Happy Halloween

 

 

Samhain (Halloween) has come and gone. I was a bit under the weather both physically and emotionally and was napping with Elaina. My mother took the kids trick-or-treating. The weather was a bit rainy and the little kids only went to a few houses but they enjoyed themselves. I usually do a lot more to celebrate this last harvest festival time of the year but my heat has been really disconnected lately. I still plan on visiting my great grandmother's grave but other than that I feel I am forcing myself to o through the motions of the holidays for the kids.

Best part of grocery shopping

The lobsters or as it sounds when Ben says it "hamsters"...

What's for dinner?

Awesome way to debone a chicken for soup. I let the chicken boil till it fell apart and then removed the bones. I then added the veggies and the kids ate it up...

Newest Blessingway Bead order

I received an order from the UK today from a mother who is collecting beads to send to her daughter's Blessingway ceremony in Australia. I really enjoy meditating over a mother's needs and putting together a collection of beads with extras so that her close ones have a selection to choose from that speak to them. I usually get input such as "mother wants to calm fears, mother wants to be empowered, mother wants to heal from a traumatic previous birth". It can really be endless. I love it that my beads have made it to Canada, several states, The United Kingdom, and a lot to Australia....

Elaina has had enough

And the grumpy baby gave up and finally took a nap on the sofa....

No gender bias here

 

Yes, that is my 3 year old boy, Ben, reading a birds and bees book while wearing his sister's clothes. Who am I to stop him. At least he is dressed.... 

Adding essential oils to the wash

I got this ball to add vinegar to the rinse cycle when I wash our cloth diapers. I honestly never got around to using it. Today I was washing a wool cover I use on the sofa and was planning on adding purification to the rinse and grabbed this ball. I added water and 5 drops of purification to the wash. A lot of oils aren't good to use and store in plastic but I figure since the oil only spent a few minutes in the ball the plastic it shouldn't degrade the plastic. We will see how it worked.....

A healing moment

A friend of mine had her tonsils out and that can be really rough for an adult. She needed some company  and some comforting. I clipped some rosemary and lavender sprigs from my yard and made a smudge for her to dry and use. I also gave her a blue healing candle for assistance through her recovery. Feel better soon....

Candles on a cool night

The weather is finally changing. Eliot picked out three candles to light outside along with some others. She said they were spirit colors.  They surely match her dress....

I made a monster

Eliot's class is surprising me a little. She is actually bring artwork home. Usually public school kindergarten classes work on just worksheets and repetitive activities.

End of October flower harvesting...

In Alabama the weather can be a strange thing sometimes. We have finally gotten some cool nights but the days can still be warm and sunny. Today was one of those days. Elaina and Ben and I collected some fresh flowers and herbs to replace dried ones hanging in the living room. I am especially happy that in the wild spot we let grow beside the house we have golden rod growing. I cut some but let some grow. My fennel flowered again. I added some green by clipping some rosemary and lavender....

Goldenrod

Some wild flowers that popped up

rosemary

lavender

fennel

our bouquet

Our bouquet's new home

Our old last season's dried bunch

My baby, Elaina

I am bit prejudiced but she is pretty cute. Playing away and happy. She doesn't care that the playroom needs to be organized....

Yes, even at nearly 8 months pregnant I still had room

Co-sleeping, bed sharing, or whatever works for you and your children is what is right. Personally, if I don't have a foot in my face I can't sleep... :)

Such a hard week

Changes... Choices... Dreams... Nightmares...

Bittersweet...

Eliot is happy and Evan seems pretty content too. They started to public school today. I have to go back to work and with the new baby coming I thought I should get them adjusted before hand. Eliot was way more excited about it all than I thought she would be. I want to continue to homeschool but I feel so trapped by society. Mothers just don't have choices. I can't do it all. Ben and Elaina have never been in daycare but they will have to start "school" too.  Even the new baby will have to go to daycare. That is if I can find work. I hate to admit that I  am having trouble finding work. I don't know if it is because I am pregnant or because I am overqualified for the jobs I am applying for. It is sad that the work that I am qualified for either doesn't pay anything or the state recognizes 19 year olds with a GED as qualified to teach infants / toddlers/ or preschoolers. I am happy to take lower pay but employers seem to think because I am educated I expect A LOT of money. That just isn't the case. I just need a job....

Homemade gymnastics class

 

 

 

A Saturday afternoon with nothing to do... turn the living room into a tumble zone....

 

Natural learning moments

Elaina is using a flat piece of wood to scoop and dig in gravel. She is also bending down and picking up pea gravel one by one and putting it in the holes of the playground equipment. Some fit and some don't. Is my girl good at math or what?

International Babywearing Week

A recent picture with my baby...

32 weeks pregnancy update....

I had a visit to the maternity clinic today. I conceded to some blood work. My glucose levels were normal but I would have liked them a little lower. My iron levels were 11.8. That is low normal. I wanted it to be higher for a little leeway. But, since I went from a pregnancy to breastfeeding to a pregnancy to breastfeeding to another pregnancy back to back I think that is pretty good. I haven't given myself enough time to rebuild my iron stores fully and I am not actually anemic so I know everything is OK. I have gained 27 pounds. I feel like little girl is small and squirmy and likes to stay transverse most of the time. I know I have plenty of time but I SOOOO like to have head down babies. The CRNP at the clinic said she doesn't know how to palpate babies' positions which I think is crazy since she is a prenatal professional. She said she could send me for an ultrasound but that is so silly to find position. Why are professionals not taught to palpate anymore? Midwives do..... I can even tell position when my babies get a little bigger.

MUUMs meeting today at church...

I enjoyed attending the MUUMs meeting today. We had quite a few mothers attend. My good friend was even in early labor and showed up. She is 40+ weeks pregnant and about 5 centimeters dilated and had bloody show this morning. This is her 5th birth (7th child, she has two adopted daughters). She needed some out of the house time with grown-ups before her birth. I imagine she will be busy tonight or tomorrow. I imagine her like this

But I have a feeling she will be a bit more vocal..... Happy Birthing!

15 years old! Wow Lyn, you grew up....

7 pounds 14 ounces and now this? Happy Birthday Sweetie....

Happy Fall... we finally updated our altar shelf.

The equinox has passed but we finally updated our altar shelf. Ben participated but he didn't want to be in the picture. I love that the kids can go through our decoration and ritual box and pick out what is needed each season. Lyn painted the leaf picture in the background. As the kids get older their understanding of nature grows. Maybe I will get a naturalist child when they grow up. Who knows...

We have to get one right?

We are not supporting our down the street local pumpkin patch because I do not agree with the church they are affiliated with practices. Let's just say not Christian like. So we got a big pumpkin at the grocery store to start some of our seasonal decorating. Eliot and Ben helped pick it out.

Getting in the groove with some Fall artwork...

Having fun making mosaic pumpkins, leaf collages, and of course green spiders.

Happy October

Our Halloween (Samhain) flag is hung... let the end of the harvest season end and the darker half of the year begin...