Saturday, December 29, 2018

Under the Sea Party!

When your wee lad has a facination with crustaceans, it’s no surprise that he asks for an under the sea party! So this mama had to deliver.

Thankfully, we are about to redo our back room, so it was emptied of furniture and my dear sweet fireman let me draw on the walls. It made for a great backdrop.


I spent quite a bit of time on Pinterest- and came up with a kid friendly food plan. Which of course involved a lot of sweets because it’s still technically the week between Christmas and New Years where calories don’t count.


These little gummy crabs are so easy to make! Candy, toothpicks and some candy eyes. Just watch the littles with the toothpicks.
I added apples to give reassure parents that it’s not all sugar. Lol!


Typically these are made with large pretzels, but the under 5 crowd don’t always like the salt. So I substituted breadsticks - kid friendly win!



What’s easier than a plate full of sugar? 


We added some “crabwiches” - these are super simple! Croissants with ham and cheese. 



Some lighter fare - the pepper octopus was easy to create with the addition of two google eyes. 


Oysters with a hidden pearl! 


And of course, a crab cake. 





Saturday, August 13, 2016

The big move!

I knew in the end it would be worth it. The packing. The sorting. The chaos. The uncertainty. Even living in the small rental was an adventure to say the least.

But as we settle in to our new farm, I am filled with such gratitude. The beauty of this place is a daily reminder of how fortunate we were to be in the right place at the right time.

Finally...home

It's raining...

"Mama, can I go out in the rain?"

I immediately thought of so many practical reasons to say no.

The rain is too heavy.

You will get soaked.

You could get sick.

More laundry to clean up.

But then I looked down at that inquisitive face, and I remembered just for a moment...in the far reaches of my 40 something brain...the joy of playing in the rain.

So I said yes. 

Sometimes mamas, you just have to say yes. Yes to getting dirty, yes to getting wet. Just...yes. Because quite simply, that is how memories are made.




Saturday, February 27, 2016

The move begins

Well, we haven't found our next farm yet. It's all a bit up in the air at the moment, as we tread out into the uknown.  Our current farm sold, to folks who are making their first move into agriculture just as we did over 5 years ago.


We have been on the hunt for months, driving country lanes hoping to spot something that we feel is home. So far... no .luck.


In our minds eye, we can see what it will look like. A big old sprawling Victorian farm house, a bank barn with a stone foundation, and a driveway lined with maple trees.  We have yet to find it.


So in the meantime, we will be renting a wee bungalow from a fellow friend in agriculture. He built it originally to house his aging parents, but it will suit us well. We can still be a part of the spring planting and summer harvest, and we will have a lovely view of rolling fields from the porch.


The packing commences this week.


Part of me is very nostalgic, as I look at this farm and marvel at how much life changed over the past few years.  The animal husbandry we have learned, the knowledge of agriculture, the network we have built, and of course - two wonderful little people to share it all with.


What will the next adventure bring? I have no idea. But we are ready.  

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Gratitude and love

We are trying to teach the children about gratitude. So for Valentine's Day we created a gratitude tree. We named all of the things we are grateful for.






Take note - ham made the list. I suppose we can all be grateful for ham? Lol





Saturday, February 13, 2016

Connections

There is a special connection that exists between siblings. With my own sisters, it's fair to say that they know me sometimes better than I know myself.  They are great advocates, critical analyzers, staunch supporters, and ultimately the ones you know will tell you what they really think about your new hot pink handbag.


It warms my heart to see the relationship developing between my children. Yes, they argue. They fight. There is the occasional time out  with a reminder that "we do not hit our sister with the Star Wars light sabre", but there is also a whole lot of this.  My son frequently tells me that "she is a good baby sister mama, we should keep her"


Yes son, yes we should.


Sunday, December 27, 2015

Toilet training

There is so much pressure these days for parents to push children to toilet train. Mothers and fathers devote entire weekends to it. There are countless books and theories. 

So let me add my story.

We decided not to toilet train our son. Yup. You heard me. We didn't toilet train. Oh don't get me wrong, when he was 2.5 years old I felt pressured and I bought a potty. I bought the books. The toilet seat insert. I even made a half hearted attempt one weekend with pull ups. But it went nowhere. 

A month ago I bought a big beautiful Bruder truck, and I placed it on the back of the toilet, still in the package. I put a bright blue basket on the counter, full of dinky cars, suckers, play dough, and other dollar store trinkets. I explained to my son, as he looked on with wide eyes, that if he went to the bathroom in the toilet he could choose something from the basket. And furthermore, if he chose to wear underwear and have no accidents for a week , he would get the truck.

He looked at me and said "Mama, don't push me."  Kid you not. 

So I left it. Every now and then I would say, "don't you want to use the toilet?" And he would say no. 

Then suddenly, about two weeks ago, he just started to use the toilet on his own. He even washed his hands on his own. He shuts the door and says "I will call you if I need help".  

He turns 3 on January 1. He did this all on his own. When the week passed without a single accident (he even let's me know when we are out!) you have never seen a boy who was so proud to earn a truck. 

It's been several weeks now, and he continues to be toilet trained. Without any hard core intervention on our part. 

So moms and dads - relax. I promise they will get it in their own time.