sistermama gets real

How I get ready for a party

1.  Race home, blow through the back door and yell at the kids for not reading my mind about what they should be doing.

2.  Banish the kids to the basement.

3.  Run around the house with my mom's vacuum cleaner for the wood floors and drag out my vacuum for the carpets.  Comtemplate mentioning a few times during the party that I "didn't make much of an effort to clean up" and let them think that my clean house actually only took my minimal effort.  Decide that this is probably not the best course for someone writes a blog about being honest and real in regards to mothering.

4.  The kids come upstairs.  Before they have a chance to talk, tell them I'll cancel Halloween if they don't stay out of my cleaning way.  Then they mention that they are starving.  Oh, its 2:00 and I haven't fed you any lunch yet?

5.  Send kids back to the basement and thrown lunch from a box (mac and cheese) onto the stove.  Feel a little disgusted while I finish making it, cause really, it is kind of a gross product.  Hand kids their lunch in bowls at the top of the stairs, make them eat it in the basement.  Go look at the leftovers in the pot and take a bite.  Damn salt and fat, how do you combine in such delicious ways?  Eat the res of the mac and cheese straight out of the pot, with the large wooden mixing spoon.

6.  Clean food splashes off of a wall in the dining room, and one off of the ceiling.  Seriously, I never had babies living in the house.  How does food still get on the wall?  Realize that now that section of wall looks way cleaner than the rest of it.  Force myself to not get bogged down in scrubbing the dining room walls.

7.  Sweep and mop kitchen and bathroom.  Have a slightly psychotic internal dialogue with myself about how my friends aren't coming over to tour my spotless house and that I always do this before parties and then laugh at myself afterwards.  

8.  Make cornbread in a large baking pan that I should really be returning *clean* to one of the guests.  Umm, I'll bring that pan back to you tomorrow Sonia. ;)

9. Whew.  There, I think it's all done.  I knew there was a reason I haven't let the kids take out a toy upstairs for the past two days.  Why do I do this to myself?  The NEXT time I'll be better prepared, I'll start sooner!  I'll plan more!  Or, maybe next time I'll do less!  I'll embrace my house at it is!   Yeah, next time...

Lazy Link Friday

As in, I want to post but don't feel like thinking too hard.  So, from the top of my bookmarks:

Make your own wool leggings - I bought wool tights last year.  Love the wool, ehh on the tights.  I need to find some wool jersey and give this a go.

DIY wrap bracelets - This would make great little holiday gifts 

Scavenging Manifesto - Ohhh!  So there's a word for when half your house was picked up off the side of the road.  One of the best things about Jack being so big is that now I can just pull over and make him throw stuff in the back of the car.   

Apples 4 the Teacher - so this site looks pretty cheesy, but it is a wonderful resource for seasonal verses, poems and songs. 

Red Raspberry Leaf and Nettle Chai - I've had this bookmarked since last year, but haven't made it yet.  I'm going to pick up the stuff for it tomorrow.   After much trial and error (of the nonstinging and then stinging variety) Jack and I finally found a big patch of nettle, but it was too late in the year to gather it.  Good thing my eldest wilderness survivor knows to run and find jewelweed quick!

Windows

Oh, my house needs so much work.   So much work that I can't really get any work done because I'm paralyzed by how much work it needs.  For example, at some point someone painted every surface in my house flat beige.  As in walls, ceilings, trim and windows.  I can't really paint any rooms because I have to paint the windows and ceilings first.  Have you ever painted a window?   Horrid and so hard to do right, and by right I mean able to ever open it again.  Okay, I better not start cataloging how much work needs to be done or this post will go on forever. 

One thing I do LOVE about  my little house though is its many windows.  Oh, I kind of miss having walls, we don't really have any where to hang pictures or art.  Literally every external wall of every room in this house has at least one window.  I don't know which I like better, the light streaming in or the gorgeous views looking out.  I'm kind of obsessed with photographing both at all hours of the day. 









It all looks so lovely in that gorgeous light.  You can't see the peeling paint, crud under the baseboard radiators or holes in the driveway.  Forgive me if I just go and stare at this post for a while.

Early Morning Check-in

So I posted here about my intention to create a new habit of waking early and taking some me time, mostly focused on my spiritual and physical wellbeing.  I'm doing pretty well on the waking up early part.  I've been waking usually at 6:00, but on reflection I'm going to try and move it back to 5:45.  I haven't yet made it to the exercise part, it is so lovely to have that quiet, restful time to myself! I'm planning to start something tomorrow morning in this regard.  I'm thinking it maybe a yoga video at 7:00 with J and L. 

I'm also finding it very easy to fill this early morning hour with "work" - prepping the school day when I'm behind, writing blog posts, catching up on forum duties.  All things I mostly enjoy but it isn't my intention to use this morning time on obligations.  So, I need to be disciplined with not letting those types of things creep in.  The going to bed at a reasonable time part has been a real challenge for me.  Reasonable for me is 10:00, but it usually is 11:00 or 11:30 by the time my head hits the pillow.  The school days after a 10:00 bedtime are usually much more enjoyable for everyone.

Harvest Block for Waldorf Third Grade

About a week ago Jack and I wrapped up a harvest block focusing on different methods of food preservation.  A farming block is pretty typical in Waldorf third grade, but we are surrounded by many different kinds of farm, have our on garden and chickens, buy our milk from the farm, etc., so I decided he already had a pretty good understanding of where our food comes from and how it is grown.  I shared my original plans for this block here.   We

Jack really like this block because it was so hands on. He didn't' read any of the books I had originally planned.  He has already heard both the Little House books, and in my preread of Caddie Woodlawn it seemed like a bit much for him yet.  He did read quite a few books during this block, but now I'm drawing a blank on which ones.  He read Sign of the Beaver and said it was even better than My Side of the Mountain.  High praise indeed!  I have a focus on books featuring youth who must be adventurous and independent for Jack this year.  The theme is surely speaking to him!  We also watched an interesting DVD from the library that showed how different types of food are packaged and preserved in factories. 

We talked about the different ways we knew of to preserve food and that drying is the oldest method. So, first up, drying!  We gathered wild mint down by the creek (how I euphemistically refer to the usually tiny trickle that runs through our property).  Jack bundled it up and hung it to dry in the living room.  We'll use it for tea during the winter.


Jack sliced and used our food dehydrator to make zucchini and apple chips.  Both were yummy and we'll be making loads more of the apple chips. 




On one of our hikes I packed a picnic full of different kinds of dried foods.


Oh, I forgot.  We also dried up lots of tomatoes out of our garden.  Any suggestion on what we should use them in?  We don't really eat much pasta which is how I normally think of using them.  Using the 3/4 booklets described in the link to my plan for this block above was a nice switch from main lesson books.  We will definitely use them again.  Also, notice that Jack's writing is super straight (for Jack at least!) I think have the narrower vertical space to work in really assisted him in finding his way on the page.


We have about 8 really overgrown apple trees and last year easily canned 30+ quarts of applesauce from windfall apples.  My plan was to do at least double that this year and use the surplus to trade with other people.  The unexpected hurricane got in my way and we lost basically all of our apples this year.  So, off to the apple orchard we went to Jack could learn how to can applesauce. 




Jack also helped me preserve raspberries and blueberries earlier in the summer.

Somehow I managed not to take any pictures of the fermenting/pickling week.  Jack made lactofermented sauerkraut. It came out so good and we've been coming up with different meals just to have a reason to eat more of it.  Last week I put a pork roast with apples, potatoes and onions in the crockpot and took it to my grandma's with the sauerkraut.  She loved it and he was very proud! He also made up 3 quarts of refrigerator pickles with cucumbers and onions.  We served them at the Harvest dinner that Jack helped plan.




The empty looking jar is meant to be yogurt.  We didn't get around to making yogurt this week, but he has seen me do it many times.  I'm sitting here wishing I could come up with a super inspired sounding way to wrap up this post, but it just isn't flowing from my tired Sunday brain.  I love watching this kid grow in independence and competence.  I'm thankful he can be such a help to me, maybe not always willing help every time and every day, but always there when it really matters.  And I'm glad he'll be keeping me supplied with apple chips this winter.  Yummy and fast. 

Cute Pumpkin Sewing Craft for Kids

Lucy and I spend every Wednesday at the home of some of our favorite friends while our nine year old boys attend wilderness class.  We usually try to have some type of activity for the girls to do - something planned in the day seems to help make sure the unstructured play stays fun.  Plus it usually buys us a little more knitting on the couch time.  Last week I found this great little pumpkin project for them.  The project was a hit.  Jack and Lucy will both be making a few more this week, at least enough to gift to their regular and great grandmas.  

As a former preschool teacher extraordinaire, I'm often surpised at myself that I'm not doing constant crafty activities with Jack and Lu.  I know and have done hundreds of them with other kids.  But I think it is something about the disposable nature of so many of those activities.  The last thing I need is more stuff to get rid of cluttering up the house.  I feel so much more drawn to doing the occasional project that can be used over and over again, or kept from season to season.

Early Autumn Book Basket

So, I've been meaning to take pics of these books since the beginning of September, so my book basket post would be timely.  But I've just managed to do it now that I'm taking them out of the basket and moving the next grouping in.  Technology has not been on my side the last few weeks, what with Homespun Waldorf being hacked and my computer acting wonky.  Keeping my fingers crossed I can finally make it through a whole post!  

Ah, Brambly Hedge, how I love you.  I love your gentle, yet interesting stories and your sweet illustrations.  I love that Jack and Lu love you as much as I do. Why, oh why, Jill Barklem haven't you written so many more of these books? 


We now have about half of Elsa Beskow's books.  I love the little mini book size, I wish I could get them all like that.  Just perfect for sticking in a Christmas stocking.  Children of the Forest is one of our favorites by her. 


Catkin is a wonderful story for anyone, but even more perfect for a brave little girl with a beloved and brave little cat.  Hmmm.. wonder who that could be?




Ten Red Apples is a simple and funny counting book for fall.  Lucy is currently enjoying books with numbers and number riddles in them, so she enjoyed this one.


Last year Lucy and Jack were gifted subscriptions to Ladybug and Spider.  They are both such great publications. Advertising free with high quality illustrations and writing.  I love that they are always seasonally based.  I'm hoping they get them again from someone for Christmas (hint, hint ;).  I saved all of last year's and am pulling them out by month.  We've also checked a few new ones out from the library.  But we like having our own better, because the back cover is usually some type of cut out activity. 

So, there you have it, the books I just put back in the book totes.  I love fall, and fall books, so I can't wait to show you the books in the basket now.  Although, I'm starting to feel a little nostalgic about the seasonal book basket, I can feel its coming disappearance weighing on me.  Already, somehow overnight, it has become Lucy's book basket.  Jack only looks at it in passing.  I figure I've got about two more years left to fill it.  Okay, enough  of that before I get weepy.  How about you?  What are your favorite fall books?

Waldorf Confessions

1.  I haven't told a single story yet this year.  They've all been read. Learning to tell "The Water of Life" is a wee bit more complicated than "The Gingerbread Boy", ya know?

2.  We haven't "moved" a single form or letter this year either.  I think it is really boring (for me). 

3.  I don't memorize verses, I write them out on 3x5 cards and gradually memorize along with the kids.

4.  We watched a marathon of Halloween movies on Saturday. (Kid appropriate, no Freddy or Jason ;)  And we will probably do it again this Saturday.

5.  We own a ridiculous amount of Lego, maybe 30 lbs of it?  Creative yes, but all that plastic? Kind of ick.  There are also three American Girl dolls in our house.  But the Waldorfy dolls are more cuddly.

6.  I fed my kids lunch in Target the other day.  As in, at the Target "Cafe" not something healthy pulled from the shelves.  As far as I know Steiner never offered any opinions about feeding children at discount store cafeterias, but I'm not sure it would have been high on the list.  This is, at least, an improvement over the time I feed them lunch at the Rite Aid drugstore. The apples may have come with caramel, but at least there were apples involved. 

Oh, there are many, many more but these were the ones I was thinking of this week.

Mini Letter Block for Waldorf First Grade

Lucy started school with a two week form drawing block and only had about 2.5 weeks after that before we left town for a wedding.  I used Marsha Johnson's wonderful files at Waldorf Home Educators to put together a quick block introducting four letters.  Lucy received her first "real" main lesson book for this block and was quite excited about that!  I made sure when planning out her letter blocks for the year that she would hear plenty of new stories, as she kind of already "did" first grade with Jack two years ago, but I also included some old favorites.  We used a three day overlapping rhythm, so story on Day 1, retelling and drawing  with letter and sound intro on Day 2 and retelling and writing on Day 3. 

We started with "The Water of Life", a story we hadn't done before.  The letter was "M" found in the mountains.  Alliterative verse used:

Mighty, majestic mountains mingle with magical mauve mist.




When Jack did this block, he practiced the letter on Day 2 and wrote a row of them in his book on Day 3.  Then, months later at the end of the school year we revisted the stories and he wrote one sentence from each story in space we had left.  Lucy was very disappointed though, that she wouldn't be writing the sentence immediately and declared school, "Too EASY!!!"  She started the year as a full on 7 yo, plus has been writing for quite some time.  She also really wants to be challanged in just about every area of her life, so I made a quick adjustment to my plans and included the sentences now.  Jack would have hated this, as writing was such a struggle for him.


I used "Rose Red and Snow White" with Jack and it is a favorite of ours. The letter "B" is found in the bear.  Alliterative verse:

Betty Botter bought some butter but she said, "This butter's bitter."






Lucy used some popcorn kernels take make the letter shape. 


Lucy found dolls and toys and set a little scene to retell the story. My kids always think this is fun, especially when a funny prop stand in is needed.  She left it set up and played with it later in the afternoon.


"Hansel and Gretel" was up next with letter "W" for witch.  Alliterative verse:

Wild, wacky witches wave wonderful wands.

I had seen this in lots of people's letter/story lists and it seemed obvious, sure, W for witch.  I hadn't thought through it too much though, and was stumped while doing a chalk board drawing one night.  How in the world does one reflect the letter "W" in the form of a witch??? Aha!!! A crooked broomstick!  Ummmm... no flying witches in this story.  Crooked creepy eyebrows!!! Ummmm.... I don't think my chalking skills are quite that refined.  I finally settled on drawing a strange looking hat, but it worked and Lucy found the letter right away.  I forgot to take a picture of my drawing, but here's Lu's.




And of course we made some gingerbread.  The recipe we used was DELICIOUS! 


Oh, there's my drawing in the backgound.

We finished with "The Goose Girl at the Well".   Alliterative verse:

There grey geese in a green field grazing.  Grey were the geese and green was the grazing.

I had actually meant to do the plain "Goose Girl" and hadn't realized there were two stories.  Oh well, this story was good, too.  Letter "G" was found in the goose.  This is kind of a tricky draw, and I'm glad a found a good example during Jack's first grade.  I don't have a picture again.  I think I was packing for road trip / camping / wedding during this story, and it was kind of a miracle I got any school done at all. 




Lucy cut four cards out of watercolored paper and wrote on each one of the four letters.  She took turns pulling them out of the pile, recited the verse for each letter and named as many words as she could the started with the letter. 

Now we are starting Lucy's first math block, "The Quality of Numbers".  I'm so excited about math with Lu this year.  She loves math and John has created a really amazing story to last us the whole year.  I can't wait to share it with her!

Uncle!

I am officially spent.  Today included: doing tons of laundry, vacuuming out the car,  packing for three days of camping (with a wedding included, so junky clothes plus super nice ones), prepping food for said camping trip, loading the car, cleaning up the house (I HATE coming home to it dirty), running to the library for car supplies, spreading new wood shavings in the recently cleaned chicken coop and corralling rebellious chickens into the coop.  I had also planned to put these things on the chickens, but couldn't face punishing myself in that way at 6:30 tonight.  Aren't they ridiculous?  But the damn chickens keep pulling each other feathers out and injured our teenage chick in a really horrendous and dramatic way a few weeks ago. 

Jack and Lu seemed to have a fabulous day free of my meddling.  Let's hope I don't get major payback in the car tomorrow.  While I'm thinking about roadtrips, I really love this High Road bag I bought for in between the kids.  For trips I stock it full of books, games, snacks, etc.  And the top is very firm so they can draw and play games on it.  For normal usage, I keep it in the trunk loaded with necessaries like changes of clothes, napkins, snacks, first aid kit, sunscreen, etc.  Kind of like a big kid diaper bag, minus the diapers.  I feel super prepared when I need to use something out of it.  No paid promo here, I just really like this bag. 

Also, in keeping with the chore theme from yesterday, here is a great link with 43 chores that can be done by children under 7.  I'm going to work on a list for over 7. 

We'll be on the road at 6:00 sharp tomorrow morning.  Jack and Lu have many tens of thousands of miles of road trips under their belts and we're all excited that tomorrow's drive is only 9 hours.  Woo-hoo!