Coconut Porridge!

Check out my latest post over on the Natural Kids Team Blog and warm yourself with this new family favorite....

Coconut Porridge

Blackboard Sanity

Do you ever feel like you are playing house?  I sure do.  The fact that I am married and have two kids is surreal to me.  Then, in the surreal bubble, I lock into a part of my childhood fun that I want to incorporate into the surreal kid and husband bubble.  That is how we came up with THE BLACKBOARD WALL. I used to play house and school all in one breath (no wonder I want to homeschool) so every kitchen I played house in had a blackboard.

I have seen this on other cool mama blogs, so I am not claiming originality with this idea.  Just brilliance.  Self loving brilliance.  A friction point for Dan and I is our weekly shop and the "what are we going to have tonight for dinner (or lunch)" conversations.  We are both so tiered and hungry by meal times that having to make decisions is stressful for us both.  On top of that we are cleansing so we have a very limited diet as it is and need to plan ahead.  Menu planning was such a bore for us...until we got... THE BLACKBOARD WALL!

Now it is fun for us all as we fill in our menu plans for each day and draw little fun doodles to support our food choices with a bit of fun.  I love it and it has made all the difference for us at meal times.

lists

Our only snow this year

Tonight is the first night I have had some alone time since before my little man was born.  I managed to get Narina to bed by 8, which considering last night it was 10, I am thrilled, and Esben is sleeping beside me on a pillow.  I have been alone with the kids for a few days now, something I am coming to cherish.  It allows me the space to connect with each of them.  It makes me a more present mama. I have really enjoyed crafting and running and doing yoga with Narina.  I think we have both enjoyed playing with Esben on his sheepskin rug in front of the fire. We have visited friends and managed to get a lot of chores done.  It has been a very productive few days.  Something that I have been missing over the past few months is the moment at the end of the day to reflect on the beauty that surrounds me. I have a list of things to think about, which sounds strange, but as a new mother of 2 and a chronic virgo analyzer, I miss the introspection to learn from my mistakes and acknowledge the ways in which I am stronger. 

Everyone loves a list (don’t they?)

Esben in his wonderful woolens

 

This is what I am thankful for:

• My friends K and J gave birth to a beautiful boy who is finally home. 
• I may get the use of my sewing room back this week.  It has been used for storage of our living room contents while we recovered from the flood that happened two days before Esben was born.
• I have seen the bottom of the laundry basket for the first time in months.
• My daughter singing the food blessing louder than our teacher at our Waldorf toddler group.

Narina enjoying the snow for the first time.  Last year it freaked her out.

This is what I would like to do for myself in the near future:

• Get the shop up and going again.
• Start knitting the kids some overalls (learn how to read knitting patterns)
• Start a regular reading ritual again
• Finish off all thank you notes from the last 3 months
• Have a date with my man (kids sleeping in the background)

 

What I am so very excited about:

• I received my prospectus for the Early Years Waldorf Training program. I won’t be applying until next year, but I am very excited about this shift in my life. 

The Slow Return

And what better way to gracefully reinstate my blogging routine than by showing a video proudly displaying my child with a pair of pantyhose on her head.  Now, just for a bit of clarity, pantyhose appear in my house in the same way that a microwave does.  Far out of reach for us all and only for crafting purposes.  Our microwave lives in the attic and the pantyhose in my craft room (for felting btw).  My craft room is our storage room while the flood repair has taken place.  In this video you can a) hear Narina's voice and decide for yourself where she sounds like she is from, b) see the state of our living room and c) be assured that children really don't need toys at all.  They make what ever they see into fun!