No damsels in distress here

In direct juxtaposition to the classic fairy tale theme, wherein a damsel in distress is captured by an evil dragon and rescued by a brave prince, my girls enjoyed acting out a much improved version...a dragon in distress (Camille) was captured by an evil knight (Mama) and rescued by a brave princess (Sylvia).

They had so much fun the first time that they swapped roles and did it all over again adding in a few twists.  Weaponry was added and the evil knight was banished to a dungeon (and actually enjoyed a lovely rest at this point in the plot).  A little while later, I overheard Sylvia say to her big sister, "we need more defense cannons."  This peace-lovin' mama couldn't help but laugh (and wonder where that came from) :-)

Scrappy yarn projects

I have a great love of scrappy projects.  You know, those that use up random bits of yarn, fabric, or crafty supplies that are just begging to be repurposed.  Well, in the interest of using up odd amounts and colors of yarn, I have created a few different pieces over the years.  When Camille was little, I crocheted her a skirt that wraps around and buttons in the front (and is now worn by Sylvia).  These are all synthetic yarn...

More recently I knit her a little skirt with mostly wool and some fun yarn...

Ayla's baby blanket is all wool or wool blend (pattern is from the Fall 2009 issue of Living Crafts magazine).  I had intended to add in two more rows, but decided it's complete as a square...

So, my recent project, worked on between bouts of sickness from various family members :-(, is this pinwheel sweater pattern  that I found on ravelry.  I'm going to make a size half-way between the baby/toddler pattern and the adult pattern for Camille.  It should be easy enough to figure out (I hope).  Here's the beginnings...

Do you have any favorite patterns/ideas for using up odds and ends?

*for more inspiration check out the links at Linda's site for Creative Friday

some of our favorite games

Camille, for a long time, did not enjoy games where there was a winner and a loser, so we've tried out quite a few cooperative games. Some of our favorites are:

~Wildcraft- it's fun and helps children learn about medicinal herbs and plants

~The Ladybug's Costume Party- also called Maskenball-der-Kafer by Selecta, a fun game and accessible for non-readers, but lots of little wooden pieces

~Harvest Time- by Family Pastimes (Sylvia loves it)

~Ogres & Elves- also by Family Pastimes (Camille loves it)

As the win/lose dynamic became easier we branched out.  Here are some of our other favorites:

~Hedbanz for Kids- to see Hedbanz in action in our house you could go here

~Uno

~Mythmatical Battles-  It's pretty involved but Camille really enjoys it.

~mancala

For more game favorites and to enter a game giveaway, check out Stephanie's post over at Ordinary Life Magic....

The Ladybug's Costume Party

Ogres & Elves

Harvest Time

'a-ha' moments

Sylvia is a very enthusiastic child.  Her volume dial is often all the way up.  So, a couple of days ago when Ayla was napping and Sylvia woke her up again (happens a lot), I asked her out of frustration, "why do you have to be so loud when Ayla's sleeping?"
Sylvia got kind of quiet and said, "it's just hard to be a big sister...when you're still so little."

Of course!  Squashing Sylvia's enthusiasm (and general nature) for baby-nap-time-quiet in the house is not going to happen, and I no longer feel the need to shush her.  After these kind of 'a-ha' moments for me, solutions generally present themselves.  Ayla is quite the agreeable little one, so I can leave music on in the room while she's sleeping (this seems to take the edge off of some of the more sudden other noises).  Or she's always happy to sleep on me no matter what the noise level, a lap, or a baby-carrier give her all the security and peace she needs to sleep away.  Changing the general situation and set-up rather than attempting to change the child is key to most disagreeable situations in our family.

Camille told me once, when she was five, that she couldn't hear humans very well because her fairies were so loud.
And I got it.  I used to get frustrated that it often seemed like she wouldn't listen to me, but she wasn't trying to tune me out.  She had to work hard to tune me in.  I vividly remembered being adrift in fantastical, imaginary worlds as a child and being pulled out of them to perform some mundane chore.  It seemed at the time like a large intrusion.  Ever since that one comment by Camille, I try to be careful and catch her in a receptive mood if there's something that I really want to communicate about.  It works so much better, for both of us.

So, as a parent, and a human, I am grateful for those little 'a-ha' moments.  Something that I can get so stuck on, can in a moment, dissolve into a non-issue.  I have noticed that the more I view my children with the assumption of positive intent, the more I leave myself open and unstuck in these moments, the less there is for me to get upset about.  Then I can help my children to work through their difficulties, or allow them the space to work through without interference, and the taking-it-personally doesn't get in the way.

Really, how could I have expected Sylvia to keep her volume down for long periods of time in the first place?    It's so much better to appreciate her for the great bundle of energy that she is....

V-day cards

We didn't intentionally forego the red and pink and glitter...

but our Valentine's cards have taken on a decidedly different look so far this year...

There's still lots of hearts at least :)

what to do after a blizzard

play in the deep snow with neighbor friends....

 and lots of shoveling, of course...

and fold yet more paper airplanes...

and create art from tissue paper and glue...

and get inspired by "how-to-draw" books and draw mythical creatures...

by Camille

and cozy up with the ones you love, and snuggle and giggle, and eat good food, and drink hot cocoa, and be thankful for shelter and warmth...

Separate but together

Today we each kind of did our own thing.  Sylvia liked playing geoshapes and other puzzles over at the National Geographic Kids website...She wrapped a scarf around her head, became Super Sylvia and repeatedly rescued me and Ayla from perilous situations....She had a dance party with her dollies and animals.

Camille braved the elements to take Tempe on his walk, came back in, watched several episodes of Merlin on Netflix, and back out into the blustery weather to lap the block a few times.  It was declared that winter is her favorite season.

Other than shoveling, I stayed in cozy, nursed Ayla who was feeling poorly, and spent some not disagreeable time up to my elbows in warm soapy water.  The dishes needed to be done, so I decided to enjoy it...  I made Sylvia a reversible "country girl" hat (as requested).  Camille's is on the way whenever I can make it to the store for some bias tape.

Papa's home. Dinner's in the oven.  Let the snow fall!