Manifesto....

A personal manifesto for

a day in the life

of my 

"preschooler" 

~Climb trees

~Color, paint, cut, glue, draw, create. 

~Love and care for animals.

~Explore the garden.

~Tend to, and harvest the garden.

~Seek out all things delightful.

 ~Ride bikes.

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today.....

~A baby who tries to suck his thumb while nursing....
(thumb sucking babies are pretty adorable)

~A boy who acts like a cat while shopping.  Saying "meow" to everyone he greets...

~A girl who goes shopping in black and purple tights, rainbow tutu, pink leotard with a big flower on top of her head...

~A partner who talks in his sleep...
(this is constantly amusing)

~Christmas lights on the house!
(Not to be turned on until Thanksgiving night)


~Christmas cards addressed and signed...
(stamped, not so much)

~Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps...
(edited to note~ I just caught a typo, I originally called them "Triple Finger Snaps" oops)

~Surprise flower bouquets...
(Techno colored daisies sprayed with glitter [aka fairy magic] that only a 6 year old, a three year old and their mother could love!)



Here's to a new week....  I'm hoping to get a lot done.... or maybe just read a lot.  We'll see!

Blessings, Gratitude, Thanksgiving...

Gratitude is very important to me.  

As a mother, its a cornerstone to my parenting.

Giving my children opportunities to express their gratitude is a daily goal.

A holiday named for Giving Thanks?

Yes please!

Today I'd like to share some of our words for giving thanks....

 (Ava's crayon melt art inspired by The Artful Parent, here.)

Turkeys come out to play

Thanksgiving is a time

to give thanks

Thanksgiving is a special time of year 

to be nice to everyone.

Thanksgiving is a time 

to be thankful for everyone who loves you.

Thanksgiving is a time 

when everyone gets together to make food and share it.

Ava, age 6 

I've mentioned our blessing cards before, here, and here.  Last year Ava painted this lovely cornucopia,  and wrote a beautiful blessing, but for some reason (umm... pregnancy) I didn't write her blessing on her card until today.

 (water color by Ava)

Thanksgivings Blessing

Jack-o-lanterns go away when pumpkins and cornucopias come to the table.

Cats lay inside winter's doors.

The farmers run and switch to make a scarecrow itch.

There are good sights to see when you step outside on Thanksgiving day.

Ava, age 5

And for me personally, what makes my day full of warmth and gratitude...

Messy faces...

and

Ocean Fairies...

and one little teething baby who was taking a nap during this time, so I didn't risk taking his picture.

(I was too grateful for his rest)

Many thanks to The Magic Onions for bringing families together for Friday's Nature Table.

Toes...

 

Why even make baby toys when there are such delicious toes?

Brought to you by Silly....

Something to do while our Ava was sick...

playing with a camera.

Started off sweet, quickly turned silly.

Oh so silly.

What could be sillier than a boy in a heart leotard?

A boy in a heart leotard making 'crazy' faces, of course!

Sol, Cyrus, and silly.

Love it.

Always be six...

 I know it may be asking too much....

But could you always be six?

Wear tutus and tights

Sparkle shoes are best

Sparkle Anything is best

Dancing

Faith in Fairies

 Laughter

Tangled hair

Nightgowns

Pink blanket

Kittens

Discovery

Potty humor

Party dresses

Letters

Painting

Bike rides

Two baby dolls

Stories

Pillow houses

(pillow bee hives

pillow cars

pillow nests)

Night lights

Beads

Finger knitting

Strawberry toothpaste

Rainbows

Rhymes

Flowers

Dirty nails

Bracelets 

Glitter glue

Peppermint tea

Ballet

Hair bows

Lullabies

Dreams

 Yes to honey

No to bread crust

Tender hearted

Strong willed.

Six.

Gratitude Mondays....

What I love today.....

~Family birthday dinners...

(happy 60th to my father in law) 

~A clean house as a result of said party...

~Christmas crafting...

(or planning)

 

~ A mysterious weed in my garden that is now taller than I am....

(I hope it will bloom so I can figure out what it is!) 

~A little girl who has a circus act with her two daughters...

(and very elaborate costumes)

~A little boy who wants to hear his father's music LOUDER....

eh.

(if you only knew what his father's music was like)

 

~A little baby who spit up on my face...

(not great, but they've all done it)

~A partner who will wake up and shred carrots with me, 

so I'm not alone making dessert in the middle of the night.

 

Here's to the week.  And all that she'll bring!

Migration Celebrations...

We can't always count on the thermostat to guide us throughout our seasons  (have I mentioned that before?), but there are signs~ some subtle, some plain, that we can rely on.  One of the favorites in my home is the return of the ducks, geese, and loons to our local library.  We welcome the first our annual visitors with delight....


running...

dancing....

 frolicking...

 contemplating....

observing....

appreciating.

Thank you to The Magic Onion for bringing us together for another Friday's Nature Table.

Sweet Little Bunny

Sweet little Bunny

I awakened with a feeling
that the day would not go well.
It seemed that I was out of sync,
and things just wouldn't jell.
I looked outside my window and,
cute as he could be,
sat the sweetest little bunny,
who was looking back at me...
He cocked his furry head and looked,
as if about to say,
"I'm here to cheer you up,
to help you have a good day!"
I forgot my moody feelings
as I looked him in the eye
and said, "Hey, little rabbit--
thanks so much for stopping by!"

Glenda Allen

Six

Its time to tell the tale of Ava's 6th birthday party.  There is so much to share....

The invitations were made (using this template)...

Family and friends arrived from out of town.  A time to meet Sol, and a time to celebrate Ava combined.  I had a brilliant idea of enlisting my nephew's help for a small fee.  He had the enterprising idea of enlisting his smaller cousins..

When their work was done, my family took Ava to a hotel room for a sound sleep.  We wanted the magic of her party to surprise her, as it would her guests, as it unfolded.

The little fairies arrived dressed in their fairy finest.  We made magic mushroom wands then headed to the back yard to follow a fairy trail to meet a fairy for each season.  Each fairy had a small treasure to add to our sacks.

Fall..
The Fall Fairy gave us the gift of Goblin Balls.  (sweet gum seed pods)

 Winter...
The Winder Fairy had a bowl of crystals for us to chose from...

 Spring...
The Spring Fairy watched over the tiny acorn babies, and let us bring one home to take special care of...

Summer...
The Summer Fairy offered us a gift from the sea.  Seashell necklaces wrapped around a stone.

With our bags full we came inside for Fairy foods (salad with edible flowers and raspberry vinaigrette, fairy cheeses, crackers, fruit salad and stuffed mushrooms) and Dew Drops to drink.  Our little fairies enjoyed a chocolate marble cake topped with lavenders, and homemade birthday candles...

 

 Its was a party to remember.  A day of magic I hope she'll never forget.

Okay, 21 pictures is excessive, (even for me... ) but come on.  Those fairies are too cute!