shell mirrors

Something we love to do at the beach is collect shells and find creative ways to use them. While we were in Florida this summer we made these shell mirrors. We bought the mirrors and glue at Michael's craft store for a few dollars and the shells we found on the beach. This is a great way to display your favorite beach finds. Pilot even found a rusty sharp fish hook that he loved and by adding it to his mirror he got to keep it, but not end up with a trip to the emergency room. The mirrors were fun to make and easy for all ages to enjoy. 

Linking today with:

 

an accidental trip to the aquarium

My Mom and I took a trip into Baltimore the other day to take the kids to Port Discovery (a Children's Museum). It was a rainy day with flood warnings all around, but I was, uncharacteristically for this 3rd trimester, feeling good enough to go. So we decided to do it. As we walked up to the door in the rain we realized it was closed  This was a proud moment for me as a Mom. Both kids seemed to understand and didn't complain as we stood in the rain wondering what to do. We decided to walk over to the aquarium and check it out. I don't normally like taking kids to places like this because everyone usually leaves feeling so tired and overwhelmed, but with a positive attitude, off we went hoping that we would make it before the next downpour. I was just praying that I would be able to make it walking around the whole place without having to have my mom push me in a wheel chair. This pregnancy has made it really hard for me to walk a lot as I get the worst contractions and pains in my back and belly if I do. We took it easy, and it turned out to be a great day. The most peaceful day actually. Everyone was very content and happy. Pilot held my hand and walked slowly with me and Jetta was so excited about each exhibit. I let them just look at each animal without having to "teach" something every time. We talked a little about what they were but mostly just let them have the experience without too much input from me. What I think was the most valuable lesson was telling them personal experiences stories. For example while we walked through the coral reef section, my mom told them all about her experience with seeing coral reefs while scuba diving in Okinawa, where we lived wen I was a child.   We let the kids take their time quietly watching the sting rays swim so graceful and quiet. That uninterrupted time to simply observe is priceless and without any "teaching" going on, amazingly they learn so much more, and we all left relaxed and happy. What a surprisingly good day. Not the day that was planned, but the day that unfolded because we let it.

this "muddy" moment

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy. If you want to see other moments being shared this morning, go over to SouleMama. 

A year in Art: Art Book Time

It's Art Book time again! I can't believe it has already been a year since we made our last one. Each year we save many of the kids pieces of art and at the end of the summer, we take pictures of them and put them into art books. This way we can see all their art from the year and share it with others without having to rent a storage space to house it all.  The process of sorting though the art is time consuming, but it is so much fun reminiscing about each picture......  like finding buried treasures.  I let the kids sift through their piles of art, that I have saved in a drawer, picking all the art they want to go in their books. This year will be Pilot's first time creating his own art book. Even our cat Luca got in on the fun. After the kids had picked out the art to go in their books, we took pictures of the art and uploaded them to WinkFlash and created the books online. (My friend told me about a great deal winkflash has every year where you only have to pay the base flat rate for the books and you can get up to 100 pages. Those type of deals are great to look for when you want to do a project like this.) I let the kids pick out the background colors for each page so they were involved with the book making on every level. We sent them off to be made and had to wait to receive them in the mail. The day they came was a rainy stormy day. My mother and mother-in-law happened to be here so we all jumped on the couch and the kids got to share their year of art with their grandmothers, who couldn't have been happier. These art books are such a wonderful way to share and display all of that beautiful, creative, soulful expression that comes out of my children every day that we hate to just throw away, but they are so prolific that to keep it all would take over our lives.

making dolls with daddy

The joy of playing with a hand made dolls is unlike anything else and if you make it yourself you really see and feel all the love and care that goes into each and every inch. A couple of weeks ago I bought a book on how to make your own dolls and other sewing projects for kids. John was so excited about it that he took the kids to the fabric store that weekend to get all the supplies he needed. I think the ladies in the store were looking at him with skepticism as he proceeded to gather all the fabric and other dolls making supplies he would need. One lady even encouraged him to start with an easier project as doll making is really hard.  I agreed that it was a hard project to tackle, but had complete confidence in them because I knew that if anyone could figure it out, it would be John. So the kids picked out their dolls skin, hair and eye colors and they all left the store with excitement and anticipation in their eyes.  Since John does have to work during the days, they spent early mornings and weekends working on the doll. Jetta was so enthusiastic to help and did lots of the hand stitching herself. She patiently looked on as John did some of the more difficult things. They both could hardly stand to stop working on the doll when they had to. And when the final piece of hair went on, she was named Pipi, and everyone was thrilled.  You can feel all the hard work and love that went into making her just looking at her. I think she will be well loved and cared for in this house.  I think this is just the beginning of many new dolls that they will create and will grace our family with their presence. The experience of making a doll with her Daddy was something she will not ever forget.

This Moment: sewing with daddy

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy. If you want to see other moments being shared this morning, go over to SouleMama. 

my garden and my kitchen

From the garden this week:

Lots of Chard and Kale, one little cucumber, and some hot peppers. 

In the kitchen this week:

Gluten Free Teff Pancakes, cultured veggies and home made 24 hour yogurt.

In the garden this week:

tiny sprouts are coming up. Beets, Rutabaga, Turnips, Kale and Collard greens