December 2009

Their First Meal

December 31, 2009

Yesterday was a big day. A big big day

No one lost any teeth, or rode a bike for the first time. No one hit a home run or learned to read. No, this was even better.

My boys, start to finish, decked out in all their culinary finest, cooked a meal start to finish.

Oh a mama’s pride.

Chicken stew was the menu, and there was so much excitement in the air that you would have thought that they were going to Disney World for the first time.

They rinsed the vegetables, peeled the carrots, chopped the celery and onions (Jacob apparently did not realize that they make your eyes water, so that put a slight delay in the process), and put it all into the pan.

They sauteed, and spiced, which was a huge thrill. They knew that they were big boys who had proved themselves in the kitchen when mama let them stand in front of the stove to stir their meal.

They poured the liquid in, and spent the rest of the day enjoying the smells of their hard work. Once their task was finished, they promptly announced that they would like for me to make them a puffy chef hat, and could I please do it quickly. I hadn’t realized that they had ever seen one, but this is apparently a very big deal, so I suppose that I will have to whip out Meg’s new book and put one together for each of them.

The boys also reassured their dad and I that if we are ever sick at the same time, that all we have to do is ask, and they will make us our favorite chicken stew. I tell you, I am not sure how much luckier we could be.

The past week has also been wonderful for me to witness just how much my boy’s have fallen into a rhythm with their own hand work. I felt like the boring gift giver when I presented them each with a wooden peg loom for Christmas (please explain to me how anyone can compete with getting skis?). I thought that it would go into a corner, and would have to wait until the novelty of the “cooler” gifts wore off. So, I was surprised when the day after Christmas, I found Jacob on the sofa trying to string his loom for the first time.

He has worked on it every day since, and Elwood as well. The ways that the yarns weave in and out, the patterns that they make, and I think the feel in their hands is a real joy. One thing that I love about handwork, and the reason I find it to be so important in the kids lives, is that it brings about a quiet attention. You can tell that there is no one around when the boys are working on their projects. It is just them, in their own world, creating what they want to see and exploring the possibilities.

When I first became involved in Waldorf education, I knew that I liked the idea of my children learning cooking and handwork, but I am not sure that I understood the value of it. Now, it is not about the method of education, but more about what learning those things brings to their lives. I think that I see now, it is the attention to the detail, to the finer points in their world, that makes these types of experiences so valuable. It is not just they can do it, or that is stimulates a particular side of their brain. It really is just that it roots them deep into themselves, and what they are capable of.

And if nothing else, it gives me reassurance that someone will be there to make me chicken soup if I should ever need it.

Happy New Year my friends.

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With Hearts of Gratitude

December 30, 2009

As my boys are growing (and may I say that is just happening way faster than I would like), I realize that the holidays, and their meaning, are changing as well.

As a mom, I have the very unrealistic desire to see my children be full of gratitude for each and every thing that they are ever given, and to never want for more.

Hey, I said unrealistic.

I loved to watch my babes as their eyes lit up when we gave them an empty box for Christmas when they were tiny (that is an awesome gift for a 1 year old. Just wrap about 6 empty boxes with crinkly paper, and watch them go to town). It was easy when there were no expectations.

I know that I can not shelter the boys from expectations forever, no matter how hard I try (and trust me, I give it my all), but this was the first year where I really needed to sit down and find a new way to show gratitude for what we have been given. I don’t want to just talk about being thankful to my children, I want them to simply experience it, and then hope that it becomes a part of who they are.

I remembered the Family Hearts from Amanda Soule’s book Handmade Home, and I decided that it might be fun to sew up one for each of my loved ones to give at the turn of the New Year.

I also wanted to include a little saying about what each person meant to me, and as that idea grew, the boys and I decided to create a gratitude jar that was filled with reasons that we were thankful for the other person. Such as, I’m thankful that my brother flushes the toilet when he is done. Now that is gratitude

We created envelopes, and gave them out to everyone, and then asked them to slip in ten pieces of paper for each person’s jar. We figured that this would be a good way to bring smiles to every one’s faces on those days when gratitude seems anything but plentiful. I am excited to sit down as a family and enjoy taking out the first slip of gratitude from each of our jars

I know that we can not force gratitude on our children, but I do hope that I can find a way to show them what it feels like when someone tells you how grateful they are for you.

Oh, and speaking of gratitude, I have to say a world of thanks to Nicola for her toffee recip e. To be honest, I am pretty sure that this was the best part of the holidays for everyone in my household, and this candy left the plate as quickly as I put it on. May I suggest that you run, don’t walk, to get the ingredients for this amazing bit of yummy goodness. Although, I warn you, my waist line and this toffee seem to be having some sort of strange battle, and the toffee is winning.

Nicola, you deserve your own gratitude jar for this one.

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A Forever Treasure

December 29, 2009

Have you ever been given something that has so much meaning, and so much magic, that it changes a little piece of you?

On Christmas morning, I woke to the idea, as I always do, that this was a day for my children. I sometimes forget that I am a child too, and that being a parent is never something that you stop enjoying. I know that now, because of my mother’s expression when I reached for the bag with my name on it, and found inside one of the most treasured of gifts.

Three years ago, my mom started knitting me an afghan. I really had no idea that she was close to being done, and it was just one of those shocks that takes your breath away. Even though I had seen her knitting it, and even though I knew how beautiful it was, I just didn’t realize the power that it would hold for me.

I treasure my mother (and my dad to). My mom is my world, and she has made every moment of my life so amazing. What she gave me, I know that she just wanted me to have something to always keep me warm and safe, and something that she knew would always keep her close.

Her words were so powerful for me, because I know that they are true. I know that every time she sat down and picked up her needles, she wove together all of her hopes and dreams for me, and then sealed them with her love. No one can ever take that away from me, it stays with me through my life. Hopefully I can find a way to pass down to my children the love that she so willingly gives to me everyday.

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So Much To Enjoy

December 28, 2009

When you come to a space like this every day, it seems strange to take a step back and a few days break. I really enjoyed the holiday, and it was wonderful to be with my family for a much needed rest together, but I still missed gathering here with all of you.

It is so hard for me to believe that after all of our discussions, planning, and sharing of ideas, the holidays are coming to a close. Christmas Day was so much fun, and I so love that my boys are now old enough to really get into all aspects of the holiday. It seemed to all fly by this year, and now here we are, just days before the year turns.

For Christmas this year, we decided that it would be fun for the boys to finally get into the mountains, and onto skis. My husband has been an avid snowboarder for many years, and he has been patiently waiting for the day that I would agree to let the boys join in on the fun. Their eyes lit up like nothing I had ever seen at the two sets of skis, helmets, and goggles that sat under the tree (a gift from their Grammie and Papa).

Thankfully we had a ton of snow fall just days before Christmas (as I hear so many of you did as well), and there is a small hill near our home that was perfect for their first few runs.

As is always the case, my oldest strapped on those skis, and took to the challenge head-on. Jacob scares me to death, because he has such fierce determination, and very little sense of fear. The combination led him to create a jump after his fifth turn down the hill, and he had managed to nail it before he came in on that first night. I really think that his teenage years may kill me.

Not to say that he found this new sport to be without it’s down sides too

My husband also gifted the boys with a neat old-time wooden sleigh that he found in a thrift store, and that has gotten a lot of use on that same hill. I myself found a ton of joy on this sled, especially since it does not ride at all like the plastic ones that I am so use to.

The days leading up to Christmas were so full of gift making, that I was pretty sure that I was going to look down to find a pair of cute little elf shoes adorning my feet. I had a ton of fun creating for my family, and it was amazing to not really step into a store this entire holiday season.

The most cherished piece created was a last-minute pillow that I made for my mom. I had been working on the design for a few weeks, and I had so wanted to get to it before the big day, but I feared that the time was simply not going to be there. Two days before Christmas, with a lot of coffee in hand, I sat down to give it a try.

I think that what I love most about this pillow is it’s simplicity. I was originally thinking of doing a colored background, but I am really pleased with the green leaves on crisp white fabric. This was a fun piece that again mixed fabric painting with embroidery and sewing. I now have three more designs ready to be put together, and I do believe that pillow making may take a big part of my sewing time over the next few weeks. Thank you to Lariss a for the easy envelope pillow backing tutorial. I think that I will never back a pillow any other way again.

I think that our children’s obsession with music is finally out, as they were gifted with a Native American flute, two recorders, a clarinet and a trumpet. As my youngest said to me as I was putting him to bed yesterday, “Mama, tomorrow I am going to wake you up really early for the musical parade. I hope that you look pretty”.

It was a wonderful weekend that will be very cherished, and to be honest, a little missed. This quiet time with my family has been so needed, and I hesitate to let it go. We have a few more days to come together and enjoy the season, and I look forward to savoring every moment.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday, and that you enjoy these last few days of 2009.

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