Celebrating Mama

A few months back we read a book from the library that showed a child doting on his mother for Mother's Day.  This clearly inspired my girls to make my day extra special. Here are some of the things that made my day memorable:
A "Hand Made" card with room for me:

A Drawing of mama "hoola-hooping":

Dancing with my eldest daughter in a very sacred space:

Watching my beautiful girls dance at the Whole Earth Festival with fairy wings.  Inspiring my creativity.

We had a beautiful day and I hope that all of you other mamas did too!

Simple Garden Markers

I was recently inspired by another mamablog that used spoons and decoupage to make garden markers for her garden.  As much as I would love to spend 4 hours collaging on a spoon, there are just too many other things to accomplish.  So, we adapted, like we do most of the time in other areas of our life; we made them using a simpler version.

Here is what you need:
Spoons from the local thrift store
Permanent Marker
Spunky child who loves to write

Here is what you do:
Write on the spoon, either directions and place as markers in your garden.  They should last through the watering and the rain and into the next year too.

One Moment in Time

One picture.  A moment of time in our busy life.

Recycled Rabbits

When my girls were diaper wearing fools I made a small business of using wool sweaters to create wonderful pants and covers for them.  Now they are all grown up out of diapers, and I still have a large plastic tote full of woolens.  I was looking for something to make with my daughter's first grade class and came across a pattern in "Knitting for Children" by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton for a Rabbit.  Knowing that time is of the essence sometimes, I skipped over the knitting part and had the children sew up the rabbit using some of my scraps of wool sweaters.  They turned out beautiful.

They do multiply quickly if you are not careful!

Cut a rectangle shape out of the wool.  Ours are about 8inches by 5 inches.
Go in and out of the smaller side with a plastic darning needle.  Leave loose.
Sew again two-thirds of the way up the side of the rectangle.  This is the body and the head.
The open top will form the ears.
Cinch tight the bottom of the rabbit, folding the the excess.
Stuff lower part firmly for the body and upper part lightly to make the head.
Roll the top of the edge toward the head to form the ears and top of the head, sew in place.
Run thread in and out for the neck.  Secure.
Make a little pom-pom tail and sew it in place.

One Moment in Time

One picture.  A moment of time in our busy life.

Birthday Ceremony

Last week we celebrated my youngest daughter's third birthday.  It was important for us to honor her with our ceremony that reminded her where she has come from and where she is headed.  Here is what we did:

The night before we all sat around her in bed with a candle and recited this poem:

When I have said my evening prayer,
And my clothes are folded on the chair,
And mother switches off the light,
I’ll still be …… years old tonight.

But, from the very break of day,
Before the children rise and play.
Before the darkness turns to gold
Tomorrow, I’ll be …… years old.

... Kisses when I wake,

..., Candles on my cake!
(Ref: Verse of Anticipation, “All Year Round” – A Druitt, C. Fynes-Clinton and M Rowling)


I set up her throne the night before so it would be ready and waiting when she awoke.  I used our hand-made wooden playstand, covered it with our cotton rainbow fabric, draped her birthday banner (I made this using her baby clothes and her sling for her first birthday), her sister cut out a star for above and we placed a chair for her.
The next day she awoke and said, "I'm Three!  How did that happen?"

Later than day, when we could all be together, we sat her at the throne with her cape.  She normally would wear her birthday crown, but was not interested in that at all since she has been wearing it prior days anticipating the upcoming day.  We read a story about how she chose us to be her parents, and her journey to us on the rainbow bridge.  I used something like this one, altered with more details.

We walked her down the rainbow silk and around a small table set up with a yellow silk (the sun) with candles that each represented her years.  We each took turns taking her hand around the sun and telling her about her life in that year.  At the end, she blew out all the candles. My hope is that these ceremonies help my children anticipate the beauty of their story and create powerful memories for the future.