change is good

he paid

So going with the money theme again, Lukas bought his first thing the other day: a mocha for me at Bus Stop Coffee!

He was playing with the change jar one morning and asked how much a mocha was. He sees me drinking them over at the café while he plays in the outdoor toy area sometimes. I remember doing little money worksheets in kindergarten and having them be easy so I realized he was ready to figure this out.

So I said, “Ten of these big silver ones with the stripes on the edge,” and set aside a quarter. He looked at it and seemed serious, so I drew 10 circles and he filled them in with quarters.

Then he took them all and put them in his pocket and said, “let’s go to the coffee cart, I will pay.” It was so sweet! What could I do, we went to the coffee cart, and he paid. Unschooling is underway…

license to ride

duct tape wallet with bike license

making another one himself

Since kids copy us and everything we do, it was just a matter of time before he wanted a wallet. With a driver’s license. I explained that you have to be 16 but he just sort-of ignored me.

So I googled duct tape wallets and semi-followed their directions and semi-created my own directions, and made him a duct tape wallet from index cards and the aforementioned duct tape.

And of course, the “bike license” is in case anyone at the park asks him for it. (He knows all about this sort of thing since I was pulled over the other day… In fact, it’s probably the reason he wants a license in the first place)

So we photocopied Scott’s license and added in a photo of Lukas instead and his name and city. Then I wrote the words “bike license” on it and Lukas signed his name and added a bike sticker on the back. Then we added clear tape to “laminate” it. This in the wallet, along with his arts council membership card, are all he really needs, should he be pulled over on his bike.

A couple days later, he decided to make one for his little friend Huxley. He was out there cutting duct tape and index cards and piecing it all together. It’s a smaller version since Huxley is smaller. I know he will love it.

a few good books

books

I was really tired today for some reason. Sometimes this shifting weather wears me out. So this morning I took an extra nap, courtesy of Scott playing with Lukas, and then Lukas and I read by the fire afterwards until lunch. (We did wake up at 5:30am today, hmm maybe that’s why I was so tired!) I read Lukas the beginning of The Wind Boy and I read myself Walden, which I haven’t read in a while. I was inspired by this intriguing website. Lots of musing and thinking and reading today.

dirt and knitting

white dirt

squish...

a small start

new purple cowell

The other day when I was flipping through Rolling Stone, Lukas spied a photo of an ad for a movie with a tough guy covered in dirt. He was really intrigued. Since it’s freezing and he’s recovering from being sick, I couldn’t let him go get muddy outside right now, so I helped him make a batch of play dough. “It’s like the guy, except the dirt is white!” he said, happily digging into the dough. We later colored it rainbow colors.

While he was doing that, I started knitting the cowell with the pattern from The Rhythm of Family and finished it by the fire this morning. It’s made from leftover yarn from my sweater so we can match! And I can wear this cowell too, since it’s a very versatile size.

{this moment}

 

Inspired by Soulemama {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.

If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

greening winter

green scarf

with knitting paraphernalia

evening reading

Lukas has been sick with a cold so I’m glad I finished up this little green scarf for him so he can stay cozy. It’s the same as the brown one. Now his railroad tracks can be even longer…

There is also a winter cowel that I want to make from the January section of the Rhythm of Family book. It is like the turtleneck part of a sweater that you can slip on and not have to wind it around his neck. I love the wind-around scarf but options are always helpful so he can choose what is easier or more fun for him that day.

It’s also great to have small knitting projects going. If it’s easy and small, I can work on it in front of him and not lose track of what I’m doing! Plus, a four year old is always wondering how long things take and a small project is done sooner!

indoor wildcrafting

whoops, slipped in the river!

the St John's wort card

into the sunny meadow and up the deer path...

Lukas is sick right now so we stayed inside today and played this game all morning. It is so exciting he is finally old enough (barely) to play it! He kept wanting to play it again and again and it was fun enough to actually do.

The game is cooperative so the players help each other go up the mountain, gather herbs and pick huckleberries. Everyone wins at the end because everyone ends up eating huckleberry pie at gramma’s house. I like this because it seems too weird to win against a kid or lose to a kid this age (or any age, really). It also introduces the idea of wildcrafting herbs in nature and working together. Of course it’s on the shelf next to monopoly…

While we played it he drank elderberry and yarrow tea for his cold. I drank maté tea because Scott drinks it every day and never seems to ever become sick. I’m hoping this will work for me too. So far, so good…

{this moment}

 

Inspired by Soulemama {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.

If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

ice treasure

winter ice wreath

later in the day

half falls off after melting

bean mosaics

green smoothies

For some reason it was a really crafty day. We start out making an ice suncatcher wreath. The idea is from The Rhythm of Family. We add some water to the bottom of a bundt pan and freeze it. While it is freezing we gather winter treasures outside. When we return home it is frozen and we add the treasure and more water and a string to hang the wreath.

Then we make bean mosaics with red, black and white beans and do some drawings. When those are done, we add a little more water on top of the pan and put it back in the freezer.

Then we make green smoothies with blueberries, spinach, apples and bananas. Then we drink them outside in the winter sunshine. Finally the suncatcher is ready and we take the pan out, warm it in some water to loosen the ice and bring it outside to hang in a tree. As the day progresses, the wreath melts and all the pine cones and leaves fall into the garden for the birds to pick at.

And a very Happy Birthday to my sis! Hope you are having the best day ever on this highly significant birthday!!!

a lovely pear

We planted a red bartlett pear tree the other day, thanks to Fionuala who brought one over for the holidays. She was cracking me up when she observed that the nearby leeks looked like they were marching right up to the tree and saying, oh no a pear tree we’d better stop!