What I worked on today

Cooking

Cleaning Rooms

Exploring the possibilities

Pink Piggies

It is quiet in my home. The kiddos are sleeping, except for Eamon, who is reading Tiny Titans: The First Rule of Pet Club (we went to the library today). I can hear the clock in our bathroom ticking. I have a few minutes to spend at the computer uninterrupted. It was a slow night here as Dave is out of town for the evening. When he is gone we have a different rhythm. It doesn't happen often and for that we are thankful.

When it is just the four of us, it is slower for some reason. Tonight we ate an early dinner. Everyone talked to daddy on the phone. We watched a short movie. We read some books. We cuddled. They fell asleep. This happens every night, but tonight it was different. Our rhythm is different. I don't know how to explain it. When daddy is home, there is a different energy. They want to do more, show more, tell more. They miss him during the day and try to soak up as much as they can in the evening hours. When it is just us, they relax a bit knowing we have spent the day together.

Perhaps it is me. When Dave is home, he will absorb their stories, hugs and energy while I handle the evening home chores. When it is just the four of us, I tend to relax with them and take a bit more time for me. I don't worry about getting everything in. I leave the dishes in the sink and the floor unswept. There are toys strewn about the family room. Instead of cleaning up and organizing for another day, tonight I will paint my toenails a flashy pink. I will knit and watch John Adams. I will end up staying up later.

Saturday

We spent some time hiking and exploring the Hackberry Trail in the Superstition Mountains today. We had wonderful weather. Eamon and Aine worked on building a dam. The water level in the pool below their dam dropped as they added rocks, silt, moss and some sand. We talked a bit about beavers, water flow, dams and leave no trace practices. They were excited to watch the stream change course while they built. When they removed the rocks, they were delighted to hear and see the water rush past. Aine determined the pool level was back to normal.

Meanwhile Benton threw rocks in the stream and pond. He enjoyed making large splashes. He spent some time splashing in the stream and making boats to put in the water. The boats would float downstream and into the larger pool of water. Gathering rocks and jumping over crevices ensued until it was time to head back to the car.

Everyone enjoyed the walk. We saw erosion, water, different plants, cattle pens, and horse scat. Benton really liked finding the scat.

Together

Miss Aine is 6

Our little girl is now 6 years old. When she awoke, I asked her if 6 felt different. She emphatically nodded her head, and quipped, "I feel taller!" We spent a bit of time looking at old photos and revisiting birthdays past. It was nice to have most of it documented on our blog!

Aine's Birth Story

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

After breakfast, we headed to the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Aine really enjoys this museum. It was the same destination she chose last year! We took our requisite photo on the dinosaur outside. (Here is a comparison of last year and this year.)

February 2010

February 2011

We spent several hours exploring the museum - playing with light, building dinosaurs and looking at all the exhibits.

We headed home and had a dinner selected by Aine. She wanted pasta aglio et olio. We followed dinner up with a white cake with caramel between the layers. Aine decorated it herself. It was a wonderful day, and Aine was quite pleased.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AINE!

Best Dinner Ever

I meal plan and cook at home most nights. We try to eat dinner together every night. Lately, however, dinner has not been a success. In fact you could call dinner at our home a colossal flop. Meals have failed that were former hits - potato leek soup, tacos, and spaghetti. New recipes have also failed. Dave tried to tell me that the children almost vomited when presented with the recent Roasted Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash (I was at a meeting that night, but I ate the leftovers. It was good).

Tonight I decided to turn the tables on the small people. Eamon wanted me to make him a cheese sandwich just before dinner. I asked him to wait since the rest of us were in the middle of an art project (making watercolor hearts from coffee filters to hang in our windows). Then I asked him what he would like for dinner instead of cheese sandwiches as that was not the plan. He decided instead he would make a peanut butter sandwich for everyone. And he did. The sandwich was accompanied by carrots, cucumbers, celery, edamame, pecans and ranch dressing in shot glasses.

The kiddos were thrilled. Aine exclaimed that it was the best meal ever. (Hmmph) Each of them ate their meal and asked Eamon for more. He was quite pleased with himself. Perhaps he will help a bit more with meal planning and prep from now on. He did want to become a chef at one time.

Valentine Pretzel Doodles

Inspired by my sister, the kids and I set out to make some Valentine's Day candy. It is a basic treat comprised of pretzels, Hershey Kisses and M&Ms (definitely not health food). Aine was my biggest helper in the task. We chose small pretzels and caramel kisses topped with holiday M&Ms.

While waiting for the oven to preheat to 350 degrees, Aine and I unwrapped all the Kisses while testing a few.

Then Aine arranged the pretzels on a baking sheet topping each one with a kiss.

We all eagerly watched them melt in the oven. It takes about 3-5 minutes. You will notice the tops of the kisses begin to sag. Once we took the out, Aine and Benton topped them with M&Ms. They pushed down the candy a little bit which spreads the chocolate on the pretzel.

When we were done, we set about trying to figure out a good name for our treats. Dave suggested "pretzel doodles," and Aine concurred. We all agreed whatever they are called, they are quite tasty.

Purging

I have too much stuff. Truly I do. I have more yarn than a mother of three could possibly knit in 5 years. I have a few sewing machines. I have art supplies. I have kitchen appliances. I have stuff.

It is becoming harder to hide my stuff. I can put it into closets, cleverly display it in glass bowls, put it under the bed, use the sewing cabinets as tables, but in the end it is too much. This realization has been slow to fruition. I have preached simplicity. I sold or donated most of my books. I have made a concerted effort to keep our toy population reasonable. I now buy clothing in manageable amounts (prompted by the realization that my then 5yr old oldest son had 22 short sleeve shirts - but they were all on sale or thrifted). It is harder for me to reduce my "stuff."

A few years ago I gave away most of my fabric. I kept a few key pieces that I really liked. It was hard.  I had to accept the fact that I would not use it. Despite all the potential those piles of fabric held, I had to acknowledge my limitations. I would not use it in a timely manner (or I would hate it when I had the time to sew). In all honesty I don't miss the fabric. I like the cleaner look of my sewing cupboard. Everything has a place now.

This week I decided to tackle my yarn stash. I love yarn, and I love knitting. I just am the mother of three small children who homeschools. I don't have time to knit three pairs of socks a month. What was I thinking!!! Armed with my camera I took pictures of almost 30 skeins of yarn (and that doesn't include the 5 sweaters worth of yarn I haven't documented).  It is mostly sock weight yarn, and fingering weight yarn takes a long time to knit.  I posted the yarn on ravelry for sale. So far I have sold 7 skeins. Not bad. I feel lighter already. Some of it is hard to sell as I do love it so, but I know it is better off in the hands of someone who can actually use it.

Now on to figure out what else I can get rid of!