WORDS

 a poem for today . . .

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

    
happy day!

IMAGINE ICICLES

                     Do you have icicles hanging from your house? Try to reach one from an opened window and bring it inside for the children.


Touch it and hold it. How does it look? How does it feel? Is it smooth or bumpy? Does it glisten in the light? Is it heavy? Is it COLD?
               
                                       What can you do with it? 
                                How long would it take to melt?

                                      
                            happy day! happy winter!

FARM FRIDAY

 

We have visitors who arrive at our various doors throughout the day, especially in winter when the ground is frozen and heavily laden with snow making it impossible to scratch the earth to find added foodstuff.


 Notice how they are grouped together on the path from the back door? We, as people, tend to do the same. We stay with those we are most comfortable with, those most like us.


A few times a day you will see them arriving at the front door, the back door and the kitchen sliders. They know they can rely on the extra treats we toss to them; organic peas, corn, cut grapes, and sunflower seeds.

They make their way through the snow and up the deck steps for the tasty morsels they know they will receive. And who can resist them? . The children love them and so do the kittens!

And I feel blessed from the gifts they give to us, to know we are eating wholesome, nutritious eggs from chickens who are allowed to roam and forage freely throughout our twelve acres and who are fed organic ingredients.


I never considered myself a bird person until we got chickens and now I couldn't live without them !


I've decided to post weekly about our farm life, and join Farm Friday hosted by Wabi-Sabi Wanderings.


happy day!

{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." 

Inspiration from SouleMama:

                                                           happy day!

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

                 ~ exploring ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                                            happy day!

CREATE WITH A BOX OF STUFF

Do you save odds and ends, thinking there might be some use for them? As a mixed media artist I can't help but save most everything, but I also save especially for the children. What we see as "junk", they can envision all kinds of things. 

All the stuff needs a home though, or it can become unruly very quickly, so I designated a box and when I came across something I toss it in. 
But the real fun is when the box is brought out to the children! 


Just provide colored duct tape and masking tape and they will do the rest! 

This is a terrific Winter project when those cold winds keep children inside for longer hours and they are looking for something to do. ( read about boredom here)

What kinds of things do I save? 
Most anything that catches my eye. All kinds of lids, bottle caps, paper towel rolls, tags from clothes,bubble wrap, packing peanuts, baling twine, ice cream containers, yarn, broken pieces of toys or household objects (with safety in mind , of course!), cardboard, small boxes, buttons, and the list goes on and on.


Perhaps you could start a Box of Stuff at your house and see what the children come up with.
When they are finished, ask them about it. No doubt there's a name for their creation and a whole story behind it. 
To preserve the memory, take a picture and write out their story. They will love reading it in the years to come. 
And remember the process is always more important than the product .


  happy day!

WORDS

A quote for Monday . . . 

Now, blessings light on him that first invented sleep!  It covers a man all over, thoughts and all, like a cloak; it is meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. It is the current coin that purchases all the pleasures of the world cheap, and the balance that sets the king and the shepherd, the fool and the wise man, even. 

 ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605

happy day!

WINTER BOREDOM ?

It's OK to be bored. It's OK not to know what to do next. The word BOREDOM has received a bad reputation. 

Boredom is the mind's rest, that moment of indecision. 
Too often we hear, " If you're bored I'll give you something to do", and we all know what that means! That something is usually in the form of chores or distasteful tasks.


It's OK to be bored. It's OK not to know what to do next. Our minds need the TIME to rest and think to decide on our next move. Children need that time too.


Next time someone is bored: 

• Ask them, "What do you feel like doing?" giving them time to think, all the while remaining silent, but ready to listen wholeheartedly to what they have to say.

• Ask about their recent projects and playthings, perhaps they want to continue on but have forgotten. 

•  "Strew". . .  put things out in sight that might catch their eye or get them interested or spark a new thought.

• Start your own activity nearby and they might decide to join in or it may inspire an idea.

•  Change it up. Life, that is. Do things in a different way. Change the room around. Eat meals in a new spot. Try new foods. Take different routes to the same places.

Other activities:
-Bundle up and go outside, even for 10 minutes. Breathing the cold air invigorates and refreshes. Explore and discover and find something to bring inside.


-Watch movies, mostly musicals, and set it up like a movie theater with popcorn and drinks.


-Make tents with blankets, sheets, tablecloths held together with clothespins. Bring in flashlights and books and playthings.


- Blow up balloons and bat them around the room with your hands. Make a line with masking tape as a boundary line to hit back and forth.


-Make a rice box ( or beans, lentils ,etc) and add clear containers , measuring cups, spoons, funnels.


- Have tea parties, with real tea using fancy adult tea cups and foods that you have prepared together.


- Have a picnic on the floor. Think summer and spread a blanket.  


- Have treasure hunts throughout the house. Children LOVE to find things.


 - Modeling with beeswax or playclay.


Whatever you do, do it TOGETHER. Sometimes boredom means they want and need your undivided time .


Stay tuned for more easy and fun activities for winter in the house.




                             happy day!

HEARTFELT THANKS

There are some people I have met in blog land who have really touched my heart. Who knew when I started blogging that I would feel such a connection to other people whom I have never met in person; people who have enriched my life beyond measure. For them, I am truly grateful.


Kit at A Montana Life  and  Suzan at Old Grey Mare passed this award on to me.  Two awards in one week. Yikes!  Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

I chuckled when I read how Beth's husband said we bloggers love to award each other, and Beth of Acorn Pies, replying, Yes, we do like to encourage one another, don't we :)  And yes! I guess we do!


The award rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award


Seven things about me, (other than my love of family, nature, animals and art!):

1. I am in the midst of watching LOST with my daughter and sometimes my son who has already seen it. We are on season two and are obsessed.

2. I am determined to learn to knit this year and have been practicing regularly. I am having trouble with binding off at the moment, but a friend will show me soon.

3. I have finally realized I have a very willing partner in one of my Haflinger mares. Why I just brushed her aside thinking she needed me less than her sister, the shy one, I don't know. It was a deep revelation to me one morning, that SHE is the one, she has been the one, MY horse, my partner.

4. I am still on my weight loss/ get physically fit journey but I realize I am not trying hard enough .

5. I will be speaking at the Northeast Unschooling Conference this August in Wakefield,MA and am excited. 

6. I have about 31 books out of the library and am honestly reading about 7 at a time. I like the variety and the change depending on the day and my mood.

7. I really need to make an important change in my life, and I am gathering the courage.


Here are 15 inspiring blogs to check out, ones I haven't chosen before.  
You can visit and see what you think, perhaps there will be inspiration for you too!
 1. Homestead Revival
 2. Free Play Life
 3. Rosy-Posy
 4. Thrifty Decor Chick
 5. Childhood 101
 6. Funky Junk Interiors
 7. Wabi-Sabi Wanderings
 8. Flower Hill Farm
 9. Cozy Little House
10. Natural Papa
11. Living with Punks
12. October Farm
13. Design Mom
14. Farmama
15. Art Projects for kids
                                           happy day!

{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." 

Inspiration from SouleMama:

                                                           happy day!

AND THE WINNER IS

         She is choosing the winner of my GIVEAWAY: the book, sketch pad and drawing pens.

  Drumroll please . . . .  

THE WINNER IS:

NJD of Time Wisely Spent, who said,


"We are a soon to be homeschooling family and my kiddos (9,7,5) have requested nature studies as part of their curriculum. I am sure this book would be a great help."


Congratulations NJD! 


And congrats on homeschooling too. . . it's a glorious way to live . . .and a great way to start IS with NATURE!


Please email me your address and I will get it off to you.


  happy happy day!

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

                                             
                                        ~ angel ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                               happy day!