back to work

It was a wonderful holiday for all of us here. Staying in jammies for most of the days, bundling up inside away from the cold. Loading up on sugary goodness, and playing for hours with all of our new toys! It's been heavenly having Adam home from work for so many days, you could call me spoiled at this point. So now it is back to reality, back to routine and the rhythm of a new and productive year.

Over the weekend in preparation for this new start I cleaned out the pantry and the fridge (major accomplishment!). I must have thrown out 5 lbs of candy/cookies/sugar. And in turn stocked both places full of nutritious goodness ready to start this year on a healthy note. Of course that means more preparation and planning to do on my part, but we'll all be healthier this way. My resolution this year is to get back to a more holistic lifestyle. Prepare more whole foods, start up a family yoga practice including the boys, and have more FUN with the kids in general. I want to laugh more and fuss less!

We started back at our school work today. We did the usual handwriting, and phonics lesson, then a writing exercise where he pretends to be a reporter and reports what he witnesses as me and his little brother play. He learns to record events chronologically and has fun role playing as well.
For science we completed a lab where we took yarn and measured and labeled the parts of the digestive system. We were both quite shocked to find out that a child's digestive system measures out to be about 22 feet long. I later discovered that when I asked him to label the large and small intestine I didn't check his spelling right away and found that he was calling those parts the large and small "innards" which I found quite hilarious!
I'm already laughing more, what a great start to a new year!

loving...

::The cold crisp weather snuggled under the quilt that is soon going to be for my mom

::Playing elf as I knit and sew, nurse and knit, knit and sew some more

::Dianna Krall Holiday station on pandora radio

::Amish friendship bread

::Another baby's first Christmas

::Listening to Emile sing "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya"

::The deep philosophical conversations with Avery about the true meaning of Christmas. Very enlightening!

Happy Solstice!

We are thoroughly immersed in the holiday season! From busy preparations, extreme sugar highs accompanied by the sugar crashes, and the sore hands from last minute Christmas crafting. We are so excited to welcome winter and celebrate this season with all of the ones we love and are so grateful for!

Avery has been very inquisitive about the existence of Santa Clause. He is not afraid to pursue deeper investigative work in order to discover the truth. Me, being such a bad liar, am trying my hardest to not lie but keep the magic alive without telling him the ultimate truth. Very tricky, business. I want him to feel the spirit of giving that I think the story of St. Nick gives. Of course there are so many other stories and people to offer that example. I want my kids to have that nostalgic feeling of waiting for Santa, seeing the half eaten chocolate chip cookies, and the note that he leaves every year since Avery was old enough to believe.He figured out that I was the tooth fairy, I'll give him that-it's a pretty crazy story. But Santa is real, he just is!! I have some pretty grand plans this Christmas eve in order to keep the magic going. My plan includes jingle bells, maybe some reindeer on the roof top and tracks in the yard!?!?! Hopefully Santa will get my memo and come through.

Holiday Craft

We have been working on this Advent calendar since the first of December and it's finally finished, now that we're halfway through the month. I am so excited about it! The idea came from Family Fun magazine Nov. edition.

We rummaged through old magazine looking for doors, windows and other Christmas feeling objects that could serve as a "door", cut them out and pasted them to red card stock. Then I took a craft knife and cut three sides to our pictures. We pasted the red card stock with all of our pictures on them to green card stock of the same size and viola! Mini windows where I wrote down a Christmas activity for us to do as a family every day of the month. Our activities include caroling together as a family, donating warm clothes to homeless shelter, baking Christmas cookies, family game night, craft night and more!! It came out so good and am looking forward to bringing it out next year and reminiscing on all of the memories we are creating.

Happy Holidays!!

Tis the season

Feeling the love this holiday season. New babies, lots of opportunities to snuggle and stay warm inside. Reading books together, knitting gifts and baking yummy holiday goodies are our main focus these days. I've also lightened my load a bit while I adjust to having three children, I've decided to send Avery two days a week to a friend who home schools other children along with her four kids. Avery loves it and it gives me time to do age appropriate activities with my almost three year old (although he will tell you for sure that he is going on 26). Life is good at the moment, I have these super love hormones to thank for that! New babies are good medicine, actually quite addictive! I'm so crazy in love I want to have 10 of them, luckily I have a sensible husband so that won't be happening.

I will be back posting here and there, taking it slow and easy until we get adjusted to this new life. Stay tuned...

Warmest holiday wishes to you and yours!!