New dishes

Going along with my goal to decrease the use of plastics in my home I bought some new dishes at a local thrift store. Minus the small dish that Evan was eating out of at the time I took this picture all of these dishes cost $11.90. I really like the square plates with the turned up edge. They will work great for the little kids. I am going to keep my eye out for some glass bowls now.

Fun in the sun

It was all about Evan and Annika today. I picked them up some wind wands and a kiddie pool to play with. Nothing like a little imagination and some water on a hot day.

Dragonflies and Moths

I found these insects on a deck during a visit. They must have gotten trapped on the screened in porch and couldn't escape. They were so pretty. I took them home and showed the kids. I can't ever pass up a learning experience.

Water play on a hot afternoon

The little kids were playing in the backyard as usual. I haven't set up a sprinkler or kiddie pool yet this season but I thought water play would be a fun way to cool off. Lyn went inside and filled up some containers with water. Some ice was added to help cool things off further. Lyn added some ladles and some strainers. Evan and Eliot explored the water and ice by pouring, scooping, and dribbling. They had fun figuring out the difference between the solid ice and the liquid water. They watched the ice melt before their eyes. This was a great open ended science activity for toddlers. I wonder what we will do tomorrow?

Melusine Soap in the Alabama Sun

I came across a website celebrating the making of homemade soap. The maker of the soap actually lives near the Isle of Avalon. As a fan of anything to do with Arthurian legend my interest was sparked. The word melusine actually refers to a figure of European legends and folklore, a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers. The Lady of the Lake in some Arthurian legends would have been one of these water spirits. The maker of these wonderful soaps is a mom who shares some of the same parenting styles that I have. Frankly, if we didn't live thousands of miles away from each other we probably would be friends. As I followed her soap making adventures on facebook I decided to order some of her soaps. They came in the mail today. I ordered two watermelon soaps for the big girls and a honey oatmeal one for myself. A rhubarb loofah soap was thrown in for free. Eliot claimed that one for her own. The big girls thought it was the coolest thing to get a package all the way from Britain. Bath time came a bit early tonight because everyone wanted to try out their new soaps. Now, I am off to the online shop to see which ones I am going to order next. I think I will stock up on some to give as gifts. I bet I will be the only one to give the gift of Melusine Soap here in Alabama!

"The Lost Tooth"

This is a guest post by my 8 year old daughter, Annika. Enjoy!

Today I lost my tooth two times. I think you are wondering how I lost my tooth two times. I'll tell you how. It was a beautiful afternoon and my mother, sisters, and two of my brothers were outside. My mother told me PULL IT OUT!!!! So I pushed it up and twisted it and guess what happened next? It came out!!! Sorry but I just realized that I lost my tooth. So that is how I lost my tooth once. Now on with the story. Then I was playing and then I dropped my tooth! So that is how I lost my tooth two times.

An ear infection!

Evan has had a low grade fever for a few days. I took him to the doctor this morning. He ended up having two ear infections. Since we got to the office early we played outside for awhile. Evan wanted some of the pink flowers off of the mimosa tree. He called them his "smooshies". Those are little creatures off of one of his favorite shows, The Upside Down Show. It was so cute. They then ran up and down the grass area with leaves off of the same tree. Inside while we were still waiting they had a chance to color. What a way to start the day.

Yard sale necklaces

Our neighbor down the street had her annual yard sale this past weekend. The big girls got a handful of pretty cool necklaces if I say so myself. I may even borrow one or two. Lyn has turned into a shutter bug. She wants to take pictures of all that she sees. All of these pictures were all taken by her.

5K / one mile fun run

Lyn, Ben and I hada lot of  fun this morning at the run. It was great hanging out with a good friend and her son. Lyn was so excited. She ran on ahead and came in 6th place! I'm ready for next year.

At the dentist office

The little kids went to the dentist this morning. Thanks to their Dad being adamant about brushing their teeth they both got a good bill of health!

In the grocery store

Yesterday on the way home from work Eliot, Evan and I stopped by the grocery store. This is something we do many times a week. The grocery store is such a great place to help toddlers learn boundaries as they are learning about the world. It is such a busy interesting place. Being 2 and 3 years old they like to walk most of the time but sometimes they like to ride in the buggy (that's what we call a shopping cart in Alabama). I took my time and let them pick out some of the things they wanted for dinner. We ended up with cherry tomatoes and hummus. That's not too bad!! Evan even asked to go to the potty in public. He has never done that. I was so proud of him for asking without being prompted. (He is one of my later toilet training kids.) As we were about to check out a mom walked in with a baby in a car seat carrier. It was an itty bitty new baby. She was struggling as to how to get the car seat in or on the buggy. I watched from a distance and went ahead and checked out our food. I could not stop thinking about this mom. Maybe this was her first child. Maybe it was a new seat and she did not know how to use it. I just felt compelled to go find her. I found her with my toddlers in tow. I gentle asked her if she had a new little one. She proudly said yes. I did not jump right in and show her how to securely latch the seat on the buggy. I did not want her to think I was all in her business. I casually looked at the buggy and seat and said, "Oh, these buggies are so tricky. You know, this part latches on just right to keep it from wobbling." The mom adjusted the seat looked at me with a smile and told me thank you. The seat was secure. The baby was safe and I don't think I stepped on her toes. I could have just walked out of the store but something just made me turn back around. Now, next time I might show her how to use a carrier instead, but I didn't want to go there this time!! I'll just drop it that she had a bottle tucked into the seat with the baby who was 3 weeks old. Maybe it was expressed breast milk. I didn't ask. I wanted to help not change the world! Well, I do want to change the world but I have to pick my battles!!

The best part of a Monday...

           

When I got home from work today I decided to hang out in the backyard after dinner. I put a thick quilt down to sit on and enjoy the afternoon. Ben enjoyed being outside. I placed him on the quilt in the shade under a large bush. This turned out to be nature's mobile. Who needs a spinning toy placed over a crib when you have a moving plant against a blue sky to stimulate you? Ben loved it. He focused on the contrast between the sky and the leaves. He is at such an exciting stage in his development. He is observing his world and attempting to interact with it. It is my job to gently introduce new experiences it him. This helps him make new neural connections and figure out how his own body works. Simply and crudely put- new things make babies smarter. As I was enjoying Ben Annika was on a rock and bug hunt with the little kids. In between all of that I nursed Ben, went over next year's curriculum with Lyn, and watched Evan, Eliot, and Annika roll down the hill. And that was the best part of my Monday. 

To use plastics with BPA or not? That is the question of the day.

Well, ever since I heard about BPA and it's dangers I made sure not to use plastics that contained it for my my toddlers and my new baby. Now I think I am going to take it a bit further. I am considering getting rid of all questionable plastics in the house. I want to get more stainless steel and glass cups for the kids. All of the cheap old bowls and plates that I know contain BPA are going out the window! Because BPA acts like a hormone (estrogen) I am concerned how it effects me and my daughters. I am worried about the males in my home too. I had rather be safe than sorry so I am getting rid of all the old cups and dishes. I came across a great post today about the effects of BPA today on a blog I follow, Baby Dust Diaries. It just got me thinking again. I guess I am off to the store for some new everyday dishes.

Play on a sunny day