New Parks

I love taking the kids to discover new parks!

They don't have to be fancy or big.

A simple neighborhood park can be so much fun.

I often just drive around exploring our local areas for new and interesting parks to visit.

On my way to a friends house we spotted one and stopped in for a spur of the moment playtime.

We took turns being "monsters" and chasing each other around.

Corbin was having a clothing malfunction day and kept losing his pants.

Hayden was enjoying being a superhero - his fantasy of choice these days.

I enjoyed watching two brothers finally play with each other.

Friday Links!!

7 Quick Takes!

1. One of my goals is to finally go through the boys massive toy pile and do a bit of simplification.  Number one on my list?  Reduce the plastic and noise-making electronic toys.  I was inspired by this post on Bluebirdbaby.  What an awesome play environment she has set up for her little one.  I can't say our boys room is as peaceful - more like an over-stimulation nightmare!  Look for posts in the future on my progress with this.
2. For over a year now, I've been reading about hooping on a lot of my favorite blogs.  It looks SO fun, but a little intimidating too.  I mean, I'm not the most coordinated girl on the block.  But...I took the plunge and bought an adult hoop on Etsy.  Should be coming this week!!!  To say I'm excited is an understatement.
3. I loved this article at Apartment Therapy.  I am definitely in the camp of my current house or "decorating style" does not fall in line with my "dream" home/style.  Right now we have two small children who are messy and destructive.  The furniture and home items I buy at this stage have to meet certain criteria - 1. They must not show stains.  2. It can't be easily broken, nicked, torn, or scratched.  3. It must withstand spilled beverages, food, jumping on and off, kicking, running into, and much more.  My "ideal" home furnishings do not meet these criteria.  Hence, our entire house is from IKEA - cheap, black finish, sturdy.   It's good to remind myself that I will not always be in this season, and that one day my home will reflect my true self.
4. This recipe at A Stranger in this Land looks awesome!! I must add this to next weeks menu.  My favorite part about it is that there are no strange or expensive ingredients.  I hate those recipes with a list a mile long of ingredients you know you may never use again.
5. Oh my, this perpetual calendar looks so fun - and I'd love to make something like this.  I was so inspired, I even bought a wood burning tool!  I had a lot of fun last night playing with all the different tips and making funs scripty letters!  I'm going to spend a bit of time learning and then tackle this project! Definitely will put up posts as I go.
6. This was an interesting post on Art vs. Craft.  There can be a bit of snobbery around what is art or craft.  I happen to think each are wonderful in their own unique ways - and I love both!  
7. Two new books I ordered came in this week and I am beyond excited to read them!    Just getting one of these books has been an ordeal in itself!  I have never had trouble with the used book sellers on Amazon - but last week I had TWO snafus with two different sellers one right after the other!  I will save that story for a post -  but let's just say I was glad to finally have my books in my hands! I got Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder from Paperback Swap.  If you haven't tried this site it is awesome. Basically, you swap books for free with other members, just paying the cost of shipping the book.  As you send books to others, you earn credits to "buy" books.  Fun, fun!  And then my Home Education: Training and Educating Children Under Nine (Homeschooler Series) book finally came in from Amazon. 

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Quilt Along!

Okay, I might be a complete nut, but I am going to try My Sewcial Hour's Quilt Along!!  

I don't actually have any "quilting" skill...  

But what I lack in experience and talent, I will make up in extreme effort.

Time to go through my very small fabric stash and see what I have to work with!

And I'm sure there will be a trip to JoAnns too.

Decisions, decisions!  

Wanna quilt along??

Don't Forget to Have Fun

People often say that "Marriage is work."  And I've heard "Parenting is hard work."  And of course, "Life is hard".  Seems like almost everything these days can be classified as difficult or some kind of mountain to climb.  

If we're not careful, we can get caught in the mentality of just drudging through each day - our goal simply being...survival.

And don't know about you, but survival doesn't rank high on my life purpose meter.  I don't want to simply survive life, I want to live it.  Preferably, I'd like to enjoy it.

When was the last time you did something enjoyable with your husband?

Why not pull out some games and have an old fashioned game night.  And no, I'm not suggesting playing Elefun with the kids.  I'm talking just you and your hubby playing some of your favorite games.

This weekend Mark and I pulled out a card game after the kids went to bed.  And you know what?

It was fun. 

We laughed.  We joked.  We enjoyed each other.

We didn't talk about the kids, or the bills, or the next home improvement project.

I wasn't complaining or nagging...much.  (I'm sorry but spending 5 minutes each turn for "strategy" thinking is a bit much).

And he wasn't falling asleep...until the end, hehe.

All in all, it was a great night!  So much so, we did it again the next day. :)

Recovery Mode

So...I'm still in recovery mode.  A whole week of sickness will cause that.  The house is in dire need of a good scrubbing - crackers crumbs and sticky spots litter the tile floors.  On top of that I have an itch to simplify and purge our stuff - which means we have bins of half sorted stuff everywhere.  And on top of that is the week that every woman dreads.  Of course it would be the week after I get the flu!  Perfect timing!

Therefore, I'm sipping my raspberry leaf tea and trying not to feel overwhelmed and emotional - like the crazy person I know I am.

Why is it, that as soon as I start to make some progress in this homemaking thing, life happens?  Will I ever fall into a fluid and natural routine - or will every month or so be a "regrouping" of sorts?  I'm tired of goals and plans and 10 steps to a better whatever.  Surely, I can finally finish something around here??  With my two little tornadoes, life feels pretty cyclical these days.

Although, sometimes when I step back I can seem some glimmer of progress:

• Hayden is in fact potty trained, and has been since last summer.  I made it!
• Corbin has progressed out of the high chair and has been eating dinner at the table for a few months now.
• Both boys now enjoy our daily book time and can sit still for a story - even one that's a bit over their heads.
• Hayden can dress himself from the waist down - shirts still are his worst enemy
• Corbin has mastered taking his dishes to the sink - and in fact demands to do this each day by himself.
• Hayden can wash his hands in the bathroom without assistance
• Hayden can go on a walk with me and obediently follow my instructions
• I did sort through my clothes and purged everything that didn't fit - much to my dismay when I lost 20 lbs.
• I purged my kitchen of items we don't use regularly and honestly haven't missed a thing
• I've resisted the urge to buy any more "decorative" stuff for the house
• I've been working out regularly 2-3 times a week since the end of October.
• I've lost 20 lbs.
• My arms no longer have wings.
• Hayden graduated from his PPCD speech class and is no longer classified as having a disability
• Corbin is nearing the end of the physical therapy portion of ECI.  

So even though my list of "un-done's" is about a mile long - I haven't completely been at a standstill.  I just need to remind myself of that on nights like these when it all seems insurmountable!

Venturing Out

Last week was our first nature walk of the year.
Weather and sickness has kept us from venturing out, but finally,
 both were cooperating for a much needed outdoor break.

We collected our "treasures" - leaves, acorns, sticks, rocks, and dandelions.  

We went on a Bear Hunt:

We're going on a bear hunt.

We're going to catch a big one.

What a beautiful day!

We're not scared.

And when the clouds came out, we quoted our favorite Winnie the Pooh lines:

Tut tut! It looks like rain!




We pretended to be super heros:

Hayden: I'm a super hero!
Me: Oh yeah?  Do you have any super powers?
Hayden: Yes!
Me: What are they?
Hayden: I help people.  And I get other people in trouble.  And I get cats and dogs out of trees!
Me: That sounds like a pretty good super power to me.
Hayden: Yup, it is.






We ran like the wind! (According to Hayden)

And then we all went home for lunch and a nap (my favorite!).

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Links

Ala 7 quick takes style:

1. I loved this post I ran across on blog perception vs. reality.  I laughed hard at several of her examples, as I find myself guilty of some of them (i.e. straightening up the background of a picture, haha).  Don't take what you see as pure reality folks.  Not many people are going to show you their dirty laundry piles.  And when I have those great Ah-ha! moments during difficult circumstances, believe me - I was wallowing in it a bit first.  I do some of my best contemplating when I'm wallowing in self-pity. ;)
2. Once I get my house back in order from The Plague of 2011, I definitely want to make one of these - how adorable!  My Sewcial Hour has me thinking that I can sew or something, so we'll see - I will definitely be posting pics of any completed...or not so completed...projects.
3. Last week I posted my thoughts on my issues with admitting fault, and I was directed by Tamra to check out this article - almost a response of sorts to my open ended question!
4. This week at AWANA, Mark and Hayden are working on his Derby Car.  We had fun this weekend checking out all the cool design options like this, and this.
5. Walk Slowly, Live Wildly had some great thoughts on homemaking that I can certainly relate too.  She also sent her readers over here, for thoughts on finding comfort in the cyclical nature of our tasks - which I must confess there is comfort there, despite my complaining.
6. I've been enjoying this cute site for finding out which foods are currently in season - which means fresher, cheaper and often more local produce for my family!
7. After being quarantined in our house for over a week, I'm feeling the itch to simplify!!!  This post really gave me a starting place for some of my most productive simplifications and tips for how to keep things simple after you've purged!  I, myself, have implemented a give-away box (instead of a drawer) that I fill daily with "finds" from around the house.  It's one of the best "tools" I've got for working on my clutter problem.

Have a great weekend!!!