Reawaking the garden

It is time to start planning the garden.  The weather has been wet and cold this week.  But spring is in the air - last week it was so lovely, we were thinking about getting out our summer clothing. The birds are out and flowers are starting to bud and bloom.  

Our yard looks forlorn and neglected.  It didn't receive much attention last year as I was attending to a wee one.  We also had a rampaging mole who did a fine job of tearing up the lawn and uprooting many of my flowers.  Thankfully, the new kitty evicted the evil little rodent.

Now I have to decide where to start.   The options are a bit limited as our yard is small and it only gets afternoon sun.  We also have large playset and a sandbox to contend with.  (I am dreaming of a larger outdoor space in our next residence!)  Garden placement must also take into account marauding children who always seem to forget that the new lavendar is not some evil intruder that needs to be killed with a stick.

 My dream space will include a wall of sunflowers and a beanpole teepee.  I would love to have some lettuces, beans, tomatoes, peas, carrots and squash. A selection of herbs would be lovely additions to winter soups.  I also want to add to the native plants which currently live in the yard. 

 

The planters on our shady front porch will be needing something bright and cheery to welcome the visitors and greet us when we come home. 

I am trying to contain myself.  It is the end of February.  Surely Jack Frost will pop by for a visit (probably right after I plant something!)  I have to make sure I will have the time to care for my space.  There is nothing so sad as seeing all all the hard work wither away because I forgot to water the yard for a month.  (Some days the call of the beach and ocean is so loud that I have to leave all the work behind and go play.)

I think I will just pop by the nursery, drool a bit and try to wait a few more weeks before tackling the outdoor space.  To every thing there is a season.  I suppose I shall have be content with the season of dreaming. Sigh.


Have a dreamy day.

Our End of Winter Nature Table

Our Nature Table  (a little shelf on which we honor the changing of the seasons with collections from our walks, art and anything that suits our fancy) has finally taken on a form I am really happy with.  Over the years we have done lots of scenes but there has always been a missing piece - a little bit of magic.

There is a lovely story we use for Melisa Nielsen's Before the Journey http://shop.beaconmama.com/Before-the-Journey-201.htm for part of our Advent.  The gnomes in the story meet at the mushroom doorway (I just love this wooden mushroom).  So I set out to find a mushroom house.  I finally located a beautiful one at LittleElfsToyshop on Etsy.  It is just what our table needed as we make our way through the various seasons.

The nature table has looked a bit barren and wintry since we removed all the holiday decorations.  My eldest son added these pine boughs collected on our last walk.  I like the greenery in the scene with all the gnomes busily working to prepare the earth for the arrival of spring.  Won't be long now before spring settles in and winter flees!  I'll keep you posted as the table evolves with the season.


Have a great day!

Quote of the day

 "If you want your children to be brilliant, tell them fairy tales. If you
want your children to very brilliant, tell them even more fairy tales." -Albert Einstein.

We have been reading lots of fairy tales.  The kids found my childhood Reader's Digest anthology of fairy tales.   How I loved these stories when I was child.  It is fun to revisit them and so nourishing for all of our spirits.

Have a great day.
Laura 

A walk through our neighborhood

 

The Epitome of Spring

Our Valentine Tree

Flowers from Heaven

This little Sunflower forgot to come last summer.

Blossoms for the Bees

Have a great day!

Baby Gifts

I am making burp cloths for a friend who is expecting baby #4 in May.  I am so excited because they turned out so darn cute. (Makes me wish I had a baby who spit up just so I could use them!) 

They are made with a super soft, super absorbent cloth diaper (the really nice quality ones, not the ones you buy at the drugstore) and are trimmed with a nostalgic print and my favorite trim - ric rac (everything looks better with ric rac in my humble opinion!)

Who ever thought something so practical could look so lovely.   (Why didn't they have these available when my kids were wee ones?)

Super cute!

Have a great day!

The gift of childhood

Childhood is so short and precious yet it seems like there is such a big push in our society to grow up and become independent - the earlier, the better. There is an underlying fear that a dependent child will become a dependent adult.  A fear that a child which has not been properly enriched with the myriad of classes available will somehow never become a competent, competitive adult in our high tech world.

I think we would be better served if we could respect the gift of childhood.  Respect a child's need to be in nature, have a dependable nourishing home life, and be surrounded by adults who create an environment conducive to mastering the astounding amount of skills needed to function in our society. By respecting a child's needs, we will teach them to be respectful of others and to become responsible adults.  Time and freedom to play, create, dream and imagine with limitedoutside influences (especially media) will give a child a sense of well-being and balance.  A child will carry this sense of self with them throughout their lives.

In our house, we consciously choose to give our children plenty of time.  Some days it is a struggle.  There are so many wonderful opportunities available.  Yet by stepping back and leaving unscheduled time in our week, our children play alone or with each other, read, draw, explore outdoors and many other self guided pursuits.  They easily entertain themselves.  Hopefully as adults, this will allow them to be self-directed in their careers and their personal lives.  I am hoping that by respecting their childhood, we will give them the ability to respect themselves as adults, the ability to pursue paths which will fulfill them and the tools to know that they are responsible for making things happen.

Have a great day.

Happy Valentine's Day

picture courtesy of lake.sider @ flickr.com

They say love makes the world go round.  Well in it certainly turns my world.  I never imagined how much you could love anyone until I had kids.  

Don't get me wrong, I am madly in love with my husband.  He is the light of my life.  He is  my strength and guide on days where I just don't feel up to taking on the huge task of parenting.  He helps me conquer the bumps that life throws into my path.

The love for my kids is different, intangible, unexplainable in its enormity.  As I often tell them - "I just love you".  That simple phrase explains my feelings for them completely.  It is the kind of love that sees them for all they have been, all they are and all they might be.  It is a love that will always be there, no matter what.  

I can't really explain it.  I just love them.  I hope everyone has an opportunity to open their hearts and life to this kind of love.  It really challenges and inspires me to be more than I am today - every single day.


Have a great day.

run run as fast as you can.....

 PHOTO COURTESY OF PRISMAGLITTER @ FLICKR

Today our little homeschool will put on a puppet show of The Gingerbread Man.  Nothing fancy.  Puppets are drawn by me, colored and mounted by one child and performed by my eldest who is also in charge of sets.

After a more authentic version of the play is performed, the kids will put on their own interpretation of this classic tale.

Maybe if I'm really ambitious, I'll bake a loaf of gingerbread to eat while we watch our production.

What fun!  Have a great day.

Water Therapy

 The ocean is my first love.

I lucky enough to live by the ocean.  I breathe it's clean air every time I go outside.  It feeds my soul with it's magnificent beauty.

Even our vacations frequently take us to different areas which are near the ocean.  I never tire of seeing, smelling, feeling the ever changing waters of the world's ocean.

There is nothing like it for me.

Surround yourself with the beauty of nature and you will be inspired and soothed.

Have a great day.

Taking care of me

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowdeal/7933510/

I just started running on January 1st, 2010 after taking a hiatus when I became pregnant with my fourth child. I decided it was time to do something just for me. My goal is the Wharf to Wharf which takes place in July. I have run it before and thought it might be just the motivation I need to get me out the door and back into shape.

Taking care of myself has been very low in the priority list since my baby came and it was beginning to take a toll on me physically and mentally. A five minute shower while my eldest was taking care of the baby in the other room (hopefully no crying was involved) was all the pampering I was getting. Enough was enough. I needed to do something that would contribute to my happiness and sense of well-being. Something that I could manage to do on a regular basis which would easily fit into our busy life. Being happy and healthy had to be a priority so I could continue to be a good mother to my beautiful children.

Running seems to be the perfect answer. Many years ago, I starting running with a girlfriend as a way to manage my weight and I quickly realized that it provided me many other benefits as well. I was able to manage stress better, sleep better and I felt a sense of accomplishment every time I finished a run.

Now I run despite the weather, fatigue, sick kids or busyness. It is one of the few things I do for myself but not necessarily by myself. The kids often accompany me in the jogger or on their bikes. My older kids really look forward to going out with me and I enjoy having a unique way to connect with these lovely children.

The Wharf to Wharf will be here before I know it. Time goes quickly these days. But I will be ready to take it on and after it is done, I will run on to my next challenge with my children riding right beside me.

Have a lovely day.

It's raining!!!

It's pouring rain here. Just when you think King Winter is off to visit other lands... Sigh.


In reality my kids love the rain. The weather is generally mild here. So rain doesn't mean confinement as long as mama is feeling brave enough to face the laundry after a big puddle stomping outing.



The shrieks of joy and the delightful feeling of water rushing past their feet makes it all worthwhile.



Plus when Aunt Spring wakes up, all that rain helps her to bring us these...



Have a glorious day.

Old friends

We met up with an old friend last night for dinner. It was so good to see him and it seemed like nothing had changed in the 10 years since we had last seen him. Life is not like that however. How much do we really know about people? Just what is shared. We share different things with different people and in this way we protect ourselves from a whole host of indignities. There are many times when I don't share my parenting views, educational views or my ideas about my lovely little business. I don't want to defend our choices, seem too far to the right or left on the political spectrum or just seem silly. I also don't want to make the other person feel defensive because their path is different from mine. Wouldn't it be lovely to be authentic and accepted for who we are? As I strive to be more true to myself, I open myself up to others criticisms but also new friends and communities. Many inspire me and I carry their spirit into my daily life and activities. Maybe I can find that strength too. The strength and self love to be a little bit more then what people think they see.