spring thaw

We've been getting outside more now that the spring(ish) weather is here. There are very few areas around the property that are snow or ice free, so we've been taking the boys to a provincial park- the parking lot of a provincial park- for some snow-free bike time. Dorian has inherited the wooden kick bike, though we need to put the third wheel back on- he is pretty tentative with his riding just now. And Ari is too big for the kick bike, but not ready to try peddling just yet, so Perry took the peddles off an old bike that was laying around the property. Ari requested a red polka dotted bike, so Perry did a fancy spray-paint job and we are all set. Ari is very pleased with his new wheels.

When the wind blows too hard, or we just need a change of scene, we've been trekking over to the big house. Dorian likes to get himself ready these days (note two different boots and no jacket. Though he did manage the mittens, and the dapper hat!) We spend lots of time in here over spring break as we've been turning a bedroom in the big house into a kitchenette so that we can hold parties and have guests stay and have a place to heat food and wash dishes. Perry was working on various projects the boys had a grand time setting up elaborate castles from the cabinet boxes.

And our walks have been leading us to the best mud locations, which is really just the driveway (it took us 2 hours to walk the length of it yesterday!) What could be more fun than digging out tiny river beds and leaping in puddles?

And there is still plenty of snow to play in if you are so inclined. Huge, heaping piles of the stuff. Outside and inside too.

Happy Tuesday friends!

sugaring

We went to visit our friends and their sugar bush this past week. We trekked through the woods and visited some of the trees they are tapping, and had a little picnic in the woods.

It was lovely spending time with our friends. There was much nature collecting (Ari was taught by his little buddy, child of botanist parents, not to pick anything that was still growing, and to appreciate all that was laying on the ground. He took it to heart in a way he hasn't hearing the same lectures from parents.)The kids had fun playing and doing a little end-of season sledding.

And got to help out a little. And we had a taste of the finished project back at their house. Yum.

The nature table is looking very nature-ish with all that collecting.

Thanks P+P for the visit and sugar bush adventures!

artist children

It all started with Ari coming to me at the end of quiet time to show me how beautiful he was, having coloured all over his face and neck and hands with felt marker. After some time scrubbing with soap and water I handed over the face paints to appease the body art urges in a (slightly) more washable medium.

The funny thing was, I had forgotten that Perry was coming home after work with some people from our local college who were interested in visiting his studio and perhaps purchasing some art for their new building. I was on the phone and didn't realize Perry had arrived home until after the boys flung themselves, half-naked and fully painted, through the front door and into his arms, insisting that they go with him and the college ladies. I retrieved them as quick as I could, luring them back home with secret dessert making plans, but not before they had spent some time running around the studio and chatting up the college ladies who were trying to view Perry's art.

It all ended well, the college ladies bought the paintings, and mostly seemed amused by our feral children. They will know for next time to be prepared for anything when visiting the home of an artist!

moons and celebrations

We are having a lovely, mellow spring break week, with Perry home and no plans to go anywhere. We celebrated Equinox and full moon and have been spending the last couple days puttering around on projects at home.

I have been giving a lot of thought to celebrations and festivals lately. I have been drawn to the feel of the Waldorf festivals, with plenty of beautiful colourful celebrations to mark the passing of the year. But because we are not a Christian family, the Christian focus of these festivals has made celebrating them feel a little uncomfortable to me. Enki doesn't celebrate these festivals either, as it is not a Christian- based philosophy, but leaves this more open to families to celebrate what is meaningful to them. And for our family, celebrating the seasons, the turning of this beautiful planet, the wonder of the natural world, that is what is meaningful to us, and inspires a sense of reverence and holiness and connection. I have known this for a long time, long before having children of my own, yet I feel like I am just starting to carve out what this will look like as a family.

So, starting small, we marked this Spring Equinox, or Ostara, together with a few simple rituals that will surely expand and grow and change as our family grows and changes. This was all a little last minute (it snuck up on me! Maybe as we get more into the rhythm of marking these festivals I will be more prepared? Here's hoping!) but I knew that a little spring cleaning was in order, as the house had gotten a little out of hand. So Perry gathered the boys up with snacks and a picnic blanket and headed to the big house where they played and had an indoor picnic while I did a whirlwind clean of our little house. When they returned we made egg shaped cookies together.

Dorian's cookies had a certain wabi-sabi charm.

We chatted a little about Equinox, and symbols of spring, like eggs and baby animals. But I kept it very light, they are still so young and I want these celebrations to be experienced in their little bodies and hearts, not analyzed in their heads. Besides, when I mentioned that we would be making cookies for Equinox, Dorian became concerned that the Equinox was going to eat all our cookies, and told the Equinox sternly (waving his chubby finger towards to window,) that he could only have one cookie. He decide he would also give one cookie to the moose he saw recently, but the rest would be for us. Clearly we will all be shaping our own ideas of what Equinox means to us!

We cleared the nature table of its winter collections and cleaned it up nicely and then added things that made us think of spring- feathers, handmade birds and nests, eggs, wooden sheep and goats, flowers. (and if you look in that top picture you can see two sweet little fabric birds in a crochet nest, which I don't think I ever showed here, but they were sent some time ago by sweet Kleas, thank you so much again Kleas, we love them!)

We made a simple supper based on our farm eggs -frittata and veggies- a favorite around here and lit and egg shaped candle I found in the candle basket.

I made the boys each a little wool felt bunny, though I didn't finish them in time, so they were waiting on the freshened up nature table the next day. I also dyed little mini playsilks (silk hankies,) to wrap them in, and they were pretty fun to play with too. The bunnies are already well loved and have been adopted into the bunny family. The bunnies they got in their stockings are the mama and papa and these are the babies.
Here is mama Nuttin' Nacarrot nursing baby Tramtrain Carrot. There is also a papa Coco and a baby Coco, but they are on bed duty in Dorian's bed. I love it when the things I make my children become so beloved.

We also pulled out the spring books (all three of them- got to work on that collection...) and read them several times. And that was it! Spring Equinox in the Small Wonders household. There was lots else I had thought to include, but this was just right- simple and meaningful. As it should be.

There was also our full moon walk. Although it was easy to mobilize for this moon (being super and all!) I love the tradition of a full moon walk. I think we will try to keep this one, though we wont always be able to see the moon on our walk. But getting out for a night walk once a month to celebrate the moon sounds good.
We didn't manage to stay out until it rose, the boys were tired and cold, but we did see it peeking out while drinking warm milk before bed.
Hello beautiful moon, and welcome spring. Now if some of that snow outside would start to melt...

hats and socks and dancing feet

The sun is out today, and in town it feels like spring, though in our little home in the mountains it is still snowing regularly. But the sun makes all the difference in lifting spirits, and we are feeling happy and springy today (though we know it could be winter again tomorrow!)

But just in case spring really is here, I'll catch up on some winter knits. These are things I knit Perry this winter. The hat was his solstice gift from me. I didn't have my biggest love to model it, so my littlest stood in for the job. He is a ham, and always happy to oblige! I had wanted to make Perry this hat a couple years back, but had a hard time with the pattern as a newbie knitter. I thought with a few years knitting experience under my belt I'd give it another go. It is the Jacques Cousteau pattern from Ravelry, and I think it suits Perry very well. I like the pattern the decreases make on the top of the hat. I wanted to make the hat a little longer so it could fold over a little more, but I wasn't sure if I'd have enough yarn. That's the thing about trying to use up the stash, every project has that what-if-there's-not-enough feeling. A little suspense adds to the fun I suppose.
I did have enough yarn for Perry's birthday socks though. I found two skeins of this wool in a sale bin awhile back and thought of him, but didn't know what to make with it. But he is always a bit chilly, especially those lovely piscean feet, so I settled on socks. The yarn is 100% merino wool and is much browner than the picture shows. I used a vintage sock pattern I had and a wool/nylon blend for the heels and toes hoping to extend their life a bit, but I think they still may wear out fast. But they will keep his toes warm till spring anyway.

And this is a picture from yesterday. Dorian was having a rough day- sometimes being two is such hard work! Nothing seemed to be going right for him and then I cut his bread the wrong way and that was the last straw... he wailed and cried and shouted until he tired himself out completely and fell asleep on the computer room futon. Ari felt so bad for him he drew this picture and set it down ever so gently beside him so he would see it when he awoke. It is a picture of Dori dancing- see the footprints? When Dorian work up Ari showed it to him and Dorian was so thrilled, saying "That's me? That's my eyes? That's my arms?" and then, pointing to the hair, "that's my prickles?" I keep thinking of that and laughing to myself.
Gosh I love these kids (tantrums and all!) Spring is almost here and I am feeling so blessed.

books and dragons

I managed to capture some photographs of the rare Cave Dwelling Northern Dragons in their natural habitat. They are quite difficult to photograph as they move quickly and are known for their spectacular fire breathing abilities. They do however like to show off their flying skills, and will occasionally let a photographer close while practicing their latest flight tricks.

The red dragon is known for his fearless leaping and diving.And the smaller green dragon, although more cautious with his takeoffs, is quite quick and has a very unusual spike pattern on his little green head.

Here you can see the dragons curling up in their den where they will rest after their arduous flying sessions.


Thank you dragons, for letting me photograph your magic!

I also have been meaning to do a book post of what we have been reading and enjoying around here. Here are a couple current favorites.

This book was a birthday gift for Perry and it is great. There are lots of terrific projects in here from paper airplanes (that fly ever so well!) to zip lines and climbing walls. The boys have been pouring over it and Perry seems to like it too! Ari and I are currently enjoying Mr.Popper's Penguins at bedtime. Lots of giggles and nothing too scary for the wee lad. I remember enjoying this one when I was a kid.

And Stuart Little was our last chapter book. Cute and engaging and silly, and again with nothing too scary or suspenseful. I am on the hunt for more along these lines if anyone has any suggestions!

I am really enjoying Full Moon Feast that I got for my birthday. It has a years worth of seasonal recipes and essays and the food philosophy and recipes are very much in line with how we are eating these days. The honeybee lemonade from the last post is from this book.

And Dorian's favorite books right now for bedtime reading are Blueberries for Sal (with the "scary part" glossed over slightly- he was quite scared of bears for a bit last summer when one came onto our property, but he requests this book ever and over, so maybe he is working things through?) and the Tomten and the Fox. Both are lasting favorites in our home and both have plots and themes that really speak to my boys and are very familiar to them- berry picking and storing food for winter, (and being wary of the bears who are also storing food!) and a winter farm with animals that need to be protected from forest creatures. And we have our own Tomten that lives here that Ari regularly leaves out oatmeal for, so Tomtens are beloved to both boys.

There are many more, but this is a little sample anyway. I'd love to hear if any of you have good chapter book recommendations, we are moving through them fast!