Nature Project: Week Six

Wow! Week Six already? That means summer is flying right on by and before we know it the crisp fall nights and then days will begin. I already can see how much darker it is now than it was a week ago. Honestly I didn't think we were six weeks into summer yet. I really feel a fire lit under me now to get the most out of our limited summer.

All that being said, week six also means a new activity. The title of this week was called "Handy Plants". We learned a little bit about seeds and pollination. Concepts that I think the boys sort of understood but sort of didn't. The actual activity component is a bit more of a wait and see kind of thing so I am hoping over the next few weeks the boys will get a better understanding.

The activity was actually kind of fun. The author suggested grabbing an old pair of wool socks or wool mitts and finding a place outdoors that would have flowers past blooming stage and grasses growing. The child puts the sock or mitt on their hand and runs it over the plants. The hope is that the wool of the sock or mitt will catch and grab the seeds.

Here are a few pix of us catching some seeds with out handy socks (which Daddy donated to the cause from his work sock pile):

Once you have picked up a nice bunch of seeds take the sock home and fill it with dirt and place on a tray. Water and wait. As you can see we modified a bit and put dirt in and then placed them on some more dirt in a planter. 

So now we will wait. I really hope that these sock seeds do something.

The little Q & A that was part of this chapter was a bit difficult for the boys to grasp. Pollination has to do with reproduction which is somewhat of a subject that once you get rolling you better be ready to answer the questions. As far as flowers are concerned though we learned that pollination happens when pollen reaches the pistil and inside the pistil the seeds are made. Now, I don't remember tons from high school biology but I happen to recall there being a stamen and I believe that is where the pollen falls off from. I'm pretty sure. Not 100%. More like 95%.

All in all it was a great day. Daddy went on the nature walk with us (it's a bit of a mini trek to get to the wildflower green space I had in mind). By the end we were sufficiently sun (and sweat) drenched and there was definitely some snoozing in the van on the way home.

The next two weeks will be about water (I've been noticing a theme where the activities are related two weeks in a row). Next week is specifically about water itself. What is water? That kind of thing. The boys have some interest already in the water system so I hope to expand on that. The following week is about Watering Holes and the animals that show up there (I am EXCITED about that one, special outing is in store that day).

Until next post :)

Together Again

On Sunday evening Viktor arrived home safe and sound after his week of fun. He was everything I expected: taller, smarter, stronger, wiser. He had a wonderful time bonding with his Grandparents. He came home with so many stories to tell of the people he met and the things he did. My mother had him draw a journal every day while he was there. From that I know he got to go on the quad with my dad, chop vegetables with my mum and had a very successful week of swimming lessons.

While he was away it was mostly business as normal here however Max did get a few extra treats. Like an adorable cooking set that was only $5!! He also helped me with all sorts of things. He really did rise to the challenge of being the biggest brother in the house (if only for a little while).

It is obvious I guess that in Vik's absence we decided to forgo the Nature Activity for week four. Well, not completely, but mostly. Last week's activity was about Ladybugs and while it would be nice to take the boys out to observe them, truth is that the boys just don't sit still quiet and long enough. We are working on it though. The other reasons was that the boys have seen a lot of Ladybugs. They are kind of old news to them. Tomorrow though before we do this week's activity we will read the Ladybug chapter and keep our eyes peeled while we do the new activity (of which is a little more exciting for the boys-I have a great place in mind to go to).

That is one of the nice things of nature, it is all synergy. Everything goes together.

One little exciting thing was that over the weekend Daddy and I shared our 5th Anniversary. To commemorate that I wrote and recorded a little song. You can all view it here :)

That is all for today. See you on Thursday for our Week Five activity called Handy Plants (this will be a fun one!)

Year Long Nature Project

If you read this post you would have seen me mention an upcoming project. It is now the time to reveal. The project is based on this book...

 I purchased i love dirt: 52 activities to help you & your kids discover the wonders of nature last year from amazon and when it arrived I immediately loved it. Too bad it then went into my bookshelf and I sort of half forgot about it. The forward by Richard Louv discusses how many children today spend too much time indoors, between school, after school activities, computer time and television time. At the heart of it is the fact that natural outdoor free play is beneficial to a child both mentally and physically. There has been extensive research into the benefits of natural free play. The introduction speaks the same message as the forward in encouraging and promoting the ease of getting outdoors and interacting with the natural world around us. 

A few weeks ago I was shifting some books around and i love dirt sparked my interest again. I decided that seeing as how the book contains 52 activities (52 weeks in the year, coincidence???) and it is spread over the 4 seasons that it would make a great annual project. A regular thang. Each chapter is a new activity to immerse yourself in nature and to further appreciate it. There are also mini facts and ideas on how to broaden the activity in fun and creative ways. I looked at the calendar and it seemed only perfect to begin this project on the first day of summer, the summer solstice. 

Yesterday the solstice arrived as did our first project. Even though it was a mostly gloomy and rainy day I made it a promise to myself that rain or shine we would get out there and nature it up. So nature it up we did. 

Seeing has how the title of the book is i love dirt it was only fitting that our first activity was all about dirt. The author, Jennifer Ward, tells parents in this chapter all about the importance of getting dirty. She explains that dirt and mud are a great way to be creative and encourages parents to set aside specific outfits for playing in dirt and mud so as not to fear the mess. 

There are suggestions to make hills, walls, holes, shapes etc. She suggests adding water. What happens when you add water to dirt? Of course mud comes next with mud pies and painting with mud. While yesterday may have been our activity day I can see some definite dirt play coming up in the rest of the week. 

So outside we went with some digging tools and toys to play in the dirt...

And what did we find???

We found some roots growing up in the middle of the backyard. 

Obviously from the trees at the side of the yard but still on odd place to spring up. 

We also found an earthworm. We gently picked him up and placed him in another spot. 

This week's fact was about what makes up dirt. We learned (well I already knew but you get my drift) that dirt is a mix of broken rocks and broken down plant matter. I expanded on the fact that some dirt is more clay based and stickier while other dirt is more sand based and drier. Our own back yard is pretty much a black dirt mud hole so it was the perfect place :)

Overall, I would have to say that I forgot how something so simple as digging in the dirt could be so interesting. We also found a bug in there and other bits of things. Vik began imagining digging underground tunnels that he could walk inside and big holes underground. I'm sure those brain seeds were planted last week when we watched Planet Earth: Caves.

Since my plan is for this to be a weekly thing we will be exploring our next chapter next Wednesday then blogging about it on Thursday. Please be sure to check back in for next week's i love dirt activity. 

A Whole Lotta Random

Good Day! And indeed it is a good day. While my thoughts have been abducted by some family drama as of recent and interrupting some blogging I also have many things going on. Busy doesn't begin.

I do have a fun project coming up that I am really looking forward to blogging about. It involves nature, 52 weeks, and 4 seasons. All will be revealed shortly (as in only several more days until the summer solstice shortly).

There are a few things I promised to blog about in the past that I just wasn't able to get to it. Some of those things now even seem redundant or irrelevent to post on now (Easter anyone?). Some of those things, like the Brtiax B Ready stroller are still very deserving of a post and still pending. I hope to get rolling on some of those very soon. I'm thinking some videos demos and reviews are also in order.

So here is a short update:

Things were quite busy around home the last few weeks. For one, Daddy was away for 9 days on a renovation job out of town. Yup, just me, three kidlets, the dog and the cat in our small abode. It had some ups and downs but we felt is was a great experience. It was also great practice for those times when Daddy has to go away to rock and we stay home. We had some great routines and patterns and I gained A LOT of confidence in myself. Dare I say I look forward to a few more occasions where I can dig in my heels and be both parents (but not in a long term sort of way). There is a definite dynamic shift when Daddy is gone and in short doses I like it. Don't get me wrong though. WE MISSED DADDY SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!

A big development around here is Max is potty trained. Max is what I would figure to be a later potty trainer. He is almost 3 1/2 and we didn't give it a good go until the last few weeks and I ran out of pull ups and refused to buy more. There have been many pee accidents and many poo accidents but we are currently hitting 80% success right now. I'm pretty trained myself now to watch the clock and every 3 to 4 hours get him to the potty. This past week though he has taken some initiative to go on his own, only had a few dribble accidents, wakes dry every morning, returns home from outings dry and has even had some pees out and about.

Other than that it is pretty much business as usual. Daddy is back from out of town and back to regular band rehearsals and long hard work days. While he is busy working I am busy taking care of the home front and every single thing that implies (finances, homeschool, kids, cleaning, cooking......). I did happen upon a very intriguing blog while Daddy was away which I have to admit gave me some great insight into the splitting of responsibilities we do have. Take a moment and pop over to http://womenlivingwell.org/. If you have a penchant for the 1950 husband/wife dynamic, like to homeschool and love the Lord then you will love this blog.

On the band front...they had their video footage shooting almost a month ago now and hopefully in a few weeks the video will be ready and be sent to the booking agencies (I am crossing EVERYTHING!). I am using every piece of The Secret I know to make this happen. That band does their part and I do mine. We are dreaming every day (and night) about international travel, flying with the kids, exposing our to the world, new tastes and new sounds.

Well there it is for now. Sorry for the shwack load of random thoughts. I just wanted to quickly write something out. Make sure people don't think I have forgotten them. In fact I guiltily think about how I should write more ALL THE TIME! I even have lots of good ideas. Getting the time? That is the ticket.

Thanks for stopping in today. Have a happy day :)

What A Rainbow

If you read my post Just A Little Stripping you would know that I was putting Miss E back into her cloth today after a brief hiatus to heal the sad bum. She went into a disposable first thing and by the time her morning nap was finished so would the diapers be done drying. Before she woke up I was able to get them all stuffed and ready for use.

Luckily I had a little time and the rare opportunity of my entire stash being fresh and clean. I mean every last one was there. Usually no matter how many are clean there are always a few that are in the dirty bag or clean in the diaper bag. Therefore I carpe diemed the chance to get a few pictures of the whole shebang. Just as the title of the post reads my first thoughts were, "Wow, what a rainbow". There are blues and browns and pinks and reds and yellows and pinks and greens and purples and pinks. Yes, there is a lot of pink. But overall I think I have done a semi decent job at representing a wide variety of colours. 

So without further ado I give you a few pictures of my stash and also a bit of a breakdown of brands and patterns.

So as you can see this is my rainbow. Is it bad that when I look at this I think "this doesn't seem like enough, I must need more"?

Here are a couple more close ups of the whole layout. 

Now for a bit of a breakdown of what I am currently running through.

In this picture we have all my wraps. I use these with the Thirsties Stay Dry Duo Insert. Starting at the left of the top row: Blueberry Wraps in Baby Bloom, Pink Lemonade and Butterflies. Second row are Thirsties Duo Wraps in Alice Brights (L) and Warm Stripes (R). Bottom row are two Rumparooz covers in Amythyst (L) and Lux (R). If I were to get any more wraps I would probably have to get one more of each as I really like all of them. They are soft, fit well and are nice and trim (especially the Rumparooz).

Above are my four Charlie Bananas. I really like these. They are very similar to a Fuzzi Bunz but I find them easier to stuff. Starting top row left and going clockwise I have Royal Blue, Red, Butterfly and one of my all time favourites is the "goodbye disposable hello cloth" in white (I do have a thing for white diapers). 

Ah, the BumGenius Pocket diaper. These are a fantastic diaper and are a favourite of many mums including myself. Clockwise starting at top left are: Blossom, Ribbit, Zinia, Sassy (amazing colour) and Zinia again. If I were to get another BG pocket it would definitely be in Dazzle which is an awesome deep purple.

Above are a few more BG items. The bottom is a BG Elemental in Grasshopper and the top two are the new BG Freetime in Lovelace and White. If I had to choose one pattern for all my diapers the Lovelace would be it. I preordered and waited MONTHS for that beauty. 

My TotBots. I love my TotBots. While I have favourite patterns the Totbots would be one of my favourite diapers all around. They are soft and fit fantastic. While they are an all in one diaper I like the way the insert pulls out yet stays attached. I would always like more of these. They have just released new patterns that I have on my wish list (specifically the Jubilee, Chicken Little, and Hansel & Gretel.)The patterns I have (starting clockwise top left) are: Cherrylicious, Toadstool, White, and Flower Power. 

I must admit I bought these Soft Bums Echo specifically because I fell in love with the top one which is called Sugar and Spice Giraffe. I didn't want it to feel lonely so I ordered another in Chocolate. These are a very trim fitting diaper so I like using them under the tights and leggings.

These Fuzzi Bunz were given to me by a dear friend. I'm not even sure what the colours are referred too as they are a few years older and companies are always changing their colours and patterns. They are all size small which will only fit a little longer but luckily I have a small and a medium in the adorable pink gingham one (that pattern makes me giddy).

Happy Heinys I really like. Especially with the snaps. Overall I have found the velcro to be stiff and kind of ripples oddly. That sounds bad, it's not THAT bad but I do like the snaps much better. Anyways...I have two in this brand which are the Groovy Circles on top and the Blue Hibiscus on the bottom. 

Apple Cheeks diapers are ones that I like to use as a night time diaper. I have them in size two and the way they fit now I find I can easily put a doubler in them. Top to bottom are: Delicious, Wild Child, and Purple Rain. 

I really like AMP diapers. At first I was a tad dubious then I found I liked them more with an AMP bamboo insert. The other AMP inserts I found too bulky and made the diaper seem too hard. The bamboo is softer and more flexible (to me anyways). These patterns are high on my list. They are a brand of diapers I initially tried solely for the cute patterns. In my stash I have (clockwise starting top left) Later Gator, Grunge, Ooga Booga, and Happy.

These are the last of the pocket diapers. I like these as a nighttime diaper as well, they are rather bulky and don't fit a lot of the day time pants but go nicely under sleepers. These are also the most luxurious of my diapers. My sister upon feeling one for the first time said she wished she had underwear this soft. These my friends are Blueberry Minky. Patterns are (clockwise starting top left) Winter Sage, Raspberry Truffle, and Paisley Blues.                                

                                       

This is a particular diaper that I only have one of (I think it is lonely though so another is on my list). The insert simply snaps into the cover and voila. They are a brand called Best Bottom and this one is Strawberry Shortcake.

  

Since I had the stash out I set out a few out my accessories too. These are my doublers. On the left are Thirsties doubles, AMP doublers in the middle, and Grovia doublers on the right. 

Cloth wipes are amazing. I use them for not only bums but faces, hands, noses, etc, etc, etc. The coloured ones are Thirsties, the middle are the ultra lush Fuzzi Bunz wipes and on the bottom are the BG (which I'm sorry, are like sandpaper compared to the others). 

Last but certainly not least...WET BAGS!!! Many cloth diapering ladies such as myself hoard, I mean collect, these like they collect their fluff. Wet bags can be a stash unto themselves. It wasn't long until I realized I had fallen down this rabbit hole too. Nevertheless this is my amassed collection of wet bags. On the left side are all Rumparooz. These are great with a handle and a half moon shape to fit more in. Starting at the top are Spring, Kangarooz, Eco-Owl, and Gumball. On the right are Planet Wise wet bags. The top is a large two sided hanging wet/dry bag in Pink Daisy/Stripe. The smaller two are a wet/dry bag in Outer Space and a wet bag in Fiesta. At the bottom is the mother of all wet bags (because this mamma is massive). It is the Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag, sized large, in green. 

Now that the strip is out of the way. It's taken me all day to write this (so many interruptions) and Evelyn has been through three cloth diapers now and so far so good. No horrible smells and thankfully no rash. Hopefully the length in a night time diaper doesn't set her back too far. The fluff has redeemed itself and the love has blossomed once again. I only had to stuff a few pockets to get that fuzzy feeling about them all over again. 

Phew, I don't feel defeated anymore. I don't like feeling that way. I really am keeping my fingers crossed that with some tweaking of the wash routine I'll be able to continue on the journey of cloth diapering :)

Evelyn Turns One!

A year ago today I received a most amazing Mother's Day gift. On this day I was holding my brand new baby girl in my arms. Cuddling her. Loving her. Taking in every little sweet detail of her. Family and friends trickled in and out of my room and it pained me to have to relinquish her to anyone else. Daddy brought the boys by and it felt perfect having my little family together. A few days later we were released to go home and start a new kind of normal as a family now of five.

We celebrated her birthday this past Sunday with a lovely tea party. A few close friends, my parents and my sister were in attendance. I put on a spread that is reminiscent of a high tea with sweets, breads,  sandwiches, and some fruit and veggies to round it out. I had three teas offered (Organic Breakfast, Birthday Cake and Life Long Ooling) all from Davids Tea. Evelyn received some very lovely gifts including some very pretty outfits, a ball, a ride on toy and a tea set (got to get them young).

Yesterday my husband and I reminisced about the day I spent in labour. That day we started out with some shopping at 9 am for things to put in my hospital bag. After dropping off our boys at their Granny's we went to Babies R Us and ended up making a registry for the free bag of goodies (yup, that's procrastination for you, making a registry WHILE in labour). We walked around and popped into various eclectic stores (something you can't do with two rowdy boys). Then we had a lovely afternoon lunch date with each other to eat some spicy wings and chimichangas then for dessert I had a massive Dairy Queen Banana Split Blizzard (that's all some serious labour fuel there). After a bit more shopping and then a warm bath I finally decided I had walked enough. Only for the hospital to tell me to walk more. Evelyn was born May 8th, 2011 at 12:29 am at 6 lbs 11 oz. I had an amazingly easy labour (med free/intervention free) and was no worse for wear. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

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My how this year has gone by. Too fast in my opinion. I have enjoyed my time at home so much. Even to the point where I made the decision mid mat leave that I would not be returning to work. The dynamic of my family shifted and the bond with my children became greater and I was feeling a stride I hadn't felt in years. I don't mess with the Universe. When in line, I don't shake it up.

So fast forward that year to now. Evelyn has grown. She walks! She babbles. Shakes her head no. Points to what she wants. Loves music (listening to and making it). Equally loves dancing. Wraps everyone in this family around her little finger every single day. What a little personality she is developing. A lot of sweet with a little bit of sass in there too. What can I say, she is like her mamma! We continue to be amazed by her every day.

                                                                 

 

                                                                

Besides walking and almost talking Evelyn is getting a nice set of chompers (4 on top and 1 on the way, 3 on the bottom and 2 on the way). She is quite a little vacuum with food. Evelyn continues to enjoy nursing for food and for comfort but baby girl can pack away a meal of steak and corn and potato when she wants. She is also now figuring out the sippy cup so I am foreseeing in a few months that we will begin to wean out full nursing sessions. I don't think about that though. We will cross those bridges when they come.

Evelyn has had a few adventures over the past year. She has been to our favourite lake several times. Visited my parents' farm on a number of occasions. Attended a homeschool conference with Daddy and I. And most recently Evelyn and I jetted off to Toronto to meet some exceptionally amazing friends.

Over the past year her and I have made some discoveries together. Like how awesome baby wearing is. I invested an Ergo carrier which is amazing, then I added a gauze wrap and most recently a Baby Hawk Mei Tai. LOVE BABY WEARING! We also stumbled into cloth diapering (well more like fell into the gaping black hole of cloth diapering). While it has it's drawbacks I am still happily spraying poopy diapers and washing and drying and stuffing them. It's the fluffy bum, either you get it or you don't.

We also discovered Baby Legs, knock off Robeez, Amber Teething Necklaces, JuJuBe diaper bags, Liv & Lily, Kalo Clips, Boogie Wipes and so so so so much more. Really, I have no idea how many fun and interesting things I have found, maybe it's having a girl or maybe it's having an online village of mothers that enable purchases of every kind. I guess I'll never know.

So here we are now. That first year is behind us. A year of many wonderful things. I can only anticipate on the edge of my seat the things my family will experience from this point forward. We have done some wonderful celebrating so far. This past year deserves it. Not only did baby girl grow but our family did as well, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Today, Evelyn's actual birthday, Daddy's parents are coming over for a BBQ and cake. Which means I need to tidy the house (again) and actually make a cake. Greek (one of my favs) is on the menu tonight. There will be laughter and celebrating. YAY Evelyn is ONE!!! On this day I am very very very happy.