What we have been up to....and a sneak preview

WIP Kiddo Ties

WIP B'day Crowns

WIP Ruffle Pants


It has been a busy few weeks. I'll be back with regular posting very soon.......Birthday celebrations, Give Aways and more.....

Crazy Science Part 2:

Sand Clay Volcano









Recipe for the clay:

1 cup sifted beach sand
1/2 tsp alum
About 1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup water

Combine ingredients in an old, saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat. When clay starts to stiffen and hold its shape a bit, remove from heat. Turn onto foil until it is cool enough to work with. It cools pretty fast. We molded the clay into a volcano shape placing a toilet paper roll in the center.

Next step takes a while. Let dry in the sun 4-8 hours! Zoe was too impatient to wait for it to dry so we decided to just forge ahead..........

Lava Ingredients
1 cup baking soda
1 paper cup
4 drops red food coloring
3/4 cup vinegar

Pour the baking soda into the toilet paper roll. Add the food coloring on top of the baking soda. Poke a pencil through the bottom of the cup. Place a paper cup upside down over the (empty) toilet paper roll. Voila! Your volcano.

To make erupt pour the vinegar into the hole in the paper cup. We used a turkey baster.

Let's do it again mama even bigger!

Goop, Slime, Goo, Ooo, Blue Goo, Gunk, Floam, Putty, Ooze, Oobleck, Flubber!

It all began innocently with "National Geographic Little Kids" Cheetah family magazine.



"Mama do you have any corn starch"

"Sure Zoe. What do you need it for?"

"I want to make "blue goo"

Looked simple enough...........A simple recipe. Many hours of play. Perfect.



Somewhere during the 3rd or 4th hour of play with her purple goo......"mama"

"yes zoe"

"i want to have a mad scientist birthday party" (her birthday is not until Oct) "did you hear me"

"yes zoe"

"lets plan it now"

"ok zoe"

She had it already planned. Costumes. All kind of goos, baking soda volcanos and color mixing. And hand made recipe books for all her friends.

We'd better get cracking! Where does she get all these ideas?

Here are a few fun "slime" links

Five Minute Popsci

and here is one from the Ellen show (thanks Jaeden!)

Don't try this at home!


Consider this your warning and start planning your crazy scientist costumes.

Yesterdays sewing

Hedgehog of a different color (Green) fabric from superbuzzy. The top is a Butterick (B5019) Super Easy!
Linen pants with hedgehog trim and pockets are inspired by SouleMama/

8 months ago

I stayed up into the wee hours to finish a birthday dress for Zoe's 4th Birthday. My first dress. She hated it! She threw it across the room. It landed on the rocking chair ........




Fast forward 8 months.
Seven o'clock this morning





"Mama look what i found. (it has been on the rocking chair for 8 months! waiting for a new life.....place mats? napkins?) i love it. can i wear it? "



The beautiful "Zoe" stamp worn as a tattoo is a custom made name stamp from Craft Pudding on etsy. I love all her stamps.



So i took it as a sign and pulled out the sewing machine which has recently been collecting dust, cleaned off the table and got to work sewing a summer outfit. It flowed....a great sewing day. Pictures tomorrow as it is dark and gloomy again.

Now maybe I can finish the barettes and floral ponies that I began this Spring and get them into my etsy store.....

Fun for Nothin' Challenge

secret message scavenger hunt

I just added some pictures to this Flickr group! Love it!

Enter the clowns!

Ballet Soleil Recital
June 7 2008

UNLESS

"UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not."

The Lorax Dr Seuss 1971



This month we have an unintentional theme going. As part of our weekly family movie nights we watched "Flipper" and the original "Dr Doolitle" (with Rex Harrison). This weekend while at the Odessey bookstore listening to this mama speak we read the book Prince William we are reading Dolphin Adventure by Wayne Grover.


I wanted to get Zoe a book to mark Earth Day and have recently browsed several great kids environmental awareness books....and believe me my wish list is long and growing by the day, one more here. I finally chose "The Lorax" now I am not really a Dr Seuss fan but this book seemed like the best match for us this Earth Day. I do not want Zoe to feel the burden of feeling responsible for the environmental crisis....I want her to first and foremost LOVE the Earth. Feel at peace when surrounded by her natural beauty. Marvel in her wondrous ways and thus become an advocate following her heart. I feel that the Lorax was fun to read while introducing some of the concepts of being a earth stewart (or in our house "Daughter of the Earth"-a term taken from the Cd by our friend ALisa Starkweather)

More Dress Up and organization success!

Oh how this child likes dressing up. Yesterday She was a pirate sailing the seas on her treasure filled chest and looking for more treasure.

We have a nice collection of dress up. Some international traditional clothing, lots of hand me downs, some gifts, some silks, some accessories and lots of clothing home made items.

Recently I have found myself feeling like all I do is clean and still the house is messier and dirtier than ever. I know all you mothers can relate! I have found myself ever conscious of Zoes habit to pick one thing up, play with it a little while and return it to another place, often another room. This has been irking me more and more, some moments it feels like it is all that I see. I don't want to interrupt her creative play, or to make her more conscious of the mess making so that she cannot relax into her play and creating all the scenes she needs. So while we practice cleaning up and I work on toniifying nervous system! (nervine herbs, infusions, more sleep, good nourishment and time to myself) I am thinking about our systems of organization. Ways that I can make it easier for Zoe to successfully participate in the clean up process.

Yesterday was a success for me. The dress up corner has always been a problem. As our apartment is small and packed with stuff ( a whole other story; stuff for the herbal school, stuff for the museum and our stuff) the dress up corner (or stress uo corner!) was behind Zoe's bedroom door hanging pegs attached to the wall and in a basket hanging on the back of the door. It seemed like a good spot at first. But It was hard for Zoe and her friends to put the clothes back and often while trying to get the tangled clothes off the pegs they would pull the pegs right out of the wall. And where to store all the accessories?

So yesterday while Zoe was at school and I was cleaning her room it dawned on me that we have an old toy chest in the attic that is not so heavy....I lugged it down from the attic not knowing where on earth I would put it. I managed to move some things around in her room and voila, the perfect dress up set up. Next I will replace the pegs behind the door with a big mirror.

Zoe was thrilled when she returned home from school and the fun began!

Summer plans

We get home in a few days..... I hear that it is still snowing! It is Spring here, poppies and cherry blossom, and best of all strawberry season. We get two strawberry seasons this year. How lucky are we!

I asked Zoe yesterday what she wants to do this summer.....

Bike riding
Take my clothes off
Go to the beach
Wear bathing suits all day
Go swimming
Picnics at the lake
Camp fires with songs and stories
Go Camping
Go to Maine
Playing outside all day
Playing in the mud (mud monsters!)
The festival (falcon ridge)
Ballet recital
Camp
Kayaking on the lake

I also have a few books that I want to introduce to her this Spring/Summer

The Tree Farmer by Chuck Leavell (Author), Nicholas Cravotta (Author) around Earth Day


Stories around the campfire/or camping:
Spirit of the Forest: Tree Tales From Around the World by Eric Maddern (Author), Helen East (Author), Alan Marks (Illustrator)

In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America: by Nancy Van Laan (Author)

Nature studies:
Among the Forest People (Yesterday's Classics) by Clara Dillingham Pierson (Author), F. C. Gordon (Illustrator)

Salamander Rain: A Lake and Pond Journal (Sharing Nature With Children Book) (Sharing Nature With Children Book)
by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini (Illustrator)

and as an on-going chapter book relating to the marrionettes that we have seen on this trip

Pinnocchio Does anyone know of a good version? I was thinking of this version...The Authentic Story of Pinocchio of Tuscany

"Mama tell me a joke"

that's what I hear all day long. She doesn't know any yet but is becoming very interested in the concept. I don't know any appropriate for FOUR YEAR OLDS!!!! Help! anyone! Do you know any.....Remember any know good jokes for four year olds.... I'd like to compile a few to take with us on our trip.

As I write this here is one that has come back to me....

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock Know
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange (aren't) you glad I didn't say Banana

The girl "LOVES" tape!

Pieces of art are popping up everywhere. At night as i put away from the previous day I find cheery additions taped to our walls. Art Everywhere.....Yeah!




**** And don't forget to sign up for the giveaway, scroll down and you'll find it!****

Renaming Ceremony! and Give Away!

First there was "hard head". Her first love.


yes you know who she is!
then Big baby" joined us



then "Soft baby" (pictured with hard head)
and then came "Nothing" (in the wagon)




All named by Zoe between 1 1/2 and 3 years old! Today She informed me that her babies no longer like their names. So she will rename them.
We lit a candle and
Hard Head became Izzybelle
Big baby is now lucibelle
Soft baby is Janey
and Nothing is Susan.

These are well oved babies.





Yes friends this is my 200th post and to celebrate......back to my roots! a basket of herbal goodies! (echinacea tincture, calendula tincture, chest rub, cough syrup and lip balm.....plus a page of instructions for those who may be new using herbal remedies. I will pick a name on Jan31st so leave do leave a comment........comment on your favorite entry so far.......

Teaching Kindness.... any ideas?



Kindness, Respect, Compassion and Communication are HUGE for me. When I think of what I want my Zoe to learn during her preschool years this is what comes up again and again. A few recent events have once again brought me to thinking about ways of teaching kindness.



I am clear that the best way to teach is by example. I try, Honestly I do. But sometimes I get so frustrated with her! ! ("FOR GOODNESS SAKE BE KIND!!!!!!") I need help. Help to change my patterns and help in the form of stories or familt activities. These are books that look interesting..... has anyone read them. Any recommendations?

Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson (Author), Fumi Kosaka (Illustrator)

One Smile by Cindy McKinley (Author), Mary Gregg Byrne

Small Acts of Kindness by James Vollbracht (Author), Christopher Fay (Illustrator)

What about parenting books, recommendations?

I have been thinking about little ongoing activities to highlight kindness in our daily lifeand to encourage a better understanding of the practice of kindness?

Perhaps a kindness scarf? Everytime I see her being kind or am told about an act of kindness she can choose a patch of fabric to sew on her scarf. Then when it is ready to wear she will be wrapped in kindness. Another idea is keeping an ongoing list/journal of acts of kindness and at bedtime sharing one we did and received.

and of course I will commit toleading a better example (and getting more sleep)