MommyCoddle

don't stand on my right...

because I won't be able to look at you. I slept funny on my neck last night and now it's killing me to turn my head to the right. I'm trying to slowly stretch it out, but man oh man, it hurts!

We've had another one of those lovely stay home all day kinds of days. The sun finally showed its face today and I keep finding Elizabeth in this square of sunshine on the floor. She crawls away from it, picks something up, and somehow manages to always plop back down right in the middle of it. Must feel warm on her back.

On Monday my girls and I had the pleasure of having Mama Urchin and her cutie pie kids come to our house to visit. As we sat together in my living room--both our (cow)girls off together somewhere outside, Mary nestled in beside her on the sofa and T mesmerized by the "penguin game"--I was amazed at how quickly we fell into a 'groove' of friendship. It was absolutely wonderful and comfortable. I felt like we'd been friends for a long time. We went for a walk around the farm, ate her yummy soup, and sat and talked until our children melted. Come back soon, friend. **edited to add: if you want to see what we sent one of the urchins home with, go here**

I've also been meaning to show you this lovely piece of pottery I received in the mail from my friend Melissa. I've admired her pottery on flickr for awhile and she's FINALLY opened up an etsy shop (I'm digging this honey pot!) and started her own blog. This sea urchin vase was one that I admired for awhile and she was so kind to send me one of my own. I love it because it will be perfect for those tiny bouquets that little hands bring me all summer long. And for now, it's helping my baby fern take root.  Thank you, Melissa. I really love it.

Miniswap partners went out today. So if you didn't get an email from me, please let me know.

Happy Wednesday, friends.

a pinecone, a feather, an oak leaf, pine needles

My children haven't been getting outside enough lately to just run around and play. The cold weather and not enough prodding by me to get them out there, I guess. Oh, the bundling required. But nevertheless, they need the fresh air and the exercise. When they aren't getting enough outside time I really notice a difference in their behavior and general crankiness. Aren't we all a little like that?

So this morning, I printed a few stock photos off the computer, stapled them together and sent them outside for a miniature scavenger hunt. I thought I'd keep it to a few things so they wouldn't lose interest. They were back in five minutes. BUT, they went right back outside.

I finally finished this scarf for Emma that was supposed to be a Christmas present...then a birthday present...and now turns out to be a Happy Thursday!! present. I let her pick a jumbo button out of my stash. She picked one of the first buttons I ever made. I think it suits her perfectly. And it helps the scarf stay on. Now I have one more to finish up for Mary in the same style, and I think all my Christmas presents will be finished! Oh, that's pathetic.

shortest post in history:

Just popping in to say that I am working on swapping names...there are a LOT of you to swap around and type up on a swap list....I'll try to get it to you all tomorrow or Wednesday! thanks for being patient!

miniswap is full! thanks, everyone....

coming up for air

Emma is trying to earn two dollars by cleaning the house. She's doing a bang up job actually, putting things away in the right places and spraying and wiping down every empty surface leaving me gasping for breath over the smells. Thank goodness she's using Mrs. Meyer's, so I don't feel too bad about inhaling the fumes. She even sprayed down the stove burners I noticed, as they started to smoke when I put on water for a cup of tea a few minutes ago.
But at least she's singing while she works. A few lines I've caught:

I've got to clean it right, right, RIGHT!
You start in one place and then you move to another!
I've got to clean for my mom who's doing nothing on the computer. (that one was on purpose.)
I love to clean, clean, CLEAN!

She's having what I call a very industrious day. She found some mini bulbs and planted them in little pots which are sitting on her desk. And she secretly altered her tea bag--horse themed, of course. She has three clothes pins at the ready, clipped to the waist band of her pants, with a rag tucked in her back pocket. Sometimes I think she's a budding Martha Stewart.

The pictures are from a snow storm that moved through the other day and is now almost completely gone except for some blotches of snow dotting the fields here and there. It was a beautiful snowfall.

And the miniswap is about half full. So don't worry that you're too late. There's still plenty of room.

another rider in the family

I'm not sure I can handle another rider in the family. This scene is becoming a regular occurrence around here.

Turns out I had two bumper stickers to give away. Stephanie and Margaret, they'll be coming your way. If you wanted one, and didn't get one here, you can find them at the American Farmland Trust website.

A little kid-love can be found over here. Please join in, if you feel so inclined. My new 'job' at BabyCenter has made me realize that there needs to be more energy invested in focusing on the good stuff that parenting and motherhood is all about.

mini swap 3

What is the miniswap?
It is a mail swap between our children (for the children, by the children--with a little help from you and me)--a chance to let them get in on the fun of sending and receiving a brown paper package.

THE DETAILS

::We will swap by household. Keep in mind, you might sign up one child, but be swapped with a household of two or three children. This doesn't mean you have to put together three times as much stuff, but it might be nice to include something small for each of the children.

::Originally I didn't put an age limit on participation. But this year, I'm going to say two years and up. The idea of this swap is that our children are really participating. Please use good judgment about where to cap it off at the older end. (And just for the record, if you were my partner and signed up your four year old, but there was a 12 month old crawling around your house, I'd want to know so I could include a little something for him/her. I wouldn't want to leave those babes out all together. But I'll leave that up between partners.)

::The swap is open to anyone, so please be willing to ship overseas when you sign up.

::I always try to be budget-conscious. Try to keep the bulk of your swap goodies in the handmade or hand-me-down category. One year my partner passed on gently used books, a stuffed toy and other goodies (among other fantastic things)--and my kids loved it. And the sentiment behind her children wanting to pass on a special toy to another child was priceless.This swap is not meant to break the bank.

::Need ideas of things to include? You can check out the miniswap flickr group.  Or, leave a comment after this post of some of the highlights from last year. I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would, too.

::Please include a postcard or small map showing where you're from. (I forgot to do this last year, again... oops.)

::Please ship packages by February 22. That should give you about a month to put it all together.

HOW TO SIGN UP:

I will open the sign ups on Tuesday morning at 10:00am. ET. I think I can handle the logistics of 125 participants. I think. All you need to do is send an email to miniswap (at) gmail (dot) com and include:

1. your name

2. email address

3. location

4. name and age of your child/children.

I will then swap names randomly, and contact half the list with their partner's email address. That partner will be in charge of starting the communication between the two of you. . I'll let you know when families are paired and that first email goes out so that you can be watching your inbox.

Last year there were lots of problems with people's emails going into spam or junk mail folders, so partners thought they weren't being contacted, or their partner didn't want to participate. Please be watchful and aware of that problem. It is those kind of glitches that make it get complicated and extra work.

And lastly, PLEASE only sign up if you're seriously interested. Last year, I had a good handful of no-shows when it finally came down to it. It's frustrating when I turned away many people who wanted to be part of the mini swap and people who signed up didn't follow through. And more importantly, it left some pretty disappointed partners (and children). So please only sign up if you're really sure you can participate.

After sign ups close, I'll get together some code so you can put the button on your blog, if you wish. And as always, please pass the word on your blog that miniswap 3 is getting started.

Phew!!! I think that's it....I'm looking forward to another fun year of swapping!

a new baby

First of all. Wow. Thank you for all the ideas on my breakfast post. You guys always pull through with the good advice. This weekend, I'm going to sit down with pencil and paper, go through the comments and make my grocery list. There's new ideas, forgotten ideas and recipes I want to try. If you haven't checked back with the comments, it is definitely worth a second look. It will give all the healthy, hearty breakfast motivation one could need. I'll go through the names this weekend and pick out a bumper sticker winner.

And secondly, I feel like I need to say hello and thank you to all those new readers that showed up in the last post. My inbox was full of new names. It was wonderful. Thank you so much for stopping by and for saying hello. It warms a girl's heart.

So the 'new baby'....you'll have to go over here for the details. And I have a feeling there will be a book (or two) you'll want to add to your home library...or at the very least, pick up at your library this weekend.

Dan and I will be finishing up series five of BallyKissAngel and hunkering down with the kiddos for some cold weather on the way.

Happy Weekend, friends.

illustration from "the book"

breakfast, bumper stickers and baby LIVE

It seems odd, but one of the biggest challenges I've had with home schooling Emma this year has been keeping her well-fed and full of energy. She is a lot like Dan I think--high metabolism, low blood sugar tendencies and when she's the least bit hungry she has no energy and gets very grumpy. It seems like I'm having to constantly give her snacks to keep her focused and "with me" so we can sit down and do a little concentrated school work together. I often find myself wondering how she'd ever cope in school--going all morning without a snack before lunch.

So I've been starting with breakfast--trying to wean them off cold cereal and juice and on to things with a little more substance--eggs, granola and yogurt, oatmeal. I've been setting up for breakfast each night before bed, hoping it will keep me on track with making them a hearty breakfast, instead of falling back on the easy box of cereal. Yesterday's eggs seemed to go over well and help us get a little farther into the morning before a meltdown indicating snack. And today's oatmeal was a moderate hit--thanks to some cream and raisins on top.

I'd love to hear some of the things that you feed your children for breakfast? Or do you have a great snack that you give them mid-morning for a boost of energy? Is there something I should be cooking up? I'm hoping Emma will grow out of this "eat every 90 minutes" kind of lifestyle, but maybe not.

Speaking of food--a little giveaway. I recently got some mail from American Farmland Trust, which included a few bumper stickers. I kept one for myself, but I'd love to give one away. They say, "No Farms. No Food." If you'd like it and use it, leave me a note in the comments and I'll get in touch. If more than one of you want it, then I'll just draw a name.

And for your viewing pleasure--she kept squawking at me while I was trying to write this post--I think she just wanted to be on camera. please ignore my mommy voice. yuck.

Hello Elizabeth from molly balint on Vimeo.

tooth fairy revisited

The tooth fairy paid a visit to our house this weekend--for the second time. She leaves teeny-tiny hand-written notes wrapped up in thread with a dollar tucked inside. I had to upload this picture in secret because I was worried Emma would start asking questions. With all the scrutiny I got about Santa this year, I was worried she'd be suspicious of my picture of the tooth fairy note.

Apparently I made some rookie mistakes this year at Christmas, like wrapping a gift from santa in paper I had used on other gifts. We really push how santa and his elves make all the presents so she really questioned how Santa knew how to make a "perfect box for a Breyer Horse, just like in the store". And thank goodness she hasn't noticed the Old Navy tag on the slipper socks she's been wearing around the house. Rookie mistake. Rookie mistake!

Emma's tooth was pretty loose to begin with, but playing a game of wild animals and biting down on your sister's shirt only to have it ripped out of your mouth, can sometimes move things along a little more quickly. There was lots of blood, which everyone found fascinating and to which her sister replied, "Do you have another tooth you want me to take out, Emma?"  What a girl.

This weekend I had a losing my mind, too much clutter, cleaning spree. I always start at one end of the house and work my way around--a tip my mother taught me. I made it about half way around and ran out of time...and now today, I'm out of motivation. But at least part of the house is looking very fine. I think I'll just pretend the other three rooms are clean, too.

And did you notice a familiar name in your issue of Wondertime Magazine this month, besides miss twostraightlines' wonderful craft? My three or four sentences on blogging made it in the "Readers Panel" response to how you keep in touch with far-flung friends and family. I meant every word....

And for those that have been asking, I'm starting to put some brainpower into Mini-Swap III, so be watching for more details. Very soon, I hope! Grace, I may take you up on your offer...

Happy Monday!
artwork provided by emma. Her bird drawings have changed recently. I love them and had to post here for posterity.

a box of treasures

I've been meaning to share one of my favorite Christmas gifts that we gave to Mary this year. I was starting to think that you'd all be bored with a holiday recap, but this one could really be given at any time of the year. And it was such a success, I had to share. (And if you haven't read Courtney's post about her holiday giving this year, it is worth the look.)

Before Christmas, I began asking my children what kinds of things they were hoping to receive under the tree. Time and time again, Mary said things like, "A new refrigerator for you. A drill for Daddy. A broom for the kitchen floor." No matter how much I probed, or shoved catalogs in her face, I couldn't get her to give me anything to work with, (though I did appreciate her simple, generous spirit). Finally, one day she settled on "a box of marbles". And that was the present idea that she stuck with for the rest of the holiday pre-season.

So I decided to take the idea and expand on it a bit. Of course, I couldn't think of anything worse or more dangerous to have rolling around the floors of my house. With a newborn scooting all over the place trying out anything from mud to dryer lint in her little mouth, it sounded like potential disaster. I figured I better review my choking baby techniques!

I decided to improvise and make a few additions to her request. Dan built her a large wood box with a lid that slides off easily. The handle is fashioned from one of the mushrooms I ordered and one of these days I'll add some detail to it. He made the box deep enough that nothing is in danger of spilling out and she can really rifle through it without risking anything flying out of the box.

I knew I wanted to fill the box with marbles and treasures--things to sort and count, arrange and examine. I opted for the flat-sided glass marbles in the florist section of the craft store because I knew they wouldn't roll away and get lost as easily as round marbles. I also knew how much she loved shells and since we sadly, don't have a local source for collecting, I settled on a $2 bag of them at the craft store.

I also knew I wanted little wooden objects, too, so I  filled it with all kinds of things from this online source. And of course, Amanda's post about her acorns added some inspiration to include those as well. I added wooden items like robin's eggs, buttons, tree shapes, mushrooms, bowls, ladybugs and egg carriers. I also got a small flat tray with compartments for her to sort some of her "treasures".

It turned out to be a really nice collection of things and one of the most inexpensive gifts under the Christmas tree. It is such a good feeling, seeing that it still gets attention every day. Mary and Emma sit over it and sort and share and 'shop' with the various treasures inside.

And a little girl who wanted to do something special for everyone else this Christmas, received something very special for herself.

3 + 2 + 1 =

six. Emma is six today.

These are a few of my favorite things:
--when I get mad, you get mad. But if my feelings get hurt, it really upsets you.
--you take your field guides and journal on every walk.
--everything has "horse" potential and all topics eventually wind their way back to horses.
--for your special birthday activity, you chose having lunch with your daddy
--you still suck your thumb and rub your toes against your heel--it's why you won't wear sleepers with feet.
--you know more about what's going on around the farm than I do and I always ask you for the details
--you sit and read a chapter book for an hour, even though you can't read them. You even put in a bookmark in the place you left off and come back to it later. You meticulously read through Charlotte's Web for two weeks. Now you're reading Misty of Chincoteague.
--you are a fool-proof mood-lifter for Elizabeth. You can pull her out of any crying  fit. And you watch out for her--taking paper out of her hands, dragging her away from the bowl of cat food, wiping unmentionables from her nose. It doesn't even gross you out.
--you still get in bed with me every morning and ask to slip in to the warm spot where I have been sleeping.
--you are as tough as nails and as fragile as a baby bird, all on the same day.

happy six years sweet love of mine. you were my first baby love. you changed my world.

at home

I'm turning in to a total hermit this winter. The girls and I hardly go anywhere. It's cold, windy and packing up three children takes so much coordinating and time. Well, actually, it's the finding shoes and socks part that takes so much time, I think.

Anyway, you'd think we'd be going crazy staying home all the time, but I've actually found that my children get in to this groove of play when it's not interrupted by errand-running. My house may be a mess as a result, but man oh man, my girls are getting some hard-core playing on. Good stuff.

This afternoon while (I thought) everyone else was napping, Emma and I decided to try Cassi's icicle craft. Of course the minute we got really into it, Elizabeth woke up and Mary wandered out of her room. They were messy, but fun and beautiful. And you're getting zero glitter-factor in these pictures, but they really catch the light coming through our window. They are looking pretty beautiful from where I'm sitting right now.

We've also been watching these awesome Preschool Power, Montessori videos that I checked out of the library. If you don't mind some great 80s background music and coordinated gym suits, then these videos are great for your little ones. They show preschoolers doing things like folding laundry, arranging flowers in florist foam, dusting, making orange juice, signing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". We don't really watch TV anymore, but this video is too fun to pass up. And I sit in the background making appropriate comments like, "I can't believe that little boy is old enough to fold his own laundry!" and "Oh my goodness! He puts it away, too!!" or "Do you see how that little girl can set the table so neatly?!" They're totally falling for it.

And you'd think with all this staying home, my laundry would be finished? I just heard a thud in the hallway. It was Emma, tripping over the laundry pile.

happy new year

thank you for a year of beauty, inspiration and encouragment.

wishing for more fullness and joy in 2008

1. as one, 2. First Day, 3. Ian's bedroom, 4. n.50 (água e sal), 5. Urchin box, 6. marimekko duck pillows, 7. willet in winter plumage, 8. cold noses, 9. dont.be.scared, 10. Hello from Kjeragbolten!, 11. SeaUrchinCrop, 12. flying, 13. cow, 14. farm2, 15. Male Tree Swallow Feeding Baby, 16. Bee on a Flower, 17. culottes, 18. BONDING TOGETHER, 19. bed, 20. Mariah, 21. the perfect corner, 22. Untitled, 23. Hummer Tongue, 24. bibi's bed, 25. Geometric soft "blocks", 26. july in acadia, 27. done!!, 28. the woodshed, 29. holy moly mister funny face..., 30. Little baby, big trees, 31. Here's Mud In Your Eye, 32. Egg, 33. the best pub view?, 34. blocks, 35. frosted spiderweb, 36. covered