Saturday 31 August 2013

End of August

Eden is an old-fashioned house we dwell in every day, without suspecting our abode, until we drive away. - Emily Dickinson

Here is our world today...












Saturday 24 August 2013

Last Days of Summer

 May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door. - Irish Blessing

Here is our world today...


 





 








 The End!

Wednesday 21 August 2013

To Be Loved (or An Unexpected Journey)

Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is. - William James



With four children in the car (two teens, one pre-teen, and one eight year old) and a 45 minute drive down country roads, I took an unexpected journey.  Don't get me wrong, I had planned an outing and I knew where I was going... but the trip getting there was unexpected...(and was also unexpectedly the most memorable part of the day).
I had a musical ride.  First it began with silence...then it was talking and laughter (that is my youngest son's addition)..then it moved into music.  My eldest three children brought their musical devices and took turns playing their favourite songs over the car's sound system for everyone to hear.  First my eldest son hooked up his device.  And with a simple push of the button we were off into the steady constant grooves of the Classics...Classic Rock I mean...Allman Brothers, Beatles, Cold Play... 
Then we entered into my daughter's world of girl as she skipped songs, repeated songs, and found her favourites...Taylor Swift, Pink, Adele...
Then, shyly, but happily, my second son attached his device. There was a pause, as if he was holding his breath...before he finally pressed play. Then, immediately we were off into a more high energy world of music...with bands such as Green Day and The Black Keys.  

As we listened to each of their music....It was as if they were all waiting at the side stage door...
Waiting to go out onto the stage...and to show who they were...

Can you see me? Do you think I am too silly?  Do you like who I am?  Do you think I am good?

Through laughter, smiles and silence I think they heard the answers they were searching for.

Yes, we see you
                  ... and we love what we see.

We are all searching for the same thing. Aren't we?

Thursday 15 August 2013

Entertaining A Mass of Children and Some Playdough

The soul is healed by being with children. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky


My son with his baked playdough creation

So, a large gathering of geese is called a gaggle.  A group of bears is called a sloth(or sleuth). A group of crows is called a murder...or you could have a bale of turtles, a float of alligators, a swift of tigers, a rumba of rattlesnakes...
But I have never found what a large group of children is called. Any ideas? Maybe a headache of children would work...or maybe a wonder of children.  I will let you decided.
This weekend we had a large_______ (you fill in your desired word from above) of children.  And yes, I did enjoy every minute of it...OK...well most of it at least.
Here is a fun idea of how to entertain a ________of children for the day.  At our house, from two years old to thirteen years old, the children were immersed in their creations for hours...

Baking Playdough
Ingredients
2 cups salt
5 cups flour
2 cups warm water

Directions
1.  Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  Add extra water if needed to make the dough easy to handle.  Kneed with hands until the desire consistency. (I did add a Kool-Aid package to the flour to give a light peach colour and a orange scent...just so it was more pleasant in appearance)
2.  Divide into portions.

3.  Let children shape into any creations they would like...






4.  Bake for one hour in a 300 degree oven.
5.  Let cool.  Then paint.  I gave the children tempura paints...

6.  You can even glue on google eyes at the end if you would like....



The End!

Friday 9 August 2013

The Number 8

All my possessions for a moment of time. - Queen Elizabeth

I had a friend tell me once that she wanted to enjoy everyday of her child's life.  Her own mother had mentioned that she had let the days pass too quickly and had always put off doing things with her young children until it was too late.  So my friend, took her mother's words to heart...and never wanted to waste a day and told me she saw her daughter this way...for only 365 days would she have a little six year old girl and she would try not to "miss" one day. (Then, likewise, she would have a 7 year old for 365, etc..) 
I liked this idea that my friend mentioned and have thought of it often.  So, I have decided to view Canadian Summer in the same way (it is very precious you know). I see it as the number 8.  Just 8.  Eight weeks where you don't have to don a warm jacket and warm gloves.  Eight weeks to enjoy the sunshine.  Eight weeks to enjoy the bright, warm blues skies....that's it. 
Now, it is five weeks down, three to go.
Here is our attempts to enjoy our beautiful summer days...even until the sun sets.  
Here is our world today...




The End!