Our Kids' Favorite Toys

Months ago, I started taking pictures of the toys our kids spend the most time with. I wanted to record this in some way so I can tell them (and show them) in years to come. Then, I started Christmas shopping (I'm done, by the way- the earliest in my life) and wondered if other people might like to see what our kids like in order to get ideas for the little people in their lives. In the meantime, I started seeing other bloggers do this and because I so enjoyed reading their posts, it sealed the deal and here we are. In no particular order...

Loving Family Figures. We do not have the dollhouse or many accessories, but we do have many members of this family. Sadie plays with these people in her log doll house (a kit put together by her daddy and brother) and just about anywhere else. Here is the daddy, the sister and the baby taking a ride in the Santa Maria.


Sadie also adores her Animals. For the past six month, these have been her go-to toys. We have all manner of plastic animal figurines including dinosaurs, reptiles, farm animals, etc. She spends hours with these, acting things out, naming them, over-seeing their conversations. Oh, by the way, if she has them set-up, don't mess with them. Just ask Sam. You can find these animals at many specialty toy stores and there is also a small section at Target.






Sam isn't so consistent when it comes to his interests. He plays with a particular toy for several days, then abandons it for another. Eventually, he cycles back around. Here is Sam's Erector set. It's an original that was gifted to Sam by my grandparents. It had once belonged to their children.

Here is Sam posing with his cranes. 'Cranes' was a theme this particular week. Here, he is showing us his Erector set crane and his Tinker Toy crane (Tinker toys being another favorite of his).

The next one is a new find for us. They are called Magic Nuudles and they are biodegradable building blocks. We spotted them at our local teacher's store. Sam purchased a bag of them for $4.29. If they look like packing peanuts, it's because that's what there are- the biodegradable kind made of cornstarch. Just moisten the peanut with water and stick them together- that's it. No glue. They adhere to paper, glass and skin. When you're done with them, just throw them into the sink and run water over them- they dissolve and disappear. Since discovering these, we've also played with regular biodegradable packing peanuts and they work in this way, too. The possibilities are endless (and cheap), folks.


Ah, yes. Legos. I must mention these because they are a true favorite of Sam's and Sadie enjoys them as well. Sadie mostly builds towers and likes to ask Sam or Jamey to build her something similar to whatever Sam is building at the time. Sam is quite the little lego master, taking apart and rebuilding over and over per the directions. These directions come as easy to him as reading a recipe does to me. Give me lego directions and, well, I have to sit down, have complete silence and think on it for awhile.



Another very popular toy at our house are Klutz Building Cards. None of our sets were put together at the time of this post, but these regularly appear spread across our play room floor. Here is a stock photo of the pirate ship. There are four different sets (pirate ship, space ship, castle and something Harry Potter-related). We have all but the Harry Potter set. Each set comes with directions to build numerous things and a little action figure. The cardboard-like pieces fit together using slits, so they can be put together and taken apart over and over again.


So, there you have it. A few of our kids' current favorites. Maybe some of them will become favorites to your family as well. Pin It

Light

This time of year, I am so aware of the light that enters our house and lands on the floor, our children's heads and on anything else for that matter. I think it's because sunlight is vital to comfort as the days grow colder at our house. Our house is old. Almost 120 years old. The thermostat is in the living room and in the winter we set that thermostat to 67 or 68 degrees. Toasty, no? Our kitchen, where I spend much of my time and therefore our children do as well, is in the opposite corner of the house from our living room. When the living room thermostat reads 67 degrees, the (indoor) kitchen thermometer often reads 52 degrees. Even less, if it's a cold and windy day.

What can make a huge difference is whether or not it's sunny outside. If it is, sunlight streams in the kitchen through the four windows (all new, the problem is not the windows) and it's significantly warmer. On the cloudy days, a space heater is required. All that to say, I love the light this time of year. It's not yet freezing outside, but when I see those rays of light I feel warmed. Warm and thankful for this house. Charm and all.








Photos (in order): seed heads from flowers outside, windowsill at my kitchen sink, Sam's cup on dining room table, dining room chair and floor, last few green tomatoes ripening on the counter, shoebox with shadow of wreath at the back door, our office where I pay bills and blog with Miriam often watching from cradle (orange balls from my sister's wedding). Pin It

Souffle Time

The framework for this recipe comes from the church cookbook that came out of the Mennonite church I grew up in. I've changed it in several fairly major ways in an attempt to make it healthier. Sometimes, decreasing the fat in a recipe can ruin it. Other times, I look at a recipe and I see extra belly fat, a sluggish heart and losing breath going up stairs. It's those times I have a decision to make- change it or pitch it. Sometimes, it's just not worth it.

This recipe was worth re-vamping. My mother often made it while I was growing up and it's always been a favorite of mine. Once I was gifted my own church cookbook and started making it, I couldn't help but make some changes. This recipe handled those changes just fine.

Let me switch gears a moment and say that in our house, we don't eat bread crusts. Gasp! Now, before you imagine us throwing them away or even feeding perfectly good crusts to our chickens, let me tell you that we don't do those things. I throw them (ok, stuff them) into the freezer. When I have enough on hand, I make this recipe or Pineapple Stuffing. If you don't have all crusts, you can use the inner slices. They work just as well.

Ham (or Sausage) and Cheese Souffle
It's best when it sits in the fridge for an hour (or even overnight) before baking. Make for breakfast or dinner. We eat it for dinner at home and occasionally make it for a larger group for breakfast on vacation. This dish is hearty and will feed eight easily.

16 slices of whole wheat bread crusts, cubed
1/2 - 1 pound cooked ham, cubed or sausage browned and crumbled
1 pound cheese, shredded (cheddar, monterey jack, Swiss or a combination)
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 cups oat and honey (corn-flake-type) cereal, crushed a bit (generic brand works just fine)
1/4 cup melted butter

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cooked ham or browned sausage over the bread. Spread cheese over that. Lay the rest of the bread cubes over the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and dry mustard until well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread cubes, cover and refrigerate for an hour (or overnight, or any length of time in between).

Just prior to baking, combine cereal and melted butter and spread over the top. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the souffle has set and the topping is nicely browned. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

P.S. Our kids love it.

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Thumb-Sucker No More: Mavala Stop Nail Polish

Our dear Sadie started sucking her thumb as an infant. I must say, it was really a joyous occasion when she did. We weren't thinking about years down the road when her front teeth might become misaligned or that there was always the chance she'd still be sucking her thumb at age 17. We were thinking about how lovely it was that she could soothe herself to sleep. And, soothe herself to sleep she did- when I laid her down for naps, at nighttime and in the middle of the night when she woke up but wasn't really hungry yet.

That thumb has served her well. She used it when she cuddled, was scared or sad or tired. It was also sometimes a problem. Like when we tried to take her picture, sometimes that thumb did not wish to come out. Or, when we wanted her to say hello to someone, or say thank you. Or, when she was playing with baby sister, Miriam. Miriam wanted to see her face, not her hand covering up half of it.

We then noticed some, let's say, protrusion of her two front teeth. And, we were concerned that with it being cold and flu season, popping your thumb in your mouth in the middle of Target may not be the best idea. And then there was the whole issue of her almost being four and our worries that the older she got, the harder it may be for her to stop.

We needed to take action.

We talked with her about it, explaining that we didn't want her teeth to get crooked or her to get sick, and she agreed to let us help her stop sucking her thumb. Although, she did then say, "But, I suck my thumb at night, right?" Dear Sadie. We also told her that if she was able to stop for a couple weeks, we would buy her some pink nail polish. Pink is her favorite color. She has never owned nail polish before (and has only worn it two times).

This summer we had the pleasure of having my cousin and her family in town for a couple days. They have a sweet little girl Sadie's age who also sucked her thumb until this past year using Mavala Stop. My cousin has a master's degree in nursing and her husband is an emergency room doctor. If they used it and felt it was safe, so would we.

It took Sadie two days to stop. There were no tears. There were many curled-up and grimacing faces as Sadie unconsciously popped that thumb in from time to time and got a taste of the nasty stuff. It is nasty. I didn't try it, but Jamey did. Bitter and lingering. It's been three weeks and we still apply the polish every couple days, just to make sure there's no relapse. A couple days ago, Sadie was tired and hungry and fussy. She said to me, "I really wish I could suck my thumb." I told her I understood and praised her once again for being such a big girl. Her face beamed. She LOVES being told we are proud of her and I'm not sure she really understands the meaning of the word.

She loves her pink fingernails, though.

A word of warning...It was really helpful for me to read some of the countless customer reviews on Amazon.com. Some parents suggested only painting the tip of the nails because the polish is so potent. That's what we did and it worked fine. The other thing I noted from those reviews is that if your child has a weak gag reflex, the taste may make them vomit. Thankfully, my children do not, so I knew this wouldn't be an issue for Sadie and it wasn't. You could always try just a speck of the polish if that was a concern.

Also of note, Mavala Stop did not ask me to write this review. We just thought it worked so well, we wanted to spread the word. Pin It

At 6 1/2, 3 1/2 and 5 Months

I want to remember today. But I know I won't. I might have photographs, a little video and these words, but before long today, what it felt like to be a mommy to these three today, will be out of reach....

My 6 1/2 year-old, Sam. He spends his days building robots and submarines out of things he finds in the recycling bag. He draws dinosaurs for Sadie to color. He sits and reads amidst all levels of commotion, in his own little world. He sits in front of Miriam and lavishes her with kisses and tells her over and over again how she's the cutest baby in the whole world and that he loves her. He growls at Sadie and comes at her with T-Rex claws until she shrieks. He spouts facts about planets and dinosaurs and volcanoes. He has a memory that astounds me. He has paper airplane battles with his father and sits close as I read to him. He is bright and sometimes intense. He prefers being inside and yet is fascinated by the world through books.

My 3 1/2 year-old, Sadie. She's just learned to stop sucking her thumb. She's sweet and soft-voiced and a lover of clothes. She spends hours at the bench in the kitchen, lining up her plastic animals. There, she names them and plays out conversations and discussions which often end with them calling for their Mommy and their Mommy saying, "In a minute...." She sidles up to me and says, "Momma, you a sweetie-pie" or "Momma, you save the day." She makes my heart melt. She fetches her stool from the bathroom sink, brings it to the counter and helps stir or mash or run the mixer. She tells me, "Good job, Momma!" when I'm able to reach something high up. She makes Miriam laugh like none of us can. She puts her head down at Miriam's feet and lets her kick her, all the while giggling her infectious giggle. Miriam follows suit. Two sisters.

My 5 month-old, Miriam. She sleeps with her little hands up beside her head, sometimes even tucking them underneath. She adores faces and readily smiles back. She lays on the floor, rolling from side to side to get better views of her brother and sister as they entertain her or sit at the table to draw. From her swing, she watches me move about the kitchen, seemingly never taking her eyes off me. Whenever I turn around, I meet her gaze and she smiles. Oh, how I love this little person. While she nurses, she cranes her head slightly to meet my eyes, just checking to make sure I'm still there. Perched on my shoulder, she's always scanning the room trying to track the girl and the boy that are always roaming about. She nuzzles and buries her face in me and I swoon.

Occasionally, I imagine what an aerial-type view of our house from above would look like if you could see through the roof and floors. It's a good-sized house and yet so many times within the day, the four of us are within arm's length of each other. It saddens me to think that one day we will be all spread out through the house. The other three having become independent, not requiring the contact they do now.

Maybe it's better we don't remember exactly how things were. This way maybe we won't be quite so sad and miss those times quite so much. Pin It

Barn Drive

Last Saturday just before lunch, Jamey said to me, "I was thinking this afternoon we could go for a drive and look at barns." Music to my ears. We love old barns and like to dream and talk of one day, way down the road, building a barn house (aware that God may take us down another road entirely). We loaded up the kids right after lunch and headed out through the nearby mountains on that clear, November day.
















Then, after the drive and having barn on the brain, we found this website. I could move right in to that Cola House, yes siree. I wonder if they'd let me. Pin It

In the Mood for Chocolate Cookies

I love chocolate with a capital L and I love cookies. My loves collide with these two chocolate cookie recipes. These are my favorite cookies- the first one has been a favorite for years. I always make them around this time of year and often as a Christmas cookie. Chocolate and spice is one of my favorite flavor combinations and this cookie executes this combo perfectly. If you make only one cookie recipe this season, it really should be this first one.

The second recipe I just discovered last week as I was flipping through my back issues of Martha Stewart Living looking for a picture I never did find. This cookie is so simple- simple to make and calls for simple ingredients I bet you have on hand now. It's full of chocolate flavor and when pulled from the oven at the proper time (I'll tell you exactly when!) is the perfect chewy chocolate cookie.

These cookies lack the chocolate chunks. Just imagine them there. These were still very good, but if at all possible, go out and buy the chunks. They put these cookies over the top.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies (adapted ever so slightly from Martha Stewart Living magazine, issue unknown)
Makes 2 dozen
You'll want to go ahead and double this recipe. I'm just saying.

7 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks or chips or a bar chopped up
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger (or bottled ginger)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. boiling water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and grated fresh ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat until combined. Add molasses and beat again. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Beat half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then the soda mixture, then the rest of the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm. Once firm, roll dough out into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll them in granulated sugar. Place them on baking sheets covered with parchment paper or coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the top surface begins to crack slightly (this guarantees a chewy cookie!). Dig. In.

Sam took this last suggestion to heart. He stole away with the container and ate the last 10-15 cookies by himself upstairs. The crumbs on the bathroom floor and the corners of his mouth gave him away. I could hardly blame him. He had done what I had been wanting to do all day.


Chewy Chocolate Cookies (adapted ever so slightly from Martha Stewart Living magazine, June 2005, cookie of the month)
Makes about 3 dozen.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the first four ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture. The cookie dough will be soft. Scoop batter out with a teaspoon and use your (clean) finger to slide dough off and onto cookie sheets covered in parchment paper or coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are flat and their top surface begins to crack (this will create a chewy cookie!).

Surprisingly simple and delicious. Pin It

1000 Gifts (1-10)

I am thankful for...

1 Second chance after second chance after second chance. As a parent, I know how frustrating it is when your words are not heeded, not obeyed time and time again. I praise God that my Parent forgives and forgets as I fumble along, trying to obey His Word but failing again and again in the process.

2 Three healthy children especially in the light of the fact there was a time I wasn't sure I'd have any.

3 The group of women I meet weekly with to study God's Word, lift each other up and show our vulnerability- all for the purpose of drawing nearer to God.

4 Seasons of rest from outdoor work and garden bounty.

5 The privilege of teaching my children at home, working out lessons and behaviors (mine and theirs) side by side.

6 A husband who stays planted by my side through the ebbs and flows of almost 12 years of marriage.

7 Baby legs and hands and cheeks and eye lashes and noises and smiles and snuggles and drool and....

8 The dear friend who so generously passes along her children's clothes so that my children lack nothing.

9 Sunlight as it warms a house kept cool to save energy and nickels.

10 Heart, mind, lungs, muscles and countless other body parts that work brilliantly despite not always being cared for properly.

Join me in giving thanks...

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Preparations

My eyes swell with tears as I wonder how I am going to put these thoughts into words. More than any other year, I feel called to look at the upcoming seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas as holy. Not to be squandered in check out lines, baking endless goodies, rushing here and there and everywhere. These seasons are calling me to act differently, to be deliberate, to give credit where credit is due...to our Heavenly Father.

Is it possible that we idolize grand feasts and the families that sit at their tables instead of giving The Ultimate Provider the glory?

Is it possible that we idolize the season of Christmas instead of giving The Ultimate Gift-Giver the adoration He deserves?

I have been pondering, breathing short prayers, searching. How can I carry out this pull toward something different for myself and my family this year? Are there actual past practices I should avoid? Should I just pare down? What do I put in their place?

My attention has been called to three areas...

1... Remember that while I live in this world, I am not of it. Avoid the traps of media and society that lead me to think I should buy more, make more, do more during this season. Instead... be still more, pray more, do less.

2... Be thankful every week, every day, not just on Thanksgiving. I joined the Gratitude Community and have started journaling my list of 1000 things I am thankful for. I will be sharing parts of that list here, extending my thanksgiving over time.

3... Use the Jesse Tree as an Advent devotional for our family (The Glorious Coming by Ann Voskamp). We will be beginning in mid-November to allow for traveling and to ensure we do not have to rush through any of the 26 devotions that will lead us to Christ's coming.

4... Talk to our children and each other about the seasons and where their meanings truly lie and Lift our eyes up to the heavens.

Will you join me in re-focusing this season?

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Apple, Sweet Potato & Sausage Bake

The first time I had this dish was when my mom made it for us while she was staying with us after Sam was born. He was born right before a big (for where we live) snow storm. There we were, the four of us, all hunkered down in awe of this new baby. My mom cooked for us all week long. The only thing Jamey and I had to concern ourselves with was learning to take care of the little bundle we named Sam. I remember this dish tasting so good to me. Talk about comfort food, folks. I used to make it a lot. Now I only make it when I buy local sausage which isn't very often. It is soooo perfect for this time of year. And in terms of ingredients, it's simple, simple, simple.

Also, I would like to say that our kids love it. What's not to love? Well, okay, Sam doesn't like the sausage, but that's fine by me. It's really the apples and sweet potatoes I want him to eat. I think that one of the reasons they (and okay, me too) like it so much is that it's such a naturally sweet dish. I'm going to stop talking about it now and let you decide if it's going to be on your menu this week.

Apple, Sweet Potato & Sausage Bake (adapted from my mom's recipe)

1 pound sage turkey sausage (the sage is nice, but any sausage works well)
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
4 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced (we leave the peels on)
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup water

Brown the sausage. While it's browning, prepare the sweet potato slices and lay them out evenly in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Lay the apple slices on top of the sweet potatoes. When the sausage is browned, distribute it evenly over the apples. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt and water. Pour over everything in the pan, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour (at 350 degrees) or until the sweet potatoes are soft. If left to sit 10 or so minutes before serving, the sauce will thicken-up a bit.

One more thing I forgot to tell you. This makes your house smell amazing.




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Homeschool Highlights: October

Well, we are into our second month of homeschooling this year and all is going well. Sam and Sadie are still promptly coming to the table when I call them. There is very little complaining (although I expect the complaining to increase with time) and we are generally able to get done all of Sam's 2nd grade work either by lunch time or by mid afternoon.

One of our highlights has been watching the PBS documentary, The Life of Birds. We are getting it through Netflix. It's divided into three DVDs with each DVD containing several "chapters", or ~ 40 minute sections. These are perfect for short science lessons. It is pairing very nicely with his science book on Exploring Creation, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. There is quite a bit of evolution-speak in the very first segment of the documentary, but we got through it fine with some discussion. The footage is amazing and I, um, I mean we, are learning so much. For example, some birds sit on an ant hill and stir it up on purpose so that the ants will come out and crawl all over them. Agitated ants secrete a chemical that drives lice and mites off of the bird. That, my friend, would be enough to send me into a panic attack for certain.

For the first time, we are making lapbooks. Sam is making one called An Overview of the 17th Century from Journey to Learning. This ties right in to his history lessons. Being our first lapbook and with me not having a whole lot of extra time on my hands, I bought the complete kit- everything is already printed out and the kit contained the folders as well. There is a page of reading/history lesson to read first, then a piece to put together to place in the lapbook. We've just gotten started- this is a big one.

Knowing that Sadie would want a lapbook as well, she and I created a preschool version for her including shapes, colors, the alphabet, numbers, etc. Hers went together fast and we had a lot of fun making it.

Another highlight this month was making a model of Jamestown. You can find the link at Homeschool In The Woods... here. It is a free download of a total of 5 pages (including instructions and model cut-outs). I had to do a lot of the cutting since the cut-outs were small, but Sam enjoyed coloring them and helping to assemble the settlement...and of course playing with it:-).

We've also been enjoying a lot of read-aloud time having to do with history. A teacher friend of mine gave us a bunch of books their school library was discarding. Included were several volumes of Through Golden Windows by Hall, a series published in the 1950's. They are full of short stories from excellent authors divided into topics. We are currently reading through American Backgrounds.

Click on photo to make print larger.

Another series in this bag of books we inherited contains excerpts from famous works of literature for children called Collier's Junior Classics. This series wets their appetites with the goal of them seeking out the complete works on their own at the library. These are perfect for us. Since they were written for kids in the 1950's and early 1960's I am not concerned about content. These are wholesome stories full of adventure, courage and perseverance. (I found complete sets of both of these series on Amazon.)

A sample partial table of contents from Collier's Junior Classic's Call of Adventure volume.

So, I would have to give October 4 and a half pencils out of five. A little of the excitement has worn off, but we're still plugging away and enjoying ourselves immensely. Pin It