Monthly Archives: January 2012

beating the winter blahs

Posted on by
Reply

We were experiencing our first case of the winter blahs today. A bit too cooped up, a bit disappointed because a friend and her son were supposed to come over for a visit but he got sick, a bit tired after a fun weekend, a bit of the Mondays when Papa goes back to work and we found ourselves back to the same ole-same ole. So we thought that baking a treat for Hoppy would be fun to do together. Hoppy is my Dad and his birthday is at the end of the month, but Wren wanted to bake them NOW. But I only could find two cupcake liners and there was no way I was making a special trip to the store for cupcake liners. Boo! And then I remembered that you could use ice cream cones for cupcakes. I shared with Wren what we were going to do with the cones and she squealed, “you make me laugh, Mama, that’s silly! This is going to FUUUUN!” And it was a hoot. I was also really impressed with Wren’s attention to her work. I showed her how to frost one after they had cooled and then dip them into a cup of sprinkles. She did the other eleven. It was perfect because around that time Phoebe was waking up and needed some attention…

Did you eat these when you were kids? I always thought they were so cool! And Wren does too.

Wondering about the chocolate? Those are the ice cream cones that have a chocolate rim. Cheers!

it really sucks

Posted on by
Reply

Wren keeps asking, “is it pretend?!” No, it really sucks. I can’t believe people spend oodles of money on cool-looking pretend vacuums that do absolutely nothing when you can spend $19.99 on something that actually works. Just let your child go to work while you kick back and drink a mimosa, ha! Ahem. While it doesn’t work great on the two (!) small rugs we own, it’s perfect for the wood floors. And perfect for Wren. It’s much more fun to clean when Wren wants to participate. I really don’t like cleaning, but I’m trying to create a different attitude about it (boy, how many times have I said that?) It’s just never-ending… sigh. You know the drill, Mamas. You turn your attention to one area of the house and meanwhile another disaster zone is created. You can’t get to picking it up and directing your child to help because you’re helping another child, or making dinner, or trying to have a conversation with another adult. It just snowballs! And now we’re entering the world of toys with small parts and puzzles with lots of puzzle pieces and it’s gotten to be a bit overwhelming to me. Side note: I DID just take several boxes and bags of stuff to Goodwill because really, how many shape sorters does a family need?!

But did I tell you the fun (and sad) thing about this vacuum? This past fall I was a guest blogger on Moonfrye, Soleil Moonfrye’s blog. You know, Punky Brewster? Well, she sent me a handwritten note and Target gift card, yahoo! So I spent part of the gift card on this vacuum. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t what Punky would’ve spent her money on, but this Mama has to be a bit more practical with her gifted cash. Boo!

Lovelies, have you cultivated a good attitude about cleaning? How do you do it with small children in your midst? It’s one thing to have things picked up, but I just can’t get to the real nitty gritty cleaning… any ideas? Do you involve your toddler in cleaning too? Thoughts?

 

take one and call me in the morning

Posted on by
Reply

Wren loves it that I’m under-the-weather with mastitis because she is VERY into playing doctor. Ever since she attended a lot of my OB appointments when I was pregnant with Phoebe, she has shown a daily interest in all things medical-related. She takes her doctor work very seriously. I’m thinking we ought to eat out more often at the hospital cafeteria a few blocks away! Man, does she love the cafeteria and walking through the hospital corridors…they actually have a decent salad bar, but when’s the last time you tried to negotiate a salad bar with a toddler and infant in tow? Yeah.

It’s interesting to me how as a well-meaning parent I carefully chose toys for Wren (ergonomic, organic, well-designed, wood, educational, blah blah…) and then instead she grabs a little suitcase and fills it with random things, calls it a “doctor bag” and proceeds to give check-ups. That being said, my Mom gave her a pretend doctor kit with some tools and a jacket for Christmas and she knew what it was right away. And was over-the-moon excited about it. Need a check-up? Come by anytime, the doctor will surely see you.

planting a rainbow – January edition

Posted on by
Reply

We “planted a rainbow” this fall with a few different kinds of bulbs, said good night to them as we tucked them in their blankets of soil and now are patiently waiting for spring to warm the soil… But who doesn’t love some fresh flowers in the midst of winter too? Actually it doesn’t really feel much like winter here in northern Michigan. I didn’t even wear a coat yesterday, but it might just be hormones? Or maybe because of the fever from the mastitis that’s got its angry grip on me again? Oof. Regardless of the blue skies and grassy yard out there, I know better than to think Old Man Winter won’t visit soon and poor Chris will have to be shoveling the roof off again. Sigh.

Whether we have snow to play in or not, one of our winter traditions is to plant paperwhite bulbs and watch them grow right in our midst. Last year we had some beautiful ones and are hoping for some hope-filled blooms again this year. Wren did most of this year’s paperwhite planting work and it made this Mama so proud to see her engrossed in her work. At one point when I tried to add some stones too she sternly looked at me and said, “Mama, this is MY work.” Montessori!

What traditions do you have in the winter to keep you from going too stir crazy? Especially when you can’t really play in the snow… Other than TV or some other electronic device… Truth be told, we’ve been enjoying enduring some Strawberry Shortcake too. A little bit can’t hurt, right?!

Happy New Year!

Posted on by
Reply

I was going to post a traditional “Wordless Wednesday” message with this photo, but then I realized I hadn’t really officially wished you a happy new year. So… happy new year to you and yours! May your 2012 be full of squirrely love. Isn’t this a great ornament? My friend, Melissa, from Wool & Honey made it for us. Although it was probably intended as a Christmas ornament, I’m going to keep it up all year. It’s perfect.

scenes from the nest: snow day!

Posted on by
Reply

We finally got some real snow here in northern Michigan. The “blizzard of 2012” seems to have moved on east and now the sun’s revealed a twinkly blanket of white. A virtual snow globe! Or is it the other way around and a snow globe is a virtual snow storm? Hmmm. Anyway, just a few chilly pics for you today. We’re off to sip some hot cocoa and “fix” some more puzzles. What’s happening in your nest today?