Joyfully Weary

A weekly reflection inspired in part by  Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces" . Sometimes they slip by without notice Sometimes they're very hard to see Other times it's all so clear When they're happening to me 1- Cheetah ears and blue eyes.    2 - Hip Hoppers and the prettiest little ballerina. Plus Mini Man's tough/cool face - this kid is a hoot 😂   3 - Ninja climbing skills. 4 - Nutella grins.  5 - Sour cherries and plenty of pitting help.  6 - Sweet corn with the most amazing seasoning. Seriously, if you live by a Trader Joe's you have to try it.    8 - Local waterfalls.    9 - Huge frogs and other nature wonders like crayfish, minnows, dragonflies, and natural berries. All which left Mini Man in awe, "Mommy, nature is so amazing!" 10 - Fourth of July decorations. Well, really just any decorations - we like flair in this house.  ...

One of our recent family read alouds was The Secret Garden ; we got so entranced in the story that we were drawn to other books about flowers. Here are some of our favorites. 1 - The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett , this book is a classic for a reason; despite the main characters being quite unlikable you get caught up in the joy and change that nature brings. There are many abridged versions out there but I urge to read the unabridged. The length and vocabulary is not too complex for elementary age children, and if you read the abridged you will miss out on the literary prose this classic has to offer. My favorite version is the one illustrated by Graham Rust; his drawings capture the mystery and life of the story.  2 - The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cecily Mary Barker , this is a collection of Barker's eight books of poems and illustration on flower fairies. These poems are perfect for sharing with children: they are short, lyrical, and enchanting....

Every other week or so I always pick up a bouquet of flowers with our groceries at Aldi. They are simple bouquets, but for less that $4 they do a lot to brighten up our home. Little Lady has been asking for awhile to paint with flowers; so when a batch started to wilt I let her and Mini Man go to town. Supplies - flowers, heavy paper, and washable tempera paint.  Directions - lightly dip flowers in paint and then gently press them onto the paper.   While they were painting BabyZ woke up from his nap and insisted on joining the fun. Luckily for him, Mini Man is a softy.   Their  creations...  

Recently, I've been seeing lots of pins about  cotton rounds and color absorption. It such a fun idea I can see way it's been so popular. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was something I had to try it with my kids. They love using eye droppers and mixing colors. We decided to use buttons and ribbons to turn our dyed cotton rounds into flowers. 

We have yet to see any flowers in our neighborhood but I'm anxious for their arrival. While we wait I thought it be fun to craft some of our own.  I spied  Sugar Aunts' tulip craf t on Pinterest  and knew my kids would enjoy creating something similar. To get them inspired we read one of my favorite children's books, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elbert. Our Supplies: scissors, egg carton, acrylic paint ,  foam brushes , sharpened pencil, green pipe cleaners , white glue, & basket filler/shredded paper . You can use tempera paint but when painting on cardboard  I prefer to use acrylic because it provides a better coverage and the color is much more vibrant. Using a foam brush also helps produce better coverage.  *you'll noticed our basket filler changed from brown to green. i couldn't find the green when we started and then discovered that one of the kids had hid it in their drawer.  Step #1: remove and discard lid of...