Recycled Paint Tray

I've been holding onto these large egg trays for a long time just KNOWING I could use them for something (I imagine that's what every hoarder-in-denial tells themself)!

This morning as I was cleaning up my paints and getting them all put away, I had a moment of inspiration to see if the egg tray would fit my paint bottles. As you can see, it's a perfect fit! Tilting them lets me see them all at a glance which for me is a bonus. I HATE searching for things.

Plus, because I work in different areas depending on my mood, I need to cart the paints around, which has been a hassle recently with them scattered here and there all over the house. Now I can pick up the whole tray and bring them all at once. It's really a huge deal for me, and it's such a simple solution! I would never have thought to use these for a paint caddy but it works!

Blue Moons

We didn't miss the beautiful first full moon this month, just a few days ago, and we certainly won't be missing the second full moon this month, known as a Blue Moon, happening on the 31st! Alex likes to camp out in my bedroom on full moon nights so he can watch the moon from my window as he falls asleep.

We know Blue Moons aren't actually blue, but this is a great opportunity for kids to pursue their interest in astronomy! If Alex is so inclined, and if I know my son he will be, I'll be setting out resources so he can find out when the next Blue Moon will be (next year, August 21st!), and support him as he follows new paths of interest that result from his search (constellations? space travel? sun cycles? ocean tides? Chihuahuas? Who knows!!?).  

At daycare we'll be discussing moon cycles, and making some moon related art and crafts to keep their minds on the big event at the end of the month. Most nights here are really clear and warm, making moon viewing a fun family activity that doesn't cost a penny! 

Teddie Bears and Blankies

I love that Alex still sleeps with his teddy bear and favorite blanket!

Not all of my kids had special attachments as children. My middle daughter, turning 19 this year, became attached to a stuffed Big Bird doll my mother had sent her for her 2nd birthday. One day I found 'bee bird' as she called him, left outside after a heavy rain and his electronics were destroyed (we have since become a kid-powered household!). This particular model couldn't really be taken apart so we had to say good-bye to him. I was able to find a similar 'bee bird' that week that my daughter accepted well and she never let that one out of her arms for the next two years. I sewed 'bee bird's' head back on several times because she carried him around by his neck, tucking it under her arm, and wore out this one area of him really fast. Eventually she outgrew 'bee bird' on her own, but I saved him in her keepsake box.

My oldest and youngest daughters never became attached to a toy, blanket or stuffed animal when they were little. Though my oldest daughter did have a favorite kindergarten nap blanket I had made for her that she would snuggle with from time to time through her teens. She would even sneak it away from Alex, who I had handed it down to for his preschool nap blanket, when he wasn't looking.

When Alex came along, a friend gave him a stuffed bear at my shower. Somewhere between 3-6 months old, the bear got lost, and I had to find another one. The stores didn't seem to have the exact same bear anymore, so I got one that was similar once again. He barely noticed the difference and this has been the bear he's had ever since. He has a blanket with a similar story- became attached, it got lost, I replaced it, all was well.

He won't let certain people touch his bear and blankie (I still catch myself calling it his 'mankie' which is how he used to say it) if he thinks they will hurt them, especially our pets. When he was younger he would get upset if his tears got on his blankie (how cute is that?), fearing it would damage it. He can separate from it for a few nights when he is with his dad or at a friends without any difficulty, so I know he has a healthy attachment. He is determined to take the best care of them, not exposing them to bad weather for example, so he can pass them down to his own son one day he says. When he expresses his love, he tells me he has three hearts- one for his love for me, one for his love for his daddy, and one for his love for his bear and blankie.

When I was a child my oldest brother's girlfriend, Nina, gave me a stuffed Koala bear. I named it 'Nina'. haha Nina was the only stuffed animal I was ever attached to. One day I couldn't find my Nina, and for days and days I looked, but she was gone. I remember my family helping me look for her, but they gave up the search pretty quick (as far as I was concerned). I even had a dream where I came home from school to find all of my family gathered, and my older brother stepping forward and pulling Nina from behind his back. They had found her. Yay! I woke up so happy thinking it had been true. But sadly, I never found Nina, and I remember crying over her loss. It is amazing the grief I can still feel over her loss to this day. I, a grandmother, woman who almost never cries because she's as tough as nails, find myself tearing up when I think about my Nina.

That is how powerful attachment items can be for our children. Those feelings of pure love can stay with you your whole life. Why would we ever take that away from them?

Recently, I jokingly (or was it?) interrogated my mother about the mysterious disappearance of Nina. Her response... "Nina? Nina who?" I was shocked that she could barely even remember her! What to me was a very intense and lasting connection to my stuffed animal, was apparently a very private attachment that went unnoticed to the people who claimed to love me. But in all fairness I do not share my feelings easily, so I will not hold a grudge (for much longer). My mom swears she had nothing to do with Nina's missing status, as I was half convinced my family conspired to take her away because they thought I was too old for her, but she swears she didn't, and I SUPPOSE I will give her the benefit of the doubt.

This once. ;-)

I am so glad Alex has something he feels safe with, something that acts as a sort of talisman and helps him feel better when he holds them or when his blankie touches his skin. And I guess I feel like he's still my baby just a little bit when I can watch him sleeping like this snuggled with his bear and blanket. I do not try to prevent him from growing up, but I won't rush him through his childhood, either. Kids need to be allowed to be kids, as long as they are able.     

Farm Fresh Eggs

These are fresh eggs we brought home today. Alex liked comparing all the different sizes- some were huge, some were teeny- and variations in colors. Store bought commercial eggs are all uniform and boring in comparison! We've got about 50 or 60 eggs from our trip today, many of which will be used for our pancakes, eggs and bacon breakfast this Sunday!

Orange Chicken is Alex's FAVORITE!

Since Alex's first bite of Orange Chicken at a Panda Express back home (Seattle) when he was 5 years old, this has been his absolute favorite dish when we eat out. It's not for me, but I love when he loves something!

 

This is orange chicken I made myself at home. I've tried a few recipes in the past but none were up to Alex's high standards. This one hit the mark, though. Eureka! I have struck gold, finally. He likes it. He really likes it!

The Neighborhood Gang

The neighborhood kids and a couple of the school-age daycare kiddos helped unload the wood from the car (no splinters, yay!) this afternoon and even sorted the wood into sizes for me! I doubt any of them show as much enthusiasm for chores at home. haha

Left to Right: Drake 6, Matthew 8, Callie 6, Adam 5
Back Row: Alex 8, Bradley 8

I paid them off with homemade watermelon popsicles, though to their credit, they all were very eager to help with no idea they'd be rewarded. Great kids!

I Love Rainbow Colors!

Here's a craft I completed a few weeks ago for my Etsy shop.

Today I had an inspiration to put them on some Kraft card stock that I use for my shop tags. I'm always trying to perfect my packaging while keeping it simple and plastic-free, and I'm very drawn to the natural look of Kraft paper and boxes.

I also did a listing with these in a mason jar, which I LOVED as well, but the colors get muted just a tad through the glass so you can't see how vibrant they are until you open it up.

Whoever invented the rainbow is a GENIUS!

Cutie Patootie!

One of my daycare kiddos enjoying a drink on a hot sunny day

Wood Working

This past weekend Alex and I went searching for fallen branches and wood pieces. We want to make some walking sticks, Alex wants to make a wand to go with the broom I am making him for Samhain (another reason I'm out looking for branches- I need a broom handle!), and I have some craft ideas in mind. Every few weeks we'll stop and collect some roadside branches that have fallen that catch our eye and toss 'em in the trunk, and we've been storing our collection in the garage to let them dry out.

Unfortunately, our collection isn't nearly as large as I'd like. After almost a year here in Idaho we realize there just aren't that many trees! Most of the solid trees are on private property, or if they are on public property the debris is quickly taken away so there isn't any for us to glean. The trees most abundant are those lining the river and canals, which tend to be more reedy than woody.

So you can imagine my joy when I happened to think about checking the Free section on craigslist and found two listing for free wood! One was from a lot where trees had been cut down to clear it for new construction. 

Here is Alex using the branch cutters for a branch he liked. I don't have a chainsaw, so I couldn't cut up more than 4-6" round branches, however I did find a nice sized cut down log that was about 5 feet long and grabbed that up! Since these trees were cut down for profit, we did a small ritual to thank the trees and to cleanse the area of any negativity left behind.

 The other listing was for wood scraps and flooring planks from an older house that was being gutted.

Joy O Joy!!

This is the one I was REALLY excited about, because I've been thinking about doing some primitive and rustic art/crafts with old wood and flooring planks. But where to find them? And not a week after I thought about them did I find them, and they were free!

Thank you Universe! 

Watermelon: The Wonder Fruit!

What is Summer without juicy, sweet, crunchy watermelon?? This is a staple in our house whenever it is in season. This is our desert, go-to snack and sometimes breakfast during the Summer. I don't know any fruit I love more than watermelon!

Watermelon has so many more health benefits than most people know about, which is why this is a food that I can feel good about Alex eating in unlimited quantities.

Here are some of the good things watermelon provides:

As a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, the watermelon is related to the cantaloupe, squash and pumpkin, and other plants that also grow on vines on the ground. These are all notorious cancer-fighting foods.

Watermelon has tons of Vitamins A and C in just 1 wedge of watermelon. Vitamin B6, pantothenic acid and thiamin are also provided in significant amounts. A powerful antioxidant, watermelon helps neutralize free radicals that cause inflammation, illness, stroke and heart attacks.

The red/pink color of watermelon comes from beta-carotene and Lycopene, both powerful cancer-fighting allies.

One of the main health benefits of watermelon is its status as a powerful antioxidant, which helps to neutralize free radicals than can lead to inflammation, general sickness and chronic illnesses such as stroke and heart attack.

Because of it's high water content, watermelon helps make your metabolism work more efficiently, which in turn can aid in weight loss and fluid retention. Plus, watermelon has so much fiber and protein, your body will still work harder simply processing watermelon, which equals fat burning, y'all!

Alex's Practical Joke

We had some friends over last night for a casual dinner, and someone brought soda. When I opened the fridge to grab the drinks I saw Alex had left me a note directing me to open the drink on the left first.

Knowing my devious practical joker so very well, I grabbed the one on the right instead, silently congratulating myself on my cleverness. 

Alas, I underestimated his deviousness (per usual). The one I opened exploded with flair! I can honestly say I have never seen a soda bottle explode with that much force. Luckily, I, having some nano-second internal warning of the future, and being the spry and lightening quick ninja that I am, sprang out of harms way without a drop on me.

He is a worthy opponent, to be sure. But, due to his need to stay close and watch the mayhem he knew was about to ensue, he was right in the path of the geyser and was the ONLY one who got drenched. 

Check mate. 

Alex's Video titled 'Spinning'

A hurl-worthy performance! 3 thumbs up for this upcoming artist!

Blue Angels

The Blue Angels have not always been my favorite thing. My sentiments are you've seen one airshow, you've seen them all. But since they've been practicing DIRECTLY overhead our neighborhood the last few days, I thought the daycare kids would enjoy getting a peek. 



I'm hoping we will be able to see some of the show from our house (like we did the fireworks for the 4th!) so I don't have to come up with an excuse for not going into town to watch them today. ;-)

Kitty Jail

Alex building a kitty jail.

New sctrach and play toy for the kitties. The swinging ball lasted a good long week before meeting it's doom.

Riding Bikes

Alex learned to ride his bike without his trainers this year, right around his 8th birthday. He's had a bike since he was 2, and loved riding, that is until I took off his training wheels when he was 6 and tried to 'force' him to learn. By forcing I mean I went into super-excited-positive-encouraging-cheerleader-you can do it!-mom mode. I tried to make it FUN and AWESOME! I failed.

Alex (green) with his best friend Mathew (blue) riding bikes at home.

By trying to force him to learn something he naturally resisted, and by trying to pressure him to learn something before he was ready I made him not want to ride his bike at all.

Forced learning is not the unschool way, and I tried to justify my actions by using strange and bizarre mom psychology on myself- "He just needs a little push and he'll thank me! He just needs to get on there and do it, then he'll see it's not so bad, and he'll thank me! He just needs to learn about hard work and the benefits of making an effort. When it pays off he'll thank me!"

So really, as I look back, I skipped over his feelings and went straight to the him thanking me part. In my head I envisioned awards and parades in my honor for helping my child achieve this milestone. In my heart, the whole time I felt guilty and awful. I knew this wasn't the right way for him. I should have listened to my heart, not my head/ego. 

After several tries, I did finally listen to my heart, and I put the training wheels back on. I didn't feel like I was giving up. I made peace with the fact that he just wasn't ready. I silenced that voice in my head that wanted to remind me that 2-yr olds in third world countries learned to ride two-wheel bikes so they could go to the market for their parents. And I made peace with the idea that if he never learned to ride a bike we would all survive just fine.   

When Alex's dad bought him a new bike, sans trainers, for the winter holiday last year, Alex was less than excited. He preferred to ride his scooter every day, and didn't touch his shiny new bike for months. I had learned my lesson already and showed excitement and gratitude for the new bike but stayed clear of any pressure for him to ride it. I allowed it to collect dust and kept my lips zipped.

Then I bought a bike at a local thrift store for myself. I had really been wanting to get back to riding for a while. The first few times we went riding together, it was me on my bike and Alex on his scooter. But he quickly realized there was unexplored territory for us to discover on bikes that he just couldn't do on his scooter.

That week, Alex learned to ride his bike.  Once he finally picked it up and saw me riding, his inner competitor kicked in and spurred him to want to try. So we tried earnestly- without pressure or expectations this time- for three days, and by day 3 he was a pro.

It was like rainbows and cupcakes and sunshine and kittens and puppies all rolled together. It was one of the best days of my life as a mom, watching him 'get it' and seeing the light in his eyes as he mastered it, on his terms.

A Morning at the Spider Park

We spent yesterday morning with the school aged daycare kids playing at the Spider Park. That's the name we call it, I'm sure it has another 'official' name. It got it's name because of the web-like climbing structure. It's a favorite place for my kiddos!

Alex's Favorite Place to Eat

Golden Corral is Alex's favorite place to eat. We go there once every few months and he never fails to say 'Thank You, Mom!' with glee on his face as we pull into the parking lot.



Friends

Alex and friends having a cuddle snooze on the couch.

Stormy Weather Brings Us Together

While our neighbors may run for the comfort of their homes in inclement weather, we grab our shoes (or not!) and head outside.

Today's thunderstorms were a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the magic of the elements converging. The energy created by storms is something we hate to miss out on.  

We played in the backyard with the dogs and cats, feeling invigorated by the warm wind and rain drops.

Then we hopped onto our bikes and raced until we couldn't peddle any longer, laughing the whole way. I love hearing Alex let out squeals of exhilaration and delight. These happy moments confirm that he is enjoying his childhood.

The horses were running free in the fields next to us and seemed to be enjoying the energy in the air as much as we were. They seemed to be galloping with us as we sped along, as if acknowledging our celebration of nature.

For me, this is a perfect example of the unschooling mentality.

Freedom!

Benjamin Franklin on Learning