Splendid

new year's me...

happy new year's eve everyone...hope you all enjoyed the holidays and had nice, heart-warming time with family and friends.  my kids have enjoyed the last couple days laying on the floor playing with their new toys and looking at new books.  we had a lovely celebration with the 3 of us on the solstice, it was especially meaningful for mckaylah since she'd been studying the solar system and upcoming solstice.  we treked outside through the rain and chilly breeze for a nature walk and then back inside to make more squirrel skewers.  we popped popcorn in the fireplace and read some books on the solstice.  however come xmas eve, once the fat man had left his booty of gifts for the young ones upstairs dreaming of sugar plum fairies and such, the stomach flu kicked in...not so fun for big sis and mom here.  dad and little sis had it the week before, i was hoping the acupuncture i'd received the days prior would have given me the immune booster i needed to ward it off, but alas, no....so through intermittent trips to the lu, we lay again on the floor, this time not playing, but staring at toys and books. luckily within a day we were all better and after another power immune booster via acupuncture, i feel 100% and the kids always seem to bounce back beautifully...

so the new year, a new me...i'm feeling more stead fast in my quest to find balance and have a calm, nurturing space for my family. a place not only to hang my hat, but to craft and sing and school and bake and sleep and exercise and love and lay on the floor and play with toys and read books.  i have been ready to move now for so long (I mean literally move) that now I feel so happy to be settling in. my new year resolutions are to have more me time, which i will still spend with my family most happily, but crafting and baking and going for nature walks, instead of waiting for the next big move.  can i tell you how happy i am to have my new home and a family that's healthy and a hubby that still pines over me and two sweet girls who still want to sit on me all-the-time!!! but with all that i still need to nurture that part of me that needs that quiet, focused me time, like when i'm drawing, sewing or scrapbooking.  i have all these ideas of things to make and i just need to put them in motion already!

speaking of hubby, we decided we needed at least once a month to escape for a few hours and have a date, even if it means going to the grocery store (but hopefully not!) and have some adult time.  he's such a great guy and has so much  love and warmth inside of him, he's always so generous and compassionate (well most of the time, let's not say he's perfect here) and i think in the hurried life we lead we've lost a bit of the romance we used to have. so at least once a month date night!

i also need to start exercising again on a regular basis.  i think i'll do mondays and wednesdays with yoga and leg exercises, tuesdays and thursdays with arm and back exercises with pilates. then at least 2-3 times a week a brisk walk around the block a few times or a quick jog to the train station and back, something people!!! fridays and the weekends are always too busy and full of friends and lessons and parties and classes.  if i can work out 4 days a week i'll be much more balanced... and get on a better sleep schedule!

which leads me to returning to my more wholesome eating. i roughly follow the eating with the seasons regime, more or less outlined in dr. haas book and with all that's been going on this last year i haven't followed it. hubby and i are needing that so i think it's time to get back on the whole foods, better diet wagon.  we actually eat pretty well most of the time, just these last couple months with holiday eating, oy!

so, to wrap things up, eat, stretch, breath, craft, love, sleep...in 2008.  see you all next year!   

Winter Crafts

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful resource as the Wissahickon Environmental Center here in Fairmount Park. The Treehouse, or Andorra Natural Center, has amazing classes for children and families, and some just for homeschoolers. The staff has always been knowledgeable and friendly.  Most of the classes pertain to nature and things involving the outdoors, seasons, etc. We sign up for almost every class.  The other day we enjoyed the Winter Crafts class there.  It was so cute. Most of the crafts we've made before at home, but the girls loved being with thier pals and making nature-happy crafts.

The Treehouse, there used to be a huge old tree that grew up through the front porch.

Making bird feed mix ( 1 cup bird seed, 2 cups corn meal, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 stick Crisco, a dash of raisins or peanuts-to feed the squirrel friends- and mix together.) We used small paper drinking cups as the molds for the feeders.  We used a wire punching through the bottom and looped back through and up to create a hook to hang on a tree.  We then packed the bird seed mixture inside.  Then you freeze for a few hours to really make it set. Before hanging, carefully cut away the paper cup. You can also use yogurt containers, etc.  anything that could be a mold.  We are making more of these tonight as gifts for the girls friends.

McKaylah, Ava and their pal making squirrel skewers.  Fresh, sliced oranges, apples, stale bread pieces, cranberries, cheerios, the squirrels love them! You can stick them in the ground by a tree and the little furry friends come and help themselves.

Ava with a chocolate face and orange tea candle.

Squirrels and birds visit the lean-to.

McKaylah's chocolate face and beautiful paper snowflake.

Happy Holidays!

Solar System, Pingggg...is there anybody out there?

McKaylah started her Solar System studies this week.  She has been interested to learn all about the planets, comets, moons, stars and the sun, distances and gravity. She has a few great books she's been reading with me, as well as completing a solar system mobile and doing a winter solstice sunset chart to record the shorter days of sunlight. We've found it interesting that a couple of the older books we have to reference include Pluto as a planet in our solar system, and yet newer books do not.  (As a Scorpio, that's my planet so I'm keeping it, okay-dokey?) We plan on visiting Fel's Planetarium soon as well. 

NYC at Xmas time

We had a lovely day tooling around NYC last Friday.  My hubby, the girls and I went up there on the train to see my mother and sis in law.  It was chilly out, but perfect for seeing the huge Xmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza, as well as the ice rink.  We also hit Macy's to say hi to Santa and get a picture, to FAO Schwartz to see what toys they had (nothing great, I can tell you that much...we bought mismatched legwarmers and tights) and walked into St. Patrick's church by Central Park to light a candle for my sweet ol' Granny. The usual walk through Times Square and Fashion Avenue, but mostly the highlight was seeing my hubby's mom and sis, to see the tree, and to feel the CRAZY NYC Xmas energy.  Fun, even if it was jam packed everywhere.   

 

tootles now...

home sweet home

  It's been about 3 weeks now and we love our new home!  I still have a few things to hang up or put away, but most of it has been done.  I am a little anxious to paint, but will wait until the spring when I can open the windows.  I think we will be very happy here.  The girls love it and even though it's almost 100 years old, being in the house now I can see the previous owner (which she was born in the house, her parents had it built, she grew up in it, then when they got older she moved in and lived here until she passed away about 3 years ago outside down the street.  I hear she was a fantastic lady.) took good care of the place and kept all the original light fixtures and old charm you only get with an old house.

(I know it needs to be cleaned, but isn't this chandelier great?)

My mom was here for 8 days and helped me hang pictures and decide what should go where.  She's really good at measuring and remeasuring whereas I just kind of eyeball it and then it's always a little uneven or uncentered.   We had a wonderful time together and she loves the new pad, too.

We went to home depot a lot, went to the Museum of Natural History, went shopping in Chestnut Hill for her, made smores in the fireplace (after we had it cleaned, it looked pretty dirty up there) and even used the old fashioned popcorn popper in the fireplace.  We decorated the Xmas tree, played in the 1 inch snowfall,  and had a great time together.  I won't see her again until March or April and I already miss her.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays!

  When you walk through the front door, straight ahead is the kitchen

the couch looking out at the front porch

going up the stairs, that's an old ceiling tin from a church that's been painted

going up the stairs

bookshelves in the craft room/schoolroom

my  crafting space with much needed organization and still boxes unpacked-OY!

the boudoir...

the craft room/class room.  We use that table as our desks

the stencil flowers on the wall going down the back   

                                                                                                                staircase to the kitchen

poppies bloomin' in the master bath

girls bedroom, in desperate need of wall color!

playroom alcove

At the Museum of Natural History in the Butterfly exhibit.  One landed on Ava's head repeatedly and our contention was it was due to her snappy white headband that looked very similar to the white flowers the butterfly kept gathering nectar from.  Ava was so pleased (you can see big sister is NOT as pleased...)

Grandma Rose with her granddaughters in front of Loch Nessie

Grandma with her girls in the Animal exhibit

moi and my girls in front of the mummy

wrestlin' that big python in the Amazon exhibit

 

dancing to traditional S. American music

  getting ready to go play in the snow with dad

making smores in the fireplace

                                                                     it's beginning to look a lot like Xmas...

dining room table centerpiece

old xmas tree

whoaaaa...I've been doing this way too long....more later! Have a great day!