Hedgie does so many things to keep that Tomten from getting Henny's eggs... they try mushrooms... strawberries... it can be a fun week of trying new foods. Don't forget to try eggs too! Any chance you can go play with some hens? or even a hedgehog? At our little zoo has both and Sam LOVES to visit them in the afternoon in the summer.
Blessings!
Here's a couple more:
These two books are so much fun! They are great near the holidays but we also love them through the year. It gives us a great excuse to make gingerbread! We love to bake. Gingerbread cookies... (there is a great recipe right in the book!) pancakes...so many options. We also love to model with beeswax... a great use of brown!
Blessings!
This book is another favorite:
This is such a fun one... we enjoyed making freezer jam and fresh bread. We took the opportunity to make butter too.. so easy - we put cream in a jar with a marble (or a flat math jewel works too) and shake, shake, shake... such a fun morning! Sam delights each subsequent morning as he gets the jar of jam and butter out to spread on his toast... and he LOVES delivering jam to our neighbors.
Blessings!
I am often asked "what do I do with my 4yo????" This can be a really tough age, especially if you have older children. At this point they see their siblings working on school and they start to want *something* to do. The biggest mistake a Waldorf mom can make is to get stressed and start planning a school day for this child. Remember that they need to play now more than ever. Just a year or so ago they were just getting the hang of talking, going potty on their own... now they are in full little kid mode... let them stay there! You have three years before you really need to think about formal school. Of course you can do kindy activities, but remember that it shouldn't be stressful for you and it certainly shouldn't be much for them... do not get anxious, you have YEARS of real planning ahead of you... save this time.
So what can you do to take that school edge off? We've been doing something for a while that I have really enjoyed and Sam is over the moon about. I find that when I take a bit of time with just him at the beginning of the school day then he is happy as a clam to draw, play with play dough, draw with chalk... you name it.
Start with some fun books... we've collected a bunch through the years but they all came home from the library first. I generally let the little ones pick as I have found they pick the best ones... I also love to spend a good date with Erik sitting in the kids section at Barnes & Noble.
After you've got a good book... then think about what you can do with it. Take this one for instance... Sam LOVES blueberries. I might start the week with banana blueberry bread for breakfast - letting him help of course!
1/4 c. veg oil
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 c mashed bananas (about 3)
1/2 c. choc chips OR BLUEBERRIES!
nuts if you want
Preheat oven at 350. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Sift the dry together, add the wet. Pour into pan and bake about 70 to 80 minutes.
We might enjoy another morning just eating blueberries for breakfast.
Maybe another morning blueberry pancakes? Muffins? So many possibilities! Each morning he looks forward to reading his story AGAIN... he doesn't get tired of it, he loves it and this special morning time then gives him the security he needs to just enjoy the rest of the morning while I work with his siblings.
Blessings!
Since my big kids were little I have told them stories. I am not a profound story teller, for a long time I didn't think my stories mattered a whole lot - then I wrote "Before the Journey" and I began telling some of the stories from when my big guys were little, writing them down, etc. and I realized how much they meant to my family.
Sam is different... he loves stories of gnomes but he also has this odd love of super heroes. Erik and I often joke that Sam followed him around before he incarnated, reading comic books over his shoulder! Sam seems to be born with a knowledge of Stan Lee's world - the way only Stan can! I have been telling watered down tales of Spiderman and Captain America since he was old enough to ask for them - but I really wanted tales that were SAM... just him... something unique. So being who I am, I put it to prayer and meditation. It wasn't long before Super Sam appeared, complete with his side kick Lola the turtle. I started telling Sam stories of this little gnome who lived in a tree stump shaped like a mushroom. Super Sam painted it so that all the animals in the forest would easily be able to find him when they needed to. Sam's best friend is a box turtle, she lives with him. Sam is not an old gnome or a young gnome. He's not got a full beard, just starting to grow one. He has a bright orange cape and hat, sewn by his own hands, brown pants and striped orange wool socks, knitted by him as well. Sam is very resourceful - whether it be helping animals through quarrels, rescuing a baby bird gone astray... he always finds a way to help.
This first issue of Super Sam introduces some of the forest animals.
One quiet early autumn afternoon, Sam was knitting a new pair of orange socks - preparing for the coming winter as one can't ever have enough socks - a knock came to his door. Sam sprang to his feet to open the door. Silver Squirrel was on the other side. Silver Squirrel was so worried, he said that he heard the cry of Snow Drop all over the forest and none of the animals could find him.
Snow Drop was special. He was a white moose. His mother and father were both brown, but Snow Drop was white - he was very easy to spot in the warm months so for him to be hidden seemed odd to Super Sam. He and Lola knew they had a job to do. Sam grabbed his pack and off he went. He listened to the sounds of the forest. He could hear the moans of Snow Drop all over the forest but couldn't find him. This moose was very big, how could he be so hidden? Sam asked all the squirrels, then the hedgehogs, the little ducks, the big fat geese at the pond... he asked the badgers, the bunnies... none of the animals had seen Snow Drop. Lola asked the frogs and the other turtles and the tiny bugs. All the animals heard the moans but could not find Snow Drop. Sam reached into his pack and pulled out his very special quartz crystal, he sat down on the forest floor and he and Lola got very quiet. They began to pray. They thanked God for the beautiful day, for their friends, for all their blessings, then they asked God for help finding Snow Drop. They sat. And sat. After a few moments of silence, once more they heard the called of Snow Drop - only this time Sam knew just where to go. At the edge of the forest there were large rocks, boulders that opened into a cleared meadow. Maybe Snow Drop had gone there to eat some of the grass. Snow Drop was not supposed to go there because it was out of the forest but sometimes young moose don't do what they are told. Sure enough, Sam found him - right where he was directed to. Snow Drop lay with his head between the two rocks that went to the forest, his body in the grass of the meadow and his hoof in the air. He was making a loud moaning sound. Sam slowly walked up to the large animal (remember Sam isn't much larger than a medium pumpkin) - Sam looked Snow Drop in the face:
"Snow Drop! Why are you being so loud?" he asked.
"I came to eat the sweet grass at the edge of the forest but I didn't see the patch of thorns and I got one stuck in my hoof, now I can't move." Snow Drop explained.
"Hold still, let me see what I can do." Sam said as he opened his pack and pulled out his small set of pliers. He looked at the poor animal's hoof, sure enough there was a large thorn stuck in the soft part of his hoof. With one tug Sam pulled it out. Immediately Snow Drop was better, he stood up and thanked Super Sam. He offered Sam a ride home and Sam accepted but reminded him that he would have to tell his parents where he was. Snow Drop agreed, he also agreed never to leave the cover of the forest again without permission.
Now our tale is done... good night little one.
I won't promise a new story each week, but I will put them down as we come up with new ones. Enjoy.
Do you know how mean my mom can be? I want to watch Iron Man and Hulk with my big brother but she said no. Sometimes she lets me watch this. We like to dance to the music, it is really happy. It is a nice treat.
Tonight I asked her to take a picture of me and my plate at dinner. It took her five tries because I would not stop laughing about my favorite fork... it is a spoon-fork - my big brother says it is for camping and called a spork but I told him this one was mine and not for camping. I love my spoon fork.
If you don't buy me those candies Dad, my mom will be mad at you.
Mommy! We need to let in the squirrels. They are cold.
Erik and I often chat about this child we have created... part super hero and part garden gnome. This blog is dedicated to all the moms who find themselves closer to 40 than 30 with a little one at the end - a little one who breaks all the molds and has the power to heal you with his smile. This is Sam.
