Whose Week Is It?

Do you ever pull your hair out in the frozen foods aisle just trying get your children to agree on an ice cream flavor?  Do you wonder how you'll be able to make your children feel valued and appreciated amongst the family herd?

In my reading I recently stumbled on a simple tip to solve this problem and make each of your children feel special.  

Assign each child a week.  

We created our schedule to follow youngest to oldest, which is easy for me to remember.

Week #1 - Blossom4

Week #2 - Blossom3

Week #3 - Blossom2

Week #4 - Blossom1

This solution quickly and effectively answers all the very difficult questions in life:

~ Who gets the last brownie?

~ Who accompanies Daddy on his errands on a Daddy date?

~ Who chooses the ice cream flavor?

~ Who gets to go first in line?

To which I reply, "Whose week is it?"  Anything special that comes up during that week, goes to the child whose week it is.  

One of our children is a talented and persuasive negotiator and voiced stubborn opposition to this idea.  She wanted the power to lobby for the special item or privilege.  Since we are the parents, we grinned and established the practice anyway.  

It's only been two months and now that everyone realizes that their week will eventually come around, it has been an outstanding way to single out each of our children on a regular basis.  Plus, I keep telling the Rugged Mountain Man how much more pleasant it is in the ice cream aisle.  

What happens if there's a fifth week, you wonder?  It's MAMA'S WEEK!!!!

Dominique

#mamalifehack

Rockin' out the Pumpkin Rolls

I was talking with a friend about how hands-on learning seems to be the most effective way to truly learn something.  When I discovered that another friend of mine was an expert pumpkin roll baker, I realized the Blossoms and I needed to capitalize.  This will be some tasty hands-on learning!

This mama has tried and tried to figure out how to properly and successfully roll a pumpkin roll.  They just keep cracking!  How better to learn, than from an expert?

It took quite a while for us to get our pumpkin roll lessons scheduled, mostly because of my busy schedule, but we eventually got around to it... a year later. 

Elizabeth is not only an expert, but also is a person who is willing to let us invade her home, making a gigantic mess in her kitchen in the process.  It didn't seem to bother her in the least.

What also touched me was that when we arrived, her boys had rounded up an astounding amount of imaginative toys for the little girls to play with in the adjoining living room.  They'd prepared for us, which enabled me and the big Blossoms to more fully focus on rolling pumpkin.  That's hospitality - thinking of and providing for your guests.

Elizabeth knows her stuff.  We baked a very specific recipe with very specific proportions.  Silicone mats on smaller cookie sheets seem to work best for easy removal.  

Once plopped on an abundant cushion of powdered sugar, she then rolls them in three kitchen towels ~ two thin cotton flour sack style towels sandwiched around a thicker kitchen towel.  Apparently it helps to soak up the steam.

It's like magic.  Pumpkin magic.

(Don't worry, the stovetop is set to the locked off setting.  I checked.)

Next up, our tightly rolled rolls rocked on over to the freezer to chill for a while.

Once they are fully cooled, they can move to the next step.  I learned that it is a mistake to rush this process.  Pumpkin rolls fill best when thoroughly cooled.  

Then, they magically unroll for filling time.  

Insert my sparkly awed eyes.

To say that I was thrilled with how well they unrolled is an understatement.  

I'd say it's the little things in life, but around here, "punkin roll" ain't no little thang.

See, this is how it's done.

Like a good homeschool mom, she made Blossom1 go for it next!

I still can't believe she wasn't twitching over all the powdered sugar in her kitchen.  

In the meantime, I did the dishes to help ease the twitches she might've been holding back.

Elizabeth lassoed Blossom2 for some fancy rolling practice and then, she wrangled me in.  

If the Blossoms can roll these things, so can I!

Friends learning and chatting in the kitchen has been one of those old-fashioned practices that I'm trying to resurrect in our lifestyle.  Each time I carve out time for it, I'm glad I did.  It's good fellowship and we come away with new skills and recipes that stand the test of time.

We wrapped these beauties in press-n-seal and stored all but one in the deep freezer.

The lone pumpkin roll was gone before 24 hours were through.  Blossom4 requested pumpkin roll the next day.  When I told her it was all gone, she said, "No, dey are not.  Dere are seven more in the freezer, Mommy!"  

That's what happens when you teach your kids to count, people.  Think carefully before doing so.  

Next up, homemade pierogies.  They've only been on my mental to-do list for about eight months, so I'd call that progress.  

Dominique

Big Dogs

"I have big dogs and I cannot lie."

This picture, captured on our trail cam one morning while the Blossoms were choring, shows our lovable Bernese mountain dog hugging Blossom1.  Because "Berners" are known for their hugs, we actually tap both hands on our shoulders and use the command, "Rory, HUGS!"  

Just another part of the good life here in the Hollow.

Sparkling Gems We Aren't Missing

Most people think of homeschoolers as missing out, but the longer I'm in this journey, the more I relish the many unique opportunities that we're not missing.

The freedom of this life lets us make opportunities and take opportunities, so I regularly revel in all the really amazing opportunities we get to experience together.  

Together is a word I cherish.  Together is a word that I let rest on my tongue like I savor a chunk of dark chocolate.  

(shelter-building)

 Together makes me happy.

So, this forest-schooling session of co-op, that started out as a bud of an idea in my friend and co-leader's mind, has been bulging with interesting new skills.

There have been knots.  (You can not not have knots in an outdoors class... sorry, I couldn't resist. :)

Occasionally, we moms squeeze in some dark chocolate while we encourage each other as we march to a different beat.  

And apparently, we never stop loving to learn.  

That's my mom standing there, directly to the left of the rubbermaid tote, watching half the class get a lesson in batoning, a knife technique for larger hunks of wood.  She's been dropping by on her day off just to see her grand daughters in their classes, just to bring me Dr. Pepper and just to be with us.  

She left the other day with a "That was SO cool!" and a huge grin on her face.  My mom's pretty sweet like that, meaning she's always loved having her kids and grandkids with her AND she loves to learn.  It doesn't seem to have waned in her yet.  I wanna be like that.

Another thing I've loved about co-op is getting to enjoy the morning hours outside.  This park always has a layer of heavy fog over the lake.  We witness the sunshine, burning it off, as early morning gives way to mid-day.

The fog lifts, and simply observing the fishermen's craft in the morning stillness seems magical.  

As the rangers make their morning rounds and the children explore the Great Outdoors, it feels like a big, big world.  

Of course, I can't help a mushroom mug shot or two.

On one Wednesday, we explored the West launch of our park, a section I hadn't visited previously.  A friend and I stood there in the hush of foggy beauty, trying hard not to envy the kayaks of retirees, peaceably paddling out into the glassy waters.  Our day will come, but for today, we're just thankful to venture outside with our Blessings.

The Blossoms' latest skills now include lighting a fire with a ferro rod.  

Note: It's harder than it looks.  

There's lots of striking, specific angles to consider and oh, all your tinder has to be prepared just right.  

This gal here isn't one of mine, but she sure fits right in.  She's determinedly practicing her latest life skill too.

I was helping to supervise on "fire day" and aside from the unseasonably warm morning, it was a pleasant experience.  They listened well, paid attention respectfully and helped their pals out.  A few of the boys had practiced with these sorts of things before.  I found myself squatting by those that were struggling.  Quietly and discreetly, a few of the boys would suddenly appear by my side and tactfully ask if help was needed.  

They coached, assisted, encouraged and shared their knowledge.  I was impressed with their skills and their manner.  Lots of people know what to do better than you.  Few people can tell you that in a nice way, but these boys did.

We've also spent some time working with pine pitch glue.  We've learned how to make it (pine sap!) and what to do with it.  This skill was particularly enjoyable on our recent cabin trip.  The girlies spent hours with their Altoid tin by the fire, melting the sap, mixing it with charcoal and preparing it for use.

Being outside, experiencing good fellowship and acquiring valuable and unusual life skills has been something like the beauty we discovered on this pine branch.

Sparkling gems, nestled in the evergreen boughs of our everyday life.

I'm standing here, glad and grateful.

Jake's Cakes Takeaways

And so it begins.

Another season of the girlies' dog treat business.  Boy, oh, boy.  There's nothing like the fragrance of toasted whole wheat flour and peanut butter in the air.  That, and the sheen of wheat flour on the counter tops and carpet is endearing as well.

While I don't love the mess that comes with the girlies' entrepreneurial endeavor, I do love the takeaways.

I'm so glad that I can teach the Blossoms about priorities.  I'm realizing that children do not naturally prioritize.  Before I realized this, I would be in a stressful season and get more and more upset because the girlies would be worried about the tiny, little inconsequential things.  For example, we were strategizing on how many batches of dog treats need to be baked each day to make our goal inventory for Saturday.  You might then hear a Blossom put their energy into rabbit stories or rabbit names.  Say what?  We literally need to bake over a thousand dog treats this week, in addition to school and our other commitments and you're concerned about the details in your latest imaginative rabbit story?!?!?

There's nothing wrong with all the details children are concerned about.  In fact, that very trait has saved me a time or two, when I forgot something.  Plus, they're imaginative and funny individuals who always have interesting stuff on their minds.  They just don't know how to put things on the back burner at the appropriate time.  I've decided not to let the frustration mount at this lack of prioritizing on their part.  We're doing this "thang" so we can learn how to prioritize what needs to be done first.

I guess I have more life skills education on the agenda these days.

The Warm Fuzzies Later

Today I skimmed Pinterest for DIY catnip sachet toy ideas. I browsed for pictures, watched a video and then, hopped off the computer to fashion our own pattern.  Maybe that's just how I roll.  Since we have a craft show coming up, I helped the girls get started on this new cat-friendly addition to their dog treat business.  With our adorable new fish shaped catnip sachets, we won't be letting the sweet little old lady cat lovers off the hook anymore!  

The Blossoms spent the afternoon at the sewing machines, crowded around the dining room table or kneeling on the floor.  After my test runs to discern if the new "pattern" would work, I assigned jobs for everyone.  Blossom4 gathered scraps and threw them away.  She also cut old grocery bags into shreds to make the nifty little toys have a "crinkly" sound.  Blossom3 was in charge of stuffing with catnip and the shreds.  Blossom1 and Blossom2 sewed the sachets together and then, sewed them closed.  Nobody is quite certain what I did.  We made it through the bumpy parts of teaching everybody how to do what they're supposed to do.  Teaching your kids to sew is chaotic under the best of circumstances.  The warm fuzzies don't come til later, after training... and practice... and correction... and guidance.  Don't believe me?  Check this old post out.  It's pretty much the same, except there's no baby gorilla on my head.   

Later on, when they were eventually working independently in the craft headquarters that is the dining room, I found myself beaming over the relationships and camaraderie they are building with each other.  They chatted from sewing machine to sewing machine.  They giggled over a funny looking sachet.  They commented on their processes and efficiency.  They envisioned a grander scale, a web site even!  We made it through the bumps, to the good, good part.

Being together all the time doesn't strike me as a pitfall of the homeschooling/always together life that we lead.  I see it as just another building block of Godly family relationships.  We are together constantly, so we are always learning how to better interact with each other.  Time will tell if this long term investment pays off.

Dominique

Thinking. Talking. Dreaming.

I totally understand how hard it is for a husband and wife to get away together.  As the years go by, it seems like it actually gets harder.  There are always bills to be paid and things that need attention.  A husband/wife getaway feels like the one thing that can be "cut," both from the schedule and the budget.  I find this ironic, as the Blossoms are older and do well with their grandparents when we're gone.  Shouldn't it be easier for us to get away?

Something Tedd Tripp wrote reminded me that "parenting is not forever, but marriage is," meaning that we're raising kids for a relatively short period of time and when they're out of the house, we're still married with a lot more years in front of us.

I married my best friend and I want it to stay that way.  What am I doing today to nurture our friendship?

A cabin getaway is an inexpensive option for us, though I realize that not everyone has this opportunity.  We've also done weekends at our place while the grandparents have the girlies.  That's another really inexpensive way to get just couple time.  We've treasured those times as well.  

This cabin getaway, with just the two of us, was refreshing.  For one, we got to sleep in.  I was fairly certain that neither of us knew how to sleep in anymore, but when 8:30 am rolled around a few mornings in a row, I was clear-headedly jubilant! 

Cooking for just the Rugged Mountain Man was a bit of a treat.  I'm always juggling so many tasks when we're at home, that it was nice to put all of my brain into cooking something nice for him.  The meals were still simple, but it's nice to do simple well.  

Though we spent many hours on the fabulous and favorite cabin porch, curled up in our comfortable vintage 70s chairs with noses stuck in our Kindles, it's obvious from these snapshots that we ventured into the Great Outdoors too.  

As a teen, my mom took us a on a mushroom walk.  Since then, you've noticed that I've developed a bit of a fascination with mushrooms.  Though 20+ years have gone by, this fascination doesn't seem to be abating.  The little "icicles" on this white mushroom were exquisite!  We saw plenty of mushrooms and flora, when we were clocking our 16 miles of hiking in two days.  

One of the trails was a brand new to us trail.  It led to the site of a 1964 forest fire.  We went from hiking in the deep woods to abruptly coming upon a glorious vista of the area.  Breathtaking!  

What a pleasant surprise!  

On another trail, we found a dilapidated foundation of an old CCC storage area.  

Hiking just the two of us with just our two hounds was something a little out of the ordinary.  The dogs hiked with us all 16 miles.  They were very pleased to sprawl out in the cabin afterward!

After all the hustle of packing and logistics and details and worries and scheduling before our trip, when we finally (triumphantly?) plopped our duffels, pillows and coolers on the cabin floor that first evening, I was so glad we came.

It is invigorating to separate yourselves from the distractions and stressors, to go back to the basics of friendship.  

The value of being able to think slowly, talk uninterruptedly and dream aimlessly is what makes this kind of getaway so meaningful, so worthwhile.

I find it highly inspiring to hike behind the Rugged Mountain Man when he's wearing one of his old football t-shirts.  

No excuses...

in marriage...

in friendship...

in life.