This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual, inspired by Soulemama.  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Buggy birthday

Kaitlyn's birthday Saturday went just as we hoped it would.  The weather was perfect, everything went together nicely, and we were able to have a low-key family day at home.  Katilyn was able to enjoy playing with all her favorite people and wasn't overwhelmed by a crowd or a lot of activities. 

The day started with her birthday table all ready for her and some new little wooden kittens to play with while she waited on her birthday breakfast on her birthday plate. 

We do our birthday rings a little differently than some, we leave off the candles (since they are so young) and simply add a new ornament each year. This works for us because I like to pick something to add to the ring that represents something in their life from the past year. This year we picked a bee because of Kait's love of all things "bug" and that is also what set the theme for her party.

If you're wondering the wooden cats came from Two Raccoon Hollow on Etsy and I can not recommend her shop highly enough.  We have so many of her creations (and some in the works) and they have all been terrific. 

The fabric I used for her outfit came from Five Monkey Fabric on Etsy.  I just couldn't resist those little jars of bugs, it is absolutely adorable.  The dragonfly fabric used on her pants was some I've had in my stash for ages.  

Birthday girl

Happy birthday to my amazing, silly, adventurous, beautiful wildflower.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual, inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

The straw

You know, the one that broke the camel’s back? This was that straw for me. Things have been hectic around here to say the very least. My patience has been short and I could feel myself hanging on by a thread and then this morning, while I was preoccupied, this happened…snap!

Sigh. Why? Why did my children pick today to do this? Why, when we’ve had markers out for years did my 4 ½ year old decide it would be the time to lose her mind and draw on the wall for the first time? Why did it have to be the day after I finished decorating their bedroom and the day before we have company?

Yes, I realize it is only marker on a wall (which will hopefully come off eventually) and not a major catastrophe. Today though that didn’t matter, today it was more than we could deal with. And I yelled, and they cried. And then I cried with them. The stress and deadlines we’ve been under as of late have taken their toll on us all and we need a do over. Kinsley has this thing where, when things aren’t going her way or she’s getting frustrated, she’ll spin around in a circle and declare “There! Now I can start over.” So that is exactly what we are going to do this afternoon. We’re going to take a step back from all the things that are pulling for my attention, put on some loud silly music and spin ourselves into a better frame of mind.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Inspired by Soulemama. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.


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Primary Colors

Kinsley is currently obsessed with primary colors and color mixing so I thought this activity would be perfect.  A great way for her to experiment with her colors without having to get the paints out and have a big mess right before dinner.

While the girls were napping I poured a bit of acrylic paint into some ziploc bags and taped them to the window.  The girls spotted them immediately but weren't quite sure what to do.  With a bit of encouragement and a simple question "I wonder what would happen if we mushed them around?", they were off. 

The girls loved the way the squishy paint felt inside the bag and once the colors started to appear Kinsley especially was thrilled.  We learned a lot about mixing colors and we discovered that they make really pretty decorations when the sun shines through as well. 

This is a great project for kids that aren't quite old enough to be trusted to not eat paint and also a great painting activity when you don't have time (or patience) for a big painting mess.