If Im not mistaken…

Here are some of our favorite household chores to do together.

Setting the Table While you work on preparing dinner, your child can work on putting the table together.  Help them by announcing what needs to go on the table next, or set out a tray prepared with everything, so they simply need to put it in its place.  Don’t forget about condiments and napkins.

Unloading the Dishwasher  I always take the cutlery out myself first.  Then my little guy hands me the rest–plates, cups and bowls–to be put away in the cabinets.

Washing the Dishes  Warm water and bubbles, what’s not to like?  Just make sure there aren’t any knives or breakable glass cups that can slip.  Oh, and be prepared to fight over the tap to rinse your dishes.

Laundry  Sitting on the dryer, my son can pour in the laundry soap, help drop in the clothes and play with the dryers timer.  Beeeeeeep!

Dusting  Magic wand or Feather duster?  They can dust the baseboards and coffee tables in no time.

Windows  Children love playing with spray bottles.  Fill the bottle with water and vinegar not harmful chemicals.  You can also get them to spray the mirrors or sinks.  Getting them to stop spraying is the hardest part.

Cooking/Baking  Whether it be stirring, adding ingredients, cutting out cookie shapes or simply lining muffin tins, food preparation is always a hit.

Retrieving the Recycle Bins  The bins are big but light enough to drag.  How fast can they race you to the door?

Caring for Pets  Dishing out cat or dog food, brushing the pets fur and helping wash the dog are all great baby steps to learning the responsibilities of pet ownership.

I spy with my little eye; I see something cold and white!  Ah ha!  It is Day Four of my focus on snow fun. 

Today, inspired by the crafty folks online putting together a material version of this preschool game, I tried to create an “I Spy” or “Eye Spy” bag.  I used a large Ziploc bag, various small items from around the house and a few handfuls of snow.  I also typed up a check off list of the items hiding in the baggy.

It was a blast watching father and son squishing away at the snow trying so hard to find all the small objects that had gotten lost in white.   It definitely was a two man game.  My son lost interest before all the items were found and even my Hubby had trouble with the smallest button and sequin.

My son says he does want to try playing again tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll hide a few bigger items, like his Hot Wheel cars, inside and fewer items all around (maybe 10).  At least it’s easy to open the bag up and try over and over and over again.

Brrr.  The blowing snow packs quite a wind chill.  Let’s stay inside sipping hot tea and playing with, hmmm….SNOW!  Yup, it’s day three of my little snow festival.

Here’s my activity of the day to entertain the little ones.  Bring some snow indoors and give them a treasure hunt at the same time.

First the set up.  Put down large garbage bags on the table and on the floor.  Take out sand toys, spoons, cars, whatever toys that won’t be damaged by getting wet.  Print out some winter vocabulary and slide it into a Ziploc bag.  Taping the bag down to a tray is a good idea, an idea that I did not do but wish I did.  Cover the tray with snow, get the kids some thin gloves on and let them play!

By the end of our play session most of the snow had melted but we were able to make some tiny snowmen and the treasure hunt was a success.  I heard lots of “What does this say?” and we played “Can you find the word that starts with….”

The clean up was nice and simple too.  I just dumped the remaining snow into the sink and laid the garbage bags in the little bathroom to dry. 

I adore lighting a candle at suppertime. Since the evening is dark and chilly, the flame creates a cozy atmosphere around our table. For, with only one light source you become focused on the softened faces of your family and focused on what is immediately in front of you. I think it creates a sense of peace at a time which can be chaotic.

This morning my son was doodling and drew some spirals then noticed the center of the spirals looked like candle flames. He drew legs and feet on the spirals so, they were like people with candle flames for hearts.
I think we’ll stick with the candle ritual until the sun is out at dinnertime again. Summer seems so far away at the moment it’s funny even to mention it.

The candle has been blown out for the night and the house is coming back to life, time to focus on other things.

We’ve been having troubles with my son’s mittens slipping off and his wrists getting all snowy.  I double the mitts and get them tucked into his arm sleeves but still, I have to fix his mittens numerous times while outside playing.  I’ve checked out the website for L-bows but the price is a bit too much and with shipping it’s just not worth it for me.  I also heard a tip that stuck in my mind, which is, to use the leg section of old worn socks over top to prevent the snow from getting to the wrist.  Good idea, but I could not find any old socks to cut up that seemed long enough and tight enough.  But wait! I had made my daughter some baby legwarmers months ago, surely they would work and be long enough.  Success!  The little guy went out shoveling and Hubby didn’t have to fix mittens once!

So I say, if you’ve made baby leg warmers or bought Babylegs hold on to them for when your kiddos are old enough to play in the snow.

I poured the suet into a couple of orange peels and the left over into two plastic apple sauce cups.  I was surprised at the length of time it took for the suet to harden up again, at least two hours in the cold garage.

All the suet has been nailed to our birch tree awaiting some feathered friends.  This afternoon was very quiet for birds in the yard.  I’ll keep an eye out tomorrow and report back if I spot anything. 

It was a beautiful day to be out.  I could tell by all the other footprints and ski tracks in the snow that I wasn’t the only one out enjoying the weather.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to go out again before a deep freeze sets in.  Next time, I’ll be sure to go it alone.  The dog just wanted to stick to the beaten path anyway.  Not sure if she was being lazy or being smart!

What rock have I been under?   Seriously. 

Today, I headed over to the library and this book caught my eye:  MaryJane’s Idea Book, Cookbook, Life Book by MaryJane Butters.  I then spent the afternoon flipping through the pages, between family tasks, and getting that itch of inspiration. 

This book also tells a lot of personal stories of the people near and dear to MaryJane.  Now MaryJane  herself seems to be part Martha Stewart, part Dr. Quinn Medicine woman—she even sports the waist length hair, now that’s something to strive for.

I found MaryJanes website www.maryjanesfarm.org and was blow away by the MaryJane Farm Empire!  Clothes, Organic Food, Rugs, Table Cloths, Magazines!   Why have I never heard of her before?

Well, anyway, thank you MaryJane for inspiring me to sew an apron, sprout some lentils and definitely take the youngest member of my family camping this summer.  Maybe I can be a FarmGirl too!

Last year I was given some expensive Alpaca wool for my knitting hobby.  The wool is beautiful and soft and luxurious.  But, it has been over 365 days since I received it and I still haven’t started to use it.

My logical self does not want to use it for just any old project.  I scan patterns online and flip through knitting books at the library but I cannot find “the pattern” for this particular wool.  Will I ever find it?  Is the yarn simply too good for me?   If only I could return the wool back to the animal it originated from.  I would bow down to the creature weeping sorrowfully, “Sorry dear Sir or Madame, I’m not worthy of your fleece and until the day that I feel I am, please let it keep you warm from this bitter cold.”  Hmmm…a bit dramatic?   

Oh, I also saw this great dead fish hat pattern at knitty.com  http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTfishy.php

It would be great for my little guy if I knew that the hat would fit his head without slipping down over his eyes constantly.  Definitely not Alpaca worthy though.

The new shelves are up downstairs.   Whoo hoo!  It’s organization time in our household.  I now have one shelving unit just for kitchen gadgets and surplus pantry items.  We picked up the units up at IKEA, braving the Boxing Week shoppers and yes, there were a ton of them. 

I was surprised that they have more than half of their cashiers with signs saying ‘no cash’, meaning just debit or credit card.  That would be great, if you were a cashier—no counting pennies or balancing your cash counts.

I also took down the Christmas tree this afternoon.   I hope that doesn’t seem too ‘grinch-ish’ and early.   And I sold an old guitar online which was collecting dust.   Not for a lot, but I really just wanted it gone.  Ok, I’m also a horrible salesperson.  Even Hubby disposed of a bunch of computer stuff that was lying around for years. 

Lastly, I have two more plastic bins, for toys, to fill up.  (The cut up water containers)   However, we are getting stuck organizing the bigger toys, like ride on cars, huge blocks, and stuffed animals.   I’m thinking the kids will need a new shelving unit of their own.