Gladdest Hours

Bike Riding for Pre-Schoolers 101

Somewhere in Seattle, WA is a man who saved our backs.  Literally.  About four years ago Pete took the girls to a park on a Saturday morning so that I could do my 1-hour-whirlwind-house-cleaning.  (I don't do that anymore, btw.  Now, when he leaves the house with them, I do something that doesn't involve being on my feet.)  But, I digress....

While he was at the park, he started talking to another dad who was teaching his 3 yo how to ride a bike. His process was so ingenius that I couldn't believe we had never heard of it.   Surely we were the only parents on the face of the early who hadn't heard of this!  THIS is what should be on the evening news!  THIS is what should go in those crazy-well-baby/child-mailings that I get from our beloved governor that cost tons of tax dollars, that say brilliant things like, "Your child will become more mobile, so pay attention and don't let them touch the stove."    

But, so far, of the people that I've told about this, and I HAVE told lots (I get kind of "excited" and a bit "over-exuberant" about some things :)   NO ONE realizes HOW EASY it actually can be to teach a child how to ride a 2-wheel-bike!  They can basically teach themselves with a few easy changes to the traditional process.

Now, let me preface this by saying, I'm usually not a fan for "pushing to learn things early."  I'm definitely on the "better late than early" spectrum of things.  But this is different....especially for younger children with older siblings who want to do what the olders are doing and keep up and play their games. And, no matter WHEN you teach a child to ride a bike, you are cutting your horrible-bending-over-back-wrenching-time down to about 5 minutes!!!   And for those of us approaching our 40's and 50's who don't have children old enough to take over bike-duty, this is GREAT! 

****************BIKE RIDING FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS 101 *****************

Somewhere between the ages of 2.5 and 4, a child can go from scooter/tricycle/other to a COASTER BIKE.  COASTER BIKES are simply a 2-wheel-bike, in a super-small size (usually a 12" wheel/tire) that: 

• has no pedals 
• is low enough to the ground to feel secure
• has the seat moved very low so feet can touch the ground easily

They sell "real coaster bikes" in all the specialty bike shops for $200-400 dollars...(give me a break)...OR, you can go to KMart and buy a regular 12" bike for $30, remove the pedals, and lower the seat.  OR....our favorite is to keep an eye out for free 12" bikes that people are trying to get rid of at the end of their driveways on the weekends, and remove the pedals.  Here is our COASTER BIKE: 

Pete just took the pedals off and lowered the seat.  The idea is that the child is learning that feeling of BALANCE long before they have to pedal.  One thing at a time.  Balance now.  Pedal later.  Right now they can self-teach themselves to balance by first getting on the bike, touching their feet to the ground and just pushing themselves along.  As they become more confident and their balance gets better, they lift their feet more often and for longer periods of time and basically "ride" their bike....just without the pedals.  It also helps if there is a slight hill for them to ride on, so that they get the feeling of going quicker and gliding.....they just naturally lift their feet.  Voila!  Caroline started riding her COASTER BIKE last spring right before her third birthday.  Here she is cruising around the driveway: 

In the woods: 

Coasting along after going down the slight hill on our neighbor's driveway: 

  

This is highly superior to riding a 2-wheel-bike with training wheels for two reasons: 

• It's WAY MORE FUN!!!!!  Training wheels are boring and slow and tippy!  Yuck!
• Training wheels don't teach them to BALANCE, which is what riding a bike is all about!  

OK, so once they get really good on their COASTER BIKE, there are 2 options: 

1. Put the pedals back on the COASTER BIKE.  Not our preferred option.   What if you put the pedals back on and Johnny isn't ready to ride with pedals on?  Then you have to take them back off!  According to Pete, putting pedals on and off is a pain, so we don't do this. Plus, EVERYONE loves the coaster bike, so it's never NOT being used.  
2. Get another 12" bike, leave the pedals on, no training wheels.   This is what we do.  So, we have two 12" bikes around here at all times.  

When you and/or they think they are ready, you help them learn how to rotate the pedals and walk/run along side them for about FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!  If they're ready, that's all you'll have to do!  

About 2 weeks ago, Pete spent 5 minutes with Caroline who is 3.5 years old, and she HAD IT!  

Dorothy Jo was just shy of age 4 when she rode on her own, and Pete remembers Dorothy Jo doing the same thing.....FIVE MINUTES and she was riding on her own.  

More pics of Caroline a couple weeks ago: 

 

 

Novice Bike-Riders also need to watch out for Mini-Pedestrians!  Where's the Crossing Guard???  Hmmmph...she must be busy taking pictures.

This is such a great way for a child to learn how to ride a bike at their own pace!  They are completely in charge of this process with a bit of gentle help of a parent at the beginning of each stage.  They can practice on their own, gaining more and more confidence.  Balance learned on the COASTER BIKE is key!

And, no back aches for the elderly parents.  :)  

The People That You Meet When You're Walkin' Down the Street

One day in October 2002, after baby #2-Erika was born, we were taking a family walk and passed a house about a block from ours where a VERY pregnant lady was unloading her car.  We waved and said a quick "Hello!"  and my interior monologue went something like "Ooohhhh, another MOM!!!!  with a new BABY!!!!  I wonder if this is her first?  I wonder if she stays at home?  I wonder if she's fun!  She smiled....yes, I'll bet she's fun!  Maybe someday I'll meet her."  

Fast forward 6 months to Spring 2003.  I'm out strolling the neighborhood, trying to ward off nausea (2 months pregnant) with my 2-year-old and 7-month-old, getting some exercise (back in the days when I was actually concerned about getting exercise), wishing Pete would get home so I could throw up in peace and take a nap.  I see the same house with the door wide open.  

With nothing better to do with my time, I enter the yard with my double stroller and knock.  A VERY tall man appears and I say something stupid like, "Oh, hi!  My name is Suzanne and I remember seeing your wife when she was pregnant, and thought we'd have children the same age.  We live up the street, and thought I'd stop in and introduce myself."  He stared.  Now that I know him, it seems very natural that he would stare, but at the time, of course, I wanted to cross my eyes at him and jump up and down in a very immature way and make googly-eyes. LOL!    

He mentioned that his wife wasn't there and he was feeding "Amy."  I peeked in and saw Amy sitting in her high chair with food all over her face.  Yep...that was her.  The baby in utero.  Now out-of-utero.  

I babbled something about the name of my husband and this was Madeleine, she's 2 and Erika, she's Amy's age....2 months older.  I didn't mention that I was due in November.....I was sure he didn't need this piece of information to decipher that I was pretty much a lunatic, and he did NOT want his wife hanging out with me.  I left my name and phone number with him and said good-bye.  Poor guy.   I don't think he was used to strange women showing up on his doorstep leaving their name and phone number.  

Well, lo and behold......"Judy" called a few days later and we met a few days after that.  Which led to my next-door-neighbor-and-practically-sister-Julee to meet Judy.  Which led to our husbands meeting, which led to home improvement project-help and BBQs.  All while our babies were playing together and growing......and so were our families........ which led to neighborhood parties, lots of play time for the kiddos, and lots more pregnancies (on my part), an adoption (on Judy's part) and more neighborhood friends.  

Julee and Judy were a HUGE part of my early-mommy-days.  Hanging out on dreary Seattle afternoons, watching the girls play, and chatting with each other about absolutely everything.  I don't know WHAT I would've done without them.   They kicked it into gear when I was down and out.....little babies galore, pregnant, and with Pete out of town...they fed us, ran errands, cleaned up my kitchen, folded laundry, watched the girls.  Every little bit helped, and for that......I will be eternally grateful.  

Judy and Keith moved to Houston temporarily about a year ago for Keith's job.  But, they come back with their 2 girls to visit his parents, and the neighborhood too!  So, last night we gathered together to celebrate their visit, the beautiful Seattle weather and Keith's birthday!!!  The girls played for HOURS outside and didn't want it to end.  I am so grateful for our amazing neighbors, and for Judy and Julee, who shared those amazing early years of motherhood with me!  

Judy and Keith are on the left.  Then me and Pete.  My mom in the middle.  Julee and John.  Robin and Reiner.  Nope, not a boy in the bunch!  Not only do WE only make one "model"....but so does my neighborhood.  

The girls made all kinds of decorations and signs for the occasion.  Here is the one hanging by the entry way to the deck: 

And, no BBQ would be complete without a "Picture Pole":

Tulip Fest

The end of April, the girls and I trekked up north to the Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Fest.  

Ten years ago, Pete and I attended the Tulip Fest together; it was one of our VERY FIRST DATES!   How romantic we must have been; frolicking around the carpet of tulips and daffodils.  We OBVIOUSLY had a very good time, as we decided to get married a mere 2 months later!  

Now, here we are, carrying on the tradition, with a few more wee-ones to enjoy the magnificent site!  (Click for montage)

 
Tulip Fest 2009

The trip is QUITE a bit different these days!  :)

A Peaceful Morning Hike

Well, not exactly.   :)     The seven of us ventured out to Discovery Park for a 3-mile-hike to the beach yesterday morning.  A test run to help us plan our hikes for this summer!!!  

And, they're off (bitty baby Jacqueline was in the backpack):

The girls did GREAT, and we're looking forward to more weekend hikes as the weather gets nicer.  I'm not pregnant, nor am I post-partum.  We MUST take advantage of this.  :)

We saw many signs of spring, which Madeleine's photography clearly shows: 

Spring is here:

After being perplexed about the tree, we arrived at the beach and had lunch.  

Daddy's little beach combers: 

Mommy and the babes:  

 

Some very important discussion going on: 

 

Group photo taken by the seventh person to comment on our family size and the all-girl-factor:

Caroline: 

 

Dorothy Jo: 

 

This is why I don't pay for gymnastics lessons: 

Our troop of monkeys on our way back UP the millions of stairs and hills: 

After all that and a few granola bars, we headed for home, but not before stalking Meredith, Violet and Sean-Paul .  We just couldn't be in the Henning's neck-of-the-woods without a quick pop-by.  And, of course, we found them AT THE LIBRARY!  :)  

Sunday, we went to 9:00 Mass and then came home and had  Resurrection Rolls.   

Pete and I watched half of The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler  from Hallmark.  We'll watch the other half when we don't have to get up so early in the morning.  

Outdoor Hour with Hollyhock Seeds

Barb has a great blog Handbook of Nature Study,   based off of Anna Comstock's book.   She gives great ideas for Nature Study, calling them  Outdoor Hour Challenges.   

Outdoor Hour Challenge #30 ~ Weeds and Seeds has some good information about drying seeds, which was good timing as we had just seen a bunch of hollyhocks seeds in our neighbor's yard.  So we gathered a few of the dry heads when we were over last week, checking on the garden.  

Many were quite dry and just fell out:   

"Yots and Yots of da seeds!" 

Some of them were damp and still intact, not ready :

It started to rain, so we moved the operation indoors and looked closely at our seeds: 

Dorothy Jo:

And, Erika and I got a couple drawings in our notebooks!!!!  

The Great Thing About Having My Sister Visit.....

......is that I get to cross all the crazy things off my list, such as: Take Picture of Feet.   The last foot picture was a bit outdated.  No one except my sister or my mother would put up with the nonsense needed to accomplish this monumental task: 

So, I have a group foot-picture in the grass, in the leaves, and now in the sand.  If we have another baby and I do this AGAIN with 6 pair of feet, my mother has dared me to do this in the snow!  

Here is Auntie Senta with her beach-going-clan with Mt. Baker in the background: 

 

And, she comes bearing gifts!  Homemade bags for everyone, complete with goodies inside!

 

Caroline's Beach Buddy

 

"Hmmmmm....where's that Auntie of mine?"

 

 

 

 

Julee and John's Wedding Celebration

Our neighbors, Julee and John, got married in a small, private ceremony a month ago.  Then last weekend, they had their wedding reception in OUR BACK YARD!  Whoo-hoo!  

A hundred people whooping it up, complete with delicious food, a bon fire, a huge tent and a live band.  The band was Deadwood Revival and they were great!   My friend, Cathy, says that if she ever wins the lottery, she'd use the money to have a LIVE BAND at EVERY FUNCTION and family get-together.  I'm with her.  

Here is a little clip of the children dancing a modified version of the Virginia Reel at the party:

 

On Sunday during clean-up, John (the groom) was stomping down the garbage can and it fell over and he broke his arm.  He is now known affectionately in our house as "Garbage Can Hibbs."    We can't even claim that it was an alcohol-related accident.  Just plain ol' stupidity.  *wink*

While John was falling out of garbage cans, the girls were eating breakfast with the leftover balloons as guests.

Congratulations John and Julee! 

Neighborhood Erects Monster Tent

Pete and the girls of the neighborhood slept in the tent the other day.  (That sounds like a high-school-note passed around in class, two days after Prom Night.)

How 'bout that laundry bucket over on the left side?  (No time for cropping these days!)  And, no, that's not me holding Jacqueline; that's my neighbor, Julee.  I WISH it were me...that would mean I was down about twenty pounds!  The other two handsome dudes in the photo are John (Julee's husband) and Mike, our northern neighbor.  Poor Mike.....he was planning on a peaceful evening in front of his firepit in his own backyard, and then....HERE WE COME.....in full force in our backyard.  I guess he decided we were no match for his quiet evening, so he just joined in the chaos!  The fact that he's willing to pose for one of my lunatic photos, shows just what a great sport he really is.

Are they excited or what????

Night - night!  

And, yes.....they actually made it ALL NIGHT out there!

Sundays At Our House

And on the seventh day........

....we have target practice. 

Does anyone else find it hysterically amusing that the marksman has BOWS in her hair and is wearing PINK?

Late Winter at the Pond

We went exploring at "our" nearby pond last week, examining winter "goodies" and some very early signs of spring.  Probably the last time we'll do this until after the baby is born.  We had a special guest come with us...neighbor and Little-Flower-friend Gemma came with us!

The pond and surrounding areas look so different in the winter.  The girls can walk in places they normally cannot.  For instance, actually IN THE POND:

It may still look like winter, but they really did find lots of signs of spring.  See the little splotches of green?

Foraging for cattails:

And, pulling them apart:

Caroline was a bit tired, and quite content to be pushed in the stroller (since the backpack is out-of-the-question these days).  Except when the ducks came around.  Then she wanted in-on-the- action.

We saw a pair of ducks that we've never seen before.  One looked exactly like a ring-necked duck.  But its partner did not look like the female ring-necked duck.  It looked more like a goldeneye (except with a white "cap" on its head) or a bufflehead duck. 

Our Weekend in Leavenworth, WA

We made our annual December trek to the Cascade mountains to our favorite Christmas town of Leavenworth.  Four years ago, Pete had to see a customer in a nearby town of Wenatchee on a Friday afternoon, so we devised a plan to go with him and stay overnight to experience a day or two of the infamous town of Leavenworth in December.  Madeleine was 3, Erika was 2 and Dorothy Jo had just turned 1.  I must have been out of my mind.   

It's been an annual trip ever since.  There is snow (usually) for sledding and a sleigh ride, a beautiful Christmas Lighting ceremony, carolers, lots of Christmas music at the gazebo, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, street vendors with roasted chestnuts, bratwurst, and apple cider.    The Church of the Nazarene puts on a wonderful Living Nativity play each year proceded by a lantern parade following the Three Wise Men to the stage.  Pete also appreciates the good, German beer!    This year they had open-mike for the children to sing Christmas songs, and the girls got to do the Chicken Dance FOUR times, led by the Town Crier!   Our three days are packed with fun in the Bavarian tradition!  Oyez!!!

Leavenworth was a very prosperous boom town in the early 1900's with the railroad, the sawmill and agriculture fueling it.  In 1822 the railroad was re-routed and then the great depression hit, leaving Leavenworth with a very bad economy through the war, and in the 50's and 60's.  In the late-sixties, the town decided to adopt a Bavarian theme and remodel their buildings.  Over the next 10 years, the town was transformed, all with private money.  Their gamble and efforts paid off, as it now is a major family destination year-round.  Read more about Leavenworth History here. 

Good Morning America selected Leavenworth as their "Light up the Holidays Special" which was live a couple weeks ago.   The Travel Channel was filming this weekend.  They were at our sleigh ride endroit, and they filmed the kids doing the Chicken Dance.   

What's so wonderful about the celebration at Leavenworth is that they are VERY clear that this is not a HOLIDAY celebration.....it is definitely CHRISTMAS in this town and they are NOT apologetic about it.  There is a pastor leading the 3 blocks of people in prayer each evening before the town lighting ceremony.  Saint Nicholas is a bishop, and the Christmas carols are clearly traditional and Christian.  The focus on the town's activities for the December weekends center around the Living Nativity Play, after which they hand out bibles. 

Here is my first-ever-photo-montage:

Merry Christmas from Leavenworth!

It's Snowing!

And the neighborhood girls were VERY busy today!

A Nature Day From Beginning to End

A couple days ago, upon waking, I was feeling "OK," so we headed out the door.   No pond stomping today.  Simply an hour walk around our beautiful neighborhood.  Here are a few of our findings:

When we come home for a walk like this, we just sit down somewhere outside, place our findings out in front of us, and just sit there for awhile and chit-chat about any ol' thing.  On this day, I think we sat and talked for about 45 minutes.   

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The leaves are beginning to change colors.  The girls collected Red Maple leaves and made bouquets out of them.  Yes, those are Red Maple leaves, not Poinsettias.  They kept count of how many Maple trees we saw.  I forgot to ask what the final count was. All I remember is that they determined that there were more Maple trees on the east sides of the streets than on the west.

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Our neighbor's Chestnut Tree was dropping its "fruit," so we collected the husks and a couple nuts still in the  shell.  We measured the leaves.....13 inches!  We dissected the husks, and determined that they are "smelly, mushy and  prickly."  This led to lots of discussion about squirrels and chipmunks, etc. who are collecting nuts for the winter.  We came home and read Chipmunk Song. They spent about 30 minutes looking up chipmunks and squirrels in Mammals Golden Guide and North American Wildlife. 

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The girls were interested in the berries on a Juniper, so we picked a branch, came home and identified it as a Rocky Mountain Juniper. Identified the Rocky Mountains on the US map.

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I finally verified that the beautiful tree in our back yard that I look at every day is a Mountain Ash. That's what I thought, but I never actually checked.  We've only been here for 5 years.  Sheez.

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We read the poems for the Mountain Ash and Horse Chestnut from our favorite Book of Flower Fairies.  Caroline tried to eat the inside of the Chestnut husks while we were doing this.

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The girls did leaf rubbings.  We pulled out our Parts of a Leaf Cards.  And, they started tracing leaves from the Botany Cabinet.  I requested a few books from the library from my Books About Trees List.

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Copywork of "Horse Chestnut,"   "Mountain Ash"  and "Red Maple"

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Saw this tree for the first time today.  Anyone know what it is?  Dad?   

We looked at the September and October pages of Nature All Year Long.  Which led to making a list of all the birds that migrate and the ones that will stay the winter.  Which led to a call to Wild Birds Unlimited and also looking up a few things on our Birds of Washington software.  Which then led to listening to bird calls for an hour while I made dinner.  After dinner the girls drew pictures of a few things that they found and of birds.

Whew!  These days always just seem to take on a life of their own.  They lead....I follow, help and suggest.  I had absolutely no plans to do any of this.  They had a busy and fun day.  Me too.   Truth be told, I WAS a bit anxious to get horizontal in bed that night. :)      

Where is Thumbkin?

There is just something oh-so-cute about a three-and-a-half-year-old standing in a corner of the yard all by herself, singing and doing the finger-play for "Where is Thumbkin?"

So sweet.

(What IS that string tied to the Apple Tree?  Who knows.)

Three Cheers for Low Tide!

We met the Rodabaugh Clan at the Beach on Tuesday, as it was low tide.  Low tide just BEGS us to an early morning out the door with some banana bread, grapes and oranges for brunch, and a pail and shovel for everyone!

Here are some of the beach-combers (Caroline even gets into the action, in the bottom left):

Then, it's on to a bit of team work:

While the "babies" of each family relax:

And some rock-climbing to finish off the morning:

   

I do as I'm told

We were out inspecting the neighbor's wonderful array of spider webs filled with drops of dew.  They did indeed have a lot.  Erika (5) was especially excited.  "Stay right here, Mom, and make sure Caroline (1.5) doesn't poke the dew drops.  I'll be right back with the camera." 

I have to admit, I WAS a bit excited to hear, "Stay right here."  Usually it's "Come here!" or some variation or plea for help, requiring me to use my legs and heart.   

So, I took my job as spiderweb-with-dew-protector very seriously in the somewhat supine position.   As stated in the title, I do as I'm told:

I laughed out loud when I saw this, as I was doing my evening duty of deleting most of the crazy pictures that the kids take throughout the day.   I wonder what the neighbors thought. 

In any case, I did my job and Erika was able to take a few pictures.

 

Here is the above-mentioned spiderweb-destroyer off to dismantle other things since I was doing such a good job:

Meanwhile, back at the ranch......

Obviously our dollies don't understand the Charlotte Mason quote   "Why be indoors when you can rightly be without."

Nature study at our house. 

Coming soon......our new Outdoor Nature Shelves!  I'm so excited about this I can hardly contain myself.    

Busy Little Nuns

You have GOT to see these two posts from Margaret at In The Shade Of The Old Oaks:

• Feeding the Hungry
• Another Busy Day at the Convent

For some reason, there is just something so sweet, hysterical and loveable about 2 little Chinese sisters pretending to be nuns.

And, simply because it's so much fun to see these little girls in action, here is Little House in the Shade of the Oaks. 

Thanks, Margaret!  You only post occasionally, but when you do, they are marvelous!

Sinking and Floating during the Month of August

Erika (almost 5) asked me to put this on the blog.  (How can I refuse?)  She wanted Grama Charlotte , Auntie Becca and Natalie to see her "Sink and Float Espeerment" (experiment). 

Here are the things that float:

Stick, Apple, Flowers, Plastic Nail, Clothespin, Leaves, Dandelion, Ronald McDonald, Measuring Cup, Plate, Syringe

Things that Sink: Seashell, Pebble, Penny, Rocks, Golf Ball, Fireman, Blue bucket, Hairclip

It's All About The Tables

One of my favorite things to do to get ready for our three months of outdoor living is to BRING OUT THE TABLES.   And, boy do I have tables.   We have a big yard, and so having a table in every section, corner or area of the yard ensures, and just INVITES us to be outside as much as we can for all our meals, as well as for all sorts of craziness that takes place in our little corner among the Cedar trees.   

Right after the summer clothes come out, I move the kitchen table (that we LIVE at during the rest of the year) right up against the wall: 

Not very inviting, is it?  No!  THAT is the point. We do not want to eat here unless it is pouring rain.  Sometimes Pete tries to get away with sitting there for breakfast and the reading of his morning paper (he usually eats early before the girls are up) and if I happen to walk in and it's a beautiful morning, I look at him like he has ten heads, gasp, and say, "You should eat OUTSIDE!  Look how beautiful it is out there!  Isn't this why you moved to the Northwest?  For weather like this?  And that lovely deck that you SLAVED OVER!  Such a shame.  And, here you sit."  (then I sigh).

He doesn't even look up.  I wave my hand and flutter off.  Another unsuccessful communication attempt with my phlegmatic husband. 

So, where, in fact, DO we eat, if not at the pushed back table?

For starters, the big, beautiful, above-mentioned, slaved-over deck, right off the kitchen:

 

Moving on around the deck......

The catch-all-table outside the kitchen door.  This table functions as extra counter space, afternoon project table and an afternoon snack area because it's in the shade:

I can rejoice, because finally THIS crazy table goes back outside where it belongs:

Of course, these are everyone's favorite outdoor chairs at our house.  The Gliders.  Lots of eating and drinking coffee takes place here:

A covered table.  Here is a table on the patio, underneath the deck, where we eat on really hot days and have buffets set up for parties and company who are lounging at the fire pit :

Then, there is this table by the play-area, pool and sand box.  The neighbors have been known to park it right here with a nice little appetizer and an afternoon cocktail, watching the children frolick in the afternoon sun.  In September we have to move it over a bit because otherwise we'd have plums dropping continuously into our snacks and beloved drinks.  Bad.  Bad.   

 

The child-table out front:

So, there is the outdoor-table-tour of our yard and where you will find us Taking Our Meals Out-of-Doors until the end of September.

"Millionaires, presidents -- even kings, Can't get along without everyday things. "

Bringing Life and Learning Out-of-doors

The weather has been wonderfully sunny the past few days.  Not always WARM, but sunny and beautiful!  We have moved our life OUT-OF-DOORS! 

Phys Ed:

Reading, Poetry, Religion and a Picnic in the front yard:

Lots of Nature Study, Botany & Composting:

More Botany:

Geography & Beachcombing:

A bit of Physics:

Socialization and Team Work:

Entomology:

Dendrology:

Picture Books:

Civil Engineering:

Math (How many steps to get to the compost pile?)

Even Mom gets a couple minutes seconds of peace in the backyard, perusing a new book. 

      

And Photography.  Don't forget Outside Photography! (Dorothy Jo took this picture.) 

   

Fluttering Creatures

.

Hand in hand they dance in a row,

Hither and thither, and to and fro,

Flip! Flap! Flop! And away they go!

Flutt'ring creatures as white as snow,

Like restive horses they caper and prance;

Like fairy tale witches they wildly dance;

Rounded in front, but hollow behind,

They shiver and skip in the merry March wind.

One I saw dancing excitedly,

Struggling so wildly till she was free,

Then, leaving pegs and clothes-line behind her,

She flew like a bird, and no one can find her.

   

I saw her gleam, like  sail, in the sun,

Flipping and flapping and flopping for fun.

     ~From The Clothes-Line, by Charlotte Druitt Cole

There She Was Just a Walkin' Down the Street

Singin' Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do

Snappin' her fingers and a shufflin' her feet

Singin' do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do

She looked good (looked good) She looked fine (looked fine)

She looked good, she looked fine, and I nearly lost my mind!

Caroline walks!   And, yes, OF COURSE, that is dirt on her face!  What kink of a glorious Spring day would it be if the 14-month-old of the house didn't eat find a bit of dirt? 

Well, OK, maybe A LOT OF DIRT:

Note Caroline in the upper-right corner.  Making her way over to partake of the Beaver Dam Festivities. 

O Tannenbaum

Ever feel like you're being WATCHED?

Il Neige! Il Neige!

This is a rare....snow in November.  Come to think of it, it's rare in GENERAL.  To us...this is "tons of snow."  Joy, joy, joy, joy....

The Wind and the Leaves

Come, little leaves, / Said the wind one day;
Come to the meadows / With me and play.
Put on your dresses / Of red and gold;
For summer is past, /And the days grow cold.

Soon as the leaves /Heard the wind's loud call,
Down they came fluttering, /One and all.
Over the meadows / They danced and flew,
All singing the soft / Little songs they knew.

Dancing and flying, / The leaves went along,
Til Winter called them / To end their sweet song.
Soon, fast asleep / In their earthy beds,
The snow lay a coverlet /O'er their heads.

~ George Cooper

Fires in the Fall

The gypsy fire burns out-of-doors

In places wild and free;

I’d rather be a Gypsy fire

Than any fire, says she!

~Elizabeth Fleming    Fires

Last spring my husband ordered a 36” diameter

metal fire ring from the Sportsman's Guide. We placed it in the backyard and enjoyed a few months of fire ambiance when he casually started to mention building an official fire pit with pavers around the metal fire ring.  This was the result.

We ADORE the family time spent around this dominating feature of our backyard.  There is just something about leaning back in your chair, staring at the fire, watching the smoke curl upwards, talking…or just being silent.  It’s relaxing, cozy and mesmerizing.

Of course, we build lots of fires in the summer, but a bonfire in the summer just doesn’t have the same ambiance as a chilly, evening, Autumn Fire.  Just last night we had our first Autumn Fire with another couple. After children had all gone to bed, the four of us huddled around the fire, bundled in jackets, with a bit of food and a drink.  Tikki lights glowed, and silence was unknown. It was the night before the Harvest Moon. Looking up I saw the silhouette of the Cedar trees in the bright sky. 

Tonight, we had dinner around the fire, while waiting for the Harvest Moon to appear. If it is a Friday or Saturday night, it’s not raining (a common occurrence in the Pacific Northwest) and I’m not pregnant (another common occurrence) we’ll try to dine amongst the Cedars!  Especially in the Fall and Winter months.

Growing up our main source of heat was a wood burning stove. I have fond childhood memories of the first load of wood brought into the house as the colder temperatures approached.  It required furniture to be rearranged to make room for the 15-20 boxes of wood that sat under the staircase and a trip to the grocery store for those extremely sturdy lettuce boxes that housed the wood.  We would put on our gloves and “help” my Dad load the boxes and bring the boxes in on the dolly. My dad wore his wool pants with suspenders and always a hat….he just smelled like OUTSIDE! 

Pete has visions of our girls growing up with “bonfire camaraderie” as we call it.  Instead of television or malls or talking on the phone, hopefully they will enjoy hours around a brightly lit fire enjoying nature, their family, their friends and a chance to just sit, to just “be” and…..be grateful.  That’s what I felt last night and tonight.  Grateful for my hard-working husband, my sweet children, the cool autumn air and those precious moments of joy and peace.

                                                            

Sing a song of seasons

Something bright in all

Flowers in the summer

Fires in the fall

    ~from Autumn Fires, R.L. Stevenson

                                                                                                                                   

I love to see the cottage smoke

Curl upwards through the trees;

The pigeons nestled round the cote

On November days like these

~from Autumn by John Clare

                                                          

Crack your first nut and light your first fire,

Roast your first chestnut crisp on the bar;

Make the logs sparkle, stir the blaze higher,

Logs are as cheery as sun or as star,

Logs we can find wherever we are

~from October by Christina Rossetti

Summer is winding down

Taking a break from digging in the dirt (my father would be so proud) and bike riding in the front driveway.  Afternoon Snack Time.  Something tells me these days are numbered. 

Dorothy Jo's prayer from this morning ~ "Jesus, peez help da birds who are getting wheddy to fy south. Help dem to not bump into anysing."

We went to the farm with Grammy!

We went to a U-Pick Farm last Friday with Grammy Anne. Hay ride, bean picking, goats, flowers, craft project, ducks, and of course, the port-a-potty.   Fun was had by all.

Children's Culinary Delights

I have hereby designated Thursdays as “Cooking Day!”  No, no, no….not for ME…for THEM!  Since I actually have confidence in my ability these days to not completely LOSE IT when little ones are in the kitchen (could have something to do with the fact that I’m not pregnant and DREAD CLEANING UP THEIR MESSES!) we will be cooking once a week.  In order to NOT LOSE IT…I’ve learned to give instructions….what, how many, where, etc….and then QUICK, to the other side of the kitchen I go!  Don’t watch, don’t listen, just put something away, organize something, but DO NOT WATCH!  This is the key.  I just have to let them experiment…it’s the process not the product.  So what if Erika’s birthday cake had crunchy little eggshells in it??? 

After we made pear bread this Thursday, I set them up outside on a table to practice peeling, cutting and mashing a banana.  Apparently, mashing a banana with a FORK is not the preferred method of mashing…….

Morning at the Park

This morning was spent at the park.  My goal is to go to the park every ---day and spend late morning and lunch in the park, exploring!  Unless, of course, it's pouring rain (sometimes) or freezing cold (which it rarely it around here).  Cloudy days and slight drizzles will not keep up away (in theory anyway).  I've also made a list of 3-4 things to take for our lunches (even in the winter) so I don't have the agonizing decision to make in the morning of not only "what will we have for dinner", but "what do I possibly have to pack for a lunch?"  The basket is ready, it's on my list of things to do on Sunday night, and the options are few!  No choices to be made there.  I also have one backpack completely dedicated to our nature days....in it are magnifying glasses, plastic bags, bug containers, tweezers, trowel, notebook, etc.  Again, in theory, "Madeleine, grab the backpack!" will all that needs to be said.  We will usually go to the same park to become familiar with the trees, flowers, foliage and animals, and to watch the changes throughout the seasons.  But, trips to the beach or other areas are definitely not out of the question.  Here are some pictures and narrations from Madeleine and Erika from this morning's trip:

M – "It’s summer still; it was sunny. The first thing we did was feed the ducks.  We gave them tiny tiny pieces of bread.  We went to go swing.  We walked around the pond, and then we found some treasures.  Mommy found a toad. We ate a snack under the red tree or really a Japanese Maple tree. We were picking blackberries, and eating them.  We were staining our hands with the blackberries.  There were 2 apples in the pond." 

E-"This is a thistle.  I found it down at the pond.  It is purple.  It was soft and tall." 

M – "We watched the ducks too.  Mommy took a picture of the duckies.  These are not goslings.  We think they are the baby ducks from this spring." 

E - "These are ducks going upside down to catch some fish or minnows or food.   Or sometimes some tiny bread that someone else threw to them." 

M – "This is me holding my stick. 

These are our treasures that we found. We are going to put them on our nature tray."

(clockwise starting at top-left)

Oak leaves

Fern

Pinecones – long skinny ones

Birch Bark

Birch Leaves

Maple Leaves

 

Dorothy Jo digging in the pond with her stick!

My Favorite Time of Year....Autumn!

I know I'm getting ahead of myself, because HOPEFULLY we will have another month of summer left. But every year, around the end of August I get just giddy thinking about Fall!  September and October are my FAVORITE months....and it's especially fun now that I can look at the changing of the seasons with my little "pumpkin-heads."  Here are some of the things we'll do...

September

Pick Blackberries

It's "Back-to-School"

Go to the state fair. I LOVE this book! And this one.

Trip to the Library for all our favorite books about Autumn.

Field Trip to the Market or Children's Farm. Read Hurry Hurry Mary Dear

8 – Celebrate the Blessed Mother's Birthday!

Labor Day – Daddy's Home!  Dance and Sing the song by the Oak Ridge Boys

14 – Exaltation of the Holy Cross Tale of Three Trees

21 - St. Matthew's Feast Day

27 – St.Vincent de Paul - do a "toy and clothing purge" donating to SVdP down the street

29 – Feast of Archangels

Apple Picking – Make Apple Pie and Applesauce

Watch a September sunset at the beach (probably the last for the year)

Watch.....the harvest moonrise, for flying seeds, squirrels hoarding their food, migrating birds.

October

Respect Life Sunday.  Read Angel In The Waters

2 – Feast of the Guardian Angels. So many things to do with little ones on this day!

4 – St. Francis of Assisi  Read this book.

7 – Our Lady of the Rosary

Columbus Day

13 - Erika’s Baptism Anniversary!!

16 – St. Margaret Mary Alocoque. Sacred Heart Activities/Food.

Make a Scarecrow

Clean and Put Outside Toys Away

Go to the Pumpkin Patch

Decorate Front Porch

Cook w/pumpkin...soup, pie, bread, muffins, bars, pancakes, bread.

Pete Goes Hunting! (Hopefully, "anatomy of a deer" will be the lesson of the day!)

Take our annual "girls-in-pile-of-colorful-leaves-with-matching-clothes-holding-pumpkins" picture

Leaf Color Projects~Press, Print, Stencils, Rubbings!

Add fallen leaves to compost

Plant spring bulbs

Collect Pinecones

Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Get All Hallow’s Eve / All Saints Day costumes ready

31 - All Hallow's Eve ~ trick or treating and Party to prep for All Saint's Day!!!!

Nov. 1 - All Saints Day! Party with our homeschool group

Nov. 2 - All Souls Day ~ Get our Altar ready for prayers for the dead, and read these books.

Our First HIKE!

We went on our first hike today as a family of SIX! The girls readied their "pack-packs" with a juice bear and a baggie of trail food, donned their tennis shoes and we were off ! Caroline would have rather been sleeping, but as long as she's in a baby carrier, she'll basically put up with anything (she slept through most of this excursion). The rationale was to get out right after Mass mid-morning while it was still in the 80's! We're expecting 90 degrees today! We drove to the park and hiked for about 1 hour! Of course, we stopped a lot looking at things, taking pictures, eating, throwing rocks in the streams and random "hanging out."

Many things were learned on this trip, as daddy is very good at the "teachable moments." The definition of a "switchback" was discussed, as was how you should not hike and turn your head to talk at the same time. We saw spiders, ferns, rocks, a chipmunk hole, tall trees and 2 streams, where we spent most of our time!

The pumpkin-heads also learned about the natural progression of hiking and camping. FIRST, we go on a half-day-hike (today). SECOND, we do a day-hike. NEXT, we set up the tent in the back yard and sleep overnight. THEN, we go car-camping. AND THEN, we go BACKPACKING. According to my husband who has climbed many mountains 20,000 feet and taller, THAT is the ULTIMATE for which we are all striving. Perhaps someday I will be frolicking in the woods "backpacking" for days on end, as he says! However right now, there are 4 sleeping girls giddy with the excitement of a HIKE, and I have a very messy kitchen to clean up!

Fourth of July

This year we celebrated America's birthday with Grandma Charlotte! We had a nice relaxing day complete with picnic food on our favorite place during the summer months ~ our back deck! The girls performed "God Bless America," and then we headed up north to watch the fireworks just outside the baseball stadium (a Kawasaki dealership parking lot) where our favorite minor league baseball team plays. All was well until the "big booms" started and Dorothy Jo was NOT A HAPPY CAMPER! Pete had to take her to the car halfway through. Madeleine and Erika were not thrilled either, although the tears didn't start to flow until the finale. Needless to say, the general consensus was that we would not view fireworks again "until we are teenagers....maybe we won't be scared then." On our way home we saw many sparklies in the sky, and we were all reminded of the fact that we definitely live in the greatest country on God's green earth!

Here are some of the books we read this year to learn more about our blessed United States of America. Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R13AD5MVJYCM1W/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full/102-8166475-9898550

Erika's Worm Bin

Erika has taken over the family worm bin. Since she is the one who basically "harvested" most of the worms back in May, she can claim it as "hers." She recently showed off her expertise in composting at our Homeschool Variety Show on June 4.

Here is what we are reading.....Picture books about Spring/Summer Nature!!! Love these!http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R2WHJJ96MX9NWD/ref=cm_rna_own_lm/102-8166475-9898550