Wenesday is Painting day

I'm trying hard to follow the little daily activity rhythm I've created. So far it's going great. We do get some baking done on Monday, handwork on Tuesday (even if it's just play dough), painting on Wednesday and crafting on Thursday. They are usually enjoyable and Mariann gets thrilled when I mention "activity". On Friday, we don't have Lili, but I try to get out of the house and we eventually do something on the afternoon, going out of the house and all.

We tried stamps today. Mariann actually did the action of stamping unto her paper.
She also had to do her hand too. I wouldn't have resisted either.



Lili took her stamp as a paint brush.



Merrick ate some paint. Then he ate the stamp.



He also manage to stamp himself while giving it a hug. (see the sun?)

They all had great fun. They actually cleaned the stamps afterwards. And then I cleaned the mess. And them. Skin is my favorite product in terms of getting it back to clean state.

Autumn colors decorate well the room. Merrick's finger painting skills are actually quite good! Mariann did the huge red thing, you can actually see some flower stamps textured on all that paint. Lili's (not pictured) is full of yellow and red. Tomorrow is craft day. Not sure of what we're going to do... I have an idea, I'm missing one supply to do it. Activities take some planifications. I guess it's good practice for homeschool.

Hunting for Signs of Autumn

We are lucky enough to have plenty of natural land to discover, and this week we went walking with our little basket, collecting the leaves that turned red and the grown wheat, oat and barley.

The next morning, inspired by an article on Ryhtm of the Home, we made little fall mobiles. Mariann selected the leaves and cut the thread. She cut way too many, but what to expect? Lili just tried eating them and crushing them, making a pretty good mess.

As night grows longer, I'm actually glad the days are getting shorter, as it means Papa come back a tad earlier each day. I'm tired of feeling in battle with Mariann. Today I "gave up" at nap time, and let her listen to a movie, while trying to get Merrick naping, which he totally didn't do. It resulted in eating early and Merrick falling asleep in my arm, and I was able to take a bath with Mariann after putting him in our bed. So it was a great ending of day. Phew.

Mariann took a picture of Victoria "driving". She's getting good, uh?

So Autumn? Please come in and make yourself at home. I think I'm needing you this year.

Pratical Magic Party: Cauldron Magic

We're doing it this year too! Last year, I showed you how I make my teeny tiny hand bound spellbooks. It was fun, and I tried to come up with something PM raleted, but not so obvious. But they do, at one point in the film (Gilly's exorcism) make a bubbly smelly potion so I thought about explaining you some basic of Potion Making, and I took some pictures to go along. Enjoy!

First, making a potion can be very simple, as it can be very elaborate... I better like simple! Since not all of us has access to bonfire in the middle of a meadow or on a shore, I'll propose you something most of us has but seldom use; a chocolate fondue kit. You know the one you can put a tea light under? It makes reasonable size potion and you can safely brew you potion all day long with that. I opted for my big red cauldron in the picture, because.... It makes great pictures ;)

You'll need:

• Cauldron/Fondu kit/ Pot-pourris Burner
• Tea light
• Glass stick, or twig, or wooden spoon (those are great since you can carve symbols into them!)
• Mortar and Pestle
• Ideally Spring Water, but boiled tap water can do.
• Herbs and Essential Oils

Herbs can be substituted by their essential oils, and vice versa. For herbs, you need to crush them hard enough to break them and free their essence, but turning them into dust isn't a necessity.

Previously take your water to boil. By the way, if you don't have any fondue kit, you can makey your potion on your conventional oven, you just have to watch it more closely when it brew. Pour it in your cauldron. At his point you can request help from the fire and water element. As a rule of thumb, have about 2 tablespoon of herb for a cup of water. Crush each of them into your mortar and sprinkle on the water. If you feel like strengthening your potion, you can say aloud the name of the herbs/oils you add and why you do so (ex: "Ginger for success", "Rosemary for memory", "Pine for ideas"...).

You can also say something like:

By the Fire and Water,
By the essence of (herb),
Make it as I wish!

When all your herbs and oils are in, let them soak while your think of your goal. Concentrate on it, and when you feel like it's the time, take your stick and stir 3 times; counter-clockwise for banishing potions, clockwise for others. You can also say aloud your goal.

You can also say a more complex incantation, like this one:

By Water and Fire, By the Air and the Earth,
May the hidden powers come to help,
And grant me my wish.
(Ain't it harm none) It is my will, so mote it be!

The potion we made in yesterday was:

Calming Potion

Chamomile
Lavender (+ 5 oil drops)
Mugworth
St. John's Worth

Hope you all enjoyed! It is very fun to do and it leaves your house smelling good, so I hope you'll try this at home. It can be a really fun thing to do with the kids (Mariann couldn't stop throwing chamomile until there was no more...). Or just by yourself... It is a very relaxing activity, and if time allows you, you can meditate on it afterwards.

I also want to wish you all a very Blessed Mabon! Autumn is here, goodbye Summer, I'll miss you! This year I plan to celebrate and enjoy autumn as much as possible. The scar is healing, I don't hate you anymore, Autumn, so let's be bodies!

For some more magic, head up there and enjoy the party!

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Yarn Along: Apple Hat

I've made this cute little hat while waiting for my mom to pick us up on Saturday morning. Only one skein of red, I was not even sure if I'll have enough for a hat... It doesn't cover her ears, but you know Mariann.. The fact that it is RED and is an APPLE! is enough for her to want to sport it with her RED zipping sweater and her RED rubber boots. Note, that outfit she's wearing is her choice, too.

I was a little upset I couldn't go to my mom's the very first thing in the morning, because Mariann got up on the wrong side of the bed, and so did I... So I had to occupy my mind and my hand, while doing the thing I probably like the least; anxiously wait on someone else. Did I mention I just have a probationary licence?

Well.. thank you Miss Kurcinka. Really.

Intense? Check. Sensitive? Double check. Pereptive? Persistent? Energetic? Yes, I'm all of this. Why I am so surprise Mariann is the very same then!?

I'm not finished with the book, but so far it helped a great deal of how I see my relationship with my daughter. It really bettered my understanding of all the whys I asked myself. I still have the tantrums, sleeping and meal time chapter to read, which I really look forward to. Ah! Today was one of those bad days again, and I sadly feel there's more often of them, as my children not only love but need Papa to be home for meals, but harvest makes it impossible.

By the Sea

Most important cities, little towns and villages in Québec province are by the Saint-Laurent river. I t gets so large where we are (50km), and the north cost gets so thin, that we call this house, The House by the Sea.

The air is always so fresh, the wind chilly.

The water is cold, anytime of the year and the sand is so rough.

And there is no feeling like walking on the shore, up north, when the tide is low, to that big rock that is usually covered by water, on the squishy algae that explode under our rubber boots.

And the sight of that majestuous river by my window everytime I fold the cloths in our bathroom, and the giggles of delight from my daughter as she watches the Sun "go to sleep with the Moon and Stars into the water" as she looks at the playroom window, and the simple bonefire with good friends and family, and the oh so freshness of the air, and the clear, unpolluted starry sky, makes up for the upstair floors that are still not finished. At least Papa took the very very old rug out today. Lets see if my kids stop being sick... It's been two months now that they are having the flue symptoms....

I tried the art of Needlefelting

And I liked it.

Obvious pumpkin inspiration here, my first project. The apple is all mine! Something about continuously stabbing with a needle makes me feel good...

I've decided to set a nature table, not sure where still, and mix it with the altar setting tradition of the pagan as well, that which I'm more used too and am missing. Can't wait to see Mariann's reaction to those little dollies. She'll have to wait until Mabon!

Simplying clothing

My dressers can't close to the loads of cloths there are inside. Merrick's needs constant updating, as he's growing so fast, and Mariann's pile unworn clothing (she's so slender). My drawers are filled with pre-pregnancy clothing that are likely not to fit me anytime soon, and Papa's closet is full of Big Bills that need to be mended, t-shirt that needs to visit the garbage bin and long sleeve shirt that need to become short sleeve ones.

I want to share my technique for simplifying our drawers, as in, getting to a point where I can close them again!

One drawer at a time, I take all the cloth and sort them weather they fit or not, and place aside any that does not fit.



Then with the remaining pile I ask myself if they have been ever been worn, and remove some more.



Then I ask myself if the item is made out of natural fibre, comfortable, and pretty!
Only then, they can go back into the drawer.

Intense

That's my keyword for this week: INTENSE.

Not as in, we did so much stuff... Intensity is in ourselves. It's the word I've been given to describe Mariann and my own self, and our relationship. We are so very much intense. We are so very much the same. We live our emotions so deeply. We can both be hugging and laughing to find ourselves yelling at each other, blood rushing in our ears the next second.

We are strong willed. Oh, we know what we want, and what we don't. And this week, there was a lot of " I don't want to share!", "I don't want to eat!" and mostly, "I don't want to sleep!!" that piled up to give us a sleep deprived 3 year old that, in the end, didn't really knew what she wanted (but she wanted it NOW!).

But having an intense daughter, when you are yourself intense, is not the worst scénario. Add another sleep deprived baby PLUS an over-working sleep deprived Papa PLUS a whole week of body telling you that those evra stamp (hormonal contraception) is doing the same thing than regular pills (getting you sick, like vomiting and fever and muscle pain) and you end up with a pretty bad week (and weekend).

This little Élie contrasts so much with my kids. She's my little earth whereas Merrick is pure fire and Mariann, just like me, is the water that can sit still under the sky, and suddenly start purring down, with no warning, making sky and ocean undissociable.

I need to learn to myself to calm down in order to learn to Mariann how to do it. Else, we're stuck in this huge tsunami that never ends.