Ordinary Life Magic

tuesday

2012-01-25T08:31:00.001-07:00

I found this first thing this morning. She drew it a couple of days ago, she said. I love it so. making food for the pups. Kitty Heaven in the livingroom. (Condos, toys, climbing things, batting things... she likes to create things) Magic School Bus (surprise!!) downstairs for Mama (hup-two exercises--still loving that...) Do you ever wonder where Trevy is in our pictures? Here's a

monday love

2012-01-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

a super delicious day ~ music and dancing Set Sudoku recording time. because she has a sleep-over in a couple of days, and wants to have the passing of time down to minutes. by herself. friends. from the left: Mina, Kyan, Maddie, Soleil Exago for the three of us. Rat-a-Tat Cat for Trevy and I.

goodly things

2012-01-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

♥ ♥ ♥ an hour and a half of exercise (in a still-sleeping house) and a half-hour meditation. sunrise to a blue sky and fresh snow making waffles Magic School Bus (someone woke up) smoothie (yogurt, carrots, blueberrries, oj, strawberries, apple) making a book (an animal encyclopedia that she calls a field journal) outside The Beatles in the kitchen Spore bike

speaking of the same...

2012-01-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Funny enough, our day Saturday looked much like our day Friday. That happens, though, when things are just lying about, hmm? So our day looked like : reading prehistory researh (there's always some sort of research, every day; it's Trevelyn's thing. Everything from pop-culture to prehistory, from world population and racial discrimination to cuss words.) rain and dark stories for Madd

friday

2012-01-21T08:54:00.002-07:00

Though blogging has many wonderful aspects, one of my favorites is the (do-able) inspiration that we get from others that are living a life similar to ours. This morning mine came from my friend SlimD and her Plot 55. It was in the form her lovely words, and a scale. Just a scale. A regular ol' OHaus scale, somewhat like ours. And I had the idea that the microscope might could be brought out

thursday

2012-01-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

a chalkboard for the fridge (I figure it can see reading/spelling play for Madd, the daily Do, and the short store-run list, if it's empty.) new batch of cleaners (scrubbing powder with orange and spearmint, kitchen and bathroom soapy spray with orange, heavy-duty disinfectant with thyme oil, and dusting spray with 'happy home' oils) Horseland baked apples new batch of

Turn on the Hearth Light

2012-01-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should point out that I began working hard-laboring in my kitchen at around o six hundred hours, this morning. That information is important to the day's story simply to signify that I should not be held strictly accountable for our minutes, as my world only extended as far as my scrubbing rag, today. (Not to say the babes were ignored--they were not. Just that I didn't go out of my

Tuesday

2012-01-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Bookworm "Mom... how do the grocery store workers close up the bags so it looks like they've never been opened?" After I figured out what she was meaning (which was packaging), I went here, and we toured Black Forest Gummy Bears. animal games on Animal Planet Farm Phonics for one, and Super Smash Brothers online and on the telephone for the other. (wiiheeheee) reading. reading!

monday

2012-01-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

a day full of reading, letter videos, research, and narrating, and a night full of soup by the fire, cocoa and cream in the mug, and sleddin' down the hill with Beloveds. (thanks, friends.) it's a good life.

sunday : the hearth

2012-01-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

the hearth, and the heart, were definitely the way, today. our day started with eric putting two organic whole chickens in a brine for our family day dinner. tea was slowly made for me for the next few days (I usually prefer iced to one-cup-at-a-time hot). maddie joined us in the kitchen, and I showed her the clay buttons I had made the day before, and told her of the project I had

notes to myself

2012-01-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

As I look and note that my annual winter-hybernation has been so noisy this year (and not very peaceful and loving), I stand and wonder why I'm finding myself in this state of intolerance, and with a closed mind. Why would I criticize a person who is a little grumpy and irritable because this tag has been poking her and scratching her on the side all day, and she didn't realize it? (She was

catalogs

2012-01-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those, "Hey, I know what will be fun! Let's catalog all the things that are wrong with you!" days. Yup, an' it was fun, let me tell you. I couldn't write about it for a couple of reasons. One was that I was concerned that I would seem to be whining an old and tired self-loathing song - when really I wasn't whining at all - what I had in me was no more than a whimper.

stewing

2012-01-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

lots of thoughts and words in my head. worry loving attracting radiant peace smiling liberated. wanting to move from one, and into the others. sigh. working on it. (more on this later, no doubt. :) )

thursday's magic

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Letter factory for one. Over french toast. Conversation about China's population, evolution of Mosasaurs (to modern day lizards), and the evolution and decline of Coelocanths. (though some are still around.) That was over french toast, too. ♥ Build. Menu planning for two weeks (that takes three of us) Practice for The Talent Show for one, and JPOG (Jurassic Park : Operation Genesis)

wednesday

2012-01-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

baked apples for one... -with oats- leapfrog : letter factory leapfrog : codeword capers tidying up ..and french toast for the other. reading play journal writing (Trevy) mancala (with Maddie) frog love Elvis music and mancala with Trevy. there was totally tut -which led to cuisenaire rod play- (division and multiplication) while Maddie played over here.

monday : museum play

2012-01-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

we still like it.

weekend

2012-01-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

snow. little bit. two days. ... ending at the top of the tree. he wasn't that stuck, thankfully.

Days

2012-01-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

Honestly. This posting every four days or week thing is getting old! Truly the best way for me to love and savor this life of mine with these beautiful babes is to appreciate it every day. So let's see what (else- oof) has been going on in the last little while.... Haircuts. Not a big deal to you, but pretty big here. Just bangs for Maddie, but a true haircut for Trevelyn. This is the

Self Portrait

2012-01-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a very, very interesting week for me. If not rather...er... disturbing. Here I am, living this beautiful, wondrous life with my babes and husband, with a small handful of good friends in my more reachable vicinity, and surrounded by an amazingly loving, wise and brilliant circle of friends and Mamahood community at large. I am fulfilled daily, complete in my convictions, and am

january four

2012-01-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Our day began with polkas and wedding marches Wednesday morning. We're learning how to work the new keyboard, and discovering particular songs for particular moods. This morning's was a dress up and leap and hop and twirl en Dance kind of mood. :) So we push particular numbers, and then Play, and we have very fine accompaniment for quick feet and twirly costumes. The day was discovered

january three

2012-01-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Maddie and I must have played a dozen rounds of Rat-a-Tat Cat. :) We love this game!My sister Robyn sent it to Maddie for Christmas... it's a card game... like Polish Poker. Have you played Polish Poker? It's probably my favorite poker game.The goal of the game is to have the lowest score as you can... you're hoping for 0's, 1's, and 2's. You get four cards, laid face down on the table, and

january second

2012-01-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

I so love the rhythms and starts that life naturally supplies. One of the benefits of not being attached to an agenda is that there is a lot of room for yeses, and not very many times when one feels frantic or harried. Big Brain Academy for Trevy, Dad, and Mama We take days (or weeks) to play in a mad crafting frenzy, to spend time holding extended family close, to enjoy communities

For 2012 : Shine

2012-01-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Every year I start pondering my word for the year by coming up with words, thoughts... things I want it to mean. In January 2008, my first year for choosing a word for my year (I'd never been a new year's resolution person), I chose Intention. It seemed to hold together all the things I needed it to. The next year was Still. Going within and finding a sacred, quiet space to grow. The following

♥...loving...♥

2011-12-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

oh, let's see. lots and lots and lots of research goin' on around here these last couple of weeks. Everything from tar pits and La Brea, the Ice Age and dire wolfs, to prehistoric camels ("Really? There is such a thing as a prehistoric camel?!" "Of course!" says He,) and Charles R. Knight. there have been digging things out of pebbly sand, building with Lincoln Logs, and a first-time

Christmas

2011-12-29T03:22:00.004-07:00

Solstice

2011-12-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

Solstice Eve

2011-12-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Early Morning - Unedited In pictures. What can I say? Sometimes I have words, and sometimes I have pictures. Our fireplace is sealed, if you can imagine that (!!!), so we make do. A toy Maddie made up. Trevelyn's ice lantern

Magical Pine Cones

2011-12-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here's one that might appeal to our Christian friends, as well as our more heathen ones. :) It would only take a very few dollars to make as many bags as you like - good blessings for yourself, friends, neighbors, anyone you'd like. Frankincense and Myrrh are wonderful herbs and incense that have been used in spiritual and religious practices for ages and ages. Frankincense has long been

The Coming Solstice

2011-12-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

The sun crosses over at 10:30 tomorrow night, our time. I had fully thought that we would be celebrating the return of the sun on Wednesday, and then I started wavering.... celebrate before it comes, or celebrate when it has returned? I was having a hard time deciding... It turns out that Eric isn't working on Thursday, so there we have it. And really, we have enough projects and Happy Things

checking off the list

2011-12-20T07:14:00.002-07:00

we're almost there, now. as always, we wait... and wait.... and wait... and then all of a sudden--it's a week and then immediately tomorrow! Santa has been visited and given his requests (a doll and surprises requested by one, a miniature Baryonyx and surprises by the other), the shopping has been finished, the house socks have been stitched, and Solstice gifts are wrapped--just

Prep-work

2011-12-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

I s'pose that's what I've been doing. It seems that I have taken a week off in order to prep for the coming holidays, coming winter, coming life. Washing curtains. Dusting our home daily. Trailing Madeleine (not as in "let me pick this up even though you're still playing with it", but rather after she has moved on to the next six things in twelve minutes). I know, Hoppers are

thursday's bliss

2011-12-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

ooohhh, goodness. er-- goodliness, I mean. sometimes you just fall into it, or maybe it's that it sinks deep into you. it doesn't really matter which, does it? for it's the same feeling, either way. so, so, so good.

elfen whirling

2011-12-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

there is holiday magic in the air today. though i've been listening to christmas music for a few weeks (I love the old ones... Lou Rawls, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Elvis, Nat King Cole), and though our tree is sparkling and tinkling as it should, and though we've had several days of advent surprises and chocolates... I hadn't felt that magical whoooosh in our house yet. but this morning it

Elmer's New Winner

2011-12-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't hear from the first drawn name, so we did it again, and the craft supply winners are Heart Rockin Mama and Slim Pickins! Congratulations to both of you! Send your address to stephanie@ordinarylifemagic.com and I'll send your info over to Elmer's!

tuesday

2011-12-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

hopefully new keyboard comes tomorrow. writing on one 'puter, and editing and adding photos on another is sort of... well. inconvenient, I guess is a fair word. :) But, as my brilliant son said, "Look on the bright side, Mom!" (wonder where he gets that from???) "...At least it wasn't your camera!" oof. true story, that. yesterday she rowed away, "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the

sunday's joy

2011-12-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

only photos for a few days 'til my new keyboard arrives... I melted mine. :)

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

2011-12-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

/ "DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa

Saturday's Artist : Holiday Edition

2011-12-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I thought that since it's the holidays, and everyone has favorite projects they've done in the past, we'd open Saturday's Artist this month to include all past Holiday projects. So if you have fond memories of something, or favorites you'd like to share, by all means link to your posts! (You can find all of ours under the Art & Craft Tutorial tab above.) To put in your link

tending to home

2011-12-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

no one is as interested in the making and tending of this home as I am... but that's alright, because I love it enough for all of us. recalibrated, and making ready. life is good.

wednesday's magic

2011-12-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

more barbie tools more human-body sculpting and even more creating. lectures. (by Trevelyn, of course.) cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. happily. with holiday tunes. "Unicorns and Tyrannosauruses don't really get along very well," "Because one's like a rainbow, and irritates the other? And the other is a fierce meat eater and might eat him up?" "Yup," says She. Mama sniffles. it's

Tuesday

2011-11-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

"Let's get this table cleaned off, and create something fabulous, shall we?" "Yeah. Maybe something for my tea party!" "Oh... I forgot your bath... d'you still want a bath?" "Yeah, in a minute. I'll have one before my tea party. So I can smell nice for my guests." "Very important. Always wanna smell pretty for guests." "Yeah. Especially for Belle Belle." That was a new name, "Oh? Does

monday, then.

2011-11-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

mmmm, blueberry muffins. and JumpStart. skiin' for Daddy. clean house for the Froges. (the little dahlings.) the beginnings of an ornament. research. dinosaurs. engineering. angry birds. ClueFinders 5th grade research. learning how to dive. building swim! with Dad. love the deep end! a small visit with Grammie. the making of a vending machine. this one

The Art Box

2011-11-28T03:33:00.000-07:00

[And a Give-away] So you may have noticed the other day that Maddie and I moved to the kitchen floor in order to properly Create. That was partly because our canvases (actually they were foam-core boards) were 20x30 inches, and partly because our table was over-run with supplies... there was just no room for us. Elmer's asked me a few weeks ago if I'd be interested in participating in

Give-away Winner

2011-11-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hullo! The name has been drawn... The give-away winner for a lovely bracelet from Heart Rockin Jewelry is Sharon! Congratulations, Sharon! And a sincere special thanks to Jean of Heart Rockin Family for being a part of our sponsors, and for bringing this opportunity to us all. All of us love to share with and support craft-work of the family! In the right sidebar is a link directly to

Saturday's Artist

2011-11-26T08:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Saturday's Artist; a weekly joining and celebration of every kind of creativity. We hope you'll join us in celebrating this wonderful part of ourselves. Show us where in the past week you've been shining your artistic, magnificent light! Something this week that fed your spirit. An outstanding photograph. A day of mad painting. A new yarn discovered that has sparked something

Happy and Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T13:16:00.001-07:00

♥ ♥ ♥ I don't imagine ours was much different than so many lovely Thanksgivings. Preparations at home. Still, it was ours, so here we are. Hope your beginning of the Holiday Season was everything you hoped it would be. ♥ ♥ ♥

Aaaaand we're back!

2011-11-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Evidently we had an interruption there for a few hours, but we're back. Hey! Don't forget to enter here for a lovely something of Heart Rockin Jewelry! There are lovely colors to choose from, and since it's such a busy time, there aren't very many who have entered!! Photographs © Heart Rockin Jewelry

Beaded Holiday Art

2011-11-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these $1 frames at Michael's? I picked up a short stack of them a year or two ago, not having anything particular in mind for them. This morning while I was thinking upon Thanksgiving tomorrow at Eric's mother's, I had an idea. We used the frames, hot glue, cross-stich cloth (any material will do), a paint pen (not necessary, if you have a small paint brush and paints),

Tuesday's Truth

2011-11-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a True Confession for you. It comes in reeeal handy sometimes to be an unschooler, to not have to adhere to the "supposed to" lists... days spent 'just reading' are blissfully sighed over... days spent exploding things in the name of science are often eruptive and affecting (and a glance to the spotted ceiling might get a shrug and a dismissive wave of "oh, that.."... :) ) and days

monday : home

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to a week of non-adventuring this week. Not that the excitement of last week wasn't just what we wanted (are you kidding? swimming for hours and hours, a weekend of friends, new museums?), but this week is Thanksgiving, and we are ready for a week of that sort of goodliness. Creating. Cleaning. Breads. Pies. Home. Slow, slow, slow. Well...after the children's

Welcome to Heart Rockin Jewelry

2011-11-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to welcome my friend Jean of Heart Rockin Jewelry to our small group of Sponsors! Jean is Mom to three awesome children, and wife to one awesome man. She spends her days living with them in freedom and joy. She is passionate about Unschooling, respectful and mindful parenting, and living in partnership with her children. She is happiest when she's with her family, and

a life of magic : sunday

2011-11-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's family day. Love that. To The Leonardo. The Hylozoic Veil is a responsive sculpture. The fronds and bases move and sway and squiggle as people come and go near it. Its movement is much like a jellyfish--beautiful to watch! A stool--it's magazines! This sculpture is made of alginate. It feels like plastic. Alginate is made up of the cell

a life of magic : saturday

2011-11-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

a life of magic : friday

2011-11-20T10:30:00.001-07:00

thursday we spend the day planning things, fixing things, and getting ready for a weekend of Friends. friday was another scrumptious "ain't life grand?" day. first thing in the morning, Maddie was at the kitchen table, creating a story to read that night to our visiting friends. this piece is one of my very, very favorite things that she's made. can you tell what it is? Goldilocks and

a life of magic : wednesday

2011-11-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

This one's mostly for the Babybook Pages. Tuesday was a very, very fine day, and after that our week just stayed in the realm of magic. Wednesday morning while I waited for the children to wake, I picked up my (the, though I am rather attached to it) recorder and started playing. Learning to read and play music is very interesting. Musical notes (arrangements) have been an absolutely

The Museum

2011-11-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

Our natural history museum (Utah Museum of Natural History) closed around a year ago... tax payers agreed to support a proposition... some 15 million dollars for a newer, prettier museum (in a new, gold-level LEED certificate-seeking, 103 million dollar building, housing over 50,000 square feet of space for ten galleries). We got an email the other day, asking if we'd like to reserve a spot

Discover Books Winner

2011-11-19T19:06:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to announce that the winner of the drawing for the Discover books by Nomad Press is Rinnyboo! Congratulations, Marin! I hope you and your family love the books! Please get in touch with me at stephanie@ordinarylifemagic.com so I can arrange to have your books sent to you!

Saturday's Artist

2011-11-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday

2011-11-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Maddie and I started our day with music. Soon enough we were all three thinking and talking about our day, and weren't particularly inspired about how to spend our time, so I suggested we go downstairs to see what we could see. That worked. As it always does. The Catapult Mastermind with Trevy What's In Ned's Head? Citiblocs Trev had brought up Shut the

weekend stories

2011-11-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

it's been so long since the weekend that i'm not sure i'll have much to report. but there were one or two verra important things that happened, so here we are. a lost toof. this one a canine. he's getting all growed up. twas dark. and cloudy. the winds had been blowing for a full day... but we were still awaiting the storm. we'd like a pretty one, if you please. there was painting and

Jute and Raffia Pumpkins

2011-11-13T10:18:00.001-07:00

I saw a picture a couple of weeks ago of a jute (at least, I think it was jute, it was a quick glance) pumpkin. I gasped. :) We've created like this with yarn at different times, but I hadn't considered pumpkins! And while we're at it, let's see if raffia will work! (Note: I have no idea where I first saw it, I am sorry to say. Can't find it. If you see one, I'd be happy to go see if

the soul of sunday : every movement

2011-11-13T07:45:00.001-07:00

Every Movement I rarely let the word "No" escape From my mouth Because it is so plain to my soul That God has shouted, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" To every luminous movement in Existence. Hafiz, Beloved Persian Poet, (c. 1320-1389)

Friday

2011-11-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

We started off the day with pictures and music. Delicious, both. Early this afternoon we found a few interesting things in our email inbox. One was something from Steve Spangler Science... and the particulars of putting a drinking straw through a potato. You know.... air pressure. You just have to cover the top of a sturdy straw with your thumb, then jab it into the potato. Course,

Saturday's Artist

2011-11-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to enter the give-away for the four Discovery books! You can do that over here! Welcome to Saturday's Artist; a weekly joining and celebration of every kind of creativity. We hope you'll join us in celebrating this wonderful part of ourselves. Show us where in the past week you've been shining your artistic, magnificent light! Something this week that fed your spirit. An

Simple Color Wheel

2011-11-11T17:00:00.001-07:00

Maddie's been asking lots of questions about color. It kind of surprises me, as I figure we've got this stuff covered, :), but hey, let's play. Our printer is out, (toys in there, no doubt) so I opted to draw a color wheel for her. I grabbed a saucer out of the cupboard, and two pieces of paper. Traced the saucer on both pieces of paper (one a piece of scratch paper), and cut out the one on

Review and a Give-away

2011-11-11T10:20:00.001-07:00

So if you've been reading for the past couple of weeks, you know that we've been playing with mathematics. And yes, I do mean playing. :) Have you gathered that I love this book? We're not finished with it, of course, and probably won't be for years, and obviously I won't make any of us wait that long before telling you about it and having a give-away! So. On to it. Amazing Math Projects You

Thursday : New Depth

2011-11-11T01:10:00.001-07:00

Monday and Tuesday I had the thought that the babes were going to find themselves edgy and aggravated if they didn't get to exercise their bodies, soon. So far they were holding up really well, but I didn't think that would be true for much longer. Wheezing and hacking coughs keep them from jumping on the trampoline or running very much... bike riding was also out, as well as our skating and

wednesday

2011-11-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

my morning (which began long before my babes woke) began with lots of happy thoughts. that seemed to set the tone for my (and our) day. i put my little box on the kitchen table next to my laptop, and on went some Elvis christmas music. it played and played throughout the day, while I puttered and cleaned. much of life revolved around that enchanted space. making scouring powder

tuesday

2011-11-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

probably i can't tell you a whole lot about our tuesday... though there are a few details that were marked. like that Trev presented me with actual directions of how to hack something instead of a vague (and somewhat frightening) idea of 'rewrite the files'. :) that was helpful of him. and you know... i did it. (i totally did.) i hacked that game of his, an' made it more pretty for him. and

Sponsors and Give-Aways

2011-11-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Wanted to let you know that there are some things coming up that you will hopefully be interested in... We have an interview coming up with OLM sponsor Cait from Earthen Jewels... make sure to check out her gorgeous hand-made beads! Jean from Heart Rockin' Jewelry is our newest sponsor, and has also granted an interview... and will be giving away one of her beautiful bracelets--the

beaded bowl

2011-11-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

I have these gorgeous beads, see them? They're from Cait at EarthenJewels. (She has so many beautiful beads... mushrooms and flowers, turtles and stars... wanna be inspired?)Finally yesterday I decided I wanted another clay bowl... a leaf-shaped one, this time, for holding tiny treasures on our nature table. For making holes as you work for the beads, just stick the

weekend snapshots

2011-11-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

slooooow, was our weekend. and Home. which looked like chocolate pudding, from scratch. (i'd never done that before, for some reason.) and tangerines in fancy tea cups. it looked like filling the larder, taking down the pool, and collecting toys before the snow falls. it looked like handwork, Frosty the Snowman, and researching interesting things with dad. it looked like stories

magic

2011-11-05T13:08:00.000-06:00

crunch crunch crunch plop plop snow.

Saturday's Artist

2011-11-05T08:02:00.001-06:00

thursday's wonder

2011-11-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

Last night, from Madeleine, "L..i...l spells lil." A first. "Yes, it does. How did you come to know that?" "I just know." Alright, then. It begins in earnest, maybe, hmm? Serenading the frogs with her harmonica. Let's see... cinnamon rolls have been warmed up in the oven, beans for supper are on the stove, Trev is awake and watching Jurassic Park 3, Maddie is back on the computers

Thankful

2011-11-02T20:01:00.001-06:00

I found this lovely idea today (at Avery and Anderson), and just had to. Instead of acrylic paints, I used our temperas, mixing my own colors. note: after a couple of days, the paint slid, so if you're setting these with light behind them, and want opaque, you might want to commit to acrylics! Just pour the mixed paint into your bottles, and shake them and roll them to

tuesday on a sigh

2011-11-01T21:05:00.001-06:00

cinnamon rolls. yup, again. instead of baking them all at the same time, I put them between two pie dishes (six or seven each), so had nice, warm fresh ones again today. flashlight under the covers. writing letters (alphabet letters). headstands. Wind in the Willows, next chapter. Trev and I got into Amazing Math again. learned to add in a base-five system. which led to another Khan

Monday : Halloween

2011-11-01T11:02:00.001-06:00

It was such a lovely day that we decided, "let's get outta here!" So off to the park, with lunch. And Annabelle. Aaaaaand to home. 'Cause you know. Verra important things to do. With friends. Life... at extra sweet.

Sunday

2011-11-01T08:03:00.001-06:00

learning binary math (that was me) cinnamon rolls jumpin' with dad the wind in the willows (two chapters) sixty degrees - and sunshine!- open doors puppy coloring book metal artwork reading Amazing Math the making of a sorobon abacus learning it Jurassic Park Operation Genesis Addams Family and the continued mastering of headstands. all good!

The Soroban Abacus

2011-10-31T11:05:00.002-06:00

Today we made a Soroban (a Japanese abacus). And we learned how to use it. Here's how it works. First of all, the one we made will go up to 999. If you need a larger number, into the thousands, then add another column, making four, or however many you'd like. I decided upon making a temporary, out of a paper box, to start with (if it gets played with often, then I'll commit one of our

Circling In

2011-10-30T10:19:00.000-06:00

So this is how Saturday's post began... Started the day in bed with Trevy laughing uproariously at antics in The Wind in the Willows. :) A fine, fine beginning. An' there was somethin' there this morning about Kipper the dog and lollipops. Got the book that I'm verrrra excited about... Nomad Press asked me to give them my three top choices of books I'd like to review, and they'd send me one.

So... what? : Unschooling

2011-10-29T10:50:00.000-06:00

Evidently it's time again for one of those, "So what do you do?" posts again. I'm not feeling particularly philosophical or intuitive or spiritual about it (read: mushy), and I'm not feeling the need for justification... just maybe an explanation of the ideas and thoughts behind the Play of our everydays. I was thinking yesterday as Trev was reading and playing Godzilla that his play was just

Friday

2011-10-29T07:44:00.001-06:00

Maddie's been wanting some Baby time, so I called my dear friend and asked if we could come and play. We got some Littles time and got to have lunch at the home of Friends, so that was lovely. To home, to check in with Trevy and Dad, then off to get some eggs and the piece of black felt we need to finalize two costumes. Yay! Back home to reading (she's getting more serious about it, I guess

Saturday's Artist

2011-10-29T04:30:00.000-06:00

Give-Aways!

2011-10-28T18:24:00.000-06:00

Hello, Friends! Please note that new pretty picture there on your right... I am pleased to welcome a new sponsor, my sweet friend Jean from Heart Rockin' Jewelry! We'll be having a give-away for one of her bracelets, and another give-away for a set of books from (those folks I love) Nomad Press, so stay with us!

Thursday

2011-10-28T17:17:00.003-06:00

Maddie began with Body stuff. It was still on the table, after all. And then stuff that wasn't still on the table was soon brought back in again. :) We made cheesy crackers. Both babes say Aye. Mama-Mazing to the rescue. (This was via my mad computer/all things techno skills. I do love it when I can save the day!) A search for Get Along Little Dogie. She just had to know. Sail

From the Hearth

2011-10-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

The heater kicked on seventeen minutes ago. I think the wee hours of this morning may have brought our first frost. It's dark, still, so I've plugged in the pretty white christmas lights around the window. (They've been up since last winter. I like them.) My beloved three still sleep, and I have some quiet time. I was just thinking about Home. There is nothing so nurturing and leaves me

Wednesday

2011-10-26T19:38:00.000-06:00

Starting off with calculator play. At first that looks like "What number is this?", and "fifty-five million, three hundred seven thousand...." and then it looks like making up questions and checking her answers. Zoombinis! Logical Journey, actually. That went on for an hour or two while Mama puttered in the kitchen. Apples awaiting. And goo. Sal Khan, again. Body, body.

On a Tuesday

2011-10-26T08:07:00.000-06:00

We started our day with Sal from Khan Academy. Have you met Sal? I discovered him and his academy a little while ago. Trev and I have been loving his videos! I kept meaning to mention it, but then I thought that probably everyone in the world knew about this amazing resource but me, so... :) Things like that (Sal and his story) just restore my faith in the way the world works, you know?

autumn's splendor

2011-10-25T10:08:00.002-06:00

mmmm, campfire in the morning, a late breakfast on the coleman, and so, so much fantastic beauty. i'm not sure how many times my family heard me sigh, and say "i'm so happy". it was true. a day in the canyon, then. hot chocolate, of course and the biggest leaf pile we've ever made (down in a little gully)

birthday love wishes

2011-10-24T04:30:00.000-06:00

my children had very definite ideas about how best to spend my birthday. :) and since I didn't (at least for the first day).... Maddie and I have been talking about learning to play the Recorder. this morning we started our lessons. which is really a wonderful way for a Mama to start a birthday, if you ask me. aside from a bowl of oatmeal and a ds game while sitting next to the morning

up to

2011-10-19T07:08:00.001-06:00

nothing and everything, hmm? walks to the library, and All Growed Up. Easy bake oven cookies (from dough put aside for Just That) and Trev's garden potatoes. Cut grass (for the last time, no doubt) and cut flowers. Quiet pursuits, and fast ones. A package in the post (new zoom lens from my dad, two tiffen filters, two macro filters : ) ) (the bee was an accident.

Mario's Hat

2011-10-15T19:44:00.001-06:00

Subtitle: It's Me. Mario! and-- It's made out of Plain Old Felt. Maddie wants to be a Cat for Halloween. Excellent. I can do that. Trev? Aah, "Mario." he says. Overalls? Red shirt? Hat? Mustache? Cool. I can do that! At first I was thinking red baseball cap. Then Eric mentioned that it wasn't quite a baseball cap... enter research, hmm? Ah, again. A flatcap sort, then. And a

Saturday's Artist

2011-10-15T08:11:00.001-06:00

Friday's Living

2011-10-15T07:27:00.002-06:00

Harmonica songs began my day. And little green Dahlings. The children played for a while with their dad and computers and Favorite Things... They went on some sort of Grand Adventure With The Dog, and eventually returned. When I was picking up the livingroom, I took a library book to my Three in the den... who was reading this? I asked. Eric had been, he said. "Have you looked at

thursday: into the woods

2011-10-13T18:50:00.000-06:00

My camera was primed and ready for the woods. So was I. Now to get the babies on board.... Eventually they followed in the trail of their dad and I. Into the woods we go. Blissful sigh. Beaver habitat... including a beaver trail--a hill of mashed grass and mud for sliding down (and into the water), a lodge, a tree ready for a shout of "Tim-ber!!!!" and the pond.

Stained Glass Window Art

2011-10-13T09:15:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to do this one for a long time. It's an idea I got ages ago. We used picture frames with glass, Plaid's lead liner from their Gallery Glass line (it's for simulating lead outlines, and it isn't lead), Biocolor paints, and drawings on paper that the children made. First they drew their pictures. When they were done, I took the glass out of the frames, and carefully traced

wednesday : life resumed

2011-10-12T19:39:00.001-06:00

a walk a drawing. one had planned on a lizard, but when her brother said "a jack-o-lantern!" she oohed, and thought that was a Fine idea. geo play. never mind the grilled cheese in her teeth. just know that she's a wicked player. polydron play. and paint. for stained glass. and how 'bout a little history-something,

ten days later. on a tuesday.

2011-10-11T20:38:00.000-06:00

peach crisp for breakfast. well--for one of us. she'll never share with me. (i'm kind of teasing, i never want more than a taste, but she gets all edgy about it.) chocolate chip cookies! my family pretty much demanded it of me last night. all three of them, at different times, said "I want chocolate chip cookies!!" was terribly bossy of them, but it made me smile. so i got on that while i

Sunday

2011-10-09T11:03:00.000-06:00

Something fun is on its way-hmmm... wonder what it could be???- better get this house all sparkly,so's I can play.Wanna share your Sunday?