A Life Sustained

Pistachios and Practical Life

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

A cold asparagus, orange, and pistachio soup was on the menu (this one from last year) one night this week and Silas was eager to lend a helping hand. I thought that shelling the pistachios might provide a little Montessori practical life experience for him.

I set out three bowls. The shells were a bit hard for him to crack himself and he was getting very frustrated, so I opened the shell just enough to free the nut and then put it in the middle bowl. He then picked the nuts out from the shell and sorted the shells into one bowl and the nuts into the other.

We've done practical life activities like this before and he's done well with them, but this is the first time that he was really meticulous and seemed to get great satisfaction from it. He used great care and if a bit of shell got in with the nuts, he said "oopsie!" and immediately rectified the situation. Of course, a few went right into his mouth and never made it into the soup, but that's okay.

Toddler Explorations: Birds and Nests

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

We've been walking, talking, and practically breathing birds lately. With the coming of spring and more time spent outdoors, Silas has shown a keen interest in the feathered friends who visit our yard. He loves to call them by name and has started to identify them by song. So we spend a lot of time sitting quietly near the feeder and talking about what we see and hear. The last couple nights we've heard robins calling as he drifts off to sleep. He looks up at me with heavy eyes and whispers, "Birds saying, 'goodnight Silas'." It's about the most precious thing I could imagine.

To try to take his investigations a bit farther, I set up an interest table that is all about birds. On it are a basket of nonfiction books, binoculars (our bird feeder is right out the window next to the table), Montessori bird nomenclature cards, a set of backyard bird figurines and a set of bird photo cards.

The books are:

A Nest Full of Eggs -- All about a pair of robins and their hatchlings...a wonderful book.

Birds, Nests and Eggs -- This book is perfect...it's a field guide geared for kids. We reference it often.

The Raptors of Iowa -- This is a collection of paintings of Iowa birds of prey...gorgeous.

Eyewitness Bird -- This is a bit above his level, but it has wonderful, detailed photographs.

Why Do Birds Sing? -- The format is that of common questions kids ask about birds and their answers.

Everything Bird -- This is also above his reading level, so we skim it and look at the fantastic photos.

How Do Birds Find Their Way? -- Beautifully illustrated book about migration.

And a good field guide, which we look at quite often.

If I had to choose the books we like the best, it would be the first three listed, plus the field guide. Detailed photographs and illustrations are key for us; he can look at them for a very long time and returns to them again and again.

I demonstrated the bird nomenclature cards (from Montessori Print Shop) once and wasn't sure how much he had absorbed. He'll look at them from time to time, but it wasn't until he brought them to Steve one evening and correctly named all the parts of the bird that I knew he had "gotten" them.

The small bird figurines have come in very handy (from Safari). He likes to name them, include them in his dramatic play, as well as to play a 3-D matching game with the corresponding photo cards. There are tons of free printables online that feature birds, but there was something that I didn't quite like about all of them that I found, so I just made my own. I recently purchased a laminator and I may have become a bit addicted. *ahem*

As I mentioned in my previous post, Silas was very interested in building nests, picking up pieces of grass and piling them on branches. So, we made a little nest out of yarn and glue that he put in a tree. He checks it every morning to see if there's evidence that birds slept there the previous night. I think he's still holding out hope for some eggs.

And finally, we took a field trip to a local raptor sanctuary. I used to volunteer here, feeding the birds, but I had only been back once since Silas was born. It was very meaningful to me to share this place with him. It has been a place of quiet and of solace for me. It was interesting, too, to observe what he found interesting about it. While I am partial to eagles and hawks, he was most taken with the owls and still, days later, talks a lot about the movements and sounds that they made, mimicking them. When we got home, he immediately asked to look at the owls in the field guide.

Where this will lead...we don't quite know yet. I have a couple other backyard bird things I'm thinking about exploring, but I also want to pick up on the interest he expressed in owls. So many possibilities!

CSA | All Things Asparagus

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Spring is officially here and with it, our first CSA share. As in years past, I plan to document how we use our produce each week. I'm finding that paging back through these old posts is immensely helpful in reminding me what our favorite dishes were, as well as those that don't need to be repeated. Slowly, season by season, we're building a repertoire of meals that we love and that we return to each year, like old friends.

In our first box: Spinach, Asparagus, Shallots, Chives, Radishes, two heads of Red Lettuce, and one head of Green Lettuce.

For us, this was two nights-worth of food. The lettuce, radishes, and chives have gone into salads. The spinach, along with some feta, into a quiche. The asparagus, shallots and some more of the chives were blended into a soup.

With what we got in our share plus what we harvested from our own garden, we are very focused on asparagus right now. We've found that we've gotten a little picky with it, really only enjoying the thinnest and most tender of spears to eat just barely steamed. Those thick monster stems, we prefer to cook and blend into soups or dips. This week's share was transformed into a cream of asparagus soup and served with a simple lettuce salad. Spring.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

3 small shallots, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C. chopped carrot

1/2 C. chopped celery

1 3/4 lb. asparagus, chopped with 8-10 tips reserved

4 1/2 C. chicken stock

1/2 C. heavy cream

salt, pepper

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

freshly snipped chives and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Heat 2 TBS. fat of your choice (we use bacon grease) in a soup pot over medium heat. Chopping as you go, add (in this order) onion, garlic, carrot, celery, asparagus and saute for 5 minutes or so.

2. Season with salt and pepper, then add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until all veggies are soft.

3. Meanwhile, steam the reserved asparagus tips until just tender, about 3 minutes.

4. Remove soup from heat and blend (with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender) well. Return to pan. Stir in cream and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

5. Serve topped with reserved asparagus tips, freshly snipped chives, a crack of black pepper, and a shaving of Parmesan cheese.

Nests

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Early this spring, before we had a chance to clear all the dead grass and debris out of the flower beds, Silas had a good time tromping through it all, seeing what he could see. In a moment of unprompted inspiration he plucked up some brown grasses and declared, "Silas make a nest!" before arranging it on a small branch. And so began our exploration into birds, nests, feathers, and eggs. I have much to share about what we've been doing in this area, but I couldn't resist telling you about the little nest that we made for the birds over the last couple days.

It's a simple process: dunk short lengths of yarn into glue (we used this homemade version), drape over an inflated balloon, and allow to dry. He wasn't very interested in the glue dunking, to be honest. Much like his mama, this little boy is not a fan of goopy messy things on his skin. He tried it once and then said, "Mama do it." So, he took on the role of project manager, telling me just where on the balloon each piece of yarn should go. This morning, when it was completely dry, he gingerly carried his little nest outside, selected a tree, and placed it up in the branches. His favorite bird right now is the Mourning Dove and I think he's pretty convinced that a pair of them will choose this spot to raise some babies.

At the Farm

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:15:00 +0000

Saturday marked the delivery of our first CSA share and it was also a work day at our CSA farm. So, Silas and I packed into the car and headed out with the intention of weeding and picking asparagus and sharing food with friends old and new. We managed to make it there in time for the second part, but a marathon afternoon nap kept us from leaving on time and we missed the opportunity to do any real work. Luckily, our farmers are very kind and made us feel welcome regardless. Silas had a blast sitting on the tractor, listening to peepers in the pond, climbing the big dirt pile and running around in the wind with all the other kids. This was our first visit to the farm and it was really wonderful to see the rows and rows of little seedlings that will grow into our food. I grew up in a rural agricultural community, but never really had any sense of fellowship around the happenings of the farms and what ended up on our plates (probably because there was little actual connection there...like most rural areas all the farmers around us grew commodity crops and what little produce was at the grocery store was trucked in from far-away places like California). This awareness is something that I want so desperately for Silas and I'm so grateful that we have the opportunity to foster those connections.

This Moment | Planting

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:34:00 +0000

Joining Amanda.

Reinvigorating Block Play

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:34:00 +0000

We've never really had a dedicated block play area. All our blocks just lived in buckets on the shelves with the rest of Silas' toys. This worked fine for awhile, but they really fell out of rotation and he was very rarely choosing to play with them. I decided to make a space just for blocks to make sure that he has the opportunity and the space to build and the freedom to leave his creations up if he wanted to.

We have the blocks loosely sorted by type (window blocks, hollow blocks, regular blocks, and wooden spools). I put down a large cutting board (that we already had, but have never used) to define the work area and to make a level surface for building. Taking some cues from Reggio, I printed out a couple pictures of Silas working on stacking structures as well as a poem about blocks, which also has a simple illustration of a little boy building with blocks, and hung them on the wall. Silas loves these. He likes to take them down and put them back up, bring me the poem to read, or talk about his buildings.

After setting up the space, he got right to it. He's still really into dumping, so all the blocks ended up on the floor. Some building did happen, though.

A little break to look at the colors. "All blue!"

His imaginative play is really taking off and he's started to make things that represent something else. He set these up for example and said, "TV! Computer!" This is amazing to me. This child has never watched TV in his life, only catching glimpses of it on two occasions when we were at other people's homes. We do have a TV and a computer in our main living area, though, so he's not unaware of them. I guess this just goes to show how much our environment (whether we interact with it directly or not) influences him.

Checking out the structure in the drawing (as I type this, Silas is playing beside me and when he saw this photo he went to the wall and grabbed the poem down. Multiple levels of representation!).

Kate at An Everyday Story (one of my favorite Reggio-inspired blogs) has a great post about extending block play. I think after we settle into these changes I'd like to add some mirrors and other materials and see what he does with them.

Preserving Mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Did you know that you can freeze mushrooms? I didn't, but you absolutely can. I went in with a friend to buy a case of criminis at a really good price. We love mushrooms at our house, but there was no way that we were going to eat six eight-ounce containers of them in the couple days they would stay good in the refrigerator. Because of the high water content, they don't freeze well raw, but after slicing and sauteing in butter until they released most of their liquid, they did really well. I defrosted a bag this weekend to test them (in a risotto with Gorgonzola and peas -- Yum) and they were no worse for the wear; still a little meaty and with great flavor.

Getting the mushrooms ready to freeze was also a great Montessori-inspired practical life activity for Silas. I set him up with two bowls (one for the caps and one for the stems) and he had a lot of fun popping each stem off.

Weekending

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:07:00 +0000

Some sort of gremlin took up residence in Steve's digestive system this weekend. So my days were spent caring for a sick husband and chasing after an inexplicably over-active toddler. Illness and gray weather kept us home from the first farmer's market of the season, but we did make brief ventures outside between cloudbursts to check out the newly-opened daffodils and to look for worms. We discovered egg shells (mourning doves, we think), feathers, and violets, all of which were sent floating down rivulets of rain water. A trip to the used bookstore included a visit with the store cat and a fire engine sighting, both of which were subjects of conversation for the entire weekend. Against my better judgment, I tried two new dishes. It was solo cooking and only Silas and I were eating; tortas de chorizo con huevo for Cinco de Mayo and a mushroom risotto. Both were wonderful, which is good because there are lots of leftovers.

Joining Amanda.

Aloe

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:17:00 +0000

I have been wanting an aloe plant for as long as I can remember, so when I spied a whole flat of them outside on our most recent trip to the bulk grocery store, I couldn't resist bringing one home. Silas took his job of re-potting helper very seriously, carefully scooping in the soil and pressing it into the pot. It was a gorgeous morning and we had the company of many singing birds while we worked. A leaf broke off in the process so Silas had the opportunity to explore it; pulling it carefully apart and feeling the stickiness on his fingers. I told him that aloe is very good for scratches and other owies and showed him how he could rub it on his skin, which he then proceeded to do with gusto. I've also wanted to try including some aloe gel in our smoothies. I hear it's supposed to be crazy-good for you.

Super Slouch Beret

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Off the needles just in time for a heat wave is a super slouch beret. I used a hank and a half of undyed, handspun from Bo-Rage Yarns that I luckily stumbled upon at Goodwill. I searched high and low to find a pattern that would highlight the variegated thickness of this yarn, but found very few options that I liked. I tried twice to make a cowl with it, frogging it completely both times, because the stiffness seemed like it would be just too uncomfortable to wear. A beret was the perfect solution. It's not at all fussy so the yarn is the star, which I love, and the stiffness actually works to give the hat needed shape.

It's supposed to be back down in the 40's by the end of the week, so I may get to warm my ears under this hat yet this spring after all.

Joining Ginny.

New On Our Bookshelf

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

During the two days that we were home alone last week while Steve was out of town, Silas and I took a long overdue trip to our local independent bookstore. It's a dangerous place for me; I have to be very careful that I don't buy the entire store every time I go there. After wandering around the children's section we decided on two new books to bring home to add to our collection. Unintentionally, they have a similar "seed" theme.

The first is The Giant Seed by Arthur Geisert, a fellow Iowan.

There are no words, only beautiful etchings that tell the story of a miniature porcine community. When a volcano threatens their homes they use the gift of a dandelion seed to save themselves and start anew. Silas and I both love picture books without words. Our first were the Gerda Muller seasons books, which Silas asks me to "read" to him over and over again. He loves looking at the drawings and I like the storytelling practice I get. I am not a tale-spinner by nature or by habit. I took a storytelling class in college (yes, really) but dropped it after the first meeting because the idea of standing up in front of a classroom of people and just talking made me paralyzed with anxiety. I do believe, though, in the power of spontaneous stories and think that they are really useful tools in parenting. So I persevere.

The second book is If You Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay.

It's a sparsely worded story about a little boy who plants a wish along with a tree seed. He watches it grow through the seasons and over the years until he is able to sit its branches with his own son. It's sweet. But, what really sets the book apart are the illustrations. Elly MacKay makes ethereal three-dimensional paper scenes that she then photographs.They are are absolutely luminous and Silas and I both love to get lost in them.

These are what we're reading over and over these days!

Child-Led

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:30:00 +0000

What initially drew me to the Reggio-inspired early childhood education was how closely its idea of project-based learning lined up with what I've found most exciting in my own journey through education. A beginning interest in, say, knitting can lead to discussion of so many topics. There's the actual craft itself, but also explorations around the different kinds of yarn fibers, how they're gathered, processed, and dyed. Questions about patterns, their traditions and place in society. Issues about gender and labor. It's impossible to tell from the outset just where you will end up and that's something that I get really jazzed about.

As I'm starting to dip my toes in by setting up invitations to learning for Silas I have to remember one very key point: I have to release my attachment to where I think the exploration "should" go. I do my best to observe him as he does the important work of playing so that I can brainstorm ways to stimulate him to make connections, ask questions, and try things out, but I also have to keep in mind that these are all just guesses. I have to trust that he knows what he needs. When I spend a lot of time and effort in researching and preparing something for him, it's so easy to get attached to the idea of how I think he should interact with the invitation. I'm constantly having to remind myself to let go and to remember that I am the follower here. This is all supposed to be child-led.

We mixed up a batch of coffee play dough and I had some notions of what I thought Silas might like to explore with it. I was completely wrong. He wanted to make pancakes and animal tracks. So, I took a deep breath, released my expectations and simply enjoyed the moment. And it was divine.

Weekending

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:29:00 +0000

Last week Steve flew to California for work, leaving Silas and I to our own devices for six days. It's the longest that he's been away since Silas was born, only having traveled one other time for a boys' weekend with his friends last summer. Hearing my little boy say "miss daddy" every time we sat down for a meal or when he was otherwise reminded that papa wasn't home was beyond heartbreaking. A change of scenery was in order. So, we packed our bags and headed north to my parents' home for a visit. Silas got one last taste of snow, delighted in going through boxes in the basement to find some "new" toys to take home, and reveled in all the grandma love and attention.

This weekend, then, was a happy reunion. Steve arrived home late Friday night after we were in bed. When Silas awoke at 6:30 Saturday morning to nurse he stretched his legs out and when he felt Steve next to him, he looked up at me, eyes bright, and whispered, "Daddy! Daddy home!" Love. There were welcome-home pancakes, a trip to the park (which was a bit muddy due to the flash flooding that had occurred in our absence), and our favorite pizza for dinner. This whole operation really does work so much more smoothly when we're all here together.

Joining Amanda at The Habit of Being.

Toddler Activity Swap

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:49:00 +0000

Some of my mama friends and I share a common problem. We are incredibly good at researching and planning, but we can find it challenging to implement. We joke about the fact that we have 20 tabs open on our web browsers (much to the chagrin of our tech-savvy partners) full of ideas and things that we love, but just haven't gotten around to doing yet. We are awash in inspiration, but lacking in accomplishment. So we brainstormed some ways to support each other in our attempts to provide some new activities to engage the kiddos.

We decided to each put together four toddler activity bags, make four copies of each, and then swap them. At the end, we would each have 16 new things to share with our little ones. The key here was to not be too precious about the whole process. If you do a Google search for "toddler activity bags" or "busy bags" you will be flooded with hundreds of really wonderful ideas, but instead of looking at them all, narrowing them down, and then selecting the 16 most perfect activities (as would be our nature to do), we just each chose the four that excited us in that moment, gave ourselves two weeks to get them done and then actually put them together.

It was wonderful! I was blown away by the creativity of these mamas and Silas and I are reaping the benefits of their talents. Check out what we're playing with these days...

1. Matching color and shape with felt on wooden coins.

2. Matching shapes with object cards.

3. Sorting with beans and a re-purposed Popsicle tray.

4. Fine Motor skills with straws and a glass shaker.

1. Building with colored wooden sticks and Velcro.

2. Puzzle solving with personalized photo magnets.

3. Matching colors with wooden fish and clothespins.

4. Matching colors with foam house pockets and wooden stick people.

1. Fine Motor with pom poms and a plastic tub (Silas' current favorite!).

2. Creative Play with a mini felt board.

3. Lacing with foam shapes and string.

4. Matching and Fine Motor with colored pipe cleaners and pony beads.

And my contribution...

1. Fine Motor with cloth marble maze pockets.

2. Sensory with balloons filled with salt, corn, oats, and rice.

3. Counting with cards, stickers, and rocks.

4. Fine Motor with felt squares, a button, and some ribbon.

These are wonderful to throw in the diaper bag to pull out when you find yourself having to wait unexpectedly and need something to keep the little one occupied or to offer as a novel thing to play with while you try to get dinner prepared. I'm almost ready for activity swap, round two!

Weekending

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:03:00 +0000

This weekend was...

eggs goldenrod
blueberry muffins with fresh blueberries
rediscovering the rice bin
raking, hoeing, burning
planting flowers, a first for me
opening windows
the removal of shoes
Silas "reading" a book to me (reciting, correctly, the entire length while turning the pages)
Amazing Race
ham steaks and hominy (with which I am having a love affair)

Joining Amanda at The Habit of Being.

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Joining Amanda at Soule Mama.

Chicken Enchiladas

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

I did not expect this dish to get such rave reviews. It came about in a harried midweek moment where a lack of meal planning butted heads with a long, late nap and thus no time to run to the grocery store. Luckily, I had roasted a chicken earlier in the week and had a few staples on-hand. After mashing together several enchilada recipes I found online, this is what I came up with. It's nothing too special, really, but it's starting to make a near weekly appearance on our dinner table because I'm addicted to the way Steve's eyes light up when I tell him that I'm making it. He's a fan.

Chicken Enchiladas

For the sauce:

2 TBS bacon grease
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cumin
2 TBS. chipotle in adobo, minced
2 1/2 c. chicken stock
salt and pepper

For the filling:

2 TBS bacon grease
1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 c. corn (canned, frozen, or fresh)

1 c. shredded cooked chicken
salt and pepper

6 large whole wheat flour tortillas
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

To make the sauce...
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the bacon grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add flour, cumin, and chipotles in adobo, whisk for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in chicken stock, raise heat and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, for 8 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the filling...
1. In a large skillet, heat the bacon grease over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 6 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute or two.
3. Add the corn and chicken and cook just to heat through, 2 minutes or so.
4. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
5. Reserve some of the filling to serve to any little ones who may not like the spicy sauce.

To put it all together...
1. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Ladle about a cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan, spreading it out to cover the whole surface.
3. Put a scoop of filling in a tortilla (about a 1/3 c. or so). Fold closed and place seam down in the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
4. Pour the rest of the sauce on top of all the tortillas and top with the shredded cheese.
5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Yarn Along | Spring Cowl

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:10:00 +0000

I've only had the littlest bit of time to knit this week. I actually had almost 10 inches of my cowl finished when I decided to rip it back and make it a bit narrower so that, with my limited supply of yarn, it could be longer. This is my first time using such large needles -- size 12 -- and it's going fast; hopefully I'll be done with it soon. With the way our springs have been going lately, there may be only a very small window in which to wear it.

I'm finishing up The Hundred Languages of Children. I think I need to add a page on the blog with an annotated bibliography of all the Montessori/Waldorf/Reggio books I've read. They're starting to all blur together and I need to keep them straight. Maybe that would also be helpful for others?

Joining Ginny at Small Things.

Bigger and Smaller

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

For awhile now Silas has been really interested in pointing our size differences. Usually he likes to say that one is the "baby" and one is the "mama," but we're starting to more consistently use "bigger," "biggest," "smallest," and "smaller." It started when I got him this puzzle. He really enjoys the sequencing and can correctly identify the circles by their relational size. At this point, though, it's almost too easy for him.

I had this interest of his in mind when I saw this book at the library. It is so wonderful! All of Tara Hoban's books seem pretty fantastic, actually. There are no words, only photographs of a variety of scenes that show a plethora of smaller/larger examples.

Silas loves it. He spends a good deal of time paging through, identifying things and it's been a great initiator of conversations for a range of things, including size.

I took a quick peak around the house to put together a tray of items for him to sort. I tried to find things that were nearly identical, so the only thing different between them was the size. Cookie cutters were especially helpful for this. Finally! A use for my set of graduated hearts!

This was a quick, easy, post-nap activity. When I present things like this to him, I usually just let him explore it in whatever way he wants. Some of the things he comes up with are so interesting...a little peek into how his mind works. In this instance, he went to the kitchen and came back with three plastic sandwich bags. He put each pair into their own little bag.

Weekending | Easter

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:27:00 +0000

An Easter weekend. Raking, hauling, pruning. Little one helping. Nap. Drawing, building, matching. Trip to the park to go down slides and watch kites. Lovely.

Joining Amanda at The Habit of Being.

This Moment | "Go 'side!"

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Joining Soule Mama.

Renew (again)

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

It's been hard to get to this space lately. In those days of round-the-clock nursing in Silas' first year I had ample time to sit in our nest of pillows and blankets and read or let my mind wander. Most of my posts were pretty much composed in my mind before I ever sat down in front of the keyboard. But this past year, when we transitioned down to just a single nap a day, I find that my time for reflection is lacking. When I'm able to steal a half hour of computer time, I stare at the screen blankly not knowing just what it is that I want to say.

Rhythm has been on my mind. Finding it. Living it. There is a noticeable difference in our harmony when we are able to make a simple plan for the day, the week, and to follow it. We've got the anchors down. Sleep times and meal times are regular, planned, and for the most part, sacrosanct. It's easier for me that way, but more importantly, Silas is happier. I've neglected, however, to find space in that rhythm for me and for reflection.

We had a wonderfully positive and productive day earlier this week. Not only did I get laundry done and dishes done, but bread was also baked and apple butter was made. I've been holding my resolution word for the year -- renew -- close to my heart, focusing these first months on building community and trying to find my way back to the path to sustainable eating that I had started down. One of the results of such an effort being a bulk order of apples. As I chopped and endlessly stirred them in the pot, I thought back to my very first post on this here blog, almost three and a half years ago. So much has changed since then, and yet, I face some of the very same hurdles and challenges. Change is a long process, isn't it? But so very worth the effort.

Yarn Along

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:52:00 +0000

This week's trip to Goodwill yielded a crafty thrifter's dream. Some knitter out there -- I picture a grandmotherly type, but young-at-heart and with hip yarn style -- must have been doing some spring cleaning and decided to donate a huge stash of all-wool, all-awesome yarn. It was an absolute steal and it took me all of three seconds to throw the bag in my cart. I did resolve to not buy any new yarn and to knit down my stash, but this doesn't count, right? It's not "new," right? (Thank you for going along with me on this.) Included in the collection were three hanks of gorgeous Bo-Rage so now I'm on a hunt for a pattern that is worthy of its homespun goodness.

In my reading queue are many Reggio-inspired titles: The Hundred Languages of Children, Learning Together with Young Children and Prime Times.

Joining Ginny at Small Things.

This Moment | Goop

noreply@blogger.com (cpcable) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:10:00 +0000

Joining Soule Mama.