who has gratitude is the onliest one. Let us pray to be grateful to the last."

Amanda's book is everything I expected after being a regular reader of her blog, and more. It is a gift of inspiration and encouragement in the blessed gift of nurturing the creative lives of our children and our families.

Irish Syndrome

When we were growing up my sister had an Appaloosa mare named "Irish"--(whose birthday falls on this day.) But the one thing I remember about her, besides the time she decided to roll in the stream while my sister was in the saddle--was the way she behaved every time you began to tack her up for a ride. Her head would droop, her eye lids would get heavy, she'd sigh big heavy sighs.

And this morning, as the girls and I sat at the kitchen table to do a few simple school lessons, I thought of Irish as I watched Emma. She got all droopy, put her head down on the table, flipped her pencil around carelessly. Perhaps, once again, I should have backtracked and made her a piece of peanut butter toast or some fruit and cheese, but I tried to see it through to the end. And the end came quickly.

I know that homeschooling is definitely the right decision for our family, right now. But man oh man, can it get frustrating some times. I waffle between unschooling, homeschooling, classical....I fall somewhere in the middle of all of those philosophies, if that is possible. I was an elementary school teacher before I stayed home with my children, so I feel like I have some experience to draw from, and I see growth and learning happening every day (sometimes more with Mary than with Emma), so I know things are working. But some days, when she gets what I'm now referring to as "Irish-syndrome", I start to question everything. Is it the fact that I should have given her a snack? Did she not get enough sleep last night? Am I boring her? Is it simply the fact that I'm her mother?

But the beauty of schooling her at home is that I can say, "alright, that's enough for now. We'll try again later. Here's a sandwich and some grapes. Call me when you're feeling better."  And I remind myself that last week, just last week, she told me how much she loved school and loved what we were doing. And I remind myself that every homeschooling mother has these moments. And I take a breath. And I start again.

**this last picture is for my husband. Mary spelled Case IH for you--all by herself.**

dinner, revisited

Hello, I'm still here. I owe my disappearance from this blog to a writing deadline that was using up my brainpower, another round of (milder) sickness hitting the youngest two, and just too many sunny days. Although Elizabeth seems to have the worst of it now, but she had a milder case of the flu when we were all suffering with it the first time around. I see sick eyes in this picture....

I finally finished my mobile for meg's mobile swap last week. It is a variation of the one hanging over elizabeth's changing table, which she is demonstrating in this picture, needs to be raised a wee bit! And instead of hanging it on an embroidery hoop, I attached a few fabric leaves to a willow branch and hung the swallows from there. If you haven't seen the mobile swap flickr group, you must check it out. There is some amazing work floating around--(one of my favorites being the one meg made...)

So this week I planned my menus again, just dinner--and spent a little more than last week--$131. But last week I think I did a better job of using some of the things I already had in my pantry and made some old standby meals. This week I tried two new recipes. Several people have asked me to share what I made, but let me warn you, we are a very meat and potatoes type of family. Well-balanced and colorful, yes, but meat and potatoes. This is nothing fancy, all very simple menu items....

Monday (b/c the planned roast didn't defrost):
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Baked potatoes
salad

Tuesday:
Marinated chicken
Couscous
Broccoli
Tomato/Bocconcini cheese/Basil tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Wednesday:
Meat Loaf
baked sweet potatoes
homemade corn bread
salad

Thursday:
Spaghetti with turkey meatballs
homemade bread
salad

Friday:
homemade pizza--
"white" pizza--chicken, artichoke hearts, spinach, a bit of bacon, mozzarella cheese.

tabouli over mixed greens--
this was a first try for me, the tabouli. I made it from a mix out of a box and it was no good. But I want to find more grains to include in my menus besides rice and couscous, so if anyone has any suggestions?)

(and I think we had some applesauce in there somewhere...)

So there it is. In all it's (lack of) glory.
Now I'm hungry....

a culinary convert

Not everything goes smoothly in my kitchen. I'd like to say that my clumsy children spilled the cornmeal all over the counter top, but it was me. And it was everywhere. I actually got out the vacuum cleaner hose to suck it off the counter in some places, and out of the cracks in the drawers.

But aside from this minor mishap in the kitchen, this week has gone so smoothly. Months ago, you all shared some of your grocery-saving tips and one that I heard over and over was, plan. your. menus. You'd think, hearing it over and over, I might actually give it a try, but I confess to still being guilty of the last-minute meal, the standing in front of the freezer/refrigerator/pantry looking for inspiration.

But this week, I sat down with a few back issues of Everyday Food and my notebook and got to work planning the week's dinner menu. Then I went to the grocery store and do you know how much I spent for the whole week, including what I thought were a few splurges like bocconcini cheese and a fresh basil plant for my windowsill?? $87! And do you know how many times I went back to the grocery store for things I forgot or things I needed to make that night's dinner??? Zero. Zero!

It's been pure bliss. Waking up each day, knowing exactly what ingredients to get out, not agonizing over what to make and feeling that panic when 4pm hits and I have nothing concrete planned. Having everything bubbling and simmering and baking happily in the kitchen. Really, it's culinary bliss.

Where have I been? Why I have NOT been doing this every single week? I'm a true convert now, people. I have now become a follower of the meal-planning faithful. 

So, it's Friday folks. If you're not a menu-planner--perhaps I'm the last to get on board--give it a try this week. It is so worth it. It's a time-saver, a money-saver, a sanity-saver. You'll see....

And in the meantime, any inspiration for me for this week's menu? I'd love to hear....

good stuff

I've been in front of the computer probably a dozen times this week, with the purpose in mind of writing this post. But each time, something or someone distracts me or pulls me away. We've still been battling this lingering flu and no one is quite feeling their full and healthy-self yet.

In the meantime, some good stuff has come my way, beginning with what's arrived in my mailbox...

Completely out of the blue, Hannah sent me this awesome potholder. I love it. It's like a little bit of spring sitting on my counter. And you'd think the p2p card was made for it. They go perfectly together. Can you see it in this picture? The little yellow and white buttons of color on the card? Perfect. Hannah, thank you so much. Such a good surprise. I love it.

The other surprise, I haven't been able to photograph, because it is in hiding, waiting for a special 4th birthday that's coming up at the end of the month. But Ellen was kind enough to include us in a drawing for some kitty bags. Check out her picture of the set. We got the cute tan kitty with green eyes. Mary's going to love it! Thank you.

Other good things?

Emily's green week has been beautiful popping up all over my flickr photostream.

Jennifer's "made from scratch" posts are fantastic. She even includes a cost breakdown of homemade vs. store-bought. She's convinced me I need a yogurt maker.

Ella's dolls are waking up.

And the sun is shining. A-GAIN! Oh happy day.

a new day

a new day hinting of spring.
windows cracked open just a little bit.
clothes hanging on the line.
bike rides and a seat in the sun.
fevers gone.
sore muscles stretched and relaxed.
thank goodness for a new day.