Snowflakes

I will admit to loving the change of seasons, I will even admit to anticipating the arrival of the first snowflakes, but  I will not admit to loving winter.  I like it. I can enjoy it. But I am ever so happy to see the last snow of the season melt away in the spring.

The first snowflakes are my favourite and I do love them. There is something so beautiful, simple and special about those first flakes.

We have had our first snowflakes of the season already, and today we made our first snowflakes of the season. And they are just as beautiful, simple and special as the first flakes falling gently from the sky.

Reece had no idea what  I was up to when I started gathering our craft supplies, but you could see the excitement in his eyes, he loves crafting as much as his mama.

Last night, as Reece slept, I took some time to prepare the snowflakes out of popsicle sticks, I layered and glued them together in the shape of snowflakes, which meant today we could get right at it.

I worked on a snowflake using rhinestones and Reece choose to work with the “puffy balls”, as he calls them. I helped him with the hot glue gun and he mastered holding them in place until the glue had settled.

Reece was intrigued with the bowl of sparkles I had placed on the table, he has never seen them before and it didn’t take long before he wanted to know how we were using them. So we got to it, I gave him a glue stick, and lead him in the right direction and from there, lots of fun and sparkles everywhere.  Yup, huge mess, but so much fun!

He had a blast, I had a blast and the snowflakes we made look awesome!

We added two of them to our tree and we put two of them on our nature tray.

A great afternoon of crafting – fun, laughter and time together, what could be better?

Hoping you are having as much fun Christmas crafting as we are.

Sometimes I Have to Bite My Tongue

Picture yourself in the grocery store, complaining (aka “whining”) to the check out person about the day you are having. This may not be a common occurrence for you; it sure isn’t for me, but just take a minute and picture it.

Now, picture the checkout person replying “it sounds like somebody needs a nap.”

Here’s another one for you. You are at a coffee shop with a friend. Your friend offers to buy you a cup of tea; just as she is about to hand it to you she says “what’s the magic word.”

How would either of these scenarios make you feel? Small, disrespected, frustrated and maybe even angry.

These are two statements which have been said to Reece over the last few weeks and each time I have to fight not to say something to the people who speak disrespectfully to him.

The first time it happened we were in Starbucks, I was grabbing a tea to go, but Reece wanted to spend a few minutes at Starbucks sitting in one of the booths. Most days, I would have accommodated his request, but on this particular day we were expected somewhere. So, as toddlers do, Reece was complaining (aka “whining”). The barista behind the counter jumped right in with “sounds like somebody needs a nap.” Really, we have been here for exactly two minutes and you can tell my little man needs a nap. You know nothing about him, the day he has had, his temperament...nothing. So how can you know he needs a nap?

We all have bad days, or bad moments within a day. As adults we complain and we move on, this is not so easy for toddlers to do. As adults we need to take a moment and actually listen to what a child is saying or complaining about, acknowledge it and help them to move on. Not always easy, but from my perspective much nicer than speaking down to them.

The second time, we were in music class. It was the end of class and the children were getting their attendance stickers to add to their music books. The music teacher offered the children the stickers, but then as she was handing it to them said “What’s the magic word.” Really, I thought.  You are about to give them something, they didn’t ask for it, you are giving it to them, in my books there is no need for a please, but there should be a thank you. I was proud when she came to Reece and he didn’t know what to say, “What’s the magic word” is not a phrase he is accustomed to hearing. He only knew to say please when the boy beside him said it. And I was even more proud after being given the sticker, Reece said thank you...as I would expect him to after being given something and as I would do after someone gives me something.

These are statements which are often said to children, but they are ones we avoid using with Reece. Why, because we respect Reece. He is a human being. He has feelings which need to be heard and accepted, just like our feelings need to be heard and accepted. He is a person who is here to learn, grow and change as he gains an understanding of the world around him and how it works. He will have good days and bad days, so will I and so will you.

What I am trying to say is we speak to Reece as we would like to be spoken to and in doing so we teach Reece how to speak to others, both politely and with compassion.

The key for us, to helping Reece learn about the world around him and how to communicate within it, is modeling the behaviours we expect, speaking to each other and those in our community with respect and compassion, the way we expect to be spoken to and reminding ourselves that Reece is three and still has a lot of learning, growing and changing to do.

"Children aren't to be molded, they are little people to be unfolded."

More Holiday Treats

A few weeks ago I wrote about the handmade homemade Christmas we are planning this year. I shared one of the recipes, a sweet, healthy treat,  I am planning to share this holiday season, and today I am going to share the second one. Yes, I have two recipes to gift this year and I do hope the recipients enjoy them as much as we do.

I have an infatuation with pumpkin, I will admit it, I love the fall for many reasons and one of those reasons is pumpkins! They are beautiful to look at and taste delicious.  I am always creating with pumpkin and have never been disappointed. One of my experiments this year was pumpkin granola, inspired when one of the families in our grocery buying club purchased a package of pumpkin granola. I saw it and the next day was in the kitchen creating my own pumpkin granola.

It is delish and tastes amazing served with homemade pecan milk. Yum!

Pumpkin Granola
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup brown rice flakes
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup cranberries
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds

Combine the all the flakes, seeds (with the exception of the sesame and hemp seeds) and nuts together in a bowl.  In a separate bowl combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, pureed pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla, mix well. 

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until dry and crunchy. You will have to stir this often, as the sides brown much quicker than the center.

When finished baking, add the dried fruit, sesame and hemp seeds. Mix well and store in an air tight container on the counter for up to 5 days and then transfer to the freezer (if it lasts that long) for longer storage.

Another super easy recipe I hope will delight the taste buds of those I love this holiday season.

Dinner Time Rhythm

I remember family dinners in my home as a child fondly. As a family we sat down to dinner, at the table, most nights of the week. They were fun, tasty and sometimes serious. In our home now, Justin, Reece and I sit down to dinner together as a family, at the table, every night, except Tuesday, when I am off to teach for the evening.

Until recently we had not set a formal dinner time rhythm. We eat at the same time each night, we eat at the table, we say a “story” as Reece calls it, before our meal and we enjoy our food together. That was our rhythm and it worked for us...until recently.  For about a week now Reece has been putting up a bit of a struggle at dinner time. I am pretty sure it is just the transition to dinner which is the problem. He seems to get very involved with whatever he is playing with and finds it difficult to leave it to come to dinner, nothing unusual for a toddler.

So, the last few days Justin and I have worked on a more formal dinner time rhythm, and I am happy to say it is working wonderfully.

So here it is!

When I am about ten minutes away from serving dinner, Justin gathers up Reece and the two of them set the table. We have added a dinner time candle to our meals, and Reece comes to the kitchen to get it from me. He proudly places it on the table and watches intently as Justin lights it.

By the time they are finished, I have dinner ready to be served. We all sit down, say our “story” (our dinner blessing) and then enjoy our meal together, without the struggle.

How do you avoid the dinner time struggle in your home?

Our Weekend

Teaching

Day with daddy

Movie night

Lazy Sunday morning

French toast breakfast

Lazy day

Pyjama day for Reece

Playing with daddy

Sewing

Reading with mama

Dinner by candlelight

Chillin

Together

Family

Love

Our weekend

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

We awoke to sunshine this morning, it has been missing for the last few days, and it was wonderful. There is nothing like the morning sun drifting in your window first thing in the morning, it was peaceful, relaxing and warming.

By lunch time, the temperature had risen and I knew today was the day; the perfect day to head to the Christmas tree farm. You just never know what the next day will be like once we hit December, so we took advantage of the sun and beautiful afternoon to go and get our Christmas tree.

We had lots of fun checking out the reindeers, funny tree faces and all the trees. 

We knew exactly what we were looking for: a not too tall, skinny tree to fit into the perfect little corner in our home. We found it fairly quickly and Justin got to work cutting it down.

Once we got it home, the plan was to just leave it on the front porch until the weekend when we would bring it in and decorate it. But really who can wait? So in it came and we got to work adding lights, beaded garland and our homemade decorations. The Christmas carols were playing in the background, hot tea was in mugs and laughter filled our home.

So here it is, decorated and waiting patiently for wonderful homemade presents to be placed underneath it.