First Day Follow-Up, and a Morning Rhythm

I woke this morning to find this post-it note on our chalkboard... yay! I'd say the first day of school was a success. Both girls came home all smiles, which made the transition back-to-school, at a new school, so much easier (especially for mama).  

Jitters behind us, now we can focus on getting back into our school days routine. Remember the morning rhythm sign I posted last year? It's back! This really helps keep my girls focused in the morning. I can't say enough how important having a simple routine is in helping what can be hectic mornings and afternoons run a bit more smoothly. (I also lay out clothes, do some lunch prep, and set up coffee the night before.)

So, the first item on the list is breakfast, and I've been searching for ways to make this time go smoothly too. My girls tend to linger over their food, especially the morning meal. So finding wholesome and appealing breakfasts that they will gobble right up is a challenge. This morning, they had banana-chocolate chip muffins, half a banana, and a cup of milk. Served up on pretty china saucers and teacups, it was a hit. Anything with chocolate is a sure thing though - and a special treat, perfect for back-to-school, Day 2.

I'd love to hear from you... what are your favorite easy-to-make, kid-loving breakfasts?

A Carnival Party

My baby turned 4 this month. How can that be? We hosted a sweet, carnival-themed party for family and a few playmates to celebrate my fun-loving girl. After spending hours (I kid you not) looking at carnival party ideas on Pinterest, I tried to keep it pretty simple.  

The birthday girl matched the color scheme in her party outfit of red and aqua, with a splash of pink! A dozen balloons in red, aqua and white dotted the house, as well as matching bunting over the food table.  

Speaking of food, it was carnival fare all the way! Kids and their grown ups snacked on chicken nuggets, mini corndogs, fresh homemade popcorn in red and white popcorn bags, rainbow fruit kebabs inspired by these, tiny cups of cotton candy, and chocolate chip cake.

My kids loved setting up activity "booths" for the partygoers. I was going to make signs using this font, but my artistic 9-year-old nephew beat me to it, and I love what he created. There was an art booth with circus-themed coloring pages, a ring toss, bean bag toss and pick-a-duck with carnival-themed ducks. Each game had a prize, including mini plush teddy bears, boxes of animal crackers and circus make-a-sticker scenes. The kids filled provided treat boxes with their prizes as they played.

 Of course there was face paining, courtesy of my talented sister.

 And clown noses for a little extra fun!

With so much inspiration out there, I could have gone crazy with this theme. But we kept it sweet and (relatively) simple and it was so much fun. Yay for 4!

Summer Fun :: Camping

There's only one way to camp in Florida in the summer... on the water. Last weekend we took the girls and my nephew for a one-night campout at a nearby state park where we pitched our tents under the oak and palm hammocks along this beautiful, brackish creek.

For our first official family camping trip, things went pretty well. (I think I exclaimed "this is so much fun" and "we will never do this again" an equal number of times!) At the campsite, the kids stayed busy exploring and filling up their nature journals.

They watched for the threatened Florida Scrub Jay, which makes its home in the scrubby and pine flatwoods of the park.

And collected natural treasures from the creek bank and surrounding area.

After setting up camp, we cooled off with a long swim in the park's lake, and some playtime on the sandy beach. The kids caught little minnows in the shallow waters and I kept a vigilant - near obsessive - watch for alligators (thankfully, I never saw any).

Of course, no camping trip would be complete without a campfire and some toasty marshmallows for s'mores. After a glorious night's sleep in the fresh air, we cooked up a Father's Day breakfast of pancakes and bacon on the still-smoldering fire pit grill.

Then before it got too hot, we took a nature hike to a scenic outlook on the creek, where we sat and watched mullet leap out of the water, and waved to folks canoeing by...which we promised we could try on the next trip. Because - despite the sweltering heat, the effort of setting up camp, and the grumbling and squabbling amongst the kids - for some reason, I find myself wanting to go again. Perhaps it's the lure of quality family time, spent discovering the good and the bad of the natural world around us, and of each other. That, and the promise of memories made that none of us will ever forget.

{this moment}

Earth Day-Easter Eggs

We dyed our Easter eggs today. In honor of Earth Day, we used all-natural dyes and created several botanical eggs.

Our dyes were made from beets (red), yellow onions skins (yellow) and purple cabbage (blue) [see this post for a list of natural egg-dying resources and recipes]. Then, we mixed the colors to create more shades.

The botanical designs were created by laying a flower or leaf face down against an egg, wrapping it in a square of pantyhose secured with a knot, then lowering it into the dye.

We wrapped a few eggs with rubber bands, and others we wrote on with a white crayon. I couldn't believe how many different colors and effects we got from just three dyes. Two dozen naturally, beautiful eggs.

*Note: This was not very time-consuming, difficult or expensive. The project held the attention of my 3 and 6 year old girls for well over an hour. They loved the idea of using natural dyes and materials from around our home and garden to color the eggs. And I love how simple and natural they turned out.

Domestic Bliss

Sunday morning sweetness: french toast made with locally-baked bread, farm fresh eggs & buttermilk. Homemade butter from local cream. Freshly-made orange vanilla marmalade. Sticky, smiling faces all around.

Wishing you a week of sweet, simple pleasures.

Where I've Been...

How can it be that nearly a month has passed since I wrote in this space? Life took up every moment of the past several weeks!

There was a weekend visit to Aunt Cathy's, paired with seeing the Weeki Wachee mermaids at the Florida Aquarium. My girls were completely enchanted by this underwater show with real, live mermaids.

Later, we concocted Spring Strawberry Spritzers (recipe below) to sip on as we soaked in the hot tub. Ahhhh.

Then, there was the "grown-up spring break" weekend away to Key West, filled with bright orange sunsets, salty margaritas and fabulous, fresh seafood.

I delighted in seeing wild chickens freely roaming the streets of paradise (over 2,000 inhabit the island!). And I treasured a visit to the Hemingway Home, where six-toed cats lounge about lush, tropical gardens.

Finally, the gals celebrated their week-long spring break close to home with lots of free play, inside and out. The simple joys of playgrounds, art, blanket forts and mini golf filled our days. (Yes, there was also a fair share of "I'm bored" grumbling and sibling bickering too!).

This week, as I get back into the swing of "real life" I'm missing the easy, breezy days of the past few weeks. I've traded in sunscreen and lazy, slow days for backlogged laundry, taxes and the resetting of off-schedule kiddos. Oh well, there's always these...

Spring Strawberry Spritzers

1 bottle of Riesling, chilled

Seltzer water
Fresh strawberries

Sugar (to taste)

Puree fresh strawberries and sugar. Mix with Riesling and seltzer in a pitcher until it tastes like spring. Sip over ice, in the sunshine, with a cool breeze washing over you. Smile.

Strawberry Traditions

Spring arrives subtly in Florida. The days are sunny and marked by a cool breeze. Birdsong fills the air. And locally-grown strawberries are piled high at every produce market and farm stand.

To honor the season's arrival, we headed out to our local u-pic farm on Monday, as we have for three years now, for a strawberry picking jubilee! It's become an early spring tradition among our clan, and this year five mamas and 13 kiddos gathered to stock up on these sweet, edible jewels.

As I watched my girls and my nephew run through the fields, picking and eating berries with gusto, I realized the depth of this spring ritual. These children now know, on one level or another, that strawberry picking is more than just an outing...

...it marks the turn of a season.

...it offers a connection to a piece of local, fruit-bearing land.

...it yields homemade jam for countless peanut butter sandwiches over the year to come.

...it links them into a community of friends with shared values and interests.

...it deepens our family connection through a shared experience, repeated year after year.

As a mother of young children, so much of my energy and attention is focused on creating rhythms and rituals that will bring comfort, joy, beauty and unity to the individual and collective lives of my family. So when a tradition like this develops organically, weaving its way into the rhythm of our year without my intention, I can't help but notice just how sweet it is!

Dwellings

Our front garden was graced with a new fairy house yesterday. The girls and I spent a long afternoon scouring the yard for items to decorate a new space for visiting fairies. Selby set the rules for gathered materials: nothing was to be picked and everything must be natural. (Exceptions were made for two pink plastic heart rings hung from a stick, and a small broken fairy figurine.) It was magical work, and apparently much appreciated, as this morning the dwelling was covered in a sprinkling of pixie dust that shimmered in the early light!

During our hunt yesterday, two fallen birds' nests were discovered. We carefully tucked them both into the branches of a bush that holds an earlier found nest. The girls delighted in filling all three with leaves and flowers to "fix them up" for the birds. The birds in our yard have been particularly active the past few days and I feel pretty confident some new nest-making is about to take place. This week, we'll repurpose the three fallen nests into a nesting station, filling them with a sampling of materials the birds can use in creating their new dwellings.

It's such a blessing to watch (and join) my gals in their exploration and play around the outside of our home. Some of my fondest childhood memories were born in my backyard... baking orange blossom frosted mud pies, retreating to a secret clubhouse high in a grapefruit tree, running barefoot through the grass without a care in the world. There's still nothing better for a child than a slow sunny day with nowhere to go beyond the endless possibilities right outside their own dwelling.

Becoming Friends

One of my favorite parts of our winter break was how close my girls became. With two full weeks off school - and quite a bit of illness keeping us close to home - they had a lot of time together.

I'm amazed at Selby's patience with her little sister (Poochy); the time she takes to help her, to care for her and to guide her along is remarkable. And I'm enchanted by the way Sage admires her big sister (Bubba), watching her every move, striving to be just like her.

During the break, the girls truly learned to share - not just toys, but ideas and space and time. They discovered how to create together, rather than just along side one another, and celebrated their accomplishments hand-in-hand. They developed a little more patience for each other, and fostered a deeper understanding of who they are.

I watched with wonder as their friendship bloomed and their love for one another strengthened. There is nothing like the unconditional, enduring friendship of a sister.

New Year's Eve in Our Nest

Homemade party hats.

A bit of bubbly.

Wishes, resolutions and intentions shared.

Sparklers and some serious noise making!

Happy New Year!

{this moment :: friends}

*** *** ***

A Friday ritual, inspired by SouleMama. A single photo capturing a special, simple moment from the week.

Happy New Year!

Honoring the 12 Days of Christmas

As we readied for bed on Christmas Day, Sage whispered to me "I wish it was still Christmas." I assured her it still was, but she replied, "No, it's dark now." I knew there would be some letdown after the big day, no matter how gently I tried to ease my girls in and out of it this year. So I shared with them that Christmas was, in fact, not over. I told them how it extended for 12 days and assured them we would continue to enjoy all we had created this holiday season for many days to come. I let them know the tree and decorations would stay up a while longer. And that we would keep trying to eat through the gingerbread house and the wealth of cookies we baked on Christmas Eve. We would spend lots of time together huddled in front of the fire, playing with our new toys, reading our new books, and enjoying each other's company. And we would be visiting with more friends and more family. They went to sleep content in these thoughts.

And so yesterday, the day after Christmas, we all stayed in pajamas all day, snuggled by a fire that roared from dawn to bedtime. We ate cookies and leftovers from our Christmas feast. The grownups enjoyed eggnog we forgot on Christmas Day. I read and knitted and the girls played with a new fairy house and created with new art supplies. We went for a short winter walk to gather a few items for the nature table and to feel the nip of the cold wind. And sometime toward the end of the day, Selby said to me, "It still feels like Christmas... like it has been one long day." I felt it too. For the 12 Days of Christmas, we won't be exchanging any gifts, or celebrating any specific days. We are simply and gently honoring this special time with a lot of togetherness, reflection and appreciation for all the wonder the holiday season has held. Merry Christmas!

Winter Solstice II :: Honoring Nature

We celebrated the Winter Solstice with a party for the little creatures in our yard. The kids strung Cheerios and oranges and made pinecone bird feeders to hang from a tree in our backyard.

In the branches, we tucked ears of dried corn, saved from a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Oh those lucky little squirrels!

The children also made a Yule Log for the evening's fire. They wrapped a whole log with evergreen branches from our Christmas tree and tied on as many items from the Fall nature table as possible with raffia.

The log was adorned with dried leaves and flowers, moss, pinecones, seed pods, feathers, wheat stalks... even a snake skin! As evening approached, we turned out all the lights and prepared for the darkness. Candles were lit around the house and a fire was built, awaiting the Yule log.

The whole family gathered around the fire for an early supper. The Yule Log snapped and sizzled as the flames engulfed the offerings we'd collected throughout the Fall. Everyone lingered here for the evening, telling progressive stories, singing a few carols, and soaking in one anothers' company. We welcomed Winter with an abundance of warmth and light and love. Here's wishing you the same all year long!