felt crowns…

and aprons for children. You can also find sweet teething dolls and a few other handmade treasures.

Andrea is a wife and mother living in Kenya. You can find her on Facebook here.  Be sure to check out all of the Natural Kids shops here.

 supply list:

~ 2 old handkerchiefs

~ 2 wool leg warmers

~ hot water from the kettle

1. bring 2 cups of clean water to a boil and let cool to a comfortable heat

2. pour into a shallow bowl and half a lemon while it is partially submersed in water

3. take a cotton cloth (we used old handkerchiefs) and soak in lemon and water mixture

4. wring out handkerchiefs

5. put aside your wool legwarmers

 (we used some mosey sweater wool, but old wool socks could work too)

6. wrap your little ones legs loosely and cover up quickly with legwarmers

(you don’t want the water to cool off too fast)

7. let them rest.

and rest and rest!

{you can store the extra lemon & water mix in a jar in the fridge for use often during your little ones fever}

***remember to keep lemons on hand through the winter so you’ll have them just in case!***

NOTE: this is by no means a CURE for fever, you should always consult your child’s doctor in the case of fever in children and infants this remedy is only meant as a SUPPORT for fever to make your little one more comfortable.

A few words on lemon leg wrappers from a dear friend:

“Lemon leg wraps have helped our little-big ones rest easier. We reach for the wraps before we reach for a fever reducer. My son will even ask for them.”

Do you have a cold or fever remedy that is a standby in your house?

We generally allow ½ a cup of dry porridge oats per person giving our toddler a bit less, and us a tad more so adjust this recipe as needed.

This recipe is for 4 people

2 cups of porridge oats

2 cups of water

2 cups of soy milk

¼ cup of desiccated coconut (sugar free)

1/8 cup creamed coconut grated

Seeds (optional)

Rice milk for topping (optional)

Mix all ingredients into a saucepan and cook on medium low for 15 minutes or until the porridge is the consistency you enjoy.  The creamed coconut will have melted into the porridge and the wonderful smell should fill your kitchen. Along with the dessicated coconut, using soy milk instead of water gives the porridge a wonderful creamy flavor.  Once served in a bowl, add seeds and rice milk. We use hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and golden linseed. It is so good and actually does keep me going until lunch!

Written by Rachel from Oast.  A Waldorf doll maker from Canada living in the rolling hills of the English countryside with her daughter, her gestating son and her awesome husband. She also writes at her blog here.

From Jade’s Etsyshop profile:

My name is Jade. I live with my husband Daniel, and four daughters in northern British Columbia, Canada. Little Lily Bamboo was born out of a need for a soft, durable baby washcloths, and quickly became more than a hobby for me.
As I sew each towel, I imagine where in the world it will end up. Will it be the first towel wrapped around a precious newborn? Will it keep a toddler warm and dry on the beach?
Each towel is made with love and sent from our home to yours with care.

Inspired by my girls, Little Lily products are a natural, gentle way to care for the most precious people in your life!

 

I am sure your little cowgirl or cowboy would love to have one of these on the ranch. Please check out Jade’s finished products today. If you are looking for a cute baby shower gift for a friend why not check out this NaturalKid’s shop?

I am glad we are past that age. Now that the kids are older we can exercise together. It’s so much fun. At first the owners of the Spa told us that kids had to be 13 to use certain machines. But I found that there are certain machines and workout routines that kids under the age of 13 can do. In our fitness studio is a set of machines called “cardio cycle”. I see mostly people of the older generation work out here. The machines rather than weights have resistance settings. You can choose from setting 5 – 100. My 10-year-old daughter loves doing this.

First we go stretch and run on the indoor track. Then we do the cardio cyle together. I watch my child every step of the way and make sure she doesn’t put too high a setting or gets injured. Nobody has ever complained about our breaking the rules – her using the machines. In fact, I believe everybody at the studio loves to see young kids work out. We chat with the older folks and it’s a real family atmosphere at this place.

Once I hit 40 I really felt the need to start a regular work-out routine. I think it’s so wonderful to be able to go with my kids. It’s good for them to see their parents working out and teach them good exercise habits at a young age.

Etsy treasury created by This Cosy Life

♥Love this article on meaningful work for toddlers.

♥What a great idea for  making seedling pots from newspapers.

♥Here’s a nice tutorial for making needle felted figures.

♥And one for making a simple marionette.

♥A couple of different techniques for dying your play silks. I tried the watercolor painting and it turned out  beautifully.

♥A really helpful article on storytelling.

What are your finds for the week?

Julie Hunter is a wife and mama, raising 3 spirited girls, two babydoll sheep, angora rabbits and a gaggle of chickens and ducks in the North Carolina Foothills. She spends her days at home, crafting with her children, homeschooling, taking long gathering walks in the woods and knitting Waldorf-inspired toys. You can find her blogging and keeping shop at This Cosy Life.

Ruler Growth chart

Growth Chart 3

Step 11. Mount a sawtooth picture hanger on the back of the chart, and hang it wherever you would like it in your home. If you change your mind, you can always move it!

One of our favorite winter books is Bears Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. The story is written in a poetic form with lovely rhymes that make you feel like part of the story. This story does a lovely job of showing the different kinds of lifestyles of winter animals as some hibernate and others adapt. The illustrations are sweet, warm, and delightful for adults and children alike. As the animals come to the cave for warmth and an expected party the unexpected host says asleep thought it all. The story ends with a fun surprise! This story is sure to be a winter favorite in your family too!
  For homeschooling parents check out this blog post to find great resources to teach about what what animals do in the winter.

To join in the party and have a great snack like badger brought in the story.

Honey Nuts

Ingredients

4 cups nuts – we like peanuts or almonds

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss all the ingredients together.

Transfer nuts to a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally.

Cool. Eat or store in an airtight container.

Beccijo Neff is a toymaker, storyteller, and award winning Artist from Pennsylvania. She homeschools 4 children and is happily married. You can find more about her life and her work at her blog . To see her enchanting toys stop at her shop, it will brighten and delight you eyes to see all the magical things she creates.

Ariana Lyriotakis-Macdonald of Niko and Nonnie:

I wanted to share “Some Bunny to Love” which I have added to my shop for Valentine’s Day. I already have an organic bunny and carrot playset in my shop for spring, so I took my cue from that. My children absolutely adore bunnies and I thought it might be interesting for them to have some playmates made from wool felt with needle felted details. So much of their room is taken over by plush stuffed animals, and I wanted to make something whose “fur” wouldn’t get matted down with excessive play.

"Some Bunny to Love, by Niko and Nonnie

Beccijo Neff of The Enchanted Cupboard:

In Christmas of 2010,  I got an email from a desperate mother who found me on the internet. Her son asked Santa for a box he could play with where inside was Mr. and Mrs. Brown’s kitchen with Amelia Bedelia and the dog [based on the popular books by Peggy Parish]. The mother tried to explain to her son that no toy existed, but he insisted that he was such a good boy this year, and Santa would make it for him.  She said he was a very good boy, and he truly believed that it would be there Christmas morning, so she had to try to find one. She found my listing for my large custom playbox, and I was able to create for him what he was dreaming of! The mother let me know that he was so happy on Christmas morning, and took his playbox with him everywhere! At the time of the request, I didn’t understand the copyright laws and thought if the writer had passed away, it was then public domain. So, I cannot make this same playbox,  but I can create a different custom playbox.

Custom Painted Deluxe Playbox by The Enchanted Cupboard

Ulla Seckler of German Dolls:

My daughter loves babies. She has always been obsessed with them. When she sees a mom with a little one, she will walk up and ask to hold them and pet them (kind of like kids with a cute dog). Sometimes with newborn infants, that’s not such a good idea. So. I thought I make her some little ones to go with her dolls. She can have all the colors in the world, and hug and pet them to her hearts content.  Best thing, though: The dolls carry the babies in the pocketdress. That way they don’t get lost…much!

Custom dress with pocketbabies by German Dolls

Ann Rinkenberger of Harvest Moon By Hand:

I made the zebra because I have always wanted to go to Africa, and see what zebras look like in the wild. Their markings are so beautiful yet simple. The tail of the zebra stuffie is braided because when I look quickly at a zebra’s tail, to me, it looks braided…but it’s all an illusion created by the stripes. Since zebras are part of the horse family, when I was younger I thought it would be fun to have pet zebras - they could enjoy grazing in the pasture, galloping/running… all without lions and other predators. Since I live in Minnesota, that’s not a practical environment for a zebra…so I return to my dream of one day going to Africa.

PDF Pattern Zebra Stuffie by Harvest Moon by Hand

Farida Dowler of Alkelda Dolls lives in Seattle, Washington, USA, with her husband and daughter. Saints and Spinners is her song and storytelling blog. She enjoys finding out what you think and what you like.

Sadly this has changed as we moved into the preteen and teen years. My son has decided that mortal enemy number one is fish. But as we all know: fish is healthy and doctors recommend we eat it twice a week because of the Omega-3s. Luckily I found one recipe that even the fish-hater in our household loves to eat: Fish Tacos. As an added benefit they are very easy to make and cleaning up your kitchen won’t take long either.

Ingredients:

1 pound of white fish (Tilapia or Catfish)

4 teaspoons  olive or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

half a head of red cabbage, very thinly sliced, stem removed

juice of a lime

4 ounces of feta cheese sliced or crumbled

1 jalapeno sliced thinly

1- 2 Avocados

fresh cilantro

pepper and salt to taste

12-16 corn tortillas

How to make it:

1. Slice the fish into bite sized pieces and marinate with 2 teaspoons of oil, cumin, and coriander, sprinkling of salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Whisk the lime juice with the rest of the oil and some salt and pepper. Add the shredded cabbage and toss like a salad.

3. Put all the other toppings (feta, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado) into little bowls and arrange on the table – in the center where everybody can reach them.

4. Put a little bit of vegetable oil in a sauteing pan and cook the fish in it. I like to have a bit of a golden crust on mine and cook it through. Takes about 5-7 minutes depending on the size of your pieces of fish.

5. Warm the tortillas and bring them and the fish to table.

Now everybody can assemble their favorite combination of ingredients. My kids really love to pile feta cheese and cabbage on.  Where did that fish go? Oh, I can hardly taste it but it’s somewhere in there. I love fish tacos. Even our fish-hater will consume 5 or 6 of these tacos without complaint…

Ulla Seckler  is a dollmaker who was born and raised in Germany. She lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and two kids. You can find her Notes by a German Dollmaker on her blog where she shares some great German recipes, pictures of her sweet dolls, and life lessons learned.  Don’t forget to stop by her Etsyshop and take a peek at her wonderful doll creations.