Such Things

The Magic of Christmas

I've been somewhat intrigued by the "magic" of Christmas this year, trying to go beyond the frantic shopping, activities and trying to "get it all done."  I must say, watching the Polar Express movie for the very first time brought a tear to my eye at the end when the main character says, "Though I've grown old, the bell (a bell from Santa's sleigh) still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe." 

What really is it that we believe?  The story of Santa?  In giving?  In buying?  Gathering?  Turning to a familiar story this Christmas has inspired my faith in the true spirit of Christmas.   There's Mary, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour." Luke 1:46, the shepherds, "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen." Luke 2:20 and the magi "when they saw the star they were overjoyed."  Matthew 2:10.  There is something real, not just to spark the imagination, but events to ignite the heart, soul and spirit.  The more I read it, the more something else jumps out at me, and the more miraculous it all seems.

That for me, is the magic of Christmas, and in that, I am one who truly, truly believes. 

  

Here's wishing you and yours a magical, wonderous, peaceful and most joy-filled Christmas.

Planting a Tree (or a few)

When we cleared our property to build, we had to remove most of the trees because they were in the way of construction or turned out to be dead. 

This spring and early summer, we did a lot of tree shopping.

We picked out an ornamental cherry, apple, oak and spruce tree to plant in our newly-landscaped yard.

Each of the kids helped to dig the hole and plant his or her special tree,

in it's specially chosen location.

Now a month or so later,

we are greatly enjoying watching these little trees continue to grow!

Early Summer

Towards the end of June, we have some rituals we look forward to rain or shine...

Heading to Chapters to choose an ecojot "summer journal",

borrowing or buying,

new and,

used books for "summer reading", along with joining the summer reading club at our local library,

and organizing all of the items brought home from school. 

Last year the girls each painted their own banker box to store their treasured books and creations,

but recently I discovered these beautifully decorated and double-sized storage boxes at Ikea. 

We decided to use them instead, as they fit two stacks of binders etc.

The box even fit this huge art portfolio that belonged to Megan.

The girls were really excited to sort through all their work and found it hard to toss some of their things, but we only keep what they consider to be special and important memories from their school year.
 
All organized and we're ready for some summer adventures!!!

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

To me, books are a great comfort and joy.  I love to surround myself with wonderful books that inspire me, magazines, craft books, novels and classical literature.  One of my favourite things is to order a book and pick it up at the post office when we visit Pt. Roberts (it's cheaper to ship to the US).  I usually order from ABE books.  An excellent resource, if you haven't heard of it before.  I was sorting through a bunch of my kids' books, some of which are actually books that belonged to me as a child,

and I decided to start ordering my kids some classic children's books. I thought it would be exciting for them to pick up some parcels from the post office too.  So last time we were down, we picked up some Lyle books, written by Bernard Waber.  Indeed they were a hit with each of the kids.  The artwork is fantastic and Lyle is so enduring.  I also appreciated the bits of dry humour tossed in here and there.

Now we're looking forward to the next delivery!

Welcome Christmas!

   This year it all started with

this.

And here's Lucy and Edmond in the snowy forest under the lamp post. 

That magical lamp post.

I am secretly happy (well, perhaps not so secret now,) that Thanksgiving is in October for Canadians, because I can launch right into Christmas mid-November. I was reading an article by my principal in the school newsletter about how Christmas can be a stressful time.  True enough, but usually, Christmas puts me into a most joyous, spirited and elf-like mood!  Although, I might have been a bit stressed at Christmas last year, because I noticed on this year's calender I had written a number of "Christmas goals" to myself.  I always chuckle a bit at myself when I do that, when I see my own writing from a year ago.  Any ways, I have been following my own instructions and this year things have been running very smoothly.  It's quite amazing.

Okay, maybe that's a bit ambitious!

My neighbour and I were chatting and agreed that we have "stages" of decorating for Christmas.  Mark put the outdoor lights up last weekend and I have slowly started some of the indoor decorating.  The Christmas portraits are taken, candles are being lit, Christmas anthems are playing in the background and the wreath is hung.

Our playroom is being transformed into a Winter Wonderland as well.

 

Their own little tree to decorate again and again (makes me think of Charlie Brown),

 the favoured rock salt bin with a bit of sugar mixed in too, has been taken down from the closet (these are both ideas from preschools),

And lots of play with this manger-like cradle that Mark made with the girls one November weekend using chopped up wood from the beach house yard.  Sometimes there's Mary and Joseph or an angel or two joining in.

"[They] wrapped him in swaddling clothes and lay him in a manger." Luke 2:7

And here's another story...

I hope you all have a great weekend full of thanksgiving and good cheer!

Happy Harvest

We don't yet have our own vegetables and fruit to harvest,

but we do have something that sits all year long on the shelf in the playroom closet, with the "spring box" and the "Valentines box".

We had our first rainy Sept. day last weekend and as promised, the "harvest box" was taken out.

Okay, so there are actually two harvest boxes and one has more Halloween stuff in it.

The kids get so excited to see the familiar stuffed toys, decorations, and craft materials.

There's new books for our seasonal bookbasket,

And I get to do a bit of fall decorating myself, which I love.

 

Here's to a new season of colour, collecting, photo ops., celebrations and fun family times.

A Taste of Summer

I really cherish the seasons and the gradual changes that follow each one.  Of all the seasons, summer has to be my best.  A great summer day can simply be spent hanging out in the backyard, soaking in the sun, playing in the pool and enjoying creative time together.  Outside in the sun, you can get really painty and then wash off in the pool!

Here's a summer snack that I've been meaning to post about.  I found it in a great book called Babies and Toddlers Good Food.  It's in a cookbook typelist in my sidebar.  Make two layers of natural yogurt with a layer of blackcurrant and apple juice in between.  Freeze each layer one at a time.  I often cook out of kids' cookbooks because I like the photos and the kids usually like the food.  They often help me pick out the recipes themselves and love it!

 

 

 

We squeezed in two more days at Pt. Roberts this last weekend.

School starts tomorrow.  Miranda is starting a whole day in grade one and I am starting back tomorrow to teach one and a half days as well (grade 3/4).  I am feeling excited and ready, but still savoring as much of summer as I can. 

I added one of my favourite books about summer on my sidebar under children's literature. Another book which I read to my classes at the start of the year is a most beautiful book called the Cottage at Crescent Beach, by Anne Blades a wonderful Canadian author and illustrator.  It's out of print and on sale used for $182.00US.  It's reminds me so much of our Pt. Roberts days.  

A blessing to all of you and your young ones who are starting school this Fall!

Summer Fairs (P.N.E., Vancouver)

One of my favourite things about summer is going to the annual fair, the Pacific National Exhibition (P.N.E.) here in Vancouver.  The smell of the greasy burgers, pizza, and Those Little Doughnuts.  The screaming from the rides, "win a house, win a car," kids, teens, seniors.

 

The barns are a must-see.

When Miranda was quite little, we read her Charlotte's Web and then went to the fair to see where a rat like "Templeton" could find all his treats, to see the Ferris Wheel and of course to see baby "Wilbur". 

The parades,
 




and the old-fashioned rides hold a certain nostalgia as well.

Come visit our fair if you're ever in town at the end of August!

For some more fabulous fair photos, have a look at one of my favourite blogs, Posy Gets Cozy, she's just south of us in Oregan.

The Nature of Cape Cod

From Boston, we drove to Cape Cod to visit Mark's Granny.  What a place. 

It was like a part of my kind of heaven.

I think it was like heaven for our kids too.

Cape Cod is just teeming with all different kinds of living things.  Fresh water, salt water, ponds, gardens and woods. 

 

There were some birds that we don't see on the Pacific Coast, such as red Cardinals and Blue Jays.

We spent days at the beach, but also a day at the Audubon Society, a nature sanctuary that follows through woods, by ponds, over marches and finally to the ocean.

The small Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, in Brewster, had a mini-aquarium in the basement with a hands-on tidal pool.

Upstairs, it held a large central room, which is exactly the way that I would design a classroom if I could (minus the taxidermy).

It had giant windows for bird-watching, lots of hands-on stations, as well as artifacts and quotes from well-known naturalists, such as Robert Finch of Wellfleet, and Rachel Carson, a naturalist in whom I am now very interested.  I ordered her book The Sense of Wonder and hope it will further inspire me as a teacher and mother.

Another treasure trove at this museum was a library full of books about nature.  It had an entire children's section as well.  I could have spent hours reading the information, looking at pictures and reading to our kids.  I discovered this set of "Linnea" books, filled with detailed notes, stories and attractive illustrations.  I'm about to order them for our children.

A completely foreign thought occurred to me as I walked the boardwalk from the long stretches of beach:  perhaps there is someone out there in the world who does not like nature.  One who despises sand, fresh air and observing tiny creatures .  "Hmm... how very strange," I thought to myself, showing my single-minded delight. 

Thank you, God, for the natural beauty of Cape Cod.

Boston Public Garden

Children are like sponges and can be taught anything.  Even when they are young, they can absorb detailed facts, complex vocabulary and can thrive from literature.  There is a growing awareness of the importance of literacy, which is encouraged by reading aloud to our children. 

I have a personal fondness for classic children's literature and I believe there's a special richness in these stories that is lost in modern kids' novels, such as The Berenstain Bears and Captain Underpants.  When my oldest daughter turned two, I started to read her Winnie the Pooh and next I read her the wonderful novels of E.B. White.  I found that she was engrossed by the stories and I enjoyed this bedtime reading too.

Many people are familiar that the story Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey, written in 1941, has it's setting in the Boston Public Garden.  Perhaps less familiar,The Trumpet of the Swan, is a lovely story of a boy who loves nature and befriends a voiceless swan who learns to play the trumpet.

There are chapters where the swan travels to Boston and plays his trumpet for the people on the swan boats in the public garden.  Since reading that story, I had always been intrigued by the swan boats, but never imagined that my children and I would ride them ourselves...

A 

dream

come

true!