When I Grow Up

'Daddy, what do want to be when you grow up?' 'I want to be a teacher.' 'Oh yeah, I want to be a dinosaur when I grow up.' I am very proud of my husband. After many years dedicating himself to the craft of carpentry, the recent lull in construction and contemplation about how he wants to spend time with his family; my husband has decided to go to school. He goal is to become a High School Math teacher. He has always been an excellent teacher in other aspects of life. He is knowledgeable, a considerate listener, and eager to teach. I am excited for him and our new journey towards a degree together. As for Clayton wanting to be a dinosaur, the world is still his!

Oh Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree finding adventure begins!

The best tree was found and Daddy began to saw it down. Clay was invited to help but he preferred playing with the mud and chasing pretend bears up and down the rows.

Baby's first pole saw. He was quite impressed.

Dyeing E-book giveaway

Syrendell is a fantastic source for handwork, waldorf and homeschooling. This link will led you to a blog with a giveaway of their e-book on dyeing. Take a moment and browse their blog, etsy shop and if you are in California you have the opportunity to attend workshops. I was blessed to attend one that was a gentle introduction to Waldorf homeschooling, handwork,and wet on wet painting.

Word Play

Word play with Clay is his ability to unknowingly misuse or mispronounce a word that makes me have to hold back giggles! Here are some of my current favorites: Hangleburger with cheese please! (hamburger) Mommy, Can you do me a favorite? (favor) Coughing..."I've got drama' (This is what he says when he coughs after his father pointed out that his dramatic production of fake coughing was drama. Now he thinks that 'drama' is something you have to see the doctor for!)

Dino Days

Clay has been on a dinosaur kick lately. Last night at the dinner table he started singing, "I don't know what's going on with the dinosaur, dinosaur, DINOSAUR". It's an original piece that impressed his father and myself. We all rocked out to his song the rest of the evening. Today I thought I would be a super cool mom and make dinosaur cookies with him. I had made the sugar dough for cut out cookies yesterday. As one would expect, my three year old's attention span is not extraordinarily long. So when I make sugar dough I divide it up and bake small batches when he or I feel inspired. He happily rolls the dough, cuts out the shapes and decorates them with whatever goodies we have like raisins, chocolate chips, cereal and coconut. He usually maxes out at about 4-5 cookies. Today the dinosaur cookies where no different. We made t-rex, brontosaurus, triceratops and stegosaurus cookies. After his nap he sat at the table with a glass of milk and marveled at his creations. I gave him his choice of dino cookies, triceratops was the winner. He drank his milk but did not take a single bite of his cookie. Puzzled, I asked him why? "But Mommy, I can't eat the triceratops. It will hurt and he'll be sad and he'll lose his beautiful tail."

Hadn't Thought of it That Way: Sauce

My DH read the other day that instead of using jared spagetti sauce we should use stewed tomatoes to make our sauce. The reasoning is that whole tomatoes are used for stewing so the better ones are choosen. The rest, including the kulls, are pured are jared for sauces. Making sauce from stewed tomatoes is as simple as pouring the can into the food processor and hitting the button to puree. Then pour it into a pan and add whatever favorings you desire such as basil, wine and garlic. I know the next step for us is making our own sauce from tomatoes in our garden. But it is hot in the summer where I live and the idea of boiling and processing sauce all day is not tempting. So until the cooler weather arrives we have switched to the can!

Rhythm of the Home

The new autumn issue is out for Rhythm of the Home! If you have not seen this yet, it is a treat to be inspired from. Also check out the blog for a massive giveaway. Enjoy your weekend.