animal kingdom / DAILY FARM LIFE / IN MY KITCHEN / life on thomas run

creative juices

Sometimes, when I disappear from my blog, it's because something is sucking all the creative juices out of my body, leaving me feeling empty; like I have nothing to say, nothing worth sharing, nothing worth noting. Other times, when I disappear, it's because I'm up to my elbows in life–schooling, gardening, children, cleaning, laundry, knitting.

Thankfully, this time I can say my short absence is due to the later. I've actually been sitting in front a sewing machine–something I haven't done in a really long time. I've been stitching little things, by hand. I've been reading, lingering outside when the sun shows its face from behind the clouds, attacking a closet full of smelly laundry, exercising, taking pictures, cooking*….all good things.

good day to be a chicken

Yesterday, I took a big bowl of scraps out to the chickens. I have to confess not everything in the bowl was completely spent. But I went to the grocery store yesterday and needed some fridge space. And these were the leftovers from last week's meals. It has been interesting to see which things disappear first–the rice I threw in after the picture was taken, the moldy pancakes (which I suspect disappeared into the mouth of a four-legged beast), the tomatoes and pepper seeds.

Dan is building me a compost bin this weekend, finally, and I have a feeling I'll have a lot of clucking and scratching and pecking going on around it.

last one

I also defrosted the last batch of summer berries. I didn't freeze very many, and I'm regretting that now. I'll have to remind myself of this come hot, sticky, summertime, when I don't really feel like being in the kitchen. But there's nothing better than summer berries in the freezer.

Dan left me an online shopping cart full of seeds he wants to order for the garden. I've added the flowers I want for a cutting garden and the neighbor is going to plow our plot with his tractor this weekend, if things dry out.

Spring is definitely showing its face around here.

*I made this Everyday Food recipe last night, swapped out the shells with orzo pasta. It was killer good.*

Sometimes, when I disappear from my blog, it's because something is sucking all the creative juices out of my body, leaving me feeling empty; like I have nothing to say, nothing worth sharing, nothing worth noting. Other times, when I disappear, it's because I'm up to my elbows in life–schooling, gardening, children, cleaning, laundry, knitting.

Thankfully, this time I can say my short absence is due to the later. I've actually been sitting in front a sewing machine–something I haven't done in a really long time. I've been stitching little things, by hand. I've been reading, lingering outside when the sun shows its face from behind the clouds, attacking a closet full of smelly laundry, exercising, taking pictures, cooking*….all good things.

good day to be a chicken

Yesterday, I took a big bowl of scraps out to the chickens. I have to confess not everything in the bowl was completely spent. But I went to the grocery store yesterday and needed some fridge space. And these were the leftovers from last week's meals. It has been interesting to see which things disappear first–the rice I threw in after the picture was taken, the moldy pancakes (which I suspect disappeared into the mouth of a four-legged beast), the tomatoes and pepper seeds.

Dan is building me a compost bin this weekend, finally, and I have a feeling I'll have a lot of clucking and scratching and pecking going on around it.

last one

I also defrosted the last batch of summer berries. I didn't freeze very many, and I'm regretting that now. I'll have to remind myself of this come hot, sticky, summertime, when I don't really feel like being in the kitchen. But there's nothing better than summer berries in the freezer.

Dan left me an online shopping cart full of seeds he wants to order for the garden. I've added the flowers I want for a cutting garden and the neighbor is going to plow our plot with his tractor this weekend, if things dry out.

Spring is definitely showing its face around here.

*I made this Everyday Food recipe last night, swapped out the shells with orzo pasta. It was killer good.*

21 Comments
HOMESCHOOLING / IN MY KITCHEN / MOTHERHOOD

five senses

I have to admit, I'm often a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants homeschooler. In fact, I remember being the same way when I was an elementary school teacher. Not so much that I'm not prepared, as much as I'm often struck with an idea when we're in the middle of something else, and I scramble to pull it together.

That happened this morning when we were reading a (very boring) thrifted Science textbook, while we waited for the mobile veterinarian to make a visit to our little farm. The first chapter talked about how we learn about the world around us and discussed using our five senses.

the mystery tray

It gave me the idea to let the girls play a little blind-folded guessing game, using all their senses except sight, to figure out what all the items were on my mystery tray.

blindfolded cowgirl

While they played in the other room, I wandered around the kitchen  looking for things that had texture and smell, sound, and even flavor. (I clued them in when they were safe to taste something. Though I did let them taste the clothespin, just for fun!)

I blindfolded both girls and sat them down at the kitchen table. We worked through the tray of objects and I had them whisper in my ear what they thought each item was. (Whispering was key, because Mary tends to just guess whatever Emma guesses. And I was anxious to see how well she'd do at this game.) 

the guesses : pretty good

They loved it and it was fun to see how well they did with their guessing, and what clued them in to what each object was.

from her perspective

Later this afternoon, while Emma was drawing at the dining room table, I gave her a few small circles and asked her to make some observations in each circle based upon her five senses. She was in "a mood" at the moment and gave me a head slumped down on the table, "when can I get back to what I want to do?" kind of effort, but I think I'll try it again tonight, when I'm in the kitchen making supper.

five senses

So now after all this, I'm not sure if my girls know more about their five senses, or more about how much fun it is to blindfold each other and make them stick their hands in unknown bowls of food.

Hopefully, a little something was learned along the way.

I have to admit, I'm often a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants homeschooler. In fact, I remember being the same way when I was an elementary school teacher. Not so much that I'm not prepared, as much as I'm often struck with an idea when we're in the middle of something else, and I scramble to pull it together.

That happened this morning when we were reading a (very boring) thrifted Science textbook, while we waited for the mobile veterinarian to make a visit to our little farm. The first chapter talked about how we learn about the world around us and discussed using our five senses.

the mystery tray

It gave me the idea to let the girls play a little blind-folded guessing game, using all their senses except sight, to figure out what all the items were on my mystery tray.

blindfolded cowgirl

While they played in the other room, I wandered around the kitchen  looking for things that had texture and smell, sound, and even flavor. (I clued them in when they were safe to taste something. Though I did let them taste the clothespin, just for fun!)

I blindfolded both girls and sat them down at the kitchen table. We worked through the tray of objects and I had them whisper in my ear what they thought each item was. (Whispering was key, because Mary tends to just guess whatever Emma guesses. And I was anxious to see how well she'd do at this game.) 

the guesses : pretty good

They loved it and it was fun to see how well they did with their guessing, and what clued them in to what each object was.

from her perspective

Later this afternoon, while Emma was drawing at the dining room table, I gave her a few small circles and asked her to make some observations in each circle based upon her five senses. She was in "a mood" at the moment and gave me a head slumped down on the table, "when can I get back to what I want to do?" kind of effort, but I think I'll try it again tonight, when I'm in the kitchen making supper.

five senses

So now after all this, I'm not sure if my girls know more about their five senses, or more about how much fun it is to blindfold each other and make them stick their hands in unknown bowls of food.

Hopefully, a little something was learned along the way.

22 Comments
Uncategorized

Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 09:57 PM

I think it can be easy to fall into a rut where the only thing you can see in your children are their flaws, all the things that you wish were different about them. All the things you think they need to work on, to improve, to change. Behaviors and habits you wish they didn't have. Attitudes. Selfishness. Messiness. Areas where they need to grow or mature. At the end of the day, you only remember the bickering, the tugging back and forth of toys. The tense, angry voices. The moments that made you cringe and question how they could be acting or doing or saying these things.

I'll be honest and admit to feeling this way sometimes. And when I get hung up on the negative, I find myself questioning how I'm doing things, how I'm relating to them or the example I'm setting for them, if these are the behaviors and attitudes they are expressing.

But lately I've really been changing my perspective. I'm taking better note of the good things in my children, the things that make me proud, that make my heart and my head swoon.

It's like the practice of gratitude. When you become aware of the things you are grateful for in your life, you are suddenly struck by how blessed you are, how full and rich your life has become. And what you lack pales in comparison.

I find when I pay careful attention and let these proud moments really make an impression upon me, and settle into my memory, my whole attitude and perspective towards my children changes. When I remember that really, most of the time she is helpful and patient, it changes how I handle her impatient, stubborn moments. When I remember her unsolicited moments of affection, it changes how her moment of anger effects my heart. When I see how gently she talks to her little sister, it changes how I feel when a toy is carelessly grabbed from someone's hands.

I think it can be easy to fall into a rut where the only thing you can see in your children are their flaws, all the things that you wish were different about them. All the things you think they need to work on, to improve, to change. Behaviors and habits you wish they didn't have. Attitudes. Selfishness. Messiness. Areas where they need to grow or mature. At the end of the day, you only remember the bickering, the tugging back and forth of toys. The tense, angry voices. The moments that made you cringe and question how they could be acting or doing or saying these things.

I'll be honest and admit to feeling this way sometimes. And when I get hung up on the negative, I find myself questioning how I'm doing things, how I'm relating to them or the example I'm setting for them, if these are the behaviors and attitudes they are expressing.

But lately I've really been changing my perspective. I'm taking better note of the good things in my children, the things that make me proud, that make my heart and my head swoon.

It's like the practice of gratitude. When you become aware of the things you are grateful for in your life, you are suddenly struck by how blessed you are, how full and rich your life has become. And what you lack pales in comparison.

I find when I pay careful attention and let these proud moments really make an impression upon me, and settle into my memory, my whole attitude and perspective towards my children changes. When I remember that really, most of the time she is helpful and patient, it changes how I handle her impatient, stubborn moments. When I remember her unsolicited moments of affection, it changes how her moment of anger effects my heart. When I see how gently she talks to her little sister, it changes how I feel when a toy is carelessly grabbed from someone's hands.

Leave a comment