Sunbread

Kelsey was sick today so we had a quiet day at home and made one of our favorite recipes. It comes from Elisa Klevan's book Sunbread. The girls love the gorgeous illustrations, and while we considered making some animals from the dough, in the end we made our usual sun loaf. 

The house smelled like wonderful baking bread!  I think freshly baked bread is one of my favorite things to eat ever.

Silly me, I forgot to take a picture of the actual loaf of sunbread.  That afternoon Maddie had the brilliant idea to make our own butter, so guess what we had for dinner tonight?

Winter Wonderland

It is that time of year again, when we have to take down all of the Christmas decorations. Maddie was so incredibly sad that the holidays were over and that our tree had to come down. I can't blame her. I really don't like that part either. I talked to her about all the holidays that are coming in the next couple of months when I remembered what I used to do with Kelsey right after Christmas. Right after the last of our holiday cheer had been packed away, Kelsey and I would cut out snowflakes and tape them to the windows. (Being in California, this is the closest we can get to a winter wonderland!) 

Maddie and I pulled out some white tissue that we saved from the presents (we save all that kinds of stuff around here--old tissue gets repurposed into flowers so that we don't have to use bows, etc.). We spent an hour cutting out shapes and taping all our snowflakes to the windows. She felt happier about celebrating winter with pretty decorations, and I was so glad that we found a happy solution!

 

Another one of my favorite parts of the week: Maddie and I were searching for some tunes to use during her next Girl Scout meeting, and she put on her favorite dress up outfit and put on a show.  Maddie's little moments of spontaneity remind me to just enjoy the moment. Sometimes I forget to do this, and this can be such a good thing.

Happy New Year!!

Our December in a nutshell:

Happy New Year and many blessings! All the best for a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous year ahead.

Just One of Those Days

Our weather has been incredibly mild this fall (must be to make up for the cool summer that we had). The temperature even got close to 80F on Monday. Warm enough to take a stroll in the moonlight by the lagoon. I think that fall is finally settling in, though. The nights are getting cool, and the air feels crispy. M and I had a nice time looking for pretty fall leaves to press this afternoon.

This was the best part of the day. Otherwise it just happened to be one of those days. In trying to be a good parent, it is easy to put high expectations on yourself (and sometimes your kids). And it can be very difficult when you don't quite meet them. Just need to remember to let go and focus on the present. This in itself seems like such a challenge because as a mom, I am faced with constant parenting decisions throughout the day. And sometimes I feel woefully inadequate to meet them. Sigh.

Long Weekend at the Casa

It's Tuesday. Everyone is back in school and his or her routine. The kids had four days off for Veteran's Day (and considering we didn't have too many scheduled activities!). On Thursday, K had a fantastic field trip with the troop. She went to the Tech Museum and attended a workshop at which she earned her "Make It Matter" badge. She got it that day and was extremely proud.

M had a "play date" with Mommy and Daddy which consisted of going to the park across the street, lunch out at her favorite restaurant (which right now is McDonald's--it used to be Baja Fresh), a trip to our favorite used book store, and a hot cocoa from Peet's (where we read "Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy"). This outing was fun for everyone.

Friday we headed out to Half Moon Bay to eat lunch at Ketch Joanne. The weather was gorgeous (why didn't I think to snap a picture?). We walked around Pillar Point and were excited by the possibility of lots of yummy cioppino this winter. Crab nets were stacked in piles by the hundreds because commercial crab season opened yesterday.

Add to the weekend some Girl Scout booth sales, choir practice, teaching church school, homemade pumpkin pancakes, and a Fred Astaire movie. We were busy, but got to spend lots of family time together. These weekends are rare, and I cherish them.

Read All about It

All of a sudden M has started putting sounds together into words and words into sentences. She is so ready to read! About a month ago she said to me, "Mommy, I just really want to know how to read." Totally understandable given that everyone in the family are readers. Maybe three weeks ago it was like a switch turned on and she started piecing together three letter words. Her teacher started sending little books home with her. M has been incredibly eager--she'll read two small stories every night and bring them back the next day for two more.

The challenge has been trying to keep up with her curiosity and drive to learn. I really want to encourage her interest. So far K and I have made little readers for M. I put together the booklets, and K helps to illustrate them (I had M do drawings once, but she got tired after a while and was more interested in the reading part). Another activity that I put together is simply flash cards. I initially had some 3-letter words from when K was in kindergarten, but I've mixed in some 4-letter words as M seems ready. I've also added the names of different family members and pets, as well as some kindergarten sight words (i.e., "a," "she"). The flash cards are not as exciting, but M likes the feeling of accomplishment when she finishes a stack. Plus they are good for when we have a few minutes of "waiting time." 

K's teacher has urged her to practice her flash cards to really learn the basics. It's harder to get her to do these, and I admit, math flash cards can be a bit tedious. Is there any way to make it more fun? Something to look into....

Fall Days

It has been busy, busy to say the least. We've been working hard to put the house back together after all of our summer projects. And it seems impossible to fix up or tidy up one area of the house without feeling like you have to do all the other areas of the house. More to come on all this....

Girls have both started Girl Scouts this year and love it. M is a Daisy, and K started as a Junior. Both girls have been making new friends at their new school, enjoying their teachers, and generally having a great year (which I am so thankful for). I am learning huge amounts about the Montessori curriculum and appreciate it the more I learn.

M has actually begun reading. Several weeks ago she stated to me "I just really want to know how to read." Bit by bit she has begun sounding out words. It is very exciting to watch.

The girls' school does historical Halloween which is incredible to see. Lots of George Washingtons and Queen Elizabeths, but also John Lennon, Mother Theresa, and Frieda Kahlo. The most amazing part is watching the entire school get into a giant timeline. And there was also a living Mount Rushmore!

This year's Halloween costumes included a witch and Lucille Ball (courtesy of Grandpa of course--I contributed the wig and the hat). K won third place for Cutest Costume at our local Halloween Festival. She was thrilled and received more candy than she could possibly eat and tons of other goodies. Great to see her so happy.

J had his birthday last week. The best part was going to an early morning breakfast after dropping off the kids. We were also treated to a yummy Thai dinner by his father.

Crazy schedule this semester, but everyone is doing well and enjoying their activities. Can't complain....