Seedlings & Sprouts, an update...

So much of the garden is volunteer this year, I'm not completely sure of some of what's growing. I love that!  I love learning to recognize seedlings.  French Marigolds & Nasturtiums are popping up everywhere and now that I've grown them from seed for the past few years I can recognize them.  This time of the year is so exciting.  I have the memory of how the garden looked last year at its peak and I want that!  But that time of the year is just a fleeting glimpse of the very hottest point of summer. It's such a reminder to stop and enjoy this moment when everything is beginning anew. 

This looks to be zucchini.  I had wondered if it was summer squash but I compared pics from last year and it appears not. This is where I had wanted to have a butterfly/ bee garden.  The Borage is
coming up beautifully and there are a few flower seedlings under the right zucchini. I wonder what they will become?  Perhaps the zucchini knew right where it would be pollinated best. 

Cherry tomatoes are popping out already, green and full of potential.  Last year I tried yellow pear & grape tomatoes and I guess I decided I didn't like them much. I did try to enjoy them but we're back to cherry this year!

 

My  other "sprouts" are growing well too.  Lately wherever we go Owen has been asking women, young and old, for their hand, kissing it and then telling them they are beautiful. I'm learning this boy LOVES getting a reaction.  It's pretty darn cute.  Whenever he sees me annoyed or getting stressed about something, he forms his hands and forearms into a heart and says, "Mom. Hearts & love".  It always melts my mood, how could it not?

Both of these little sprouts melt my heart and drive me crazy everyday.  If you're a Mom, you'll know exactly what I mean by that. 

In our front yard where the Spring bulbs came up, we threw shade flower seed.  I can't wait to see what these seedlings will become. I love the idea of perennial flower/veggie gardens.  I want to see this effortlessly beautiful all throughout the season. 

There are plenty of other "seedling" projects going on here, including some really exciting Homeschool developments.  More on that another time. 

Until next time...

Growing Up...

 

So, my little Owen is getting soooooo big.  At the end of this month he will be three and a half years old &  he is finally weaned! 

We follow attachment parenting, we did the family bed thing and I always wanted to do child led weaning.  However, my eldest son would have gone on nursing indefinitely I think if I hadn't weaned him myself.  Yikes he was tough case!  I have been ready to wean Owen now for a long time, but he, not so. When he turned three years old I told him we would no longer be nursing. This after lots of preparing him ahead of time. He was so upset that I finally yielded to only at bed time. He did so well with this transition.  Then Papa started getting him to bed often this last month and before we knew it he hadn't nursed in three days. 

After the three days I did our bedtime routine and he asked to nurse. I told him the milk had all gone away, that he was such a big boy he hadn't remembered to nurse in three days!  He was very sad and cried himself to sleep that night. (With me close by of course. Though he didn't want to be touched!) He was sad but not inconsolable like his brother had been. The next day and every evening after that he's asked me if the "milkies" were still gone. He said, "They will not come back?" with a shake of his head.  I told him the milk doesn't come unless a Mommy has a baby.  That babies have a magic that makes milk come and he's such a big boy that he doesn't need the milk anymore.  Well, that might have been the wrong thing to say.

Last night he told me a story at bedtime.  He said, "Babies are angel fairies and they come down from the sky with wands and fairy dust and they have magic to bring the nursies back. You can have a baby and then I can nurse!" I am paraphrasing. What he said was so much cuter than I can remember.  He went on and on and I asked him lots of questions and he loved being the storyteller for a change. It was such a special bedtime that I wanted to record it & remember. 

 

We just recently got this trundle bed from a friend of ours and decorated their room a bit.  My husband says it finally looks like a real room.  Before we had mattresses on the floor, which was fine & functional but we're much happier with this.  Owen sleeps on the trundle.  He comes into our room early in the morning to snuggle but he loves having his own bed.

Both my babies are growing up! Thanks for allowing this Mama a little sentimentality today.

~~~

Next week come by for our Holiday Craft Along!  I am working with my son Michael to make an all handmade woodland tree this year.  We'll be selecting from my Handmade Christmas Pinterest Board and making ornaments throughout the month of December.  Follow me & my boy as we craft and please join in and link to your holiday projects. We would love to see them! 

Mama Guilt & the Waldorf Police

Recently, I've come out of a period of Mama guilt, which is probably why I haven't been blogging much here.  I had realized that if the Waldorf police came over to my house, I would probably be arrested!  Storytelling was falling away. Painting day, where did that go?  Baking, whenever we happen upon it.  Winter Festivals? Which were those?  Yes, I have let it all go but the basics.  We were down to just learning our letters through read aloud fairy tales!  (gasp!) That might be just fine, but the reason I decided to home school was to bring this beautiful Waldorf world to my children.  After a hefty dose of pure liquid Mama guilt, I think I may have learned a few things.

First, I need to forgo the guilt, it doesn't help. Second, I need to give myself a little bit of a break.  My dear Owen is two as many of you know, which is a fun and demanding age.  I gave up painting day because it was frustrating, baking became whenever Owen was asleep or occupied.  And festivals?  Ugh, I became tired just thinking about them. 

But wait, Valentine's Day is coming up!  I've brought out the melted crayon hearts, the garlands, the vases & Valentine's we made last year.  Suddenly I want to make heart shaped candles and Valentine's Day cookies!  I'm re-energized!  Why, because I love Valentine's Day.  It's always been apart of my life, my childhood and I enjoy it.  Looking back through the past year we have celebrated many of the Waldorf festivals. And the ones we really celebrated with gusto were the ones I understood well, truly imbibed and made apart of my thinking.  Once that happens, celebrating becomes so easy, natural and fun!  Like celebrating Valentine's Day, it's effortless, just a natural outpouring of a full spirit!

I've realized that I cannot absorb all of Waldorf education in an instant.  That I do have many years of Waldorf homeschooling ahead of me and plenty of time to get to all of the projects I want to get to.  I've realized knitting will come, storytelling is much easier for me than it used to be.  I've realized that what festivals I do get to will be even more natural and fun to celebrate next year.  And that the ones we haven't gotten to yet will be fun to explore in the years to come.  I'm learning to breathe a little and give up the idea of a "perfect" Waldorf home.  What is that anyway?  It's so easy to compare ourselves to everyone else and feel we're somehow not measuring up.  I do feel like a bit of a lone ship out here in Neverland.  We are the only Waldorf home schoolers in our town (that I know of) and there is no Waldorf school close to us.  So, like many of you maybe, I am learning this method all on my own, with my books and my internet!  I need to be a little kind to myself.

This week, I renewed our sense of rhythm. I made an effort to tell stories, we baked and did crafts together.  And ya know, it really wasn't exhausting but it was truly rewarding.

We made play dough from the Festivals, Family & Food book.

The boys made letters, shapes, textures and sculptures or "creations" as they call them.

We used the play dough to make a sort of mold for pouring candles.  I just saw this method on a blog very recently and now I can't find the post.  If anyone knows, please do tell me so I can reference the blog post here.

I made this one with a tp roll creased to make a heart.

A beeswax ornament.  Mmmm, they smell so good!

The finished candles.

A few fun play dates and dinner with a friend.  And much more.  It was a good week and I feel like we're "back" in terms of truly enjoying the spirit of Waldorf learning.

We also had a wonderful and pivotal day, today, in learning to read!  I'll be writing more on that soon! 

Until next time...

Graditude: pregnancy & becoming a Mother

On Day two & three of the Gratitude challenge, ( I can see there are going to be times I'll have to bundle my gratitude as I missed yesterday's post.)  I give thanks for pregnancy, one of the most beautiful times in my life. Especially all the wonder, excitement & terror of that first pregnancy. 

I also give thanks for the privilege of seeing my eldest, Michael, grow and transition into the beautiful little boy he is.  From babyhood 

to losing his baby teeth and on to the next phase in his development.  I'm so in awe of this amazing job called parenthood.  Being my first little babe, becoming his Mother profoundly changed me.  Things that seemed so important before him,  no longer seemed so very important after his arrival into our lives.  Finding the strength to give birth made me know my own strength.  God bestowed strength that is, because I've never prayed so desperately in my life as both times I've given birth. 

And you know my next Gratitude post will have to be becoming a Mommy for the second time!

Until next time...

Postpartum, all over the place post

Owen is almost 12 pounds at 6 weeks old! What a chunker! We had our last postnatal visit with the midwives. Sad. I feel a little cheated out of my time with them since we didn't have them at our birth. Anyway, I will miss our visits.

These pictures look a little funny. I was at a book store holding Owen just like this when a little girl come up and said with such seriousness, "why are you holding your baby like that?" Now that I see these pictures I can see why she asked. Anyway, obviously I'm not hurting him just holding up his little, floppy, newborn head as I burp him. This sitting position seems to get the best results with my little gassy baby.

And here's my little Michael. I think this picture sums it up. He looks silly and a little sad. When he's not loving all over his brother he's a little unsettled. Probably because I am. Postpartum is not fun for me. I get depressed, overwhelmed and frustrated. (Thankfully the midwives have made me an herbal tincture that works wonders for this.)

My relationship with Michael has changed. How can it not? I have a baby to take care of 24/7 and when I'm not doing that I'm making food of some kind. And cleaning happens when? That's right, hardly ever.

No longer are the long mornings at the park just him and I. Or the endless parade of board games & puzzles to do together. It's sad and I'm mourning a little for that time and at the same time ecstatic to have Owen here. "What, you never met a woman before!?" (LOL, points to the one who can tell me who I just quoted) Anyway, as Owen grows & postpartum eases I'm sure things will get better. I try to love on Michael when ever I can and Daddy takes him out for special one on one times.


I'm so proud of what a sweet big brother Michael is. He's always kissing and loving on Owen. At first this was really frustrating to me as I know it can be overwhelming to baby. Mother bear comes out when I see Owen getting upset. But, what a "problem" to have really? Too many kisses? Just part of Owen's experience being a little bro.

Owen Mackenzie, One Month Old!

Owen is one month old exactly in this picture! It has been a week of firsts.


First walk and first time in the stroller. Notice how he's chunked out! (blogger says chunked is not a word. It should be, no? Well, it's my word for Owen) At the doctor today he weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs, 9 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. The nurse measured him twice because she didn't think he could have grown that quickly.


First haircut! Can you believe it!? Owen, like Michael, was born needing a haircut. So, we trimmed a little around the ears.

And took a little off the back. Then bath time of course. And snuggle time.

One handed blogging & Owen at 3 weeks old

Owen: Nice kiss big brother, thanks!

Owen: Another kiss, rrggggh.


Owen: Just try it again kid, I'll give you such a punch!

Gramma

It was so nice to have my Mom here all the way from New York. She came a few days before my due date to be sure to make it to Owen's birth. Owen came 3 days past due but mom still had a week with us after he was born. We had a great time and she was such a help but it wasn't nearly long enough.

We all love to bake. Mom bought this great cupcake book called "Hello, Cupcake!" and made bug cupcakes with Michael. Bugs are the theme of the season with Michael. He's been keeping a bug jar of beetles and he spends hours looking at them.

They started by making the cupcakes. Banana cake, yum! Mom even made the cake gluten free for me.

Then she made the bugs using chocolate and candy. She put a piece of wax paper over the bug page and traced them in chocolate.


Michael helped by sorting the candy by color (I think he ate more than he sorted) & placing the candy on the chocolate bugs.


They used peanuts, almonds, M& Ms, Skittles, Tic-tacs, Sugar Babies, & Junior mints.

Then Gramma placed the bugs in the fridge to harden and carefully took them off the wax paper to place on the cupcakes.

Aren't they just lovely in a creepy kind of way! Michael loved the entire project. He must of told Gramma he loved her twenty times! We know the key to my boys heart! We miss you Gram!

Owen Mackenzie is here!

Owen Mackenzie
Born at home at 7:45 am, June 30, 2009
7 pounds 11 ounces
19 1/2 " long

Owen was born so fast that Daddy caught him. The midwife came 2 minutes too late. We were all surprised by his quick arrival. More details later.

Homemade Cloth Wipes & Wipe Solution

I plan on using cloth diapers with this little one, who by the way is due today! Owen, you can come on out now.

Anyway, when Michael was a baby, I didn't have a washing machine and decided against cloth. With this one I plan on making a go of it. A friend of mine is lending me her newborn diapers! Woo-hoo! And I plan on purchasing the next size up.

So, I decided to make some cloth wipes out of old receiving blankets and some solid color flannel fabric I had lying around. I hope 30 will be enough!

I'm going to be making my own wipe solution using this recipe.

Aloe Vera Wipe Solution
1/4 c. aloe vera gel
2 drops tea tree oil
2 c. hot water

stir or shake until this recipe is well mixed. Spritz on wipes using a spray bottle. I found this recipe here, along with many others.

So Owen, we're ready for you! Come on out now!

Showered

In late May we had a beautiful baby shower hosted by my good friends Mara and Monica.

Monica made these beautiful flower arrangements for the tables.


Me at almost 9 months pregnant


We painted bibs and onesies for little Owen. Here are Mike and Monica picking on one another as usual.


Ainslie, their Mama Renee, Grady and I


Look how beautiful they came out! I cherish them all. The first onesie here painted by Fionna. The bib by Michael's friend and favorite babysitter Rebeca. Mike painted a minature of his large paintings. I painted the toadstool. Paper plate art made for me by 4 yr old Sophie. And upsidedown, Owen doll by Monica.

My toadstool capped doll bib and Carey's owl. We painted the afternoon away.


Mara made sure Michael and all the kids felt included. They had sidewalk chalk, a slip and slide, a pool and a little play kitchen. Many of them painted bibs and onesies too. They all had a blast!
Here's Sophie, Ainslie, Rebeca and Morgan.

Lachlan on the slip and slide.


Morgan and Michael in the pool.

Friend Mike, my Mike & Luke holding Liam

Monica made this adorable cake. On top is a little baby Owen with a toadstool cap and blanket made with fruit roll ups. A yummy orange, coconut cake was brought by friends Carey and Mike as well.

The whole spread was gluten, dairy and soy free. Hearty menudo, vegetables and hummus, fruit salad and peanut butter, lemon & sugar cookies. It was all delicious!

All the gifts we received were items I really wanted. A cute woodland themed bouncy chair, diaper changing pad, nursing tank and lanisoh, and Burt's Bees bath products. Also, my good friend Carey made me a beautiful wooden beaded necklace with an elephant pendant. And Monica gave be some henna I'd been wanting. As big brother, Michael was gifted a model car, movie and bathtime headband to match Owen's.

Mike and I, feeling showered.


What a blessing to have such loving friends. Here's Mara and I

and Monica and I.

Thank you so much to all our friends who hosted, came & painted, played, brought gifts, food & love. It was a beautiful day!