The Heron's Nest

Castle Construction

Construction Begins, originally uploaded by The Heron's Nest.

 

Have I mentioned enough how much I LOVE this book?  It is refreshing to hear a voice of reason.  An "old school" voice that confirms the obvious about children and child rearing.  The importance of play and using their imagination.  The need for time to explore and to make mistakes....figure out their world.  Blocks are my favorite toy to pull out for Ella and Griffin.  My mother-in-law saved all of her children's toys.  This was a bit overwhelming for me as a new parent, because one day she arrived with many boxes of MANY things.  Blocks, Legos, wooden puzzles and Playmobiles being a majority of the boxes (though there were some old crusty baby clothes in there too).  At that time I had no idea how appreciative I would become of this gift.  Despite the overwhelming amount of toys in this house (gifts just keep coming every year, and the acquisition of these items feels sickening and endless sometimes),  I find these old toys to be the ones we use the most.  The toys that encourage the most creativity.  The blocks are beautiful, feel great, and can be used for a multitude of projects.  Castles being the most recent result, but they do a great job as a Hall of Justice too!

 

Back when I was teaching, and was lucky enough to fill a first grade position (a magical year), I was shocked when my classroom did not have blocks.  My student teaching had taken place in a fairly very affluent community, where apparently there was money for things like art supplies and blocks.  When I landed in a rural community where standardized testing was the big fear, blocks and art supplies were the least of their concerns.  I always thought that was so sad.  Wooden blocks are pricey and money seems to go towards technology and books.  I can understand that it may look as though kids are "just playing", but to ignore the work they are really doing with this play, (manipilating objects, creating stories, practicing social skills) seems just silly to me. 

 

 

 

 

Peter's Shadow

Someone else's shadow was helping Peter's shadow jump around our dining room today. 

Wendy was just too tuckered out to even attempt to stitch anything today.  She just sat back and enjoyed the game!

Busy Just Hanging Out

Not much crafting has been going on around here.  Just some plain old hanging out, and messing around.  Mess, yes.  My grand plans of feeding the wildlife, for a study of animals in winter, is now underway.

                              

After about 10 pine cone bird feeders, made by both G an myself, I think the birds and mice should be happy.  We are just hoping big Mr. Brown Bear does not make an appearance this year.

   

We attempted to string leftover cranberries and popcorn also, but the four year old fingers and patience had no interest.  I was in over my head making my first successful batch of scones and we just gave up on the threading.  (The scones disappeared before I could catch a photo of them, but I will try to make them again soon.)

               

The children have been busy in their little kitchen, which Daddy so kindly brought up from the playroom. This will hopefully help Mama to actually get something accomplished in the rest of the house.  E has taken to hats and seems to find a new one to wear every few hours.

The weather is certainly not feeling terribly wintry.  Just as I was missing the feet of snow up north, a nice spring day appeared and pulled us outside.  We discovered that have a new neighbor.

            A rather chatty fellow.  Yet another reason why I need a telephoto lens.  Some sort of hawk, I think.  Sure beats the usual turkey vultures who seem to run the hood on most days.   

Of course, I suppose he could say the same about this little fellow who finds it necessary to call the gnomes out from underground to come help me, the fairy queen, save the forest.

At least someone is seeing that I have the potential for magic!

Spaghetti

                        

Dinner this evening brought me back to this great poem..........

Spaghetti, spaghetti, all over the place,
Up to my elbows--up to my face,
Over the carpet and under the chairs,
Into the hammock and wound round the stairs,
Filling the bathtub and covering the desk,
Making the sofa a mad mushy mess.

The party is ruined, I'm terribly worried,
The guests have all left (unless they're all buried).
I told them, "Bring presents." I said, "Throw confetti."
I guess they heard wrong 'Cause they all threw spaghetti

-Shel Silverstein

One Fast Year

It is hard to answer a question about how time has flown over the past year.  "Did it seem fast?", my mother-in-law asked today. Fast,.....it is almost as if life before this flower was born didn't even exist.  I remember a year ago, wondering how my first child would adjust to sharing his world with another child.  How I would be as a mother of two.  Could I love her as much as my first?

Her birth was planned, a scheduled c-section.   I labored (ha ha, no pun intended) over this decision to go ahead and not risk the complications from a vbac.  She came into this world screaming a blood curdling yell, almost annoyed that we had pulled her out.  The doctor joked that we had better hope she wasn't colicky and the nurse asked, "When are you leaving?".  She was one ticked off little chicky.  So funny, because she is just the opposite so far.  Very easy going, always smiling.  Patient and content.  Time has flown, I guess, but it has been filled with so many precious moments that the time seems unmeasurable.  The first child has adjusted fairly well.  He loves his little sister and seems quite happy to share most things and people with her.  So far, I am performing fairly well as a mother of two.  I have my better days, of course.  And yes, I do love her as much.  I have learned that my time is limited and must be shared, but there will always be an overabundance of love for both children.

Happy birthday my sweet girl.  Time has flown this past year, but you have filled it with enough joyful memories to last a lifetime.

Trouble

Does this look like a sweet little pumpkin or what?

Innocent enough.  Just a bit of a game.  Why is it that when you put this little one, with three other little male cherubs, all craziness breaks loose and a sweet game of croquet becomes four boys pounding the ground with the mallets, heads about to get whacked,  eyes about to become blackened.....I have never seen three mothers jump so quickly.  If only I had a chance to photograph the huge crater of earth which was dug by the "shovels".  As if that wasn't enough, next they turned into swords!!!!!  I am not prepared for the teenage years yet.  Each stage prepares us for the next, right?

Meanwhile, this little one was contemplating  tearing apart my camera bag!

Watching

Rainy day here.  I haven't posted in a while.  Just trying to keep up with the day to day and very little sleep hasn't helped.  Thank goodness the tooth is FINALLY here!  I have spent the last three months waiting for it.

Today was going to be a productive day.  It was from about 5am until 1:30.  E's 5am wake-up wasn't so bad after six straight hours of sleep.  Unfortunately she was also very well rested and ready to play at 5.  We tiptoed to the playroom/sewing room and I promptly set to work, trying to catch up on my crazy amount of unfinished projects.  By 6am I had made a pin cushion (had to have a nice new one for my new pins) and one place mat.  By 7am I had already consumed one giant mug of very strong coffee and practiced a bit of yoga.  (The two do not compliment one another, by the way.)   By 7:30 I had a stomach ache, and everyone else was up.

When G came downstairs, he had that "look".  Something wasn't right.  After a big bowl of oatmeal and several trips to the potty as well as  several new pairs of undies, we knew what wasn't right.  So much for errands and the library today.  Instead we have stuck around the house.  Tried a few new puzzles, made chocolate pudding (after the tummy settled down) and watched a little Bambi.  Fun!

At one point I was sitting on the floor, turning my head between the two sweet peas.  G was focusing on his new puzzle.  E was trying desperately to crawl, but mostly just sliding around the bedroom floor grabbing for anything within reach (She is suddenly so alert!).   It was one of those glimpses at the fleeting moments I seem to be surrounded by these days.  Both just trying to make sense of things.  Both completely absorbed.  Just lovely!

Another highlight of the day was finally figuring out the on-line request system for the library.  We are sure to drive that grumpy old man behind counter crazy now!

Toothless No More!

Whew!  What a wait.  I didn't think she was EVER going to cut those teeth.  I have waited for MONTHS!  We still can't see it, but I can feel it.  She is like a new child, happy again, sleeping (crossing our fingers that will last).  Of course, there is only one.  We have many more to go, but it is a start.

Warm and Fuzzy

Potty training my son seemed endless. There were a few times I truly believed the boy would be going to college in a pull up. I blamed myself for not following through with rewards, or not clearly connecting the rewards to the action. I was pushing and he was resisting. Textbook case of pressuring too much. Once he started preschool, and saw the other children using the potty, it didn't take him long before he woke up one morning and announced he was wearing his "Spiderman undies" to school, and did not need a pull up.

We haven't had many incentives around lately. Just a lot of praise and hugs. But this week, I returned back to the "incentive" game after being thoroughly frustrated by his bedroom floor. It was there, somewhere, underneath the piles of clean laundry (which had been folded at one point) and the stacks and stacks of books. The picture shows the new "incentives" for keeping a tidy room and sharing toys with his sister. Really, anything that makes us feel "warm and fuzzy" (a complete copy of my friend's new plan). Once the action happens, we run to the jar and plop in another "warm and fuzzy". He is thrilled that he can open the jar "all by myself". The plan is that once the warm and fuzzies touch the line (placed conveniently on the jar with clear tape to both ensure a complete stopping point for the "fuzzies", as well as being adjustable for later "lengthening" of the incentive process), he'll be able to do something special. Tonight before bed, he tidied up his books. When I entered the room he had a huge grin, waiting for me to notice the care he had taken to arrange the books. Could it be working?

Wisdom From My Three Year Old

This was my breakfast conversation with my son this morning. Or should I say, the was HIS conversation.

Me: Would you like brown sugar or maple syrup in your oatmeal?

G: Brown.........Well,,,,,,wememba (remember),....oatmeal is healthy for you. Yes,...it is good for your body. And pears are fwoot (fruit). Fwoot and vedjiteebuls (vegitibles) are good for us. Potatoes are vedjiteebuls.....Lots of fwoots and vedjiteebuls are good for us. Plums....apples....and onions....and garlic too!....Selawee (celery), bwocolee. They are all good for you.

He then became silent, and downed two bowls of steel cut oats.